The Vibrant Pixel

Chunky Garter Ridge Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 18:34:00 +0000

Easy free scarf pattern for beginner. All you need to know is how to do knit and purl stitches to have a fashionable scarf for the fall.

The idea for the scarf came when a friend asked me to knit her a scarf from a reference image. After searching the web, I could not find anything that looked like the scarf in the photo.

Once I completed the scarf, I thought I would share the pattern (I think it turned out great and will be perfect for the fall/winter time).

Now on to the pattern!

Yarn
6 skeins of Loops & Threads Urban in #7 Black ( I have dye lot 1947) or 1110m of yarn
This scarf is made by holding a "double strand" or holding yarn from 2 different skeins for the thickness.

Needles
US 11 or 8 mm 32" circular needles (Although the scarf is worked flat I like the feel of knitting with circular needles)

Gauge per 1"
Stockinette: 4 stitches per 3 rows (not crucial)

Measurements
The scarf is about 30 cm wide and 233 cm long or 12" x 91.73"

Cast on 30 stitches on to needle. I prefer to use long tail cast on but you can use your preferred method.

The ridges are formed by a simple 4 row repeat

Row 1: Knit all stitches
Row 2: Purl all sts
Row 3 & 4 : Knit all stitches

Repeat these four rows until piece measures as long as you desire it to be ending on row 3.
Bind off and sew in loose threads

I would like to thank my friend @gabrielledagenais (on instagram for modeling)

What is your favourite fall/winter accessory?

Follow my instagram @thevibrantpixel for behind the scenes looks and my wips

Review: Fujifilm Instax Share Smartphone Printer

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 05:08:00 +0000

I recently bought myself a Fujifilm Instax Share Printer. I thought I would write up a review of my experience with the printer so far. (Warning a slightly heavy picture post ahead)

The Why?

I bought this printer because as much as I loved the idea of the Instax cameras, I was not sure I could fully commit to walking around with an extra device. Especially, on day trips and on vacations I would have a point and shoot camera, my cellphone, my DSLR and if I had bought an Instax I would have that too. What attracted me to this printer is that I could have the Instax print from photos from my other devices (That means I could choose between multiple shots).

The Pros?

The printer was really simple to use. One read through of the instructions and I was printing pictures like a pro! The free app has a simple interface which makes printing a breeze. I enjoy that there is an indicator on the printer but also on the app to tell you how many prints you have left in the film cartridge. The app comes with photo editing capabilities, you can rotate the image,correct or change the colour of the image and add text. There might be other options I'm forgetting but those are the major ones.

The Cons?

I would have to say the printer itself is a little pricey. Especially considering it does not come with the wall charger just a set of batteries. (I took advantage of a Staples offer and got a portable phone charger thrown in that made it slightly more worth it) A major con for me (I like the instant gratification of buying things in person) I cannot seem to find film for the printer locally. All stores seem to be sold out of the size of instax film require for the printer which is the same as the Instax Cameras.

Overall

I do enjoy the printer. I love that I can print any picture I want with this printer and have them in Instax mini Film format. I do find the price a little expensive however, the app to print is free and has photo editing capabilities that I find balances out the costs. Printing all these photos out has made me nostalgic, I want to make a scrapbook or a photo wall but I think I will refrain myself for now.

Have you ever had a piece of tech that you couldn't wait to get your hands on?

(All Opinions are my own and I purchased the printer myself)

Chocolate Oreo Chunk Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 03:25:00 +0000

Chocolate cookies loaded with America's favourite cookie the Oreo, white chocolate chips, and optionally cookies and cream chocolate chunks.

These cookies were a bit of a pipe dream for me. A couple of my favourite things that I had never thought to combine to make the ultimate cookie. This cookie has a lot going on but that is also what makes them great.

Chocolate Oreo Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup Unsalted Butter

1 cup Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

2/3 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking soda

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 cup Oreos, Chopped

1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips

1/4 cup Cookies and Cream Chocolate, Chopped (Optional)

Instructions

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl), mix together butter,sugar,eggs, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients mixture to butter mixture and mix until incorporated.

