Being Domestic

Craftster Junkie

2007-07-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

I've been such a craftster.org whore lately. Once my computer finds signal from my neighbor's wireless, all I can think about is looking at the awesome new sewn creations. All I've been getting is inspiration after inspiration, I hope that once the time comes for me to actually do it, I can perform. If not, at least I know I'm just a beginner, and that I tried. =]

Anyway, if you're interested in making your own clothing, or any sewing project, burdastyle.com is a pretty cool place for patterns. I haven't tried any of them yet (I'm too scared/lazy) but they look good! If you're a better domestic diva than I am and actually start and/or complete a project, send me pictures!

Mailing List

2007-07-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

Before I go to sleep, I was thinking that I wanted to start a mailing list or something so I can contact you or just email you new posts or maybe an alert for when I post something new...or I don't know. Just to keep in touch. I hate myspace so I prefer not to use it simply because well, I don't really know how to do things the easy way on there...I like email so I can do email.

Anyway, if you would like to join my mailing list, (don't worry, I won't sell your info and all that, even if I wanted to, I don't know how!) just email me your first name and email address to succeedingmartha@gmail.com and I'll try to send you cool stuff.... I'll think of something I can do, but I won't send you annoying "promotional offers" so if you're worried about that, then don't.

If you know how I can send mass messages to my friends on myspace, then please email me about that too! Although I hate myspace, I'm willing to learn for my readers out there.

Little Vacation

2007-07-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

Phew! It has been a long time, but I now feel it's time to tie an apron on and begin cooking and whipping up some amazing crafts again.

I'm sorry for those of you loyal readers for not updating in a while, but in my defense, I did tell you I was going on vacation, and although I've been retiring in my humble home every night for the past few weeks, I've been on a mental vacation. It's been pretty good for me. I've cleared up a lot of things in my head and I've got a lot of inspiration for new projects. I'm happy to announce that I will be learned the amazing craft of sewing and pattern making. Just as soon as my Dad clears up his schedule.

During my "vacation" I decided that I would only buy clothing I knew I couldn't make on my own or felt that it was just too much of a steal to pass up! This way, my wardrobe will not only fit me perfectly, but I'll be the only one with that piece AND I'll be so proud honestly saying that I made it. I do hope that you join me on this little journey. I'll be sure to post instructions and hopefully patterns (if I can figure out how to do that part...any ideas? email me!)

What else, what else? Oh I just recently got hooked on the Showtime series Weeds. Unfortunately I don't get Showtime (we have pretty basic cable...) but I did see season 1 at Target for $15.99. What a deal! So I decided to take a chance on it, and wow...I am happy! can't wait until Season 2 comes out on DVD!

Anyway, I'll hopefully be bringing you some crafty goodness within the next few weeks. I think I'll still partially on vacation so you'll have to forgive me if I don't have anything for a little while. Well, I have work tomorrow, and it's getting late, so I think I'm going to sign off now. Good night! Or morning, or afternoon!

Potluck Pictures!

2007-06-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

As promised (but slightly delayed) here are some pictures from the little potluck we had last week. I'll post recipes and instructions in a little bit. (No guarantees of when yet! But I will if you're interested.)

I haven't had lemon meringue pie in a VERY long time, so I decided to try to make it on my own. Looks pretty good eh?

Here's a blueberry pie before it's baked. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it baked. But it looks the same! Just golden. =]

The first time I've seen a pineapple get peeled from the start. Looks so pretty and it's pretty simple once you know the technique (which I learned from my dad).

Working on our edible centerpiece... Very simple, but a definite conversation starter!

And the Finished product:

My my how the time passes

2007-06-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been so long since I've written! I've been doing so much lately, I'm not really sure what I've been doing. All I know is that I've been working...I'm tired, and well, I've got more work to do! Oh well. Work is good right? It just means that there's money to be made. And I need all the money I can get since I have lots of projects planned. Just no tiime!

Anyway, I hope that I can write more than this, but don't expect too much from me in the next few weeks. I'll be getting a temporary new schedule so I'll be working like 5-6 days a week for the next two weeks (which is a lot for me because I usually only work 3 days) and then after that, I'm going camping!! yay! =]

Incase You Want to Try It...

2007-05-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

I was looking at a few posts at craftster.org and came across crocheted tampons (interesting, I've seen them as a joke before, but these had a useful destiny) which then lead to a tutorial for a reusable pad--or feminine napkin. Pretty interesting, and if you're interested, here's the link!

Some Inspired Work

2007-05-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to say that this blog has inspired somebody to actually go out and try a project. Ok fine, it's my sister, but really, it's hard to inspire her enough to do any kind of project with her busy schedule and all. Here's an awesome stencil she made. =]

Check out more at her blog

Forget Lexus

2007-05-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

I thought my dream car was a Lexus, Mercedes, or BMW. But then i saw this. Scoot over Batman, I've got a cooler hero with an even cooler ride!

Check out their website

In Need Of Some Attention

2007-05-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

I would be so scared to go to the bathroom (even more than I already am with my fear of sewer gators or snakes coming up from the toilet and biting me in a vulnerable and embarassing position) if my toilet looked like this.

Being Domestic Tip:
Have a toilet scrubber right next to our friend here so you can casually scrub the toilet at least once a week to avoid ugly rings or hard to remove build up. After all, it's there because it built up after time. Cleaning for just one minute every few days can save you that extra time you would spend scrubbing the toilet when you get to the embarassing two color tone toilet bowl stage..

New Look

2007-05-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally decided to change the blog template. Hopefully I won't even be using templates in the near future. Still working on the tedious website. I was supposed to buy a book today to teach myself the program, but it slipped my mind. My little camping vacation was taking priority today.

Anyway, as I'm typing, I'm brainstorming all types of awesome projects I'm planning on making. I even have the supplies ready, but no time! Soon...very soon I hope.

If you're wondering why I chose this ubiquitous template, it's because I'm trying to upload a header I made, but I guess the internet is a little slow because it just won't upload it and it's been like 15 minutes. Oh well.

What I've been up to...

2007-05-25T23:01:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've last posted and I apologize for that... I been somewhat busy working on the design for the new website. Which I HOPE *fingers crossed like 20x* will be up and running within a week or two. No guarantees though... But that's the goal I'm hoping for.

I've decided to teach myself GoLive which is supposed to be a really good program for that...but we'll see how things turn out. Either that, or my friend may actually pull through and get my site up! I guess it'll be a little race!

Aside from that, I'm planning another little BBQ in about a week or so.... Hopefully my guests will actually get that it's a potluck and yes they're no exception to the rule! I haven't decided on a decorative motif...but at least I've gotten as far as deciding I will do something to decorate! I'll be sure to post lots of pictures and some tutorials and recipes!

First Multilayer Stencil (and tutorial!)

2007-05-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

The last video I posted featured a multilayered stencil and it got me so inspired, I decided to try my hand at one myself! And so we both benefit, I took lots of pictues so we could both learn.

Materials:
3 copies of your desired image preferrably printed on a thick cardstock, photo paper (that's what I used), or a transparancy sheet (that would probably work best)
Sharpie or pen you can mark with
X-acto Knife
Cutting Mat (or something you can cut on so you won't damage your furniture or blade)
Canvas or surface to spray your image on
4 cans of different colored spray paint (I used Raspberry, White, Black, and Primer)
Spray Adhesive
Old newspaper

Instructions:

Select your image and print it 3 times. For some reason, my printer printed it out in weird colors (as if black and white wouldn't have been easier for it...) It also was being a little wierd on the quality, so I chose the darkest one for the "gray" stencil, the worst quality for the "white" stencil, and the last for the "black" stencil. Then I labeled them with my trusty sharpie so I wouldn't get confused or forget which was which.

For the white stencil, cut out a sillouhette of your image. You may find it easier if you trace the image with your sharpie.

For the black stencil, cut out the darkest parts of the image. (Like the eyes, hair, nostrils, etc.)

I saved the gray stencil for last since it requires a little more thought than the other two. For this one, I definitely recommend using your sharpie or marker to outline the darker shadows to cut out. It also helps you see if you like the look of your stencil before you regret cutting some of the pieces out.

Now for the fun part, spraying your image!

First, lay out your newspaper and center your canvas on your scrap paper. Then, spray your background color evenly on the canvas/surface. I did two separate coats so it was more even.

Always make sure that your paint is dry before you move on to the next step!

Spray a light coat of the adhesive on the back of your stencil to avoid overspray (or underspray!) You'll get cleaner lines if you do this step. I lined the bottom left hand corner of the image with the bottom left hand corner of the canvas so it would be easier to line the other two images. When the white coat is dry (and make sure it's completely dry!), align the gray stencil exactly where you aligned the first stecil, then spray the gray coat. (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the white coat...)

See that overspray on the top of the canvas? You definitely want to use some cardboard to cover any parts of the canvas that you don't want to be colored. Or you can tape some scrap paper to the edges of the stencil incase that happens. I was lazy so I didn't do that.

Now for the black stencil, do exactly what you did for the first two stencils.

All done!

Cool Stencil Video

2007-05-18T00:20:00.000-07:00

This is the next thing I'm going to have to learn to do...multilayered stencils. He doesn't show the complete process, but you get the gist...

