tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66935193569987047782024-02-21T06:23:47.161-08:00CUDDLIES by jackieA blog focused on Plushie Construction and Design, and Fiberarts in general.CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-2617128853133627202017-03-07T15:15:00.001-08:002017-03-07T15:20:06.948-08:00Galentine's Day Cards 2017<div style="text-align: center;">
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February marked that time of year again! Galentine's Day was (unofficially) officially the day before Valentine's Day, when friends celebrated female friendship (& hopefully got brunch). </div>
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Inspired by the "Parks & Rec" holiday, my friends & I try to exchange hugs & Galentines in the month of February. This year, I decided to cut up a floral tissue box that I'd been moved to save.</div>
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Voila! Floral accents for my cards:</div>
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I glued the flower emblems to the front of my card stock cards, wrote in my captions & message, & then trimmed the edges to be more even.</div>
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Then I put the cards between protective cardboard & added professional weights (coasters & glue bottle) on top, to flatten the cards while the glue finished drying.</div>
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The finished cards:</div>
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For the inscription on the back of my cards, this year I though that the "Parks & Rec" Pawnee Goddesses' Pledge (the show's answer to the Girl Scouts) would be both entertaining & inspiring. </div>
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A couple Galentines that I got from friends:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpByIxL1V4m_4aOetfDItcCL8IOFh_ahVamHsmrSV1k-dNi_zOffZSxKjcGa3TGDByN_1AN5kMly8Lw1hyphenhyphenBhHGTCnTnJDzggcjcp2UZ_8x8ligCQ9ChUMOD58HwHWcYF8Z-eqeT7HEIS8/s1600/IMG_20170213_052507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC-n1A9Qq7OnUqXBpvkBl66Pi8SUBIAitsfIICpLRt5EpivA3pVEwaqumllcdPvDZGWN7SxlX_ruNvHyn9jkAUbtj_TSZswur6WRwnjLyHMUQfEw9nfuqZ9IjPtKbAqZuG8RDv3yl8MUZ/s1600/P3070659.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC-n1A9Qq7OnUqXBpvkBl66Pi8SUBIAitsfIICpLRt5EpivA3pVEwaqumllcdPvDZGWN7SxlX_ruNvHyn9jkAUbtj_TSZswur6WRwnjLyHMUQfEw9nfuqZ9IjPtKbAqZuG8RDv3yl8MUZ/s400/P3070659.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hope you had a nice day (or week) with friends, wherever you were!</div>
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To check out previous years' Galentines, see my 2016 <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/2016/02/galentines-day-cards.html" target="_blank">Space-Themed Patchwork Cards</a> or 2015 <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/2015/02/happy-galentines-day.html" target="_blank">Initials Cards</a>, as well as my friend's <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/2015/02/happy-galentines-day-redux.html" target="_blank">Mixed Media Cards</a>.</div>
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<i style="color: purple;">"What's Galentine's Day? Oh, it's only the best day of the year! Every February 13th, my lady friends and I...just come and kick it breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It's like Lilith Fair...minus the angst...plus frittatas."</i><span style="color: purple;"> --Leslie Knope, </span><i style="color: purple;">Parks and Recreation</i></div>
CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-83040143127554169502017-02-02T20:30:00.000-08:002017-02-02T20:30:30.645-08:00Leaves & Rain = California Fall/Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWl7zMQs2TPHv51Lfd9F1Z2dKrUzs86a1pTwEuhHbn257gnknLYwLQ7D4i0s4eG0uOxzeG5uC27_sa-GbWRPX3h-mZ-Csjs7r5pMj-MUjQ-V7ZuHuywthH8D6tUsZTi3tfWaFPbPnxQfs/s1600/IMG_20170101_142428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWl7zMQs2TPHv51Lfd9F1Z2dKrUzs86a1pTwEuhHbn257gnknLYwLQ7D4i0s4eG0uOxzeG5uC27_sa-GbWRPX3h-mZ-Csjs7r5pMj-MUjQ-V7ZuHuywthH8D6tUsZTi3tfWaFPbPnxQfs/s400/IMG_20170101_142428.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've been seeing a lot of leaves (& a few flowers) on my recent walks...<br />
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It's been in the forties at night, and the mid-sixties during the day, with a few days of rain each week lately (giving the mountains a nice dusting of snow). We even got hail! Seems like Southern California can't quite decide which season it wants to be in right now...CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-46624248599123306642017-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002017-02-02T20:13:01.249-08:00Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-86343636342320103782016-12-31T23:00:00.000-08:002017-02-02T21:08:44.641-08:00Hannukah & Christmas & New Year's Eve Mash-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year, Hannukah overlapped with both Christmas & New Year's, so I attended hybrid dinner parties on those evenings. There was a lot of delicious food (including homemade matzo ball soup, latkes, & applesauce). </div>
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And, of course, the candle lighting:</div>
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There was also this somewhat alarming light-up spinning dreidel:</div>
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All in all, the two parties have made nice, social bookends for the holiday week--and a fun change to routine.<br />
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Happy New Year's Eve...<br />
CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-27369670109359998372016-12-24T22:00:00.000-08:002017-02-02T20:57:49.928-08:00December in Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And somehow, here we are at the end of December, already...</div>
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This month, I visited a friend at the USC Game Innovation Lab, & got to wander around while wearing a Hololens. Very cool!<br />
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While there, I got to use a snazzy mug that came with a custom-fit cozy (jealous...):<br />
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A coworker gave me this fun Christmas card that holds cookies, which I thought was very creative:<br />
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I experimented with making a mug brownie (verdict: not bad, as long as you include mini chocolate chips):<br />
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It was chilly, so I've also started crocheting a blanket while I re-watch some of my favorite Sci Fi & cooking videos. It keeps my lap warm, & helps me feel like I'm being creative again (& as a bonus: it's using up most of my random leftover skeins of yarn from other projects...)<br />
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Hope you enjoy the last week of December...<br />
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CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-26770003941089952802016-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:002017-02-02T20:31:04.474-08:00Thanksgiving 2016 (Embroidery)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've spent the last two Thanksgivings with a couple friends & their relatives. My friend's mom has this nice tradition of inviting guests to sign the Thanksgiving/Fall tablecloth. Then she embroiders the names onto the tablecloth. What a cool tradition...<br />
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I also thought this transcribed note was funny (the food WAS good!):<br />
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<br />CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-61352081376540117412016-09-09T12:00:00.000-07:002016-09-09T12:00:12.511-07:00Walking (Small Steps)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like it has been very hard to concentrate on (& define) my personal goals lately. And I struggle to be consistent with things I need or want to do in my personal life.<br />
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But there is one thing that I have been doing consistently since February: I have been walking a little bit every day.<br />
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Sometimes I only walk about 1/2 a mile at work. Some days I walk around my neighborhood and use my phone to take photos for my Instagram account or hack an Ingress portal or catch a Pokemon. Other days I just walk and listen to music and pretend I am in a music video. On rare occasions, I will leave my phone at home and just enjoy the breezes and the flowers along my route. Occasionally a friend or two will join me.<br />
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I have found that tracking an approximate distance walked each day, & writing that down on a steadily growing paper log, gives me a small but valuable sense of accomplishment. Maybe I didn't get to "X" and "Y," and maybe I only walked 1 mile, and yes, it would probably be better if I could get myself to walk a little farther...but I did get outside, I got some fresh air and a little sunshine, and if I was lucky I met a cat. And I added another day to my current walking streak.<br />
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I think it has really helped me to have a small goal. It doesn't matter how far I walk, as long as I get outside, even if only for a few blocks. If I want to add a couple more blocks for an extra half mile (or an extra Pokestop): Great! If my feet hurt and I just turn around at the half mile mark: Still Good! I only went outside because I had cabin fever? Still counts!<br />
