Ornithology and drugs, always a classy combination. Don’t worry puffin, it’s legal here in Washington.
Tag: Seattle
Card Artistry; Locket
This is Paper Napkin, he is a cat. He is fat. He is a ‘drooler.’ I love him, and my friends love him… so much that he has become an icon. He appears on news feeds, celebrates his birthday on April Fool’s Day, and is the subject of the yearly birthday card for my friend LR.
This year the theme was a kind of locket that held portraits two important pets; Napkin, and Riley. Riley is a giant otter chocolate lab and senior citizen, with an unsinkable heart of gold.
Per my usual I was going to take this sketch and recreate it with card stock.. but I decided that I rather liked my sketch and opted to ink and color the fuzzy, fat bastard.
Upon finishing the portrait, I think that was a rather good idea. He looks so damn dapper, and handsome. You’d never think that this fellow would attempt to eat you out of house and home at every opportunity.
Next was Riley, she needed to be more feminine and pretty… and who doesn’t want to draw eyelashes on a dog? I mean, really… it’s adorable.
She got the same treatment as Naps, but with a few added gold paint details and Swarovski jewels.
She makes a lovely little Victorian lady.
I did want the characters to really pop on the backgrounds, so I cut them out and overlayed them with a small folded piece of paper glued under the head for depth. I like the shadow it creates. I’m not great at drawing shadow, so I feel like this is kind of a cheat.
So there you go, another year of LR bday card nonsense out of the way… but what about next year?
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours; Seattle
After a 8ish month hiatus, I am returning back to the city that I consider home; Seattle. I didn’t really think of Seattle as my home until I left. I originally moved there about 10 years ago with two gentlemen whom I still consider some of my best friends. We came in pursuit of education and adventure… we found it in the diversity of culture and freedom of expression allowed by our new habitat. Coming from a small town where I couldn’t go to a grocery store without having to make polite conversation with at least 5 different people, the anonymity of a big city was a welcomed shadow. I went to college in Seattle. I rented my first real apartment in Seattle. I fell in love in Seattle. In a lot of ways, it is where I’ve defined myself as an adult.
I left Seattle because of a particularly life altering (bad, horrible, awful, dreadful…insert adjective describing the worst feeling ever) break-up. I needed a change of scenery to distract myself from the pieces of what had fallen apart. So I took a leave of absence from my city. It was a very smart decision and I am glad to have had such a perfect opportunity to find some serenity, but I always knew it was only temporary.
I’ve been back in Seattle for almost a month, but I’m just now starting to feel the beat of city life slide back into my regular rhythm. I like it. I missed it. Although it feels a lot more lonely than it used to, I am so glad to be back. I cannot wait to see the city with new eyes, find the new avenues of vibrant life among the well worn paths of my history. It’s an inviting journey, and it’s an exciting journey, but mostly it just feels good to be home.
Wheat-free Carrot Cake; Cheers to 30 Years!
I’m 30, this was no big deal for me. It just kind of happened and I accepted it… but I am still stoked when I get carded at a bar or a teenager asks me out at a gas station. Yes, that really happened and he was visibly stunned when it became apparent that I was waaaaaayhayhay older than he was. I know! It was awesome! …Don’t worry I declined the offer, and promptly high five’d myself when I got back into my car. Anyhoo, my best friend turned 30 last week and she was in full denial stage;
her: I am not turning 30! I am going to just be 29 forever. I need Botox!
me: Dude, it’s not THAT bad.
her: Shut up Jenna! It IS that bad!
me: uh…. I’ve been 30 for, like, 6 months now.. what are you trying to say?…
her: ….ummmm . . ..
Yeah, apparently I am not rocking the 30’s as hard as I thought I was… but at least I’m still baking like a rockstar!
This recipe is wheat-free (not gluten-free) so that everybody at the party could enjoy it. I hate when people have to be excluded based on allergies, I am usually one of these people and it isn’t fun. Rye flour was easily exchanged for all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. The bold flavor and moisture of carrot cake made it easy to hide any taste or texture issues related to switching flours.
Wheat-free Carrot Cake
adapted from this recipe via All Recipes
– 4 eggs
– 3/4 cup canola oil
– 1/2 cup apple sauce
– 1 cup white sugar
-1 cup brown sugar (light or dark per your preference)
-3 tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups rye flour
-2 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 tsp cinnamon (1/4 to 1/2 tsp any other spices you like*)
-1 tsp ground ginger
-3 cups grated carrots
-1 8oz. can of crushed pineapple (juice squeezed out and reserved -> For frosting! Duh!)
-1/2 cup raisins (brown or gold, or both…whatevs.)
-1/2 cup coconut flakes
-1/2 chopped pecans (and/or walnuts)
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat until homogeneous. In another bowl combine all of your dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Using a dry whisk, blend the dry bits until everything appears uniform… this takes the place of sifting. Boo sifting. Nobody likes you. Go home.
Add your dry to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. NOW the show really begins; time to bring in the star here…you ready? Who’s pumped!? I am like, 7 Redbulls into a physics exam all-nighter (2am, not 4am) pumped!…add the CARROTS!! Yeah, what what! Booyah baby!…….. and all the other stuff; raisins, nuts, coconut, and pineapple…I’m talking to you. You guys are great too, but like backup singer great. Not Marky Mark great.
Everything stirred together? Fantastic. To the pans!! I used 2 Wilton 9-inch round cake pans. I like to line the bottoms with parchment paper and Pam for super easy cake removal later.
Bake those beauties at 350 for about 40 minutes, I like to check ’em at like 35…and do the toothpick test. Cool in the pan for for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge to be sure the cake beast is free from the pan. Invert and cool on a rack until…well, until they’re cool. You can wrap your carrot beasts in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for extra easy construction later… or you can just frost and stack as you see fit. This is your rodeo cowboy, I don’t care if you just stand around your kitchen and eat the cake with a pile of frosting in the middle over your garbage…like a giant whoopie pie…..Oh snap, new life goal people. New life goal.
*I don’t like nutmeg, so I don’t add it. I say that you add the spices that you like, some suggestions; cardamon, clove, all spice, nutmeg, mace
Usually people would frost this kind of thing with cream cheese frosting…In this case, I was banned from using cream cheese (allergies!) but I was allowed butter (thank the heavens!) so I made a coconutty buttercream to compliment the cake. Post to follow shortly!
I used some of these Wilton tiny star sprinkle/glitter things and they were so frickin’ adorable…I want to eat them on top of every food ever. Calamari? Olives? Sandwich? There is nothing that they couldn’t improve.
So, long story short…she had a party, I made the cake and she has embraced the sweet sweet reality that 30 is going to be great…maybe even better than 20.
This was all that remained of the cake when I left…in case you were wondering if people missed the wheat and cream cheese.
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