Crafty Kitchen - Actually Edible Gingerbread!

It's a family tradition. Every year, I make gingerbread cookies. My cousin brings enough candy and frosting to build a life-size Hansel and Gretel trap. And then all the cousins get to work, elaborately decorating things no one will ever eat.
Why?

Because gingerbread cookies, at least the way I make them, are hard enough to chip a tooth. Or dense enough to make your jaw hurt just thinking of all that chewing.
But not this time. This time, I managed to make soft, chewy, delicious gingerbread cookies. Which no one but I ate. (Can you blame them? The last several years have not been kind to their teeth or taste buds. Also, I think I need to accept the fact that my family does not like gingerbread.)

Two things to note: these cookies are a *little* hard to decorate. Their soft spudgyness means arms and legs are going to break off. Also, rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment? BEST THING EVER. Imagine yourself not covered in sweat and flour, and not thrashing the entire kitchen to make these stupid cookies that no one is going to eat anyway, why do I keep making them?

ANYWAY. Want to make your own actually edible gingerbread cookies? Here's the recipe!

Best Gingerbread Cookies
(Adapted oh-so-slightly from the November 1999 issue of Cook's Illustrated)

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened slightly
3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons milk

1. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and add butter pieces; mix at medium-low speed until mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

2. Scrape dough onto work surface; divide in half. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll 1/4-inch thick between two large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving dough sandwiched between parchment layers, lay flat in fridge for 15-20 minutes.

3. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

4. Remove one dough sheet from freezer; place on work surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and gently lay it back in place. Flip dough over; peel off and discard second parchment layer. Cut dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring shapes to parchment-lined cookie sheets with wide metal spatula, spacing them 3/4 inch apart; set scraps aside. Repeat with remaining dough until cookie sheets are full. Bake cookies until set in centers and dough barely retains imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes, rotating cookie sheets front to back and switching positions top to bottom halfway through baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then remove with wide metal spatula to wire rack; cool to room temperature.

5. Gather scraps; repeat rolling, cutting, and baking in steps 2 and 4. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used.

Makes enough cookies to fill a gallon sized ziplock bag. I really should have counted. Trust me, this is plenty.

I think I need to go eat one of these cookies right now. Excuse me.

10 Favorite Etsy Shops for Grown-ups

Egads. Grown-ups. I used to hate the term grown-ups. Now I find myself skittering uncontrollably towards the gated community that is being a grown-up. (Baby on the way, mortgage to pay, etc.) But I refuse to go quietly (or with dignity) into that beige night!
Grown-ups have serious responsibilities, and therefore need seriously fun gifts. So here's a list of 10 of my very favorite Etsy shops, guaranteed* to delight even the most grown of grown-ups.

1. Fusion Sweets

When in doubt, go edible. With items like the Pick 16 Flavors Caramel Sampler and Mango, Rose, Lime Berlingots, there's something for everyone.

2. Voodooville

For the pop culture-y Mad Men lover in your life! Hands off that Morrissey print, though. I want it.

3. Beantown Handmade

Oh, grown-ups and their pets. You know how we love them, and occasionally/always put hats on them. Beantown Handmade serves up some of the most awesome dog accessories this side of the town that dog is destroying. At the very least, check them out for their brilliant photography.

4. Beat Up Creations

Oh, grown-ups and their plate collections. Beat Up Creations takes unloved plates, and turns them into the sort of pure awesomeness that one expects to have rainbows shooting out of it.

5. Red Leaf

With all the bills to pay and responsibilities to meet, grown-ups are going to want to take a bath at some point. Preferably with Black Tea scented bubble bath dough.

6. Whimsy and Spice

What's this? More edibles? But Claire, what of the diabetics and the health problems and the watching of waistlines?
To you I say "Hazelnut Chocolate Whisky Sandwich Cookies".

7. AJB Creations

Probably every fashionable lady you know already has tons of jewelry, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want more. (Unless she's a shoe person.)

