savory baked phyllo squares

The photograph isn't that great, but the dish was spectacular. I made Martha Stewart's phyllo squares with baked egg, spinach, and cheese for dinner last night and it was absolutely delicious!

I substituted parmesan for the feta and served it with a side salad. There's something so comforting about breaking into a runny egg, and the combination with the cheeses and flaky phyllo was just marvelous...definitely a dish we'll be making again. With the leftover phyllo I might make croustade aux pommes if it's still in usable condition. Fingers crossed!

halloween packages

Two dreadful packages will be departing from the honeybee household this week: spooky, spooky mail and Halloween cupcake toppers.

Halloween is such a fun holiday, and we used to throw lots of parties and decorate like mad. We've toned it down a bit in the last few years just because it's been so busy and we have to pull everything out of storage. But this year I'm compensating by having a ball with mailing decorated packages instead.


For the first swap, I put together a parcel of spooky Halloween goodies that included:

-- decorated and embossed straws
-- tea-dyed "destroyed" tags that were stamped + glittered
-- stamped mini Trick or Treat tags
-- a ghastly postcard with scary movie suggestions
-- a recipe
-- a spidery pad
-- stickers
-- a little tin of vintage Halloween images
-- candy
-- and a few other fun items.

I decorated the bubble envelope with tons of stickers, stamped images, and black skull CAUTION tape from the Martha Stewart 2010 Halloween collection.

The second package was also really fun to do. The last cupcake toppers swap got such a great response that I had to hold another one, this time with a Halloween theme.

My partner is actually Rachel, the wonderful founder of Swap-Bot, and I made two sets of Halloween cupcake toppers for her using images from Martha's Halloween stamps. For the candy ones (and for the decorated straws above), I used the MSL heating tool to emboss each topper, which created a cool and shiny raised effect. (By the way, I've tried to use a hair dryer to do this...it doesn't work. The tool is very easy to use and the images set fairly quickly.) I also included a set of 6 Halloween invitations that I stamped and packaged up in a glassine envelope.

I hope both partners enjoy getting their Halloween packages! They were lots of fun to make.

craft book review, v & a pattern: slipcase #1

Many years ago, a friend gave me a beautiful book of William Morris wrapping paper. I hoarded it for the longest time, and was somewhat miserly in deeming anyone special enough to deserve a gift wrapped in such a package. It's funny that in retrospect I can't really remember any presents I gave with it, just the pleasure I had in leafing through the papers themselves. Back then, it was much more difficult to find things like this, but these days it's become incredibly easy to bring beauty from museums into your home.

Victoria and Albert Museum in London in particular has embraced the many advantages of technology to reach art lovers from all over the world. Its excellent website offers many interactive features ranging from design contests to printable toys to e-cards and quizzes. I've linked previously to their amazing Patchwork Pattern Maker, in which you can create a quilt pattern for any image--a mind-boggling candy store of options for any seamstress. V & A Museum has truly proven itself an "unparalleled resource for designers."

V & A Pattern: Slipcase # 1 includes four books: William Morris, Indian Florals, Digital Age, and The Fifties, which are also available individually. Each slim hardcover book serves as a catalog of sorts for the cd of vintage textile images included for each book. Readers may download the images and use them however they like for non-commercial purposes, and they may also be licensed by arrangement as well.

Each book has a well-edited variety of designs, although the choice to include two volumes of very traditional prints along with two more modern ones in this slipcase is an interesting one. Still, for a variety-of-styles-household like ours, it's a great choice, and the books offer an exciting array of possibilities for crafters and artists.

A few quick projects I whipped up with these discs and my new Martha Stewart punches included a small, pretty envelope and notecard, as well as a simple paper sleeve for a container of flowers that could easily be turned into a luminary. I love how the textured quality of the fabrics shows in these prints, particularly in the mousepad, which I made through Shutterfly. The possibilities for projects made with these books are endless, from clothing and textiles to paper crafts and beyond.

It's a pleasure to see such a gorgeous images in everyday things, and with next month's release of a companion collection with four new V & A pattern books, it's never been easier to turn ordinary objects into extraordinary ones using textile designs from the museum's beautiful collection.

V & A Pattern: Slipcase # 1

ISBN: 1851775900

320 pages, hardcover slipcase

Price:  $47.50

Color photographs, plus 4 cds

Skill Level:   All

Usability:     Excellent

Photographs and review copy courtesy of V & A Books. 

shopper alert: martha stewart craft punches

Spotted at Marshall's today: Martha Stewart craft punches from both the Kmart and Michaels lines. Rotary paper cutters, edgers, and shapes are available at significant discounts (even more discounted, I think, than the price indicated on the tag).

I snapped up a several items, which I found near the bath section. I'd seen some scrapbooking materials at these discount stores recently, but I'm very excited to see MSL brands there as well. I would guess the pale green Kmart stuff is probably liquidation from that dissolved Martha-Kmart relationship, but the white Michaels stuff was a nice surprise.

My husband's already been forewarned there will be other Marshall's trips in our future, since I have sniff out what else is available. Happy shopping! But please don't buy out the ones in L.A. until I get to them. ;)

Update: oops, those green craft punches are from Wal-Mart, not Kmart! Either way, good news for us magpies.

happy easter!

Our household is a little chaotic right now since we're in the middle of packing up for a move. We considered not doing Easter-y things this year because it's a little nutty, but we just couldn't resist the call of the bunny.

My husband and I somehow always manage to stay up realllly late decorating sugar cookies, although this year we finally found very small squeeze bottles that made the adornments much easier. They were also surprisingly easy to fill and clean, just so long as you do it while the royal icing is still liquid.

I also whipped together a pom pom bunny walking her pet Easter chick for our neighbor this year. I made the poms out of baby alpaca wool, used hand-dyed pink felt for the ears and nose, green dotted Bake it Pretty cupcake liners for the dress, a Skippy peanut butter jar lid for the base, and sewed on little beads for the bejeweled leash.

Hope that wherever you are, whatever you're celebrating, you're surrounded by great friends, a loving family, and perhaps even a bunny or two.

spring chicken

A little girl we know is having surgery soon, so I've started gathering a few things to send her. First up, a pretty spring chicken using this pattern from Martha Stewart.

Instead of using a felted sweater, I used wool felt I'd hand-dyed to a soft tangerine orange color, as well as some contrasting fabric in a cheery print. It's such a quick and easy project that I may sew some more, 'cause really, who doesn't love a small chicken?

I'd also like to do the pig pattern featured on the MS site sometime, too.

martha stewart craft department sale, new york

I hear comments now and again about the need to support independent artisans over an empire like Martha Stewart's. While I absolutely agree that it's good to choose independent and handmade wherever possible, I can't forget that the reason a lot of people get started in creative endeavors is because of people like Martha. 

The resources, inspiration, and information she and her staff constantly provide is unparalleled. What other public figure could so knowledgeably discuss and draw attention to subjects as diverse as American farming, health, crafts, food, and gardening, all the while comfortably interviewing celebs and heads of state? I can't think of a single one.

And so if you're in New York this week, be sure to check out the craft sale from the amazing crafters for MSL on Friday, December 5th, 2009.  I love seeing everything they do for the show, and this event will give attendees the chance to see what they work on on their own time. 

Here's one honeybee who is  pea green with envy over those who are able to attend!