ajoeynamedroo creations

All Veggie Sushi

2013-08-17T23:58:00.001-04:00

My best friend is moving to Chicago, so for her goodbye party I made some veggie friendly sushi. I was REALLY happy with the way it turned out! Tasty & pretty to boot...

I followed sushi directions from various recipes that I found online. This site's a good one, http://makemysushi.com. Generally for the sushi, you'll need sushi rice, sushi rice vinegar, and nori.

If you've never tried making an inside out roll, it's not as challenging as it looks. http://norecipes.com/blog/caterpillar-roll-recipe/#sthash.sQ2hkGTI.dpbs. I used this recipe as a rough guide. Read through the directions first, and follow them carefully. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the results!

The rolls are easier to cut if the knife is wet.

Dried Cranberry, Fried Garlic, Chopped Walnut, and Cream Cheese

To Prep

fry whole garlic cloves in toasted sesame oil
finely chop walnuts
cut strips of cream cheese

After Spreading the Rice Across the Nori

sprinkle the chopped walnut into the rice, and press in
Make a line of cream cheese, dried cranberries, and fried garlic

Now roll it up & enjoy!

Mango with Spicy mayo, topped with "Raw" Tomato

To Prep

Cut Mango into strips
Peel heirloom tomatoes of at least 2 colors, and de-seed them.
Cut the "meat" of the tomato into thin triangular strips
Create spicy mayo by mixing: mayo, chili sauce & toasted sesame oil
Put spicy mayo mixture in a ziploc bag

Inside Out Roll

Place mango strips onto nori
Cut the corner of the plastic bag, and squeeze a line of spicy mayo

Roll it Up!

Place the tomato strips on top of the roll, alternating colors
Give the roll an extra pat to secure the tomatoes
Optionally, add some more spicy mayo & tempura pieces on top

Sweet Potato and Green Onions with Cream Cheese

To Prep

Cook the sweet potato, peel, and cut into strips
Using only the green portion, cut 2 inch pieces of onion
Cut strips of cream cheese

After Spreading the Rice Across the Nori

Optionally, spritz the rice with lemon juice, and freshly grind pepper over rice
Make a line of sweet potato, onion, and cream cheese

Bringing my work home with me!

2013-07-15T20:23:00.001-04:00

I've got glasses on the brain! Here's my June in a pair of cat-eyes. Thinking of selling prints. I don't have a lot of experience with graphic design, but I played with it for a long time, and I'm happy with the result.

My colored pencil drawing is layered over some gorgeous mixed backgrounds from a set of tarot cards. I also cropped the spectacles from the tarot card scan. I really love the butterfly effect on the glasses.

CAT EYE

Animal Names

2013-07-09T23:55:00.000-04:00

Some people have been interested in how I create my animal name art pieces. There are actually quite a few steps!

Sketch

First, I find animal images that fit the letters that I'm using, and the theme that I am creating. The example above are marine animals, and the name is "Andrea." I use the images to make hand drawn sketches of each animal. I make adaptations to make the animals look more like the letters needed. Then, I place each of the letters across my lovely piece of white art paper.

Tracing

I trace my sketches onto my nice white paper with a leadless mechanical pencil, or sometimes a tiny crochet hook (whichever I run across first). When I'm done, I have nicely embossed animals, all in white.

Add Some Color!

The last step is the most fun, and work intensive. I add color to each of the animals, with high quality artist's pencils. Each animal takes about 45 minutes to get just right!

...And Andrea's name is done. Ready for framing and hanging!

Ajoeynamedroo a little greener!

2013-06-10T23:42:00.000-04:00

We've always made an effort to use recycled packing materials. Recently, I've realized that there are a few more steps I can take to make the shop greener.

First, I've changed the lotion containers to recyclable jars. I originally picked them based solely on aesthetic value and availability. I've just kept the same ones without thinking for years.

The new jars are clear for the regular body lotions, and tardis blue for the specialty hand and foot creams. They looks a little smaller, but I swear, they are still 4 ounces! They are slightly taller and narrower.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/97303776/tingling-tootsies-foot-cream-4-oz

Also, I've decided to stop shrink wrapping. Heating plastic is bad for the environment and our bodies. The extra plastic is just going to be peeled off as soon as the customer receives it!

Summer Citrus Sale!

