Remember those plushstaches from a while back? It turns out making your own mustaches is dangerous, because it’s hard to tell when to quit. At first it’s fine to have just a couple, but soon you find yourself asking “do I really have enough mustaches?” Today I will be the villain, but what if tomorrow I need to be a stoic cowboy? Black and brown are so droll, what about pink or teal? Or sparkles? It is truly a dangerous path.

Lucky for you, in the ongoing quest to fill-out my cache of ‘staches, I have created some new patterns! These are made the same as the previous ones, but in case you need help, here is my handy tutorial.

For your wearing pleasure, I introduce to you:

The dapper “Little Belgian Detective”

And the sure to impress “‘Boh ‘Stache”

You can get both patterns (it’s a two-in-one) right here:

Good luck and remember, a girl (or boy) can never have too many mustaches! Especially if they are horrendously trendy.

]]> https://jefita.com/2014/01/20/growing-a-lemon-tree-and-fighting-off-winter-doldrums/ Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:03:44 +0000 http://jefita.com/blog/?p=561 Besides this being the time of year when everybody gets sick, this is also the time of year that I start to go a little crazy. As I’ve said before, I am not a fan of cold weather, and by late January, early February I am very tired of winter. I’m tired of it being freezing outside, and I’m tired of being indoors all the time. Almost more than anything, I hate everything being gray and gloomy. I seriously start to get depressed without regular sunshine and by this point it feels like it’s been months since I’ve really seen the sun. Perhaps this doesn’t bode well for my move to northern Japan, but I’m hoping it’s at least sunnier than winter in Maryland.

Every year, these grey doldrums spur me to wage my own personal campaign against winter indoors. Primarily, I have a collection of house plants that I nurse through the cold months and periodically add to their ranks. Green things are good company in the dull winter months. They don’t smell funny, make as much noise as the kitties or Mr. Boy, or judge my singing (that I know of).

A few Christmases ago I received a neat little book entitled Grow It Don’t Throw It, and it was a cute guide to growing all kinds of plants from kitchen scraps. Many of the plants the book covers are annual or very short lived houseplants, but I tend to favor perennials. So I decided to grow a lemon tree. Now this wasn’t my first attempt at growing a citrus plant. There have been multiple attempts, but either the seeds never sprouted or my frail little sprouts met the fate of many a houseplant around here. (I forget to water things regularly. Only the strong survive!) With the help of the book I was much more successful this time around. The seeds actually came up, and a few years later I still haven’t managed to kill them. Not that I haven’t given it a good go. I am a fan of houseplants that can survive a bit of neglect, i.e. forgetting to water, and these little trees are pretty hardy if you get them past the seedling stage. Several times I have thought I killed them, only to have them miraculously revive after a good watering. They are also slow growing so you don’t have to worry about having a big tree in your house.

I love my plants, I’m not sure they love me…

 So, without further ado,

How I Grew A Lemon Tree

(Also works for oranges, grapefruit, any other citrus fruit of choice)

1. First I selected several of the biggest seeds from a lemon.
2. I planted my seeds in individual (clean) jello/applesauce containers filled about halfway with well moistened soil. Then, I sealed all the little cups up in ziploc bags to keep them from drying out. The book said I should use peat pellets, but meh, my way was fine.
3. After that I tucked my seed/cup/baggies somewhere out of the way near my baseboard heaters. I figured since they were warm weather fruits, a little heat couldn’t hurt. On top of the fridge would’ve probably been a good option too.
4. The book said germination time was 2-3 weeks so I made a note to myself about when to start checking and then promptly forgot about them. A couple of weeks later I had of course lost my note, but I miraculously remembered to check them anyways. I was rewarded with adorable little green sprouts. Success!

When the sprouts got a little bigger I transplanted them into real pots. Per directions in the book, I added a bit of crushed eggshell in the bottom of the pot. My little trees have been living happily ever after (mostly). They like all the sunshine they can get. I put them outside in the summer, and in the winter they keep me company indoors. Since I’ve left them in small pots they haven’t gotten too big, which is fine with me.

Isn’t it a cute little guy? 

This is about the time of year I would also start plotting out a proper garden and starting veggie seedlings. I love the anticipation of all those little green shoots emerging, even though I often manage to subsequently kill off a lot of them. However with my transcontinental move coming up in a few months, it seems a little pointless this year. I am saddened by the prospect of leaving behind all my veteran botanical companions. They’ve survived years of my dubious care and now I have to abandon them? Will they find a good new home? *tear, sniffle* I suppose I will have to see what sort of things I can grow in Japan.