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It seemed like such a big deal to hit 100 days of walking in a row. And then suddenly I realized that I was about to reach 200 days, and I hadn't even noticed I had gotten that far...<br />
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Today will be 220!CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-12161201378995309132016-09-08T16:30:00.000-07:002016-09-08T16:40:17.936-07:00Star Trek Turns 50!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe that Star Trek (The Original Series) aired 50 years ago today!</div>
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Star Trek was a huge part of my childhood. I started watching TNG (the Next Generation) in middle school--it was the one show I was allowed to go off & watch during dinner--& branched out to all of the other series from there. I would buy old TOS novels at neighborhood rummage sales, & they were always better (and cheaper) than the Star Trek novels I could find in bookstores. Most of my exposure to the original series & that crew was actually through those books. I would imagine conversations where I tried to explain Human idiosyncrasies & culture to Spock. And I was very sad that I could not apply to Starfleet for college...</div>
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I dug out a couple photos from the "Star Trek: The Exhibition" that toured around California in 2008, complete with set pieces & a simulated shuttle ride. Here I am in the command seat on the bridge of the Enterprise:<br />
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I think it's so cool that Star Trek continues to reinvent itself in movies, & TV shows, & fan projects. I am excited to see how the upcoming series will compare.</div>
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Live Long & Prosper!</div>
CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-72110957250221741242016-05-05T17:00:00.000-07:002016-05-05T17:09:16.596-07:00"To Kill A Mockingbird"--Houses As Characters (Book To Art)<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's Spring again, which means it's time for another "<a href="http://www.booktoartclub.org/about/" target="_blank">Book to Art</a>" project! As you may remember, "Book to Art" is a global club that encourages individual readers and library clubs to take literature that they have found to be meaningful or inspiring and to reinterpret those books or exerpts as creative art pieces. Feel free to check out my previous "Book to Art" project on Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford" <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/search/label/Book%20To%20Art" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In honor of Harper Lee's recent passing, I decided to do a "Book to Art" project on "To Kill A Mockingbird," a book that has been a pivotal school text for many people around my age <b>(**Major Spoilers Below!**)</b>. If you have read the book, you know that nearly every character and situation that we are introduced to by siblings Scout and Jem Finch has to be re-evaluated as new information comes to light over the course of the novel. The children (and we as readers) are frequently reminded, through the experiences of various citizens of Maycomb, Alabama, and through talks with their father, the lawyer Atticus Finch, of how important it is to reserve judgment instead of jumping to passionate conclusions, to walk in someone else's shoes and examine the other sides of every situation, rather than just choosing the easy or self-serving explanation, and to pick fights we know we can't win if we deem the cause or injustice important enough (and to control our tempers and refrain from boasting while acting like intelligent and courteous ladies and gentlemen whenever possible).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I went about this project backwards. I drew the homes of 3 of the characters in the novel, <i>before</i> I went back and re-read the passages that described their neighborhoods and actual houses. A</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">s a result of this reversed process, I did make a few small mistakes (the Radley place is surrounded by oak trees that keep out the sun, and Mrs. Dubose actually sits in a wheelchair, not a rocking chair), but I am overall very pleased with how closely the images in my memory paralleled the houses described in the book.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In my mind, each "abandoned" homestead serves as a visual symbol of a family and its status and level of (non-)integration into the tightly-knit community of Maycomb County. The Radley family keeps themselves apart, and basically pretends that their son Arthur Radley, whom they have hidden away in their house, has never existed. Mrs. Dubose is a house-bound elderly lady, due to her illness and drug addiction, but retains a tenuous connection with the community by sitting on her porch and observing and calling out to her neighbors until her death. The black members of the community work in Maycomb proper, but live out beyond the dump and nurture their own smaller community. Tom and Helen Robinson are a part of and supporeted by this sub-community, but are each further ostracized and isolated from a large portion of the white community when Tom is arrested and falsely accused of having raped neighbor Mayella Ewell.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Below, I present each sketched homestead, paired with passages from the novel that describe the house and its setting.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"The Radley Place" (Arthur "Boo" Radley & family)</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"The Radley Place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its porch; the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot. The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-grey yard around it. Rain-rotted shingles drooped over the eaves of the veranda; oak trees kept the sun away. The remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard--a "swept" yard that was never swept--where johnson grass and rabbit-tobacco grew in abundance...The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb...Nobody knew what form of intimidation Mr. Radley employed to keep Boo out of sight...My memory came alive to see Mrs. Radley occasionally open the front door, walk to the edge of the porch, and pour water on her cannas. But every day Jem and I would see Mr. Radley walking to and from town."</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"The neighborhood thought when Mr. Radley went under Boo would come out, but it had another think coming: Boo's elder brother returned from Pensacola and took Mr. Radley's place. The only difference between him and his father was their ages...Mr. Nathan would speak to us, however, when we said good morning, and sometimes we saw him coming from town with a magazine in his hand." --Chapter 1</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Cecil Jacobs, who lived at the far end of our street next door to the post office, walked a total of one mile per school day to avoid the Radley Place and old Mrs. Heny Lafayette Dubose. Mrs. Dubose lived two doors up the street from us; neighborhood opinion was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived. Jem wouldn't go by her place without Atticus beside him." --Chapter 4</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Mrs. Dubose lived alone except for a Negro girl in constant attendance, two doors up the street from us in a house with steep front steps and a dog-trot hall. She was very old; she spent most of each day in bed and the rest of it in a wheelchair. It was rumored that she kept a CSA pistol concealed among her numerous shawls and wraps."</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"If she was on the porch when we passed, we would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy prediction on what we would amount to when we grew up, which was always nothing. We had long given up the idea of walking past her house on the opposite side of the street; that only made her raise her voice and let the whole neighborhood in on it." --Chapter 11</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>"The Negro Cabins" (Tom & Helen Robinson)</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">"A dirt road ran from the highway past the dump, down to a small Negro settlement some five hundred yards beyond the Ewells'. It was necessary either to back out to the highway or go the full length of the road and turn around; most people turned around in the Negroes' front yards. In the frosty December dusk, their cabins looked neat and snug with pale blue smoke rising from the chimneys and doorways glowing amber from the fires inside. There were delicious smells about: chicken, bacon frying crisp as twilight air. Jem and I detected squirrel cooking, but it took a real country man like Atticus to identify possum and rabbit, aromas that vanished when we rode back past the Ewell residence." --Chapter 17</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"They turned off the highway, rode slowly by the dump and past the Ewell residence, down the narrow lane to the Negro cabins." --Chapter 25</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was only after I had sketched the above 3 "abandoned" houses that I realized that I had been drawn to 3 characters that I felt were incompletely integrated into Maycomb's small town life. I felt that it was important to add a fourth sketch for the Ewell family, the "lowest" status white family in Maycomb, and the source of a lot of the drama and unrest that takes place in the book.