Doing stuff via Instagram!

I been working very hard on an amazing creative project that's eating up all of my spare time! I'm not complaining, it will be absolutely worth it and it's an incredible opportunity, possibly one of the most exciting things that's ever happened to me.

Unfortunately, between that and working a full time day job, that doesn't leave me with a ton of time to play. However, I did take a few spare moments to make a fancy dinner here and there, brew some sun tea and even try out a few new crafting techniques. For someone that rarely wakes up before 11am, that's quite a list of accomplishments, right?

Instead of just posting links to other blogs about stuff that looks cool, I decided that I would use today to share some things from other blogs that I've tested out personally.

Sound good? Here we go...



We all know I'm awful at taking food pictures; add instagram filters to the mix and it's even worse. As gross as my picture makes it look, Veggie Mama's "Cheaty, Easy, Quick Sun Dried Tomato Ravioli" was incredible! It was my first time using wonton wrappers and the process was totally painless. DO NOT skip out on the heavy cream sauce either, I thought we might to save a few calories, but it was so tasty! Definitely worth the minimal effort!



Yesterday, we spent a ton of time working on our little postage stamp sized garden. We planted a bunch of marigolds and other super sweet flowers, and while we were digging holes and planting plants Miss Indie's Autumn Orange Sun Tea sat on the ledge next to us brewing.. I bought decaf tea bags, because I'm still steering clear of that stuff (very few migraines lately!) and I used a few extra cloves because I love them. After getting all sweaty and grimey outside, this was such a refreshing treat!



Kellyn and I haven't had a crafternoon in ages! While wandering the aisles of Michaels the yesterday trying to pick pick our project du jour, I remembered My Paper Crane's Pour-paint pots and we quickly snatched up all of the things that we would need to make these lovelies. Kellyn started out with a very sophisticated stencil but quickly gave up because the poured paint looked so cool! It's so simple and the results seem pretty great. I don't have any FO shots yet because the pots are still drying; so much paint! We bought the cheapest stuff (50 cent acrylic) and used all four bottles plus a little Martha Stewart glitter paint on four pots, so it was pretty budget conscious, especially for us. I can't wait to see them all dried out and ready to go!

Even in my super busy schedule, I'm still finding time to enjoy the process because that's what this crafting thing is all about, right?

To keep up with what I'm doing day-today, follow me on Instagram -- Username: KnitXcorE

What are you working on?

Get Healthy!: 28-day Challenge Wrap-Up.

As you may have deduced from my last "Get Healthy" post, we have pretty much given up on the strict guidelines imposed during the 28-Day Challenge. That is not to say that we have completely given up on healthy eating, but that our eating habits were exactly congruent with the standards.

In the last two weeks of the challenge, we did still eat the recipes; one of my favorites being the tofu scramble. I made it twice and ate almost all of it myself. The biggest problem we had with the challenge was the amount of ingredients that each recipe required and how much prep and cooking time was needed for each meal was just far too much. Of course, you could say that it would be worth the extra time to know that what we were eating was beneficial to our health and blah blah blah...

Unfortunately, it just didn't seem realistic to be peeling and chopping from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. Emotionally, it wasn't worth the stress of the "dish wars" that making a billion things from scratch would eventually fuel. Ha!

Instead of looking at this experience as a complete failure, I'm actually walking away with a feeling of accomplishment. The zeal and dedication that we showed in the first two weeks made it abundantly clear that we are taking our health seriously and that we are united in the quest for a better "us". The challenge has brought us back to the regular flexi-tarian diet that we had agreed upon over a year ago. We eat mostly vegetarian meals, punctuated by small portion of meat once or twice a week.

I've actually been reading up on Ayurvedic Lifestyles recently, and have found that some of the foods that we had been avoiding during the cleanse (and some of the foods we were eating) may have caused certain imbalances within each of our very different doshas.

But, more on that next week...

I'm happy that we took the opportunity to participate in the challenge and some of the recipes will definitely be integrated into our weekly meal plans! Whole Living definitely had the right idea, but it just wasn't the right idea for us right now. We'll definitely give "detox" diets another go in the future, but right now I could really go for a latte and donut!

eat: vegan meatloaf.

Don't worry, this isn't turning into a food blog! I just find the process of documenting our meals sort of challenging, so I'm going to keep trying until I find a method I'm happy with.

We have had this vegan "meatloaf" three times since Dave stumbled upon the recipe on Vegan Mofo last week. We both love it!