Update

2007-05-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

This week for me was all about catching up with my friends and family, so I didn't get much of a chance to try any new projects. Sorry! But I hear your requests for some recipes from my Chinese Baking School sessions... My teacher gives recipes equivalent for baking for an actual bakery or cooking for an army, so I'm trying to divide the recipes for you in much smaller portions and well, just to make sure, I'm going to try and test them for you first.

My teacher also has a specific way of doing things so I'd like to take some pictures so you have a better understanding of how the batter should look along the process and fill you in on all of the very helpful hints she gave me. So I'm sorry for the delay...I'm just trying to get it as close to perfect as I can for you right now! =] Bear with me!

The other reason why I've been lagging it is that I've been kind of addicted to played Pokemon Pearl for the DS lately...sorry. lol.

I started out with the little blue one on the right hand side. Isn't he cute??

Being Domestic Tip: Organizing

2007-05-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

We are trying to be more organized so now whenever we make a stencil, we keep it in a large envelope (they're fairly cheap, I got mine at Costco for about $8 for I think about 100). Then, you can label the envelope with a name you designate to it or do what they're meant for, print the image right onto the envelope. I did both and now when I complete a stencil, I'm sure that it'll be safe and sound in its own case and I won't have to pull all the stencils out of their envelopes since they're all labeled now!

This can even be used for organizing your cards. Ex. One evelope for birthdays, another for "get wells soon" cards, etc.

Such an easy thing to do, but you'd be kicking yourself if you never thought of it.

Last Day of Baking School

2007-05-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say that yesterday marked my last day of attendance at the Chinese Baking School I've been going to for the past five weeks. I've learned a lot about cakes and baking--so much that I've gotten to the point where I don't even want to try what we make anymore. lol. It took me a little over two years to get to this point. I'm sure it's just a short phase though. I'll get back to my old self pretty soon.

Anyway, here are some of the things I baked yesterday....

Napoleon
I'm not really sure if that's what it's really supposed to be like. I remember having some with lots of cream in it...but maybe that one wasn't the real thing. Not so sure. I didn't try this because yesterday I was just not feeling any sweets. My mom says it tasted good though. (By the way, it's green because the center is whipped egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and green pandan cake crumbs)

Next time, I'd like to try a fruit version of this. Maybe some puff pastry, pastry cream, raspberries, more puff pastry, pastry cream, etc.

Cream Horns
These are real lookers but they're actually really easy to make! We were supposed to use white sugar crystals but the teacher only had red sugar crystals at the time. It looks festive--maybe a good color for the holidays? These are filled with some buttercream, which is pretty good, but in small doses. The key to these are to have the right equipment. She uses these metal almost cone shaped molds to wrap the puff pastry around.

Maple Cake
This cake smells really rich, but the cake is actually really light and soft! The only REALLY sweets parts are the raisins in there.

Four Eyes

2007-05-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do wear glasses, infact, I'm pretty sure that I'm legally blind. What can you do but wear contacts or get cool new glasses? For the most part, I wear glasses, but a friend of mine (I met him at the restuarant) work for an optometrist always shows me some cool frames he gets as samples and today, he gave me these. What do you think? Now all I have to do is get my eyes checked again so they can make me some new glasses. Yay! I look pretty smart in these don't I?

New shirt

2007-05-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I created a new stencil for the other shirt I plan on sending my sister. This time, it's a picture of a beta fish since she's the proud owner of two. I haven't tested it yet, I hope it works! I'm not even sure what color to print it yet.

My boyfriend also worked on a shirt, but it's not done yet either. Hopefully next week we'll have it all together.

Stencil T-Shirt

2007-05-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

As promised, I began teaching myself how to make stencils and silkscreen. Normally, when you silkscreen, you apply some emulsion to the screen so when you put your image on there and expose it to the sun, the parts under the dark spots of the image do not harden and wash away creating a stencil. But for this shirt, I cut out a stencil from an image I got from a magazine, placed it on the t-shirt, put the framed screen over it and pushed the paint through with a squeegee. This is the result.

I actually didn't want to post this yet, but I'm just so proud of it. =) I wanted to keep a little mystery since I'll be sending this to my sister, but I still have one more shirt to do, so I guess that one will just be a surprise for her.

A closer look:

Some Random Photos

2007-05-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today was such an eventful day, thank God I had my camera with me!

Dirty Truck with a Dirty Slogan...

Never seen a Bus in Training (I was just outside of Chinatown when I saw this)

The Crow just had to pick this spot, didn't he (or she)?

My first Animal Amigurumi

2007-05-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's more of an insect or something. Anyway, I got the "inspiration" from this wonderful website/artist. You should defiitely check out her gallery, it's the reason I picked up crocheting again. She has this one "stuffie" or whatever you call them, of a little snail and I thought it was so cute, I had to try to recreate it on my own. It's a fairly simple design, but it took me some time to figure how everything should go together. I'm pretty proud of it, although i think the little flower she put on her's really finishes it off and well, I was just too lazy to make one since I don't have the convenience of a bead like she had.

Hers:

Mine:

What do you think? Close match???

New Camera!

2007-05-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

You never know when a great photo opportunity will come, so why not always carry a camera? I've really always wanted to be able to carry a camera around with me all the time so I can take pictures of things, events, or whatever... After like a year of wanting, but never getting a camera, my wonderful boyfriend got me one today. =]I'm so happy with the camera, it's like a PERFECT rectangle...which is weird...but really cool! LOL. I left the camera at my boyfriend's place though so I can't show you samples of its great pictures...the thing that amazes me most about it is that it recognizes human faces. So when you're taking a picture of a person, in the lcd screen, there's like a little box around the person's face. Weird huh?

Anyway, with the new camera, I'll hopefully be having lots of great pictures up everyday (or at least whenever I post). This way, you can see my everyday life and good quality pictures of baked goods, crochet toys, and whatever else I'm into at the time. =] I'm pretty sleepy so I'm almost 100% sure that this post made no sense. So, sorry for wasting your time while I mindlessly ramble on and on. I need some sleep.

DS Case

2007-05-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

I finally finished it. I'm a little too lazy to photo shop it or whatever so you can actually read the thing... Although I probably should since it kind of looks worse like this. lol. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I'm sure it'll turn out better next time. (If there is a next time.)

It was surprisingly a lot of work...*sigh* but it's done!

Today's Goodies

2007-05-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

Fruit bowl
This is my first stab at cutting fruit in a different shape than just straight. These are angled lines! I'm definitely going to try fruit/vegetable carving! Next time I do this though, I'm going to scoop melon balls out of the cantaloupe so it'll be easier to eat...and look pretty too!

Mango cake filled with strawberries and bananas. If you're going to attempt this, make sure to slice the mango thin (probably about 1/8" thick so it sticks to the sides easily.

Pictures from Last Week

2007-05-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

I know, these photos are a tad bit late, but I really wanted to share them with you, and well, what better time than never?

Cake filled with canned Lynchee and Lynchee flavored frosting.

Crispy Walnut Cake
(Filled with crushed walnuts, pastry cream, and a sheet of puff pastry. Topped with Strawberries, Kiwi, and an Apple in the center)

It says, "Happy Mother's Day"

From the top:

Cheesecake (I prefer the taste of a homemade rich cheesecake rather than this one--it's practically from the box--but for what it is, it's still good!)

Spam Overload

2007-05-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

I wish I was talking about the food...I haven't had it in a while, I kind of miss it. (Actually, the the only place I did get to eat it was at my cousin's house. That's all she ever had, spam or corned beef. Ah, the good old days) But this time, I'm talking about the digital age spam.

I just checked my myspace accounted and in ONE MINUTE I got 27 messages telling me about some hot new ringtones I can get for free. I don't even have a phone that's capable of that! At least I think so....

Update

2007-05-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've been inbetween a few projects lately, and well, working on them all at once is causing them to be finished slower. Lol. I've been working on another crochet banana (I gave the last one to my friends)...it's almost done. I only have one peel to do left. I'm not sure why I haven't done it yet. I finally finished the mushroom I told you about a while ago, but it was for somebody else and I never got to take a picture of it. Maybe I can ask her to take a picture of it for me. =)

As for the stenciling, I was experimenting yesterday with printing it on shirts and well, it was pretty successful. I couldn't really finish it though because I had to go to work and it wasn't dry yet. I'm hoping to have a picture of it for you sometime tonight or maybe tomorrow. I hope. =)

My First Stencil

2007-04-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

That video I posted a few days ago of the artist stenciling inspired me, but I was so caught up in crocheting, I didn't think I would begin a new craft so soon. Today, I was looking through my boyfriend's magazine (it was Maxim) and I came across a stencil artist that is not only amazing at stenciling, but he's also amazingly stealthy (he smuggled some of this art into some New York museums!).

Here's one of Banksy's (the featured artist in the magazine) famous works:

So we asked our cook, who's also an artist, if he knew how to stencil and his reply, "Oh my gosh, that's so easy! It's all in the shadows!" Those few words made me produce this.

It was a newspaper clipping of some politician, I forget his name, and no, it's not George Bush as everyone thought it was today. I just did exactly as the cook told me to...just cut out the dark parts. Now the black parts are the easy part, but you also want to cut out some of the gray parts (if it's not a 100% black and white photo...which is what I recommend if this is your first stencil). I also spray painted it to test out the stencil and also so you can see it a little better.

