Get Under the Covers mix

It's extra long because I missed you guys last week!



Say My Name- SuperChunk
Cry Me a River- Glen Hansard
I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend to Dance- Kate Nash
Sleephead- Run Toto Run
I Want to Dance with Somebody- David Byrne
Kids- The Kooks
The Killing Moon- Pavement
Since U Been Gone/ Maps- Ted Leo
If You Leave- Nada Surf
Guns of Brixton- Nouvelle Vague



Create a playlist at MixPod.com

---

For more Mixtape Master madness, peep the playlists on these blogs:

Hi-Fi Weddings | Tylre. | Ten Thou Bride | Fashion Under 100 | Jo, Rooting | One Cat Per Person | another damn life | Savoir Weddings | Fancy Notion | Dead Flowers | Casa De Kaloi | Bunnies’n’Beagles | My San Francisco Budget Wedding | Existing Between Reality and Dreams

Be a Mixtape Master. Email Angie or Ashley to get in on it.

so I have a problem...

(what house wouldn't look better with this hanging in it?!? from here)

Megan mentioned yesterday that she wanted to see what I got for christmas. Well, I got lots of fun stuff like this, this, and this but I also got gift cards. Lord, I can be an awful awful shopper. Here's my dilemma: I try so hard to make purchases that are perfect aka good prices and things I really want/need that I end up not buying anything because I panic that I either don't need said thing or its too pricey. Now one of the gift cards I can use with my paypal so I thought 'yay! I can buy fun stuff off my etsy favorites list like this, this or this'. But no. It's hours later* (yes HOURS) and I have still not bought anything. Did I mention I have 37 pages of etsy favorites? yes, THIRTY FREAKIN SEVEN, which is 729 items. Yet, here I sit with my full gift card, freaking out. Am I alone? Does anyone else go through this??? Please tell me someone else is crazy like me.

*hours I didn't spend catching up on more blogs. sorry friends! today!

aaaand.... I'm back!

(image from here)

happy belated holidays, my friends! atleast, I'm early in wishing you a happy new years ey?

sorry for the blog absence, guys. how was everyone's holidays? festive? fun? did anyone get any rest? was everyone snowed in? I had a wonderful day, more like a wonderful week or so.Mine were indeed fun, festive & we did get snowed in. I loved it so much. I ate so much delicious food (the usual: ham, cookies, casseroles, more cookies) and got many sweet presents (including many pieces from this wonderful shop...what? you've never been? go check it out now! she is a dear friend of mine and her stuff is the best!)

other assorted holiday observations/happenings:
1-'i saw mommy kissing santa claus' has officially surpassed ' baby its cold outside' as creepiest holiday tune. first off, this kid singing is so psyched to tell his dad about this which I find confusing because what good will come of that? also, if his mom is smoochin santa I either feel like it is so this kid will get excellent gifts or its that Santa looks less like the Santa I picture and maybe more like James Franco with a beard?
2- anyone else know about this movie? my friend saw it & recommends it. I am curiously intrigued. be sure to watch the two shorts that inspired it, here and here.
3- along with my annual 'A Christmas Story' watching, we also watched 'Scrooged'. So good. I love Bill Murray so.
4- we stayed in alot since the actual holiday was so busy so we decided to start watching a new show (new to us not to the rest of the world). We started Weeds. I'm hooked. I am actually interested in all the characters which rarely happens. I especially like the youngest son.
5- how many times can I listen to this song before I get sick of it? I'll let you know when I get sick of it.

5 items is good for a list. let's leave it at that. now to catch up on my google reader....

hey, remember me?

(image from my christmas mix...it has mumford & sons, ray lamontagne, florence & the machine & much more more! well... 7 more)

Sorry I've been m.i.a.! I've been making tons of gifts/stressin' about Christmas. Here are some things I've made:

NO PEEKING FAMILY/FRIENDS (LIZ! STOP PEEKING)

-hot chocolate on a stick
-spice cookies
-pumpkin syrup
-recipe cards
-stationery (my mom likes to take photographs, so I used some of those)
-nutella
-citrus salt (orange zest + lemon zest + kosher salt)
-lavender sugar (dried lavender + sugar)

things I haven't made:
-stockings (this is not going to work out in time, thank goodness I'm a gift bag hoarder and have plenty of those!)
-christmas village (maybe finish this next year?)
-wreaths (next year???)

