Heavily Edited

Redesigned: The Record Stache

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:59:00 +0000

I just finished a major overhaul of the design for The Record Stache music blog. Matt wanted an eye-catching design that focused on the musicians' beautiful cover art. All of the post information is displayed when you hover over an album cover. This is definitely the funnest design yet, and it's come a long way from some of TRS's earlier incarnations.

I Made a Picture.

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:36:00 +0000

Here's a graphic I put together for a new podcast feature over at The Record Stache. I used an Instagram photo I took of the microwave and had some fun with the pen tool and some other effects in Illustrator. It's probably not that exciting, but I've decided I should post things more often.

Follow me on Instagram @heavilyedited

Dulce de Leche Shortbread Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:09:00 +0000

I know what you're thinking. Those kinda look like Girl Scout cookies. And while they make look oddly similar, and they may even have been inspired by my favorite cookie, the Samoa, I confess, they taste nothing like Samoas/Caramel Delites. They are, however, awesome shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate, slathered in dulce de leche, and sprinkled with shredded coconut. The cookies are made with the easiest shortbread recipe in the world, and the dulce de leche is made by double boiling sweetened, condensed milk, following this recipe.

Using a double boiler (aka heatproof bowl over pot of boiling water), cook the condensed milk over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until the milk thickens and starts to darken. It took me about 90 minutes of cooking to get the condensed milk to the right consistency for cookies. If you're making this ahead of time, cover and store in the fridge.

Stir sugar and flour together. Add in cold butter.

Using a pastry blender (or a fork, or whatever), blend the butter into the flour and sugar. When it reaches a crumbly consistency, pack it into a tight ball, and knead it. The recipe says "until smooth," but I did the best I could. Shortbread dough is way crumblier and harder to keep together than, say, chocolate chip cookie dough.

Take the dough and roll it out to about 1/4" thickness. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut out shapes. I actually used the round, metal filter from my espresso maker for these cookies. Yeah. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes at 320 degrees F. The cookies should be a little golden around the edges but will otherwise look the same.

Carefully melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. I put them for about 45 seconds, stirred, then put them back in for another 30 seconds. If your dulce de leche is in the fridge, pop it in the microwave for no more than 30 seconds, then stir. Dip the bottoms of each cookie in the melted chocolate, then place on a sheet of parchment paper.

Drop a generous spoonful of dulce de leche on top of each cookie. Give it a minute to spread out over the cookies, then sprinkle each cookie with shredded coconut. Spoon the remaining chocolate into a storage bag and snip off one corner. Pipe a few lines of chocolate over each cookie. Place the cookies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let the chocolate and caramel harden.

Dulce de Leche Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups all -purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions:

Pour condensed milk into top of double boiler pan. Place over boiling water. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 60 to 90 minutes, or until condensed milk thickens and turns caramel-colored. Remove from heat; store covered in refrigerator.

In a large bowl, stir together flour and sugar. Cut in butter using a pastry blender, until mixture resembles crumbs. Pack into a tight ball, then knead until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter or knife. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 320 degrees F. Cookies will be lightly browned on the edges.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or by using a double boiler. Warm up dulce de leche in microwave for about 30 seconds.

Coat the bottoms of each cookie with melted chocolate; place on parchment paper. Place a generous spoonful of dulce de leche on top of each cookie; spread lightly. Sprinkle coconut over each cookie. Spoon remaining chocolate into a plastic storage bag and snip off one corner. Pipe lines of chocolate over each cookie. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow chocolate and dulce de leche to harden.

Makes about 12-16 cookies.

diy: tortoise shell photo frame

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 04:11:00 +0000

This boring, worn out frame was headed for the trash when I decided to take it home and give it some new life. I wanted to try out a faux-tortoise shell finish since it's my favorite animal-inspired pattern. It's a really easy process and only takes a couple hours to make.

Things You'll Need:
- old picture frame
- sandpaper (optional)
- acrylic paint (I used yellow ochre, cadmium red, burnt umber, and mars black)
- sheer, iridescent, gold acrylic paint (I used fabric paint!)
- gloss varnish for acrylic
- medium-sized, round paintbrush
- variety of sea sponges

Before. Wipe the frame with a damp rag to remove any dust or dirt. If your frame is plastic, you can scuff up the surface with some sandpaper, or spray it with a plastic primer.