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Ewells (& Mayella Ewell)</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;">"Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; line-height: 1.5;">The cabin’s plank walls were supplemented with sheets of corrugated iron, its roof shingled with tin cans hammered flat, so only its general shape suggested its original design: square, with four tiny rooms opening onto a shotgun hall, the cabin rested uneasily upon four irregular lumps of limestone. Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls, which in the summertime were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out the varmints that feasted on Maycomb’s refuse."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; line-height: 1.5;">"The varmints had a lean time of it, for the Ewells gave the dump a thorough </span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; line-height: 1.5;">gleaning every day, and the fruits of their industry (those that were not eaten) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; line-height: 1.5;">made the plot of ground around the cabin look like the playhouse of an insane </span><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; line-height: 1.5;">child: what passed for a fence was bits of tree-limbs, broomsticks and tool shafts, all tipped with rusty hammer-heads, snaggle-toothed rake heads, shovels, axes and grubbing hoes, held on with pieces of barbed wire. Enclosed by this barricade was a dirty yard containing the remains of a Model-T Ford (on blocks), a discarded dentist's chair, an ancient icebox, plus lesser items: old shoes, worn-out table radios, picture frames, and fruit jars, under which scrawny orange chickens pecked hopefully. "</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 1.5;">"One corner of the yard, though, bewildered Maycomb. Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson, had Miss Maudie deigned to permit a geranium on her premises. People said they were Mayella Ewell's." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 1.5;">"Nobody had occasion to pass by except at Christmas, when the mayor of Maycomb asked us to please help the garbage collector by dumping our own trees and trash." --Chapter 17</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This project became a lot more symbolic and layered as I worked on it. In the beginning, I was only drawing interesting houses that belonged to colorful supporting characters! I highly recommend trying an art project like this with a book you enjoy.</span></div>
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CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-18094334485325571532016-03-14T00:00:00.000-07:002016-05-05T17:52:25.251-07:00Happy "Rounded Pi Day!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Every year, my friends & I like to mark "Pi Day" by eating pie, if at all possible. We try to make or buy pie, and sometimes attend a local annual "Pie Day" event. <br /><br />"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi">Pi</a>," or <span style="font-size: large;">π</span>, you may remember, is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, which comes out to an irrational number that is roughly rounded to"3.14159265359..." so nerds like us round that out to 3-14, or March 14th. <br /><br />This year is a little unusual, in that you can also include the year to make "Rounded Pi Day"--when you round Pi to 6 digits, you get 3-14-16. <br /><br />We nerds will take any excuse to eat pie & make puns!<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 30px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span></span>CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-19394083937370424742016-03-01T12:40:00.000-08:002016-03-01T12:40:36.663-08:00It's Super Tuesday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Did you know that only ONE THIRD of registered voters actually go out and vote in a given election? That statistic always boggles my mind.<br />
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If you live in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, or Wyoming (or American Samoa), today your state is having presidential primary elections and/or caucuses.<br />
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Go out & vote! Let's hear it for civic participation!CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-65799573764414739632016-02-29T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-29T12:56:15.815-08:00Leap Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today marks one of the corrective features of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" target="_blank">Gregorian</a> calendar: February 29th is "Leap Day," which also means that this is a "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year" target="_blank">Leap Year</a>."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To review my summary from <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/2016/02/some-trivia-about-presidents-day.html" target="_blank">Presidents Day</a>, the Gregorian, "Western," or "Christian" calendar is based on a solar cycle of approximately 365 days, and is a modification of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar" target="_blank">Julian</a> calendar, which was based on lunar cycles. With the Gregorian calendar, the holiday Easter occurs closer to the point in the seasonal year that the holiday occurred when implemented and celebrated by early Christians (near the March equinox). This was achieved by adding an extra day to February every 4 years (sort of--the Gregorian calendar also has to be corrected every 400-year "Leap Cycle" by leaving out 3 leap years).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another interesting result is that in most consecutive years, the day of the week that a given date occurs advance by 1 each year. On a Leap Year, the day advances by 2. To quote Wikipedia: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">For example, Christmas fell on Tuesday in 2001, Wednesday in 2002, and Thursday in 2003 but then 'leapt' over Friday to fall on a Saturday in 2004."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Various traditions, like "Bachelor's Day," have been a part of Leap Day lore (and even law) in the past. These days, it seems like the main impact of this holiday tends to be felt by people who were born on Leap Day. While their bodies are 4 or 8 or 24 years old, many people joke that these people are really toddlers, because they have only celebrated 1, 2, or 6 official birthdays...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A recent Leap Day "tradition" that caught my attention and made me laugh was Neil Gaiman's <a href="http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/18494009964/its-extra-magic-bonus-happy-leap-year-day" target="_blank">"Take A Writer to Dinner"</a> post. This whimsical practice makes as much sense as any other Leap Day behavior I've seen. And it encourages writing, creativity, socializing, and altruism! And eating!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Leap Day.</span>CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-48471170914400126642016-02-24T22:00:00.000-08:002017-03-05T16:54:33.007-08:00ROW80 Update (July-February)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let's see. This is sort of a summary of the last 8 months.<br />
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Last April, I switched my type of <a href="https://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">ROW80</a> goal-making. Instead of having a dozen specific goals in multiple categories, which just stressed me out and/or got ignored, I made 1 general goal for each category. I wanted to be satisfied when I met a goal, rather than disappointed or ashamed when I hadn't addressed something several weeks in a row:<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"> I did something a little different with this block...Instead of focusing on numerous, specific goals, many of which felt like chores to be avoided, I chose the 2 categories I'd given the most attention and interest to during the Jan-March block, and I assigned a frequency to them. Instead of "3 sets of 3 exercises 3 days in a row, and get outside" I settled on "Exercise/get outside 5 times a week." Blog, sketch, and crafting-related goals merged into "Do something creative 5 times a week." </span></blockquote>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">APRIL - JUNE 2015 ROW80 GOALS</span></strong> </blockquote>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">[X] 1) Do something creative: 5x a week.</span></strong> </blockquote>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">[X] 2) Stretch, exercise, or get outside: 5x a week.</span></strong> </blockquote>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">[ ] 3) Do something towards a futuristic goal: 2x a week.</span></strong> </blockquote>
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">[X!] 4) Hit 100th blog post for the blog's 2-year marker on May 3rd!</span></strong></blockquote>
I also finished and published a whole ABCs sketch series on my blog in April (see my Hedgehog series, above)!<br />
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So, how have the last 8 months gone?</div>
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<b>Future Goal/Planning:</b><br />