2013-06-02T19:18:00.002-04:00

What scent is more summery than juicy lemon and orange? I declare, a sale on everything citrus!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ajoeynamedroo?section_id=8032054

Add some Grapefruit & Ginger, for an invigorating morning scent!

Orange & Vanilla...TASTY!

Tart Lemon & Orange mix with warm, nutty Vanilla

Reaching out to Asheville

2013-03-15T02:20:00.001-04:00

Asheville is the most arts friendly, locally-centered place that I've ever been. So, moving back here means a real opportunity. Everyone here seems to evaluate 'place' in a way that I haven't seen elsewhere. A lot of cities are struggling to define themselves, but Asheville is expanding its definitions while it grows. I am ready to be part of it.

Being involved is something that I have always struggled with. I have a hard time reaching out, and I have a tendency to talk myself out of new experiences. I have one little plan, and I'm documenting it, which means that it is HAPPENING. Get my crafts in some local stores! It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I've made some baby steps in the past. This time though, I'm following through!

I feel like Asheville is begging me to jump in...

Coupon Codes for YOU!

2013-03-09T02:10:00.005-05:00

I'm so glad to have kept ajoeynamedroo open. I love the products, and so do our wonderful loyal customers!

I thought that I wanted to quit the business because everything in my life was changing. The shop turns out to be one element of stability. I love that I can give people the products that make them feel great about themselves. Each and everything that I ship from ajoeynamedroo really is made with love, like it says on the label (although now it's made with love in Asheville). A huge thank you to all of the amazingly loyal customers, and those of you who are giving the products a try for the first time.

To celebrate the continuation of ajoeynamedroo use the coupon code BACKINBLACK1 for 10% off at check out.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ajoeynamedroo

Also check out my shop with accessories (jewelry, scarves, headbands...) use code SPRINGYRSTEP for 10% off.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/RooTwo

Spring Sale

2013-03-05T23:11:00.000-05:00

I haven't talked about the ajoeynamedroo bath & body shop in a while, but I am hard at work bringing my stock back up to snuff. Yesterday, I made a batch of Floral Bouquet just in time for spring. I've decided to put it on sale to celebrate the approaching warm weather!

Usually floral scents are not my favorite, but since this one is all natural, it doesn't have any of the cloying top notes that have turned me off of florals in the past.

The Floral Bouquet scent really does have a full bouquet. It starts with a base of the nutty, sweet scent of cocoa butter. To that I add just a hint of woodsy cedar essential oil.

For the florals I add the richness of jasmine essential oil, romantics of rosewater, and the delicately intoxicating scent of ylang ylang essential oil.

To top it off with a bit of citrus, I add lemon essential oil.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/97537680/floral-bouquet-lotion-4-oz-spring-sale

Shop Spring Cleaning

2013-03-02T23:07:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have decided to list ALL of my craft endeavors in my RooTwo etsy site. I want my shop to look like a little boutique, so in that vein, I wanted to arrange my shop window!

I decided to organize the shop into what I think of as mini treasuries. Each row has its own color theme. I started with cute pastels for spring, and green for St. Patrick's Day. I'm planning on rearranging frequently with the seasons, and my changing moods.

With the shop freshly organized, I guess it's time to delve into my actual as opposed to virtual space!

Jack of all Trades

2013-02-27T21:44:00.002-05:00

For years I have been trying to define my "story" in my etsy shop by limiting myself to one style or idea. Every few weeks I have this grand idea: "this is the one!" I go into full production mode for a few weeks because I know that this is the idea that will actually garner sales. After a while I get frustrated with the lack of interest, and half-heartedly make and don't finish a few more.

My latest 2 "this is it" moments:

"Friendship Bracelet" Necklaces

Turban Style Headbands

There have been many, many more over the years. This means that I have loads of handmade accessories hanging out at my house in boxes. I very rarely want to wear my own stuff, I guess it has something to do with having the wider world in mind while I'm making it.

Recently I read that listing around 50 items makes views jump. I knew that making and listing that much new stuff would be pretty difficult. I looked around, and browsed my inactive listings. There was some great stuff in there. Some pictures needed to be improved, but taking a picture is a hell of a lot easier than making a whole new item.

So, here's my declaration. I have decided that I don't care about consistency. Consistency is boring, and creating should be anything but boring. I think that my own voice is strong enough to make my shop just that; a shop. Shouldn't a shop, like a boutique, have many different types of accessories? If I walked into a shop that had only one type of design repeated over and over and over again with the only variety in color, I would walk right back out the door! I don't see why my etsy shop should be any different.