things I failed at:
-glittering lemon sandwich cookies (the frosting ran EVERYWHERE...they look a mess but taste good)

things still to make/do:
-vanilla bean caramels
-put labels/instructions on gifts
-finish stringing ornaments
-finish air plant ornaments (air plants + a little moss + baby food jar or small jar...can't find the tutorial link... I think its from Better Homes & Gardens?)
-mini books
-eggnog cookies
-gingerbread biscotti
-dog/cat treats
-finish Ryan's gifts

and I'm sure there's more I forgot....wish me luck in finishing this insanity! I'll be back Friday for a holiday themed mixtape masters!*

*also, fellow bloggers, I owe you a zillion comments. will try to catch up soon!

Friday Mix: Some Concerts I've Been to

I thought it would be fun to make a mix of concerts I have gone to but it was tricky since it would require me to reuse a lot of the artists I've used already in these mixes (The Cure, David Bowie, Death Cab for Cutie, etc). So here are some other random concerts I've been to! Enjoy!



Busey Boy- Corn Mo*
Get Over It- OkGo**
Dr. Feelgood- Motley Crue***
How It Should Be- Ben Kweller
Why Does the Sun Shine?- They Might Be Giants
Steven's Last Night in Town- Ben Folds Five****
Once Around the Block- Badly Drawn Boy




Create a playlist at MixPod.com

For more Mixtape Master madness, peep the playlists on these blogs:

Ashley | Angie | Tyler | Lizzie | Dana | Jolynn | Lisa | Lyn | Josie | Kerry | Holley | Stephanie | Ms. Bunny | Sarah | Heather | Robin

Be a Mixtape Master. Email Angie or Ashley to get on the list.

* he opened for someone, maybe TMBG? anyways, he was hysterical but the only thing I could find on mixpod was a performance from Jimmy Kimmel
** another opener, forget who I saw them with. I thought 'hey these guys are pretty fun!" even before I knew how well they could dance on treadmils!
*** to my best recollection, they played this song TWICE when I saw them
****I've seen him a couple times minus the Five but I love this song

also, sorry for the lack of post yesterday. You can find some great DIY gifts here, here, here and here

kind of cheating - 2 more DIYs

(image via design crush)

so not sure how clear I made this, these are OLD DIYs for me (for the most part, I wrote in 'angry' letters to stop reading if it was new). So if you were trying to sneak a peek of your gift this year, you are out of luck! ha ha. that being said, heres a couple super easy gifts with time running out:

Vanilla Sugar

vanilla bean (buy in bulk on ebay!)
1 cup sugar

split bean & put in sugar. store in fancy mason jar. use in any recipe that you need vanilla extract & sugar...and in your coffee. you can also make a version using dried lavender.

Christmas Sugar!

zest of 1 lime or a couple chopped mint leaves
freeze dried strawberries
1 cup sugar

leave mint or lime out to dry. then put dried pieces in spice grinder & pulse. mix into sugar.store in fancy mason jar. use for fancy sugar cookies. you can do a similar version with lemon, but those are not festive enough colors for me.

2 DIYs, 11 Days left

(hey Lisa, its Santa. Christmas is only 11 days away, hurry the eff up with yo gifts)

Jingle Mouse Ornament*

First, download the pattern. Download Jinglemouse

Cut out your pieces--here's what you need:
Wool felt for head, ears, tail and bottom Calico for body
Bell for nose
Embroidery thread for face
4" long ribbon for loop
Polyfil stuffing

Sew the head to the body, nose down on the right side facing of the calico.
Flip head part up, iron flat and fold over the sides of the body.
Pin together, right sides facing. Don't forget to pin your loop inside, too. I place mine about halfway up the head piece.
Turn it right side out.
Stuff its little sausage body.
Once you've got it nice and firm, start sewing on the bottom circle. Having the scalloped (or pinked would be nice too) edges helps keep the stitches evenly spaced and hides kooky sewing. Don't forget to tuck in the end of the tail near the back seam! (I only say this because I've done it, myself)
Now your mouse is ready for ears. I like to pinch them in half and sew them with a few stitches at the end to form them before I stitch them on the body.Stitch them to the body, on either side of the loop.
Sew on bell to tip of nose.
Using three strands of embroidery thread, sew eyes (either straight stitches or french knots will do) and a little mouth (like an upside-down "Y") if you like.
This pattern makes a lean little mouse about 5" tall. For a more petite rodent, shorten the body portion of the pattern and make the base circle smaller, as well. You could make a whole family! Eek!

