My best friend gave me this wonderful gift for Christmas.
Here's one of the projects I've made so far:

Tags: cross-stitching
Current Location: 76205
Current Mood: tired

Okay, I'm really really proud of this one. It's completely mine, and it's completely delicious!

INGREDIENTS
Cooking Time: 75 minutes
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
3 pounds chicken drumsticks (about 12), rinsed and patted dry; or 1 rotisserie chicken
Salt and pepper
3 baking potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
onion powder, to taste
6 cups (48 ounces) chicken broth
1 large egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, plus more for kneading
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and season with
salt and pepper. Roast about 45 minutes. Let cool and then shred; discard the skin andbones.
2. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan with enough cold water to cover by
1 inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Drain.
3. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Pour in the broth and bring to a
gentle simmer.
4. Meanwhile, mash the potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt until almost smooth. Mix in the
egg, then the flour, until combined.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll one-third of the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick
log. Pinch off inch-long pieces and roll to form small disks. Repeat with the remaining dough.
6. Add the dumplings to the broth. Once they float, cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Stir
in the reserved chicken and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Add flour until
desired thickness is reached. Top with the parsley.

Tags: cooking
Current Location: 76205
Current Mood: relaxed

I do a lot of crafting. Two of my favorites are stenciling and cross-stitching. A few years ago, I discovered a way to combine the two!


Cross-stitching can be an extremely time-consuming hobby.
A lot of projects take an incredible amount of time and patience...
and those are two things I do not have a lot of at all.
But with this project, I get the fun of cross-stitching without all the time and patience other projects take.
Here is an example of a stencil-gone-stitch:





It's easy. Start off by making a stencil (you can use my tutorial as a guide).
You can also use one found online; Stencilry has some great stencils, a lot made be me actually.
Next, make a stitching design by hand or with a program such this free one.
You can make it any size you want, using any count fabric you want, but make sure to choose only ONE color!
Then all you have to do is stitch it up!


cross-posted to cross_stitch and _seethesky

Tags: cross-stitching, stenciling, tutorials
Current Location: 76205
Current Mood: cold

Several years ago, I made a series of stenciling tutorials. Now, they're really outdated so I've decided to make another batch.
Here's the first of the set:
How to make a basic (one-layer) stencil in Adobe Photoshop.


( Click to continue. )




original image
final stencil


Questions & comments welcome.


cross-posted to stencil_swap handmade_gifts and _seethesky.

Tags: stenciling, tutorials
Current Location: 76205

I'd run to you now if I could but things have changed.

i don't know why i do the things i do ever.
everything is much worse in my head than it usually really is.
i am an idiot sometimes.
checking out florida next week, see if i like it.
jason broke his leg last night, so he can't drive his car.
going to be a lot more of driving on my part.
i hit a curb today and fucked up my axle.
thats what i get for driving in a half inch of snow.
so god, if you're out there, stop being such a bitch.

i also smoked a pack of chesterfield kings to my face.
they're so stale because no one ever buys them.
i look away for 2 seconds and i need to ash half of it off.

I'll forget the world that I knew, but I swear I won't forget you.

christmas day.
i bought records the other day
flutes and percussion, 50's classics, string symphonys but most importantly,
( blood brothers on vinyl. )
i also inherited a lot of different ones
merry christmas me.
the robot days are coming up.
010110
mark your calenders.
festivus was pretty awesome.
my only grievance is with birds.
rum is pretty awesome.