diy pinboards

Have I mention, that shopping in India can be quite challenging and surprising at times? Of course, there are malls where you can find nearly anything, but for that you have to live in Delhi, Mumbai or other big city. When you have to rely on small, local stores it’s a whole different story.
I remember the beginning of my stay in India, when I simply couldn’t figure out where to get what I needed. To my surprise, the local pharmacy turned out to be the best place to get eggs and some basic groceries. I also found getting my change in candies quite amusing. The whole endeavor reminded me of kids playing shop, more than anything else… Slowly I’ve learned which shop, which market or which part of the city to go to, in search of certain things. Now, when we moved, the search begins again. 

For quite a while now, I’ve been longing to get pin board big enough to hold all my current inspirations and notes. I admit, I didn’t put too much effort into the search, but still, I didn’t find anything I would be remotely interested in…

After completing my Paris, New York, Milan project, I had huge soft wood board left over, and it turned out perfect for pinning. How could I resist the temptation?

It turned out so nice and easy, that I ended up making one for Anant too.

 

 

 

Paris, New York, Milan - tale of three cities and some glue

Did I mention that glue is one of my favorite things in the crafting world? It can be extremely versatile and has so much potential… I’m just finishing pin boards made mostly out of glue… ok, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but still… glue is great!

Today, I finally hang my latest “wall décor”, which I’ve been gluing with fake Mod Podge (aka diluted Fevicol) last week. I used pictures from Pinterest. Paris, New York, Milan, who wouldn't love them, especially during fashion week season?! After a bit of research I found the author – self taught artist making some pretty awesome prints (and I never use the word “awesome”). 

But back to my project… again very simple and quick.

What I used:

10x10 inch boards (made of sth. called soft wood, but any mdf, plywood or wood would work)

10x10 printouts on slightly thicker paper

Acrylic paint

Lots of glue

 

First I covered the boards with diluted Fevicol and let them dry, then painted the edges with acrylic paint   mixed with glue. 

 

 

Secondly, I pasted the pictures on top of the boards, covering them with aditional layer of fake Modpodge.  When sticking larger prints, it is important to start coating them from the center, towards the edges. It will prevent bubbles of air getting stuck and distorting the surface.

 

After that I let the whole thing dry. In the end, I added thin metal wire at the back. It is much easier to hand picture straight using this method. 

 

decorating with letters

It all started with a drill…

It was, I assume, like a new toy to my husband. Any excuse was good enough to make yet another hole. As a result we ended up with nails protruding from the walls in weirdest places. Surprisingly enough, it inspired my search for DIY garlands. After all, hanging decorations are far better than spiky walls!

Plus, I couldn't wait to lay my hands on new crafty supplies I ordered from few online stores...

What I used:

Mdf letters

Pattern paper

Scissors

Mod Podge

Brush

3d liner

I traced letters onto the paper, cut it out and glued it carefully, adding top coat of Mod Podge

I finished each letter with 3d outline, for a neater look. 

In the end, I joined the letters with beaded thread (hot gluing to the back sides) and tassels at the bottom.

Easy, fast and pretty!

way around the cookie tin

Today Cat decided to ruthlessly wake me up, at the crack of dawn. When I first sat at my desk, the sun was just sleepily coming out. It turned out to be a great time to finish up some pending projects, and though my day will be punctuated by nap times (thank you Goa for your siestas!), I’m extremely glad to be back on my crafting horse…  

Unfortunately, for all the good things I can say about Goa, shopping for artsy supplies, even in capital of the state, is more of a sad joke than anything else. That’s why I often have to get creative and find my way around this problem. 

I’ve been wanting to give our cookie tin a little makeover. In one of the tutorials, someone suggested using acrylic paint. All I can say – you may, if you don’t intend to touch the can afterwards. Paint will just peel off nicely from the metal surface, as soon as it dries. Believe me, I know, I have tried and I have learned.

Spray paint is and obvious choice, but in the whole city I found only few, rather unappealing colors. Finally I managed to get hold of the black one, and, in my excitement, got a little carried away - spraying everything I could lay my hands on. 