Silhouette Picture**
Step 1: Create your template.
Step 2: Cut out your pattern
Step 3: Make your Frame
Step 4: Cutting the Background Once your frame is dry, you will want to trace it's size onto a red piece of poster board. This one I am using is like a textured paper, not shiny like regular poster board. Once you have measured the frame, then cut along that line
Step 5: Connect the Glue Dots
Step 6: Stick it to 'um Once you have all the glue dots on the back, you want to line up the bottom and stick down the silhouette onto the red paper.
Step 7: Prepare the frame Now you want to put the glue dots all along the back of the frame.
Step 8: Last step Now you want to stick the entire background onto the frame, making sure to line up the sides and top and bottom. Once the glue sticks, you cant move it around, so try to be as accurate as possible!

Now flip it over and find somewhere awesome to put it for your holiday!

*I made this as cat/dog toys
**I used a family picture

it's been a while...

(my poor tree is still only half decorated, maybe I should make this....image from here)

sorry for the lack of posts lately, folks. 'tis the crazy season. I have been up to stuff* (I swear) like:
* making gnocchi & a cardboard christmas village with a good friend (it just needs some glitter & voila! I will post pictures! oh, by the way, I mean the village needs glitter but not the food. But investing in edible glitter is not a bad idea to liven up the workweek meals...)
* visiting a dear friend who lost her home recently
* competing in a cupcake bake off (I didn't win but did get the eat cupcakes for lunch yesterday, so aren't I the real winner in the end??)
* participated in a yankee swap ( we got books! I got a cookbook and Ryan got this and this)
* visited good friends for dinner for some old school stroganoff & lots of laughing until I cry
* finished a chunk of holiday gift shopping
* made & addressed the christmas cards

so to play catch up this week I am going to (try) to post everyday 2 DIYs. Today since I didn't post any Friday through Sunday, here is a slew of them:

Snowglobes
glycerin (you can find small bottles at Michaels)
glitter!
small jars (like baby food)
small figurines

Fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water; add a pinch of glitter and a dash of glycerin to keep the glitter from falling too quickly. Don't add too much, or the glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar when it's flipped. Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine. Turn the jar over and back again -- and let it snow (ha ha I copy and pasted this from MS's site and had to leave in the cheesy end instructions)

Finger puppets**
Fleece
Bowl filled with hot, soapy water (4 tablespoons of dye-free liquid dishwashing detergent to 6 cups of water)
Bowl filled with cool water
Felt
Scissors
Hot glue
Finger puppet template

Felted Finger Puppets How-To
1. Wrap fleece in layers around finger. Use the index finger on the hand you don't write with. The wool should be snug but not tight. Add wool until you can't feel your knuckles through it. (The soft wool should be about 1/8-inch thick when pressed.)

2. Dip your wool-wrapped finger into hot, soapy water, and press with the fingertips of your other hand; dip and squeeze until the fibers seem to hold together.

3. Rinse in cool water when done; let dry.

4. Ears, wings, and similar pieces can be cut from store-bought felt; use the finger puppet template, enlarging or reducing them if necessary. You may need a lot of glue to make these features stick, since felt is absorbent.

Herb Infused Honey***
honey
herbs (I used rosemary, lavender or thyme work good too)
put herbs in honey. let steep at least 5 days. give them as gifts with herbs inside since it looks fancy.

Quote jar
random quotes
nice jar
any assorted craft pieces for decorating jar
my mom is big into inspirational quotes. I printed out a bunch & cut them up and fold them in half. I filled a fancy jar with them. it gave her enough facebook statuses for a year.

