Miniature Summer Lantern: DIY

Brighten up a small space with these adorable paper table lanterns! Using a few inexpensive materials, it's easy to make more than one in this DIY, inspired by the Japanese festival known as Obon. Usually celebrated around the 15th of August in many parts of Japan, the tradition includes the custom of "sending off ancestors' spirits" with paper lanterns floated downriver, appropriately known as "floating of lanterns". Try making this miniature tabletop version with some items you may already have on hand.

   Assorted handmade papers: Japanese lace, rice paper, washi, bark,and Egyptian papyrus.

I love collecting interesting paper scraps, from Japanese washi and lace papers to saving used gift wrap. Transparent papers work best at diffusing light, but you can experiment with any paper you like.

To make one miniature tabletop lantern, you will need:

• a long scrap of paper measuring about 3"x10.5"
• two 10" bamboo skewers
• pencil
• scissors or cutting pliers
• glue
• a battery-operated tea light 

Step 1: Folding the Paper

Fold a half-inch tab at the short end of your paper. (you will glue this part later on). You should now have a 10-inch length, which you want to fold into four equal sides. Keeping the tab closed, fold the entire length in half. Open your paper and fold the left and right sides in to the center (they should resemble two doors). Opened, you should have four 2.5 inch sides, plus the folded tab. Don't worry if they are not exact.

Step 2: Measuring and Cutting the Bamboo Skewers

Please note that these are not hard and fast measurements, so if you are a little off, it does not signal DIY disaster! Use your two bamboo skewers to create the frame of your lantern. For cutting, I only use hand tools, so I recommend using diagonal cutting pliers, to cut these safely and without splintering the ends. If pliers are not available, scissors will work just fine, especially if you are using the really thin bamboo skewers. Just clamp down/secure one end of the skewer while holding the other end, to avoid possible injury from flying bamboo. You will need four 3.5 inch pieces. Alternately, you could cut four-inch pieces, but I just think they look better a little shorter. Using a ruler, I make hatch marks at 3.5 and at seven inches on both skewers, then cut on the marks. I save the pointed ends for a future craft project. 

Step 3: The Sticky Part: Gluing the Paper and Bamboo

Lay the paper flat, placing the skewers on your folds, as shown. You may want to leave a little more wood showing for the bottom of the lantern, less on top. If using a glue stick, be sure to carefully glue the fold, and press one skewer piece firmly on top of it. Pinch the paper around the wood to secure it. Repeat for the other three folds. Give the work a little time to rest, then glue the outside of the tab. Stand up the lantern and tuck the glued tab to the INSIDE of the lantern to connect the short ends of the paper.

There you have it! Place it over a battery-operated tea light to illuminate it. Experiment with a variety of papers in different sizes to make larger or smaller lanterns. 

Post by: Nicoletta Siccone / ETSY Shop: ArtologieDesigns / Website: www.art-ologie.com

The Pickling Picnic

I never heard of the concept of a pickling picnic until recently when I browsed the latest issue of Better Homes and Garden.   As summer comes to an end (I hate to even acknowledge this fact!) – I thought this is a great way to continue to enjoy the season’s produce even after summer is over!

In fact, you can make this a fun event with your friends where each person is assigned a task – like an assembly line! 

First step:  pick the produce.

Next, measure the ingredients.  Third step:  wash, cut and slice.  Final step: pack in jars.

Once pickled and packed, these are easy to carry and enjoy at a fall picnic!

Here are some pickling recipes that are easy to make:

Napa Cabbage and Apple Slaw

Cider

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• Boil the vinegar and sugar together until they reach the consistency of syrup.  Refrigerate.

Slaw

• ½ head Napa Cabbage
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• ½ small onion (about 1/3 cup), tiny dice
• 2 teaspoon celery seed
• Cider from above
•  

Combine all ingredients and dress with ½ cup (or to taste) the cider.  Refrigerate.

Recipe from:  NPR.org

Carrot Pickles

• 1 pound baby carrots, trimmed and peeled
• 1 1/3 distilled vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon dill seed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer until the carrots are cooked but still crunchy.  Let cool, then refrigerate.

