Best Cupcakes EVER

Cupcake cravings come after dinner. Why are do all my favorite cupcake bakeries close at seven? So I was compelled to make these, by powers greater than myself. You must make them also. Right now. Seriously. You won't regret it.

Here's the fabulous, easy, delicious, recipe: Paula Dean's Red Velvet Cupcakes. I subbed 1/2 cup oil for a stick of butter, and I used the cream cheese frosting recipe from Baking Illustrated, and man, these are delicious cupcakes.



And pretty. And maybe a little Canadian.

LOLCross-Stitch Pouch

This was also for my Great Geek Swap partner.



I have been embroidering (or trying to) for a while now, but this is my first cross stitch. I learned the basics from this page. I thought it really had to be cross stitch for the subversive factor, and I had some evenweave fabric from the Black Mage project (his hat)(and is it possible to link to that project too many times?{answer: No!})



Initially, I wanted it to be a wall hanging, but I made a mistake in my measurements and it no longer fit into the frame I had in mind. So I made it into an impromptu bag, using the microsuede and cording from my chair recon and the fringe from my BSG (not nipple) pillows.

I wish I had seen this awesome zippered pouch tutorial before I started, because it explains how to do it all by machine. I hand sewed the lining in because I wasn't sure how to work it with the machine, and well... it would have been better this way. I'm not the prettiest hand sewer. So, next time! It's still cute on the outside, right?

Tardis Tissue Box Cozy

UPDATE: This blog post has gone around some, which is awesome, but I know these instructions are a little fly-by-night. If you want any help please feel free to comment and I will respond.

Allons-y! -Jessica

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It had to be done. It's so obvious that it's even been done before. This is my interpretation, made for the Great Geek Swap. My swapper partner likes Dr. Who.



The BBC has actually copyrighted the TARDIS design, which is one of those interesting copyright oddities since clearly this "design" was just borrowed from actual police boxes designed for the London PD. Whatever, I'm not selling this.

Supplies:
20x20" Fusible interfacing
1/4 yd Dark denim
1/4 yd lining
Silver Satin (scraps)
Embroidery floss (white and navy)
Print n Press transfer paper (dark fabric)
Sewing Machine, denim needle & navy thread
Bead for top light
1 5.5x5.5" cardboard square

I wanted to do a more detailed HOWTO, but my process got changed and convoluted somewhere along the way so this is the best I can muster. Here's the basic template for the sides:


This should be about the size of the larger side of your tissue box. All the blue is one piece, and the dark blue sections form the top pieces. A base piece the size of the light blue area is also needed.

And here's the sign I used (with Print n Press transfer paper). Print this out for use on one of the denim base (door) pieces.



First step: cut interfacing into shapes based on template, then iron onto the denim. Notice one of the sides has to be split in half, for the door.



Next, cut them apart, cut open the "windows" and baste the window seams under. Topstitch the window pieces on top of strips of satin, and the base pieces. Then sew the sections together, with the "doors" on either end. After this I topstitched four corner pieces over the seams.



Embroidered "Police Public Call Box" labels. The window grids are also (very simply) embroidered.



I cut out a square piece of denim big with sides the length of one of the panels. As tissue boxes are not square, this did not fit exactly, but the cloth was forgiving. I sewed this to the top of my panels.

I added a lining to hide the embroidery mess on the inside. This was done by sewing together a lining in the same shape as the denim exterior, then sewing it to the denim, right sides together, and flipping it inside out.


It would have been more awesome if I had found a lining fabric that had a big polka dot pattern like the inside of the actual TARDIS... but I already had this, and I like money. Both of these fabrics are leftover from a certain other cozy project.

Almost done - just some last minute tailoring. I hand sewed the embroidered signs on at this stage.



The top is just five pieces of fabric sewn together and then hand stitched to the top. It is tightly stuffed so it could be used as a pin cushion if you are so inclined to have a pin cushion on top of your tissue box. The "light" is a clear bead tied on with embroidery floss.



The base is made by sewing denim around a piece of reclaimed cardboard, and then hand sewn to the cozy. I made the base in the actual dimensions of the tissue box (rather than square) and then just pushed the fabric around until it fit properly.



Some final product detail shots.





There really is a tissue box in there.





I love the otherworldly glow in this shot:



I also made a Dr. Who card, which I colored with a highlighter and a green marker. David Tennant, incidentally, looks like an older Scottish version of my brother. Who in turn looks like an older, American version of Daniel Radcliffe.

Gold Flats, for Cheap

A rather long time ago I saw a pair of gold flats at the Skechers outlet in Encino for ten dollars. I debated over whether or not to buy them for far too long, and somehow I decided (quite incorrectly) to not buy them.

Since then I have uncontrollably desired a pair of gold flats, but have been unwilling to pay more than ten dollars for them, for obvious reasons. So I decided to make my own.


Okay, not make... refurbish. I used gold leather paint I bought from Ebay for five dollars, and then I made some shoe clips from some gold and silver beads I had in my stash.

The beat up old flats, before:


The beaded flower, which I did not do in any particularly correct way, in detail:


The purple thing is a hair clip I appropriated for holding the flower. This means these shoe clips could also go in my hair... if I so choose.

