Decoupage baby steps

More details to follow (I'm med apping currently)....

From Martha Stewart (to tide you over):

"With their lids painted and papered with decorative prints, these wooden boxes recall the traditional craft of decoupage. To make one, you'll need an unfinished wooden box, pearlized paint, silver paper, a utility knife, and white craft glue. First, sand the box with fine sandpaper, then give it two thin coats of paint. To create a decoupage effect on the lid, photocopy images from books or prints onto silver paper (you can reduce or enlarge a picture to the size you desire). Cut out the image with a utility knife, and when the paint is dry, glue the picture to the top of the box. A botanical print or an animal image makes the perfect embellishment. To give the box a more finished look, cut a ribbon of silver paper to cover the edge of the lid. Make a hole in the ribbon for the wood-joining stud that's on the lid by pressing the paper against the stud with an eraser to make an impression you can cut out. Glue the paper ribbon around the lid edge, making sure to align the hole in the ribbon with the stud. Tuck a gift inside, or give the lustrous box as a gift itself, tied with a beautiful ribbon."

http://www.marthastewart.com/272882/decoupaged-boxes?czone=crafts%2Fcrafting-tools-center%2Fcrafting-tools-projects

Tendonitis fix

For the past month or so, my right wrist has been acting up. My doctor calls it tendonitis. I call it "I slept on it funny."

Either way, it's not pretty. In between icing, taking Allieve twice a day and using an ace bandage, I am usually really uncomfortable and restricted... which is no good.

Today, I decided to try the "Martha method," Wrist Stretches. I guess these aren't really a quick fix, but I figured it would be worth a try. At least, it couldn't hurt (too badly).

How to Do It
1. Sit or stand with spine tall, and extend your left arm out so your wrist is directly in front of your left shoulder, palm facing down.
2. Bend your wrist to point your fingers toward the floor, then rotate the wrist so the fingers point to your right.
3. Use the palm of your right hand to gently push the back of your left hand. To intensify the stretch, curl the left fingers into a fist. Switch and repeat.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Wrist Stretches

Post stretch, I do feel better. Perhaps this is all in my head, but who knows! We'll see how it feels tomorrow.

21+ lemonade

Today was a perfect combination of productiveness (cleaned the apartment, laundry, med school applications), great company and a delicious Martha Stewart drink. Suffice to say... it was a wonderful Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

The drink of the day was Martha's Vodka-Thyme Lemonade , one of the most refreshing drinks I have ever tasted. All it took was some Splenda (my go-to sugar substitute) and water simple syrup, plenty of lemon juice and a few sprigs of thyme and within minutes I was drinking with a good friend on my roof deck for the first time this season.

Despite the bug bites, I must say this was a glorious night!

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 12 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• 4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 24 lemons
• 2 cups vodka

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups water with the sugar and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.
   
2. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a large glass measuring cup; discard thyme. You should have 2 cups syrup. Cover with plastic; chill.
   
3. In a large serving pitcher, stir together lemon juice,

Strawberry cupcakes

I was in the mood to do some baking today. My birthday festivities were so fantastic I didn't have any room for dessert... so I decided a belated dessert today would be fantastic.

I thought Martha's Strawberry Cupcakes looked delicious. Plus, it's almost summer! Perfect time for a nice fruity dessert.

Everything went well until it came to the frosting - Martha's Strawberry Meringue Buttercream. As the "meringue" part implies, this frosting requires the delicate art of turning eggs and sugar into something fluffy and frosting-like. Naturally, mine fizzled. It ended up completely flat and watery and, although it tasted delicious, had no texture to it! I must have gotten the mixing and temperature wrong... or I just have really back luck with meringues.

I vow to get this right by the time the year is up!

Cake:
Ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour, (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 8 large egg whites
• Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
• 24 small fresh strawberries, washed (hulls intact), for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
   
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
   
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
   
4. In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
   
5. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a heaping 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Invert cupcakes onto rack; then reinvert and let cool completely, top sides up. Frost cupcakes with strawberry meringue buttercream, swirling to cover. Cupcakes may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Garnish with strawberries just before serving.
   

Frosting:
Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) strawberry jam, pureed in a food processor

Directions

1. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees).
   
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg-white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes.
   
3. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Beat in vanilla. Beat on lowest speed to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir in strawberry jam with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.
   

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

In honor of my birthday I'm taking today off!!!

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!

A game of chicken

I was in the mood for some crunchy chicken drumsticks tonight. I haven't had meat in awhile, and thankfully had picked up some kosher chicken the other day.