It's a fairly easy project to do, very cost efficient and extremely addicting!

A few tips:
- Get a black and white photo (can be a newspaper/magazine clipping, a photo you took yourself, or a picture you got offline). A completely black and white photo (no grayscale here!) is recommended, but not required.
- Use very, very sharp x-acto knife. You can find some high quality blades at an art supply store or even a hardware store. Just make sure it's really sharp and pointed for those fine details
- Heavy paper. If you can, photo copy your image onto some heavy paper. It's not very easy cutting small details onto newspaper (it tears very easily).
- Enjoy! This is a really fun project and once you finish your first one, you'll want to make another, so make sure you set aside a bit of time for this project!

Craftster feedback

2007-04-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. Last night, I decided to share my picture of the last crochet cupcake (with my kitty, Mr. Diva) on the very awesome, and inspiring website, craftster.org. And guess what I went back today to find, 4 comments on it! I've posted on the website before, but no feedback...then again, the project kind of sucked. lol. Oh well. Anyway, I'm so exicted.

As for my crochet goods, I'm currently working on a super cool (at least I hope so) Nintendo DS case. I made one the other day, but I'm not 100% satisfied with it so far...Hopefully the next one will be nice. I'm also hoping that I finally get my lazy butt to try making another banana. (I've already made one, but again, I'm not 100% on it...so the 2nd one will hopefully be better)

Anyway, I'll try to have some pictures of my stuff for you as soon as I can. But, for now, it's time to sleep. Good night!

Oh yes, if you're looking to download some nice happy upbeat songs, I suggest you check out The Fratellis - Flathead or really, any of their songs...I just downloaded it on iTunes. =)

Moldy Never Looked so Good

2007-04-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

This is so cute! I wish I could take the credit for this little spoiled treat, but I can't. The good news is that unlike me, this person knows how to create pattern and shares it with us all. Click here to see the pattern. For those of you that don't know how to crochet, or how to read patterns, I think the picture just about does it for me.

Earth Day

2007-04-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness, I can't believe I used to watch this show almost religiously... But, with all this hype about Earth Day (Kudos to everyone, I've never seen so much hype about Earth Day), I remembered Captain Planet.

Anyway, in celebration of Earth Day, here's a little project you can feel good about. (And it's cheap!) I'll have to attempt this project again...the first (and last time) I did this, my sister and I used some old newspaper and well, I have no idea what happened. It just didn't turn out great. Oh well, I think I was like 7 and my sister was 11 or something. lol. Gosh that was a while ago. =(

A little inspiration for you

2007-04-22T00:24:00.000-07:00

I was going through some YouTube videos hoping I could find a few good vids about crochet or something like that, but instead, I stumbled upon this, and well, I'm more than happy. I'm definitely going to attempt to stencil some things in the near future. I'll try to get as good as this guy! lol.

If you have some informative or just plain fun videos that you'd like to share with us, just email me the video (or the link).

Update

2007-04-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I took a little break from making cupcakes and decided to go a slightly different route... A mushroom. Ok, so it's going to be like the same shape, but hey, I'm trying to make some sort of piggy bank or container thing, and that shape happens to work very well with the plan. I'll post a picture when I'm all done.

Anyway, this is going to be my 50th entry in Being Domestic and well, I'm pretty proud. I've accomplished quite a few things since the beginning of the project and it's only been about 3 months! I've baked bread, threw a party (without the help of my parents!), learned to crochet and make little toys, made some sock monkies...duct tape wallets... Just imagine what will come in the next 50 entires!

You may not be seeing too much of me in the next week or so because I'll be busy working most of the time and during my time off, I'm trying to work on a more expanded website for this blog. (I even bought the domain already!) So keep checking back to see when the website will launch (I'm hoping it'll be within the next two weeks or so) and in the meantime, add me as your friend at Myspace.

Another Crochet Cupcake

2007-04-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know, I know, all I've been showing lately are cupcakes, but hey, who doesn't love them? It's bite sized cake! But really, I'm just trying to perfect it. This one here that my trusty assistant, Mr. Diva, is holding is about half the size of the last crochet cupcake. Instead of putting scallops on the edge of the cupcake, I tried to create some sort of edge at the bottom so that the cake part would hang over the cup just a little. And it worked until it got stuffed...it stretched out a little. And instead of a plain cake with a cherry on top this time, I put a little sort of glaze there and I really like the result. All in all, I'm really happy with this result, but next time, I have to find a way to stuff it better.

Yesterday, I made an ice cream cone and it turned out really well. I was at my boyfriend's house when I did it, so I didn't have the pillow stuffing I usually use. Instead, I used a sock and it came out really sturdy! Just not very squishy. I should find some sort of medium. Anyway, I gave it to my cousin for her 14th birthday but I didn't get to take a picture of it... Sorry! But I'll take one next time I see her, or maybe I'll just make another one.

Myspace Just Got Domestic

2007-04-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

I think it might be a little overdue, but I finally got a Myspace account for my blog just so we can spread some domestic joy around a little more. I'm still working on the layout and stuff so it doesn't look so lame, so excuse the plain jane look of it. What can I do? I can't escape the name.

Anyway, if you would like to be my friend, which you're more than welcome to, just add me!

One Delicious Beanie

2007-04-17T01:44:00.000-07:00

This morning, (actually, it's yesterday morning, I haven't realized how late it is!) I decided to take a break from crochet toy foods and make something a little more useful...like a beanie. Well, I was off to a good start, but after about the 12th row, I realized that the beanie was coming out just a tiny bit too small for an adult head (especially mine!). I must have skipped a few TOO MANY stiches. By that time, I had already spent about 2 hours crocheting (on and off) and I wasn't going to waste it! So, I decided to turn it into a jumbo cupcake and well, I think it turned out good!

I applied the little scallop design to the edge that I discovered a few days ago. I think it gives it a nice dainty touch and looks more finished.

I didn't have a pattern for the bottom, so I decided to improvise as I went along. I crocheted a circle slightly smaller than the circumference of the top, crochet only the front loop when it was the right size to make it bend upwards and then continued crocheting only adding a few stiches to some of the rows, but for the most part, I kept it the same amount of stiches throughout.

Then, of course, I added my signature pom pom cherry on top, stuffed, and sewed it together. Voila! Another plush cupcake from yours truly and this time, it's crochet! I'm on my way to some quality amigurumi!

The Joy of Soy

2007-04-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

I've been a little afraid to try these nutrition bars that have been sitting on the coffee table for about a week now because I'm not sure whose it is...but mostly because well, I love good food, and from my experience, healthy food...doesn't always taste good. So today, I had a late lunch, which made me pretty hungry by 10:00 pm. I got a little desperate since I didn't want to eat a whole meal and I tried one of those bars. I got to choose from Mango Coconut, Apple, and Berry (I checked their website and they have one more flavor available which is Raisin Almond). So, I tried Mango Coconut since Apple and Berry seem like such generic flavors. The result, not bad at all! So I went ahead and tried the other two bars (they're relatively small) and they're pretty good too. I mean, don't get me wrong, they certainly taste healthy, but this is one healthy snack that I wouldn't mind, after fresh fruits of course. If you're going to try it, I recommend the Mango coconut, it was pretty packed with flavor.

Almost Crochet Goodies

2007-04-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

I just finished making my first attempt at a crochet cupcake and an ice cream cone. Well, considering I've been crocheting for about a week and it's my first attempt, it's pretty good... But I think I can do better. I just found a site with some promising links to free food inspired crochet patterns. I would give you the link to my ice cream pattern, but I think I'll save it for when I find a really good one. Or maybe when I learn how to create my own. I think my next little project will be a beanie just to take a little break from plush food. A small...very small break.

Chinese Baking School Results

2007-04-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Oh the joys of waking up early to sit in semi traffic on the way to El Monte (which is about 15 minutes--without traffic past Downtown L.A.). But really, if it weren't for the long drive, school today was wonderful. I was beginning to wonder if a skill like baking could even be taught since my experience with my current teacher (at another school) was just...well, horrible. Anyway, I'm glad to say that this teacher actually loves to teach... She's always offering tips and little tricks to make my life a litter easier, she didn't yell at me in frustration, or stress out about time management at all, actually, she told me to eat what the other class (which my mom is in) was making and relax while we let the cakes cool.

Ok, enough of the chat... You all want pictures!

Pandan and Coconut Roll and a Lemon Roll (they look weird because I left them in the plastic wrap because well, it would have lost its shape. I'm not good at rolling them, but after the plastic wrap it looks like I am!

Taro Filled Yellow Cake with some flowers and this "W" design kind of thing that I made. Yay!

Here's some Dimsum my Mom made. Clockwise from the top left: Pork Shumai, "Shark Fin" Dumpling (it just looks like a shark fin), and Beef Shumai. And they're all good! No MSG here!

I also made Tiramisu, but I didn't get to take a picture of it...sorry!

As Requested by Mae

2007-04-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Today at work, we were dividing the box of fortune cookies into smaller bags so it's easier to grab them when we need to restock in front at the register. Then my little cousin, Mae, wondered where and how the origin of the fortune cookie came about. I assumed it was some kind of old Chinese tradition, but after doing a little bit of research, I found that it was nothing I would have guessed.