These are the colors I used. I went with artist acrylic instead of craft paint since it's more pigmented and adheres better. I did, however, use iridescent gold fabric paint by Scribbles since I already had it, and because it adds a very subtle gold sheen to the frame. For this project, you'll want to mix these colors together to create a variety of natural-looking tones.

Paint one coat of yellow ochre mixed with a little red. Wait a few minutes, then apply a thin coat of the gold paint.

Mix together some red and brown paint, and add a small amount of water to make a slightly transparent glaze. Paint random splotches across the frame. You can use a damp sea sponge or brush dipped in water to soften the splotches and make them blend into the yellow. If you cover up too much of the gold, just use a damp sponge to wipe off the frame.

Going over the spots with a damp sponge or brush dipped in water softens the effect.

Add layers of brown, then black paint, letting the frame dry in between coats. I let the frame dry overnight, then came back to see if I needed to make any changes.

There's not as much variation as I wanted, so I painted over several areas with more yellow and gold paint.

I was kind of worried I'd ruined the effect at this point, but then I decided to coat the entire frame with a thin layer of gold, and not just where I painted the new yellow spots. The shimmery paint helps to tie in the different colors.

Carefully add in more brown and red-brown paint splotches. You can see the frame looks more mottled and blended than it did earlier. Now all it needs is a layer of black spots for definition. You can also dip the sea sponge in black paint mixed with a little water, and stamp a few tiny, random spots across the frame. Let your frame dry, then apply 1-2 coats of varnish.

The gold paint along with the glossy finish add so much depth and shine to the frame.

Cheddar, Rosemary & Jalapeño Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:27:00 +0000

There's nothing like a recipe that has almost all the ingredients in the title, am I right? The other night, we decided to make some cheesy, spicy breakfast potatoes. I had some fresh rosemary in the fridge, but I wasn't sure whether or not it would go with jalapeño. Thanks to a quick Google search, I learned that rosemary and jalapeño make for an excellent and totally not-weird combination.

Cheddar, Rosemary & Jalapeño Breakfast Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 large russet potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1-2 cups shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, bring potatoes and water (enough to cover potatoes) to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until potatoes can be easily speared with a fork, but are still firm. Be careful not to overcook; mushy potatoes will fall apart during frying. Drain potatoes and set aside.

2. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until the oil moves easily around the pan. Lightly sauté rosemary, jalapeño, salt, and pepper for about a minute.

3. Add potatoes to pan; stir to combine with the spices. Turn potatoes every few minutes, adding more olive oil as needed. Lower heat to medium once potatoes are sufficiently browned. Cook until potatoes are softened and golden-brown.

4. Stir in cheese; remove from heat once cheese has melted. Serve.

Wall Art

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 03:27:00 +0000

Here are a couple paintings I made recently. This one is a cover-up of a painting I made a few years ago and never really liked. I usually like to paint without a plan, so I have a lot of used canvases lying around. You can see a lot of texture from the former painting peeking through.

I painted this about a month ago. I started out painting different sections of blue and cream that sort of blended into each other. It looked kind of sad and pale until I started adding in different shades of dots and circles. The bright orange squares really bring the painting to life.

It's definitely quirky, and sort of reminds me of a bunch of safety orange parachutes in the sky.

Pencil Test Update

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 06:44:00 +0000

Here's an update to the pencil test I've been working on. I've added several more seconds, so the scene has a lot more context now. I still have about 10 seconds to go before I can consider it finished.

Black and White Film Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 05:31:00 +0000

Here are a bunch of prints I made for a film photography class I took during the Spring 2011 semester at UWF. They were all shot using a Canon Rebel Ti SLR and Ilford 400 ISO B&W film. These are some of my favorite images from that class.

Old junk always makes for the best photos.

Nighttime + moving vehicle = awesome light photography

(tip- have someone else drive!)

Old gas station on Davis Hwy in Pensacola

Very old gas station in Pensacola located on Johnson Ave

View from a Patio

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 01:41:00 +0000

It's probably safe to say that I've exhausted all the photography opportunities involving the view from my apartment's back patio. Nevertheless, here are a few photos I took today around sunset.

