Chocolate Bowls

I realize that blogging is an online journal, and therefore should be easier to use since I belong to the generation of technology, but I have to admit it is not that easy to get on and update very frequently. So, after nearly six months…I am here again…finallyJ.  I do not have a ton to report on as the last few months have consisted of studying and pretending to care about my teachers opinions on life in order to receive a fair grade.  The most that has happened was my decision to change majors. I had been planning on going into the Speech Pathology program this upcoming semester but recently decided it was not the right career for me. SO… now that school is starting up again and I have no idea what I really want to do, I have decided to take elective courses that could go into any major and learn more about myself, what I like and what I would like to learn. 

This break from school has been particularly helpful in this “quest” of mine. I have had time to actually read books. I have always loved to read but have never had time with my crazy schedules of work, church and school. Within the last two weeks I have been able to read 5 books, which was quite fun! I started by reading the Uglies series which was pretty good and then started on the Hunger Games and have just began the third of the three. I have to admit that the Hunger games are a little disturbing but they sure draw the reader in, which makes for a good book.

I have also had a desire to learn how to cook. I have never really been a great cook, but always admired those with the skills. So, I have enrolled in a cooking class at school and have already begun to find new recipes and try them out. One of my latest creations was a chocolate bowl filled with Gelato Ice Cream and topped with peppermint and blackberries. 

Before I go on, I must admit that I am one of those kinds of people who draws inspiration from movies or Television when making a craft, or in this case food.  This particular dessert I found on a You Tube post and decided that as a full pledged chocolate addict, I HAD to learn how to make it.

The guy in the video used some hi-tech and probably really expensive machine to melt his chocolate and keep it at just the right temperature, but seeing as how I am pretty cheap and wanted something a little simpler, I decided to use the next best method. I always thought melting chocolate in the microwave was the way to go, but I found melting the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot partly filled with boiling water results in smoother and more consistent chocolate.

I wish I would have taken a picture of this counter before I cleaned it.  I was too impatient to wait for the chocolate to cool down and stuck my balloon into the still warm chocolate which resulted in the balloon exploding and sending globs of chocolate all over me, the counter and halfway across the kitchen floor….smart right? :) So, my only advice would be to wait at least 10 minutes (stirring occasionally) for the chocolate to cool before dipping the balloons.

You can use the chocolate bowls for really anything like nuts, candy, chocolate mousse, but I prefer to use Vanilla Gelato ice cream (which I get from Safeway), and top it with a few black berries and a little peppermint for garnish.

And yes, it was fabulously delicious!

New Clothes

Two events occurred in the past week. One, I realized that I have very little money for school which means I have practically nothing to spend on clothes. Two, I found the coolest blog about a woman who makes a dress every day with a budget of  $1 for the materials per outfit (http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/). So, I decided I could be as cool as her and made some of my own clothing out of thrift store pajamas. While they are nothing compared to her fashionable and well put together clothing, I am pretty proud to say I now own a skirt and a dress that I crafted together using less than $10.

Beads, Fabric and a Little Crying Girl

For some crazy reason I decided to start a blog about me and my passion for creating. Give me 3 random objects and there is a pretty good possibility I can take those things and turn them into something great and useful. I think this all began when I was 8 years old and was threatened about an event that occurred. I had received a wonderful box of beads (the kind of box that has about 30 different beads and even more sizes...it is an important fact) for Christmas and decided they were just too cool to use so I let them sit in that box for several months. At this time in my wonderful life I was sharing a room with my sister (who is 3 years younger than me) who decided that those beads were, indeed, pretty awesome and started making her own jewelry with them. A little shocked and tempertantrumy, (remember I was 8) I realized if I wanted those beads I could not just let them sit around, so I took them from her and made several pieces of jewelry. I am not saying I am proud for making a young girl cry, just telling you the beginning of my story. Something clicked on in my brain after that and making things for my self has been an ongoing hobby since. Soon after I learned how to use the sewing machine and sew and between sewing and beading my mind took off in learning new skills and the endless possibilities of creating things.

Today I am a full time college student who takes comfort in knowing that the summer months will be filled with fabric of all mediums, glue and my sewing machine. Here is just some of what I have been working on in the past few months...

Breaking Dawn book purse

Webster's Dictionary book purse

And little desk top ornaments.

These are just a few of my little creations, you can see more of my work by clicking into the etsy thumbnails at the top of the page.