I have recently been doing a lot of research into some online classes and programs, and it's time to make some tougher decisions. I am looking at a spring intro class in a program field I have been researching, to see if I feel suited to that type of work and willing to invest the time.<br />
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<b>Exercise:</b><br />
Apart from some days where I get an extra spurt of energy, I have largely been sticking to my earlier "3 sets of 3 exercises at least 3 days a week" mantra. I still hope to keep that up, and maybe increase it to 4 or 5 exercises per active day. But, I am happy to say, I am currently on Day 20 of a walking streak (with only a few days missed the 2 weeks preceding), and I have been slooowly increasing the distance. I discovered that I am much more eager to walk if I have generalized cabin fever or anxiety paired with a wish to see refreshing blue skies and sunlight, a chatty walking companion, or musical accompaniment (the 3 days I walked by myself without any music, I felt like I was walking against an invisible barrier). Perhaps I will be able to turn this into a regular habit, after all! However, here in Southern California, we have already had a few weeks of 85 degree weather...So I have already had to play around with my walking time, and I may have to start supplementing my walking with swimming again, just to survive the oncoming heat (in March! I know!).<br />
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<b>Crafting:</b><br />
During the fall, I made a couple baby shower plushies (dragons), and discovered that one of my more popular plushie designs online was actually my bat. Maybe because they are a more specialized animal? I also started designing fabric ornaments as Christmas approached. I am particularly pleased with the 2 flower ornament designs that I came up with, especially because flower ornaments can be kept on display throughout the year. I would like to experiment with these designs a little more, as well as post tutorials for the original 2 designs on the blog.<br />
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<b>Writing:</b><br />
I can definitely trace when I was busy with "real life" by when I stopped writing up longer blogs last winter. But I got another spurt of writing energy in February.<br />
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I've been mulling over the notion (hah) that I should re-visit a sketch series idea that I had last year involving sewing and textile notions (the little gadgets and tools that make different kinds of textile crafting possible). The challenge, I think, is that quite a lot of notions start with the same letter, or fall under the same category (for example, "quilting supplies," "quilting awl," "quilting tape," etc.). So should I limit each letter to a single notion? Or try to address them all? Additionally, would this be a sketch series? Or a writing series? Not all of these notions may be familiar to the amateur sewer, who could benefit from a short description. But I definitely slowed down production of my ABC sketch series last year as I got further into the alphabet. I started out with a couple weeks scheduled, and by the last few letters, I was publishing the day's sketch the night before or even the same day.<br />
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<b>Other Creativity:</b><br />
I am continuing to Instagram my walks and my crafting, and my experiments with baking. The cooking definitely ebbs and flows, depending on budget and season. I also altered thrift store and personal clothing into 2 costumes for costume events --a steampunk Lady in Red (in my bridesmaid gown with a handmade satchel and a tiny handmade steampunk hat!), and a Browncoat/Space Rebel. And I have 2 or 3 dozen sketches that I have not posted anywhere. But there have definitely been many weeks where I felt tired and uninspired to create anything. And that can feel very discouraging.<br />
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<strong>JANUARY-MARCH 2016 ROW80 GOALS (Progress)</strong><br />
<strong>[X?</strong><strong>] 1) Do something creative: Every week </strong><strong>(Bonus: writing <u>&</u> crafting).</strong><br />
<strong>[X] 2) Stretch, exercise, or get outside: 5x a week </strong><strong>(Bonus: 3 KINDS/day).</strong><br />
<strong>[X] 3) Publish blog post: Every month </strong><strong>(Bonus: 2-4x a month).</strong><br />
<strong>[ ~] 4) </strong><strong>Do something towards a futuristic goal: Every week.</strong><br />
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It sure looks like you've done a lot when you only summarize it a couple times a year!<br />
<strong><br /></strong>CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-48334060394923700342016-02-16T15:30:00.000-08:002016-02-16T15:30:15.469-08:00Some Trivia About Presidents Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWahDFZwaqM1UAKHVc20XxNvBFF7lj89oh2qlXzQXwRd7ulaasPEYaIpe0p31jLkU9Pm44jQwmb6LuZrmlKcV_gnSdbegx6GVwrhJ48cZmO-ZnB6agOKSj7YUwj0A4JHvLUfpHEkCoxVi/s1600/P1010549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWahDFZwaqM1UAKHVc20XxNvBFF7lj89oh2qlXzQXwRd7ulaasPEYaIpe0p31jLkU9Pm44jQwmb6LuZrmlKcV_gnSdbegx6GVwrhJ48cZmO-ZnB6agOKSj7YUwj0A4JHvLUfpHEkCoxVi/s400/P1010549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Okay, so I'm trying to use this not-very-accurate sketch of Mount Rushmore (which in no way captures the original, grave, far-seeing, "Leaders-of-a-Nation" stone rendition of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, completed 1941), as a reference to United States Presidents and yesterday's holiday. President Roosevelt is clearly wondering, "who is the gentleman that has replaced President Lincoln?" But let us proceed.<br />
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Presidents Day (which is actually the federal holiday known as "Washington's Birthday," but is usually called "Presidents' Day" or "Presidents Day") is another one of our holidays that has evolved over the years. The third Monday in February, Presidents Day originally marked the birthday of our first President, George Washington. It has since come to represent, for many states, a conglomeration of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays (both of whom were born in February), George Washington and Thomas Jefferson's birthdays, or "U.S. Presidents" in general. <br />
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The holiday is furthered complicated by the fact (thanks, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%27s_Birthday" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>!) that the United States marks presidential birthdays by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" target="_blank">Gregorian calendar</a>, even though some of our presidents were born under (and lived during) a time period when "the colonies" and the newly-formed United States of America were actually still using the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar" target="_blank">Julian calendar</a> (introduced by Julius Caesar). The Gregorian/Western/Christian calendar is a solar calendar that fixes Easter closer to the time period of the year in which the holiday occurred when implemented by early Christians (Christians had previously used a lunar cycle, and the date for Easter had a lot more drift during the 19-year Julian cycle, if I am summarizing this correctly. See the related Wikipedia articles, or visit your local library, for more information).<br />
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President's Day is also treated by many as a holiday honoring veterans. George Washington is frequently referred to as the "Founding Father of our Country," and a "unanimously-elected president." But he was also a military general. He is credited with creating a medal of merit for common soldiers, and it is his face that is featured on the Purple Heart medal which is awarded to soldiers injured in battle.<br />
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Washington and Lincoln's birthdays used to be separately marked as federal holidays. These days, dependent on the state, many people do not have to go to work or school on the third Monday in February that is known variously as "President's Day," "Presidents' Day," or "Presidents Day," while some students get the entire week between Washington and Lincoln's birthdays as a mini-vacation from school. For many of us, the day also represents one of our multiple long weekends marked by outdoor barbecues with friends and family, and heavily-marketed blowout sales. Political figures give speeches, and it is up to us to individually decide what the holiday means in terms of our community and civic identity.CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-9580801569886429042016-02-16T12:00:00.000-08:002016-02-16T13:40:59.988-08:00Galentine's Day 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V_9MVa_83SJ8jZK8Wu7j_psZEQE6x5h_FrPbODufQDgT03WJ-fXRWY-6zs3XFjBUNuBcJgz18nuLU7OKHD0zHbEGGW-CklKXLDc79Dp2YB3MQuOa8MwdXkOFnlGVCQPV4ger55Hm6h-m/s1600/IMG_20160214_115553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V_9MVa_83SJ8jZK8Wu7j_psZEQE6x5h_FrPbODufQDgT03WJ-fXRWY-6zs3XFjBUNuBcJgz18nuLU7OKHD0zHbEGGW-CklKXLDc79Dp2YB3MQuOa8MwdXkOFnlGVCQPV4ger55Hm6h-m/s400/IMG_20160214_115553.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><i>"What's Galentine's Day? Oh, it's only the best day of the year! Every February 13th, my lady friends and I...just come and kick it breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It's like Lilith Fair...minus the angst...plus frittatas."</i> --Leslie Knope, <i>Parks and Recreation</i></span></div>