Many Faces of Me

2013-02-13T13:09:00.001-05:00

I've been in a relationship since I was 18 years old. So, I have never been alone as an adult. I think during the six years that I have been with Mitchell, I have started to ignore my appearance more and more. In a way I think that is one of the benefits of being in a committed long term relationship. You can learn not to obsess about your own faults.

Since we broke up, I have been wondering about my own face. Now that I don't have consistency, I have realized that I really don't know what I look like. It's hard to have any perspective on my appearance, or even the appearance of people closest to me. Their essence becomes plastered all over their face, and it's impossible to separate the two things back out. It makes me think of this lovely quote from Doctor Who:

"Then there's other people, when you meet them you think, "Not bad. They're okay." And then you get to know them and... and their face just sort of becomes them. Like their personality's written all over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful."

I know that this time in my life is an opportunity to get to know myself. I'm starting with my face. For the first time, I'm marketing my products on myself, and you can actually see my face. I've been
surprised at the way they turned out.

I've been able to get a certain about of objectiveness out of them, since I've started to see the photos as products. Every time I see them, I try to think about what my face is saying. Weird how hard it is to interpret your own face. So, the many faces of me!

Not sure why you're taking a picture,
but here's a smile.

I know something you don't know!

I am hiding behind my hair

You are being very silly, but I am
going to choose to tolerate you

Happy!

I hope it doesn't seem vain that I have plastered my blog with pictures of myself. It's really just for me. So I guess it's just self-centered!

All of the headbands are for sale here http://www.etsy.com/shop/RooTwo

Winner!

2012-10-05T17:43:00.000-04:00

Michelle Wong is the winner of the custom friendship bracelet contest! Here is her custom bracelet in greens, yellows and brown.

If you're super jealous of Michelle's awesome bracelet go here to order your own https://www.etsy.com/listing/107457506/custom-made-friendship-bracelet

Let me know colors, patterns, and anything else you want. I'll try to make it happen.

Tarot Find

2012-09-11T19:21:00.001-04:00

My boyfriend found these amazing vintage tarot cards. I love them, and I'm going to figure out something really cool to do with them. When I do, you'll be the first to know!

Beans

2012-09-07T17:12:00.001-04:00

I was soaking beans for dinner tonight, and was struck by the beautiful colors, the way the water magnifies each bean, and the wrinkled patterns on some of them. I just had to take a picture of them.

On another note, apparently beans and rice are better for you together. My mom read that somewhere, and cites it almost every time I tell her that I'm trying to figure out what to make for dinner!

Kiva Team Treasury

2012-08-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

Kiva Team Treasury

Check out this treasury of items that benefit kiva. Kiva is a microlending site, where small loans from real people make a difference in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. http://www.kiva.org/

Friendship Giveaway

2012-08-15T14:14:00.001-04:00

Friendship is free, and so is a custom bracelet or necklace made by me. Here are the styles that you can choose from http://www.etsy.com/shop/RooTwo. All of the pieces are inspired by the friendship bracelet, but have a sophisticated twist.

To enter the giveaway pick your favorite design, and let me know what your favorite color combo is right now, by commenting below. Also be sure to leave your email, so I can contact you if you are the winner. If you are randomly selected, I will make your design for you.

I'm so interested to read your comments. So get to writing and thinking about color!

Full Circle

2012-07-04T19:21:00.000-04:00

The friendship/camp bracelet trend is everywhere right now. I've been somewhat obsessively working on a few of my own little twists on the trend, and frantically trying to get them posted in my shop. I love mixing mediums and materials, so macrame mixed with all of the other styles of jewelry that I've worked on in the past is just what I've been looking for to get my creative juices flowing.

So yesterday in the midst of all of my mad designing and knotting, I suddenly realized that I am 7 again. At around that age I bought a Klutz book that had instructions for bunches different types of friendship bracelets. I got a bit stuck making stripes. I was 7 after all, and had only just figured out how to braid. But once I FINALLY figured out the chevron pattern, I was a bracelet making machine.

At the same time in my second grade class, my awesome teacher set up a whole little main street economy. We worked in pairs at assigned stores. I specifically remember the bakery (which was obviously the best), but I sold magazines, which was pretty definitely the most boring station. So...I'm sure you already know where this is headed...my friend Valerie and I opened a jewelry business, where we sold top quality friendship bracelets. I don't remember how popular our shop was, but I do know that it was WAY better than magazines.