I chose Crispy Mustard Chicken with Carrots, a Martha Stewart healthy/light meal.

After a slow defrost in the microwave, I was ready to go. This recipe was unbelievably simple: all it required was processing some wheat bread into crumbs, mixing together some lemon juice (substituted for lime), mustard and garlic, and coating the chicken with both. I topped it off with some carrots and scallions, also baked in the oven, per Martha's instructions.

This was FANTASTIC! I completely overate (three drumsticks anyone?), but it was totally worth it.

Recipe (from http://www.marthastewart.com/261651/crispy-mustard-chicken-with-carrots):

 
Ingredients

• 3 slices rye bread
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 4 skinless chicken legs, (drumsticks and thighs)
• 2 (about 10 ounces each) bone-in, skinless chicken breast halves
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 6 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse bread until coarse crumbs form.
   
2. In a shallow bowl, combine mustard, lime juice, and garlic. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken legs (not breast) in mustard mixture, then roll in crumbs, patting to coat. Place legs and breast on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.
   
3. Check chicken breast after 20 minutes; remove when done. Roast legs another 10 to 15 minutes, until cooked through.
   
4. While chicken is roasting, toss carrots with remaining tablespoon of oil in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Season with salt and pepper. Place on separate rack in oven, and roast 10 minutes. Add scallions to carrots, and roast until tender, about 5 minutes.
   
5. Serve legs and vegetables together; reserve breast for another day.
   

Fabulous

I think I finally figured out why I love Martha so much. Maybe it's just the post-final wine talking, but I saw something on her website today that made me think she was speaking just to me: Martha Stewart has an article on VINTAGE SHOPPING.

Aka my favorite hobby.

Fantastic.

Of course, it's a short part of a short article on how to pick out "Healthy Clothing and Linens." It's good to know that while being super fun, vintage shopping is also "healthy"! Now I can just pretend this is what I had intended all along....

And now, to bed. I am post-final and ready for my beauty sleep.

More Details (from http://www.marthastewart.com/272689/healthy-clothing-and-linens):
More CarefulTry shopping at vintage and secondhand stores. Decorating with vintage linens, in particular, is a wonderful way to add character to your home. Give things that you no longer need to friends or charities. Reuse items that can't be passed along -- make T-shirts into rags or transform old sheets into children's costumes.

Finally!

My bio final is tomorrow! This is fantastic because it means that I will officially be DONE with undergraduate coursework and can finally apply to medical school.

Of course, this also means that I have to take a three hour cumulative multiple choice test. None of these characteristics makes me super pumped to actually sit for the exam, although I am aware it's a necessary evil on the path to what I really want to do.

In the process of studying, and mentally preparing, for this horrific feat of academia, I have followed some principles I found in one of Martha's fantastic Whole Living Articles.

In "Regain Your Focus," Martha's focus guru, psychologist Lucy Jo Palladino, makes a great suggestion: unplug all distracting technology and limit all distractions of any kind. She also recommends that after 90 minutes, one should take a meaningful break (unfortunately, I took "meaningful" to mean "another 90 minutes). Also - warn people that might distract you that you will be focusing for the night and to stay away (perhaps in nicer words?).

I did try, but I just can't seem to study without music! I guess this counts as a piece of "distracting technology," but sometime I just get bored memorizing proteins and cell types...


Fore more detail, the original article is here.

Flower press

I remember pressing flowers when I was a child. It was something I liked to do post-hike. I know it's wrong to pick flowers, but sometimes I just couldn't help it - they looked so pretty flattened.

This time around, I decided to use a gerber daisy that I received from a friend at work who went crazy for mother's day and gave everyone in the office a flower.

After pressing it under a pile of magazines for 10 days, I ended up with this preserved version. I like how the color turned out and I think the texture is great!

Now I just need to figure out what to do with this...

Tips for Pressing Flowers (from http://www.marthastewart.com/265653/pressing-flowers-and-leaves):

Pressing Flowers How-To

• Gather clean specimens that are free of blemishes and spots.
• Collect flowers on sunny days when they are not wet from rain or dew.
• Never gather species that are protected or endangered; if in doubt, check local regulations.
• Snip stems close to the base, or leave flowers on stems; place the flowers facedown in a telephone book.
• Close and weight the book, and leave undisturbed for a week to 10 days.
• Open the book slowly, and you'll find papery pressed flowers.

