Bubblegum vodka

Over the past few weeks, I have been telling my husband that I wanted to make bubblegum vodka again. The last time that I made it was for a party which I do not remember, but have been told resulted in me laughing my ass off rolling on the floor. Literally, LMAO ROFL.

So, my husband decided to gift me with a bottle of vodka and a huge bag of Double Bubble (so he could have some of the gum) for my birthday. Yesterday, I was finally able to bring the concoction together. It is incredibly simple.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of vodka - (the first time I did this, I used Smirnoff Triple Distilled Vodka, which is 1.14L. This time I used Absolute Vodka at 750ml. I personally prefer Smirnoff when it comes to vodka, but any vodka will work fine.)
• 25 pieces of Double Bubble bubble gum - cut in halves
• Time - 24 hours

You can see that the larger volume of Smirnoff looks a little more diluted. You can always add more gum for a stronger color and flavor, but they are both strongly flavored with 25 pieces already. If I were to use a smaller volume, I would consider using about 20 pieces rather than 25.

Cut in half and toss in a glass jar

  

In just a few minutes you will see the color start to disperse. I swirl or stir it all around a few times before I leave it set for the night.

The next evening it is very pink!

Return to the bottle or place it in a new container.

That's it!

Bubblegum flavored vodka!

Cosmic Owl

Some fun with mixed media. The background is acrylic and chalk on paper. I used this tutorial on making a starry background on paper. The additional blending in of chalk gave it a more "galaxy" feel. The owl was a color page image I've had for a long time. I believe it was from a Dover Publications sampler that they frequently send in their e-newsletters (if I am mistaken, please correct me). While coloring the owl, I was unsure about what color to make the eyes and some of the plumage on its chest. Rather than forcing a color, I cut those pieces out and put aluminum behind them for an interesting and shiny effect, though it is hard to capture in a photograph or scan.

Paper Antelope!

I recently bought a Canon PIXMA Pro-100 professional inkjet printer for my many photo projects and high-detail printing needs and I was delighted to see that the program that comes with it has dozens of free (if you have Canon-certified ink) paper crafts to print out. Detailed animals, NASA spacecrafts, pop-up cards, and creations from Eric Carle (author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?; etc.).

This was my first time trying out paper craft in this manner. It was both fun and infuriating! I had tons of fun cutting, folding, and shaping my antelope, but the glue (a regular Scotch permanent glue stick) I used would not stand up very well to the movement and shaping. I ended up using some liquid felt glue I had laying around and that worked much better. The bond was strong and did not crack/break away once it was dry and I was still manipulating the paper. A trick I also started to do was to use my bone folder to get into places my fingertips couldn't. That helped to reach small tabs and fine spots like the ears, horns, and tail.

Making Mead

("Summer Solstice" by Danielle Barlow. Image used with permission)

This past Sunday marked the Summer Solstice (in the northern hemisphere), which is the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. The Summer Solstice is also celebrated as a holiday in many folk and pagan traditions around the world and has also been folded into later Christian practices as well. It is a moment in the year that has caused humans to pause, look at the sky, and celebrate for thousands of years.

The Summer Solstice is celebrated under numerous names and traditions, both new (post-Christian) and old (pre-Christian). Midsummer, Litha, and St. John's Day being the more widely known (to me, at least). Litha is a name sometimes used interchangeably with Midsummer, but derives specifically from Germanic roots. Like many pagan holidays/holy-days, Midsummer was brought into the fold of Christianity and revamped into the feast of Saint John.

What better way to celebrate the Summer Solstice than by making mead? Mead is made from honey; a magical, sweetly viscous concoction. The amber shine that is so reflective of the warmth of the sun and the earthy, flowery origins of the nectar make honey an obvious food to use in a Summer Solstice celebration. A delightful tribute to the sun's energy and light, the fertility of flowers, and the hard work of our vital honeybees.

I followed the basic recipe for 1 gallon of mead from Storm the Castle's website. This was my first time making any kind of fermented beverage. The instructions they provide were very easy to follow. I would suggest though, that if you are planning on making a mead with additional ingredients, such as fruit, that you add 1/3 of the water rather than half when initially adding ingredients. You would be surprised at the displacement you need to account for.