I've come full circle. Here I am at, 24 pursuing my dream at 7. How could I have forgotten my macrame dreams! So glad I found them again.

Flower Hairpiece Tutorial

2012-02-16T21:18:00.004-05:00

One of the great things about this project is that it has a lot of room for creativity and experimentation without necessitating any fore-knowledge. If you know how to wield some scissors and a glue gun, you are already on your way to creating flower hairpieces. It's a great way to play with colors and use a variety of different materials.

You'll need:

1. Fake Flowers- the ones I used are made of thick paper (I got them from AC Moore)

2. Glue gun

3. Alligator hair clips

4. Scissors

5. Felt

6. Odds and ends (Sequins, sharpies, a matchless earring, and tulle. In other pieces I have used buttons and ribbon.)

Cut a piece of felt as your anchor for the flowers. I have found that a kidney shape works well. The anchor should be 3-4 inches long and 1-2 inches at the widest point. These are of course just suggestions, if you want to make more of a statement go BIGGER!

Choose flowers that go well together and arrange them on top of the felt anchor. Do your best to cover all of the felt. Try to layer the flowers on top of each other to create depth. Place sequins and buttons over the flowers, until you are reasonably pleased with the result. I find that it isn't necessary to reach perfection before gluing. It's often easier to place one or two flowers, and work around them.

I started gluing on the largest side of the kidney shape, with one two layered flowers, and moved to the other side, gluing a few flowers at a time.

To create some height, I used tulle. I wanted to replace the height usually achieved with feathers with a more animal friendly alternative. To create the tulle accent, cut out a circle of tulle, about 4 inches across. Cut a pie piece out of the circle that is 1-2 inches around the "crust." With the remaining circle fold the tulle accordion style, flattening out the fan shape. Put a dot of glue on the tulle underneath the flower petals, then press the "handle" of the fan into the glue. Spread the fan out, and glue the edges down on the felt, underneath the petals.

I placed glue dots on the tulle fan, and after they dried, colored the glue dots with a sharpie. An alternative is to glue sequins or beads on the tulle fan. You can also glue a ribbon bow as an accent. After placing the finishing touches on the hairpiece flip it over.

Place a stripe of glue on the back side of the hairpiece, and stick the alligator clip down on it.

Carefully open the clip, being careful not to unstick the bottom. Put another stripe of glue, and place a piece of felt in between the two sides of the clip. Let the clip close, after the glue dries trim around the edges of the new piece of felt.

When you put the hairpiece up to your head, you will notice that one side sticks up because of the hinge. To fix this, place a bit of glue near the hinge, and carefully bend the felt around the clip. Hold this in place for a few seconds until it dries to make the clip rounded.

You now have a beautiful cruelty-free hairpiece. Enjoy, and add a little pizzazz to your next outfit!

Designing with Roo

2012-01-07T21:47:00.001-05:00

We're changing a few things around the ajoeynamedroo shop. First, as you can see here, some of our design elements. "Roo" is making appearances everywhere; the blog, the banner, even the products. Mitchell, my helpful and talented boyfriend has been hard at work updating everything! The labels are on their way out 1 by 1. Here's our first one, Free Love:

It's amazing how invested we've become in the new labels. They feel like our babies. So much arguing, compromise, and embarrassingly tears (mine) went into them. When I saw the actual printed labels, I couldn't stop gushing. Just like any proud parent, I can't imagine anything more beautiful.

Also expect some changes in our lotion scents in the near future. We're keeping similar themes, but using mixtures of essential oils to achieve our delicious scents. Can't wait for our new order of supplies to come in so we can get started!

Look out for our new scent combos in the next few days.

Ecofriendly Giftwrapping

2011-12-11T12:10:00.000-05:00

As far as I'm concerned, the way a gift is presented is half the beauty of giving or receiving a package. In past years, I've done traditional wrapping paper with bows and ribbons, but this year I wanted to do something different. I wanted to use materials I already had instead of buying new rolls of expensive paper.

I used old, brown paper grocery bags as the wrapping paper. The plain paper is a great background for beautiful embellishments. I made delicate tissue paper and fabric rosettes with silver glitter centers - they were super easy and look gorgeous against the brown paper.