* one thing I haven't done but need to do is catch up on blogs. sorry friends! I promise I will be commenting soon.
** these are the serious directions, I just sewed some felt together and they came out fine.
***these are nice gifts with tea. I made a friend a "tea wreath" by hotglueing plastic tea packets in a wreath shape enough to hold them together but not so secure that she couldn't take it apart and drink them (I used a wire base).

mass college of rock mix

this week has been full of little triumphs but was overshadowed by a good friend of mine's house burning down. she is an amazing person & we've been friends half our lives. heather, I love you dear, things will get better soon. please keep her and her family in your thoughts.

so in honor of heather (who rocks) here is a rockin mix. I couldn't figure out a good theme so it is just a bunch of songs that remind me of living in the city, during my college days.


Aprils Fools- Rufus Wainwright
Golden Touch- Razorlight
Gyroscope- The Dismemberment Plan*
Staring at the Sun- TV on the Radio
Natural Disasters- Enon
I Was Born (A Unicorn)- The Unicorns
Jenny- The Mountain Goats



Create a playlist at MixPod.com

---

For more Mixtape Master madness, peep the playlists on these blogs**:

Hi-Fi Weddings | One Cat Per Person | Tylre. | Ten Thou Bride | Fashion Under 100 | Jo, Rooting | another damn life | Savoir Weddings | Fancy Notion | Dead Flowers | Casa De Kaloi | Bunnies’n’Beagles | My San Francisco Budget Wedding | Existing Between Reality and Dreams

Be a Mixtape Master. Email Angie or Ashley to get in on it.


* this goes out to Lizzie & Isaiah. Also, I had a dream I "ran" into you guys last night and you asked me to do your hair for the wedding. I woke up before I saw how it ended!
** also, please note: I am having issues with peoples' links. once you click on them, just remove the extra " at the end of the web address and you should get there! sorry about this!

not procrastinating...I swear!

well.... maybe a little*


without further ado, here's your daily DIY:

Limoncello**
(makes about 2 quarts)

11 lemons
1 bottle 160-proof vodka, or grain alcohol
3 cups sugar
3 cups boiling-hot water

1. Peel strips of zest from lemons using a vegetable peeler; reserve lemons for another use. Put zest and vodka in an airtight container; let stand at room temperature at least 2 days (or up to 1 week).

2. Stir together sugar and the hot water until sugar is dissolved; let cool. Stir sugar mixture into vodka mixture; refrigerate in an airtight container 1 day.

3. Before serving, pour through a large sieve into a decanter or serving vessel; discard zest. Pour 2 ounces limoncello into each glass. Limoncello can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container up to 3 months.

...and a bonus one! (well not really since I didn't post yesterday):

Lip Balm

3 teaspoons grated unbleached beeswax

5 teaspoons carrier oil (sunflower, castor, or jojoba)
6 or 7 drops essential oil***
1 teaspoon honey

1. Melt the beeswax and carrier oil together in the top of a double boiler, stirring to combine. Remove from heat; add honey and essential oil. Mix thoroughly so the honey does not clump.

2. To add a little color, stir in a tiny dab of lipstick with a coffee stirrer. Pour the mixture into containers; let sit 20 minutes before covering or moving. For glossier lip balm, use 2 teaspoons wax and 8 teaspoons carrier oil.

*this is hopefully our christmas card picture for this year (needs a little tweaking). you like? do you like my shoes? they were $1.75! also I can't take a good photo to save my life. 'blink detected' is the basic summary of every photo of me. I can't help it! my chubby cheeks cover my eyes!
** IKEA sells perfect bottles for gifting this. also, people love this because it tastes good and makes them seem fancy since it is Italian. for fancier results throw the word 'Tuscan' in front of it. thats what the OG does and it seems to work for them.
*** I used peppermint. also, be sure to make some for yourself! you'll be sad if you don't.

playing catch up- 3 DIYs!

WARNING: Don't read if you want to know what I'm making you this year...