Many of the sites I read all have the same story.. The actual origin of the fortune cookie is from California. Apparentely there's a big fight about whether it's actually from San Francisco or Los Angeles. Being a native Angeleno, you can take a wild guess of where I'm siding with... But either way, I'm glad it's from California!

If you're interested in more of the history, you can check out this page: Info Please: Fortune cookies

Friday the 13th

2007-04-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday the 13th! Hope you all don't experience any terrible coincidental luck!

Add me!

2007-04-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering what that last post was about, I was just claiming Being Domestic as my blog...and to do so, I had to write a post with that link in it and well, it said I could delete it after everything got approved and went through, but I'm too lazy to delete it. Plus, it was my 40th entry! I can't do that!

Ah, I remember the days when I was excited to have only five entries, and now, it has octobled! LOL. What is the word for 8 times? Oh, I'm too sleepy to look it up, although I'll have to write a note to myself to remember to look that up.

Anyway, I'm sure all one (and occasionally 2!) of my readers are wondering what technorati is and to put it in simple terms, it's this "service" to see the stats of your blog... What rank it is out of all the blogs, how many people make links to it and so on. My stats are a little less than ecstatic, but it's ok. I've only been blogging for like 2 months or something. Ok, maybe three. So for those of you that are the opposite of oblivious (now what's the word for that? another thing I must look up!)...you'll notice that in the top left hand corner of my blog page, there is a cute little button that says "Add this Blog to my Technorati Favorites" and well, if you click that button, create an account with them or something, then you'll do exactly what that little button advertises. And if you're in the business of making people feel better, a person like me in this situation, you'll do exactly as the button tells you to do. =) (By the way, I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm threatening you, it just came out like that. Well, unless you like to be threatened or something weird..or normal! perfectly normal... *backing away..*)

Gosh I need some sleep.

2007-04-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

Technorati Profile

Oh yes...

2007-04-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Only 4 more days until baking school! I can't wait. I really do love Chinese cakes...not too sweet, not too over the top, and oh yes, always filled with your daily serving of fruits. Yummy. I can't wait until I get to learn all of that. I haven't baked all week, I like to take a little vacation once in a while, plus all that baking from last Thursday excuses me for at least 2 more weeks!

Anyway, I'm really excited and nervous at the same time. You know how it is, first day jitters have the best of me! I just hope I understand the teacher ok.

Day 2

2007-04-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

So I continued to crochet today. After yesterday's success with the granny square, I thought, "How much harder can a ball be?" Well, as it turns out, circles are a cinch, but for some reason, I can't wrap my head around the construction of a ball. Joining the 3D world is proving to be more difficult than I expected. Once again, I don't have the examples to show...I know, I'm horrible. But hey, if I showed you some pictures, I'm sure you'd be less than inspired to pick up some yarn and a crochet hook and start turning out balls and dolls.

On the bright side, I haven't given up hope yet. I'm still working on making that stupid ball and once I get there, I'll feel much much better. Aside from that good news, I also figured out how to make scallops. Very, very easy... I'm thinking about sewing it to the bottom of a tshirt or tank top...or using it as a border for a pillow! Oh the possibilities! I'm so excited.

(Excuse my appearance, I'm in the middle of doing laundry, and it's 11:00 pm...)

What to do...

2007-04-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where my life is going. Well other than fabulously crafty and delicious, how will I make my living? I'll be 20 in about 7 months and still no clue on what to do. Sure I love baking, but what about all the other things I love to do so much? I have no idea where my life is leading at this point, but for now, I guess I'll just have to keep brainstorming! I suppose something will come up.

Anyway, yesterday, my boyfriend's aunt taught me a few things about crochet. I had no idea I COMPLETELY forgot how to crochet! She retaught it to me and gave me a little project to do. I don't have a picture of them. =( But I made a granny square and I'm darn proud of it. Next week I should be making circles already. At least I hope. Once I can make a hacky sack for my boyfriend, I'll feel really accomplished because that'll mean I can start making toys! Amigurumi to be more exact. (It's a Japanese craft where they crochet or knit really awesome toys.) Lol.

By the way, once I've got the crochet thing down, I'd definetly like to take my hand at carving fruits and vegetables. It is my responsibility as a 1/2 Thai person.

New Adventure

2007-04-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

I've taken a four hour class on crochet, but I feel that now is the time that I should try to take it seriously. For some reason, I didn't think that I could make my favorite thing to make: plush food. *Sigh* All the possibilities. Anyway, I've already purchased a Crochet book from the Teach Yourself Visually series. We'll see how this goes. =)

If you need some inspiration, check out craftster.org. I'm sure you'll find a new exciting project to indulge yourself in.

BBQ Results

2007-04-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

Today was the BBQ and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of it if I do say so myself. My boyfriend cooked some delicious carne asada, guacamole, and salsa. My friend Sebastian made some hamburgers, and my new friend Dan made some outback steak. (He's half Australian...) What a delicious day. I myself, well, what else would I do but bake? I made some Cheesecake the night before.

Left over chocolate glaze drizzled on the plate to decorate on half and the other half were topped with blueberries

Today, I made some chocolate cake (I made half into cupcakes and the other half got poured into my cool new donut molds!), Cheese Straws, Apple Turnovers, and Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Yummy! I must recommend that if you're planning on spoiling your guests with baked goods, buy some puff pastry sheets and have fun with different fillings, shapes and sizes, your guests will ask you how long you spent slaving over their feast and you'll know it was only a matter of about 2 hours!

Apple Turnovers!

Me enjoying on and my grandpa in the background enjoying chess

If my friends weren't lying, then they all loved my baked goods and I'm definitely not lying when I say that I loved all the grilled goods. We spent the night playing some Wii and Cranium. Unfortuantely, we didn't have much time to fit Risk or the end of Cranium in, but I still had a lot of fun.

I was a bit too lazy to whip out the pastry bag and tips for the cake, so I made a simple, but delicious, chocolate glaze to dip my cupcakes and cake donuts into and we topped it off with some colorful sprinkles.

I didn't have time (or money!) to buy one of those cool cupcake towers so I ended up making my own super cheap two tier cupcake and donut display using a loaf pan and some tissue paper. Sure, a bit on the cheap low budget side, but I was short on time too!

Here's my boyfriend enjoying a mini donut! (by the way, he cut his hair...he has beanie hair in this pic, I like it when he styles it a little.)

I planned on making some Strawberry Napoleons, but I got a little lazy and with the left over chocolate, we decided not to waste, and make some chocolate covered strawberries. Chocolate covered strawberries are impressive on their own, but with some skewers, the little plastic box the strawberries came in, some styrofoam, tissue paper, and decorative ribbon, my boyfriend and I created a nice and simple center piece that was devoured into about 10 minutes once people got over their fear of taking it apart.

Quick Instructions for a Quick Center Piece:
What you'll need:
Strawberries or the fruits of your choice to be dipped in the chocolate
Skewers
Chocolate for Dipping
A Box, Shallow Vase, or bowl
Styrofoam (or some kind of material that can secure the skewers you'll poke into it) to fit your box
Decorative Ribbon
Tissue Paper (optional)

What you'll need to do:
Find a box or some kind of container (preferrably on the heavy side, we found that the strawberries were having a difficult time balancing in such a light base).

Cut the Styrofoam into a shape that will fit snug in your box/container

Cover the styrofoam with the tissue paper if you're unhappy about how it looks uncovered.

If you like, tie your decorative ribbon around the container so it looks a little more polished.

Stick the pointy end of the skewer into the top of the strawberry (where the leaves are) and dip it in your chocolate glaze about 1/2 to 3/4 deep.

Stick the dull side of the skewer into your styrofoam so that the strawberries are pointing out. Repeat working your way from the middle of the styrofoam to the outer sides of the box.

Voila! A perfect centerpiece. Your guests will never know that it only took you about 15 minutes and the best part about it is that it's not only decorative but also functional! You can experiment with some different combinatons like fruit kabobs and the like. I know I will next time!

Six Pains Magic Mountain

2007-04-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Boy do I feel old. I went to Magic Mountain last week, and after a ride on the eight loops on Viper, I felt so nauseous, I probably shouldn't have gone on the rest of the rides after that. I've never come so close to throwing up on a ride.

Then today, in honor of my friend that couldn't make it this week, my boyfriend and I posed for the camera as we went through the second drop on the self explainatory Goliath. He grabbed my head and licked my cheek. The G force on that ride is pretty strong, so we had a hard time getting back to our normal position in the seat I ended up hurting my neck. I'm fine though, I just can't turn to the right. Well, I can, I just look like I have a neck brace on or something. I have to turn my whole torso. Haha. It's kindda funny...

But I can't laugh too hard since my throat hurts! I woke up in the morning with a SLIGHT sore throat and the huge drops, loops, and corkscrews on the rides didn't help at all. I'm having a hard time talking right now and it's the reason why I must end this entry because I need to sleep to get my mind off the pain.

All in all, even the pain, I had a lot of fun. I hope we do it again, just not anytime soon. I'm still recovering from everything...

Domestic Fun

2007-04-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today, I bought Cooking Mama, a game for the Nintendo Wii. I was a little disappointed that it only allows 2 out of the 4 people to play, but when we began playing I saw why... It's almost as much fun watching everyone try to cut, peel, dice, boil, season, etc. while beating each other and the clock.