Recipe from:  NPR.org

Pickled Cucumbers

• 1 English cucumber
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
• Coarse salt

Cut cucumber crosswise into 3 equal pieces, cut each piece lengthwise into eighths.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, dill and 1 teaspoon salt.  Add the cucumber spears, toss. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. 

Recipe from:  MarthaStewart.com

Find more pickled recipe inspiration, on my Pinterest Board:  Pickling Recipes!

Image Credits:   Pickled Radishes and Beets |  Pickled Green Tomatoes | Pickled Vegetables

Post by:  Rekha Krishnamurthi | ETSY Shop:  DivineNYCo | Website:  www.divineny.com

Fabulous Frida! At the New York Botanical Garden

Recently I made a trip to the NYBG in the Bronx section of NYC. Frida Kahlo has always been a favorite artist of mine.  The garden itself is beautiful and always peaceful, especially during the week.  This exhibit is on until November 1.  If you like art, Frida or the gardens put this on your must see list. The exhibit demonstrates how Frida used flora and fauna in her artwork.  

a mock up of the cactus fence that Frida and Diego had at their Casa Azul.

I find it so interesting and inspiring to look at another artist's work stations. The colors are so vibrant and raw! Ready to be put into action.

Most of the plants and flowers in the exhibit are examples of what Frida and Diego planted at their home. Many are native to Mexico City and thrive in that climate. Of course the plants were of bold color ranges in yellows, oranges, and reds.

I hope some of these photos have inspired you to take a trip to the New York Botanical Garden and enjoy the exhibit while the weather is warm!

Tracey Toole

https://www.etsy.com/shop/traceytoole

MEET the ARTISAN: Firelight Jewelry & Designs + GIVEAWAY

"MEET the ARTISAN" is a blog series that spotlights Etsy New York Team artisans and their craft. In this feature, we learn more about Jenn, the creator behind Firelight Jewelry & Designs.

Q: What is Firelight Jewelry & Designs? Can you briefly describe your business for us?

A:  Firelight Jewelry & Designs is mostly a jewelry business. I work primarily with gemstones and Swarovski crystal elements and silver plated copper and brass wire and findings to create earrings and necklaces. I like to make pretty things. I like to design simply but with a fun twist. I believe you should be able to go from your cubicle to cocktails without changing your accessories or breaking the bank. To that end I shop sales and closeouts to get the best price I can pass on to my customer.  In addition to the gemstone jewelry I also transform photos into wearable pieces of art. I call them photo-tiles. I consider myself an amateur photographer; really, I just love to take photos. I found that transforming them into jewelry was a fantastic way to join my two creative passions. As for the design element of Firelight Jewelry & Designs I also make small limited run batches of hand stenciled, stamped or painted totebags, cosmetic bags and wooden trinket boxes. The runs are so limited that I usually only sell those in person when I do a fair or a market. I plan to add prints of my photos that are available as phototiles soon as well.

Q: Some artisans develop their products to meet consumer needs, while others craft products based on things and/or experiences that inspire them. What is the inspiration behind your business?

A:  Everything and anything really. Inspiration is everywhere; art, photography, graffiti, nature, music, architecture etc. I love to create. I love to find new uses for old things. Or new uses for random things. Lately I have been obsessed with the miniatures section of the craft store and am figuring out how to transform some of those items into jewelry. I already have a couple of prototypes in the works from there and another few things that I love, that still have me stumped. I typically don't read fashion blogs or magazines because I don't really like to be told what's "in." I feel like, if you like it, it's "in." Wear what makes you happy and feel confident about it and yourself. That's kind of how I started making jewelry, I wasn't always happy with what I found when I was shopping and I had some coworkers who made stunning jewelry in their free time and something just clicked. Before I knew it, I was up to my eyeballs in supplies and having a blast. Almost every single thing I make and sell is something that I would wear myself. So, sometimes it's hard to part with a creation.  I tend to read a lot of DIY type blogs and magazines and am always inspired by my fellow artisans and crafters. I will admit that sometimes I see something somewhere and think, I have to make something like that. Right now, that something is wine charms. I had all the materials sitting there, so I'm giving it a whirl. And finally, the seemingly endless hoard of supplies I have accumulated over the years inspires me. I mean, I HAVE to do something with it sometime right? Ultimately, my personal fashion inspiration is the epic quote by Gilda Radner, "I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn't itch." Words to live by.

