The Final Countdown...

It's the end of the semester, and what have I done. Well, I know what I haven't done. I haven't written about tv shows much, but if you haven't yet... you need to watch Arrested Development. Come on.

Okay, now down to business. I know I've focused more on local things for this blog but since I've been talking more about crafts and vintage stuff, I thought I would share a few more great Etsy shops with you for this last class post. Not sure if I will continue the blog or not, since my track record with keeping up blogs has not been so great in the past. I hope, though, that I will keep crafting and finding new things that I can share here. Maybe you can do some holiday shopping. : )

First, I'd like to share a few artists from whom you can buy prints. I never thought of art as being very accessible to me before I discovered Etsy. There are all kinds of artists from whom you can buy original art or prints for not a lot of money. Not only are you able to support an artist, but you have a unique piece that can't be found on allposters.com! Here are a few of my favorites:
thisisalliknow has the most magical looking prints and original paintings for sale... I've saved a few of the images to use as backgrounds on my computer because I find them so hypnotic.
HideNSeek is another one of my favorites.  I have a copy of this print on my wall, and it's lovely and wintry in a nice way. She also uses her prints in jewelry, hand mirrors, and other items.
jessgonacha has delightful, colorful prints and other items.
SophieBlackall may be my all time favorite artist on Etsy... she bases many of her paintings and drawings off of "Missed Connections" from craigslist.com. The sweet and poetic
ones, not the creepy ones.
RetroWhale's paintings of movie characters (lots of Wes Anderson) and other random things are truly awesome.

Of course, Etsy also hosts a countless number of great jewelry and accessory designers:
LaraLewis, another one of my favorite Etsy sellers, sells vintage Estate style jewelry and has a huge selection, most of which is quite reasonably priced. (And when I say reasonably priced, I mean the price of something you'd buy at Target, not something that would be in a magazine's "just barely under $100" section).
Louloudo of Super Duper Things makes cute, every-day-wearable jewelry and accessories.
flightpathdesigns is cool. What else can I say? Awesome graphics put to use on belt buckles and necklaces.

I also love to find (maybe not to buy, but to be inspired by..) cool paper-craft sellers on Etsy.
Julianna Swaney of Oh My Cavalier  sells nice, seasonally-appropriate cards.
katygromball has a set of great, unique postcards.
LineaCarta's shop is chock-full of interesting cards, as well as other items like pencil cases.

Au revoir! Enjoy!

The Problem of Parking: Drury University parking regulations let students know... they don't matter.

A university within city limits having parking issues is not a unique situation; as a university grows within the city, the problem of space must affect some part of the lives of students and faculty.

In the case of Drury University, part of the parking issue lies in priority being given to boosters (i.e., sports fans who pay plenty of money to attend a series of games) rather than students (i.e., the makeup of the university itself). Now of course one can argue that the boosters pay for that priority parking; it is indeed included on the list of things that come with booster ticket packages.

Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that students might also pay a decent amount of money to attend Drury in the first place, and I feel that consistent access to a not-miles-away parking lot should be provided, given the hefty tuition and fees we pay.

If a lack of parking was the only problem, and the campus was simply packed out on game nights due to attendees being allowed to use those spaces, that would be one thing or maybe not… ask a night school student. Sure, it would be frustrating, but that’s life sometimes, and everyone could stamp their feet in protest as they walk to class from a farther away lot.

Unfortunately though, it’s not as simple as running out of space. It’s about locking students out of lots and forcing them to pay parking tickets if they didn’t get the memo to move their car in time.

The university’s tickets website (drurytickets.universitytickets.com) provides a colorful map of all the places that someone coming to a Drury event can park, leaving one small lot for commuter students. When I saw this I thought, “But wait! I take a night class! Those people will think they can park anywhere they want!” And that’s the problem – they can.

I know I’m not the first person to complain about Drury parking, but I think the university needs to hear, from many voices, that they are sending a negative message to the students whether they realize it or not, by saying that the university’s resources (the most basic of all, perhaps, being space for one to park) will not be given to the students first.

Don’t even get me started on the open space in front of the HPER parking lot that was recently turned into a “green space” that no one uses. They’re ejecting us from our very own places in favor of non-students; specifically, sports fans.

Let’s just say the whole situation doesn’t encourage my own school spirit. 

Only At Christmas Time

Well, here we are less than three weeks until the end of the semester, and what is on my mind? Christmas gifts of course! I pretty much have nothing to write about except crafts/gifts I've been making, because it's the only thing other than finishing up the semester that my brain has had space for. This may not be such an interesting post, but it's kind of fun for me to show  a few things I've gotten done in the past few weeks (other than homework). 