If you haven't already picked up on the craze, you really should invest in buying the Wii. It's really a fun system for everyone and it provides some exercise too! (I'm still sore from a boxing match with my cousin a few days ago.) And while you're at it, get Cooking Mama. The next time you're in a restaurant, you'll appreciate your food a little more seeing all the time and energy to make it. My arm is pretty sore.... But I can't wait to attempt making the cream puffs next time!

Baking School

2007-04-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

I'm going to a Chinese Baking School! It's a five week program, I'm so excited!

BBQ

2007-03-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing a lot of my friends (old and new) lately, so I decided yesterday that I would throw a little get-together BBQ. I'm pretty excited since it's going to be the first "party" I have without the help of my parents. I already invited about 10 of my friends and I think today, we decided that we would all bring somekind of different BBQ...Carne Asada, Burgers, Steak, etc. And me, well, I plan on making a rich cheesecake topped with blueberries and some strawberry shortcake. Yum! I hope those fruits are in season already, because I'm going to need a lot!

I'm so excited!

By the way, sorry I haven't posted in a while, nothing much has been going on that I can write about. Oh wait, on Thursday, I went to Chinatown, and I found a little Donut Kit for like $8. The recipes are horrible, but I think the donut shaped pans are pretty cool. I can apply it somehow.

Alligator

2007-03-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

It's so late now, so I'm going to make this entry short. (I was out having a fun conversation my friend, Sebastian, and his old friend Dan plus my boyfriend...very nice guys)

My mom and I LOVE this pastry from a local bakery (which now distributes to Gelsons Supermarkets in the area (or beyond, I'm not sure) called Alligator. I've made a few reicpes that call for maple syrup and when baked, it conjured up all kinds of memories of the delicious pastry which is now a bit expensive at $15 for a small sheet. So I found a recipe for Maple Pecan Squares in my handy Williams-Sonoma Baking book, but I overcooked it a little and aside from that, it still didn't have that Alligator taste (not real aligator, the pastry kind!). We read the ingredients on the box of the pastry and saw that they used some peaches in there and when my mom went to the market yesterday, she picked up some dried (kind of looks like those fruit jelly rolls you take to school) apricot to try to substitute for the peaches, used some baking dates and reduced the brown sugar...it worked! Next time, I think we'll put less filling and use a flakier crust, but until then, it's good enough for me!

I'll take pictures next time and post the recipe. It's late and I need sleep! Good Night!

Bagels Continued...

2007-03-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

So the bagels I wasn't feeling so hot about yesterday actually turned out pretty good! Next time, I think I'll know what to expect so I won't worry or whatever about them. I might try some flavors next time I make them, like cinnamon and raisin, or blueberry. For now, poppy seeds were all I had, so that's all I made. It took me about 3 hours. First, you dissolve and wake up the yeast, mix in all the ingredients, let it rise for about 1 hour, shape them, and let it rest for another 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, you boil them in a pot (next time I'm going to use a wider pot rather than a deeper one, the bagels float!), and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Then you enjoy!

Boiling the Bagels

All pretty and ready to eat after baking!

If you'd like the recipe, then you'll have to wait until I can actually post it because I have to go to work in about 15 minutes. Or you can just email me at succeedingmartha@gmail.com.

Bagels

2007-03-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in the process of making bagels. So far, I'm not sure how they're going to turn out. The dough is really tough, but I was a little unsure of their results from the beginning. My yeast wasn't bubbling like it was supposed to. Oh well. Practice makes perfect, unless these turn out perfect...which I doubt. I'll know the results in about 2 hours. Still waiting for it to rise, then I've got the baking time and all that fun stuff.

Finally Found It!

2007-03-21T22:37:00.001-07:00

I finally found Season 2 of the Golden Girls. I'm already about 6 episodes into the season. I love that show.

Some Overdue Photos

2007-03-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

The First Bread I made...Challah. A bit long and uneven, but delicious! It was about 2 feet!

Second attempt. Instead of making one big loaf, I made two smaller ones. One got a little more burned though...Both still tasted great.

A better picture of the Cranberry-Apricot Scones I made.

Sorry, I haven't taken a picture of the duct tape wallet yet because everyone's been taking them home! I don't have a chance to take some pictures, but I'll probably make another one tomorrow or something.

Responsiblities

2007-03-19T23:22:00.001-07:00

Ahh, the joys of adulthood. The DMV sent me a letter stating that it was that time of the year--Renew my car registration! Yipee. Oh well. I'm a bit of a procrastinator, so I did it today (about two weeks before the day it's due--they sent it to me about a month ago). Only this time, instead of paying the $55 (which is fine with me...) I had to take my baby to a test only station for a smog check. With the help of my boyfriend's parents, I found a little place with nice people and yay! My car passed. =)

Anyway, when I got to the dreaded DMV, my clerk was actually really nice. She smiled and laughed at me when my boyfriend had to point out that I was giving the lady all my tip money (I just gave her $15 in dollar bills, at least it wasn't the whole $55!). She told us about how the lady that collects the money in the back HATES coins, so everyone has to try to get rid of the coins "customers" (what would you call them?) away to other customers. Unfortunately, that lady got one DMV patron that gave her like $50 in coins or some large amount. Poor girl.

OK so that's not the point of this blog. Unless you're interested in my daily life. So out of all of this, I got a few tips! As you can see, those little registration stickers are pretty expensive (I paid $50 for the smog check and another $55 for the registration), so a lot of desperate and lazy people steal them.

Protecting your Car Registration Sticker

1) Clean and dry the license plate to ensure the sticker will, well, actually stick.
2) Remove the sticker from its backing and stick it to the designated area
3) With a blade, run it diagonally along the sticker in about 10 even strokes. Then repeat the opposite way making small diamonds
4) With the super glue, "laminate" the sticker by generously applying it over the sticker.
5) Allow to dry, stand back and admire your work.

Duct Tape Wallet

2007-03-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

I went to a restaurant supply warehouse a few weeks ago and I saw some brightly colored duct tape. So I bought a few of the colors: brown, blue, and pink (yea, I can't believe they had pink duct tape either...). I was pretty bored at work today, so I decided to make a duct tape wallet. The first one was the ugliest and biggest wallet I had ever seen. The second looked much better but was too hard to bend, and the third one came out just right. I'm too lazy and sleepy right now to post pictures and instructions, but I will do it at least next week. =) Anyway, good night!

Busy Busy

2007-03-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't really had time this week to bake at all. That sounded like I was doing something productive, but really, I was out enjoying the great weather. I went to the beach on Monday (it's been a few months since I've been there!). I'm so happy that they cleaned the water at Santa Monica, it's actually blue again! My boyfriend got a little bit of a sunburn, but I think he's ok. I haven't heard about it since that day.

Then we played basketball with my cousin the same day...or at least we tried. It's been so long since we've played, we're all terrible. (That's my excuse, but the truth is that I was never good) If there was a net BEHIND the board, I think we would have all scored a lot of points! Still fun though and it felt good getting a little bit of exercise.

I planned on baking on Tuesday, but I had to end up working. Boo. Oh well. I think I might be able to squeeze in two quick breads tomorrow. Banana Nut Bread and some Blueberry Muffins. Yay! Then I might have lunch with a high school friend and after, pick up my cousins from school, hang out at the arcade for a little while and then maybe play some more basketball? I hope that this whole "exercise" thing keeps up. It feels good.

Oh yea, I forgot to tell you that I painted a little mural on my boyfriend's wall today. Just a tiny one. I'll try to take a picture next time I'm there. Of course, it had cupcakes in it so naturally, I loved it. I would really love a cupcake right now....

Lost Entry

2007-03-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday and I haven't written since Wednesday... I'm sorry. But I did write an entry last night but right when I was about to publish it, one technical difficulty after another occured so my entry was lost. =[ And now that I'm trying to recall the contents of it, I can't remember what it was about.

Anyway, I've been so inspired to bake since I got a new Williams-Sonoma book. (Essentials of Baking: Recipes and Techiniques for Successful Home Baking) I'm hoping to try some pie recipes and maybe some bagels!

It's about 11:30 right now but with the near approaching Daylight Savings Time, it's really like 12:30 so I must retire for the night. Good night fellow crafters, I'll see you another day in what seems like a new time zone!

Cranberry-Orange Scones

2007-03-07T22:44:00.001-08:00

Photo 56
Originally uploaded by succeedingmartha.

I went to my baking class today, but all we made was chocolate cake which would normally be fun, but I've made so much chocolate cake (or any cake) in the past few months that I was just bored. When I came home today, I had a little urge to bake so I consulted my new handy Williams-Sonoma Bread Book. When my sister bought me their cake book, she made a good point: if you can find at least one good recipe in there, it's worth it. So far, I've found two!

This is a quick bread which is exactly as the name implies, it means that it's a faster bread to make since it doesn't contain yeast (which requires hours of rising and kneading). Scones are a perfect first bread to start out on because you get to handle dough, they only require about an hour (depending on how fast--or slow you work) and they taste great!

I had all of the ingredients except for the dried fruit, and those were a little expensive, so in the cost, I didn't include the flour, sugar, and all that good stuff since many kitchens already have them.

