Here are my step by step instructions!

Pillow Talk!

Ok, first select a pillow to cover. I got this one from a thrift store for .75cents! Measure the pillow and add 1/2 inch to each side.

Next…Select a piece of fabric…

Iron your fabric…this will make it easier to measure and cut…

Measure your fabric…I mark mine with a white fabric pencil. A better way is have a self healing cutting board- which I don’t have at the moment…Remember to add that 1/2 inch to each side!

Once you cut the fabric match the right sides of the fabric facing each other. Your two wrong sides should be on the outside…

Pin all of the sides with straight pins. One side should be pinned with a gap in the middle for stuffing your pillow later…Sew up the sides with a 1/2 inch allowance.

Once the sides are sewn, then you will turn the fabric inside out…

Now stuff the pillow through the hole (you may have to STUFF IT!! LOL!!)

Lastly, you will need to slip stitch the remaining fabric…I didn’t show this but you can google that process… or you can add some buttons if you want to wash the cover at a later date…WA LAH!! You are done!

The market had some beautiful dark leafy kale the other day. I went ahead and got 2 bunches because I LUV the stuff. If you have not tried kale there are 3 different varieties as far as I know. One type of kale is referred to as “dinosaur kale”- it is very dark green and rib-like leaves. The second and third types is curly -one is green and the other is purple/green. All have a similar taste and are very hearty. I add a leaf to my smoothies in the morning or I make a nice raw kale salad to go with my meal.

Today it is starting to get cold outside so I decided on some creamy spiced lentils and a nice raw kale salad.

Creamy Spiced Lentils

1 cup red lentils
1 vegan bouillon cube
1/4 cup chopped & minced white onion
1/4 cup coconut mylk
2 pinches of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cup of water

Add water, coconut milk, bouillon cube and let the cube melt. Add the lentils and bring to a boil then set the temp medium low. Add minced onion, cayenne and oil. Keep it cooking at a medium low simmer. Stirring constantly. The lentils will look creamy and soft -their DONE!

Raw Kale Salad

1 bunch of “dino” kale or any other kind of kale
1/8 cup of red onion minced
2 Tbsp of  sesame seed oil
2 Tbsp of Japanese Mirin cooking wine
2 Tbsp of Tamari
1/8 cup of red bell pepper chopped

Wash your kale well. Take the leaf off the stem. Chopped into strips. In a large bowl take the kale and massage it with your hands until the cell walls break down and the kale softens. Add the rest of the ingredients to the kale. Massage it all with your hands. The measurements on the sauces are approximate – you may want to add more or less of one. You are looking for a nice balance of flavors. YUM!!

You ever have one of those weekends where you get a second wind and want to clear out and clean up? For me it does not happen as often as it should, lol. I got tired of staring at a box full of papers and “what nots” and decided to break out my filing folders and index boxes for an overhaul. It was mainly a lot of old paper bills that needed filing but in between there was some wonderful images I had saved from pen pals, brochures, magazines and postcards. I also found two unused bulletin boards in my closet, so I decided to make an inspiration board.

If you have some nice colored paint, masking tape and a brush -you can quickly spruce up an old bulletin board and turn it into a place to hang up inspirational images, fabric swatches, quotes. One of my boards had a lone quote from a tea bag stuck to it. It said:

Three mantras to never repeat:
I don’t know;
I’m not ready;
I can’t do it.
—Yogi Tea Bag Quote

In this spirit of positivity, here is a cool, quick REMIX on a bulletin board!

First you will need:
-an old bulletin board
-your favorite color in paints
-masking tape
-brushes (optional)

The great thing about this project is that I was done within an hour. So this is a quick way to bring some color on your wall and knock out some function while you are at it. I turned on some music and just painted with my fingers – mixing colors. The cork part of the board absorbs paint quickly, so you may want to use a brush or a roller. I place masking tape around the edge of my frame but you could always paint your frame, too!

Second, I collected a stack of pictures, images, inspirational quotes and placed them on the bulletin board. I think used thumbtacks to fix them in place. I will place the boards by my desk as a symbol of creativity.

If you try this REMIX, send some picture love and we will share your version!

Peace,

Camara

I hear that fall is a time when things start to slow down and the earth rest but I don’t think the same can be said for me. I have been working on several projects that seem to take me away from posting everyday but I plan to get better.

