Treat Bag!

Here is a little bag I made entirely from scraps! Since I won't be going trick or treating because 1) I live in NYC 2) I am 27 years old, I have decided to be a treat-giver-outer, where ever I go! Here is my little sack to carry the treats. It also coordinates with my costume, which you will see later...

Happy Halloween Eve!

Hi kids! Today's post comes from Kristy, a delightful young lady, and friend, who is being a flamingo for Halloween! Here is her awesome Halloween card she made, and you can do it too!


Happy Halloween everyone! I am a dedicated reader of Emmanem and am so happy to be a guest blogger! My post is all about Halloween. I am obsessed with scrapbooking and card making, and Halloween cards are one of my favorites to craft up. I moved to NYC last year so I figured it would be fun to make some NYC themed Halloween cards. So here it is!

These cards are super easy to make and very spooktastic. All you need is a sponge, black & green ink pad, ribbon, card stock, and an orange marker. You can buy all of the materials at any scrapbook or craft shop. You can buy a city stamp like I did, but it would be pretty easy to draw the buildings by hand.

The first thing I did was load up a sponge with green ink and dab it on the top of a white piece of card stock. This makes the cloud pattern at the top of the card. I used green to give it an extra Halloweeny effect. I then placed my city stamp at the bottom of the white card stock. If you don't want to buy the city stamp you can draw the buildings free hand. I then stamped my witch and drew a dotted line behind her. The last few steps are finding some spooky ribbon for the bottom of your card, and coloring in the windows of the buildings.

I hope my card inspires you to start homemade card making! Its my favorite!

Happy Halloween!

My Next Project

Is it just a coincidence that I was just thinking, oh I really want to take up cross-stitch, but need a really great project, and then suddenly THIS comes to my attention? Just in time for New Moon, a Robert Pattinson cross-stitch pattern. Amazing. I must buy embroidery floss RIGHT THIS MINUTE.

Check out the article to download your own pattern, and for some other thoroughly insane Twilight crafts. Some to rival this one.

Food Tour Extravaganza!

My birthday is in December, which was always a bit of a drag because it was often overshadowed by the holiday season. Miraculously, my friend Julie found a way to make my special day last 10 months - by giving me an awesome birthday present this past weekend, for last year's bday!

We needed a nice day to do it, and certainly lucked out on Sunday - the perfect fall day.

This was the best gift ever! We did the Melting Pot food tour of the Lower East Side, and it was so awesome. Check out http://www.enthusiasticgourmet.com/ for all of the tours available - this would be an amazing activity to do with out of town family/friends, or to do it yourself and learn more about the city!

Susan is a fun and knowledgeable tour guide and I was seriously amazed at all of the places on our tour (some of which have been in business for generations), and all of the delicious food we got to try!

Our first stop: Kossar's Bialys. It smelled so good in there, and really brought me back to my days as a little baker girl at Andrea's Bake Shoppe in Newtown, CT. Ah, memories...

We got to watch the bakers work, learn the difference between a bagel and a bialy, and of course, try one! So good!

Also they have cream cheese. See how excited Daniel is!

One of the great things about this was that it was just me and three friends - our own private tour! Susan, our guide, keeps things small with a max of 8 so you don't feel like you're a bunch of tourists being herded around, but like you're just walking around with a pal that knows her stuff. (Later in the tour we totally maneuvered around one such tour, leaving them in the dust. SUCKERS!)

Since it was just us, she suggested we make a stop at The Doughnut Plant next door to grab coffee.

I usually stay away from doughnuts, since I overdosed on them in high school working at a bakery, but this place I could not resist. We got a pumpkin doughnut - so worth it. This was one of the newer businesses that we visited on the tour but it definitely held its own. AND, they have square jelly donuts that guarantee jelly in each bite! A marvel of modern science, if you ask me.

This concludes the breakfasty portion of the tour. More to come...stay tuned!

Halloween, A True Story

Not necessarily craft related, more of a public service announcement but watch yourselves out there! Especially in Iowa!

Trash/Treasure

Look what I found!

As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure...or, in this case, one woman's tag sale leftovers are another chic's deal of the day!

So, I got up early this morning en route to a stellar walking food tour of the Lower East Side (more on that later) and saw a stoop sale (as they call it in BK) setting up. I made a mental note to check it out on my way back later that afternoon.

By the time I returned, around 4pm, the sale was over, but the remnants were boxed by the curb free for the taking - and I snagged a sweet square pan (which I needed), a cute little french mug, some valentines treat holders, several yards of fabric from former window treatments (I think), and a slew of new ribbon!

I've washed it all, don't fret. It was all very carefully sorted and packaged in individual ziploc bags so I think I'll be safe from leprosy, etc.

It all stays out of the garbage this way, and I took home some delightful treats! Win/win!