Cranberry-Orange Scones

Time Required: About an hour
Approximate Cost: $6
Yield: 12 medium sized scones

Ingredients:
3 cups (15 oz) All-Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder (preferrably sifted)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda (preferrably sifted)
1/2 tsp Salt
Grated zest of 1 orange (about 1 Tbsp)
10 Tbsp (5 oz) Cold Unsalted Butter cut into small pieces
1 cup Cold Buttermilk (or 7 1/2 oz of milk and 1/2 oz of white vinegar)
3/4 cup Dried Cranberries
1/4 cup Chopped Dried Apricots

Equipment Needed
Pastry Blender or 2 Knives
Large Bowl
Sheet Pan lined with Parchment
Rubber Scrapper
Cooling Racks (optional, but recommended)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

1) In a large bowl, combine All Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, and Orange Zest. Mix with whisk or gently with your hand.
2) With a Pastry Blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry mixture until it looks like course crumbs.
3) With your hand, create a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk.
4) With your hand or pastry blender if you like, begin to incorporate the buttermilk into the butter and dry ingredient mixture until a dough forms. (Don't worry if you haven't gotten all the little crumbs in, you will incorporate them further when you knead the dough)
5) Stir in the cranberries and apricots just until it is evenly distributed.
6) On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough no more than 8-10x. Then pat the dough into a rectangle with floured hands so that it is about 1 1/2" thick. Then fold it like a business letter and cut the dough in half.
7) Round the two doughs and cut into 6 wedges.
8) Arrange the 12 pieces onto the prepared sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until it is a golden brown.
9) Cool scones on racks if you have them.
10) Then eat! (I stole that step from my boyfriend...he wrote it on his procedures and I loved it...)

It says in the book to serve it warm with some butter, I ate it warm without the butter and I still loved it. I've had cold scones before too and they also taste great.

A Little Inspiration

2007-03-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

It was such a beautiful day today, I had to spend the day outside. So I left the house around 10:00 and went to Chinatown with my boyfriend to endulge in some dim sum. Yum! Then we decided to soak in some of the beautiful sun by walking around Chinatown. There's something about the atmosphere there that feels so carefree and...happy. Many of the stores along there are more vibrant and colorful now, so I was totally inspired to make some craft projects. There were so many things I saw, my mind is still bubbling with ideas. When I actually start and finish something, I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and write about it, so you can look forward to it in the coming weeks.

I hope you all got your plants for Adopt a Plant Month. I got my cousins a bonsai...maybe it'll interest them more than a simple (but beautiful) flower pot. I hope they don't kill it.

Good Read

2007-03-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

We weren't terribly busy on Sunday, so I actually had time to start and finish Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. It's an interesting and pretty educating read. Throughout the book, Snicket uses "big" words (I'll admit that I didn't know what a few of them meant) but then gives a definition and even the occasional sample sentence. Aside from being useful, it's a really fun story and now that I think about it, I can't believe that I forgot to pick up book 2 from my cousin. I recommend reading this book and if you feel like splurging a little, buy the set. I bought it for my cousin for Christmas with my boyfriend's help and she got so excited over it. =D Nice to see kids (or really anyone now a days) getting excited over education. So treat your friends, family, and secretly--yourself to a fun filled adventure accompanied by some very smart, inventive, and charming protagonists as well as the classic love to hate villans.

Reviews

2007-03-02T23:16:00.000-08:00

My mom gave some of the bread we baked yesterday to her employees and I think everyone genuinely liked it. Ben, my mom's right hand man said his wife wants to order some the next time we make it! Yes! I made about $3 lol. But I'm more concerned about the taste than the money. My boyfriend told me that last night, he made a sandwich for himself with the braided bread and he said it tasted SUPER good because it was so soft and moist. Yay! =] I think we both feel accomplished.

I'm still working on the pictures and posting the recipe. Ok I lied a little. I haven't even touched it, but I've been working all day so how could I? I need to make money so I can pay for ingredients and all that good stuff to keep you all at home happy.

By the way, it's March 2 which means it's Adopt a Plant Month. Hope you've at least thought about adopting your little green pet.

Plant Tip: Buy cheap plants! They usually require very little care and water, and they still look beautiful. -Sent in by Regina from Boston. (fine, that was my sister, but she's still a person with a tip!)

Busy Bee

2007-03-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up at about 7 or 8, went grocery shopping for some recipes I have been itching to try for the past week. I made the ensaimadas again (honestly, I liked them better the first time...but maybe 3rd time's the charm!), with the same dough, I made cinnamon rolls, and I tried a recipe from my new Williams-Sonoma Bread book.

For the cinnamon rolls, I made a streusel for the filling also found in the Williams-Sonoma book. It's a simple mixture of brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, flour, and some cold butter. Instead of making small balls out of the ensaimada dough, I made one big one and when it was time to roll it out, I rolled it to be a big square (or something that resembled that shape) and sprinkled the cinnamon streusel evenly on the dough, leaving about a 3/4"-1" border. Then I rolled it like a jelly roll and sliced about 1" rolls horizontally. Next time I make it, I'm going to use more dough and maybe a little less of the streusel. The good thing is that the streusel is delicious--in certain quantities.

The new bread recipe I tried today is called Challah which is a Jewish egg bread. Yum. I was especially attracted to it because it was braided and well, the ingredient list was short. If you ever have to braid a dough, make sure that the strands you roll are even or if you want it to have a little bit more of a diamond shape, leave it a little heavy in the middle. My boyfriend and I weren't really thinking and just rolled it a little sloppy. Instead of the diamond shape I was hoping more, we got an hourglass shape. LOL. But it was still beautiful and what's more important is that it tasted great! It was pretty moist and so soft! After baking it ended up being what looked like 2 feet! That's a big bread.

After I stopped by to help my mom a little at work, I came back home and made a little craft project that I had been planning for a few weeks now...but never got around to actually doing it. I'm going to try to post something of a tutorial since I really didn't know what I was doing going through it. I really just improvised my way through this one, but I'm happy with the results. I'm sure you'll have an easier time making this because for some reason, I'm terrible with making patterns.

Anyway, I found a way to repurpose those plastic party cups that are always left behind at parties, some scrap fabric, an old pillow, some pom poms you might have lying around...you know, normal things. =]

Zero Calorie Recycled Cupcake

Skill Level: Intermediate
Total Approximate Cost: $9.00
Total Approximate Time: 1 - 2 hours
Materials
Plastic disposible party cups (I used the shorter, wider variety) - $0 if you have them. About $2 if you don't.
Felt - (Approximately three colors, depending on your design. You may want to get two sheets of each color just in case) $0.20 each
Thread in matching colors - Approximately $0.99 a spool, unless you have some
Red Pom Pom - Variety pack for $2.99
Green Embroidery Floss - $1.29
Flexible but Sturdy Cardboard - $0 I got mine from the bottom of a shopping bag
Adhesive (I used spray adhesive but it is a bit more expensive, so any glue is great, but Elmer's gets messy) - About $10 for Spray Adhesive (worth it!) and $1 for white glue
Some old newspapers or something to protect your workspace from getting sticky.
Old pillow or something you can use as stuffing.

Equiment
Sewing Needles $2.19

Directions
1) Make a pattern for the felt that will cover the exterior of your cup and cut it out.
2) Paste the felt you just cut out to the outside of the cup. (If you're using spray adhesive, make sure you cover your workspace just incase it sprays a little too far.)
3) With the color of your cake (the brown part, since I chose chocolate), cut a circle slightly bigger than the opening of your cup. Make a cardboard cutout the same shape and glue it to the felt.
4) Then cut a 1/4" strip of the same color the circumference of the circle you just cut out. Glue a strip of the cardboard to the strip.
5) When it is dry, sew the strip of felt and cardboard to the circle.
6) Cut a large circle of the same color (this will be the height of your cupcake) and sew it to the side of the strip that hasn't been sewn yet. (it's not going to be a perfect circle in the end. You'll have to cut about 3/4 way to the center and overlap it to make the circle fit the one you're sewing to. Wow that sounded confusing, I'm sorry it's late.) Before closing the circle, stuff the cake with the inside of a pillow.
7) Now for the topping, cut out a random design to be the frosting (although it looks more like a ganache or glaze). Find the center of the cupcake and your frosting. Going through both the cake and frosting with the embroidery floss, attach the red pom pom. Secure it a few times, tie a knot, and leave about 1 1/4" of the floss sticking up, this is the cherry stem.
8) Sew or glue the frosting to the cake. You're done! Now you can hide fun things in your cupcake or just use it as decoration. Who knew cake could be so functional?

I'll post some pictures of the Challah and the recipe when I have more time. I'm already dozing off...

New Toy

2007-02-28T23:06:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend's favorite beanie has gotten its mileage piled up and of course, it collected little lint balls along the way...so at our visit to Michael's (a craft store) we saw a lint shaver and decided to give it a try. I wish I could have taken before and after pictures, but you're going to have to trust me on this one, it looks brand new!

New Book!

2007-02-27T23:49:00.000-08:00

Today, I stopped by Borders with my boyfriend and cousin. Mae (my cousin) wanted the book Go Ask Alice, a popular teen read. I think I also read it when I was in eight grade. Not my favorite, I like happy things..and I really hate the whole horny rebelious teenage scene. It's dirty. But, I suppose in middle school, it's a classic.