8. Cyberoptix TieLab

No, we haven't forgotten the fellas. I mean men. MEN. With...jobs, and need of ties. Cyberoptix TieLab features screen printed lovelies in a wide variety of styles. And they're not afraid of throwing some really bad puns into their descriptions.

9. Bunny Butt Apothecary

Another one of those perfect gifts for the person who has everything or that you actually don't know very well. Bunny Butt Apothecary has the distinction of not just having an awesome name, but my uber-picky husband really likes their Essential Mojito soap. And the man hardly likes anything. Ever. So yeah, stock up on the Bunny Butt goodies!

10. Toiluxe

With growing up comes great intestinal distress. Let's make all that time spent in the bathroom a little more fun, hmm? If El Seato Bandito isn't quite your style, perhaps you'd prefer Audrey here?

*Guaranteed? Eh, not really. Grown-ups are a notoriously cranky bunch.

A peek inside the creative life of Kaeti Lindquist and Tyler Poncho

Today's interview is a special one. After all, it's not often that a creature gets to be part of an interview.

First off, a little back story. Who are you? What do you make?
We are Kaeti Lindquist and Tyler Poncho. Kaeti lives in Madison, Wisconsin and loves to sew, draw, paint and make up silly stories. Tyler Poncho originally was born on Peacock City Planet. A few years ago, he teleported into Kaeti's head and gave her instructions on how to recreate his body and bring his visionary toy business to life. In his true birth he was cut by turtles, sewn by birds, and stuffed by bunnies to form the true sentient being of Tyler Poncho as he exists on Peacock City Planet.
Click here to see Tyler Poncho's birth!

We make many distorted Teddy Bears and other monsters. Our favorite is our two-headed bear, the Double Bear. We also have a series of toys based on Kaeti's childhood, Stuffed Animal World. These animals are slightly less frightening than those from Tyler's Amalgamated Menagerie.

What projects are you in the middle of right now that you should probably be working on instead of doing this?

Right now we're making a Tropical Joseph Petticoat for Soft Serve at OhNoDoom! in Chicago. I also have to put together at least 9 pieces for a gallery that is opening down the street from our home. On the 27th we have a Red Heel Sock Monkey workshop at the Overture Center! We're really excited about this, we have reference books prepared (all filled with gorgeous monkeys!), our kits assembled, and Tyler's got his sewing paws ready to show the monkey enthusiasts how to make there own Red Heel Sock Monkey. Seriously, I should be sewing instead of typing.


Where do you primarily create?
I primarily create on my couch. I cut out all the animals, and machine sew their parts up in my work/storage room. I love to do all my embroidery, hand sewing, stuffing while listening to Pandora, or watching some instant movies on Netflix. Last year I made a Where the Wild Things Are full body costume and won a kick-ass LED TV, so I watch that while I make my toys.

Where do you find inspiration?
I love zoos. Right now my favorite animals are camels, alpacas,flamigos, giraffes,....there's a bit of a trend of similar features, so you get the idea. I love awkward looking animals, and always strive for silliness in my designs. My favorite book and illustration of all time is Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, especially the original illustration by Ernest Shepard. I get a lot of inspiration from my childhood, characters and places I made up, and books I read.

Do you have a favorite book/blog/movie/etc you'd like to recommend?

HyperboleandaHalf.blogspot.com!


Where can readers see more of your work?

• tylerponcho.com

• Kooky at the Shops at Northbridge, 520 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

• Tyler Poncho's Amalgamated Menagerie
  is available on Amazon.com.

Thanks for giving us this peek into your creative life, Kaeti (and Tyler)!

Crafty Book Review - Creating a Meaningful Home

Crafting a Meaningful Home: 27 DIY Projects to Tell Stories, Hold Memories, and Celebrate Family Heritage

Okay, first of all: the photos will make you swoon. This book is simply gorgeous. The design is sleek and modern. (Should we expect anything else from Ms. Mateo Ilasco?)

