Easy as 1, 2, 3!

In the months (!) that have gone by without posting I've been lucky to have a bunch of new little ones to come into my life, including a niece!  Last spring I co-hosted a baby shower for a good friend and in preparation for the shower made these customized blocks for the new baby.  My friend knew she was having a girl and had a name ready to go. We decided on a "chick" theme for the shower and I designed the blocks to match the invitations and theme.

The assembly was really pretty simple and I basically used these directions from Martha Stewart.  After giving the 2 inch blocks a good sanding, I painted them white with a basic craft paint.  After drying, I mod podged the designs I'd created onto the block.  After a couple of layers of modge podge I used the nail file to get rid of any extra paper hanging over the edges of the block.

For these blocks I spelled out the baby's name on the "front" side, numbers on the back, the bottom side had a corresponding number of chicks, the sides were faux bois, and the tops were different designs that coordinated with the invitations and other shower decorations. I created the damask, grass and polka backgrounds using Photoshop paintbrushes. In order to keep everything straight and make sure a different background was used on each side of the block, I created a little cheat sheet for myself.

Modge podge is kid safe, but I would still just use these for decorative purposes.  In fact, another awesome friend, who happens to be an amazing photographer, used the blocks for the baby's newborn pics.  She is also using the blocks for subsequent photo shoots (i.e. for the 3 month photo shoot, they used the "3" block).  Check out Forever Mine Photography, Lindsay does great work!

That Sucks

Breakups suck. I generally don't believe in universal truths, but the inherent suckiness of breakups might be something about which all human beings can agree. Heck, they suck even if you aren't involved in the relationship that is ending. It is particularly crummy when you have good friends breaking up with each other because you can't indulge in the ceremonial and cathartic verbal-bashing of the ex. And so we talk about how we feel and drink. And talk. And drink. And at some point, all of my comforting words begin to sound trite. Sure, it might be for the best. And it would be healthy to take some time to focus on yourself. But really, at the end of the day, it just sucks.* And there is no card in the grocery store that conveys this properly. So clearly the solution is to make your own.

Clockwise from top: barren, inking plate, brayer, soft pencil,
linoleum cutter and linoleum blocks sitting on a pad of tracing paper.

Now the last time I made a linoleum block print I was probably wearing braces. To my delight, I discovered that there are other types of lino blocks besides that hard, dark gray linoleum we were stuck with in school. That stuff is difficult to carve and increases the chances of gouging, stabbing or otherwise maiming yourself. I tried Speedball's Speedy-Cut and Speedy-Carve and preferred the Speedy-Cut (I'm linking to Dick Blick because they often have great online deals and ship nationally, but also check out your favorite local art supply store).

Supplies you'll need:
Linoleum block
Linoleum cutter (getting multiple sized/shaped blades is helpful)
Water based block printing ink
Brayer
Inking plate
Baren or spoon
Soft pencil
Tracing paper (unless you are drawing your design directly on the linoleum)
Blank cards and envelopes

I'm really crappy at drawing so I created my design in Photoshop and kept it simple. That little guy is supposed to be a sad raindrop but I realize it looks like a tear. Sigh. Create a computer based or hand-drawn mock up of your design. If you aren't using letters and you are a better artist than I am, feel free to draw your design directly onto the linoleum. Just remember that everything will be reversed when it's printed, making any lettering pretty tricky (if you can freehand draw backward letters, you might be a robot). Otherwise, trace your design onto the tracing paper with a soft pencil. Now turn the paper over and place it on your lino block. Trace over the design again to transfer the image to the linoleum.

Use your linoleum cutter to carve out your design. Remember that you are carving away the areas that will be negative space. Using a narrow blade for detail work and a wider blade to carve away larger spaces is the way to go!

Squeeze a good tablespoon of ink onto the inking plate. Roll the brayer through the ink in different directions until you have even coverage on your brayer. Roll the brayer over the block (again it's sometimes helpful to roll over it in different directions) to fully cover the positive areas. Carefully place your card on top of your inked lino. Using a barren or the back of a spoon, rub the paper with even pressure to transfer the ink to the card. Gently peel the card stock away from the lino. If you've used bit too much ink, some smudging may occur. No worries, just try it again or embrace the smudges as tell-tale signs of your DIY awesomeness.