Today, I started a 30 day Hot Yoga course and if you have ever taken Bikram Yoga it gives you a spurt of energy. All that “torture” in class really gets the body up and going! After yoga, I got my car washed, went to the grocery store and started of tonite’s dinner all before 10:30am!!! LUV IT!

I was in the market the other day and purchased a bag of frozen black eye peas. All week they have been calling my name! I polled a few of my FB frienz and they gave me some recipe options- I was leaning toward hoppin’ john but decided to break out my slow cooker and concoct a vegan stew.

Ingredients (I didn’t do too much measuring, sorry)

1 bag of frozen black eye peas
1/2 can of coconut mylk
2 cubes of vegan vegetable broth
1/2 onion chopped & minced
2 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup of red bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup of kale chopped into shreds
2 pinches of cayenne pepper

Break out your slower cooker and set to high. Add the frozen peas. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté onion, bell pepper and vegetable cubes in coconut mylk. You can add a little coconut oil if you wish. Once the vegetable bouillon cubes melt into the coconut mylk add the mixture into the slow cooker and stir. Add your cayenne pepper.  Let the beans cook for about 1.5  hours and when they are close to being very tender add the kale by folding it into the beans. The kale should welt from the heat. You can slow cook for another 30 minutes or just eat your stew now!

I decided to stay away from a lot of starch so I had my stew over black quinoa. If you have not tried black quinoa – it is very delicious! Cook the same as other quinoa grains.  Enjoy!

You know I think the world is moving at top speed for me right now. I have so many aspects of my life are making transitions and being birthed, I am just hanging on to the side rails hoping I don’t fall off! Sorry, the posts for this blog has been sporadic but I thought I would make it up with another nice vegan recipe.

People always ask me as a vegan, “What do you eat?” Its so funny cause I EAT and when I get that question I always feel perplexed, like “…food…” I just don’t cook with meat products…. Well, here is a lovely recipe for all those people you meet you always asking you what you eat or who think you eat salad all day and everyday (which is not a bad way to do it!) This will please those reluctant vegans and those recently converted!

Vegan Chili

A couple of weeks ago I was in Walgreens and saw that they sold slow cookers. I never had one but a friend posted on fb that she was slow cooking some chili. I thought I could do a REMIX on chili and cornbread vegan style!

I have a small slow cooker (1.5 quarts) cause in my household there are only two of us. Now this is a “quick” slow cooker recipe but you could use all dry ingredients and go for a nice overnight deal!

Ingredients

2- 15oz cans of organic dark red kidney beans
1- 15oz can of roasted canned tomatoes
2 (pieces) – crushed & minced fresh garlic
1 to 2 whole serrano chiles chopped fine
1/4 of fine minced white onion
1 packet of vegetarian spice for chili ( I found a brand called Simple Organic at Whole
Foods)
2 tbsp of oil

Optional:
1/2 package of soy beef strips (chopped)
rice for two to four people (for plating)
vegan sour cream (for topping)

Pour all of your ingredients (except for rice & sour cream) in your slow cooker crock. Put the setting on high.  Cook for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Serve your chili in a bowl and top with vegan sour cream and a garnish of red onion or vegan cheese

Vegan  Cornbread
I just fooled around this recipe and it came out great! My secret for vegan baking is to use more oil for moisture.

1 1/2 cups of flour (can be wheat or another pastry)
2/3 cup of organic granulated sugar
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/4 cup of almond milk or non-dairy milk
2 servings of egg replacer (the equivalent of 2 eggs)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (but I to a 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernals

Preheat your oven to 350.  I made mine like my Mama does in a cast iron skillet but you can add this batter to a muffin pan or square baking dish.

Combine all your dry ingredients in one bowl – except for the egg replacer. You should prepare your egg replacer in a separate bowl. Make sure you whip your egg replacer.
Combine all of your wet ingredients in another bowl (add egg replacer). Then combine the two bowls into one batter. Pour in your baking container and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick, when dipped in the center comes out clean.

ENJOY!!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I made a lot of progress on a project I had been working on for some time now… my dolls. I mentioned before that I went over a friend’s house recently and saw two dolls I had made for her a couple of years ago. I was inspired again to start working on two dolls that I had left unfinished.