Second problem was Mod Podge, or lack thereof. I read somewhere, that mixing Fevicol with water gives good results.
Yes and no. Diluting the glue makes it easy to spread evenly, it does dry transparent and even gives paper a bit of gloss. It also mixes nicely with paints. From the other hand, drying takes forever so paper or fabric may become wavy in the process, plus the finish isn’t perfect. It dulls plastic and metal surfaces and even on paper is a little rough. Overall, it’s good to know but even better when you don’t have to use it.

With that said, I decided to give it a go while decorating my tin (and few other boxes). It worked well on smaller surfaces, which I could cover with few strokes of brush, on the bigger one it started to dull the colors slightly. Keeping in mind approaching monsoon, and all the humidity it brings along, I decided to give my creations an extra coat of liquid wood polish – another ingenious invention. Dries for hours, but it made my paper decorations waterproof, or so I hope.

All in all, though it’s not as easy, it can be done without proper equipment!

P.S.

I used printouts from Fifi Lapin , Marina Dieul and Gil Elvgren

tackling the macaroon

I don’t know what I’ve been thinking when I decided to conquer macaroons. Considering the humidity and stupid, tiny oven with descriptive temperature settings (bake, keep warm etc…) this mission was destined to fail.  With that said, I’m rather pleased with the results.

But let’s start from the beginning…

Apparently macaroons are incredibly temperamental and full of attitude; and need careful preparation. 

 

Funnily enough, recipe is very easy:

100 grams of icing sugar

100 grams of caster sugar

100 grams of ground almonds

3 egg whites

Pinch of salt

And then the fun begins… Internet is overflowing with tips for foolproof macaroons. First of all, the ingredients have to be measured accurately. The icing sugar and ground almonds should be sieved to avoid lumps and egg whites are best when few days old – no idea why? Maybe they are less moody when they get older? Oh and the food coloring should be in paste or powdered form, liquid will make batter too runny.

Preparation, though seemingly easy, is full of traps.  

Almonds and icing sugar have to be well mixed together and set aside – that’s pretty straight forward.

Egg whites should be bitten with salt to soft picks. Then we add caster sugar, a little at the time, while whisking till the mass is nice and stiff. Then again, if it is over beaten, macaroons shells will be hollow.

In the end, almond mixture needs to be folded energetically into the egg whites – towards the inside. It should be thick and sticky. Over mixing will result in too runny batter, which creates all sorts of problems like cracked shells or absence of “crown” (little frill at the base of macaroon).

When the batter is ready, we pack it nicely into piping bag with round nozzle. Apparently the best surface to bake macaroons on is a silicon mat. After squeezing pretty little circles onto it, we tap it sharply onto kitchen counter to remove excess air and “fold in” sharp picks. Now macaroons have to rest, I’ve read, anywhere from 15-45 minutes, to create non sticky shell. 

Again, not letting them rest may create almost any macaroon problem you can imagine. Unfortunately humidity and high temperatures will do that too and I’m not sure if there is a way to work around it…

Finally it’s baking time. The temperature is crucial here. Mostly suggested is 12-18 minute baking in 120-160 (Celsius), but since every oven is different, you have to watch them closely. Macaroons should rise and spread slightly, while creating “crown” at the base, but shouldn’t brown. It is good to turn the baking tray half way through, to bake them evenly.

Oh and one more thing, they shouldn’t be removed from baking sheet before they cool down completely.

Now to the assembling… luckily that is much simpler task to tackle as they will taste and look great with nearly any filling. Unfortunately that's not the end. They have to  have few hours or whole night sleep in the fridge – this is the part making then chewy and full of flavor. 

I have to admit, I didn’t really follow most of these advices. I figured, since the climate is so macaroon unfriendly, its best to just mix and dump them in the oven. My last note on the subject is: what they lack in appearance, they make up in taste!

… and just in time for valentines too…

P.S.
I almost forgot... the filling!
I kind of improvised, but it turned out great. Its not too sweet so it balances macaroons nicely.

3 eggyokes
3 teaspoons of sugar
mascarpone (100-150g)
powdered coconut milk

Whisk egg yokes with sugar until creamy, mix in mascarpone and powdered coconut milk till nice and fluffy; and voilà!