Last year I started making these particular little lined drawstring bags. They aren’t anything new or amazing concept-wise, but they are pretty cute, easy to make, and don’t require much fabric. Perfect for using up those remnants and fat quarters.

I also think this is a good way to practice hand sewing, if you’re into that sort of thing. Despite the fact that I own three sewing machines, sometimes I just want a good hand sewing project. I find it pleasant and calming. And sometimes I get struck by unbearable envy of little Japanese women who hand sew everything, and it’s all disgustingly cute.

Anyway…

If you don’t like hand sewing you can whip these little bags up lickety-split with a sewing machine (less than half an hour if you are on good terms with your machine). Either way I think this is a good beginner sewing project.  They are cute, easy, fun, and also make nice little reusable gift bags.

Itty Pretty Drawstring Bags!

or

Justifying a Burgeoning Fabric Collection

Almost any sort of fabric will work for these little bags as long as it’s not super stiff or heavy (like thick denim). I usually use quilting cotton or other lightweight woven fabrics and that is probably the easiest to work with. The finished bags end up with a 3” (7.62 cm) square base, and uncinched stand about 4 ¼” (10.8 cm) tall.

Materials and Tools

• 2 pieces of at least 7” x 14” (approx 18 x 36 cm) fabric (a fat quarter or a remnant wider than 7” should be fine)
• Sewing thread (matching or contrasting)
• Hand sewing needle or a sewing machine
• 30″ (~76 cm) or so of cord (for the drawstrings, so not super thick)
• Scissors (and/or a rotary cutter)
• Pins
• Safety pin

Optional

• Embroidery floss or decorative thread (if you want to decorate the bag)
• Beads (to put on the drawstrings)
• Beeswax or a thread conditioner (Like Thread Heaven) if hand sewing

A couple of notes on hand sewing: I use a plain running stitch to make these bags, but if you wanted something a bit stronger you could also use a back stitch. Remember that the smaller you make your stitches, the less visible they will be. If you’re just starting out with hand sewing, don’t sweat it if your stitches aren’t very small or even. This will come with practice and probably nobody but you will ever notice they aren’t perfect.

The Making

1. Print out the pattern (Click to download pattern) or draft it out on paper or directly on the fabric. Here are the dimensions to draft it yourself (seam allowances included):

   
   Important: All seam allowances ¼” (.6 cm) 

2. Fold your fabric in half and then layout and cut your lining and shell pieces according to the diagram. Trace the pattern on the fabric first or pin it on and cut around it. If you need guidelines for your stitching, you can lightly mark the seam lines too. Pencil usually works fine if the fabric isn’t too dark.

   Note: It’s not super important for this project, but it’s good practice to pay attention to the grain of the fabric when laying out and cutting patterns. In this case the grain should line up with one of the straight edges of the pattern.

3. Take the shell fabric, still folded along the bottom edge with the right sides together, and straight stitch down the sides. Repeat with the lining piece, starting 1 ¼” (~3 cm) down from the top edge (where the stars are on the printed pattern). If you are using a machine, be sure to back tack at the beginnings and ends, especially on the lining.

    

   Optional: Press open the side seams after sewing. Be sure to fold the seam allowances in at the top bit of the lining too (where you didn’t sew). Even just finger pressing will make a difference.

4. Pull open one corner of the shell and flatten, matching the side seam with the center bottom (the fold line). Sew straight across the corner. (if you want to get technical, you are creating a gusset here) Repeat with the remaining corner of the shell, and one of the corners of the lining (leave the other side open). Press allowances towards the bottom, if desired. You should now have two square bottomed cylinder things (except for the lining which will have an opening at the bottom/side).

    

   That corner magically becomes a straight side!

5. Nest the shell fabric inside the lining so that right sides are touching. Match up the top edges and the side seams (pins are helpful here) and then sew all the way around the top edge.

    

6. Turn the bag right-side out now, through the opening that you left in the lining. After everything is right-side out, fold in the seam allowances of the opening in the lining and top-stitch very close to the edge to close. (Or you could be fancy and use a blind-stitch to close it.)

   

7. Flip the lining so that it nests neatly inside the shell fabric. There should be about a ½” fold of lining fabric that sticks up above the edge of the shell. Try to make sure that all the seam allowances of the top edge are turned down towards the bottom (It helps to use a knitting needle or other slender stick for this). Sew all the way around the top along the seam, just above the shell. This will make the tube or casing for the drawstrings.

    

   To keep the allowances tucked in at the tube openings, you can add a few stitches to tack them down.