Sanitation is highly important when you are dealing with the controlled fungal ecosystem you are creating. At the bottom of the mead recipe page, they offer a food-safe bleach sanitation recipe.

The view while the last drizzle of honey slowly swirls to the bottom of the water. The amber glow, sparkly ribbon, and the reflection of the sun off the glass surface is beautiful.

Ready to ferment in a cool, dark place.

I did end up making two separate gallons; a sweet mead and an orange mead. The smells were wonderful and I am very excited to see how they will turn out. After they are racked, I plan to let them rest until the Winter Solstice.

Crafting as Therapy

(via Wikimedia Commons)

Creativity and mental illness is a subject not lacking in ink spilled across pages (or text across a screen). A Google scholar search alone brings up 716,000 results. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the subject. Neurologists are discussing it. Sometimes, in the case of Vincent van Gogh, it seems to be the only thing people tend to remember about a person.

The "tortured artist" is more often thought of as a painter, sculptor, or writer/poet whose torture derives from schizophrenia or manic depression (bipolar disorder). However, anyone who creates is, in my own opinion, an artist. When we realize that there are a great number of personal troubles that we all face, issues like self-doubt, anxiety, depression; these personal troubles can feel like barriers, walls, and dividers between oneself and the world around us. What crafting and creativity offers is a multifaceted means of self expression and, in many cases--especially in the modern wi-fi world, a chance to connect in different ways to others.

Anyone who creates is an artist

Art	Craft	Artist
Art is a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities, usually involving imaginative or technical skill.	A craft is a pastime or a profession that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work.	An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts, and/or demonstrating an art.

All of these words have changed their meanings over time, as words often do. For instance, in the past the profession of an artist was not an ideal position to be in. It was still a form of manual labor--working with your hands and, thus, dirtying them. BBC Radio 4 has a very interesting podcast about the morphing culture of artists.

As the show mentions, society has moved from Seneca's quote in 1 CE:

“One venerates the divine images, one may pray and sacrifice to them, yet one despises the sculptors who made them.”

To the words of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth:

“[W]hat is meant by the word Poet? What is a Poet? to whom does he address himself? and what language is to be expected from him?—He is a man speaking to men: a man, it is true, endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, than are supposed to be common among mankind [...]” (Preface to Lyrical Ballads, ¶ 15)

My personal definition of an artist is someone who uses their body to create something based on the inspiration derived from the mind and/or the world around them. There is a passion, a release of tension, a soothing presence, a personal connection to the work an artist has for their art or craft. To me, this satisfactorily addresses numerous professions, crafts, arts, and pastimes. From the performing artists who use their entire body to enact stories and emotion, to glassblowers who use fire and air--their lungs and breath--to help shape the works they create, to embroiderers whose hands, eyes, and mind are actively working to hold a small section or an individual color and the bigger, finished picture together in unity. To the digital artist who may never have their work in a tangible form, but still devotes hours to getting a code, lineart, or a beat just right.

Personal troubles
Inner demons. Self-doubt. Depression. Anxiety. Worries. Problems. Illness. Issues. There are many names and many kinds of personal troubles that people face. We all have them at different times in our lives, but some of us never fully shake ourselves free of the bonds and shackles of what torments us. They are personal. Deeply rooted in the recesses of our minds and unpredictable in when they rise to the surface. They are mental--unseen--in origin, but can affect us physically. Sometimes it feels like a bottled-up roller-coaster. And this is where art, craft, and creating can help to release the pressure.

(The Temptation of St. Anthony by Martin Schöngauer c. 1480-90. Engraving. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

I recently came across a blog post on Owl Girl about her use and thoughts on crafting to help with her depression and anxiety. I felt some similarities while I read her post. Anxiety, perfectionism, and especially "perceived failure or inadequacy" (emphasis mine). But she, like numerous others, found a way to calm her mind through crafting. It's not a panacea, but, as she puts it: "It takes the ‘edge’ off in such a way that I can see situations a little bit more objectively than I could otherwise." Crafting is a means of therapy. A way to let us relax and let our tensions, fears, and worries transform into more positive, healthy outlets. It is a meditation of sorts. A drug without the horrible side-effects (though just as expensive at times!).


