Yummies

I'm taking a break from updating my shop because of the holiday. That, and my job has been busy. Excuses, I know. In celebration of the holiday weekend, though, I present to you a recipe I came up with Wednesday. It's based on another one, but I tweaked it to my preferences. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup canola oil (I use Smart Balance)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin, or cooked pureed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (mine were vegan)
1/4 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line two baking sheets, set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugars, oil, pumpkin and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in batches, folding to combine. Add the chocolate and cinnamon chips, folding to combine.
Drop batter by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets about one inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes, longer if you want a firmer cookie. Let cool on a wire rack or plate in a single layer.
Makes 32 cookies.

If you wanted to veganize the recipe, just omit the cinnamon chips, up the vegan chocolate chips to 3/4 cup, and up the ground cinnamon to 1 tsp. The vegan version has 150 calories per cookie, 6 grams of fat, and 24% of your Vitamin A needs. And they taste awesome.

Enjoy!

Happy Fourth of July!

To all my American readers: Have a safe, happy and firework-filled Fourth of July!

To my non-Americans: Enjoy your Friday!

Summertime fun

Summer still has an easy-going, "let's have fun!" vibe to me, even though I now spend it as any other working adult. Even in college, I would still come home to work during the hottest months. That means I haven't had a summer off in, oh, six years. I don't think that mentality ever really goes away, though.

Once the weather starts warming and the humidity sets in, I get bitten by the productivity bug. I want to take classes, eat healthier, see my brother and sister more often, go to the movies, clean the apartment (well, that one is rarer), go for walks, read books, etc. It's like the summer holds more possibilities than the rest of the year -- maybe it's the longer days? I'm working hard to fit everything I want to do in. I'm not sure it's even possible, but I will surely try.

Here are 10 goals for the rest of the summer. Some are a bit far-fetched, but at least that gives me something to strive for.

1. Swim once a week.
2. Ride a bike at least once.
3. Set up metalsmithing equipment at home.
4. Take a pottery class.
5. Complete three books.
6. Lose five pounds.
7. Go to the zoo.
8. Bake a vegan, gluten-free, low-sugar cake that doesn't taste like crap. (My little sister is on a celiac, egg-free, and low-sugar diet, and her birthday treats are always disgusting.)
9. Make tons of cool new jewelry.
10. Plan a fun birthday party for myself.

What about you? What are your summer plans?

Featuring . . . AliciaMae!

The EtsyBlogger for June is AliciaMae (also of AliciaMaePrints and RandomSupplies). She stays busy running three varied shops, maintaining her blog, and being a huge help for the EtsyBloggers team. She's in the middle of moving until mid-July, so her shops are currently empty. She's an eclectic artist, creating magnets, decorating jewelry boxes, taking photographs, and more. Mark her as a favorite, and check AliciaMae out when she's back on the Etsy scene.

Thank you for all you do for the team, lady!

Metal!

I LOVE my metalsmithing class. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. I wish I could go to it three times a week instead of just one. (That's not just because my instructor is a hottie either. Oops! Did I just write that?)

Yesterday, we completed our first project, a sterling-silver ring. I showed you the shaped and soldered version, but feast your eyes on the finished version:

Ooo, it's so sexy. You can see the soldered part towards the left, but I think I did a pretty good job of covering it, considering this is the first piece I've ever made. To achieve the final look, I filed down the pointiness from my novice soldering, rubbed it up with sandpaper, added texture with a chasing hammer (yet another reason to love those things), and then put it in a jewelry tumbler. I love it! Action shots:

Oooooooooooooo!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

I feel so accomplished. We're working on another ring and a silhouette pendant next time. Sooo fun!

Floral design

No, I'm not becoming a florist, though that sounds like tons of fun. I've been adding new floral-inspired pieces to my shop lately. Here they are:

In Bloom Earrings No.1

Princess in Purple Necklace

Metallic Flower Child Earrings

Go to my store to see them for yourself!

Crafty little critter

The truth is that I'm no great crafter or artist. I aspire to be, though, so I like to try my hand at everything. Jewelry was the first artsy/crafty thing I discovered a talent for, so I've stuck with it. I really do love it. I enjoy the entire process -- selecting beads, invisioning a design, sometimes sketching the design, assembling, bending, crimping, wrapping, and finally finishing. I feel so accomplished when I take a handful of beads and turn it into something totally unique. I also love wrapping wire and making my own findings, embellishments, and finished pieces. Wearing my own jewelry is one of my absolute favorites, too. It feels great to receive a compliment on something you created with your own two hands.

My second favorite craft is probably crocheting. I'm not near good enough to sell my crocheted pieces, but I love to create them. I learned to knit three years before I ever picked up a crochet hook, but I was never good at it. I have one scarf that looks nice enough to wear -- the rest look like total crap. I have great respect for skilled knitters, though. I find crocheting relaxing and rewarding. So far, I've really only made scarves, hats, snowflakes, two pairs of baby booties and one amigurumi.

I almost forget about bookbinding. I don't know if I love it more or less than crocheting, but it's so much fun. I like making little bitty ones as gifts. I made my friend a little travel guide to Italy and my boyfriend a book of reasons why I love him. I also do a bit of amateur photography (as evinced by my Memorial Day post), though I don't think that really counts as crafty.

My goal is to learn to do as much as I can. I'm two years out of college now but haven't taken a real art class since 7th grade. I've started signing up for everything I can afford and squeeze into my schedule. I'm working through lampwork bead making and metalworking now. I hope to take painting, wheel throwing (pottery), and maybe even a knitting class if I feel brave. I also need someone to show me how to use my sewing machine so I can start making bags, skirts, and eventually quilts.

One of my favorite ways to try new things is by doing swaps on Swap-Bot. There are a lot of "XYZ for beginners" swaps, and I've tried my hand at several things that way. That's how I learned about ATCs. After about a dozen of them, I've come to realize that I suck at them. Completely. I just don't have an eye for it. I have to make my first sock monkey for a swap soon -- I hope I don't crash and burn at that, too!

What about you? What's your favorite craft for just you? And is there anything you've totally failed at?