Pot lucky

As it's late on a Friday night, I'm not going to go too far into details, but today I made a ton of food for a ton of people at my crisis hotline training. Yes, Sunday is a potluck.

I thought Martha's Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta was the perfect, easy meal to make for a large number of people. How many people it feeds remains to be seen, but it was definitely straightforward to make.

Recipe (not my creation, but Martha's):

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound long fusilli or linquine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. On rimmed baking sheet, toss zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic with 5 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread into single layer; roast until zucchini is lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
   
2. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot. Toss with remaining tablespoon oil; cover.
   
3. Pour reserved pasta water onto baking sheet of cooked vegetables; scrape with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Stir vegetables and juices into pasta. Add parsley and Parmesan; toss to combine. Serve with more Parmesan.
   

Vitamin C

Remember that song called "Graduation" that one hit wonder called Vitamin C sang back in the day? It always brings me back.

Of course, in this case, I'm not talking about that pretty blonde girl who made all our high school graduation memories. I am talking about the real thing.

As Martha Stewart, or, more likely, someone on her website writes: "To help delay the onset of lines and wrinkles, up your antioxidants: vitamins A, C, and E." I was sold at "wrinkles."

Always the superficial one, I am willing to stock up on vitamins if it means that my skin will age less. Looks like I need to make sure I'm getting my A, C and E... ASAP.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Beauty Basics: Great Skin for Life

Health check

After three months, it was time to re-check my blood to make sure that my vitamin D had gone up (thanks to daily supplements) and my hemoglobin a1c and cholesterol had gone down.

And guess what... I passed!

I give most of the credit for this achievement to the domestic goddess herself: Martha Stewart. For inspiring me to cook for myself, substitute healthy things and think more deeply about what I put in my body, I am thankful for Martha and this blog.

Of course, this isn't the end. In fact, I am just beginning to get my eating habits under control, just starting to take the gym and exercise seriously. In sum, I have a long way to go.

Today, I decided to check out WholeLiving to see what tips Martha had for continuing on my healthy path. Immediately I found exactly what I was looking for: an article entitled "Breaking Bad Eating Habits."

Mindfulness, as obvious as that sounds, is the key here (at least according to the article). I find this resonates with my own life. Too often I have amazing dinner plans in my head; the quinoa, cucumber, broccoli that I will top with balsamic for a light but filling dinner. And too often do I get a veggie burger and fries instead. But at least I'm aware of this, right?

For other tips and tricks to breaking bad eating habits, check out the article at: http://www.wholeliving.com/article/break-bad-eating-habits?czone=wellness%2Fhealthy-age%2Fhealthy-age-antiaging .

Plated

I am constantly in a search for cute, simple and cheap things with which to decorate my room.

This plate idea was one of those crafts that seemed just right. I found it in an issue of Martha Stewart Living a few weeks ago, and then immediately forgot which issue it was or where I saw it.

Thankfully, it was really easy to replicate. All the craft required was that one find a font of their choice online and print and cut out the desire letters. These letters were pasted (ideally modge-podged but that's more advanced then my motivation level) to lightweight plates.

The result is a clean design that dresses up any room in a unique, homemade way. Thumbs up!

P.S. I am on a search for the source issue as we speak, and will update with the issue date and detailed instructions when I find them!

Romain-ce

I <3 caesar salad. I know I say that I love a lot of things, but it's also true in this case. I believe that the root of my love of a good caesar salad is derived from my love of anchovies because I find that every salad I love has its fair share.

Today, my mother, who has been helping me cook and craft, taught me about a new trend in lettuce: grilled romaine. Now, I am not usually one to follow the latest in greens, but I can totally get on board with a grilled romaine ceasar. Martha's Grilled Simple Caesar Salad was a perfect test for this trend. After all, if Martha can't make it taste good, no one can.

Of course, I don't have a grill. This is where the good old George Foreman comes in handy. In a bind, it makes a great grill without the need for charcoal and a BBQ. After a few quick minutes and a bit of olive oil, the romaine cooked up nicely. The rest of the salad was really basic... after all, the focus was supposed to be on the fantastic grilled romaine!

The grilling paid off in dividends. I really enjoyed the slightly charred, cooked taste of the romaine, and it didn't take away from the caesar salad itself. As always, Martha is quite the trend-setter!

Recipe (from Martha Stewart):

Ingredients

-2 heads romaine lettuce, trimmed and halved lengthwise
-Extra-virgin olive oil
-Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-Shaved Parmesan cheese
-2 anchovy fillets (optional)

Directions

Heat a cast-iron grill pan. Brush cut sides of the romaine with olive oil. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until charred and blackened in a few places, about 2 minutes.

