On Loving Pinterest

I'm seriously enjoying Pinterest.

You know about it by now. A virtual pinboard, Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find online in a visual way. I love having the ability to create a bulletin board of bookmarks vs. a text list in my browser, because after a while, I forget about what I bookmarked in my browser unless I review it often. Even then, it's a list of words that, if not titled descriptively enough, lose their meaning over time, and I forget why I am interested unless I click through. (I realize I could be proactive and organize my bookmarks better).

Pinterest, on the other hand, is a visual system where all I need to do is look at a board I created for a certain category to instantly remember what I bookmarked. I don't need a title for a craft project to jog my memory: a picture of the final result works perfectly.

Pinterest seems to be the most popular among women who are into decorating, crafts, fashion, cooking, or entertaining. Then there are the ladies planning weddings. My goodness, Pinterest is probably one of the best wedding planning tools to come around in a long time.

Me? So far, I am using it mainly to organize craft or home projects I want to try, fashions I wish I had in my closet, food I want to make, books I want to read. I also have a board for my own photographs.

I've definitely taken action on some of my pins. I tried a fabric version of the wallpaper dresser tutorial from my to make board, whipped up a few batches of refrigerator pickles from my to eat board, took some cues on how to cut my hair from my hairstyles board, and bought several books that I have pinned on my to read board.

From a purchasing standpoint, Pinterest is a great wish list tool. It makes it easy to mark a potential purchase and allow yourself to think about it for a while before shopping. At the very least, the item can continue to offer inspiration.

Pinterest is fun! Give it a try! If you would like an invitation, let me know and I'll send one your way.

Already on Pinterest? What's your favorite way to use it? how has it changed your online experience?

ArcWorks in Peabody: Gallery Talk

Installation view of CREATE: The Art and Craft of Boston Handmade

THIS Friday, April 20th, at 6:30pm
Join Jessica Burko and Lynne Parrella for a discussion in the gallery about their artwork and the recent popular resurgence of handmade art and craft in conjunction with the exhibition, CREATE: The Art and Craft of Boston Handmade  at ArcWorks Community Art Center in Peabody, MA 22 Foster Street, Peabody, Mass 01960 

Cinemagraphs

Don't you love cinemagraphs? If you haven't seen them before, they are basically the animated GIF to end all animated GIFs. Here is an example... a moving photograph.

I started seeing them several months ago, showing up on various websites. If you'd like to see more, visit From Me To You for some amazing examples. It might take a while for the pages to load, but your wait will be worth it.

To learn how to make your own, Photo Jojo has a tutorial you can try!

Celebrate National Craft Month with Boston Handmade at the ArcWorks Community Art Center in Peabody

It's time for the first Boston Handmade show of the year! Myself and several other Boston Handmade members are exhibiting this month in Create: The Art and Craft of Boston Handmade to celebrate March being National Craft Month. The exhibit will be on view at ArcWorks Community Art Center in Peabody from March 15 until May 5.

The opening reception is Thursday, March 15 from 6-8pm. Be sure to add it to your calendar of National Craft Month events (even if it's the only one you go to!)

I'll be debuting some photos from my Daily Lovely photo project. Other exhibiting artists are Kerrie Beck, Jessica Burko, Kerry Hawkins, Arthur Halvorsen, Karen Mahoney, Lynne Parrella, and Lucie Wicker.

This is a great chance to see a variety of handmade arts and crafts being made in the Boston area, as well as an opportunity to discover a community art center!

Oreo Cookies Turn 100 Today!

In honor of the Oreo Cookie's 100th birthday today, March 6, 2012, I would like to share this amazing Oreo Cookie Cupcake recipe I whipped up a few weeks ago. I decided I wanted to try an Oreo Cookie baking recipe when I saw a huge birthday celebration display for the Oreo Cookie in Market Basket. It helped that the bag of Oreos was also on sale for $1. I also have fond memories of Oreos, much like most people in America, I am sure. We often had them in my house (and when my mom got Hydrox cookies, it just wasn't the same!). In high school, there was one year or two where I kept a stash of Oreos in my locker at all times because I needed a snack between classes to keep my stomach from growling and mortifying myself in front of my classmates (I never could really go more than a couple of hours without eating, even to this day, which is why I always sympathized with Garfield the cat - poor guy, just wanted some lasagna.)

Anyway, I searched recipes online, and while many seemed delightful, I was most drawn to the Cookies and Cream Cupcakes recipe by Annie's Eats (check out her site... lots more recipes to try out another time, too!). Her recipe uses a vanilla cake base with Oreo's mixed in, a decadent cream cheese frosting, and a surprise half Oreo at the bottom of each cupcake.

The recipe yields 24 cupcakes. I chose to bake 12 cupcakes and then use the other half of the batter to bake a cake in a loaf pan. I actually like the way my cake turned out better than the cupcakes. I think it's because I overcooked the cupcakes (my own fault), but the cake came out just right.

Happy Birthday Oreo Cookie Cupcakes recipe can be found at Annie's Eats. Hop on over there and give it a whirl! And in the very least, eat an Oreo today!

Making mundane tasks a little bit brighter

Recently, Unclutterer.com posted an article that really resonated with me. It was about little changes you can make that will help you complete otherwise undesirable tasks. The author Erin Doland's example was that she was less disappointed when it rained because she had received a gift of bright yellow boots as a gift. These bright yellow boots make it a little more fun to splash around in the rain.