Pencil Test

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 04:33:00 +0000

I grew up during the Disney Renaissance, and my childhood dream was to become an animator for Disney. I ended up going to school for TV and film, but have rekindled my interest in the art over the past few months. Thanks to the internet, I've been able to teach myself the fundamentals of 2D animation, and now I'm ready to start working on sequences for a future demo. Here's the beginning of a scene I started putting together about a week ago. It's about a duck that finds a toy duck, but I haven't decided where to go from there.

Design Progression - TheRecordStache

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:55:00 +0000

(Site design as of February 2013)

Since February 2012, I've been the designer and webmaster for a little music blog called TheRecordStache. The layout started out fairly humble - so humble, in fact, that I don't mind that I never took a screenshot documenting the original design. It was bad, folks. As the site grew and started to gain recognition, I was challenged to develop the cleanest, most dynamic and professional-looking blog design I could muster. As you can see from the following screenshots, the basic color scheme and logo have stayed relatively constant. I worked with Matt, the mastermind behind TheRecordStache, to give the blog its signature theme- classic, neutral grays with carefully placed pops of color. It's amazing how simple changes like narrower margins and a wider, standalone, featured-post slideshow can elevate a website from cutesy to designer. It's been a blast being able to work on the design for such a promising, new blog. It's also been rewarding- I've improved my HTML and CSS coding skills, and I learned a bit of jQuery to create dynamic elements for the blog. One thing I can't take credit for is the awesome background (both the dark and light versions), which came from a design Matt drew and then had a friend perform some Photoshop magic on. Web design is something I'd love to do for a living, so if you or someone you know is in the market for a website overhaul, please drop me a line at anna @ heavilyedited . com.

Kudos to anyone who can figure out what inspired

the color scheme/arrangement for these icons.

Version #4.

Version #3. Screenshot taken by The Neighbourhood

Version #2. Screenshot via Fast Planet

(Shame on me for never documenting the site's progress myself).

I learned a bit of jQuery to make these share buttons slide out.
They show up at the end of every post on TheRecordStache.
Click here to see a live example.

New Life

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 07:25:00 +0000

Back in May, I was lucky enough to be asked to photograph a natural birth. I've been wanting to expand my photography portfolio in a variety of directions, so I was very excited for this opportunity. I was also a little nervous, having never witnessed childbirth before. The mama, Tracey, and her doula had warned me that this would be an intense experience, but I did my best to just focus on taking beautiful photos. It was honestly more awe-inspiring and exciting than scary. Also, everything happened so quickly! Gabriel was born about two hours after the family's arrival at the hospital. It was a cool experience to witness, and definitely empowering for someone who hasn't yet had children. The following are a few photos the family has allowed me to share. Shooting in low light without a tripod was a little tricky, especially since my lens' lowest aperture setting is 4.0. I think I did a pretty good job capturing some of the emotion of that morning.

Portfolio: Video Editing

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:52:00 +0000

Here are a few videos I made as an undergrad at UWF. The first video, Lucifer, is a short story about a man coming to terms with a mistake:

These next three videos are from a video art class I took last Fall. They are highly experimental, but they do showcase a little of what I can do with Adobe Premiere and After Effects (and a closet full of craft supplies):

On Why Panini Presses Are Awesome...

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:31:00 +0000

Hot sandwiches any time? Oh, yes.

In case you're wondering...
That awesome beast of a sandwich was made using seared and roasted chicken breast (seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano). We shredded the chicken and roasted it some more, then topped it with spinach, tomato, red onion, and cucumber slices. Add some baby Swiss and a quick mixture of honey Dijon and mayo, and grill to perfection! You really can't go wrong with sandwich toppings; just try to get all the food groups in there.

The fries are just fries. Cut, fry, season with salt. Be wary of the huge pot of hot oil.

Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sun, 20 May 2012 01:06:00 +0000

Here's an awesome oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that I just tried out. I started with this highly rated recipe for spiced oatmeal cookies. It already calls for cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, but I decided to add a bit of ginger as well. I only made half the original recipe, and ended up with about 16 big cookies. The cookies turned out chewy on the inside, and just barely crispy on the outside. They're a wonderful treat any time of year.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

3 ounces raisins (three mini snack boxes)

Cream together the butter and sugar.

Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Stir together the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in another bowl.

Mix in the oats.

Add the oat/flour mixture to the butter and sugar.

Stir in the raisins.

Cover the dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for about two hours.

Once the dough is nice and chilly, drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined

cookie sheet, then flatten the cookies slightly. The scoop that came with my coffee maker

was perfect for both scooping and flattening the dough.