You should also give your friend a gift along with that awesome custom card. Something to help combat the the epic suckitude of a breakup. May I suggest baked goods? I find banana bread comforting and it's easy to jazz it up with a few additions. Use mini loaf or bundt pans, and create as many variations as you'd like! Or maybe gift a selection of treats from across the pond to accompany a marathon of deliciously trashy British lezzer television? Come on, you know baked goods and cute girls with accents make everything better.

*Are you offended by the number of times I've used variations of "that sucks" in this post? Don't be. It's the "most sincere expression of sympathy" amongst modern idioms.

To Dye For

This is the perfect post to mark my attempt to resurrect this blog. According to Wikipedia, the "egg is a pagan symbol of the rebirth of the Earth in celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus." Whatever your reason might be to start boiling up some eggs (Easter, Passover, some curried egg salad), why not make them a bit festive (apparently we really like a little color in our food). Yes, you could go the easy route and just dump fake dye in a cup with some vinegar and hot water. But why not get a little mad scientist and play around with some natural dye options? You probably have a few things in your refrigerator or cupboard right now that would work! And just look at those gorgeous colors--so much prettier than Red Dye No. 3 (which always reminds me of this song).

You'll need:

Hard Boiled Eggs

Vinegar

Alum Powder (optional)

Oil (optional)

Natural dye matter (red cabbage, blueberries, turmeric, spinach, beets and onion skins are popular options)

First, the eggs. I used both white and brown which produced slightly different results based on the dye! You probably know how to hard boil an egg, but here are some directions anyway. To ensure that your eggs are easy to peel, you could use older (but not out of date) eggs or steam them!

          

Now it's time to scour your cupboards and the produce section for some natural dyes! For my eggs, I used raspberry zinger tea, turmeric, beets, blueberries, red cabbage and red onion skins (I just raided the onion bin at the grocery store for extra skins). You could also try spinach, grape juice, pomegranate juice, cranberries, red wine, etc. Basically, if you've ever stained your clothes with something it will probably work as a natural dye.

To prepare the dye, chop (e.g. cabbage) or shred (e.g. beets) any of the larger produce. Fill a pot with enough water to cover the eggs you plan to dye and add your dye matter, plus a tablespoon of vinegar. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until you've achieved a deep, rich color. Strain and let your dye cool to room temperature.

Dyes, left to right: beet dye, turmeric dye, red cabbage dye, raspberry zinger tea dye, blueberry dye.

Find some sealable containers, add your hard boiled eggs and fill with your dye. At this point I also added 1/2 tsp of alum powder which is supposed to make the colors a bit brighter. I think it ended up producing a mottled effect on some of the eggs (which I sort of liked). I probably should have added it when the dye was still warm and stirred it in a bit more thoroughly! I also experimented a bit by combining two different dyes (blueberry dye + turmeric dye = lavender eggs). Now stick your containers in the fridge and let them sit overnight.

Clockwise from top right: beets (white egg), red cabbage, blueberries+turmeric, turmeric (white egg), turmeric (brown egg), beets (brown egg), beets (brown egg), turmeric (brown egg), red onion skins, red cabbage, beets (white egg), blueberries. 

If the colors aren't quite where you would like them you can let them sit a bit longer. Otherwise, pull them out and let the eggs dry in an egg carton or on paper towels. Once the eggs are dry you can drizzle some oil onto a paper towel and buff the eggs to give them a bit of gloss.

And now you have naturally dyed eggs! Marvel at their beauty...and then destroy them to make some yummy deviled eggs or ridiculously good egg salad.