Place the lettuce pieces on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and shaved Parmesan. Garnish with anchovies, if desired.

Silky cool

It's my last day in LA! As in, I am leaving for the airport in t-minus 45 minutes. This is totally unacceptable as it is forecasted to rain in NY for the next 10 or so days. So much for May flowers!

At least I made an awesome craft today! The benefit of being home in Los Angeles is that I have a fantastic mother here who is willing to schlep me to Joann's to pick up anything I could possibly want and/or need. The order of the day today was dupioni silk.

Let me just say... this stuff is NOT cheap. It cost a whopping 20 dollars a yard! Which in my book is super expensive and totally ridiculous. Of course it is silk and it is fabulous, but that just seems like a rip off.

Thankfully, I only needed half of a yard for Martha's Braided Dupioni Silk Necklaces. Once I had procured a half a yard of silk and forked over the requisite 10 dollars, the project was as simple as ripping the fabric (gasp! I was ruining something so fancy and wonderful!), knotting three strips together at one end and braiding through the length of the fabric.

The first necklace, I braided very tightly and I didn't totally love the effect. For the others, I braided the strips more loosely and I think those are more successful. Martha's instructions suggest hand-sewing in more fabric when one reaches the end, in order to make necklaces that are 60 inches or so. I stuck with just a single length, and I think these still look really cool. Plus, this way I could make more of them.

Although the silk was extremely stringy and I have silk threads everywhere, I think the actual necklaces look good with some roughness to them. These were easy and are definitely cute and wearable!

Instructions (from Martha Stewart):

Tools and Materials
Dupioni silk

How-To
Rip dupioni silk into 1-inch-wide strips; 1/2 yard makes 3 necklaces. Knot ends of 3 strips, and braid. When you get to the end, hand-stitch additional fabric strips onto the first 3 (stagger the new additions if possible to disguise the seams). Continue braiding to the desired length (our necklaces are as long as 60 inches), and knot. Knot ends together to make a loop.

Mildew-licious

I may be thousands of miles away from my New York apartment, but I am still having nightmares about my shower curtain.

Okay, I know that sounds odd. It's just so hard to shower every day looking at the tiny and then humongous mildew pieces lingering on the shower curtain next to me. It seems like I can't go five days in between scrubbing off the plastic before more mildew springs back, as though it had never left.

Martha offers her own solution to an issue that I have to imagine plagues almost everyone with a shower curtain. I have to admit, the below article isn't specific to shower curtains, but it certainly gives some food for thought... and some ideas for disgusting mildew prevention.


From Martha Stewart:

10 Clever Cleaning Tricks
Preventing Mildew

When it comes to mildew, prevention gives you the upper hand. So be sure to keep surfaces clean, improve air circulation, and reduce dampness (for example, don't bunch wet towels). In poorly ventilated basements, install open shelving, use a dehumidifier and fan, and store items in airtight plastic containers with desiccants (such as silica gel). In musty closets, leave an incandescent lightbulb on to dry the air, or hang packets of desiccants.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Spring-Cleaning Tips – Martha Stewart

Flashback to yesterday

In a dramatic turn, blogger went down yesterday... in a big way. As in, it went into read-only mode for almost 12 hours. This, of course, was not conducive to me posting what I had intended to post. Given this, I will be posting two entries today! Which is exciting!

First of all, let's talk plane travel. Or, more specifically, let's talk Martha's tips for plane travel. I am currently, and finally, home in Los Angeles after a long 5+ hour flight from New York. As a certified expert in plane travel after years of flight back and forth from east to west coasts.

My typical routine is to stay up as late as possible the night before, perhaps take a few benedryl and attempt to sleep for the entire flight. This time, I decided to travel Martha's way.

According to Martha, or, more accurately, her experts, the following tips are important to keep in mind during mind-numbing flights:

1. Hydrate: recycled plane air can totally dry you out
2. Move around: as I have been told time after time, sitting for long periods of time is just not good for you.
3. Employ headphones: I mean, duh.
4. Aromatherapy: Nice smells can calm you on long, turbulent flights.
5. Spa visit upon arrival: Ok, Martha not everyone has this luxury! I wish!

All in all, these aren't bad tips, but for a travel expert like me, I'm ready to go in my own way... maybe even without Martha's help.

