Summer 2012 Jewellery Collection | Dearest Jackdaw . . .

Summer 2012 Jewellery Collection | Dearest Jackdaw . . .
I really love this new collection from Dearest Jackdaw.  Very unique, yet simple.  These Necklaces have the ability to transform a blah outfit into something extraordinary. Check them out.

Fun Paper Crafts: Exploring a New Way to Color Easter Eggs

I love coloring Easter eggs. I would probably ignore Easter as a holiday all together if I didn't enjoy playing with my food. I am always looking for fun new techniques to try so I checked out Martha Stewart's site to see what good things she has going on.  I fell in love with these origami paper eggs, So I searched the interwebs for more info.

and after seeing these decoupaged wooden eggs on Etsy.

 I knew I had to make some of my own.  The Martha Stewart egg is a real egg with the insides blown out.  I have never done this and didn't really want to start. It seems wasteful to just empty out an egg just to decorate the shell.  So I thought about hard boiling eggs and then covering them with paper, but I thought peeling them after that would suck. Also I was unsure about the glue on the outside being on something you were going to eat.
 Then it hit me, those plastic eggs!  You know the ones your kids get filled with candy, and then you don't know what to do with them.  I had some in my closet from last Easter, not sure what to do with them, seemed wrong to throw them away, but they weren't really useful for anything except holding small amounts of candy. So with some Mod Podge, recycled plastic eggs, and some magazine pages, I made these recycled Easter eggs! This was a fun easy project, suitable for all skill levels. I am not a meticulous crafter, but was pleased with my results, however I think if you are a bit ocd these eggs could be family heirlooms.

Here they are next to a real egg, I like the bright colors of the magazine paper.  However if you use a low gloss paper you won't be able to see the layers as much.
And now for the tutorial.

You will need

• Plastic egg (you could use a blown out egg, or wooden egg)
• Paper with interesting pattern
• Mod Podge or glue
• paint brush
• scissors

First I used an exacto knife to trim of any plastic bumps on the outside of the egg to make it as smooth as possible.
Then I cut my paper so that it would wrap all the way around the egg overlapping slightly and was the height of the egg. The measurement for these small plastic eggs was 5 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.

Next you need to fold the paper in half, long sides together. Then make a series of cuts that stop about a quarter inch from the fold. Make the cuts about 1/3 of an inch wide.

 Unfold your paper with the side you want showing facing the table, and paint a line of glue down the center along the fold, on the wrong side(will be the inside) of your paper.

Place the egg on the paper, and roll it up as tight as you can.

Then starting anywhere you want glue the strips of paper down one by one, working your way around the egg in one direction.

I found that it was easier to put the glue on the egg, rather than the paper. When you are finished with one side. cover with mod podge and let it dry.

I was impatient with this step and ended up marring my egg slightly because my finger stuck to it. So Let it Dry! If you are feeling impatient, just start another egg. When dry do the other side of the egg in the same way.  Find something for your egg to sit on while drying so it will not be glued to anything. I used an empty toilet paper roll for my egg to sit on.

Here they are ready to add some flash to an Easter basket.

While researching this project I found another way to make this style of egg.

Fast Foodie, Easy Gourmet Meals

Everyone likes to hate on Sandra Lee and despise Rachel Ray. But we are all at one time or another looking for a shortcut to gourmet meals. It is especially hard if you don't have a ton of disposable income to spend on premade gourmet sauces, stocks and ingredients, or the money to eat out at a decent restaurant when time or effort is on the short side. This is the first post in series that will give ideas and inspiration for gourmet home cooked meals that aren't labor intensive, and expensive to make. 
For my first Recipe I give you Slow Roasted Pork with mashed rutabaga and biscuits.  I never liked store bought biscuits until I tried these Simply...Buttermilk biscuits by Pillsbury, they are almost as good as from scratch, and a million times better than Bisquick. The pork takes about 3 hours to cook, however the actual time spent preparing this meal is about 15 minutes. The extra time is definitely worth it, especially if you consider the amazing results, and the fact that you will have enough slow roasted pork to last you for several meals.

Recipe adapted from Forgotten Skills of Cooking

• 6 lb pork butt (cut in two to speed up cooking slightly)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
• sprinkle of chili flakes
• 1 cup of liquid (chicken stock, cider, water, beer, whatever you have)

Just score the skin with a sharp knife rub with seasonings. Place in roasting pan with liquid and cook at 325-350 for about 2 and a half hours covered. Uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown. (throw in your biscuits to cook in the last 15 minutes) That's it!

For my rutabagas I just cooked them in salted water until tender and then mashed them with milk and sour cream.

Enjoy! What do you like to make when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen?



Pickles!