   Optional: I like using contrasting or decorative thread for this part sometimes. If you don’t want it to show, choose a thread that matches the lining and “stitch-in-the-ditch” trying to sew as close in the seam line as you can.

8. Cut two pieces of cord at least 15″ (38 cm) long for the drawstrings. It’s better to go long here and then trim the length after. Attach a cord to the safety pin and use it to thread the drawstring through the tube at the top, starting at one of the side seam openings and going all the way around (not out the opposite side seam). Repeat with the second drawstring, but starting from the opposite seam opening.

    

9. Knot the cord ends together on each side and trim the ends to about ½”. If you want thread a big bead on each side before tying them off.

   

   If you cord frays a lot, either melt the ends (if it is synthetic) or put a bit of Fray Check or glue on them.

Bonus round: Do some decorative stitching around the bag (through both layers or just one) with some embroidery floss or other pretty thread. If you are ambitious you could use a plain fabric for the shell, and decorate it with lots of pretty embroidery before sewing the whole thing together. Little beads, buttons, or sequins could be pretty cute too. Go nuts.

Thanks to my sister for the lovely photos!

Tada! You are the proud owner of a cute little bag. Now go show it off and find some treasures to put in it.

If anything needs clarified in the instructions, please let me know!

To be the owner of a handsome mustache is quite a thing and seems rather popular these days.  However, life is very unfair leaving some of us genetically powerless to grow our own or forbidden to do so by the edicts of fashion or significant others. Long troubled by this problem, last year I finally created my own solution to this age old inequity without the need for razors, wax, or hormone treatment. It turns out it is quite simple (and inexpensive) to create your own facsimile of awe worthy facial hair. All you need is some felt, a needle and thread, and some sort of stuffing. Although perhaps not as satisfying as the real deal, a plush-stache is still very enjoyable. In fact, if you are already a mustache bearer, you can even increase your coolness without all the maintenance.

Plushstachery

or
How to Make Yourself an Awesome Mustache

This project has a very good satisfaction to effort ratio.  It takes very little work to make one of these mustaches, but they are very fun to wear around.  Even though this project does involve hand sewing, it is super simple and doesn’t take too long.  It doesn’t matter if your stitches are perfectly neat and there is no tricky business.  In fact I would say this is a very good beginner sewing or plush making project.

Materials/Tools

• Felt (one sheet is usually enough)
• Thread (preferably matching the felt)
• Stuffing (such as polyfill or felt scraps)
• Thin elastic cord (I recommend the clear stretchy kind for jewelry/beading)
• Paper (for pattern)
• Marker (I’m rather fond of fine-tip Sharpies) or white gel pen (something that will mark felt)
• Needle (a large embroidery sized one and a regular sized one)
• Scissors

Optional

• Pipecleaner or wire
• Embroidery Floss or other decorative thread

The Making

1. Print and cut out one of my mustache patterns (Plushstache_pattern1.pdf) or design your own.  I would recommend checking out the design on your face in a mirror after cutting it out.  It’s less trouble to redo the paper than the felt. Also, remember that the easy way to make your design symmetric is to draw half the mustache then fold at the middle and cut it out.
2. Trace two copies of your ‘stache onto the felt and then cut them out.
   
3. Place the two pieces together (put the marked side in if you don’t want it to show), pinning if desired.  Start sewing at the top middle, using a whip stitch, moving towards the tips.  When you are almost back to the middle on the bottom, stop and tie off, leaving a gap so you can stuff it later.  Now do the other half the same way, but wait to tie off until you have finished the next step.
   Optional:  If you want, you can put a pipecleaner or wire inside your ‘stach to help keep it’s shape better.  I like doing this so I can shape it to my face too.  Shape your wire beforehand, and then insert when you stuff on very straight designs or just after coming around the tips on complex designs.  Hopefully the diagram makes sense of what I said.
4. Start stuffing! Starting with small pieces gently push the stuffing into the tips first with a pencil or other pokey tool.  Continue stuffing just until desired amount of “bushiness” is achieved. Don’t add too much stuffing! My villainous pattern only has a tiny amount in the middle, under the nose area.  Sew closed the opening after you are finished stuffing.
   
5. Thread the embroidery (or other large eyed needle) with a long length of elastic cord. It’s better to err on the side of excess here. This is what is going to keep the mustache on your face so it needs to be long enough to loop behind your ears after attached to the mustache. Following the diagram, thread the elastic through the back of the mustache and then knot the loose ends together.  Now check to see how your mustache fits.  You should have a large loop on either side that fits over and behind your ears. It should be just tight enough to keep the ‘stache right under your nose, but not so tight it cuts into your face (otherwise it will look like you have cat whiskers). Adjust the position of the knot until the right fit is achieved then trim ends to 1/2″ or so.
   