This brings me to a good tip -if you see something you MUST have, snag it right away, but if you're in a more whimsical mood, swing by stoop/garage/yard/rummage/tag sales towards the end and you may get some sweet stuff for free/way cheap - after sitting outside all day, the seller most likely doesn't want to haul it inside/toss it.

So what do you think, kids? Is this gross, or great?

Nailed it!

Gaack! I love this stuff! Seriously, when a beauty product does exactly what it says it will, I'm so psyched. You just paint whatever color polish you want, wait 2 minutes, slop this stuff on, wait 30 seconds, and they are dry! For real! I even did my nails right before bed and woke up with smooth and lovely color, not with sheet marks in them like usual. You can find it CVS or whatever drugstore you like, and its around $5. Totally worth it for all the polish you'll save in touch ups!

Painting your nails can be considered crafty, right? AND thrifty too! TOTALLY on message here, folks.

An apple a day

So, until now I haven't done anything with the apples I picked last weekend (other than handing them out to unsuspecting friends/coworkers). Lame, I know.

A variety of things kept me from them - I had to finish my very first etsy order (woo hoo!), I needed a new vegetable peeler so I would not slice up my fingers and/or hurl mangled apples about the apartment,I had a fabulous dinner engagement (did you see my detailed report of 16 Handles?), and one time I was tired.

I did have an idea of what I wanted to make, though, once I got around to it: this. (If you haven't checked out smitten kitchen yet, do it now!) Finally, Sunday night rolled around and I was ready to go!

I couldn't find my box grater, and my new vegetable peeler is not the greatest. I might have to invest in a decent one, rather than one that cost $1.40. That is for another day, though.

My hand cramped up a little from my new (old) sifter that I scored at Brooklyn Flea.

I didn't have lemon yogurt or Sambuca handy, but I made do (also, I don't like Sambuca).

I found out it was my roommates birthday midway through peeling apples, so I doubled the recipe, and made a mini cake for her:

PLUS I couldn't find the bottom of my 9 inch spring form pan (note to friends and loved ones: if you have a wayward metal disc at your house that you can't identify, call me!). Luckily I have an 8 inch and a 10 inch too. But sheesh, so many obstacles!

In the end though, I've used up almost all of my apples, the cake came out well and I was the hero of the Monday morning work day (despite my ridiculous 1 hour 45 minute commute, but that's another story). It is a super moist and lovely cake, and would be great for for breakfast or dessert.

Try it yourself!

APPLE YOGURT CAKE

adapted from The New Spanish Table, via Smitten Kitchen

Unsalted butter for greasing the pan

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat, because I live on the edge)

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup lemon yogurt (I used plain, you can pick your favorite)

1/4 cup anise liquor (I used rum)

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cups finely diced/shredded peeled and cored baking apples

Confectioners sugar for dusting the cake

Creme fraiche for serving (optional)

1. Position rack at center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 inch spring form pan. (If you don't have a spring form you could use what you have - my mini cake in a 9 inch layer cake pan was fine).

2. Sift flour and baking powder together in bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale yellow (1 minute). Beat in yogurt and liqueur until smooth. Working in batches, beat in sifted flour, alternating with olive oil. Fold in apples.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth it with a spatula. Bake until the top is golden and the cake springs back when you touch it, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool.

4. Run a thin knife around the side of cake to loosen it. Remove the sides and bottom of the pan and place on a platter or serving plate. Wrap loosely in plastic until ready to serve. Serve sprinkled with confectioners sugar and creme fraiche if desired.

Who is that masked (wo)man?

So I have a request from a devoted friend/reader. She is having a work Halloween party where she must bring a handmade mask, nothing pre-made/purchased. Any suggestions? I did a search to see if there were any good ideas out there.

I've gathered a few here. There are so many!

Traditional:

Topical:
Trendy:

(Owls are so hot right now!)

Scary:

Adorable:
(This link has a ton of cute templates you can print out, and ideas for the classic paper plate mask!)

Sexy:

Hipsterific:

(And of course you know who would be the ultimate selection for this would be, if you need inspiration:)

And so many more! So while Thursday night is our mask making/Halloween costume finishing touching/vampire diaries watching evening, I did come across a few ideas that I will utilize for this project.

1) Use an empty cereal box, manila folder, or a paper plate as your base. You probably having one of these lying around, its free, and you are recycling! Yay!

2) If you're a crafty lady (or gentleman), chances are you have tons of leftover embellishments that might not be enough for a project on their own, but could definitely jazz things up here! Ribbon, sequins, buttons, fabric scraps - any of that stuff will work! Use what you've got!

3) Grab an old pair of sunglasses or snag one at the dollar store, use that as your base, and glue onto the frames so you don't have to deal with annoying elastic around the back of your head. You can even attach the cardboard (see #1) directly on to the glasses and go crazy from there!