Each project is prefaced by a quick essay about the background of the artist who made said project. It's interesting to learn about the person who came up with the piece. Each essay is quick, and pleasant to read. Those familiar with the hipster craft scene will notice that this book is basically a who's who of crafters who are hipper than you and I will ever be (Or at least hipper than I will ever be. You might be quite the hipness, in which case, go you!) Getting a chance to peek inside their homes is interesting, though. (And possibly envy-inducing. They're great modern decorators, natch!)

That said, most of the projects didn't really resonate with me. I guess I'm too white/not hip enough for most of them. This is NOT a run of the mill craft book. Many of the projects require specialized equipment. (wood burning kits, screen printing kits, liquid latex, etc etc etc.) The projects are often very involved. It takes a bold crafter/diy-er to tackle some of these puppies.

If you're looking for another simple crafting book, this is not it. If you're looking for creative challenges, and a chance to try new techniques and make unusual items, you'll probably love this book.
Either way, appreciate it for what it is: a gorgeous, unique glimpse of crafty hipsters doin' their thing.

How to Make Coasters

I don't know what happens in our house, but I can never find a coaster when I need one. (Which is pretty much all the time.) It's not from lack of trying. We bought a passel of lovely ones from Handmade Julz at a previous Renegade. However, with a massive amount of relatives set to show up soon, I decided now was the time to start making my own coasters.

These are so fast and easy to make. Plus, they're a great way to use up leftover bits of fabric. I think a small stack of these tied together would make a really great hostess or housewarming gift.

Here's what you need:

• Cotton for the top


• Cotton, flannel, or vinyl fabric for the back


• Batting


• Thread


• Sewing machine, or a needle and thread


• Scissors


• Double fold bias tape (optional)

Cut the following 4.5" x 4.5" (11.4 x 11.4 cm) pieces of fabric: 1 for the top, 1 for the bottom, and two pieces of batting.


Stack them together, quilt sandwich style. (Top piece wrong side up, bottom piece right side up, then the two pieces of batting.)


Starting in the middle of one side, sew around all four sides. Be sure to leave a 1.5" - 2" (3.8 - 2 cm) gap so you can turn it inside out.


Trim anything that's sticking out weird. (You want to have 1/4", nice even seams) (.6 cm)


Turn it inside out. Use a chopstick or a seam turner to get those pesky corners.


Sew up the open gap.


Iron it flat, and call it done!



OR, if you think it needs a little extra something:

After sewing up the gap,  and taking care to iron the bulky edges flat, attach a piece of bias tape around the edges.


Then call it done!

(You can probably do a much better job at this than I did. Oops. We'll call it, um..."rustic".)

Four Fine Flickr Finds For Fall

Do forgive the post title. I simply couldn't help myself. Count yourself lucky that there isn't a pun in there.
Anyway, here's a few recent favorites from Flickr. There are two recipes squirreled away in there!

1. fall coasters, 2. Winter Fruit Pie, 3. Happy Bokeh Wednesday, from Squiggy, 4. It's All About the Sides: Garlic Rice Pilaf

If you'd like to see one of your Flickr finest in an upcoming feature, post it to our group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/absolutelysmall/

In Which I Sort of Attempt to Cross Stitch

I like podcasts. I usually listen to them while I work on plushies, or when I'm driving. During a not so recent episode of JJGO, Jesse said something that really stuck with me. It was the sort of thing that should be embroidered, framed, and stuck on a wall.
Here's what he said:

"Legs of two, good for you. Legs of eight, deserves to die."
Perhaps I should back up and tell you that this is his campaign slogan for The War On Spiders. (Which was the title of one podcast, mentioned briefly in the next, and then never again. Such is pods.)
But I couldn't let it go. This simple two sentence glob sums up everything I feel about spiders. And humans. We suffer a surfeit of black widows, wolf spiders, daddy long legs, and eleventy billion other types in our home. I hate them all. Once they figure out how team up with the dust bunnies, the spider army will come after us for sure.
Clearly, there was only one answer. I had to design and make a cross stitch pattern with this slogan.