Instructions:

To make your rosettes, you will need:

Fabric scissors

Tissue paper

Fabric Scraps (tulle and lace would look lovely too)

Glue Gun

Glitter or small beads

Step 1: Cut small (1-2 inch) circles from the fabric and tissue paper.

Step 2: Place a small drop of glue in the center of a tissue paper and pinch the circle together to create folds.

Step 3: Layer 3-4 circles on top of one another, pinching each one to create folds and gluing it to the next.

Step 4: Place a small drop of Elmer's glue in the middle of the flower. Shake on some glitter, or glue a small bead in the center.

You're done! Glue or tape flowers to your packages.

Happy crafting!.love.Rachel

Local is the New Black

2011-11-26T12:24:00.001-05:00

Spend your dollars wisely. Skip the lines at Walmart and Best Buy, and shop at small businesses in your community instead. Our family has never been big on Black Friday shopping, but this year, we decided to head to downtown Asheville for some serious shopping. Asheville has its own campaign to promote local, independent businesses called

more info

Today on Asheville Grown's facebook page, I saw this breakdown of where your dollars go when you shop at a local business versus a chain. I like the idea of thinking local first - I definitely shop at chain stores and with online retailers, but I try to shop locally when I can.

credit

With this spirit of local shopping in mind, we headed to downtown Asheville. We ended up only making it up and down Lexington, and it took us about two and a half hours with a brief stop for some delicious Indian fare at Mela - recommended by the New York Times and voted best Indian restaurant in Western North Carolina 6 years running.

I picked up all sorts of things, including some new sunglasses at Hip Replacements.
...and how lovely is this coat (also from Hip Replacements) - she reminds me of a modernized Red Riding Hood.

credit

I picked up several goodies at Virtue, including a handknitted head wrap, knit leggings, a basic long sleeve shirt, and a hot pink flutter dress (also available in teal and black). They had some great sales going on, and the store was packed.

credit

warm knit leggings from Virtue $12.95

Knitted Flower Head Wrap from Virtue $10.36 (on sale)

I found this burgandy faux leather bag from a thrift store for $6 (on sale). It's the perfect size for my MacBook. It came from ReinVintage in the Biltmore Square Mall.

Thrifted Faux Leather Bag $6

We also found a big barrel full of head scarves for $3 each at Instant Karma on Lexington. Lovely!

In honor of Small Business Saturday, we're offering a coupon code to our site, ajoeynamedroo. Use code SMBIZDAYYAY for 15% off your entire order! As you can see, the money will go right back into our community. Happy shopping!

.love.

Rachel

Home Renovations: The Bedroom

2011-07-23T09:44:00.004-04:00

I recently moved into a new house and I've done A LOT of renovations. I'm going to start my renovation recap with one of the bedrooms. I was inspired by an etsy treasury I created sometime last year that featured carnival colors and circus staples. For my color palette, I wanted to go with the bright pastels you see on carnival rides: sea green, hot pink and baby pink, and pale yellow.

To recreate the theme, I used a base coat of Valspar's Mermaid's Song, and created a trim in Valspar's Hot Passion Pink. The trim was easy and relatively mess free. I think it took me about two hours to complete the entire border. I chose a damask pattern I found at Michael's. My only complaint is that once I saw it on the walls, I wanted to paint it everywhere. Once I find a crafty idea I like, I sprint with it!

I wanted something really cool for the walls, and I found an etsy seller that matched my aesthetic perfectly. Eyeshuttertoforget sells amazing vintage-inspired prints that are beautiful, whimsical, calming, and nostalgic, all at the same time. I love the subject and the colors.

I wanted the prints to make a statement, so I chose three 16x20 photographs. Deciding which three I wanted was so difficult; there are so many fabulous prints to choose from! I finally decided on the three above. I bought silver poster frames on sale at Michael's, and I used hot pink spray paint on plain cardboard to make the mat.

I absolutely adore all the prints. They arrived super quickly and in perfect condition. The seller even sent along a little 5x7 freebie of a merry-go-round horse. I love everything from this shop and I definitely want to get more photographs.

I added a fun and sparkly vase with glittered flowers to complement the pictures. The vase is an empty wine bottle from World Market, and the flowers are from Michael's - I edged the them in glue and sprinkled them with glitter.

Also complementing the theme are pieces of hard candy made from glass that I inherited from my grandma. The cabinet is my most prized possession - my amazingly talented significant other made it for me for Valentine's Day a couple of years ago.