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As promised, here are the photos of this year's Galentine's Day. This year we hosted, and I was able to document a lot more of the food and the decorative themed stations (beautifully arranged by my intrepid co-host).</div>
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We had a Chocolate Station next to a table with name cards where guests could leave Galentines for the other guests. </div>
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Our Scone Station. My friend made berry scones and chocolate chip scones, which were offered with fresh fruit, whipped cream, lemon curd, and passionfruit jam (it was all suuuuper yummy when piled together).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEggjShJKlJRQ9bsheF0GmMVdEKfSyuWO0V52CO6bisPCTvou9mBwhghTAGr2UPgwh0o3OcWnhfyK8uHttoRgrqffJ3jqmlfW74gxmgCgcEKv4X56c_7zs2ic1g1pcox2yfd3WGo27LVe/s1600/P1010534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEggjShJKlJRQ9bsheF0GmMVdEKfSyuWO0V52CO6bisPCTvou9mBwhghTAGr2UPgwh0o3OcWnhfyK8uHttoRgrqffJ3jqmlfW74gxmgCgcEKv4X56c_7zs2ic1g1pcox2yfd3WGo27LVe/s400/P1010534.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our seating area featured a beautiful glass and roses theme. We served food on glass dishes and "crystal" plastic party trays to match the place settings. In addition to the scones, we offered cucumber sandwiches, lox sandwiches, a caprese salad (fresh mozarella, basil, and tomato drizzled in olive oil), and a cheese plate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK27ZHlYAslovFfRjAkQdXJJh0eG5JCFbD6r4oovtfUzC82A-AkZQ1gc6tYA6jxzKqhk3uVhZ3EYjUR4yIu-wB0O5uV0wXTPWOFX1dt4LD1PAHoTKbr7QMS5TLtkqHA6rP-SKlLMVPh0t8/s1600/P1010530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK27ZHlYAslovFfRjAkQdXJJh0eG5JCFbD6r4oovtfUzC82A-AkZQ1gc6tYA6jxzKqhk3uVhZ3EYjUR4yIu-wB0O5uV0wXTPWOFX1dt4LD1PAHoTKbr7QMS5TLtkqHA6rP-SKlLMVPh0t8/s400/P1010530.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KmflhO0Pm0fARKXDJwZCcnwvxNPqXGHBJIR1qaeefa89inuCZs4g5x3tAcuko2DcF3-HoEDPXU3yhig-zXM24DVt31iEY0DfeqNjAlEyv81TBIoJIVGh9bIhOZe7QYXaJ7fi6vX3RNw2/s1600/P1010531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KmflhO0Pm0fARKXDJwZCcnwvxNPqXGHBJIR1qaeefa89inuCZs4g5x3tAcuko2DcF3-HoEDPXU3yhig-zXM24DVt31iEY0DfeqNjAlEyv81TBIoJIVGh9bIhOZe7QYXaJ7fi6vX3RNw2/s400/P1010531.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My place setting:<br />
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After brunch, we watched "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvSitCCvH-A&list=PLs2T_dNZ-XW4tvX3cYwkGsObIxlbBSxIs" target="_blank">A Tell-Tale Vlog</a>" on YouTube (featuring Edgar Allan Poe, aspiring vlogger, as well as Lady Ghost Lenore, and a random girl scout), while we digested. </div>
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Then it was time to open our Galentines. </div>
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All of the Galentines were super sweet, and some were also funny.<br />
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This homemade Galentine features a cut-out of a teacup that functions as a pocket and holds a packet of "Well-Rested Tea"--and a caption with a related play on words:<br />
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Another of our friends bought used books and wrapped them in brown paper as her Galentines. She wrote a different quote on each cover, and added fun stickers. We each chose a quote that we liked and gained a mystery book:<br />
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My mystery book ended up being "The Blind Assassin," by Margaret Atwood:<br />
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My beautiful Galentines (complete with a bag of dark chocolate!):<br />
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We had a lot of fun, just hanging out and talking about books and catching up.</div>
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By the end of the day, I had eaten so much rich food that I was a bit queasy (have I mentioned that I'm lactose-intolerant?)... My breakfast of leftovers the next day was much more restrained, but still delicious: Lox and tomato on bread, and whipped cream, lemon curd, and passionfruit jam on the penultimate scone (a word I will always remember, thanks to Lemony Snicket!):</div>
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So that was our beautiful and tasty brunch!</div>
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Already craving scones and looking forward to next year...</div>
CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-4437527835642020952016-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:002016-02-14T17:00:20.426-08:00Galentine's Day Cards<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
"Galentine's Day" is a time when ladies get together to have brunch and socialize and show their appreciation for each other. This unofficial holiday of "ladies celebrating ladies" was started in the TV show "Parks and Recreation," by the character Leslie Knope (see Leslie's explanation in this helpful <a href="https://youtu.be/8GzNX3gI38M" target="_blank">YouTube clip</a>). Galentine's Day is celebrated on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day (although last year we celebrated it Valentine's Day morning because that morning worked best. So you do you.).</div>
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<span id="goog_164579405"></span><span id="goog_164579406"></span>For this year's Galentine-making party, I decided to go with a more retro ocean/space/patchwork theme (you can see last year's card-making blogs <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/2015/02/happy-galentines-day.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/2015/02/happy-galentines-day-redux.html" target="_blank">here</a>).</div>
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I started out by cutting out rectangles of cardstock that would fit into my envelopes:</div>
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Next, I set up a crafting station with cardstock, fabric, blue, and scissors. And I knew from last year to have a couple sheets of scrap cardboard to protect the table from glue!<br />
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I cut out scraps of paper and fabric and glued them onto my cardstock. I found that by working on multiple cards at once, I could play around with my space-meets-patchwork theme.<br />
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I decided to use the polka dots from my rocket ship fabric to add some eyes/satellites to some of my planets (always important to up the cuteness factor...).<br />
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I then added scalloping along the sides of the cards, for a little extra flare.<br />
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The final products:<br />
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In honor of Galentine's Day, I wrote an affirmative quote from one of the "Parks And Rec" ladies on the back of each card:<br />
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In Part 2, I'll show you this year's cute Galentine's Day set-up. Enjoy your Valentine's Day and President's Day Weekend!CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-20328737223433993022016-02-14T13:00:00.000-08:002016-02-14T13:10:00.257-08:00Fox says, "Happy Valentine's Day!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-84542012422681884182016-02-12T20:30:00.000-08:002016-02-14T17:01:17.933-08:00Chinese New Year: Vegetable Dumplings!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This past week at the Pomona College Organic Farm, the food coordinators lead a dumpling workshop for Chinese New Year. College and community participants gathered together to chop veggies and shape dough wrappers for the evening's farm potluck.</div>
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Below, see some of the progress shots of the dumpling-making process (the full recipes (and links) that these dumplings were based on can be found at the end of this post).</div>
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First, flour and water were mixed together and kneaded to create the dumpling dough. The mixture was then wrapped in a cotton cloth and set aside to rise (we used farm t-shirts).</div>
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At the same time, another team of people washed and chopped the onions, garlic, ginger, and assorted vegetables. We were gathered around various tables, chatting and dicing:</div>