Multifaceted means of self expression
When you create something--art or craft--you are focusing your energy on making an expression of yourself. It is from you and, thus, a part of you. Creating, not cleanliness, is next to godliness. Your choice of color, content, or materials all mean something to you and represent the mood and feelings you are experiencing at the time of crafting. Crafting as therapy starts out highly personal. It may remain a private creation or it may be shared with family, friends, or even strangers. There are wonderfully supportive communities of artists, crafters, and creators on the Internet.

One of the best things that you can do is to start making/creating/crafting for yourself. Start doing. Trying. Testing. So what if it turns out bad? That is a necessary part of the process. Do it for you and see how you feel.

My mini neko cross stitch. (It's a little bigger than a penny!)

Tiny Pinatas

Who doesn't love PINATAS ?

Even monks love pinatas!

(Acolman, Mexico State -via Wiki Commons)

Pinatas are Chinese in origin, taking on the shapes of buffaloes, cows, and oxen, but they are most widely known in modern times through Spanish culture. They were also used for a while during Lent celebrations. You can read more about the history of pinatas here.

When I saw this pin from A Blackbird's Epiphany tutorial on miniature pinatas, I had to try making one of my own. Her instructions are super simple and clear and she even has a free donkey template to use. 

As you can see, my mini pinata turned out super cute! I had so much fun with this project, that I decided to break out my cookie cutter letters and make my name in tiny pinata letters!

TA-DA! Super fun and adorable!

Knitting for Wildlife

The snow has finally stopped, allowing spring to ensue and although the Farmer's Almanac says this summer is going to be "oppressively humid," I am looking forward to that narrow window where the door can remain open and the cats will come and go as they please. For the moment, though, it is still jacket weather and the heater kicks on when the sun goes down.

Image via The Penguin Foundation

We do not often consider the idea of our fellow animals needing some extra protection from the elements at times. Those that are wild are quite capable of finding natural shelters, while semi-wild and domesticated animals often find comfort in our homes or provided shelters.

The story of The Penguin Foundation using knitted jumpers to help protect penguins after an oil spill has made its rounds on the Internet recently and is an example of a novel way to address wildlife needs. The Foundation uses the jumpers to prevent penguins from preening oil-covered feathers before they are cleaned. This reduces the chance that the penguin will swallow oil that will hurt or kill it, while simultaneously providing some warmth against the damage done to the penguin's natural heat retention abilities it derives from water-resistant feathers. This happens because "[o]il separates and mats feathers, allowing water to get in which makes a penguin very cold, heavy and less able to successfully hunt for food."

While The Penguin Foundation has expressed that they are not in urgent need of knitted jumpers at the moment, you can still find knit and crochet patterns for the jumpers at the bottom of their webpage and mail them in. Extra jumpers are sent to other wildlife centers when an oil spill disaster occurs as well as being used for educational purposes and sold for funds to continue research and conservation. If you are interested in making one of the sweaters for the foundation, remember to use either wool or acrylic material.

Another cause that is in need of knitters' skills is WildCare. They are requesting 200 wool knitted nests and pouches, each in small, medium, and large sizes. Patterns for both nests and pouches can be found on their website and downloaded along with the donation form. 

Image via WildCare

WildCare uses the nests and pouches to help rehabilitate orphaned birds that are brought into wildlife hospitals. The site explains that knitted nests provide "the right stability along with the appropriate softness to maximize the comfort and health of our baby bird patients. And we can never have too many! Knitted and crafted nests are like towels in a nursery— they're constantly in use and constantly in and out of the laundry." At the time of writing, the wildlife rehabilitation hospital has only 8 or the needed 1,200.

These two examples pose a great opportunity for stash-busting projects, teaching others to knit or crochet, or just simply as a volunteer-from-home project. This could also make a great focus for a project by local knitting groups or for a skill-building class at a library or community center.

Bonus: Remember that, while volunteer hours are not tax deductible, charitable knitting may get you a tiny deduction for the cost of materials and, perhaps, the postage as well if you are donating to a recognized {read 501(c)(3)} charity. Check with your tax preparer/expert to know if you qualify. In this instance, The Penguin Foundation states they hold "a Deductible Gift Recipient status and all contributions are fully tax deductible" and WildCare states that after they receive the donation, you will receive "[a]n in-kind donation receipt you can use for tax purposes."