   This is the type of cord I used along with a large embroidery needle

   

   The back should look something like this when you finish

6. Go awe the world with your newfound mustached glory!
   

If you create your own glorious mustache, I would love to see it!

And remember, don’t let hipsters dim your enjoyment of mustachery.  Frankly, proper mustaches have always been cool.

(Look! I’m not dead and actually posting things! Amazing and astounding isn’t it? All it takes is a little faith and nagging ye non-believers.)

My “little” (almost out of high school) sister came and visited me for a couple of weeks in June so I had a brief creative spree.  My sister is a long time partner-in-crime/making-stuff-buddy, but since we don’t live close by anymore, we have to make the most of our visits.  One of our favorite activities is culinary experiments.  We save up recipes we want to try for the once or twice a year we get to hang out.  She is an avid follower of many bento blogs, so our list is heavily weighted towards Asian food these days.   One of the first things we decided to try our hand at this time was some homemade sushi.  I am a long time sushi aficionado, but my sister is still trying to decide if she likes it.

Making sushi at home really isn’t that difficult and the internet provides a wealth of information to help you figure it out.  Contrary to popular belief, sushi does not actually have to contain raw fish or even fish at all and with the rising popularity of such foods, the international section of many grocery stores have most of the ingredients.  My sister and I found everything we needed at my local chain grocery store.  There were even overpriced cute little kits.  You probably won’t find all the ingredients to do super traditional rolls, but you can find enough to try your hand at it and end up with something tasty.  All you really need is short grain or “sushi” rice, vinegar, and seaweed.  Of course if you do have a good Asian store nearby, I would recommend going there instead so you don’t have to pay the exorbitant “specialty item” prices of the grocery store.

For guidance on constructing and filling our rolls, we turned to one of our favorite food blogs Just Hungry.  This blog contains a wealth of basic and practical Japanese cooking information as well as interesting cultural tidbits.  The author has several very handy articles about sushi, these being the ones we referred to:

• How to make Japanese-style plain rice and sushi rice – proper rice preparation is critical for this adventure
• Ehoumaki (ehou maki): Lucky long sushi roll for Setsubun no hi – basic rolling filling technique for sushi rolls, plus some easy filling ideas
• A sushi roll bento, plus how to make sushi rolls without a sushi mat – in case you don’t have a sushi mat

Arming ourselves with a bowl of sushi rice, seaweed sheets, and some very sharp kitchen implements, my sister and I intrepidly set forth on the business of actually constructing the rolls.  Since we were limited to what we could find at the local grocery, we kept our fillings pretty simple.  We made four different rolls, filled as such:

• “Philly” roll – smoked salmon, cream cheese, a tiny bit of chopped onion
• “Too cheap to buy crab, but already have shrimp” California roll – cooked shrimp, avocado, cucumber
• “Whatever I feel like” roll – canned tuna (mixed with mayo), cucumber, carrot
• “Kinda like a sammich” roll – Havarti cheese, salami, carrot

Lessons Learned

All in all I felt this experiment was pretty successful.  The rolls turned out pretty cute and were reasonably tasty too.  Personally I like little bite sized rolls better, so I next time I would make them smaller.  I felt there was a bit too much rice to filling, but that’s something easy to fix with experience. I would also probably add some lettuce or other greens to add a bit of color and make them prettier.  If you decide to try your hand at making sushi too, here is my sage noob advice:

1. Buy the right rice — Being an uncultured American, I never really paid much attention to different types of rice.  It turns out it’s a big deal when you are making traditional Japanese food or sushi.  The variety used for sushi is a short grain white rice that is much stickier than long grain varieties like Jasmine or Basmati. I had never used this kind of rice before and I was amazed at the difference in texture. So remember, despite the convenience of long grain rice, don’t cheat or you will be frustrated and disappointed.
2. Don’t worry about fancy ingredients — Sushi is really only a “fancy” food in the U.S.  Elsewhere it is a cheap and convenient food that you can fill with everyday ingredients.  If you are at a loss for easy fillings, I would suggest looking up kimbap recipes.  Kimbap (or gimbap) is a Korean food that is quite similar to sushi that is often packed for lunches and picnics and has simple fillings.  Of course, if you know a good place to get sashimi grade fish and you can afford it, there’s no reason not to try that either. I’m just a cheapskate.  Maybe someday I’ll splurg and try it with some fresh and tasty tuna (*nom, nom, nom*)
3. Ugly food still tastes good — If this is your first attempt, it’s rather likely your rolls will be unsightly.  It takes a little practice to roll them up neatly.  Either way they will still be tasty (assuming you filled them with tasty things).  If you are having trouble, I would suggest checking out some of the sushi making videos on YouTube. Visual aids usually help me figure things out.

