December 2012 Baking, Sewing, and Crafts

Did you know you can make your own vanilla extract? One of the recent email updates from the local store Ithaca Coffee Company shared how to make your own vanilla extract with organic vanilla beans and vodka. It will age for approximately 6 months. 

In addition to making traditional gingerbread houses for a decorating party at our house last weekend, I made this hiking trail lean-to and picnic table with benches. The back wall is made of full-length pretzel logs, the side walls are made with pretzel logs cut to size with a serrated knife, and the roof & floor are graham crackers. The table and benches are graham crackers, with short pieces of the pretzel logs. I used a very fine food grater to level the legs on the table and benches.

I've been practicing 2-thread rolled hems on my serger by making veils for the belly dance class I started in November. The finished veils are approximately 3 yards long and 48 inches wide.

The necklace below is something I bought a few years ago from a gift store at Turning Stone Casino. Long story about why I was even at the casino, since I'm not a gambler, but I was smitten with the stone beads. Supposedly, the stone beads are chrysocolla. Fast forward a couple of years... last spring I was at a big-box craft store looking for something that kind of matched the necklace beads to make earrings. Imagine my surprise when I found a couple of strands of seemingly identical beads for just a few dollars. Last week I made the earrings, and there might be enough beads to make a bracelet. Needless to say, I'm very dubious about the source and cost of the necklace beads.