This is the bottom doll has a skirt of feathers overlaid by mudd cloth

I make these dolls bodies out of paper mache, using handmade paper. The paper has this beautiful texture of leaves and wood pulp. These Spirit Dolls have long arms to symbolize their generous assistance with any challenge and/or obstacle. I dress each doll with its own unique outfit. I think they are shamanistic, tribal and earthy – like myself! I love Goddesses and Earth Mamas – these dolls are my tribute to those energies.

The 'Earth Shaman' hold her fan of feathers.

They often will speak to a person a special medicine. I do make these custom by donation. The two I have just completed are for sale. You can contact me via email at camara@creativeaday.com for more information on how to get a custom doll or one of these two (or both!).

The 'Zebra Shaman' wears a necklace of cowries and hold her fan of feathers.

They are far more beautiful in person cause they are a bit camera shy- really- I have tried to take picture of all my dolls but they seem to come out incomplete. They all insist on being taken outside, too!

Both of these dolls are available to a new home!

I am finishing up my REMIX project to share with you tomorrow -Miniature Goddess Temples made from tea boxes!

Do you have a favorite Goddess? If so, please share! I LUV comments!

NuSpirit Carnelian and Sterling Wrist Mala

Ever see a piece of artwork and feel the literal spirit and intention behind the piece? Well, when I first saw Karen’s work I knew there was something special about her work – a deep sense of peaceful beauty! I have known Karen for some time now and NuSpirit is a new journey for her! Below she talks about her work and why she creates! Enjoy!

My business is called NuSpirit Designs and I’m located in Berkeley, CA

2. What sparked you to start creating your prayer beads and artwork?

Among the items I make are malas and other kinds of prayer beads — I call them Spirit Beads — using gemstones and precious metals [sterling, 14KT gold] designed for praying/meditating but that are also beautiful and can be worn as adornment. As well, I design tee shirts with meditations on front, they’re a kind of mindfulness tee that I call Spirit Tees. And the spark was “spirit” which is why it has such a prominent place in my products/names. I have recently had quite a bit of turbulence and transition in my life and the thing that helped me — literally — get up off the floor is prayer and remembering to honor the spirit within me that is creative and strong and beautiful. And opening my mind and heart to healing turned me from sorrow and heartbreak and made room for an explosion of creativity and a new vision for work and success.

NuSpirit Faceted Quartz & Silver Mala

5. What advice can you give other artists there looking to sell their craft? Lessons learned-learning…

The most important thing, the primary piece of advice I want to offer is that you *can* face your fears and get on the other side. AND, you can honor your gifts while being afraid. Fear has prevented me from doing a great many things that I have envisioned. I’m learning that I can make magic happen even if I remain afraid. And then it eventually dissipates.

Oh, and the other piece of advice I want to offer is to do your homework! Do as much research as you can about your products, about marketing, about websites, about planning. Do your research! Don’t rely on other people to do it for you and don’t rely on ‘winging it’. That’s just your fear setting you up to fail.

NuSpirit Carnelian & Sterling Mala

6. Where can people purchase your beautiful work?

I have a facebook page — NuSpirit Designs — and am in the process of getting my website up and running, which has been quite daunting. Coming soon:  www.nuspiritdesigns.com

Here is the LINK to the tutorial on Scatter Girls! Give it a like or comment if you LIKE it! I plan to make a few of these and use them as my Artist Trading Card!

Do you have an Artist Trading Card? If so, how about sending me a pic to post with a link to your blog or website! Just email Camara@CreativeADay.com

Today, I spent a fabulous morning taking a couple mile walk and catching up with my mother on the phone. When I got home I thought it would be nice to spread the LUV in my household by making a nice BIG Vegan Breakfast consisting of french toast and a deep veggie REMIX on homefries!!!

Simple set of ingredients!

Yes, you can make vegan french toast and it is really BETTER than the other thing with eggs! The batter is so SIMPLE I think this is the perfect transition recipe for a person who wants to integrate some vegan into their diet. Believe me, us vegans don’t chow down like this everyday but it is a nice weekend treat for a relaxed Sunday.

Use Silken Tofu for a smooth batter!