Cup O' Succulents

Confession: I used to be a serial plant killer. I'm sure there is a "wanted" poster with my mug on it in some garden center. While my thumb has gotten a bit greener over the past few years, I still appreciate a plant that requires little care. At the top of my easy-to-care-for list are succulents and mosses. Let's focus on succulents. There are thousands and thousands of varieties of succulent. Their foliage can be green red, silver, yellow, purple and even variegated. Many also have beautiful blooms. Most of them store water in their leaves, giving them a plump look and often an architectural quality. Their ability to store water make these plants very drought resistant. Some do best in warm climates and others (ice plants) tolerate much colder weather. Some of the most popular succulents for gardening come from the sedum genus. You've likely seen them around, in your grandmother's garden or kickin' it as groundcover. The plant above is Sedum Globosum, commonly called "Old Man's Bones" because it's foliage looks like ball joints (though it's missing some foliage after being attacked by birds). One of my favorite succulents is the Mesa Verde Ice Plant which was discovered as a spontaneous mutation at the Denver Botanic Gardens! Oh, and then there are the lithops, which are just crazy cool and spectacularly weird.

Succulents are so cool that we seem to be in the midst of a succulent craze. There are great examples, all over the web, of fun things to do with succulents. If you are in California, and starting to plan a wedding now that Prop 8 has been overturned, check out Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco. They do the most amazing succulent bouquets and boutonnières, which are much more eco-friendly than cut flowers!

Succulents make great container plants. And there is no reason not to get creative with the type of container you choose. I am a big fan of recycling found objects for this purpose. Currently, I'm using a paint can, an enamel bowl, a flour sifter, a colander, a teacup and a latte mug to house various plants. The big thing to remember when choosing a container is that you need drainage. Succulents, in particular, don't like soggy roots. It's necessary to pot them in a sandy, well draining soil. If your container has built in drainage holes (e.g. colander, flour sifter), you're set! If it's something like a paint can or enamel bowl, you can just use a hammer and nail to create some holes.

If you want to create drainage holes in a ceramic cup or bowl, a hammer and nail isn't going to work. Instead, grab a drill and a bit with a carbide or diamond tip that is made for ceramic and glass. The first step is to find a mug, teacup or bowl lying around your house. If you can't bear to bore a hole in your Smith College Alumnae Association mug, look for something at a thrift store or yard sale. I chose a 3/8" bit, but if your container is large, you may want to choose a larger bit or just drill multiple holes. Flip your cup over and place a dish towel underneath to provide a little cushion and to ensure that your teacup stays in place while you are drilling. It's sometimes handy to take a nail and scratch an x at the spot where you are going to drill. This gives your drill bit a place to grip instead of skipping around.

It's also important to keep the area you are drilling flooded with water. This keeps the bit from overheating and provides a lubricant so that your bit doesn't get worn out. Time to grab a buddy and ask them to dribble water while you drill. Or, if you are lucky, your cup or mug will have a bit of a well on the bottom that will hold some water. If that's not the case, get some putty or play-doh and channel you're inner first grader. Roll out a worm shape and then create a moat around your drill site, pressing it down so that the seal is water-tight. Now move your dog out of the way and drill!

Once you have your drainage hole drilled, procure soil made for succulents or cacti (or mix your own) and pot your plant! Succulents are very hardy and tough to kill; the one big no-no is overwatering. Only water when the soil is quite dry. As I mentioned above, there are many varieties to choose from, just make sure to pick one that will work for your climate. Check out your local nurseries for ideas. But, there is one more, totally awesome thing about succulents. They are really, really easy to propagate.

Some varieties create offshoots or pups (you can see some in my "hen and chicks" plant below), that are simple to uproot and replant. For the rest, simply snip or pinch off a stem or two, and place your cutting in a protected place for a couple of days. The end you've cut will dry out and scab over. At this point you can dip the end in a bit of rooting hormone, though I've never found this necessary. Now, plant your cutting. It should take root and start to grow within a couple of weeks. I've purchased some of my succulents from a local nursery, but others I've purloined from friends and grandma. Trading cuttings with friends in your area also ensures that you have varieties which will thrive in your climate.

Speaking of swapping succulents, does anyone have a String of Pearls plant? Let's trade!