He designed and constructed the entire piece completely by hand. I am encouraging him to do some pieces for his etsy shop WhiskeyBent; right now he sells hand-tooled leather flasks that he literally cannot keep in stock. I also made my own decoupaged light switch plates to match the decor. Tutorial coming in the next post! (Yeah, I know - he can make an entire piece of furniture from scratch and I can decoupage...life is so not fair).

.Love.

Rachel

Cupcakes!

2011-07-17T23:25:00.002-04:00

I have never had a cupcake better than those from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I'm serious - not only will your cupcakes be beautifully party-ready, as soon as anyone takes a bite, all you will hear is "mmmmhmmm." I took the Coconut Lime Cupcakes (pg. 107) to a faculty luncheon at my school, and everyone went crazy for them. The best thing about this book is that the cupcakes are made to impress in both design and flavor. This is probably my #1 favorite cookbook, and it should be a staple on every dessert-lover's shelf.

The recipes are simple and delicious. Many of the recipes use similar ingredients, so once you purchase those staples, you're good to go for a variety of different recipes. Admittedly, some of the ingredients are not going to be in your pantry to begin with, but I've had no trouble finding them at Earth Fare. If you've got a health food store in your area, you're golden, but even if you don't, many of the odder ingredients can be substituted for something else.

These were the among the first cupcakes I made from the book. To the left are Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemony Frosting. I used the Lemony Buttercream frosting and added a bit of lemon zest for decoration. They were soooo good - spicy and sweet, perfect for the holidays. To the right are the Maple Cupcakes with Creamy Maple Frosting and Sugared Walnuts. I loved the nutty flavor combined with the maple, but the frosting was not my favorite. Other people loved it, but I thought the soy milk powder gave it an odd flavor and a downright icky texture. If I were to do them again, I would use the simple buttercream recipe and add a dollop of maple syrup to that recipe. On the plus side, the sugared walnuts were so good, my family ate half of them before they even made it on the cupcakes!

I turned to this book again when I was put in charge of my friend's bridal shower. To the left is my favorite so far - the Mucho Margarita Cupcake. I did them in a hurry, so they look a mess, but they were amazing. Something about the salt in the icing just works with the sweetness of the cupcake and the flavor of the tequila; plus, they've got just the right amount of novelty for Cinco de Mayo or a 21st birthday party. I especially love the colorful rim of sugar around the edge! I also made Green Tea Cupcakes with Green Tea Glaze and Almond Flowers (on the right). They looked so lovely, especially for a bridal shower, but the flavor was so-so. Part of that was my fault - the recipe called for matcha green tea powder, which I couldn't find anywhere, so I used regular green tea powder instead. Big mistake. The cupcakes turned golden brown instead of light green, and they tasted like fake sweetener. I wouldn't recommend this recipe because the ingredients are a pain to find, and it calls for a lot of things most people don't have in the pantry and will never use again (I'm looking at you, $6 tube of vegan marzipan!).

Another of my favorites is the Crimson Velvet Cupcakes with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Here is my recipe (adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World):

Cupcakes:
1 C Almond Milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 C sugar
1 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C canola oil
1 tbs red food coloring (make sure it does not contain carmine)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp Chocolate Almondine flavor (or similar chocolate flavoring)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin tin.
2. Mix the almond milk and vinegar in a medium bowl - you'll use this later.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the almond milk concoction.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well. Add more food coloring if necessary, though I don't care for an overly red cake.
6. Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake 20-22 minutes, depending on your oven. They took 22 minutes in mine. Cool completely.

Frosting:
1/4 C Earth Balance
1/2 C Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese
2 1/2 C Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients using a mixer. Make sure the Earth Balance and cream cheese are at room temperature before mixing.
2. Place frosting in the refrigerator to cool.
3. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Enjoy!
.Love.
Rachel

Feature Fest

2011-06-08T22:51:00.000-04:00

The kiva team over at etsy is having a feature fest to spread the word about all of our wonderful members.

All of the members of the kiva team loan at kiva.org, a microlending site where anyone can make a small loan to an entrepreneur anywhere in the world. Those small (starting at $25) loans make a huge difference in the lives of the business owner, their families, and their communities!

I decided to feature thesquarepeg, partly because I love her name and her fun and whimsical picture!

I wanted to get to know her better, and I thought you would too! Thesquarepeg is Cathi Newlin, an artist experienced and trained in a variety of media, who is now using her talents to produce lovely Japanese inspired ceramic pieces. Her art has been a developing process in technique and style.

