Homemade Ginger Ale: 30 Days of Creativity: Day 9

30 Days of Creativity: Day 9

Homemade Ginger Ale

(and a Dark and Stormy)

This is perfect for a hot summer day.

I'm not a big fan of sodas but I do like a ginger ale every now and then.  

So I thought if I'm going to drink them, I should make them myself.

I started by making a ginger simple syrup.  I cut up a really large ginger root and plopped it in a pot with four cups of water. 

I let this simmer for about 10 minutes and then let it steep for one hour.

I drained this and discarded the ginger pieces.  I put the liquid back in the pot with 1 1/2 cups of sugar and heated it until the sugar dissolved.

This is the ginger simple syrup it made.

It will stay in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.

To make your fresh glass of ginger ale, mix:

2 parts ginger simple sugar, 1 part lime juice, 3 parts sparkling water

If you want to make a Dark and Stormy drink,

mix 5 parts of your homemade ginger ale with 2 parts Goslings dark rum.

Put on a Nancy Wilson record and let her voice waft through the window as you watch the summer evening from an outdoor chair.  (Or fill in with your moment of choice)

Cork Trivet: 30 Days of Creativity: Day 8

30 Days of Creativity: Day 8

Cork Trivet

I will admit I've been wanting to make one of these for a long time.  It's an idea that floats in and out of my thoughts.  But I saw that the theme of today's Day of Creativity Challenge was recycle.  

Then I got a call that our house is going under contract!  Hooray!  Not two minutes later, I looked in my pantry and saw this:

What?  How do I have that many corks?  I am not going to move all of those in a jar!  Plus, I want to use the jar for sun tea.

 I also found this box that used to hold my Amy Butler pattern cards.  I've filed them away and now the box is empty.  

One box + 24 enjoyed bottles of wine = an upcycled trivet!

It took me awhile to organize them in just the right way to make them fit.  They're all slightly different sizes.  Once I found the right combinations of corks, I glued them together.  I guess I still have to move my new trivet to our new house, but now I am only moving useful things!

Perhaps we'll stay at this new house so long that I'll save up enough corks for these chairs:

That would be a lot of wine!

Painted Bread: 30 Days of Creativity: Day 7

30 Days of Creativity: Day 7

Painted Bread

I was inspired by the painted bread of Chef Tess.  Go to her blog to see her many techniques of decorating bread. 

For this simple version you just mix up some instant coffee with a little bit of water.  Then paint your design on with a paintbrush.

I looked up some henna designs and used them for inspiration

   Next I want to paint little rolls.  I'm thinking ladybugs or turtles.  :)

Number Napkins: 30 Days of Creativity: Day 6

30 Days of Creativity: Day 6

Number Napkins

I am inspired by Mid Century Modern numbers.  

I would love to have address numbers like these on my house.

In the meantime, however, I will settle for these numbers on my napkins.

This way the napkins we use for breakfast can be used again for lunch.  You just have to remember your number.

To make these, I printed out some Mid Century Modern numbers from an image on line.  Then I traced them onto freezer paper and cut them out with an x-acto knife.  I ironed them onto my handmade napkins and painted them with fabric paint.

(If you want to make your own napkins, just cut out fabric 21" x 21".  Fold, iron and sew hems on all four sides.  Easy peasy.  That's your mini tutorial.  Or buy some plain napkins at the store on which to paint.)

Set your table.  

These are plates and bowls by Alleghany Meadows.

Now, love wiping the corners of your mouth with your number napkins.

Toadstool Radishes: 30 Days of Creativity: Day 5

30 Days of Creativity Day 5

Toadstool radishes for a gnome picnic

Is this one of the silliest things ever? 

I adore them.

My sons loved them and ate them quickly.

Here is a salad fit for gnomes.  

If I could, I would eat it on these toad-stools from Tao of Craft. (But it was delicious under the apple tree in the garden too)

 Here is how to turn your radishes into tiny toadstools.

One: Take a knife and position it half way down the radish.  Make an inscision that circles the radish and cuts about halfway into the radish.

It should look like this.  You've cut partially into the radish where you would mark its diameter.

Two: Slice from the bottom down in straight lines to meet this diameter cut you made.  You are leaving a little square in the center as you do this.

Three: Do this four times, each time moving 90 degrees over, until you've cut out a little stem.

Five: Gently insert the side of your knife into the top of your radish and swivel it around to peel a little circle out of the top.  Make several more little circles like this.

Now you have a radish fit for the best gnome picnic ever.

Fabric Cards: 30 Days of Creativity: Day 4

30 Days of Creativity: Day Four

Fabric Cards

I'm going to two high school graduations today.

I made some simple fabric cards for my former students.
I taught 18 children at the Waldorf School here, for seventh and eighth grade.
Now, they are graduating high school.
Congrats to the 16 amazing seniors who graduate this week and the 2 who graduated a year early.  I am so proud of you all!
Here are a few of the cards...

Chalk photography: 30 Days of Creativity: Day 3

30 Days of Creativity: Day 3

Chalk drawings with Aiden, Solomon, and Clara.

I spent all day with four little ones, (age 1 1/2, 2, 3, and 4) so I knew our creation would need to be a collaboration.    This is what we did.

Aiden helped me draw the bike and road.

I love how Clara looks like she's riding in the wind.

I'm not sure how Solomon rides with those rainboots on, but he seems to manage.