Pots and Projects Boiling Over!

For the next couple of months I am going to be busy with a bunch of projects and posting will be null to minimal.  Both PB and Mr. Husband Sir have birthdays upcoming, along with our anniversary and spring break.   And since that rodent had to not see his shadow, I am going to have to really hustle my yard work before the searing sun takes over causing me to need oven mits to wield a rake.

I may try to squeeze in a post or two when I get a "break", meaning I just mopped the floors and I am stuck until they dry.  But it's probably going to be crickets around here until I get a lid on everything.

Happy Mardi Gras!

I'm not so sure if Mardi Gras is celebrated much above the Mason Dixon line.  But since I have always lived in the south it's something I have grown up being around.  My mom goes hog wild ape shit bat turd crazy over the holiday.  She's been to New Orleans during carnival time and I have a suspicion she has even shown her ....you know whats...in return for some fancy bead throws during the parade.  I am not a super huge fan of the holiday, myself.  I don't like being in crowds at the parades and I don't want any cheapo plastic beads.
The one Mardi Gras tradition that Mr. Husband likes is getting a king cake every year. A king cake is an oval shaped brioche pastry usually with a cream cheese or fruit filling.  It's element of fun is there is a little plastic baby hidden somewhere inside.  I have heard several different meanings if you happen to get the slice with the baby in it.  First, if you don't choke on the baby, then you will have good luck for the upcoming year.  But other sources that have been prevailing claim that if you get the baby you have to bring the cake the next year.  That's not fun, that's a punishment.
King Cakes are sold in local grocery markets, mostly shipped out from New Orleans.  They are super expensive and always taste stale to me.  I decided to take it upon myself starting last year to make us our annual king cake, because I am a cheapskate and I want something that tastes decent. 

I used this recipe, but with a few changes.  I made a cream cheese filling using brown sugar, cinnamon, and a package of cream cheese instead of the suggested butter/brown sugar/cinnamon in the recipe.  The original recipe claims it as a "Quick King Cake" but I wouldn't say that, since there is at least 2 hours of rising time involved.  It tastes like a fresh traditional King Cake should and for a fraction of the cost.

Since I am on the side of the baby should be a good luck omen, I placed mini babies all over the top along with one great big baby! But, if someone who is under the belief that getting the baby is bad luck (meaning you have to bring the cake the next year), then they may find it hard isolating a piece non-babyfied.  I guess they will have to bake up a 3 hour cake in the future!

As I mentioned above I don't care to be in the crowd for parades.  But I love being on a float!  This year Mr. Husband and I got to be a part of one sponsored by a local Comic Con.   The Nightmare Theatre group were all there and I dressed up as my character Edna.
We all had a great time during the 4 hour pre-line up, while you're waiting to roll.  It's a contagious happy energy being around all of the awesome floats and other Krewes with their particular themes.  We were parked right next to a 70s disco themed float that played the best music and they were dancing in the street the entire 4 hours.  They must have had a Red Bull IV administered beforehand.  Other float themes were pirates (lots of those), 80s, Blues Brothers, 60s psychedelic, Swat team, 1920s Jazz, a double decker Irish bus and bagpipes, a super sized shopping cart with a motor, and a concrete mixer turned into a martini mixer, to name a few.



Here are Mr. Husband and I "back stage". 

Roll on over to a past post from
Mardi Gras 2006

Fantastic Plastic

image source

Save work! Save time!  Save money!

Transparent plastic slipcovers can protect your furniture from evil, nasty, dirty, mud coated, bad, little children eating drippy, staining, sticky candy and ice cream!
Look at that kid's face.  He knows he is being a little bastard.

I had never gotten to experience a plastic slip covered piece of furniture until Mr. Husband and I came across this phenomenal specimen at an estate sale.  It's wasn't just a simple plastic drape like "Tuck-Ease" above.  This thing is Seal-A-Mealed ...

complete with shrink wrapped matching throw pillows!

This encapsulated couch and throw pillows just seem to be a bit overkill. This isn't just a slip cover, it's a second skin, sewn into the seems of the upholstery!  Maybe the owner was a coal miner or had a bad experience with one too many barfing cats.

The whole set up and colors reminded me of this 1960s photo image:


{image source}

So I had to do my own similar pose:



The plastic on this baby wasn't that cheap dollar store vinyl shower curtain grade material.  No, no! This stuff probably back in it's the day was boasted as being able to be full blast pressure washed.
  I noticed that the couch did have a small tear in the plastic on the seat near the back, probably happened by someone having a jackhammer in their back pocket.  It was the only dirty spot, the rest was protected and pristine.

There were also two matching plastic clad chairs to finish out the ensemble.  Which means this set was made for social settings. This stuff isn't all that comfy to sit on.  It's kinda crinkly, noisy and when wearing short pants your gonna have to peel your sweaty legs from the seat.

To really complete this living room's decor and ambiance, there should be an embroidered wall hanging which reads:
" Ya'll some dirty little street urchins.  State your business and be on your way!"