It got me thinking about little things I could to to put some happiness into mundane tasks. I don't have a dishwasher and I hate cleaning dishes, so immediately took to Etsy and purchased a pretty pair of dishwashing gloves to make the chore just a little bit brighter!

This tip can be applied to so many parts of our lives, and in many cases, for hardly any investment. Another task I loathe is packing my lunch for work (I have hated this since grade school - I don't think I'll ever get over it). To make the activity a little less terrible, I bought a lunch bag with a pretty print on it. The lunch bag cost me $2.00 on sale! A worthy investment in my opinion.

What tasks to you put off that might benefit from a little pick-me-up?

A month of Daily Lovely

It's been a month since I started my New Year's Resolution to take a picture of something lovely, daily, recorded at dailylovely.com. It's going pretty well, although I'll be honest - I can't wait for winter to be over so we will have more sunlight and I will have a greater window of daylight time in which to take these lovely photos! But even during the drab days of January, I've been finding inspiration. Here are a few January highlights:

01.19.12: Birthday Card Candles

01.17.12: Fresh Flowers

01.12.12: Stoddards, Boston MA

01.10.12: Paramount, Boston MA

01.05.12: Little Blue Box!

Want to follow along? Visit www.dailylovely.com to receive your daily dose by email, follow on facebook, or twitter!

National Popcorn Day

Today is a very special day.

Today, January 19, 2012, is National Popcorn Day.

On this day, I present to you one of my favorite recipes I have learned recently... Smores Popcorn. Enjoy...

Smores Popcorn by Emily of A Cambridge Story

Daily Lovely - A Year Long Photo Project

There is so much beauty in every day, even in the dreariest, coldest months. So I am challenging myself to take a photo a day of lovely things in 2012. Big or small. Grand or mundane.

This might not sound like such a difficult resolution to keep for a photographer, but sometimes I get wrapped up in planning what I want to photograph that I am not paying enough attention to what is photo-worthy right in front of me. And there is plenty of that to be had every day.

You can follow on facebook, twitter, instagram (@allisonfraske, #dailylovely) or at www.dailylovely.com!

One week down, 51 to go. Wish me luck!

Oh hi 2012.

2011 was an eventful year. It had its ups and downs and its bittersweet moments, but I would say it was generally a positive, fulfilling, and eventful year.

I met some great new people, but also had to wish bon voyage to some very special friends as they moved out of town.

I celebrated the marriages of some great friends, and welcomed some new bundles of joy into the world.

I expanded my crafty abilities and learned such things as how to sew, how to make homemade pickles, and how to etch glass.

I took a lot of pictures, but mostly for myself instead of for sale.

I bought in iPhone and discovered instagram.

I read two great books: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and Bossypants by Tina Fey. (I recommend both of them)

At the beginning of 2011, I resolved to do two things: schedule more time for myself, and make sure I start planning for the holidays early so I can enjoy the season instead of having to bustle around trying to get everything in order. I think I did a good job of keeping both of those resolutions. For 2012, I do have one creative resolution that I'm pretty excited about, but I'm going to hold off on sharing it for a bit until I am sure I can commit to it!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Craft Fairs this Weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out one of these holiday craft fairs if you are in the Boston area:

 December 3: Jamaica Plain Holiday Fair
First Church Jamaica Plain, 6 Eliot St, Jamaica Plain from 11am - 5pm.
Boston Handmade members exhibiting together at this event:
Kerry Hawkins Photography 
Kerrie Beck, Cody's Creations
Karen Mahoney, City By The Sea Ceramics
Leah Ammerman, cricicis design
Beth Brennick, Elizabeth Brennick Designs
Sharon Fischer, Stray Notions
Diane Ivey, Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design
Lucie Wicker Photography

 December 4: Bazaar Bizarre Boston 
Center for the Arts/Cyclorama, 539 Tremont Street, Boston from 12 - 6pm.
Boston Handmade members exhibiting together at this event:
Karen Mahoney, City By The Sea Ceramics
Leah Ammerman, cricicis design
Nancy McCallum, nancy rosetta
Evan Webster Ink
Sharon Fischer, Stray Notions
Diane Ivey, Lady Dye Fiber Arts & Design
Cristina Hurley Designs
and exhibiting in a separate booth:
Anne-Claire Regan, Hibou Designs

 A great weekend to get some things checked off your shopping list - for others, or for yourself!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Sugar Frosting

Happy Thanksgiving! Today I am responsible for bringing a dessert to Thanksgiving Dinner. I decided to make Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Sugar Frosting. The cupcake recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen, and the frosting is a twist on a basic buttercream recipe (Smitten Kitchen's frosting recipe is probably great, too, but I didn't have all the ingredients!)

When I made the cupcakes, I accidentally forgot to add the vanilla extract. That is the second time I have done that while baking this week! I need to get myself together. Regardless, they still came out great! Here's how to make them:

Pumpkin Cupcakes:
(yielded 24 for me, adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with liners.
2. Beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.
4. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth. Scoop the batter among the cupcake liners — you’re looking to get them 3/4 full.
5. Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

Maple Sugar Frosting:
(basic buttercream frosting with maple syrup)

3 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
several tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 cup maple syrup (or, to taste)

Directions:
Mix together sugar and butter on low speed until well blended, and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add vanilla, maple, and 2 tablespoons of cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream, if desired, for spreading consistency.