Mix in Oreo pieces, white chocolate chips, and cookies & cream chocolate.

Scoop cookies (I used a medium OXO cookie scoop) onto a grease or lined cookie tray about 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 8-10 mins (they are a pretty cakey cookie)

Tell me what you guys think in the comments below. What is your favourite cookie?

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie Tarts

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:20:00 +0000

Red Velvet and chocolate chip cookies two of my favourite things. Today's recipe is a red velvet chocolate chip cookie tarts a delicious take on a February classic. Recipe makes approximately 6 tarts.

Cookie Base
For my cookie base I used Tessa's (Handle the Heat) Nestle adaption. Seriously my favourite chocolate cookie recipe I used the half baking soda and half baking powder version so good.

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Fill Ramekins/Tart Pans with cookie dough. Bake until Golden brown. To create the small crust around the cake centre, I pressed the cookie with a smaller ramekin.

Red Velvet Cake
Adapted from Baked By Rachel

Ingredients
1/4 Cup of Softened Unsalted Butter
3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
3 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
1 Large Egg
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp Red Liquid Food Colouring
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Buttermilk
3/4 Cup AP Flour
1/4 Tsp White Distilled Vinegar
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugars and the butter. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Add cocoa powder, red food colouring, and vanilla. Continue mixing, add salt, baking powder and buttermilk until these are also well incorporated. Add Flour, mixing until does not remain visible in mixture. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and baking soda. Immediately add batter and mix well. Pour batter over cookie crust and bake until toothpick comes out clean (only poked through red velvet layer). About 10-15 minutes.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments below and I will see you in my next post.

Valentine's Day Tea Doughnut Holes

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 15:15:00 +0000

Another Valentine's Day treat. This recipe is for cake doughnut wholes using a cake pop pan.

To add the extra Valentine's Day touch I used The Earl's Valentine tea by David's Tea ( I have a lot of their teas). I wanted to come up with a recipe to have another use for my cake pop pan. On to the recipe! (After one more photo)

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk*
1/2 cup Strong Tea (the amount for a full cup with a 1/2 cup of boiling water)

Optional
gel food colouring
Powdered sugar

Instruction
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after every addition. Add vanilla extract mix until incorporated. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl or cup mix together tea and buttermilk together. Add flour and tea mixture alternately ending with flour mixture. Scoop mixture into cake pop pan making sure they will not overflow.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

* A buttermilk substitution also works in this recipe.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Chocolate Linzer Cookie with Tea Swiss Buttercream

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:39:00 +0000

A delicious sandwich cookie to give to your Valentine. These cookies are filled with a Swiss buttercream that is lightly flavoured with tea. As it is February I decided to use the tea Love Tea #7 by David's Tea. On with the recipe!

For the cookie any chocolate cookie would do. I used Chocolate Raspberry Linzer Cookies by Shanna (Pineapple and Coconut). I find with Valentines Day on its way it is the perfect time to eat as much chocolate as possible. Once you have your chocolate cookies baked and cooled. You will fill them with this delicious buttercream. I had about 13 cookies because my cookie cutters were pretty large but I would recommend smaller cookies if you don't have a sweet tooth.

Ingredients
2 egg whites
2/3 cup of white sugar
12 Tbsp of butter
2 Tbsp (or to taste) of strongly brewed Love #7 Tea *

Instructions
Place eggs whites and sugar in a metal bowl. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water( making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl).
Heat and whisk the mixture until it reaches 160 Fahrenheit or until the mixture is no longer grainy.
Transfer into a large bowl and whisk at high speed until the mixture reaches it's maximum volume.
Slowly add butter in small pieces (You could add more butter if you wanted to at this step up to 4 more Tbsps).
Add tea making sure it is well incorporated. If frosting looks soupy or separated just continue whisking. Store buttercream in fridge.

*I made my strong tea by measuring for a full cup and poring a half cup of water. I used what I needed and pored more water in my cup and drank the rest.

