enJOY it
an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.
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I saw this flower vase on Pinterest awhile back and loved it. I figured a DIY version was worth a shot and while it didn't turn out nearly as rad, it's still pretty cute.
This is exactly the type of project that I had to be at my parent's house to try. I needed the backyard for spray-painting and I needed my dad to figure out how to get the handle off the mug. (He used a screwdriver and pried it off. The first mug shattered, the second one worked.) Of course, you don't need a mug for this project, just some sort of vessel that flares out slightly at the top. (Or maybe you don't even need that!)
We had a few old brushes at the house and I purchased the rest in bulk (the cheapest I could find at Michael's) and used Elmer's Craft Bond Ultra Stix All to adhere them to the mug. I let the glue harden over night and kept a rubber band around the whole thing too keep them secure.
The next morning, after confirming that the brushes were stuck for good, I coated the vase inside and out with about six or seven coats of silver spray paint. I was trying to replicate the metallic in the inspiration vase, but in retrospect, I think this would also look awesome with glossy white paint. Or even a bright pop of pink. I might change up the color down the line.
It's not as much to look at without flowers, but with them (especially in fun colors) I think it's just interesting enough.
This is project 14 of 26. I am attempting to tackle 26 personal craft projects before I turn 27 on 02.22.12. You can follow my progress here on the blog, on pinterest or on flickr.
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Bread no. 26 : soft pretzel tots.
Adjustments : cut this recipe in half. True, I have the parents to share with, but it's becoming carb-central around here. Substituted 3/4 C whole wheat flour for white. Went a bit overboard on the salt.
Notes : since my 40 loaves deadline is looming, I was happy to find this post yesterday and started baking right away. When it became time for the boiling water step, I realized my parents were out of baking soda. No problem, except that while I am visiting, I don't have access to a car, so all my "errands" take place after they get home from work. My dad got home at 5:25 and had already seen my tweet and was looking forward to pretzels. Unfortunately at that point, all I had was dough and a pot of lukewarm water so off to the store we went. On the way, I remembered I had set up a video chat with Paul for 5:45 so I doubt there has been a faster shopping trip on record. We got home, I turned the water to boil, dumped in the baking soda and directed Mom through the process of baking the tots all while getting online to talk to Paul. There was a lot of confusion, to be sure. And I had a lot of help with this "loaf."
Review : all that said, these are killer. Killer. And feel free to over-salt just like we did.
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crystal iPhone case, new Lotta Jansdotter fabric, kate spade idiom bracelets (ever since my wedding, these are my favorite gifts to give), original painting of a San Diego trolley car (I'm dreaming about this), "marriage is" art print, kate spade glitter pumps (though I wonder how this much less expensive pair would look?), dogeared rose gold earrings.
ps. I get questions every now and then about how I create these "I LOVE" collages. They are created in Photoshop Elements 9 & I filmed a seven minute video of my process. If you're interested, you can watch it here.
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creating PSE collages. from elise blaha on Vimeo.
This seven minute video shares the different techniques I use to create monthly product collages in Photoshop Elements 9. The final board always comes together like a puzzle & is usually fun to make.
Below are some samples of these monthly pages :
They can all be seen (with product links) here.
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Bread no. 25 : pumpkin pull-apart bread
Adjustments : substituted 1 C of the bread flour with wheat flour & ended up adding about 3/4 C extra flour to get the dough to the correct consistency. As a part of my endless effort to consume less sugar, I used half of the sugar that the dough recipe called for and then about 1/3 of what the filling called for and left off the buttered vanilla glaze (though I am sure it's fantastic).
Notes : this was baked at my parent's house without a stand mixer. I used a spoon to get the dough decently mixed then kneaded by hand.
Review : this is exactly the kind of desert bread I like. Sweet, but thanks to all my sugar reduction, not overwhelming. It was a close race, but I'd say this wins over the cinnamon pull-apart bread because thanks to the pumpkin, it's got a bit more flavor.
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I did a bit better with taking photos in September. And much better at baking bread & completing craft projects.
I have a few rules for this album and one of them is that photo paired with the monthly text has to be a self portrait. When I was going through photos to print, I didn't have a good one (except for iPhone photos). But then I realized this painting one, which I was going to work into the book anyway was perfect. And that sentiment sums up the month well too.
Album is the Catalina by Kolo. See January, February, March, April, May, June July & August.
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developing a completely new skincare routine.
accepting that this next half marathon may involve a good amount of power-walking.
sending cards to Paul almost daily.
writing emails, workshop lessons & articles.
wearing new boots that are just perfect.
lamenting the fact that I left my big camera at home because while it's a hassle, it's worth it for the photos.
enjoying long talks with mom & dad.
dreaming about the road trip down the California coast we are taking as soon as Paul returns.
returning to healthier eating after four days without routine.
celebrating an engagement annoucement by a sweet friend.
planning on baking this (sans a ton of the sugar) today.
embracing the curls.
drinking coffee that's just a drop of cream away from being black.
loving the shift in the weather that is more noticeable up north.
ps. I am always going to be all about the orange & gray.
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I spent the weekend in St. Louis visiting a friend from high school that is in her second year of med school in the city. It was rad seeing a new town but even better catching up in real life. I hate the phone. And while email is my right hand man, nothing compares to the magic of face to face chatter and laughter. It was just what I needed to kick off this month which is going to be so different than September.
I am now in Sacramento at my parent's house which is never a bad place to be. I will be spending this week getting some work done, catching up on sleep, getting the parents hooked on brussels sprouts and trying to get a few short runs in before the half marathon this Sunday.
Thank goodness for coffee this Monday morning. I had a late start and I'm diving in head first.
enJOY it 