This first craft was something I decided to start doing at the beginning of the year and spent all summer flea-marketing seeking out proper found objects with which to adorn: decoupage boxes. I bought some plain wooden boxes from a hobby store for a couple dollars each (depending on shape and size) and used mod podge matte glue to attach pieces of old sheet music, then used hot glue to attach this interesting wooden picture onto the top. It's a pretty simple, relatively cheap craft and a good gift for female friends, my main craft demographic as of right now. 

This second project was something I replicated for a few different people, and it was also quite cheap to make. You can buy sturdy styrofoam wreath forms at craft stores and do pretty much anything you want to with them. I was inspired by Smile and Wave and especially this wreath from Anthropologie (priced at $148... mine may not be as perfect, but it was a heck of a lot more cheap, and fun to make!)

I basically just twisted sections of yarn around and hot glued on the backside of the wreath periodically, then sewed on a handmade felt piece. To finish I attached a strip of ribbon with twist pins to the back. 

Here's a close-up of my felt piece.. it is supposed to be a cardinal. I used some old fabric and a button to sew the layers of felt together. 

 This year I got inspired to wrap gifts up in really simple brown paper, adorned with yarn and doilies or these easy-to-make ribbons. I simply bought a 3-yard piece of muslin and cut the piece horizonally into 1 1/2- 2 inch strips, then used acrylic Christmas stamps to make simple ribbons for gifts. I'm trying to think of other things to do with these, as I've made about 7 3-yard chunks of ribbon and still have leftovers. 

Here's one last simple gift idea: button earrings. Most of these were buttons I bought especially to make into earrings, but one could easily make matches of buttons they already own. You just need a hot glue gun and earring posts and backings. I like to attach mine to cool papers or in small boxes I save from receiving jewelry, sometimes covering the lid in pretty paper. 

These are a few of the things I've finished so far, now I'm off to create more. Hope I haven't bored you to death. How's the Christmas planning going on your end? I love preparing for Christmas during the entire season... but I'm also one of those people who packs for trips months ahead. 

The Mid-November Christmas Itch

.... I can't fight it. I love getting ready for Christmas, even before Thanksgiving Break arrives. I know many people who can't stand any mention of Christmas until at least Black Friday, but I can't stop thinking about it and I don't care who knows it. I briefly mentioned in my last post that I'm attempting to give mostly (if not completely) homemade or repurposed Christmas presents, and that's quite a challenge. I've already begun planning, and I thought I'd share some of my inspirations on this blog. The idea of giving people gifts that take time and effort, love and care to create really excites me. Sometimes when I buy people gifts and wrap them I forget what I'm even giving them... another great part about homemade gifts is that they are usually less expensive!

Creature Comforts is a blog I visit time and again for craft and decor ideas - it's bright, joyous, and full of inspiration. There are a lot of great, relatively simple craft ideas (both holiday-themed and not) and a tab on the homepage where you can download printables like labels, gift tags, fonts and project templates. She has a few posts up about different types of homemade wreaths, a gift idea that I'm right in the middle of working on myself.

Smile and Wave is another eclectic blog that's jam packed with cool ideas that I recently discovered. I've been searching the handmade and holiday tags for inspiration and have not been disappointed.

Bugs and Fishes is another one of my absolute favorite craft-type blogs; this one is mainly focused on felt crafting, which is something I haven't tried much of yet, but it seems to be a popular medium right now. My favorite parts of this blog are the Christmas tutorials with instructions on how to make simple Christmas tree decorations and such and the Gift Wrap Ideas section, with tons of interesting and new ideas of how to wrap all your wonderful homemade gifts.

Hopefully I will be able to take a few photos of things I'm working on and get more into Christmas... but I'll wait a little while. Are you ready for Christmas? Got any projects going? Please share!

Two Pumpkin Recipes + Leola's Vintage Home & Garden

We're smack dab in the middle of fall and if you ask me, there's nothing better right now than delicious pumpkin treats.

This first recipe for Pumpkin Swirl Brownies is from a really great, very seasonal food blog called Smitten Kitchen. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to cook simple but delicious food with the freshest ingredients! I made these brownies just the other night and to be honest I was a little worried about the pumpkin/chocolate flavor combination, but it was really great; I normally prefer a fudgier brownie but these were fluffier and more like cake. Interested? Heeeeeere you go!

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar (the original recipe calls for the larger amount; I think it could be dialed down a bit)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Cut a length of parchment that will cover the bottom and two sides (makes it much easier to remove), and line the pan with it. Butter the lining as well. (Deb note: I used an 8-inch square, because it was what I had. It works, too, but the brownies are crazy thick and take much longer to bake, just to give you a heads-up.)