I have to say that once I tasted Swiss buttercream I cannot go back to the traditional/American buttercream recipe because it is honestly not the same.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments! Also, What is you favourite February treat?

Chevron Baby Blanket

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 16:09:00 +0000

In late November, I took advantage of the Knitpicks sale (I told myself I could not buy more yarn unless I had a project in mind). When I saw the colours of this yarn I went straight to ravelry to find a project I could knit because I could not pass up these colours.

To complete this project, I used the Main Line special reserve yarn (75% pima cotton, 25% merino wool) in worsted weight. I used the colours conch, white, sagebrush, whisker and canary.

I used the free pattern provided by a local store. The pattern is called Chevron Baby Blanket and it's by Espace Tricot (If you would like to search it up on ravelry). I considered this a pretty fast considering it a blanket. The blanket took me about a month to knit. Although I'm sure it took me less time because of Christmas and the general hustle and bustle of December.

I have yet to block this blanket due to the size of it. I actually tried and realized my blocking mats were not big enough. It is a good think that I was just knitting this up for fun.

Tell me what you guys think in the comment. Have you ever had a project that took you less than you thought it would?

Christmas Treats Series: Chocolate Cinnamon Tea Cupcakes with Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 18:40:00 +0000

Chocolate cinnamon tea cupcakes with eggnog cream cheese frosting are a delicious holiday treat.

This year I discovered a love of eggnog and want to have it in everything. I remember when I was younger, I disliked the taste of eggnog and now I think it tastes like melted ice cream. I could not go this holiday season without making something that contains eggnog. So here is my take on a chocolate cupcake with eggnog frosting. Hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Cinnamon Tea Cupcakes

Adapted from Life, Love and Sugar

Ingredients

1 cup AP Flour

3/4 cup of Sugar

1/4 + 1/8 cup of Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 egg

1/2 cup Buttermilk*

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

3/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup boiling tea ( I used 3/4 tsp Cinnamon Heart by David's Tea with 1/2 cup boiling water More tea can be used the chocolate flavour is stronger after baking)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together.

Add egg, buttermilk,and vegetable oil to dry ingredients and mix well.

Add vanilla extract and boiling tea to mixture and mix well.

Fill cupcake tin and bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when poked through the middle.

Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) Package of Cream Cheese, Softened

1/4 cup Butter, Softened

1 cup Icing Sugar, Sifted

1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract (Can be omitted or replace with another extract for stronger eggnog flavour)

3 Tbsp Eggnog

Instructions

In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and butter.

Mix vanilla and eggnog into mixture.

Gradually stir in icing sugar (Depending on preferred consistency more icing sugar can be added for stiffer frosting)

Store frosting in refrigerator.

*I can never seem to find buttermilk in my local grocery store so I used 1 1/2 tsp of vinegar and enough milk to reach half a cup on a measuring cup. Stir and let mixture stand for 5-10 minutes.

Let me know what you think in the comments below and I will see you tomorrow with another recipe. Happy Holidays!

Have you seen the first treat in the Christmas series?

Christmas Treats Series: Hot Chocolate Sticks with Peppermint Tea Marshmallows

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 16:00:00 +0000

An easy marshmallow and chocolate treat perfect for a cold winter's night or for a homemade gift.

Although it is no longer Christmas, it is still the season of holiday parties. I find that a homemade gift adds a little special touch during the holiday season. As hot chocolate is one of my favourite things in the winter, I want to share this love with all of my friends.

To make the hot chocolate sticks you will need:
Popsicle sticks (or any other stick to build the treat on)
Chocolate Ganache (You can really use any recipe)
A batch of Peppermint Tea Marshmallows

Assembly

Make a batch of chocolate ganache and pour into a mould the same size as the one used for the marshmallows.
Cool the ganache and either refrigerate or leave the mould in the freezer until the ganache solidifies.
Cut the ganache the same size as the peppermint tea marshmallow. It helps to use a hot knife.
Poke a popsicle stick through the middle of a marshmallow. Then, poke the same popsicle stick through some ganache making sure the ganache touches the marshmallow.
At this point, you can either put the hot chocolate sticks in little treat bags or on a serving tray if offering them at a party.
To serve heat up 3/4 cup of milk a stir into that one hot chocolate stick.