Updated Kitty Salt and Peppy

I fixed up these little salt and pepper shakers I got from an estate sale last year.
I gave them matching googly eyes, replaced missing whiskers with fishing line, and replaced a nose by painting the head of a round ended needle with black nail polish.  I snipped part of the needle away with pliers and inserted it with a dab of glue into it's empty nasal cavity hole.

see their 'before' here

I want your skull!

💘💀 Happy Valoween!!! 💀💘

For a sinister sweet dessert I made us skull cakes!

These little confectioneries get there shape from a skull head pan made by Wilton from Halloween several years ago.  The cake is red velvet from a mix and covered in a vanilla glaze (using this recipe).  I used a large heart sprinkle for the eye sockets, and a half one for the nasal cavity, and the teeth are red nonpareils, all by Wilton.

They tasted exceptionally delicious.  I microwaved them just a touch before serving which made the cake extra moist and the icing warm like on cinnamon rolls.

Devilishly divine!

{image source}

💘 💀 💀 💘

{The conversation heart maker didn't have enough spaces for "Halloween".   But then I thought "Halo-ween" could be the term for a Halloween themed Christmas which would then be in 315 days!}

Valoween Decor

💘👻To set the ghostly loving mood for Valoween, I crafted up some spooky desire decor!👻💘

"Just ghost to show you, I'm batty about you, Valentine!"

"Don't scare me, be my valentine!"

"I'm haunting for a Valentine.  Do I have a ghost of a chance with you?"

"Just ghost to show you, You're the one for me!"

"Valentine, I'm Imp-atient, so be mine"

"I get that devilish feeling valentine, when my heart burns for you"

"You bewitch me, Valentine"

"I feel it in my bones, you're my Valentine"

💘 💀 💘 💀 💘

Valentine's Day and Halloween are two of my favorite holidays.  It's time they were squished into a new celebration, Valoween!

There are actually quite a few vintage kid's Valentine cards out there featuring spooky love amongst creepy creatures such as skeletons, ghosts, witches, devils, bats, and monsters perfect for this new holiday.  I went with those images as my main inspiration.  I printed out a selection of these cards in small and larger sizes as the primary Valoween decor pop.

My next step in decorating was to consider what colors are typical for both holidays.  Halloween being black, orange, purple, green. and though a stretch, red.   A Valentine's Day palette is red, pink, and white.  Orange, pink, purple, and green will not work for cross over.  An orange heart or a pink pumpkin would look ridiculous.  Also I had to eliminate certain icons of Halloween such as pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns, because again, they would just look dorky in my Valoween setting.  I decided to go with the color scheme of red, white, and black along with picking symbols I thought would do well in both settings (such as ghosts, skeletons, spiders, bats, and tombstones).
I was able to pull together several items from among my Halloween decor that worked out well with the theme.
One item I incorporated into the set was a skull trick-or-treat bucket I picked up at a thrift store a few years back. It always kinda irked me that the eyes were red because I don't do red in my Halloween decorating, but it works really well as a Valoween vase of red camellias.  My blow mold ghosts which usually carry little plastic pumpkins got switched out for some plastic jelly hearts pulled off of a strand of Valentine lights. Everything Halloween got a douse of Valentine and vice versa.   I think I spent a grand total of 2.15 for the decor this year, which was for the red paper doily hearts and a pack of red glittery heart stickers, both from dollar tree.

Another theme I included was creating sets of pairs since Valentine's is usually seen as a holiday for couples.  There are pairs of spiders, ghosts, and skeletons along with even a vintage print of a human pair making out in a cemetery!

There are a ton of other vintage valentine cards that feature interesting subjects, such as cigarettes, hard boiled eggs, or mud....oh, the possibilities for future themes!

👻 💘 👻 💘 👻

{For the images I used creep over to my Spooky Love Pinterest Board}

Cutting Edge Heart and Dagger Sweater

For some "Valoween" apparel, I felt a dripping bloody heart would be most appropriate! I was inspired by a vintage sweater featured in a Life Magazine 1947 fashion photo spread.

I decided to also do my own little photo shot to show off my work, trying to mimic some of the poses!

💘 💘 💘

This is the sweater that I took inspiration from when making my own:

{Photography by Nina Leen for Life Magazine 1947}

Here is my mimicked pose:

My lips are silently saying "Don't make me cut a b*tch." 

 💘 💘 💘

Original:

{Photography by Nina Leen for Life Magazine 1947}

Me:

"People seem to avoid my piercing aura."

💘 💘 💘

Original:

{Photography by Nina Leen for Life Magazine 1947}

Me:

"I have a stabbing feeling it's because I am sharply dressed and cutting edge."

💘 💘 💘

Original:

{Photography by Nina Leen for Life Magazine 1947}

Me:

"I hope you have gotten the point and you know what is at stake."

When it's not Valentine's Day, I think I will start my own girl gang with all of us sporting these outfits.  We'll go on crime sprees knocking over letter opener manufacturing factories and Spray and Wash chemical plants!