For more detail, visit: http://www.wholeliving.com/article/relaxed_travel_tips_

Green: literal and metaphoric

It's about time I cleaned up my act. I have a confession: I barely recycle. It's a matter of pure, unadulterated laziness. As the bags around my trash can pile up, I simply can't or don't try to remember which is paper, which is plastic, which is trash and which is partying remains from the night before.

But I can change! Or I can at least try.

Martha came through to get me on my way. Today, I decided to start with green crafting. Thankfully, Martha has a convenient section on her site dedicated to recycling crafts. So I picked one, and went with it.

I thought the T-Shirt Necklace, looked super cute. This was facilitated by the fact that I have an awful lot of Gap t-shirts lying around that miraculously get holes in them the first time I try to wear them. But I continue to wear them and end up looking like a hobo. I figured with this craft I was killing multiple birds with one stone: forcing me to stop wearing ratty tees, making something cute and wearable and trying to cut down on the trash I throw out every day.

It helps that this was exceptionally easy, as well!

Instructions (courtesy of Martha and cucumbersome.com, which inspired her):

 Tools and Materials

• Soft cotton T-shirt
• Ruler
• Scissors or rotary cutter

1. Lay the shirt on a flat surface; cut off the hem and discard. Then cut the body of the shirt horizontally into strips approximately 3/4 of an inch long. (They will actually be loops.)
2. One at a time, pull the loops open and stretch until the fabric starts to curl. Stack the loops on top of one another so that all the T-shirt side seams are in the same spot.
3. Once you have the thickness you desire, wrap the seams with a scrap piece of fabric (about 6 inches long) from the same shirt. Tuck the end of the scrap under itself.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Recycled Craft: The T-Shirt Necklace

May flowers

Everyone knows what April showers bring. It's time for the May flowers! Well overdue! This week has been absolutely beautiful. Today, I did the unthinkable... I showed my legs! It felt unbelievable. This is the time of year where it's not too hot, mid-70s, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and all of a sudden you have a spring in your step.

To commemorate this joyous occasion, I decided to make a bouquet of flowers that wouldn't wilt.

I decided on Martha's Crepe Paper Amaryllis. Amaryllis is a really beautiful lily-like flower that sprouts from a bulb. I really love the stamens that these flowers have... they're so beautiful!

Of course, I didn't use the correct coloring because I didn't have paint on hand. Martha instructed that I take white crepe paper and paint half of it a purplish pink color. This gives the flower a multi-colored look. Instead, I used a purplish pink-colored crepe paper for the petals themselves.

I also used regular wire and covered it myself with floral tape. Martha used floral wire itself... which definitely would have been easier in retrospect because my fingers are now super raw from all the taping.

The instructions for the project are as follows: (obviously not my creation, but that of Martha Stewart):

Materials:

• Thick crepe paper in white, yellow, and green (we used White (CR16), Light Yellow (CR07), and Verdant Green (CR7), from Roze,, and similar, from D. Blumchen & Co., 866-653-9627)
• Acrylic paint in pink or red
• Small paintbrush
• Cloth-covered floral wire in light green
• Floral tape in light green

Instructions:

Step 1 Cut a piece of white crepe paper to 2 1/2-by-5 1/2 inches.

Step 2 Water down paint slightly until it's a bit runny. Using paintbrush, paint 1 long side of crepe paper pink, as shown. Let dry.

Step 3 Cut 6 petal shapes from painted portion of crepe paper, leaving a long tail end on each petal, as shown. Gently stretch petals to curve them.

Step 4

A fantastic amaryllis flower! How pretty!

Cut two 1/2-by-2-inch pieces of yellow crepe paper. Twist each piece into a long strand. Bend both pieces in half so that they form a narrow V shape.

Step 5 Cut a 7-inch length of floral wire. Fold top few inches of wire over both the V shapes, as shown, and twist to secure.

Step 6 Add petals: Using floral tape, attach long tail end of 1 petal to stem. Repeat process, taping 1 petal in place at a time, until bloom is formed. Cover flower stem completely with floral tape.

Step 7 Cut 2 to 3 small leaf shapes from green crepe paper, as shown. Using floral tape, attach leaves to stem at base of flower.

Step 8 Repeat to make another flower. Wrap flower stems together with floral tape.

Step 9 Cut a 1 1/4-by-4 1/4-inch rectangle from green crepe paper. Cut a large leaf shape from green crepe paper that's slightly larger than rectangle.