There you have it an easy gift for any hot chocolate lover you know.
Let me know what you think in the comments below

Christmas Treats Series: Peppermint Tea Marshmallows (Corn Syrup Free & Dairy Free)

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 16:33:00 +0000

A recipe for corn syrup free and dairy free peppermint tea marshmallows. These are perfect for the holiday season.

My addiction to tea has led me to add it to almost everything. Today I present to you my take on tea flavoured marshmallows. These marshmallow are made without corn syrup or dairy products. They are also very tasty if I say so myself.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of Strongly brewed peppermint tea (I used 1 1/2tsp of Santa's Secret by David's Tea)

3 Tbsp of Unflavoured Gelatin Powder

2 cups of Water

2 cups of Sugar

1/4 tsp of Salt

For Coating

1/4 cup of Powdered Sugar

1/4 cup of Cornstarch

For Pan
8x8 Square Pan

Cooking Spray

Powdered Sugar

Wax Paper or Parchemin Paper

Instructions

Prepare the pan with the by spraying it lightly with cooking spray, cut the wax paper to fit into the pan. Then lightly coat with powdered sugar.
In the mixing bowl, add the gelatin and the cooled down tea and let rest for about 10 minutes.
In a large sauce pan, add the sugar and the water to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Continue to boil for three minutes (do not stir the mixture) and add a candy thermometer to the sauce pan.
Continue to heat mixture until it reaches a temperature of 240 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slowly beat in the syrup with the gelatin.
Once all the syrup has been added to the gelatin, add in the salt.
Beat the mixture until it resembles marshmallow fluff.
Transfer to pan and cover for at least 8 hours to overnight until it fully solidifies.
Sift and mix together powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Cut marshmallow into 1 inch cubes (bigger if you want jumbo marshmallows) coating the knife in powdered sugar helps.
Coat cubes in coating mixture until they are not sticky anymore.
The marshmallows will keep about 2 weeks in an air tight container
Let me know what you think in the comments below and I will see you tomorrow with a gift idea using these marshmallows. Happy Holidays!

Christmas Treats Series: White Chocolate Matcha Wreaths

noreply@blogger.com (thevibrantpixel) — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 23:00:00 +0000

White chocolate Matcha wreaths are a simple holiday treat.

I decided to start blogging with a bang! Here is my Christmas treats series, there will be five different recipes over the course of five days to celebrate Christmas. I wanted to begin with a recipe that is very simple. I combined two of my favourite things (white chocolate and tea) to create this recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

150g + 60g White chocolate (I used Laura Secord white baking chocolate)

2 tsp Peppermint Matcha Powder (I got mine from Totem Tea)

Optional

Powder or oil based food colouring

Instructions

Making sure to not add moisture to the white chocolate, chop the chocolate into small pieces,
Place 150g of chocolate into a stainless steel mixing bowl.
Set bowl over a pan of warm water. Stir chocolate constantly so that it melts and does not burn.
Continue stirring the chocolate until completely melted and reaches a temperature of 115 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit
Remove bowl from pan and stir chocolate slowly. Add some of the extra chocolate if needed and stir until chocolate reaches between 78 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The texture of the chocolate should be thick and pasty.
Set the bowl over pan again and stir until the chocolate is warmed to 86-88 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not let the chocolate get to warm.

Assembly
Add a bit of the white chocolate to the bottom of the silicone mould ( this will be the snow on the wreaths). At this time, you can also set aside a bit of white chocolate to decorate with or you can melt more later.
Add matcha to remaining chocolate. (Taste as you go depending how strong you would like the tea flavour to be)
Add the matcha white chocolate mixture to mould making sure to not have air bubbles.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Happy Holidays!