Last week I agreed to update my poor neglected blog if my little sister updated her neglected photography. Much to my dismay, she had updated within five minutes of said agreement. So here I am, completing my half of the bargain. Recently I have designated Sundays my “experiment” day of the week. A couple of weeks ago, confronted with the remnants of an ill advised lemon purchase and a bunch of leftover ginger for stir-fry, I decided to attempt making ginger beer. It combines three of my favorite things: efficient use of resources (a.k.a. getting rid of leftovers), new projects, and SCIENCE!

Ginger beer is really just ginger ale with some attitude, but it does involve one of mankind’s oldest and most cherished forms of mad science–brewing. To get the soda carbonated, you have to do some fermenting. Just a little bit.  Not enough to make it legitimately alcoholic.

By the way kids, I don’t know if you know this, but yeast is really cool. It’s a domesticated microbe. You should check it out sometime.

*Ahem* Moving on. So this project isn’t exactly “instant” gratification, but it is super easy and very gratifying…if you like cool, refreshing, zingy beverages.

Ginger Beer

Now I’m not going to give you a complete how-to.  The internet is rife with ginger beer how-tos.  I will however tell you what you need, and my notes on the process.

The Recipe

There are lots of recipes for ginger beer/ale out there and most of them are pretty similar.  I chose to use one from Alton Brown:  Ginger Ale

It is labeled “ginger ale” but I consider it ginger beer.  It has a healthy peppery bite compared to the mild mannered stuff you buy in a can.

Equipment

• A clean 2 liter soda bottle, or two 1 liter glass bail top bottles (mine came from IKEA, you can also find them at home brew supply stores)
• A fine grater (Microplane, FTW!)
• Strainer
• A pot

Ingredients

• Fresh ginger (3-4 in)
• A lemon
• Sugar (I went all fancy and used turbinado sugar)
• Yeast, bread or champagne (champagne yeast can also be found at a home brew supply store, and is pretty cheap)
• Water

Notes

I have made two rounds of this already, so I’ve had a chance to screw up and work a few things out:

• 1.5 oz = 3 Tbsp of ground ginger–I guesstimated the first time and didn’t put nearly enough in.  It was weak sauce.
• 6 oz ~ 3/4 cup sugar–This brew is not super sweet like regular soda.  In fact the yeast consumes a portion of that sugar to provide the carbonation.
• Champagne yeast provides much better carbonation and taste.  I tried bread yeast the first time and was disappointed with the results.
• Don’t add lemon zest.  I tried this out due to some comments, but it only seemed to lend a bitter “lemon cleaner” vibe.
• The gunky stuff at the bottom won’t hurt you.  That being said, I tend to avoid drinking it, but I’m too lazy to filter it out.
• And finally, let it sit in the fridge for at least a day after fermenting before consuming.  It will taste better.

So faithful readers I urge you to go forth and experiment!  If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can try making it with wild yeast.

Or if you need something a bit more adult, might I suggest the Dark ‘n Stormy?

Now, must scurry off to make a third batch!

I really enjoy cooking and I really enjoy eating.  Every now and then I have these yearnings to pretend I am some sort of cultured, sophisticated adult.  The kind of adult who throws lavish dinner parties, and wears swanky dresses.  So I clean up my cramped, awkward little apartment, buy a bunch of nice booze, and make a lot of fancy food.  Then I tell my friends they better come over and pretend we are classy people.  The illusion doesn’t work unless you have more than two people.  Besides, I would probably never clean my apartment if people didn’t occasionally visit.

My birthday was coming up so I decided I was going to have one of these “classy” parties.  It’s only fitting that I celebrate my aging by pretending I’m a grown up, right?  Anyways, I tidied up my abode (I even cleaned my fridge *shudder*), invited as many people as I thought would fit in my living room (turns out ten people is kind of pushing it), and made up a bunch of fancy little hors d’oeuvres (even spell check couldn’t help me with that one).  I have decided this is an excellent way of spending a birthday.  I didn’t have to leave my house, there weren’t any restaurant staff or mariachis to sing to me, and I found out that when you tell people not to bring things to your party, they will in fact show up with lots of nice booze.  Also, since Mr. Boy doesn’t actually know where to find anything in our apartment, nobody could find any candles.  I savor the small victories in life.