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes at 375 F.

Perfect! I pulled them out of the oven when the edges just barely started to brown,

and the centers of the cookies started to dry.

Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookes (adapted from an Allrecipes recipe):

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in egg and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
3. In another bowl, mix together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Stir in oatmeal.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring until just blended.
5. Stir in the raisins until they are evenly distributed.
6. Cover and let chill for at least 2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
8. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly.
9. Bake for approximately 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven when edges just begin to brown and center of cookies begin to dry.
10. Transfer parchment paper to a cookie sheet or heatproof surface to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Simple Crocheted Bird Feeder

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Here's a super easy idea for a DIY bird feeder made from a shallow, glass container and a ball of jute twine. It's suspended from the roof overhang so it won't fill up with water during a storm. It's very easy to crochet; hopefully my pattern makes sense. Now I just have to wait for the birds to find it.

Pattern:

1. Chain 40 using a size I hook. Slip stitch the first and last chains together to create a loop.

2. Chain two. Single crochet in next 4; Chain one. *Sc in next 5; Ch 1.* Repeat 6 more times.

3. *Chain 6; skip 5; single crochet in chain space.* Repeat 6 times. For the last one, chain 3, skip 5, and triple crochet in the chain space.

4. *Chain 8; Sc in middle of Ch 6 from previous row.* Repeat 6 times. For the last one, chain 4, and quadruple crochet (wrap twine around hook 3 times) at the beginning stitch of this row.

5. *Chain 10; Sc in middle of Ch 8 from previous row.* Repeat 6 times. For the last one, chain 5, and quintuple crochet (wrap twine around hook 4 times) at the beginning stitch of this row.

6. *Chain 8; Sc in middle of Ch 6 from previous row.* Repeat 6 times. For the last one, chain 4, and quadruple crochet (wrap twine around hook 3 times) at the beginning stitch of this row.

7. *Chain 6; Sc in middle of Ch 6 from previous row.* Repeat 6 times. For the last one, chain 4, and quadruple crochet (wrap twine around hook 3 times) at the beginning stitch of this row.

8. Fit the net around your glass container. Chain 50, then slip stitch the end of the chain to a point halfway across the container. Chain 50, then slip stich the end of the chain to the other side of the container. Repeat one more time so that your handle has 3 straps.

9. Fill with birdseed and hang outside in a protected, secluded area.

Chocolate-Cinnamon-Cayenne Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:59:00 +0000

Last night I had this ridiculous craving for something sweet. Since the closest thing to dessert we have in the fridge is pomegranate yogurt, I decided to bake up some chocolate cookies using whatever I had lying around. I found a recipe for double chocolate cookies via Hershey's and omitted the chocolate chips since I didn't have any. I knew they'd turn out plenty chocolaty even without the chips, but I still wanted to amp up the flavor. So I added a dose of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. The cinnamon adds depth to the chocolate flavor, while the cayenne adds just a tiny kick. The cookies came out perfectly level yet uniformly chewy. They're the type of cookie you'd want to use for making soft, sandwich cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream the butter and sugar.

Beat in vanilla and eggs until mixture is light and fluffy.

Stir together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

This is where I added the cayenne and cinnamon, since I thought about it last-minute.

It's probably best to mix it with the dry ingredients first, to ensure uniform mixing.

Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.

Ta da! At first I was afraid they had spread too much and were crispy,

but they turned out perfectly. They're very soft and almost (but not quite)

cakey in texture.

DIY Shimmery Glitter Vase

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Wed, 02 May 2012 06:48:00 +0000

Sometimes I just can't resist taking a plain, simple vase and turning it into something more interesting. This vase was left over from an Easter floral arrangement, and I decided to keep it and transform it with a little glitter. It's painted with alternating layers of glitter, glue, and paint, giving it a shimmery, sand art appearance.

Supplies:

Clear, glass vase

(Optional) Small, cylinder vase that fits inside larger vase

Fine glitter in two or three shades

Black acrylic paint

Mod Podge

Paint Brushes

Start with a clean, glass vase.

Choose two or three coordinating shades of glitter.
I went with two shades of yellow green, and gold (not pictured).

Pour a small amount of Mod Podge into the vase.

Take one shade of glitter and pour a ton of it into the vase.

I'd seriously estimate a 1:1 ratio of glitter to glue, maybe even a little more.