Step 10 Lay stem on rectangle. Run a glue stick along edge of rectangle, and wrap it lengthwise around stem, as shown. Attach large leaf at base of stem using glue stick. Write name of guest or gift recipient on leaf shape with a fine-tipped marker.

View Image

Step 1 Cut a piece of white crepe paper to 2 1/2-by-5 1/2 inches.

Step 2 Water down paint slightly until it's a bit runny. Using paintbrush, paint 1 long side of crepe paper pink, as shown. Let dry.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Crepe-Paper Amaryllis - Martha Stewart Crafts

View Image

Step 1 Cut a piece of white crepe paper to 2 1/2-by-5 1/2 inches.

Step 2 Water down paint slightly until it's a bit runny. Using paintbrush, paint 1 long side of crepe paper pink, as shown. Let dry.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Crepe-Paper Amaryllis - Martha Stewart Crafts

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Crepe-Paper Amaryllis - Martha Stewart Crafts

Do you want some cheese with your wine?

Looking back at my blog, I have spent a lot of time bitching and moaning. I complained about my stress level, allergies, aches and pains... all in all it's just not always a pretty picture.

So today, I decided to do something more fun. And, as I'm sure not many of you know, Martha definitely knows how to have a good time. She was once a model, after all. I have to imagine that she's had her fair share of social events and scandals (aside from that whole insider trading extravaganza).

Today, I found a perfect idea: The Best Wines Worth Buying By the Dozen. I guess the title really says it all, so there's not too much to explain.

 The benefit of buying in bulk? Per her article, "Wine stores typically offer a 10 percent to 20 percent discount when you purchase a case, or 12 bottles of wine." She had me at 10 percent.

Being the lazy person that I can sometimes be, I decided to order the said case of wine from freshdirect.com. Seeing as they deliver right to your door, and have a malbec I have come to love, I figured it would be the best plan. I also have a free delivery code, and needed some other groceries, so it ended up being perfect.

So it was that I ordered my favorite malbec (typically a meager 5.99$/each), for 5.39 each when I bought 12. This doesn't sound like a huge discount, but I ended up saving almost 8 dollars. This is awesome for me! Because I'm a Jew and therefore like money. It's funny 'cuz it's true.

That, and I LOVE wine! Now I'll have plenty on hand for my roommates, friends and friends of friends who inevitably stop by.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone had a fantastic day with their mothers! I am very lucky to have a wonderful mother who has supported me through 22 (soon-to-be 23) years of life, through thick and thin.

As I am currently in New York, I will be celebrating with my family next weekend when I finally get to visit home in Los Angeles again.

Until then, I'm focusing on stress relief. Going home has always been a huge stress reliever for me, but to tide me over, there are a few things I'm going to try.

For today, I picked one of Martha's excellent suggestions: take just 30 seconds to stretch out and collect yourself when things are getting tense. Mid-a boring read about evolution (which is usually very interesting, but which my textbook makes painful uninteresting), the crick in my neck got unbearable. So I took just a few seconds to stretch it, and the rest of my body. I did some meditative breathing exercises and some child's pose too.

It only took a bit, and I felt instantly better. Taking a few seconds, or minutes, to refocus does wonders for snapping me out of discomfort. Of course, this isn't a perfect remedy, but it's a little thing that made endless reading just a little bit easier.

I am going to have to use this for my final in a few weeks.

More information (from Martha Stewart):

Quick Fixes for Everyday Disasters

Save the Day

The phone is ringing, you've just received an annoying email from a coworker, and there's a big meeting in 10 minutes.
Here in the real world, you've got two choices: Ignore the crick in your neck, wash your panic down with coffee and a pastry, and forge ahead, hoping the sugar crash doesn't come too quickly. Or, take 30 seconds to stretch tight muscles, try a stress-busting breathing exercise, or quiet your thoughts with a quick meditation technique.
Based on yoga, traditional Chinese medicine, and herbalism, the following strategies -- adapted from "The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide" by Kate Hanley -- can empower you to get calmer, more resilient, and happier in the midst of even the most chaotic day.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Step 3: Learn to Cope

Nutty

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite surgeons and a fellow pre-diabetic ordered me some peanut flour. Peanut flour is a GREAT flour substitute - it is gluten free, high in protein and low calories. Today, I decided to put it to the test.

I wanted to start slow, it case something went horribly wrong. I picked Martha's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. I made some fairly major substitutions to make it good for my blood sugar and my body... and it worked out! I liked the peanut and chocolate taste together and they were really light and cakey. My first experience with peanut flour was a success.