I can honestly say that my ceramic work is only now being informed by my 2 dimensional training. I spent so much time trying for that perfectly thrown, utterly symmetric bowl, that I was very tight and narrowly focused.

Now, I'm comfortable enough with my skills, and influenced by other potters' work enough to bring some looseness and fluidity into my clay - its becoming less like rendering and more like life drawing at a big ol' easel.

Her functional pieces have a lovely calming and natural aesthetic, with muted colors and organic shapes. Any kitchen lucky enough to have one of Cathi's pieces gains a tranquil and creative addition. Cathi hopes that her pieces become integrated into people's everyday lives.

I hope my customers get from my pieces something that they *want* to use well and often. I love fine art, and its in my blood, but the thought of someone using one of my pieces as an everyday item - as part of their every day life, well, holy cow that's awesome!

Cathi is very thankful to everyone who has appreciated her art and supported thesquarepeg

First, to anyone who's ever plopped down hard-earned cash for something I made, thank you. I'm still amazed every time someone does that!

If you decide to plop down that hard-earned cash at the squarepeg, know that Cathi supports 2 wonderful causes. First, kiva.org

As we ask every member of the kiva team, why do you loan?

I'm a fortunate soul - I'm a white woman born and raised in the richest nation on Earth. I have the luxury to own pets, call my art my vocation, read a book and watch my children grow old. Kiva is, in my opinion, the best way for me to be an active part of a global village. EVERYONE should be able to feed and educate their children. The world becomes a better place for everyone when there is less poverty, more education and stronger communities.
And since I'm not wealthy by any means, Kiva is the best bang for the buck ;)

Cathi also supports another cause that you know we love, dog rescue!
my other conviction - purebred dog rescue. I've been active in Boxer rescue for more than 15 years.
You see a few items in my pottery shop from which money is donated to the cause, and in my photography shop (theSquarePegToo), 20% of all sales are donated.
And no matter what your pet, you can help the cause too just by neutering your pet.

Two wonderful causes, from a great talent. You can purchase ceramic pieces from Cathi at thesquarepeg

Handmade Laundry Detergent

2011-05-08T11:31:00.026-04:00

I hate buying laundry detergent because it's incredibly expensive, especially if you get the good stuff without the nasty ingredients and fragrances. I've been playing around with the idea of making my own detergent, and I finally took the plunge. It's actually quite simply and amazingly cost effective. There are only three ingredients - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, Borax, and soap. I used my own unscented cold process soap I made back in January. Even if you have to buy the soap, your total cost could be around $8, and this makes a lot of detergent: I would estimate about 100 loads. Plus, you'll have tons of washing soda and borax left over for your next batch.

Ingredients:

1 cup Arm&Hammer Washing Soda $2.50/3.9 lbs

1 cup Borax $3/4.75 lbs

2 cups Cold Process Soap* $2.50/~4.5oz

1 tsp Essential oil or fragrance oil (optional)

*When choosing your cold process soap, make sure it's vegan and doesn't contain tallow or lard. You don't need conditioning oils, so look instead for cleansing oils like coconut oil and palm kernel oil.

Step 1: Grate your cold process soap. I used the medium grade so that the soap didn't get stuck in the tinier grates.

Go ahead and use up the whole bar. You should have approximately 2 packed cups - if the measurement varies a little bit, that's okay.

Step 2: Add the curly, grated soap bits of soap to a food processor.

I don't think this step is completely necessary, but it will ensure that the soap dissolves easily in your washing machine. It does turn the soap into smaller bits that mix better with your other ingredients. I also added a bit of the washing soda so that the soap wouldn't stick together as it was getting shredded.

Step 3: Mix your 2 cups soap bits with 1 cup of A&H Super Washing Soda and 1 cup Borax. If you would like to add fragrance, add 1 tsp essential oil or fragrance oil by droplets to the mixture. I recommend mixing in a large, lidded container. I used a 1 gallon container with a snap top. All you have to do is shake it to mix. If you don't have something similar, you can always stir the ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 4: You're done! Use 2-3 tablespoons per load. I've also heard you can use vinegar in the rinse cycle as a fabric softener, but I've never tried it. Let me know how your detergent works, if you have a different recipe, or if you've got other laundry tips to share : ) Enjoy!

Rachel