As for myself, I bought a new cookbook. After the inspiring ensaimadas, I've been wanting to make some bread. I flipped through a few REALLY thick books about bread making, but they were all a little heavy for me at this stage in my expertise. (Plus I love pictures, and they didn't have that many.) For Christmas, I recieved the Williams-Sonoma Cake book and so far, I love it. I kind of feel like I can't go wrong with their books, so I bought their bread book. Only about $16. Not bad for priceless recipes that may be enjoyed over and over again. I'm so excited to try making some of these breads. (Or maybe all!)

Amazon lists them a bit cheaper, but I guess with Shipping and Handling, it's about the same. But at least you'll be guaranteed to get it!

My Apologies

2007-02-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't written in a few days. I've been busy with school, work, and all the annoying people in between. Not to worry, you are not included in that category. I woke up early (about 7:00) today. I had plans to bake the ensaimadas again but with different fillings and all (I told you about that) but as it turns out I have to work today. Only two hours, but it'll be right smack in the middle of my baking plans. 11:00-1:00, then I have to be at school by 5:15 pm. So as you see, my plans for the day were ruined. Oh well.

The good thing is that instead of baking, I made a new sock monkey. If you want, I'll post instructions, but it'll have to be another day because I'm running low on time. And I have a few new projects that I have planned for all of you. I'm excited and I can't wait to get a free day to work on them.

I hope you're all considering adopting a plant. I hear that some of you are concerned about your plant dying, but I suppose it'll be a learning experience for all of you (and me). Maybe we'll become a little more responsible and maybe less self absorbed.

Again, I apologize for the delay and the slight negative tone. I've been having a bit of an oreo week, I love the cookie, but somtimes, I really hate the fillng. I'm sure in the end, I'll find that I really do love the entire cookie, but until then, I'll just count to 10 (maybe more than once) and pratice deep breathing. =)

Have a happy day!

Hope for Mankind

2007-02-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

I don't know what's wrong with me, but lately, I haven't been adding the bills at the restaurant right. I always seem to forget to add another dish to it, even if it's written on there! I'm embarassed to say that I got caught about three times today for that. But you know who told me? The customer! I feel so...refreshed (I suppose might be the right word) to find that there are actually honest people out there! And more than one! I have proof! This has made me EXTREMELY happy. I hope that you also find the hope out there in the world, or better yet, be the honest people! I'm sure it'll make you feel 10x better.

By the way, I'm declaring March "Adopt a Plant" month. All you have to do is go out there and get yourself a plant that catches your eye. I got two the other day and I feel as if I've adopted two lovely pets. And it's only going to cost me a few cents a month! I have two little flower pots and together they cost me about $4.00. All they need are a little attention, some food, and your love. =) So be happy and adopt one yourself! I'd love to see pictures of your "pets" and hopefully we'll be able to exchange tips and tricks to keeping them happy! As always, email me at succeedingmartha@gmail.com

Must See Movies

2007-02-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

With the Oscars approaching, you owe it to yourself to see the best of the best. Check out some of my favorite movies (In no specific order) of the year. (I own them all so I'm not being a hypocrite saying that they're worth buying.)

Sold Out

2007-02-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I woke up having a little craving for the ensaimadas I baked the night before. When I walked over to the kitchen, I was sad to find that they were all gone. =( But I suppose that's a good thing. Although I still have a craving for the soft, sweet bread. Yum.. I'm definitely making them next week but this time, I'm going to try adding ham to the filling and maybe trying some other kinds of fillngs. I can't wait. I'm also going to make them bigger so that I can bring it as a super portable sandwich to school. (No worries about sandwiches getting soggy or falling apart in your bag!)

I'm finding that bread is more fun and rewarding to make than cake since I don't feel so guilty eating it. But I still love making and decorating cakes! The bread may just be a phase.

Ensaimadas

2007-02-22T22:02:00.001-08:00

Ensaimadas
Originally uploaded by succeedingmartha.

As I posted earlier, today I made Ensaimadas (a Filipino cheese bread). Growing up, my aunt would buy my sister and me some at the local bakery (I didn't grow up in the Philippines...more like Van Nuys, the Valley equivalent). At first we were a little hesitant to try it, but once we did, we couldn't get enough. Sometimes, when I have such a fond memory from my childhood, I'm a little scared to go back and try to relive it because somethings are tastier as memories...

It just so happens that when I talked to my mom this morning she was talking about how she wanted to try a recipe from a cookbook our friend let us borrow. There it was, the cheese bread! (Sorry for the horrible quality picture...too lazy) I had a little bit of confidence since yesterday at Bakery Class we made baguettes and I had delt with yeast and kneading and all that stuff you need for a great bread.

Don't let the time period it takes scare you. It may take a few hours to make this, but the waiting periods are enough time to get some laundry done, watch some television or even take a short nap! Just don't forget to put the alarm on!

Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp. dry yeast
2 cups all purpose flour (have some extra handy)
8 egg yollks
1/4 lb. butter (I used unsalted, but you may want to try regular salted, let me know your results!)
1/2 tsp. salt
Canola or Vegetable Oil
SOFT or melted Butter (use regular salted butter or margarine)
1 can of cheese (you can find this at pretty much any ethnic food market, it'll be in a blue can probably in or near the refrigerators and it's manufactured by Kraft. I haven't tried it yet, but you might be able to substitute this for another kind of cheese)
4 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar

Equipment Needed:
Large Bowl
Whisk or some tool to mix with
(Above can be substituted with a Vertical Electric Mixer)
Clean counter top surface or Cutting Board
Large clean plastic bag or some clear saran wrap
Baking Sheet Pans lined with Parchment Paper (No need to grease them!)
Knife
Rolling Pin
Cheese Grater or Knife
Pastry brush or something to apply melted butter to the bread

Procedure:
1) Measure and prepare all ingredients (trust me, it's a lot easier this way!)
2) In the large bowl, pour the lukewarm water in and mix the dry yeast into it. Let it set for 15 to 20 minutes.
3) Then add the flour and mix well.
4) After, mix in the eggs, butter, and salt. The dough will resemble some kind of weird hybrid of a dough and a batter. Don't be alarmed!
5) On a very well floured surface (and I mean well floured, it's the only way it'll begin to look like a dough) oil your hands slightly (I tried flour, but now that I look back, oiling your hands would probably be better) and knead the dough. You may add flour to it just until it can be handled well.
6) Pat it with some oil (this will prevent it from forming a crust and drying out) and let it stand on the table for 30 minutes covered with a plastic bag or saran wrap.
7) Then cut the dough into about 24 small rounded pieces and leave them to double their size (it took me about 45 minutes.) I was worried that the house was a little too cold, so I stuck them in the oven while it was off for the time it took them to expand. You might want to again, pat it with a little oil because mine for a bit of a crust..nothing major, but it was still there.
8) When they have expanded, on a buttered surface, roll the balls out until they are thin (aim for about 1/8" or thinner if you can)
9) You can use a pastry brush or your fingers (I used the later) and spread it on the dough, then sprinkle some of the cheese on there.
10) Then roll it up lengthwise so it looks like a snake and coil it (kind of like a cinnamon bun!)
11) Let it rise for another hour
12) During this time, you can preheat your oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit
13) When it is done rising, bake them for about 10-15 minutes or until it is a golden brown.
14) Let the bread cool
15) When it is cool, brush some melted butter and sprinkle the sugar to the tops of the bread. (I was worried the bread was going to be dry, so I poked some holes with a skewer on the top to let the bread soak up the butter.)

The time it takes is a bit intimidating, but once you do it, you'll find that it's a lot easier than it looks. But the people that try it won't have to know! It's easy and delicious. As always, send me your results or some recipes that you want to share with me to succeedingmartha@gmail.com.

Fan Mail

2007-02-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

I feel a little bad because the sweater I talked about in the last blog was a bit of an old project...Some of you may have already seen it, but in my defense, looking at it again inspired me to make a new one. So you can look forward to a new sweater design in the next few...I'm not sure of the time frame, but it will come!

I've been a little busy with some homework from my Baking and Cake Decorating Class so excuse my lack of new and exciting entries. I am however make a Filipino cheese bread today--experimenting so you can look forward to my results later today. For the mean time, thank you for all the comments and YES please send me an email with all the projects you would like to share! Martha's nothing without her crafty fans.

p.s. I'm also working on posting the picture of my old sweater. Maybe it'll inspire you too!

Revamp your Sweater!

2007-02-20T22:02:00.001-08:00

With this crazy weather (sunny and HOT one day and raining and cold the next) it's always good to keep a sweater nearby or in your car. Tired of the same boring cotton zip up number? Give it a little face lift with a few simple felt shapes, some yarn and a plain sweater.

Materials:
Plain Hoodie - $12 (I got mine for $12 but it may cost you up to $20 or $0 if you already have one!)
Felt - $0.20 for about a 8 1/2" x 11" rectangle (I got 4 different colors)
Yarn - $5.00
Embroidery Floss - $1.25
Hand Sewing Needles - about $3.00 (Make sure you get needles that have a big enough eye for the yarn and sharp point so sewing through the sweater is easy)
Total Approximate Cost of Project - $20.25

Directions:
1) Cut out simple shapes (I chose flowers and leaves) and plan a simple design or pattern to place it on the sweater. I like to place it in a corner of the back and work my way out. I think it looks a little more modern and maybe even store bought!
2) Sew the shapes about 1/4 of an inch inside and along the shape with the embroidery floss. Then sew lines with the yarn to connect all the shapes and enhance the design. (This is when I attached the leaves to the sweater.)