Best. Craftster Challenge. Ever.

(above cozy by Craftster user defaultbunny).

Craftster just announced their next challenge, called Cozies with Irony. Yes! I love silly cozies! What should I do for this contest??

Comic Con 08.... more!

Some new (last?) pics from me and flickr.


Me and Geoff with some random steam punk awesome.


This Jayne hat (from Firefly) may have been the most common bit of geek apparel at the con. This one was interesting because it was a knit/crochet hybrid.


A much more involved Firefly homage... Kaylee's fancy dress.


Baltar with J. Michael Straczynski (creator of B5). Geoff always manages to feel foolish in front of this man... perhaps it is the costumes?


An enthusiastic Phoenix Wright. Phoenix Wright is a wacky lawyer game on the Nintendo DS.


Dr. Strange, the Sorceror Supreme. I've always kind of wanted to dress Geoff up in this costume... to laugh at him. I mean, I'm not laughing at this guy, this guy is rad, I just think Geoff as Dr. Strange would be off-the-hook hilarious for some reason.

From Flickr:


I like my evil red eyes in this one. Like in the random box set art! You can also see my (scrapbook paper) bracelet really well, and enjoy how badass Geoff's jacket is. I had to adapt the pattern from a women's coat pattern (Butterick) and it turned out pretty well.


This is my favorite pose of Geoff's. He looks very studious, like he truly is a brilliant scientist plagued by guilt at having accidentally killed billions of people. And I am truly... tired. Good enough.

Craft Mafia Tonight

This picture has nothing to do with anything.

Los Angeles Craft Mafia meeting tonight!

Los Angeles Craft Mafia
Tuesday July 29th at 7pm-10pm
Saints and Sinners Lounge
10899 Venice Blvd
W. Los Angeles, Ca 90034
www.SaintsAndSinnersLounge.net

I'm bringing friendship bracelet stuff, so if you have an urge to relive summer camp, check it. Or not! Maybe next time :)

Flickr Costume Search, part 1

One of the rituals post-cosplay is looking for pictures of me on Flickr and hoping they are not too awful.

Here's a happy one.



I had a lot of trouble finding the right expression/pose. Here's one of me doing a Paris Hilton.



And, the more standard "sullen stare."



Aye... more later!

Comic Con 08, part 1

Ok, so that happened! Ha. Comic Con is over. I spend so much time preparing for this thing and it is over so quickly. We never get to go to as many panels as we intend, but somehow it is still fun. We did not get into the Dollhouse panel, for example, but this was a boone, because while still outside waiting in line for the Battlestar Galactica panel, we saw Ron Moore, and he was nice enough to pose with us.



Oh, hey, look! Our costumes! I ended up scrapping the foam jewelry and making new "jewelry" out of mirrored scrap book paper. Much better in photography (shiny!).

Some more awesome costumes:



Alien. Dude had a working mouth... thingy.



Unfortunately this picture is out of focus, but this is Princess Peach and Captain Falcon, Smash Bros edition. Note the frying pan.



Flycatcher, from Fables. I love how this guy really looks like him. Someday I should maybe dress up as a character I actually look like, instead of really tall supermodels.

More later, just wanted to let everyone know I survived this cosplay!

Friends 4 Eva!

There was an article in the L.A. Times last Sunday, in the Image section, about how "Camp" was a current trend in summer style, a blend of safari and summer camp nostalgia. There was a bit about friendship bracelets, how glorified, designer friendship bracelets are being sold in trendy shops for too much money.

The article was kind enough to remind readers how to make the simple bracelets. If you don't remember, look here. I had a bunch of embroidery floss on hand, so I made one. They are charming, aren't they?

Last Weekend

Almost done with the Baltar and Six costumes, just need to avoid distraction and finish up (see above). Distraction does not include The Dark Knight, which we will not miss this weekend. We leave for Comic Con on Friday.

and me without a costume

(photo above by Flickr user djwu)

I went to Anime Expo this last weekend (or whenever it was now)(wait, where am I?). My friend Derek works for anime DVD distributor Media Blasters ("More than just Hentai!"), and he got us exhibitor passes, gratis. These passes had super powers; we were allowed to walk the wrong way in one way lanes.

My husband assured me that this was a professional convention, more trade show than Comic Con. Um, no!! Anime fans are the craziest cosplayers. They will cosplay for anything! See above.

Their was a much higher ratio of cosplayers/civilians than at Comic Con, and I felt a bit undressed. So many people in costume, and me just in my khakis. What anime character would I cosplay as? I have no idea. But Geoff did get me this Naruto sleeping cap, cuteness.



Ah, that's better.

Kawaii Cupcakes

Martha Stewart hosted a Cutest Cupcake Contest recently. The above is my favorite (it was a finalist but did not win). I like it because it is ingenious, but looks like anyone could make it, and does not contain fondant (guess what I don't like). I'm guessing the "dirt" is crumbled chocolate cookie, and the plant is your standard sprig of mint. Brilliant!

Have been crafting diligently myself, but nothing to post right now. Comic-Con approaches!