What’s Inside

What was inside the amazing box I made for my brother’s birthday? Well, now that the day has passed, I can show you.

 

This little fellow!

I combined the money I was going to spend on my brother’s birthday present with his allotted Christmas money (plus a little extra) to get him something great. So, for his birthday, I had to choose a less expensive option.

I saw something like this at Crafty Wonderland last week and had two thoughts: 1) “I should get that for my brother; he loves owls!” and 2) “I could make that!” So he gets a little handmade owl ornament. I even found some simple instructions (and more really cute pictures).

On the tree

Wrapping

While we’re on the subject of Christmas gifts, let me just say I really like wrapping presents. I like to wrap creatively and think about how to wrap my gifts according to the person they are going to. It can take a long time when perfectionism sets in. But then I get lazy and they don’t really look all that perfect.

Sometimes I end up with store-bought wrapping paper, sometimes I make a box, sometimes I simply use a brown paper bag and yarn.

Brown paper packages tied up with string

Sometimes there is even enough brown paper left to make a gift tag to match after the fashion of these.

And a gift tag to match

I hope that you didn’t click on that link and compare my uneven stitches to those perfect ones. I should probably work on making my stitches more even. Or I could claim that these have more character. We’ll go with that claim.

Boxing

We didn’t have boxes the right size for a couple of my Christmas presents. Undeterred, I decided to make a few.

An empty cereal box and these instructions were just right to disguise my sister’s Christmas present. She is notorious for discovering what her gifts are ahead of time, so wrapping it in a box may slow her down just a bit.

For my brother’s birthday rapidly approaching, I pulled a spin the whole “wrap it in the comics” idea and made this little box. Yes, you see Calvin and Hobbes. Yes, it is made from the cover of a comic book. No, your present probably isn’t coming in a hand-made Calvin and Hobbes box (as cool as that would be).

Minus the actual present

When I saw the discarded cover of a comic book in the recycling, I immediately saw the potential. Who needs to buy card stock when a repurposed book cover will do? Take something practically useless and use it to create something practical.

Calvin and Hobbes Gift Box? Yes.

And what could be better than Calvin and Hobbes and dinosaurs? Just wait till you see what’s inside…

It’s Christmastime in the City

Christmas Tree Bokeh!

Now that finals are over and Christmastime is here, I am in the mood for crafts. Although Bake It has been the focus of most of my posts thus far, stay tuned for more Make It coming up.

Image shot under the instruction of, with the camera of and edited by Sea Dream Imaging. Become a fan.

To Relax, I Bake Biscuits

I am somewhere in the middle of at least 41 straight days of school, work or both. Hence, I have not had as much time to cook as I would like. When class finished early on Wednesday, however, I decided to use the extra time to bake.

To relax, I bake biscuits from scratch

 

Pasta with Summer Vegetables

So I saw this recipe in the newspaper, thought it looked good, and decided to make it. But I didn’t want to turn on the oven to roast vegetables for only two people at home. And I didn’t have all of the ingredients it called for. And I decided to add some other ingredients. So maybe the only part of the recipe that I actually followed was to “add a seasoning of choice, for example Italian Seasoning.” I added Italian Seasoning.

Pasta with Summer Vegetables

Although not my favorite pasta dish, it turned out pretty good. Many of the ingredients are the same used in making Ratatouille, simply chopped and served differently.

Using a variety of summer vegetables as desired, saute in olive oil:

• 3 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 small zucchini, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped (add toward end)

Season with:

• salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning (or other seasoning of choice)
• plenty of fresh basil (add just before serving)

Meanwhile, cook pasta of choice.

Serve vegetables over pasta or mix together if desired. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Sick and Tired

I have not been baking so much this past week, because I spent a fair portion of it sick with a cold. Not the worst form of illness, but still unpleasant coming at the same time as school exams.

The main food preparation I performed was making myself hot lemonade a number of times.

Hot Lemonade

A time-honoured drink, a combination of honey and lemon juice mixed into boiling water soothes a sore throat and makes an excellent hot drink for a sick girl on a chilly day.

Worth Repeating

Some baked goods are worth repeating.

Another Apple Danish

 

When my sister came to visit, I baked another Apple Danish to welcome her back. A great opportunity to implement some of my improvement ideas from last time.

It had been about six months since I’d last seen my sister, so I figured the occasion was worth a bit of effort.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Going to school all day, I often need to bring lunch and dinner with me.  Although I like peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, sometimes I want to eat something different. I don’t have access to either a refrigerator or a microwave, so whatever I bring I will eat at room temperature, sometimes after several hours.

This week, to supplement a chicken and feta sandwich to eat shortly after arriving at school, I made a cucumber and tomato salad.

Cucumber and tomato salad

With inspiration from similar Greek salads, I combined the following:

• 1/2* cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• 3 small tomatoes, sliced
• 1 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
• 5 fresh mint leaves, torn
• 3 Tbsp plain yogurt
• salt and pepper

Gently stir all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Please note, I did not actually measure anything. These amounts are estimations and easily adaptable to taste.

Dinner Alone

With all of the family either working or out of town, I found myself alone and hungry for dinner. Looking for something simple and tasty, I incorporated a few leftovers and cooked vegetables and pasta.

Dinner: garden green beans, crispy kale, pasta with chicken and white sauce