You can also add a design to the front. I put my initials there only for the front, I only used the embroidery floss. and Presto! You have your own personalized sweater and it cost you less than an already made one from the store. (I've seen similar designs for almost $50!) I've gotten lots of compliments on my sweater and lots of people have even asked where I bought it. If you make one of your own, please feel free to send me pictures and a description to succeedingmartha@gmail.com.

Game Night!

2007-02-19T23:18:00.000-08:00

So, today we celebrated my boyfriend's birthday since we had to work yesterday (his actual birthday). The original plan was to head over to Universal Studios since my cousin fresh out of the Philippines hasn't really been anywhere in Los Angeles, but the unpredicatable weather had other plans for us. It was raining in the morning (yesterday and the day before it was almost 90 F) so we decided to have a rainy day just like elementary. Eat lunch and head back to the classroom to play board games. I don't own too many board games (and I forgot to bring my Cranium! I love that game) so we went to Target to buy a few games we had been meaning to buy like Monopoly and Life.

I had never actually played Life (the one time I did play, it was missing so many pieces I couldn't properly play it) and whenever I played Monopoly, we always made up our own rules so again, not properly played. My boyfriend bought one of those vintage looking Monopoly sets and on the inside of the cover it talked about the history of Monopoly. Well, it all started with a man during about the time of the Depression that made a game for his family about sites he remembered from a vacation. The game was such a hit with his family he began to sell it in his neighborhood and well, you know the rest.

It got me thinking, game night should be a regular thing in families--brings them closer together or even with friends (remember Will & Grace were champions among their friends?). But games can get boring with the same store bought board games so why don't you make it more interesting by making or personalizing your games?

Easy Squeezy!:
Instead of having a store bought version of Charades (which often provide words or phrases many of us haven't even heard of) have one team list a several different movies, songs, words, animals, etc. and drawing each from a hat or bowl. Then the opposing team can use those as their topics to be acted out.

More Time, But Fun!:
You've seen those special edition kits for Monopoly (I Love Lucy, Family Guy, Disney, etc.)--instead of spending about $30 or $40 for those, make your own! Choose a theme like "My Family" and for each color set on the board, you can put a set of family members (For ex: Instead of Park Place and Boardwalk, Grandma and Grandpa's Retirement Home) and Personalize the Chance and Community Chest Cards. (Ex: "Mom caught you sneaking out of your room at night, Go Directly to Jail" or "Aunt Edna gives you big hug. Pay hospital bill $50)

For those of you that like the Challenge:
For those of you really looking for a challenge, see what kind of games you all like and make your own! It could be a hybrid of Monopoly, Life, Family Fued or whatever else you like!

If you do decide to do any of these, as with any other projects, please email me at succeedingmartha@gmail.com describing your results and pictures if you can!

Quick, Cheap Gift Idea--And they won't know the difference!

2007-02-18T00:01:00.001-08:00

Vinni
Originally uploaded by succeedingmartha.

Tomorrow is my boyfriend's birthday and to be honest, between all the Valentine's stuff, school, and work, I haven't had time to really put some thought into his birthday gift. I already know what to BUY him, but I always try to MAKE him something. I love handmade gifts. They're more personal and they show that you've spent time thinking or making their gift.

But what do you do when you don't have time? (Like me) You'll find that things you're already good at come the easiest and fastest. For me, I love to bake and my boyfriend likes letters (or really anything) I write for him. For someone with more artistic skills, you might be able to draw up a great picture for a quick card. But there are some that haven't yet discovered their hobbies or any useful skill that you can turn into a creative gift. For those of you out there, I suggest the hybrid gift: part handmade (looking), part store bought.

My favorite last minute quick gift is a little kit. Head over to your local dollar store (or all in one convenience store like Target or Wal-Mart) and think of a theme.

When my friends were in the process of getting their drivers license, I bought everything I could possibly think of that they might need when they begin to drive. Some things were actually useful like a notepad, pen, lotion, and gum. And some things were part of inside jokes like cheap soap opera cassette soundtracks (yes I actually found those for sale there) to "set the mood" for any unexpected (or expected ;] guests) or WB trading cards they could use to bribe cops when they would get pulled over. Even though I bought well over ten items for each set, I really only spent about $15.00! On three gifts! (There were a lot of 3 for $1 deals.)

So there you have it, my little "secret" to gift giving that requires a little money as it does time. Remember, when giving a gift like this, it's the attention you put to detail that will blow them away. If they once talked about how they wanted to get into photography or something like that, make them a kit related to that. It makes the world of a difference.

Horsies

2007-02-17T00:33:00.001-08:00

Horsies
Originally uploaded by succeedingmartha.

Wonder what kind of crafty things they're going to make!

Work, work, work for you

2007-02-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

I went to work today...as I will for the next two days. Yea, it's a nice schedule, I only have to work three days a week, but keep in mind that they're 12 hour days. ahh! It was really slow during the day, but then at about six o clock, they all had to get a delivery. Yay. (not really). Although everyone was super nice so I thank all of you that were patient. Well, except for these two middle aged twins. They left me $1.94 (and no that didn't add up to an even number or anything...why not just give $0.06 more? Cheap asses) and wrote next to the tip, "LOUSY SERVICE." Lousy Service? I'm the next Martha f**king Stewart. Don't be telling me what's good or not. I practically invented the good thing! (I'll take credit for her catch phrase just this once.)

So anyway, since it was so slow during the day, it left me a lot of time to think about you. My supporters, followers, groupies, whatever you may consider yourself. How can I help you make life a little easier (not to mention my own)? Well, for one thing, I'm planning on posting lots of fun projects to do and I even plan on putting the approximate cost of the project. Now isn't that thoughtful of me? I know what it's like to want nice things but have a budget for a few cents and some left over lint from your pocket. Most of these projects will be great fool proof recipes I've done countless times. I want you to be able to throw a flawless party leaving your guests scratching their heads wondering how you got it all done and manage to put yourself together. And if you're the guest at a party, I want your host/hostess to think you spend laborious hours (or money!) over their nice gift, when really, it took a fraction of the time and money. I WANT to make your life easier and more enjoyable.

Many of the things I plan on doing, I'm not even sure how to do, but it'll be a learning experience for the both of us. I look forward to seeing more of you here and as usual, please send me an email or leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions. I'm here to help. (Now don't you think I deserved more than $1.94?)

Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
I had dinner with my boyfriend and his family to celebrate his upcoming 20th birthday. I decided to bake a cake, so I made my famous (fine, it's only famous among like 5 people) chocolate cake. I had about four hours and for those of you who have experience baking a cake and frosting it all from scratch, well, it's not THAT much time. I was able to pull it off. Sort of. I didn't wait long enough for the sugar, eggs, and milk mixture of the frosting to cool down before I added the butter so it kind of melted it making it hard to pipe it.... Oh well. It kind of came out nice. Especially for only about three hours (one of the hours was spent at the grocery store. I didn't get a chance to take a picture or anything but oh well.

One Step Closer!

2007-02-14T11:33:00.001-08:00

First Cake
Originally uploaded by succeedingmartha.

So I'm taking a cake decorating class (as well as a baking class but we'll discuss that another time) because well, what good is putting all this work into a cake (or whatever you're preparing) if it doesn't even look appetizing? Now some people put all of their effort into presentation and none into the actual product and well, there's no point in that either. Nothing more disappointing than a beautiful cake that doesn't have a taste to match! That's also the case for people...
I'm only in the third week of class so we're still learning the basics: pressure, angle, and well I forget the other thing, but it's also important. Today's assignment was to recreate a cake with six different designs on it. I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about starting the cake, but once the first bit of piped icing adhered to the cake, I just couldn't find myself stopping. I realized that I love decorating cakes. I can't wait to learn more. My teacher graded the cake and well, I didn't do so bad! Probably about ten points shy of a perfect score! Not too shabby for a first timer.
I felt a little embarassed when a classmate keep talking about how great my cake was...I personally feel that I can do a lot better. But I felt so happy when my boyfriend pointed out that her idolizing me (I'm serious, she told me I was going to be her new idol) was just one step closer to being the next Martha. One day at a time..

The Journey Begins

2007-02-13T00:14:00.000-08:00

I had forgotten about the goal I strived for not too long ago. I had decided in about Junior year of high school (only about 3 or so years ago..ew I'm getting old) that I was going to become the next Martha Stewart. Of course that was before The Apprentice with Martha or her daytime talk show and oh yeah, the jail time. But with my hobby of baking becoming more than just a hobby in the more recent days of my life, I've decided to pick up on my old goal. Well, more like become the next domestic goddess. Say a cross between the fabulous Brini Maxwell, the smart founder of craftster.org Leah Kramer, Martha Stewart pre-prison, and MacGyver (he is the original craftster..).
I have decided that it is my personal short term goal is to attempt to learn some type of new craft, cooking and more baking techniques/recipes, etc. every week. No more wondering why I'm sitting in my third agonizing hour of Anthropology or Statistics. We'll call it a practical learning experience.
So here it is, my journey to becoming the best employed and not yet married house wife ever! Ah, the joys of home econ.