That being said. I spent all of yesterday making gifts (also, messing one up and re-making said gift). Here is what I made:


peppermint soap* (for everyone's stockings)

• 2 packages soap, 1 clear & 1 white**
• 1 loaf pan
  
• cooking spray
  
• peppermint extract (you can do any scent you want)
  
• food coloring (I used red but again any you want)
• transparent wrap (for wrapping)
  

melt small pieces of the soap at a time (I melted about fox small pieces at once). spray a loaf pan. if you are making the colored layer, mix in some drops of color and a couple drops of extract. mix & pour into pan. let set 20 minutes. score with a fork to help next layer adhere. alternate colors. wait 4 hours atleast to unmold loaf pan. cut into slices or cubes. I recommend leaving a little clear soap aside, when I unmolded the soap some of the layers didn't adhere so well, so I melted down more clear soap and used it like glue.

car crayons (for my little cousin)

• boxes of cheap crayons
• mold (I used a car mold, found out michaels in candy making aisle)
  
• glass jars/ tin cans, cleaned
• cooking spray
  
• disposable plate
• box/tin (for gifting)
  

take paper off crayons & break into small pieces. put pan of water on stove and simmer cans/jars of crayons until melted. spray molds. pour in colors & let set, atleast 30 minutes (if they do break you can melt them and reset). if you are using the michaels candy molds, put a plate under the molds because the colors will run off. unmold & place in nice tin/box!


peppermint liquor (for my father in law and friends; the liquor are the clear jars, those brown bottles are this)
makes 4 cups, I doubled the recipe (I'm also making this in a couple weeks)

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil OR 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 3 cups Vodka
• mason jars (storage), nice bottles (gift, I found some cheap ones at homegoods)
  

--Make sugar syrup: in small saucepan, combine water and sugar; over medium heat, cook until sugar is dissolved and liquid is clear--approx. 5 min. Let cool completely.
--Into a sterile quart jar with tight fitting lid, pour vodka, sugar syrup, and peppermint oil or extract. Stir well. Store in cool, dark place, allowing it to steep for 2 weeks. Turn jar upside down every 2-3 days to mix, or remove lid and stir. Transfer to smaller sterile bottles, if desired.

* I made one other soap related projects & started a couple more, but I got to spread these DIY posts out :)
** you can also grate any white or clear soap and use this instead

2 Legit 2 Quit mix

happy friday all! heres your mix (don't act like you don't LOVE the Phil Collins song)



Two Birds- Regina Spektor
Song 2- Blur
Between Two Lungs- Florence and the Machine
Two Weeks- Grizzly Bear
Waltz #2- Elliot Smith
Two Headed Boy- Neutral Milk Hotel
Two Tickets to Paradise- Eddie Money
Love Me Two Times- The Doors
Two Hearts- Phil Collins




Create a playlist at MixPod.com

---

For more Mixtape Master madness, peep the playlists on these blogs:

Hi-Fi Weddings | One Cat Per Person | Tylre. | Ten Thou Bride | Fashion Under 100 | Jo, Rooting | another damn life | Savoir Weddings | Fancy Notion | Dead Flowers | Casa De Kaloi | Bunnies’n’Beagles | My San Francisco Budget Wedding | Existing Between Reality and Dreams

Be a Mixtape Master. Email Angie or Ashley to get in on it.

guest postin'

in lieu of a post blabbing on about my christmas shopping thus far, check me out over at lizzie & isaiah's place today.

today's DIY:

Homemade Marshmallows*

Makes 24

• Vegetable oil, for brushing
• 4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with oil. Line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Brush parchment with oil; set aside.
2. Put granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, without stirring, until mixture registers 238 degrees.on a candy thermometer, about 9 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer; sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes.
4. Attach bowl with gelatin to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. With mixer on low speed, beat hot syrup into gelatin mixture. Gradually raise speed to high; beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Set aside, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours.
5. Sift 1 cup confectioners' sugar onto a work surface. Unmold marshmallow onto confectioners' sugar; remove parchment. Lightly brush a sharp knife with oil, then cut marshmallow into 2-inch squares. Sift remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and roll each marshmallow in the sugar to coat. Marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.

* add toasted coconut or peppermint; you can also add food coloring, just swirl it in after you pour the mix into the dish...if you make these, trust me, people will be psyched & they are surprisingly easy!

Happy Hanukkah!

(image from here)

and in keeping with the daily DIYs:

SOCK DOG

*Pair of socks
*Stuffing needle and thread
*Pipe cleaners (for tail, ears, and antlers)

*Large button with two holes or a pom-pom (for nose) 2 small buttons (for eyes)

I was going to post all the directions here but it is much easier with visuals so I recommend you go here if you want to make this. Its very cute and excellent for little kids or for adults who are like little kids or for people who don't want to clean up after a real dog.