{image source} Click on image for enlargement

Speaking of the need for a stain stick, I happened to find a color image of this sweater (with a white background and the dagger in a different direction, possibly a reverse negative) featuring Esther Williams on the cover of Movieland Magazine February 1947.

In Drip-O-Vision!

To construct my sweater I started off by buying a similar one from a thrift.  I then eyeballed the original design and freehand cut it from craft felt.  Next I sewed on a few scrap sequins using silver thread to the sword hilt.  Lastly I hand sewed everything to the sweater.  The blood drops on the skirt are made from red felt that I hot glued to some pin backings.  This way I can remove them after Valentine's day and wear my skirt in regular mode.

Other non-prison inducing ways to wear this outfit would be on a first date that you don't want a second.  Or to meet future in-laws to keep them far in the future.  Or to a slasher romance film.  Or to a cardiac surgery appointment.  Or to a wedding.  Or to Valentine's Dinner with Mr. Husband at an organ meat restaurant!

💘 💘 💘

Satin Satans

Darling Devils!  Infatuated Imps!

For the first of my "Valoween" DIYs, a friend of mine and I got together and we crafted up these cutie Valoween devils.  We have been wanting to experiment with making satin ball critters (similar to this) and tried out these guys first.   Neither of us have ever seen devil versions so we had to make it all up!  My friend's devil is seen above.  She gave hers a goatee, buttons, and black horns.
He's a happy little guy, whose favorite past times include doing that "honk, honk" arm motion to 18 wheelers on icy freeways, rubbing ghost peppers inside tanning beds, and eating Underwood deviled ham on ice cream sandwiches.



With mine I gave him a big bow for his cloak, red horns, and crossed legs.
This little dumpling spends his free time composing quips such as " Whatever singes your saddlebags" and "Do I look like I give a fiery flip?"  He also enjoys setting off fire alarms and eating Drake's devil dogs doused in sriracha.



Each of them have pipe cleaner pitchforks, a felt cloak, and we made them some little booties out of black felt.
Since their bodies are so bulbous we mounted them onto little rounds of wood, perfect for shelf sitting.
Their construction is fairly straight forward; they are just satin balls, pipe cleaners, and felt glued together.  The most difficult part is making their little faces.  She and I really toiled over picking out the features.  They are made from black card stock paper cut out using an exact-o knife, which we then glued on using a toothpick for delicate placement.

They may appear to be friendly little fiends, overindulging on chocolate covered deviled eggs and Tabasco Twinkles.  But, these two bulging Beelzebubs are hell bent on crushing cupid out of his romance racket!
Pitch Forks are much more efficient at impaling lover's hearts than those silly bow and arrows!

Happy Valoween Ghosties!

I adore Halloween and I thought it would be a scream to creep up Valentine's Day.

This year I decided to go for a Valoween theme...a spooky love combination of Valentine's Day and Halloween!

Lurk along with me lovelies, for a week of petrified passion, foreboding fondness, and eerie endearment!

Cheeseburger Pie

I just love the image shown below of "Cheeseburger Pie"!  I came across it in Better Homes and Gardens magazine November 1956 and decided to give it a whirl!

I only made a few minor changes.  I used ground turkey in place of ground beef for lower calories. And soy sauce in place of Worcestershire sauce because that's what I keep on hand.  I also added a bunch of seasonings to help boost up the flavor since ground turkey can be a bit dull.  It still was a touch bland but it was nothing that a douse of ketchup didn't fix!
It's really just a meatloaf with a crust so use your favorite recipe for both but fancy it up with melted cheese triangles and French's globs of mustard for garnish!

Mr. Bacon Pan

I picked up this aluminum "Mr. Bacon Pan"  at an estate sale for 5 bucks.  I actually don't like uni-tasker type kitchen gadgets such as this.  They are rarely used and take up valuable space that I could be using for something more important, like displaying my collection of plastic fruit.  I bought this as a bit of a peace offering to Mr. Husband, who gets a thrill out of electric potato peelers. Since it's vintage I decided to give it a chance.

Mr. Bacon Pan is a two piece pan with a cover meant to bake bacon in the oven.
The bottom pan has a doomed shape to channel away the grease.  The shape of the lid, while made of light weight material, helps to flatten the bacon and cover grease splatter.

We happen to have a couple of pieces of bacon hanging out in the fridge so I gave it a test run.  I didn't really pay attention to the temp of the oven or the time (I never do!) but it seemed to bake up fairly quick.  All of the grease funneled into the edges leaving the bacon very flat and extra crispy.  The handle on the lid is plastic and I was worried it was going to melt or warp in the oven heat but it came through just fine.

The pan works well but we don't eat much bacon since it's full of delicious fat and grease...so, I doubt it's going to get much use.  When we do make bacon it's usually in the microwave, which is quicker and less to clean.  But microwave bacon is not crispy so....I'll let Mr. Bacon Pan hang out with the baking sheets for a bit.  Maybe I can come up with some other applications for it, upgrading it from a lowly despicable uni-tasker.