(disclaimer: we are both "flexitarians"; we eat three to five vegan/vegetarian meals a week, but we still eat some chicken and fish. it's an attainable healthy lifestyle that's easy to maintain without putting extreme limits on our diets. if we go out to eat with other people, we don't have to ask those uncomfortable questions about ingredients in things. i respect vegetarians but i think that at this point in my life, this is the most viable option.)

In a home where we have quite dissimilar tastes, anytime I find something we both like I make it every night until we hate it.

The process was super simple (which is NOT the case in most vegan cooking) and the ingredients were readily available at a regular grocery store. Whole Foods is overpriced and over 45 minutes away, so it's not really an option. I have to work with things that I can find easily.

I'm still not solid on a food photography "style" so I threw in some bric-a-brac to keep things interesting. I'm not exactly in love with taking pictures of food, but it's getting easier.

Do you have any favorite vegan/vegetarian meals? Leave me links!

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-A Finished Pair of Socks!

-Vintage Thanksgiving Inspiration.

-An Easy Thanksgiving DIY!

-Retro Readers Review: James and the Giant Peach.

-Work in Progress: Rewrites Bulletin Board.

-maybe a Friday Vocab Lesson?

eat: pumpkin soup!

First of all, I understand that these pictures are grotesque. It's the main reason I never blog about food. This soup was so good that it inspired me to give food blogging a second (or third) chance.

We eat a ton of soup in this house. Right after bread, it's my favorite food. I'm always looking for new soup recipes.

I found this recipe (which I had to modify based on the ingredients I had on hand) on the Celiac Chick's blog and couldn't wait to try try. I was so excited that I switched Coconut Milk for Cream of Coconut AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE.

Creamy Coconut + Pumpkin Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium to large onion chopped

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups 100% pure pumpkin ( I used Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin in the can, not to be confused with the sweetened spiced pumpkin pie filling in a can.)

1/2 a can of Cream of Coconut (the stuff you use to make Pina Coladas)

1 tsp. of salt or more or less to taste

1 tsp of allspice

1 tsp of ginger

1/2 tsp of turmeric

In a large pot saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, until onions are soft. Be sure they do not brown. Once soft, add the pumpkin, coconut milk and chicken broth. Add the remaining seasonings now. Simmer and stir until well blended, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve.

We really loved it! I'm sort of glad we had the wrong kind of coconut in the pantry!

What is your favorite soup recipe?

<3

Robbie.

Coming up...

-the finished Bird Mask.

..

-MORE Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-A Haircut

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!

fruit stand faves: seckle pears!

there's a little fruit stand not far our house that sells mostly local stuff, and every year they get some zany thing i never heard of. last year, i was severely obsessed with fresh cranberry beans. we ate them 2-3 times a week during their sadly short growing season.

this year, there were bushels of the tiniest pears i had ever seen! apparently, they're called "seckle pears" and they are super sweet and super cute. i don't really eat a lot of hand fruits because the size is too intimidating. a "premium-sized" apple could take me over an hour to finish. i'm not a sickly little waif, i just don't like to eat fruit quickly. that being said, the little bebes are the perfect size for a more timid fruitavore.

i found a recipe for honey roasted seckle pears, and they're currently in the oven! i can't wait for them to come out! they smell fantastic :-)

what is your favorite autumnal fruit/veg?

<3

robbie.

Coming up...

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-Fabric Pumpkins

-Punching (ANOTHER) Rug.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

tea time: Good4You tea.

I've been a super fanboy of Good4You tea for about two years! I could write a five page list all of the great things about Jess Morgan's shop. However, this post is dedicated to my favorite product, Mellow Mood Tea.

I don't want you to think I'm being paid in any way, shape or form for this post. I just really CRAZYSUPERLOVE this stuff. I'm an "iffy" sleeper at best. I wake up every 2-3 hours, and that's after tossing and turning for a while. I know it's from drinking too much caffeine but let's be serious, there's no way I'm cutting it out.

Mellow Mood really helps settle me down and make sure I stay asleep for a reasonable amount of time. If you don't believe in that "magick herbal witchery stuff", you really don't have to. This is the best tasting chamomile tea ever. And if you do take stock in herbal voodoo, it has valerian root to help you sleep :-)

Honestly, I don't know what I'd without it!

What's YOUR favorite type of tea?

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug.

-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

Dave brought me home a giant bag of lychees from the fruit stand down the road!!! I am the most excited!
<3Robbie.

Coming Up...

-Connor the Clown: His Journey Begins-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Book Discussion; The Life of Pi

...and much more

the martha list.