Q: Oftentimes, each artisan has a different strategy and objective for their business. What are the next steps for you and your business?

A:  Right now the next step is finally getting my studio space set up. We moved last year from our Astoria apartment to a house in Lynbrook, in Long Island. We now have an attic which I will use to work in as opposed to a cabinet in the corner of my living room! I had to put the business on hiatus for a while until I was able to start unpacking the multitude of supply boxes. My studio space hasn't even begun to be worked on yet, but I have managed to eek out a corner of a room and start to get set up again. I feel like I am perpetually reorganizing it instead of creating as much as I want to. So priority number one is to get back into the swing of creating and making and then start to navigate the markets in my new area. I miss doing craft fairs and markets. I love directly interacting with my customers and talking about my product and process. I also love directly interacting with other artisans selling their wares. It's like water cooler talk for us! Honestly, I'm just a chatty cathy, haha. Hopefully I'll be at a Nassau County fair this year! Just as up there is working on setting up my blog and photogallery. Blogs have come a long way since I used to have a hyperlocal neighborhood blogspot blog and it's time to take it up a notch. I hope to focus not just on my business in it, but also how a lifelong city gal is navigating being in suburbia now!

Q: As many artisans look to grow and further develop their businesses, do you have some advice that you can share with fellow artisans?

A:  Never stop learning. Learn about other crafts. Take classes. Watch youtube videos. Talk to other artisans. You are never done learning. To that end, does anyone have advice for me? haha! I could always stand to learn something else.


Special thanks to Jenn for sharing with us. You can find her products showcased on her Etsy shop at www.firelightjewelry.etsy.com. And, details of her special product GIVEAWAY are below. Please enter for your chance to win!

Enter to WIN here!

Win a Firelight Jewelry & Designs Charm Necklace. Perfect for summer, this fun and whimsical charm necklace from the charmers line features a sterling plated dolphin playing in a "sea" of blue howlite with a "seafoam" white shell and Swarovski crystal accent. It is strung on a 16" silver finished chain with a 2" extender and lobster claw clasp.

Entry period ends at 11:59pm on Monday, August 17, 2015!

Five ways friendship improves us as makers

Friendship is about connections. It’s about genuine, personal relationships that bring us closer to each other and ourselves. It’s about honestly forging bonds with those around us. The habits we foster in our friendships can improve the quality of our relationships and enhance our lives. Those same habits can be applied to our business as makers.

Women at Konark Sun Temple by greenelent

1. Connecting with other people allows us to be part of something larger. We share experiences and emotions. Nothing is insurmountable. Everything is possible. This results in a boost of creativity and unleashes a flood of possibility.

2. Friendship highlights our commonalities. We are all the same in many ways. This unifying thread runs through humanity and ties us all together. We can build our art using those threads in order to connect with our audience in transformative ways.

3. Friendship requires honesty and integrity. We trust our friends. We should put as much trust into our art, which will ground it in sincerity and authenticity. People connect with us because of that trust and respond to it.

4. Being a good friend means being a good listener. That skill can be applied to our business and art by allowing us to understand what our audience needs from us. Being a maker is about sharing and providing, which requires that we listen so we know what is needed.

5. We treat our friends the way we want to be treated. This level of respect and compassion is just as important in our business. Give your audience the best of yourself. It’s an investment in yourself and in the world around you.

Shawn Carney Art
https://www.etsy.com/shop/shawncarneyart

Being Eco in the Kitchen: Storing Summer Scraps for Fall and Winter Broth Making

If you read any of the popular health and wellness blogs this past winter, the craze was broths. Beef bone broth was the key focus, but fish and chicken broths fall into this category of "bone" broth. In NYC there was a restaurant that opened specifically with a "sipping broth" menu! 