Back to the food!  Like I said, I made a bunch of hors d’oeuvres and appetizer stuff.  Amongst all the fancy tidbits, I also made one of my old favorites, the humble deviled egg.  Now I have rather strong opinions about deviled eggs.  They are not supposed to be bland.  They are not supposed to be dry and pasty.  There is no excuse for making flavorless, unseasoned deviled eggs.  I have actually seen some that were just egg yolk and mayonnaise.  Heresy!  So to save the world from tragically uninteresting deviled eggs, I am going to share my own, secret, family recipe.  In my own unabashedly biased opinion, this is also the best recipe for deviled eggs.  To all the mothers and grandmothers I have just offended, it is unfortunate, but I refuse to apologize.  Yours are probably perfectly acceptable, but mine are supreme.

The Best Deviled Eggs

This is not a terribly exact recipe, but I have attempted to give you some fairly accurate estimates on measurements.  They can be made a day ahead, but I think they are best the day of.

Ingredients:
1 dozen hard-boiled eggs*
a couple of good dollops of mayo (or a scant 1/2 cup)
1 tsp or to taste Dijon (or other tasty mustard)
a couple of finely chopped small sweet pickles (or a couple spoonfuls sweet pickle relish)
tsp or so of rice vinegar (or another mild vinegar)
dash of soy sauce
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
paprika (on top for color)

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and take out all the yokes.   Smash up the yokes with a fork or pastry blender, then add  enough mayo to give it a good thick and creamy consistency, not too dry, and mix until mostly smooth.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients then sample liberally and tweak the seasonings if needed.  When it is just right, put it all in a ziploc (a sandwich bag is usually big enough), clip the corner, and use it like a pastry bag.  Squeeze the filling into the empty halves, mounding it up a bit.  You might have some extra filling at the end.  You can either eat it yourself, or add more to the eggs.  Sprinkle with paprika for color if you are feeling fancy.  Refrigerate until ready to consume!

Bonus Ingredients: (for extra zing)
1 Tbsp or so minced onion, shallot, chives, or green onion
a generous pinch of garlic and/or onion powder
hot paprika instead of regular sprinkled on top
finely chopped thyme
chopped chives for garnish

*I assume you know how to boil eggs already, but if you don’t, here is the fool proof method:  Place eggs in one layer in a pot and cover with water.  Bring them to a boil then turn off the heat and cover.  Let sit for ten minutes then drain and run under cold water.  Peel and enjoy!  Oh, and just so you know, those eggs that have been sitting in your fridge for a couple of weeks?  They will peel so much easier than if you used fresh eggs.

Go forth now, and enjoy delicious egg treats!

This past week I needed a simple activity to distract me from being desperately unhappy about being on a diet of gelatinous material.  For some reason I can’t fathom now, I allowed some villains to remove seven of my teeth.  I think I must have been tricked.  I get rather put out when I am denied enjoyment of tasty foodstuffs.   Combined with all the other discomforts resulting from teeth thievery this made me a big Grumpasaurus Rex.  To alleviate this situation I turned to my store of instant gratification projects.

I find paper folding rather relaxing and it doesn’t get much easier than these cute little stars.  It is a pleasant sort of mindless activity.  It’s the type of thing that girls enjoy making in class when they are supposed to be taking notes.  All you need is some paper, a pair of scissors, and time to kill.  The scissors can even be optional if you are good at folding and tearing paper.

So what do you do with all these tiny stars?  I like to put them into all my packages like 3D confetti.  Some people make gobs of them and put them in pretty vases and jars.  I’ve also seen people coat them with a clear sealer (like Mod Podge) and use them for earrings and other jewelry.  I think it would be neat to string them up like a beaded garland.  Or you can throw them at the cat and/or significant other.

I know there are lots of other tutorials out there for these things, but making a tutorial and taking lots of pictures was part of the strategic distraction from my dental woes.

Tiny Paper Stars

or

Origami Mini Stars

Materials/Tools

• Some sort of paper:  copy paper, magazines, etc
• Scissors

Notes: Avoid thick or stiff paper.  Paper that is about the thickness of regular copy paper is ideal.  Old magazines with the slick, sort of thin paper works great.  I particularly like seed catalogs and coupon clippers because they are colorful too.  If you want to be fancy, some people sell paper specifically for these stars.  It’s already cut into strips and has pretty patterns and colors.  Search for “origami” or “lucky” star paper.