Tofu comes in many forms: medium, firm, extra firm and silken. When you want to make vegan sauces like custards and puddings you use Silken tofu. There are two types of silken the I usually see in the store – in the refrigerator section you can find it and in the Japanese speciality food section on the non-refrigerated isle you can find it in a box. Both have the same consistency and taste. If you can’t find silken you can use regular medium tofu but the batter may be a bit grainy. Silken is best!

Blend your ingredients in a blender.

Add your batter to large flat bowl or plate for quick dipping of the bread!

BTW, I realized I did not have vanilla extract but a dash would be a great addition. Also, I don’t buy a lot of bread but we had some sour dough french bread that was kinda ‘day ole’ and it was perfect. I usually would use wheat. Now I tried out using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Coconut oil is not good for high heat so if you go this route I would use a lower than usual heat and just expect a longer cooking time. Spray oil would work best for this recipe to keep the fat content down.

If you use coconut oil make sure your heat is low!

Ingredients for Vegan French Toast:

1 pkg of Silken Tofu
1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I used Almond milk)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of sea salt
2 tbsp of agave or other sweetener
8 slices of bread
for skillet about 2 tbsp of oil

Instructions for french toast batter:
In a blender mix the tofu, non dairy milk, and other ingredients (no oil). Blend until smooth. Heat up your skillet on a low to medium heat and add a bit of oil to just lightly cover the surface. Add about a 1/4 cup of batter to a large flat bowl or plate.  Take a slice of bread and very quickly dip it into the batter on both sides. Place the bread into the skillet and cook on both sides. The bread will brown quickly just make sure there is not so much batter that it is soggy. Place on a warm plate and add fresh fruit and agave or maple syrup!

REMIX Homefries

Check out this REMIX on homefries!

2 russet potatoes (cubed with skin on)
1/4 cup red onion or white onion
1/4 cup bell pepper ( any color)
sea salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
paprika for color
2 tbsp of olive or vegetable oil

Dice up your veggies while your cube potatoes boil.

Saute your veggies (except for spinach) just for a minute or two.

Fold in the chopped fresh spinach last and turn off the heat. Keep it green and crunchy!

I decided to make a hearty batch of homefries to go with the french toast. I decided to add a rainbow of veggies to the potatoes to spice it up and heighten the nutritional value. First you want to dice up two russet potatoes (I leave the skins on). Boil the potatoes in a pot for about 7 to 10 minutes or until soft. In the meantime, dice up some veggies you have in the frig – I had red and green bell pepper, red onion and some spinach. Once the potatoes are soft then drain the water from them and let them stand while you lightly sauté the veggies. Leave out the spinach until later. Add the potatoes to the onion and bell pepper and spice the potatoes with sea salt, cayenne and paprika. After a couple of minutes fold in the spinach and turn off the heat. Allow the spinach to welt with the hot potatoes but don’t cook the spinach any longer. You will have a nice bright rainbow of REMIX’d homefries!

Enjoy this Vegan Country Breakfast with your Family! Wah Lah!

I am very excited to share with you the work of Janine Jackson out of Miami, Florida. We both met on the new Native Style facebook page where artists barter their handmade items. Please read the interview below from this wonderful artist and author!

2. What kinds of items do you create?

plantFolk tree-shirts from Janine Jackson

I develop images based on health and expansion (via digital design, paintings, and free style sketch work), offer unique wearable art items (in the form of plantFolk tree-shirts), inform others in the ways of soy-free food consumption through an e-guide, and assist those who are interested in learning how to maintain relaxer-free hair via an online e-class/consultation service.

3. Where do you get your inspiration?

I’m inspired by music, comedians, interactions with others, and nature.

4. What are your plans for your creative work?

My intent is to allow my artwork to grow (reach others) and to continue to create in ways that are beneficial to my overall well-being as well as others.

5. Why is creativity important to you? or Why do you create?

I create because it allows me to bring more of what I’d like to see (or experience) into my world. It’s empowering to be able to construct images or create experiences that reflect what enriches my life. It’s also a form of self-care for me. I create everyday in some form, whether it is through writing, preparing a meal, utilizing a fabric covering for a previously bland journal cover, twisting or braiding my hair, etc. It’s a way of life.

6. Tell us how to get in touch with you? Do you barter, sell, both? If so, where? 

I may be reached at  janinejackson@peacemail.com or you may add me on facebook to view more of my creations and life enhancing shares. Both bartering and selling takes place via email contact at the moment.