I'll definitely show you what we come up with, but let me know if you have any ideas too! If you have pictures, email me! Less than 1 week until Halloween! Woo hoo!

Make Your Own Ice Cream Delight

I have a lot of dreams. They come in all sizes, from the tiny, like finally making a Baked Alaska:

to the TREMENDOUS: snagging a guest star role on Gossip Girl. I have practice!Last night's dream fulfillment fell somewhere in between. I finally got to go to 16 Handles in the East Village! Yay! This is a make your own ice cream sundae party, for the new millennium. (Which is already a decade old - WOAH!)

It is so fun! They have 16 different kinds of frozen yogurt, then a whole serve yourself toppings bar with all kinds of candy, sauces, cereal, fruit, etc. Dream come true!
(Thank you to a visiting dignitary from our nation's capital for also having this dream, and giving us an good reason to go!)

Free Snack at Barnes & Noble tomorrow!

Hello! You know I love to share free deals with you. Its been nice in New York the past few days, but unfortunately the colder weather will be coming back. Why not take the opportunity to celebrate Autumn with a free hot chocolate and cookie at Barnes & Noble this Saturday, 10/24? You can even pick up something to read while you watch the leaves fall when you're there.

(Click on the link for the coupon - its at the bottom, just scroll down.)

Apple Picking Adventures!

Hello! Here is a pictorial adventure of the most fall festive thing I've done this season! Apple picking! Saturday it was really cold in Peabody, MA, but we three ladies braved the frigid(ish) temp to pick some damn apples! First, we had to wait for the hayride to take us there, and hang out with some interesting characters....

Like this lovely lady! A little smelly but nice. I did not drop the camera into the pigpen so that was a bonus.

They hayride was fun - the danger of falling off and into a puddle was always there, which made it an exciting ride!

We got to the lovely orchard and were inundated with apples of all sorts! I have SO MANY I must make a pie. Good thing I love pie!

I got way more than the half a peck I paid for...and of course had to carry them home on the bolt bus for several hours, in a snowstorm. Worth it!

Here we are huddled together for warmth! So fun! Would definitely do it again, but would wear a hat.

Apple-iscious!

I spent an awesome weekend in Boston and got to go apple picking! Many festively fall photos to come, but for now I feel I am overwhelmed with apples! I have to bake something with them, because (although I did try it for the first time this weekend), biting into an apple on the core freaks me out, like I feel as if my teeth will be pulled from my skull. This did not happen, but I don't want to risk it, just in case. (Add it to the list of my crazy food foibles).

Stay tuned...

Free Gelato!

Buon giorno! I always like to let you kids know about free stuff - and this one is a doozy! If you are in NYC, Melt at 1053 2nd Ave (between 55th & 56th) is trying to set the world record for most cups of gelato served in a day: TODAY! It goes until 7pm so get over there for your free cup, and to help them meet this noble goal!

Major bonus: they are doing this for a good cause, by encouraging customers to donate to the Susan G Koman for the cure foundation, as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Even though its cold and rainy in NYC today, I think it is a great day for it!

Gelato is so classy! What is not to love here?

Care Bear Stare!

Wowie Zowie! Check out this cute care bear chic! Since we are halfway into October I thought I'd share a crafty Halloween experiment of yore - the Good Luck Bear! (I was the pink one but for some reason I can't find any pictures of that...seriously!)
I made the headband and shirt myself, without a sewing machine. It came out pretty well though!

PLUS, my efforts were even posted here, on nonsociety! Famous!

I'll be making more ears this Halloween - hopefully they will be a little more pro this time around.

I'm legit!

Ooh look! I got my new crafty business cards! I know this picture is a little small but I will be handing these out like pancakes very soon! Get yours today!

(I like to make, distribute, and consume pancakes.)

I used vistaprint for these and I would definitely recommend it! They had a ton of cool designs that would work for any sort of business or endeavor you might have. And they were super cheap - less than $10 (including shipping) for 250 cards. (There are a bunch of different upgrade options for extra $ but I went with the basic one - not bad!).

Benched!

BEFORE...


AND AFTER!

Here is a little bench I got at a tag sale, then painted and reupholstered. One of my FAVORITE crafty things to do is to recover seats of chairs/benches like this, because it is so easy (you just unscrew the seat from the bottom, pop it off, and staple away!) and the results are amazing. You can change the whole look, for very little time, and money, depending on how much your fabric costs. Wheee!

Climbing up the blog ladder

I wonder sometimes if this blogging crafting endeavor is worth it - I know I love to make stuff for people I love, but can I actually sell it to strangers too? If you've thought the same thing or are curious, check out this course online - hopefully I can get my act together and do it too!

I just ordered business cards so that is a step in the right direction - will let you know when they arrive! Can't wait to share them.