The Making

1. Cut the paper into long narrow strips.  A paper cutter is very handy for the part if you have one.  The strips should be somewhere between 1/4″ to 1/2″ wide and 10 or so inches long.  It doesn’t have to be very exact.  If you are using a magazine or regular size sheets of paper, just make them the length of the long side of the paper.  I made these about 1/2″ wide but I really prefer them 3/8″ to 1 cm or just a bit smaller.  You can experiment with different widths to see what size you prefer.  Just a tip, wide strips work better if they are longer too.  Conversely for skinnier strips it doesn’t need to be as long.

All those garishly colored ads finally have a purpose!

1. Take one of the strips and basically make a knot at one end.  To start out make a loop a couple of inches from one end (1).  Whichever side you want to show should be on the outside of the loop and the short end should cross underneath the long end.  Take the short end and tuck it back through the loop (2).  Holding this end, carefully start to pull the other end to make the knot snug without crinkling it.  Start to flatten the knot and continue to pull the knot snug (3).  The goal is eliminate the gaps at the corners and form a tidy little pentagon.  Once the knot is tight, completely flatten it and trim the short end close to the edge of the pentagon.

If you leave gaps like this the star will be lopsided or lumpy

1. Fold the long tail across the little pentagon (5).  It should line up neatly along one edge (6).  Flip the whole thing over and repeat (7).  Continue flipping and folding until you get to the end of the paper (8).
2. Fold the little flap over and carefully tuck it in under the two layers that cross over it.  Ta-da!  You now have a cute little origami pentagon.

Eep! I really should have cut my nails.

If the tab at the end is too short or difficult to tuck in, trim it off and tuck in the new flap instead.

1. Lightly holding the little pentagon in one hand along the edges(9), with the other hand use your fingernail to push in the middle of one side (10).  (Pretend I have a tripod for my camera and I can use both hands for 10)  Repeat for the remaining four sides and magically your pentagon has transformed into a puffy little star.  If you want the points to be crisper, carefully pinch the tips (*).  Some people use pliers or tweezers for that part.
2. Repeat ad nauseum with more paper until you have gazillions of tiny stars.  They are much better in large quantities.  Just a warning, they aren’t hard to make, but can be time consuming if you make a lot.  However, it’s a nice activity while you are watching tv or something else mindless.

Troubleshooting

If the stars are crumpling when you try to push in the side, your paper is too thin and you should use longer strips so there are more layers.

If the sides are too stiff to push in, your paper is too thick.  Try making the strips shorter and if that doesn’t work, find a thinner paper.

And lastly, remember these are for fun and don’t have to be perfect to be cute.

That’s all for now folks.  Maybe I can get around to covering my adventures in canning soon.

Every now and then I find it important to have what I consider an “instant gratification” project.  Usually it’s the end of the week and my brain is through being creative, but I still want to make something.  Other times I use it as a pick-me-up when I get frustrated because a prototype has just epically failed or I’ve had another string of losing battles with my sewing machine.  It’s something that I know I can’t screw up and that is going to turn out fine even if everything else I’ve been working on has made me want to cry.    Ideally these projects are quick and entertaining, cheap as free (or nearly so), and don’t require any special tools or skills.  I’ve come up with many of these projects over the years, so this is the first of many in this theme.

This week’s project is actually the result of two things, just for fun and also a little bit of necessity.  I’ve been doing a lot of custom commissions lately and needed to unwind a bit.  I love custom work and coming up with new designs, but it is a bit brain taxing by the end of the week.  I’ve also been attempting to get a bit more organized.  I write lots of notes to myself, like new ideas for stuffed animals, important dates, tiny drawings for who knows what, and an assortment of other random information.  Unfortunately I usually write these things on any handy post-it note or scrap of paper within reach.  As you can imagine this leads to a disarray of scattered notes that is not particularly useful or organized.

This is on a good day

I’ve used this unkempt method for years, so I’m pretty adept at dealing with my “rat’s nest” method of filing, but I’m working on this whole “grown-up” thing.  I suppose the modern approach is to use the computer or fancy phone or even a planner to keep track of these things, but I like the more tactile approach.  The act of physically writing things down and list making are both very gratifying to me.  My first thought was to buy several of those tiny little pocket Moleskines.  I have a strange affection for tiny little books and they come in all sorts of wonderful colors.  Then I recalled that I didn’t really have the extra money to spend on an army of tiny notebooks, and I didn’t need to anyways.  I’ve had a book on bookmaking that I’d barely touched so why couldn’t I just make my own booklets?  Double plus bonus, I could make them basically for free and they are super easy!  Thus inspired I proceeded to make several of these handy booklets and I took lots of pictures so you can too.