Last winter, I succumbed to the fascinating world of bone broth, but it wasn't because of the trend. It was after reading a lot about the health benefits for the body, but especially for women's fertility health.  Once I started, I couldn't imagine going back to packaged broths. I started drinking the broth in the morning before my coffee, but after my water, with a smashed garlic clove and lots of pepper. The spiciness was a nice jolt in the am. I used some of the broth in soups and saucy dishes, but I mostly reserved them for my morning drink.

Besides being delicious, bone broths are healing in many ways. We all know that immediate feeling of relief when having chicken soup while fight a cold; we can thank cysteine, a natural amino acid, found in chicken which thins the mucus in your lungs and makes it less sticky to expel more easily. Making beef and fish stocks from scratch offer similar benefits.  According to Sally Fallon, writer of Nourishing Traditions, "Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain." 

What does broth have to do with saving your vegetable scraps, you may be wondering?

Well, in order to make a good broth, you need to add a mirepoix - onion, celery and carrots (and more, you do not have to limit your vegetables to these three) and let them simmer for a couple of hours, 24 hours max, to get the rich broth that helps heal the gut, promote healthy digestion and strong bones, healthy hair and nail growth and fight infection and inflammation.  I find it wasteful and expensive to buy brand new vegetables for the simmering process. (A lot of people do, in fact.) My solution has been to keep a bag in my freezer with my applicable (Tomato tops? No. Those are composted.) summer and fall produce scraps. When it comes time to make broth, I have onion pieces and peels (many don't recommend the peels because of the dirt, but I strain my broth once finished and well, dirt isn't all that bad, right?), carrot tops and flesh, celery bottoms and stalks to use.

Now that we're in the peak abundant summer season of produce, you may find that you're buying more produce, or receiving more from your CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share. If you're not using all of the produce fast enough, or you have too much produce odds and ends going into compost, you can, and should, start to store these for future uses such as your fall and winter broth base.

In a past post, we discussed composting and you should always compost scraps as you need, but I would hang on to as many produce scraps as possible. Those herbs you may have gotten that are going bad (but not rotten or moldy, please) - Freeze them! Especially parsley. Parsley is used in finishing off bone broth, so save it. I recently made some chicken broth and threw in old dill and cilantro that I had on hand instead of parsley.

If you're vegan or vegetarian, the more produce scraps you have, the better. Vegetable broth is similar - using filtered water and the scraps in your bag, you can easily whip up a new batch of broth for your various needs.

Suggested vegetables (wash and save roots, stalks, leaves, ends and peelings): Leeks, scallions, garlic, fennel, chard, lettuce, potatoes, parsnips, green beans, squash, bell peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, and asparagus. Corn cobs, winter squash skins, beet greens, and herbs like parsley and cilantro are good additions, too!

Suggested vegetables to avoid (these can overpower your broth and turn it funky colors):  Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, rutabagas, artichokes. Beet roots and onion skins (although I use them) should also be avoided.

For those wondering what to do after you use these scraps (they can not be composted in the NYC compost drop off collection), I recommend burying them. They are easily degradable at this point, as all the nutrients have been removed, so insects will break them down faster. The other option is to give the bones to your dogs to chew.  In fact, when making the broth, the top layer of fat that is skimmed off, I mix with my dog's food and he loves it - he doesn't care if it's chicken or beef - he finds it delicious!

If you're interested in making broth at home, I highly recommend using the recipes from Nourishing Traditions mentioned above. Sally's chicken and beef broth recipes are my go to now and they're super simple and adaptable to the contents of your produce scrap bin. I also recommend using bones from animals that were raised and killed humanely and fed natural diets instead of grain-based diets. (In fact, I order mine from my CSA farmer. The quality is superb and I trust my farmer.) Their bones contain more of the nutrients our bones need. 

Once you make stock at home, I doubt you'll ever go back to buying stock at the grocery store. Especially since you can freeze what you don't use for future use.  If you have experience with broth or a recipe you'd like to share, please let us know in the comments!

Happy scrap saving and broth making!

                                                              Sara//S2 Stationery & Design