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Some of the chopped scallion, garlic, and ginger was set aside for the dipping sauce. The rest was sauteed in several oiled pans at a camp stove station as part of the vegetable filling. The pan of vegetables was sauteed in batches and seasoned:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwAHsHzgGgogIVnfeieIGVRBWmelB6ZFuuu1lqMGH8TPUeRLSHY_Cab47rTd3E5aiNl8JFtVqVkr1EpBDvEZ39k3KJIpW1PPX15QGbd_OpghHUJ-7gQ90qYzp1cOivXM-zddM3PQEOJLO/s1600/IMAG0844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwAHsHzgGgogIVnfeieIGVRBWmelB6ZFuuu1lqMGH8TPUeRLSHY_Cab47rTd3E5aiNl8JFtVqVkr1EpBDvEZ39k3KJIpW1PPX15QGbd_OpghHUJ-7gQ90qYzp1cOivXM-zddM3PQEOJLO/s400/IMAG0844.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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By this point, the dough was ready to make into wrappers. Strips of dough were cut off and handed around to volunteers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHn1ZMh8PLtOVNlzHPnWd8ZGrJhzx5ToWk4nwyRFbdeDUpVw40AuaQBUjZyCUEpNpG-rg5XfIrhofB2ap22m8bzNVYPKFaifNlTgDG1zokDgjs4JPeiidf-fq085x7UOC9ugJ7IB_NAmK/s1600/IMAG0845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHn1ZMh8PLtOVNlzHPnWd8ZGrJhzx5ToWk4nwyRFbdeDUpVw40AuaQBUjZyCUEpNpG-rg5XfIrhofB2ap22m8bzNVYPKFaifNlTgDG1zokDgjs4JPeiidf-fq085x7UOC9ugJ7IB_NAmK/s400/IMAG0845.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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Using fingers, rolling pins, and plastic cups (as substitute rolling pins), we shaped little round dumpling wrappers, adding flour as necessary to control the stickiness level of the dough:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4TCxTEaGCHz7rOrhPW2fA1Gd06LfPW7HflCwgKlfVDSNQVVzzbg5YD62IC-cPe8rYTrnyYl2ia052I0ROdGVQyqQXsR94kqbw0meUd9-77cCrYnFuGlRU_k-edb9DjcNpM5FRVCd3lPq/s1600/IMAG0850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4TCxTEaGCHz7rOrhPW2fA1Gd06LfPW7HflCwgKlfVDSNQVVzzbg5YD62IC-cPe8rYTrnyYl2ia052I0ROdGVQyqQXsR94kqbw0meUd9-77cCrYnFuGlRU_k-edb9DjcNpM5FRVCd3lPq/s400/IMAG0850.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As the last of the first veggie filling was finishing up, we began to assemble our dumplings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5mElJW-VmOrdqvbPFs_DNcRK870ihwDgNkJT1OojiSlCyvNUhcBKNmIaXaRKmGm6kGgbZnxrJe6ZABFGeQW7t6qosSHjJEXiVJqRMJonnWo5kOusMWnWONnIY1iGdedqrWfEoaxwjRqc/s1600/IMAG0851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5mElJW-VmOrdqvbPFs_DNcRK870ihwDgNkJT1OojiSlCyvNUhcBKNmIaXaRKmGm6kGgbZnxrJe6ZABFGeQW7t6qosSHjJEXiVJqRMJonnWo5kOusMWnWONnIY1iGdedqrWfEoaxwjRqc/s400/IMAG0851.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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Filling was spooned into a wrapper. Then the circle of dough was pinched closed (forming a half circle). Dumplings were pinched together in varying degrees of complexity, according to the skill level of the participants (I used a pleated folding technique I had observed in a YouTube video):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDMbVA1oSGTmLf4BUxD_pZEW6cuU1FvTvs33JaIdAatzFWv3PbcAgTYH-xN5hqt-rkSYfVWBFwQIknRtJwJPhGF9fCvQfmuZEH9XQQ3HevBsmQ8w9kzMAFr7ZsOJe2CofTk9mCIEeOEsk/s1600/IMAG0852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDMbVA1oSGTmLf4BUxD_pZEW6cuU1FvTvs33JaIdAatzFWv3PbcAgTYH-xN5hqt-rkSYfVWBFwQIknRtJwJPhGF9fCvQfmuZEH9XQQ3HevBsmQ8w9kzMAFr7ZsOJe2CofTk9mCIEeOEsk/s1600/IMAG0852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDMbVA1oSGTmLf4BUxD_pZEW6cuU1FvTvs33JaIdAatzFWv3PbcAgTYH-xN5hqt-rkSYfVWBFwQIknRtJwJPhGF9fCvQfmuZEH9XQQ3HevBsmQ8w9kzMAFr7ZsOJe2CofTk9mCIEeOEsk/s400/IMAG0852.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The assembled dumplings were placed in a greased pan, where they could be fried and/or covered and steamed:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_8Elq50FUxNzrY2Dx4VDWrgiHmkGKPU6jLtrDWIlXA9VRfrHxEnuNcFXjVpbvDj6TO0B_tqNCFFJb45dEKvpx_Hj6WEUp76jxMQhMVCDtjUNtZ1VtDmZwifX6fJ89Km65Rr-uXYAuyGA/s1600/IMAG0853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_8Elq50FUxNzrY2Dx4VDWrgiHmkGKPU6jLtrDWIlXA9VRfrHxEnuNcFXjVpbvDj6TO0B_tqNCFFJb45dEKvpx_Hj6WEUp76jxMQhMVCDtjUNtZ1VtDmZwifX6fJ89Km65Rr-uXYAuyGA/s1600/IMAG0853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_8Elq50FUxNzrY2Dx4VDWrgiHmkGKPU6jLtrDWIlXA9VRfrHxEnuNcFXjVpbvDj6TO0B_tqNCFFJb45dEKvpx_Hj6WEUp76jxMQhMVCDtjUNtZ1VtDmZwifX6fJ89Km65Rr-uXYAuyGA/s400/IMAG0853.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The delicious, finished product, ready to be served with a dipping sauce!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFGH-yk4IrPOy4fMWQdIIv-8herWYZ6Nh29NFNAPKgVjfEx9mDqfB2pQenPesGioue-WcLfLnTl2TCxep-7thwP3LlFg_Ae3dn8uMYKEzghVnMC16SsqIDVA5zjbRHoE_AXoJTmksdQen/s1600/IMAG0857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFGH-yk4IrPOy4fMWQdIIv-8herWYZ6Nh29NFNAPKgVjfEx9mDqfB2pQenPesGioue-WcLfLnTl2TCxep-7thwP3LlFg_Ae3dn8uMYKEzghVnMC16SsqIDVA5zjbRHoE_AXoJTmksdQen/s400/IMAG0857.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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VEGETABLE DUMPLING RECIPE</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Cooking Workshop: Dumplings! 2/5/16</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Pomona College Organic Farm</span></div>
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<b>Dumpling Dough</b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">3 1/2 cups all purpose flour</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons tepid water</span></div>
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Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the water to the flour and knead into a smooth dough. This process should take about 10 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for half an hour.</div>
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<b>Gluten-free Dumpling Dough</b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">2 1/2 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">3/4 cup hot water</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1-2 tbsp cold water</span></div>
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Mix all but 1/3 cup of dry ingredients, and then slowly add hot water to the mixture. Knead the dough well, and then add the cold water.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><b>Vegetable Dumplings</b> – makes 20-24</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">3 tablespoons oil, plus ¼ cup</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 tablespoon minced ginger</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 large onion, chopped</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">2 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 1/2 cups cabbage, finely shredded</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 1/2 cups carrot, finely shredded</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 cup garlic chives (Chinese chives), finely chopped</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1/2 teaspoon white pepper</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">2 teaspoons sesame oil</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">2 tablespoon soy sauce</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">salt, to taste</span></div>
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In a wok or large skillet over medium high heat, add 3 tablespoons oil and add the ginger. Cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the onions and stir-fry until translucent.</div>
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Add the chopped mushrooms and stir-fry for another 3-5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and any liquid released by the mushrooms has cooked off.</div>
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Add the cabbage and carrots and stir-fry for another 2 minutes, until the veggies are tender and all the liquid released has been cooked off. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.</div>
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To the bowl, add the chopped chives, white pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Season with salt to taste (though the soy sauce will usually add enough salt to the filling), and stir in the last 1/4 cup of oil.</div>
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To assemble the dumplings, cut the dough into small tablespoon-sized pieces. Roll each out into a circle, and pleat the dumplings. Continue assembling until you've run out of filling and/or dough.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">To cook the dumplings, steam them or pan-fry them. To steam, put the dumplings in a steamer lined with a bamboo mat, cabbage leaf, or cheese cloth, and steam for 15-20 minutes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">To pan-fry, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Place the dumplings in the pan and allow to fry for 2 minutes. Pour a thin layer of water into the pan, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow dumplings to steam until the water has evaporated. Remove the cover, increase heat to medium-high and allow to fry for a few more minutes, until the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown and crisp.</span></div>
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Serve with soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, chili sauce, or other dipping sauce of your choice!</div>
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<b>Egg and Green Bean Filling</b>– yields about 30</div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">4 large eggs</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">2 Tbs. vegetable oil</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1/2 tsp. toasted Asian sesame oil</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">2 medium cloves garlic, minced</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 cup thinly sliced scallions</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">green beans</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">grated/chopped ginger</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">soy sauce</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Steam or boil green beans until tender and chop finely.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Heat the vegetable and sesame oils in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.</span><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until large curds form, 30 to 40 seconds.</span><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Add the scallions and ginger stir to mix evenly. The eggs should be just soft enough to hold the beans together.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Mix eggs with green beans. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Add toasted sesame oil and soy sauce.</span></div>