Recipe and instructions (from Martha Stewart and all substitutions by ME!):

These cookies are crispy at the edges, chewy in the center, and loaded with two kinds of chocolate. Feel free to add 2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans to the dough.

• Prep Time 10 minutes
• Total Time 45 minutes, plus chilling
• Yield Makes 24

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) - I substituted 1.5 cups peanut flour and 1.5 cups whole wheat flour - as both of these are dryer than white flour, I figured this would be enough
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder - I substituted with baking soda and creme of tarter
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature - I substituted one cup of stick vegetable margarine and one cup of olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar - I substituted 1 cup agave syrup, as this is sweeter than sugar this was enough
• 1 cup granulated sugar - I substituted 1 cup of Splenda
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped - I omitted this, because I didn't want anything too chocolatey this time around

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
   
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy, 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture just until incorporated; fold in chocolate chips and chunks.
   
3. Using a 1/4-cup ice-cream scoop or a large spoon, drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (you should have 24) and refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Arrange 6 unbaked cookies, 3 inches apart, on each of two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges are light golden brown, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Bake remaining dough using new parchment.
   

Friday night shenanigans

I am karaoke-ing in t-minus 1-hour. Actually now in t-minus a few minutes. To power-boost for such an event, I turned to my favorite: quinoa.

This is my FAVORITE ever.

Plus, it is ACTUALLY good for you... as opposed to all those other things they tell you are good for you but really aren't. Like most things that are "high in protein."

For guidance, I turned to Martha's article on Whole Grain Products.

The article, and it's interesting tips, is at the link below:

http://www.marthastewart.com/287019/health-food-myths

Marbled necklace

I was super happy with the bouncy ball necklace I made a few days ago. I know that my mom might have called it a necklace made out of galls (those things that wasps sometimes make in trees in California where they lay there things and do other fascinating things)... which was definitely a bit of a diss, but I actually like it.

To expand upon this idea, and/or transform it into a slightly less-gall-like look, I decided to adapt the bouncy ball necklace based on a commenter's idea from Martha's site. On her big ball post, the commenter suggested that I use marbles instead of bouncy balls.

This seemed like a great idea! Of course, the necklace would be a bit heavier, but maybe slightly more fancy. Plus, this time I opted for a white, not black necklace. I also used sheerer pantyhose, because I didn't completely love the opaque look of the tights in the first necklace.

Although I haven't worn it out yet, I think this necklace looks fun and really unique. It doesn't look quite like couture, but it will definitely spice up a really boring work outfit. It's funky! What's not to love?

Soapy strawberries

Today was soap day. After putting off making soap by using the berries I had acquired to make a drink, I decided that I better ruse the remaining strawberries before they completely rotted.

The recipe, per Martha's instructions, was simple enough. I threw the berries in the food processor until they were well chopped. I melted my olive oil soap base in the microwave until it was liquidy. I think threw the strawberries in the soap and mixed the two together. I threw the soap into my muffin tin and voila... strawberry soap!

They're a bit sticky, but will make great shower soaps! Next time, I am going to add less strawberries so that the soap is more transparent.

Compassionate

A study out of UCSF (aka a medical school that is so beyond my reach it's essentially orbiting another planet) has shown the the richer you are, the worse you are at reading the emotions of others. In other words, DUH. 

Even though I make a modest salary and am fresh out of college, I think that I can definitely benefit from some perspective and a self-evaluation of my own level of compassion for others. Conveniently, this was Martha's Whole Living Challenge of the Day yesterday: to Be Compassionate. 


She suggests a zen approach, which literally consists of conjuring up an image of a loved one and repeating to ones self good things about this person. Although this seems silly, it's essentially nothing more than praying for someone... minus the whole higher being part. Since I have been meaning to get my prayer on a bit more and to get back into my Jewish practice because I have been totally slacking, I figured this would be a great start. 


Plus, it's Martha Stewart-approved! That's the best.


From http://wholelivingdaily.wholeliving.com/2011/05/todays-challenge-practice-empathy.html:

Challenge of the Day: Be Compassionate Posted by Whole Living Action Plan

The wealthier you are, the less adept you may be at reading another person’s emotions. So says researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. No matter where you fall on the socio-economic scale, empathy and compassion are skills that can be honed. In her book Real Happiness, meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg suggests building your empathy muscles by sitting quietly and calling up an image of someone you love while repeating silently, "May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease." Try it when you find yourself sitting still today—on the bus, at the doctor's office, or before bed.