Tiny Booklets 101

Materials

• 1 4×6″ rectangle of thick paper such as cardstock or thin cardboard like a cereal box
• 8 4×6″ sheets of regular paper like plain printer paper or lined notebook paper
• Sturdy thread, waxed if you can find it

Optional

• Beeswax to wax the thread
• Markers, paint, stamps, or whatever you want to decorate your book

Tools

• Scissors or a paper cutter
• Sewing needle, embroidery size is pretty good
• Awl or other pointy/pokey tool
• Ruler
• Bone folder, knitting needle, or your own fingernails
  

  Click to zoom in

A few notes on tools and materials: These instructions make a booklet that is 3×4″ big with 16 pages.  A sheet of 8 1/2x 11″ paper is enough for 2 4×6″ rectangles, so you would need one sheet of cardstock and 4 pieces of plain paper to make one book.  If you are creative you can make this all out of recycled materials like leftover scraps of paper and cardboard.  If you want to be a bit fancier, you could buy some of that scrapbooking paper that has all the pretty patterns and colors.  I didn’t feel like hunting down waxed thread, so I just used regular thread and ran it through some beeswax a couple of times.  If you don’t have beeswax either, it’s really not that important.

I don’t own an awl, so I improvised and switched out the blade of my exacto knife with a sturdy needle (like for embroidery).  This is a pretty handy tool for lots of other projects too.  I also don’t own bone folder, which is a traditional tool for paper folding, but I figured out that the tip of a knitting needle or something else hard like your fingernail works too.  And finally, if you want really even pages, a rotary cutter or paper cutter is great and makes things a lot quicker.

The Making

1. Fold all of your inner sheets and the cover paper in half.  I would recommend folding the inner paper separately from the cover.  Run a bone folder (or knitting needle or fingernail) along the folds so they are nice and crisp.  If you are using really thick paper or thin cardboard, you may want to score (lightly cut) down the middle before you fold.
   

   Look at that beautiful folding!

   

   The crisper the fold the flatter the book will be.

2. With the cover paper and the pages put together, poke three holes along the fold.  One should be in the middle and the others about a 1/2″ from the top and the bottom.  If your pokey tool is kind of thin like mine, wiggle it around a bit to make the holes a little bigger.  Make sure to put something like a phone book or a stack of newspaper under your booklet before this step so you don’t also put a hole in your table.
   

   Stabitty, Stab, Stab

3. Now it’s time to break out the needle and thread.  Thread your needle with 18-20″ of thread and DO NOT knot the end.  Starting from the inside of the booklet push the needle down through the center hole and pull the thread until only a couple of inches (or enough to comfortable tie off with) are left sticking out.  Keeping a hold of that tail, bring the needle back up through the top hole and then back down through the bottom hole, gently pulling up all the slack each time.  Finally, carefully poke the needle back up the middle hole, being careful not to poke through the thread that goes across the middle.  Gently pull up the slack again and trim to the same length as the beginning tail.
   

   This is where it begins

   

   The stitching should go in the numbered order

   

   Now you’re ready for knotting

4. With one tail to each side of the string down the center, tie the two ends together in a square knot over the middle.  Trim the tails however long you prefer, but don’t cut them all the way to the knot.  It’s very important that the knot be over the middle string so it can’t pull back through the hole.  If you don’t know how to tie a square knot, I’ve included some informative pictures.
   

   It is very important the knot is around this string.

   

   Remember, right over left, left over right

   

   This knot looks very similar, but isn’t as good

5. Technically the booklets are finished at this point, but I think they look better and will lay flatter if you leave them under something heavy (like a pile of textbooks) for a couple of days.  Just don’t forget where you left them unless you like surprise books.  I suppose that’s kind of fun too though.  After this, or before if you skip it, decorate to your heart’s content and enjoy!
   

   I like my tails kind of long

   

   View from the outside

   

   I tried one with pleather, but it curled up too much.

Like I said before, these books are very easy to put together and don’t take very much time either.  It’s a great way to use up scrap paper and I can be as creative or lazy as I want with them.  They are a very appropriate purse or pocket size and I can have a different one for each new purpose.  It has been very helpful for keeping track of hours I spend on my work, and all the different projects I’m supposed to be working on.   Now I have to decide what to do with this newest batch.  Or maybe I’ll go make some more.