We're going for an almost solid coat of glitter, here.

Grab your paintbrush and stir everything well.

Paint a light, swirly coat of glitter glue across the inside of the vase.

I had to finger paint parts where the brush couldn't reach.

Let it dry for at least an hour.

Add more Mod Podge and the second glitter color to the bottom of the vase and stir.

Paint another light coat of glitter across the inside of the vase and let dry.

Add a coat of black, acrylic paint and let dry overnight.

I wouldn't recommend pouring water into your newly painted vase, so if you want to add

fresh flowers, first place them in a smaller vase that will fit inside the larger one.

Tutorial for the smaller vase here, if you're interested.

Ta da! I like how the black paint really sets off the swirls of glitter, but instead of paint,

you could try adding several more layers of glitter in different shades.

In the Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:23:00 +0000

The other day, I had this crazy idea to crochet something fun and useful out of jute. I started with coasters, but found making them to be both tedious and painful. Since jute is a natural fiber, it seemed ideal for a beach-themed bag. It was originally meant to be a big tote bag, but wound up being way smaller (like medium-purse-sized). Its nautical stripes and jute netting really give it a beach tote feel, even though a towel or blanket won't quite fit inside. I crocheted the jute part of the bag first, then added the striped, cotton layer for a pop of color.

It was surprisingly easy to work up, as I crocheted it in the round using a size-I hook. The netting is deceptively easy to crochet. Once you've made the base of your purse, chain 6, and single crochet in the 5th stitch, and repeat all the way around. For the last one of that row, instead of chaining 6, chain 3, then triple crochet in the 5th stitch- this will bring you up to the next row. Chain 6, and single crochet in the middle of the next loop. Keep repeating until your purse is as tall as you'd like. I used a combination of double, half, and single crochets across the top round of the purse to even out the netting and to structure the top of the bag.

Kitschy Pot Holders

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:12:00 +0000

Here are two new potholder designs I've been working on. The first design is pretty similar to another one I've made, just with a different color scheme. On the second one I went super retro and brought out the granny squares. These two designs are for sale on Etsy, but if you'd like to try your hand at making potholders, check out my post here for one of my patterns.

DIY Photo Coasters

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 02:22:00 +0000

I found a great coaster tutorial via Pinterest a few weeks ago. It's a Martha Stewart tutorial for making coasters with old maps, but I didn't have any maps. I do however, have an entire binder of photos I developed last year for a photography class. I took out a few abstract ones I thought would make awesome graphic coasters. It's a good thing my favorite photos would make terrible coasters. I don't think I could just cut them up like that. Anyway, these are super easy to make, since they employ my go-to solution for everything: Mod Podge.

Supplies:

- Pack of cork coasters

- Collection of photos you don't mind destroying

- Black acrylic paint

- Mod Podge
- Acrylic spray sealer

- Craft knife

- Paint brushes

Instructions:

Grab your photos and decide how you want your coasters to look. I cut a circle out of a piece of paper and used it as a guide.

Place a coaster over your photo and carefully trace around it with the craft knife. Make sure you hold the coaster down pretty firmly so it doesn't move on you. Craft blades make way thinner cuts than scissors do, so if you make any mistakes, they won't really show. Remove the coaster and carefully separate the circle from the rest of the photo. Repeat with your other photos.

As you can see, that bottom circle has a few loose ends. If you can't cut straight either, you can trim your photos now, or wait until after they're glued onto the coasters.

Paint the backs and sides of each coaster black and let dry.

Paint a thin, even coat of Mod Podge on the front of the coasters and on the back of each photo. Wait a minute until the glue is a bit tacky, then attach the photo to the coaster, pressing firmly. Let dry for at least an hour. To keep them from warping, I placed my coasters under a heavy book while they dried.

Paint two coats of Mod Podge over the front of the coaster, waiting an hour between coats. To minimize the look of brush strokes, paint one coat horizontally and the other vertically.

Give them a coat of sealer then let dry for a day before using.

Planning on making your own set? Let me know about it in the comments!

Hand-Painted Penguin Magnets

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 02:17:00 +0000

So while everyone's out coloring Easter eggs or otherwise preparing for tomorrow, I'm making penguin magnets. I happen to think penguins are appropriate for any holiday. These little guys are hand-painted on small, wooden discs I found at Joann. I'm not really sure what you're supposed to make with them besides awesome refrigerator magnets.