Berry-licious

Blackberries + vodka = YUM!

Maybe it's because it's a Monday or maybe because this weekend was absolutely insane, but a fantastic fruity drink just seemed like a great idea tonight. A few days ago I bought a variety of berries - strawberries, blueberries and blackberries - with the intent of making some pretty and sweet soaps. Instead, I thought a fabulous drink was the order of the day.

After a quick search of "Martha Steward vodka drinks" on Google, I came across the simple, yet perfect Blackberry Crush drink. All it took was four (but I used five!) blackberries, a tablespoon of lemon juice, simple syrup (I used splenda instead), seltzer and ice. Oh, and of course, vodka I combined this group and crushed up the blackberries.

The resulting drink, which I made extremely weak (after all, it is a Monday night!) was refreshing and delicious. This will be perfect for the humid east coast summer that's approaching.

P.S. How hideous is this picture?

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD.

And I made a cute birthday card today, which is clearly the more important thing.

Martha's Birthday Banner card is adorable, simple and effective. It took me around 20 minutes to whip this up, perfect for the lunch break I had today in between community service training. I didn't use Martha's template, and instead cut out triangle flaps and hung them over a piece of string, which I attached to both sides of the inside of a card. I glued the flaps closed to secure them, and hand-wrote the letters on them.

Instructions and materials:


This card, created in honor of the American Cancer Society's More Birthdays campaign, offers celebratory greetings with a fanciful flourish.

 



Tools and Materials

• Cardstock
• Ruler
• Bone folder
• Scissors
• Circle cutter
• Colored baker's twine or embroidery floss
• Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
• Glue stick
• Banner template
• Pencil
• A7 envelope

Banner Birthday Card How-To
1. To make the card, cut out a 10-inch by 7-inch piece of cardstock and with a ruler and bone folder, score down the center of the cardstock, perpendicular to the 10-inch side. Fold the cardstock in half along the scored line and with scissors, round the edges of each corner of the folded card. The result should be a 7-inch by 5-inch card.

2. To make the balloon for the front of the card, cut out a 2 1/2-inch circle with a circle cutter. For the "knot" on the balloon, cut a small triangle out of the same color cardstock. With a hot-glue gun, attach the balloon knot and a piece of twine to the back of the circle. Let dry.

3. With a glue stick, affix the balloon to the front of the card and tack the twine down in a few spots using small dots of hot glue. Let dry.

4. Print banner template on colored cardstock. Using a ruler and a bone folder, score template on dashed line. Fold cardstock along scored line.

5. To create each pennant for the banner, use scissors to cut out triangle around each letter. Be sure to cut through both layers of the cardstock. All of the letter pennants should be double-sided and have a fold along the top edge.

6. With a glue stick, glue the triangles of each pennant together, sandwiching a piece of baker's twine between them, along the fold, and leaving about 1/8 inch between each pennant. "H-A-P-P-Y" should be on one piece of twine and "B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y" on another.

7. Center the "H-A-P-P-Y" banner above the "B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y" banner and gather twine ends together, allowing both banners to swag evenly. Secure with knots on both ends.

8. On the inside of the card, measure and mark with a pencil one inch in and one inch down from the top left and right corners. With a hot-glue gun, attach knots on the banner to marks in the corners of the card.

9. To mail or give as a gift, place card in an A7-size envelope.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Banner Birthday Card - Martha Stewart Crafts

Exhausted

I'm tired. Just full on exhausted.

For some reason I have developed insomnia and that coupled with too much fun last night and a long day of volunteer training I need sleep.

Thanks to Martha, I've discovered a few tips. I am trying the one below in t-minus two minutes and hope that it will work wonders!

Can't Sleep? Exhale Mr. Sandman's lost your number, and left you crying for a little shut-eye. You can do this breathing technique when you're lying in bed and exhausted: It helps you purge any tension and can take your attention off your thoughts.
Remedy: Extended-exhale breathing
Time: As long as you like
Lie on your back. Place a pillow under your head and one under your knees to encourage your lower back and abdomen to relax completely, which enables you to breathe more deeply. Rest your hands on your belly and feel your hands rise as you inhale and fall on the exhale. Once this has helped you calm down a little, inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of eight. If this count causes you any strain, modify it to a more appropriate length, with the exhale twice as long as the inhale. Repeat until you feel yourself getting sleepy, verrrrry sleeeeeepyyyy.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Step 3: Learn to Cope