2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

4. Pour half of batter (about two cups) into a separate bowl and stir chocolate mixture into it. If you find that it is a little thick (as mine was) add a little more batter (a few tablespoons or so) until it is more pourable. This is important because mine was quite thick, and the pumpkin half was quite thin, so I had trouble swirling the two together.

5. In other bowl, stir in the pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set.

6. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Be sure to get your knife all the way to the bottom of the pan–I didn’t, and ended up with a chocolate base, not that it is such a bad thing. Sprinkle with nuts, if using.

7. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

The second recipe I wanted to share is from the kitchen of my friend's mom who once made this for me on my birthday (Halloween!). Most squash soups are somewhere between savory and slight natural sweetness but this one is all out sweet. I like to have some as dessert or even an appetizer, served with cold milk and some Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps!

Cindy's Pumpkin Soup

2 - 29 oz. cans 100% Pumpkin

1 - 12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Each of these ingredients is to taste:

brown sugar

vanilla extract

nutmeg

cinnamon

ginger

salt

Milk to thin the soup

Add first 3 ingredients and thing to liking with milk (or cream); add seasonings to taste while heating on low heat. That's all! My favorite thing about making this recipe is that it is completely customizable.  Enjoy!

My 3rd favorite pumpkin treat? Braum's Pumpkin Ice Cream. I highly recommend. 

The last thing I wanted to mention in this post is a favorite store of mine located in Ozark just behind Lambert's called Leola's Vintage Home & Garden. If you're into somewhat romantic, cottage style vintage stuff, you need to know about Leola's! It's a hard place to describe... but each time I go there I get inspired to make something or decorate something! I just went to their open house this past weekend (which they do each season) and got so inspired to start my homemade Christmas gift-making adventure! They don't have a website, but they often update their Facebook page with news and photos of the store (which might give you a better idea of the feel of it than I have described...). They're open every day of the week, from 9:30 until 5 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and on Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.. 

Quick Etsy Roundup... No tengo tiempo para ti

You'll have to forgive me for the shortness of this post... okay, you don't have to, but guess what! This week has been incredibly busy: schoolwork, family time, my birthday this past weekend... and to top it all off, my brother is getting married in six hours. Yes, on a Tuesday. No, I'm not lying.

So, in lieu of a real post, here is a quick roundup of links to a few neat and local Etsy shops. Never heard of Etsy? Go check it out! It's a website that sells only homemade and vintage items from independent sellers, and it's the best spot to find great unique gifts, in my opinion.

Here they are:
Cool wall decals by Designfruit
Assorted baby items and other cute things by naomianselmo
Unique beaded jewelry by LaJubilee
Interesting woven things by weaver1141
Cool, earthy jewelry by lilruby

Oh, The Places You Could Go!

I'm one of those people who used to believe that there was nothing to do in Springfield and no cool places to spend a day off wandering around that were indoors. Then I took a look around. Downtown is a particularly amazing place these days, has anyone else noticed? Here are a few places I've been to recently and particularly enjoyed.

• Indie Boutique is located at 210 E. Walnut Street and features a nicely organized mix of vintage, locally made and independently designed items. They offer a fairly wide collection of clothing as well as vintage decor items, records, and more. A great place to check out if you're looking to buy clothes or accessories and would like to buy vintage or local items. Not only do they carry women's, but one half of the store is devoted to men's clothing. They don't have a website (that I could find, anyhow) but you can check out some photos of their inventory on their Facebook. 
• Tea Bar & Bites Bakery and Cafe is a quaint little restaurant at 621 S. Pickwick right by Homegrown Foods. The food is great and the atmosphere is cozy and unpretentious. They serve great sandwiches and interesting sides that are a departure from the average tea room menu. They also offer a huge selection of desserts, and you can check up on their daily specials on their Facebook page!
• Funtiques Market is a fun (or perhaps funny, to some) place to go, offering wacky, interesting items from many eras... walking into the store you see an explosion of color, and there is a lot to see, from a wall covered in vintage clothing to an entire room full of vintage furniture. Everything at this store is in great condition if you're looking to buy and is very entertaining if you're not! Check out their website or Facebook for more info. 
• Last but absolutely not least is Askinosie Chocolate! It's hard to believe that one of the best chocolate makers in the country is located just downtown on Commercial Street. I got to take a long-awaited tour yesterday, complete with samples and tons of info about their unique chocolate making methods. Not only is their chocolate amazing (if I remember correctly, their White Chocolate Bar was named one of the ten best chocolate bars by the London Times!) but they operate with a mentality to serve the global community and do good by direct trade with farmers and more. You can read up on the good they do and the great chocolate they make on their website - or better yet, take a tour! They're offered every Tuesday at 3 pm -the same day each week that they bake and sell 2 types of cupcakes: coincidence? I think not.