Supplies:

1" and 2" round, wooden discs

Acrylic paint

Acrylic sealer

Roll of magnetic tape (or small magnets + glue)

Pencil and variety of brushes

Sketch out your design in pencil. I went with penguins because they're cute and easy to draw over and over again.

Paint the body of the penguin and the sides of the magnet a dark gray.

Fill in everything else with two coats of white paint.

Add in the feet and beak; I mixed orange and yellow ochre to get this color.

Outline the penguin using black paint and a detail brush. These lines don't have to be perfect; you can always touch them up. Once the paint is dry and you're happy with the design, coat the magnet in a layer or two of acrylic sealer. Let dry for a few hours.

Attach a small piece of magnet tape to the back.

Colorful Crocheted Potholders

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 06:49:00 +0000

So until I made these little guys, my apartment was definitely sans-potholders. I really wanted to make my own potholders rather than buying a set. I went with a mix of earthy and brilliant colors, since I love the look of multicolored stripes. Cotton yarn works best for making potholders, since it's sturdy and won't melt at high temperatures. These were crocheted in the round (here's a great tutorial for starting a project using this technique) and are double-layered for extra insulation. Basically, you start with a ring of 12 double crochets, then increase every row by 12 stitches. There are a variety of stitches you can use to accomplish this, allowing for an endless variety of patterns. Here's the pattern for my favorite combination. It's the one with the bright blue border.

Supplies:

Cotton yarn in a variety of colors

Size F crochet hook

Patterned side:

1. Make a magic loop. CH 3, DC 11. Tighten the loop.

2. SL ST with new color, CH 3. 2 DC in every stitch for a total of 24 (always count the CH 3 or CH 2 as one DC or SC).

3. SL ST with new color, CH 2. *SC, drop stitch SC in between stitches, SC*, repeat for a total of 36.

4. SL ST with new color, CH 2. SC in each stitch for a total of 36.

5. SL ST with new color, CH 3. *DC in next 3, CH 1*, repeat for a total of 48.

6. SL ST with new color, CH 3. *DC, DC in CH space, DC, DC between stitches, DC*, repeat for a total of 60.

7. SL ST with new color, CH 3. *DC in next 5, popcorn drop stitch in between stitches*, repeat for a total of 72.

8. SL ST with new color, CH 2. *SC in next 6, CH 1*, repeat for a total of 84. SL ST first and last stitches and tie off.

Striped side:

1. Make a magic loop. CH 3, DC 11. Tighten the loop.

2. SL ST, CH 3. 2 DC in each stitch (count the CH 3 as a DC) for a total of 24.

3. SL ST, CH 3. *DC in next two, CH 1*, repeat for a total of 36.

4. SL ST, CH 3. *DC, DC in between stitches, DC, DC in CH space*, repeat for a total of 48.

5. SL ST with new color, CH 3. *DC in next 3, 2 DC*, repeat for a total of 60.

6. SL ST, CH 3. *DC in next 5, CH 1*, repeat for a total of 72.

7. SL ST, CH 2. *SC in next 5, 2 SC*, repeat for a total of 84.

Joining:

Once you've made both sides, line them up (wrong sides facing each other) and join them with one row of single crochet. Finish by knotting any loose ends and tuck them into the potholder using your hook.

Teacup Earring Display

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:13:00 +0000

I've been in organization mode since our roommate moved out this weekend. I'm really excited, because now I have a chance to spread out my belongings and really make this apartment look like a home. I've been using this photo frame DIY to store my necklaces but I needed a creative way to house my earrings. A friend gave me this teacup from Anthropologie a few years ago, and I finally realized that its rim and handle are just dainty enough to hang earrings from. I stashed my stud earrings inside the teacup. I wish I'd thought of this sooner; it's a great way to store your jewelry if you're looking for something a little less conventional.

DIY Necklace Organizer

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Gray) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:33:00 +0000

This is something I made last year, before I had a blog. I had gotten tired of having to untangle my necklaces every time I wanted to wear one, so I decided to come up with a hanging organizer. This necklace organizer is made using a wooden photo frame and metal cup hooks. I added some colored card stock and toile scrapbook paper where the photos would normally go. This was seriously easy to make; the worst part was screwing in all those little cup hooks.

I cut the pieces of paper to fit, then attached them to the backing with tape.