Designing it was easy. Wham, bam, photoshop. Getting it to translate into a pattern was much, much harder. I tried many online services, to no avail. I suspect that this may have had something to do with the flowery font I chose. Either that, or the fact that I know nothing about cross stitch.

Eventually, I decided to trace the pattern onto the fabric. This worked fine, but I suspect it was at this point that I drifted away from true cross stitch. Oh well. On with the stitching!

I learned some things right off the bat. One, that cheap off-brand embroidery floss is horrid. It'll sliver and unravel and just generally be a pain to work with. Don't bother. Two, this sort of detail work will give me crazy rib pain. And three, I kind of hate cross stitch. If that is indeed what I was doing.
For some reason, I had the hardest time getting started, despite all the online tutorials in the world. I blame pregnancy brain. (What is this blog going to be like when I can't blame hormones for everything?) Once I finally did, pulling the (cheap, off brand) embroidery floss through was a nightmare. Things did not flow smoothly.
However, I was determined to persevere. I had to show those spiders who's boss! (Me.) It took HOURS. And then more hours. The piece I was working on was about 6" x 8".
Things really started to fall apart when it was time to stitch those letters. The font that I had chosen did NOT translate well to the simple pixelated look I was going for. (You could point out how obvious this was from the get go. At which point I would point out to you BABY BRAIN. And then I would win.) I had to abandon the tiny x's entirely, and just fudge my way along.

You know how the back of embroidery is supposed to look as pretty as the front? I don't know if cross stitchers play by the same rule, but if they do, I most certainly failed:

Oh well. Who's going to see it? (Besides the whole internet, now.)
Eventually, I was done. DONE! There's nothing like the satisfaction of forcing your will on an unsuspecting, unwilling piece of cloth.

And here it is, framed and hung high enough on the wall so the mistakes aren't quite so evident:


Should you decide "Hey, this is just the sort of thing I would like to embroider/cross stitch! I could make that awesome!", here's a .pdf of the image I used.
Legs of 2 Download
Download it, fix it, use it, make it awesome. And if you do, let me know! I'd love to see what you come up with.

10 Wonderful Etsy Shops for Kids

I never had much interest in finding cute kid merchandise, but oh, about 7 months ago something changed. Since then, I've been scouring Etsy, and finding new and exciting ways to spend money. (I'm, uh...nesting!) Here's a few of my favorites for babies and kids. Click on any image to be taken to the Etsy shop, and see it larger.

1. Every nursery or kid's room needs art. Bad Bird has long been one of my Etsy favorites. These prints are perfect for wee ones!


2. Eagle Eye Designs isn't strictly a kid's shop, but they do have gems like these tiny Legend of Zelda onesies:


3. Bebe Babies and Friends makes some of the cutest baby dolls I have ever seen. I can't wait to add one to my the baby's collection.


4. Namu makes some of the cutest retro Japanese silkscreens around. And she has an awesome kid's section!


5. Caseybot makes really cute hats, like this vegan coonskin cap:

Come on, how cute would your little munchkin look in one of these caps?

6. How sweet is this foxy lady?

Danielleorama's shop is chock full of unique cuties!

7. Oh man. I love everything in Mi Cielo's shop.

And now I know what to dress the baby in for Maker Faire! (Star Wars onesies!!)

8. Okay, I know we already had a hat maker featured. But can one ever have too many animal hats? I say nay!

Have a poke around Naturally Crafty's shop, and I bet you'll agree with me.

9. If you think that A is for apple, and B is for boring, then you might like this:

Nerdy Baby ABCs! Start that kid off right! I love you, Tiffany Ard.
(Sorry, I know that image is tiny. Click on it to see it bigger!)

10. Finally:

A baby bow tie. The world needs more babies in bow ties, don't you think?
Tiny Ties has all the bow ties and regular ties you can shake a stick at.