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<a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.finecooking.com%2Frecipes%2Fegg-scallion-dumplings-jiao-zi.aspx&h=KAQHW6N_HAQGTWCyhDfOeVZVOPDMrDBz_PyTFXEE2LvfGbA&enc=AZMO-2W1ZjngOZvetJgj8rjOzJ0L1FWuypwmxP5RtuF4NAKcEqg9huhmpfveFCei5qIe3NhMBE2KZOCeBo72v6ESdwXlWw1BakgzNteZ-1FX1sYY3BuhlvWjD-vRerzXYJuqDOQbduGY9hTHgaMhXhoTWNb8g9rFerrE2bB8NcbIBg&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.finecooking.com/…/egg-scallion-dumplings-jiao-zi…</a></div>
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<b>Dipping Sauce</b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1/3 cup soy sauce</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">2 1/2 tablespoons vinegar</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 tablespoon finely shredded fresh ginger, or 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic (or both)</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">1 small scallion, thinly sliced</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Mix together.</span></div>
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Happy Chinese New Year!</div>
CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-38529731797993676972016-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-12T21:05:08.199-08:00Olaf says, "Happy New Year!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6M8NbHj1Bxf4ozOK4BoA6D7wCM1QOlISoZVWwl5KBjplmOIG5LOm8JMNOSMDW92w-1VZ3cmZ_uGTKjRagPL785fw_cHCTXSzxQw9ik_TY-1l69s2cob-_maKC2jWfPWBUNz1nFghlxGt4/s1600/olaf+doodle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6M8NbHj1Bxf4ozOK4BoA6D7wCM1QOlISoZVWwl5KBjplmOIG5LOm8JMNOSMDW92w-1VZ3cmZ_uGTKjRagPL785fw_cHCTXSzxQw9ik_TY-1l69s2cob-_maKC2jWfPWBUNz1nFghlxGt4/s400/olaf+doodle.png" width="271" /></a></div>
<br />CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-36099923423938205632015-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:002016-02-12T21:06:23.612-08:00Merry Christmas, & Happy Holidays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8w_Dqlth3QCRK3qtLaNG0lQOIcCr8nwcQoIKc5cGvBl23bgA0Hx5eShA2CK6ZbzO2Afr7huIdib2oO5DvtdkEOz0nGm6WiVShD_gdYsVfFIIGq9Rbs6faJmHFKB-ED7onzpqH40A7ffng/s1600/Christmas+doodle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8w_Dqlth3QCRK3qtLaNG0lQOIcCr8nwcQoIKc5cGvBl23bgA0Hx5eShA2CK6ZbzO2Afr7huIdib2oO5DvtdkEOz0nGm6WiVShD_gdYsVfFIIGq9Rbs6faJmHFKB-ED7onzpqH40A7ffng/s400/Christmas+doodle.png" width="262" /></a></div>
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Happy Holidays, to you and yours...CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-2082053004277863892015-11-26T12:00:00.000-08:002015-11-26T12:23:25.214-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!<span id="goog_509052971"></span><span id="goog_509052972"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq91mUKYtRFZ3kn9PR-LikvutpYXBXb__2XamfUMO2FyOVn86u4zhB2fzZ371d925dbGVIEAauuF6XdcRwfa6gjCL6I_WI6YdNpJnCBuQbolFOBmPkNBTm5SLBlgUS5ifT3jZJ2ZCSZK3/s1600/PB260471.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq91mUKYtRFZ3kn9PR-LikvutpYXBXb__2XamfUMO2FyOVn86u4zhB2fzZ371d925dbGVIEAauuF6XdcRwfa6gjCL6I_WI6YdNpJnCBuQbolFOBmPkNBTm5SLBlgUS5ifT3jZJ2ZCSZK3/s640/PB260471.JPG" width="480" /></a>CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-31693987807679544962015-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:002016-02-12T21:42:12.678-08:00Halloween Meets Christmas...Did anyone else notice that there were Christmas decorations for sale in the stores before we'd even had Halloween??<br />
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This ridiculousness inspired the following series of creepy Christmas characters. Enjoy...<br />
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Santa wants to know if you've been naughty...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4kyQA8uuuRTy427nGu1usTQvrMDjeBdJU5CrGykPx1UtTQ8CV3RYoXGNY12nnzNKoR0JBfcUU-uKL2JhEVuGIIww0nWBOZfSDQd2_B-1k_KfhL-Aukw0tvZhHR26A1JKGbC_lC6l9Nu5/s1600/xmas+santa+doodle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4kyQA8uuuRTy427nGu1usTQvrMDjeBdJU5CrGykPx1UtTQ8CV3RYoXGNY12nnzNKoR0JBfcUU-uKL2JhEVuGIIww0nWBOZfSDQd2_B-1k_KfhL-Aukw0tvZhHR26A1JKGbC_lC6l9Nu5/s400/xmas+santa+doodle.png" width="245" /></a></div>
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Rudolph would really like to know if you've left milk and cookies...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2h03PmCdxnJLjDtfrAekFXYhnSxG6q_0kzOLaq_zsZUzdRVZkPWtExVnUg5w57f-BxuI49VYlurm4p9h91Ck2HqgoX2HJHF47-TZreGeU7HfQWh0Pu3S-re0mwzrY2bVWUobOdPu0vSHG/s1600/xmas+rudolph+doodle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2h03PmCdxnJLjDtfrAekFXYhnSxG6q_0kzOLaq_zsZUzdRVZkPWtExVnUg5w57f-BxuI49VYlurm4p9h91Ck2HqgoX2HJHF47-TZreGeU7HfQWh0Pu3S-re0mwzrY2bVWUobOdPu0vSHG/s400/xmas+rudolph+doodle.png" width="251" /></a></div>
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And the Alien Gingerbread Cookie Squad is coming to town...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKzr9y-K_6jGP8tolsxPX4P8nDrL3x0MIGlNw-j-UBf7jR0aM65PNFnbWUYIMEBdMWIGpj4ruQGle72Dvt9CollNKtwOB_oCC-bbT7u5ZaWRZg_LjOh2c_1kqCS8g9eDk0FMxEYjVmIdI/s1600/xmas+aliens+doodle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKzr9y-K_6jGP8tolsxPX4P8nDrL3x0MIGlNw-j-UBf7jR0aM65PNFnbWUYIMEBdMWIGpj4ruQGle72Dvt9CollNKtwOB_oCC-bbT7u5ZaWRZg_LjOh2c_1kqCS8g9eDk0FMxEYjVmIdI/s400/xmas+aliens+doodle.png" width="246" /></a></div>
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Hope you all have fun tonight!CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-79075269912421082232015-10-10T09:30:00.000-07:002016-02-14T16:46:16.772-08:00Hand-Stitched Ornaments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEMTyIOpJv9itbOB5cAyNP0_IF3X0jN3WOGmXjvayyUsqCUmqTmZaLVSON_yqWfG8hHSZJEQhqZ30nBLRlugXHXVmnuy_N0pOYaLyBNBT9Q2r6m6yCFJAWIle8oCFSUxwYN5-mS6belDY/s1600/tree+pumpkin+ornaments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEMTyIOpJv9itbOB5cAyNP0_IF3X0jN3WOGmXjvayyUsqCUmqTmZaLVSON_yqWfG8hHSZJEQhqZ30nBLRlugXHXVmnuy_N0pOYaLyBNBT9Q2r6m6yCFJAWIle8oCFSUxwYN5-mS6belDY/s400/tree+pumpkin+ornaments.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a fun way to make hand-crafted fabric ornaments. It is very similar to the way I make <a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/2015/10/plushie-construction-hand-quilted-eyes.html" target="_blank">hand-quilted eyes</a> for my stuffed animals (you may want to review that post first). They can be made from leftover scraps, and they make another nice portable project.</div>
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First, decide on a base layer of your ornament. I like to use felt as my sturdy back layer.</div>
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Then cut out layers of colored fleece, cotton, or felt to stack into an eye design, from largest to smallest or vice versa. Fleece and cotton fabric will probably fray more, but may give you more color options. The larger/background colors are sewn first, with each smaller layer stacked on top and sewn individually. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIju1kAK34qeldEP9E_3QabFwhSmMw0yGV90jAmQXLiabZqtIm9BMxX1351z-lY3ak1bGfmqmadr9fs35DOQXm-KTRyoTWX4NuPZzR0RonG-i6obvJ7q_aSWjnNtMDht8uXR5UNqGt8HoB/s1600/tree+pumpkin+ornament+layers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIju1kAK34qeldEP9E_3QabFwhSmMw0yGV90jAmQXLiabZqtIm9BMxX1351z-lY3ak1bGfmqmadr9fs35DOQXm-KTRyoTWX4NuPZzR0RonG-i6obvJ7q_aSWjnNtMDht8uXR5UNqGt8HoB/s400/tree+pumpkin+ornament+layers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I like to use a matching thread to sew each color into place. You can still see that each layer is hand-sewn, but the stitches don't disrupt your design too much. But any complimentary color will work. Knot each thread on the back of your panel so that the ends won't show through when the two panels are finally sandwiched together.</div>
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Lastly, add quilted felt eyes, or beads, or embroidery thread, for extra flair. Remember to leave a felt edge surrounding eyes, to make stitching the eye into place easier (using a dark felt base for the eyes also creates a nice bold outline that helps your eye design to pop).</div>