I have been exceptionally lazy this week and have not properly cared for my Pinterest boards, so there is no Vocabulary Lesson. Instead, I've decided to share a daily inspiration list from my magic little notebook.

Every night before bed, I watch an episode of the Martha Stewart Show (gotta love the DVR!). As I'm falling asleep, I scribble down craft ideas or recipes that I want to try. I also keep an impeccable inspiration + source list in OneNote.

As I started to fall asleep on Monday night Dave suggested that we make rock candy. I have only made rock candy once in my life, and I failed miserably. I checked the refrigerator every 20 minutes, and all I ended up with was a big glass of sugar water. Here's to second chances!

Cucumber + Hondeydew Juice sounds amazing! Our juicer has been getting dusty, and I think this maybe the perfect juice to get things back in order. It sounds so refreshing!!!!!

Does anyone have any good juicer recipes? I've really only juiced apples and kale; it's time to branch out.

I saw Mint Chocolate chip cookies on a blog, and can't wait to try them!!!! The recipes seems easy enough. I am usually threatened by baking just about anything, but these seems reasonable.

How do you organize all of your own crafty plans?

yum.

Ummm... I haven't blogged in awhile, but I had to share this!

I came across it on theKitchn blog today, and just couldn't resist.  It seriously took less then 10 minutes and I got to use my awesome air popper.  Even though it looks delicious while warm, really let it cool!  My tongue is still a little burned. 

Peanut Butter Popcorn
makes about 8 cups

1/4 cup popcorn kernels
Vegetable oil 
Fine salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup sugar 
1/2 cup peanut butter (should be free of added sugar) 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare a clean paper shopping bag or oversized mixing bowl. Heat a large heavy pan over medium heat and film the bottom with vegetable oil. Add the popcorn, shake to distribute, then put a lid on the pan. Leave a small crack for steam to escape. When the popcorn starts popping, shake vigorously to make sure the kernels pop evenly. When the popping slows, take the pan off the heat.

Pour the popcorn into the paper bag or bowl to cool, being careful to leave any unpopped kernels in the pan. Coated with peanut butter caramel, the unpopped kernels are a serious tooth hazard. Lightly salt the popcorn to taste.

Mix the honey and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple minutes, then remove from the heat and add the peanut butter. Stir vigorously until all the peanut butter is melted, then mix in the vanilla.

Immediately pour the peanut butter caramel over the popcorn and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon until it's all coated. Once it's mixed you can put it in a serving bowl. Cover tightly after it's cooled.

---AustraliaCore---

JOSH PYKE: Lines On Palms

<3

knitxcore.

Simply, a few of my favorite things.

Inspired by watching Amelie, I've decided to make a list of my favorite simple pleasures.

Knitting

My EZ Percentage Sweater is moving along. I've got to start the second sleeve and get it attached today. This is the first time I've used Malabrigo for anything, and I'm sort of upset that no one told me how incredibly soft it is.

Happiness Soup
I was introduced to this amazing recipe by a friend a few years ago. You can't help but smile when you eat a bright yellow bowl of soup. It's actually made me become quite fond of yellow squash. You can find the recipe in Nigella Lawson's "Forever Summer".

Reading

I'm in the middle of three books right now; "Demonology" by Rick Moody, "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson, and the new Harry Potter. I'm currently obsessed with short stories, after finishing Miranda July's "No One Belongs Here More Than You". I'll read just about anything. When I was just a wee one, I used thumb through the phone book when I ran out of "real" books to read.

(you can download and print out that snazzy book cover from katespade.com)

French Movies

Unfortunately, I do not speak french. I don't really mind reading subtitles, though. It seems as though film-making is still considered an art in most countries (except the good ol' US of A). Strong attention is paid to color schemes and small details that seem to be overlooked in american blockbusters.

I'm going to go try to make a cake in the crockpot, I'll let you all know how it goes. While you're waiting, go check out Charles' Vlog. He's an awesome guy and he dyes some pretty gr8 yarn :-)

<3

knitxcore.

QuickiE!

I made this really quickly tonight. A lady in the mall admired my old icky hat, and asked me to make her one for her daughter.

Pattern Particulars

Needles: Clover Takumi Size US 10.5

Yarn: Sirdar Nova in Color 038 and Lion Beand Wool-Ease Chunky in Charcoal

Time: About an hour and half

Loved: watching Ugly Betty and finishing a hat.

Hated: nothing.

I feel a little bit better today, but nose won't stop running. YUM! Every meal I've had for the past 2 days have consisted of soup. Has anyone discovered how quick and easy Bisquick biscuits are to make? You should make some. NOW!