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Once all of your embellishments are in place, stitch a ribbon loop into the top edge of one of your panels, about a quarter of an inch in. Be careful to keep these stitches from piercing through the outermost layers of fabric, so that you do not disrupt your design, but use several stitches to securely attach the ribbon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmYN9ikcGbX-YuOYKJUGCgR6RJDWB42b4jPAJyimCQyqtQ01ebnrxMdCYcOnCVsOZ-xm4dgo5FVI3uPUry4TdzRhbVpD2cVzgGpO0fjJUMQGh-BdjmML8yoMPxtgwWyI-lN8D5zZf-qFr/s1600/PA050249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmYN9ikcGbX-YuOYKJUGCgR6RJDWB42b4jPAJyimCQyqtQ01ebnrxMdCYcOnCVsOZ-xm4dgo5FVI3uPUry4TdzRhbVpD2cVzgGpO0fjJUMQGh-BdjmML8yoMPxtgwWyI-lN8D5zZf-qFr/s400/PA050249.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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You now have two finished panels, like so:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSa_Q1ul3iQaTawMnW2p3a-4rof-78V_clQsKgSahtqwkKxGhMZ0u8KkY6atVqE6Gl-T_uHxoLC4JcVToEAdG1h34wDg2oaEyYPnPDfQUWweTJGg_-5B-1p8cWm1oaPs9CQIMg5mRHF6q/s1600/PA050250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSa_Q1ul3iQaTawMnW2p3a-4rof-78V_clQsKgSahtqwkKxGhMZ0u8KkY6atVqE6Gl-T_uHxoLC4JcVToEAdG1h34wDg2oaEyYPnPDfQUWweTJGg_-5B-1p8cWm1oaPs9CQIMg5mRHF6q/s400/PA050250.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can then stitch the two panels back to back, along their felt borders. I like to use thick black embroidery thread. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSKQA2CYx3_hMGO5BAcCuzeFxmGhFEo6AZOXwA1741_CxeHOslelUXzEfVYtpDVzsUkUsw1AhMrrKRVA7Fr6gFcaxlZJbycFjTDBxqe80FccscvJTVXLQN2StKsajXJ4X0jIQaWrP8-Fh/s1600/pumpkin+ornament+front+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSKQA2CYx3_hMGO5BAcCuzeFxmGhFEo6AZOXwA1741_CxeHOslelUXzEfVYtpDVzsUkUsw1AhMrrKRVA7Fr6gFcaxlZJbycFjTDBxqe80FccscvJTVXLQN2StKsajXJ4X0jIQaWrP8-Fh/s400/pumpkin+ornament+front+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can pull your thread ends through a bead and knot them with ribbon as an ornamental accent, or hide your thread ends in your stitching.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OJka6iRn-enyjifoWjg1Qyxu9851rzkPQpl0_TMbn5AiGpzvXQxuo5YXka6sKVkH_-Or-Wdt7hDllM_KQuGBanBH9vyg6Luk3SUD3rP25PXbMl0iiteUuLD8D6K9Zpmcm3xvFLKrTEeP/s1600/cat+ornament+front+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OJka6iRn-enyjifoWjg1Qyxu9851rzkPQpl0_TMbn5AiGpzvXQxuo5YXka6sKVkH_-Or-Wdt7hDllM_KQuGBanBH9vyg6Luk3SUD3rP25PXbMl0iiteUuLD8D6K9Zpmcm3xvFLKrTEeP/s400/cat+ornament+front+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Keep the back panel plain, or create a double-sided piece:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj969hNRkmSAqeny1GkFdWKoO7Ihyphenhyphen4Ahd4ifuMKmO6PsCbghzFF6UI3j94kTU2yNSP9TWdKJh78vStXB_eJlo53raA7e0rjA5IGSDkvh2_3mZh5K7C4jdlMk5hthR6nzHG_Q3tdgxASdfS-/s1600/fish+ornament+front+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj969hNRkmSAqeny1GkFdWKoO7Ihyphenhyphen4Ahd4ifuMKmO6PsCbghzFF6UI3j94kTU2yNSP9TWdKJh78vStXB_eJlo53raA7e0rjA5IGSDkvh2_3mZh5K7C4jdlMk5hthR6nzHG_Q3tdgxASdfS-/s400/fish+ornament+front+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see, these techniques can be easily adapted to make decorative Christmas tree or door handle ornaments for any season. Felt quilting can also be easily adapted for craft projects with children--all you would need would be colored felt, embroidery thread, and those blunt plastic embroidery needles, materials that can be found at most craft stores.<br />
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Have fun experimenting!</div>
<br />CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-56293013175648183002015-10-09T13:30:00.002-07:002016-02-14T16:46:16.747-08:00Plushie Construction: Hand-Quilted Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnbRCNhGOtYCyBFulkmJX_f_gq1VZavQLBj15aYvDbXRNNBp0OUApPgd9ldbl4muNnpnhyWV-8HPn01c8m-3997eqCz8tG91ShnzQnHiUfI8-WucbeDHH_8BIDCxAr6N5qn1P5jIyFZff/s1600/eyes+front+back++jmr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnbRCNhGOtYCyBFulkmJX_f_gq1VZavQLBj15aYvDbXRNNBp0OUApPgd9ldbl4muNnpnhyWV-8HPn01c8m-3997eqCz8tG91ShnzQnHiUfI8-WucbeDHH_8BIDCxAr6N5qn1P5jIyFZff/s400/eyes+front+back++jmr.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In looking back over my previous construction tutorials, it appears that I have never completely addressed how I make the quilted eyes that I use for my stuffed animals. I shall remedy that here!<br />
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QUILTING<br />
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As I have stated in previous posts, many people get confused about what quilting is. They picture beautiful patchwork blankets (which are of course called "quilts"), and think that patchwork is quilting. In fact, quilting is the sewing of multiple layers of sandwiched fabric together. The traditional quilts that you may think of are usually one layer of patchwork, a layer of flat, insulating batting (stuffing), and then a "backing layer" (the underside of your quilt). Some quilts have all three of these layers, while others are only made with a top and bottom layer. In the amazing quilting technique of "T<a href="http://cuddliesbyjackie.blogspot.com/search/label/Trapunto" target="_blank">rapunto</a>," the stuffing is bunched and molded into pockets that help the sewer create sculptural effect, an entire fabric bas-relief.<br />
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EYE CONSTRUCTION<br />
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I like to make my eyes out of felt. Felt is a sturdy fabric that does not tend to fray when you use scraps in detail work, and it comes in a wide variety of colors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJca6GW67bqB0nmk0EDaMElP04N2TI91RyRTfdeOWq5HqT0mAW9y5CY74HBt7dfYFN0Bp05nBFaB_jVFh7FxdRkPS_ZMdKAtWsyfRCwDsjEL3o_qcXs_JJYYS0B9z0unEaBMj9CAq3uvCG/s1600/felt+rainbow+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJca6GW67bqB0nmk0EDaMElP04N2TI91RyRTfdeOWq5HqT0mAW9y5CY74HBt7dfYFN0Bp05nBFaB_jVFh7FxdRkPS_ZMdKAtWsyfRCwDsjEL3o_qcXs_JJYYS0B9z0unEaBMj9CAq3uvCG/s400/felt+rainbow+crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The layers of different colors of felt create a slightly rounded dome--a cross between a two-dimensional and three-dimensional eye. I use black felt as my base layer, white as the "white of the eye" (surprise), and then I get more creative with the iris and pupil.<br />
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I recommend cutting out all of your layers before stitching, so that you can see the overall size and effect while you can still tweak everything. Make sure to leave a border of your base layer around your eye design, so that you can easily stitch your completed eyes to your plushie. This border will also create a nice, bold eye border on your finished plushie face. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc4qVKibVlLg110b3QuTNpGrgelzW57YFgU7s-lidlTo10wKsHtlUG9TkeIf87aU_t6AtGNnVLTunJQPwPnonxmhZc11JPFqJIpDuzayDzjZtXNo12C0vE0-plFh2kKHKzPSIppm64wO5/s1600/PA080263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc4qVKibVlLg110b3QuTNpGrgelzW57YFgU7s-lidlTo10wKsHtlUG9TkeIf87aU_t6AtGNnVLTunJQPwPnonxmhZc11JPFqJIpDuzayDzjZtXNo12C0vE0-plFh2kKHKzPSIppm64wO5/s400/PA080263.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Try to use a matching thread color for each layer. The eyes are still clearly hand-stitched, but the stitches won't distract from the overall eye design.<br />
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And voila, you have a quilted eye:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNJenzX8iUz64fbS0vDgRuZLAKglRKxOghEFRJqtGEUjBsvJv2jdOP5HC494FFYds3imu6qbgh0NnyPqVSZ4CWhNzx7UyjmI5gLFArlWBiS1zxrBvt27-NvGrj0Ef0TPgkb0AvwqRxUTy/s1600/PA080271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNJenzX8iUz64fbS0vDgRuZLAKglRKxOghEFRJqtGEUjBsvJv2jdOP5HC494FFYds3imu6qbgh0NnyPqVSZ4CWhNzx7UyjmI5gLFArlWBiS1zxrBvt27-NvGrj0Ef0TPgkb0AvwqRxUTy/s400/PA080271.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When attaching your eyes to your plushie, try to stitch at a bit of a diagonal, stitching from the outside of the eye and sliding the needle between the layers of fabric a bit, to tack a wider section of the felt eye to the plushie head. These plushies may see some wear and tear, after all, and you don't want to worry about the eyes tearing off.<br />
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The larger the eye, the more detail and layers you can include. But this eye technique looks great either way, and can give your plushie a nice bit of flair. This is also a nice, compact bit of crafting that you can carry around with you from place to place, and it can turn your scraps into something functional.<br />
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Have fun crafting!CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693519356998704778.post-78041394868368921262015-09-23T15:30:00.000-07:002015-09-23T15:30:01.840-07:00The First Day of Fall<div class="MsoNormal">
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Today is the First Day of Fall, which marks the Autumnal Equinox
in the Northern Equator.</div>
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It is also Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, the last
of the 10 days that mark the Jewish New Year.
Yom Kippur is also a day of fasting, so I am of course dazzled (even more
than usual) by stray thoughts of FOOD.</div>
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In multiple ways, today can represent a marker of
transition. </div>
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I am told that yesterday was a Fall-appropriate 48 degrees Fahrenheit
in Kentucky. However, here in Southern
California, this past weekend we reached 100 degrees both days (we ran away to
the beach for cooler weather and kayaking).
We are fortunate in that the temperature has dropped a bit since then.</div>
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It is a time to reflect on the past season and/or year, and
to begin to plan out the next. I always find
it a little too easy to dwell on the past, and prefer to exist in “the now.” Planning
and choosing futuristic goalposts has never been my forte. I suppose these traits could be seen as
either a strength or a weakness, depending on how extremely they are expressed.</div>
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My current blog goal is to post the 2 dozen doodles I've drawn over the last couple of months, while I haven't been blogging (plus a couple that I hope won't be repeats). And to write up a short post on the 2015 <a href="http://labyrinthmasquerade.com/" target="_blank">Masquerade of Jareth</a>.</div>
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For now, let me just say: Happy New Year.</div>
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Jackie</div>
CuddliesbyJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862211195618241779noreply@blogger.com0