Guest Blogger Thursday: Maple Blackberry Pie

When I started teaching needle felting at the Urban Craft Center, I met an awful lot of talented crafters! Devon Lott of Miss Make is one of them!! She's one of those "do-it-all" kinds of people I admire, and her creations always leave me impressed! Here's a link to Devon's Etsy store! Hope you enjoy her YUMMY recipe below! More from me very soon...          xoxo radmegan

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Maple Blackberry Pie

My childhood home was nestled in a pine forest in Ohio, and peppered through the trees were patches of wild black raspberry canes. As soon as the ground thawed in the spring, delicate, silvery leaves would appear along their thorny length, followed closely by hard little white nubs. As my brother and I walked to the school bus every day we would check on the nubs, and watch with excitement over the weeks as they slowly turned yellow, then the palest pink, then ruby red, and finally darkened to the most luscious deep merlot.


It was around every 4th of July weekend, that my mother would arm my family with long sleeves, hats, bug repellent and baskets, and we would set off into the woods to harvest the wild black raspberries. It was hot work, pushing through the dense, midsummer forest growth with humid air and buzzing mosquitoes. The ripe berries would practically fall into your hands when you touched them, staining your fingers a deep indigo no matter how gentle you were.

When our baskets were full we would report back to the house and empty them into a giant bowl, brushing off the occasional daddy long legs or minuscule caterpillar, then set out again for more. It would take us nearly a week to get all the berries. My mother would make black raspberry pies and black raspberry jam. We would eat black raspberries and milk for breakfast. The berries were small and sweet and a little tart, infused with sunshine and clean air and the goodness of pure wild nature.


You can't get black raspberries in a grocery store, but blackberries are close. This pie is sweet and tart and delicious with whipped cream. And nothing says "summer is here" to me like a dark berry pie.

Maple Blackberry Pie
4 6oz containers of blackberries, washed and dried
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup real maple syrup
dash of salt
1 package pie crusts (two crusts)
1 tbsp butter


1. Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Gently mix in the berries and maple syrup.
2. Gently roll one crust into a pie dish. Fill with the berry mixture. Dot the top of the berries with the butter.
3. Roll the other crust over the berries and press the edges to seal. (If you want, cut out a decorative design first on a cutting board). Slit the pie with a knife to vent.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove and carefully wrap foil around the edge of the pie to protect the crust. Continue baking at 375 degrees F for another 20 minutes.
5. Let cool. Slice and serve with whipped cream.

Summer Vacation Abroad (Part 1): Video2Brain Re-cap

I missed a guest blog post last week and it seems that I accidentally scheduled it for this Thursday. My brain is still wandering around Austria, eating ice cream cones and mastering the art of public transportation, so I must say that I'm hugely relieved for the guest post this week. Being home is nice, but I am still getting back into my creative rhythm. There are so many things I want to share with you guys, and I think I still need a few days to parse out all the thoughts and photos...

I thought I would start off the week with a quick re-cap of how and why I got myself to Austria in the first place. (Accompanied by several behind-the-scenes photos taken by my friend and camera man, Erwin S. Pictured below, next to Britta, the other half of my awesome camera crew!)

The training company Video2Brain hired me to record two photography "how-to" courses. Specifically, how-to shoot photos of handmade crafts for the purpose of blogging, and selling online. I toiled for weeks writing out lessons and anecdotes, polling my closest crafter friends on what they would want to learn, and then writing outlines for both of my 2+ hour courses; chapter-by-chapter. Finally, I packed up 4 brimming boxes of my handmade goods, and skipped town. Once I got to Austria, I was in for an eye-opening experience. Thank goodness for all of the prep work I had done. (Including weekly work-outs!) Days started at 5am- when I would begin prepping for the day's shoot which picked up between 7-8am. I would pile into the car with my producer, and all of my crafts and notes. The 2-person camera crew followed behind us in a second car. For 4 days (which seemed a LOT LONGER at the time) we would drive to various locations around the Austrian countryside, choose our locations for the video backdrop, set up the cameras and crafts, shoot stills, and then run through the video. On good days, I would get through a lesson in 2 takes. On more jet-lagged and sleep-deprived days, the shoots took a bit longer. I took my teaching responsibilities very seriously. I wanted to be sure I shared my insights and techniques in an easy to understand way... but it sure was hard for me to not think about how I looked on screen, or whether my videos would be poorly received. Most of the time, I stomped down the distracting and negative thoughts, and just did my best, to bring you my best...

The crew, and my producer, Tom, who is now a dear friend of mine, could not have been nicer, or more supportive. Our days were long; usually stopping filming between 6-9pm, then Tom and I would review notes over dinner, and plan the following day until 11pm or so. I would stay up much later to shower, and do more prep work until 1 or 2am- then set my alarm for 5am. 

Even with the grueling and exhausting days of shooting, I still really miss my camera crew, and Tom, the producer, who I spent oodles of time with, and even went on a small vacation with when my husband arrived in Austria (after the 4 days of live shooting, and 5 days of computer-based video capture was complete). Tom is patient, kind, creative, and funny. (And single in case you were wondering. I will be screening any womenfolk who may be interested in him. I love him like a brother, so if you think you are awesome enough for Tom, email me, and we'll talk.) 

But anyway- despite the crazy schedule and massive amounts of work, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Such nice people, and such a gorgeous setting. I really enjoyed my experience with V2B. And even if you already know everything under the sun about photography, you should still watch my videos for the background scenery! Austria is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

At this point, there's just a bit more editing to do before the courses are ready for viewing! (And I'm still waiting for my 4 boxes of crafts to make it out of customs and return home to me!) I already have my trainer bio up on the Video2Brain website! I'm trainer #37, ya'll! And guess what! I'm the first woman to have ever recorded a LIVE (on camera) training course for this company! They have a handful of super smart female trainers, but I'm the only one who has done any on-camera recording! I'm honored! 


I'll certainly keep you all posted about when the course is done! And NEXT week, I'll begin sharing crafts and recipes inspired by my travels. 


Big thanks again to all of my guest bloggers- and huge thanks to video2brain for making my summer an unforgettable experience!

Photo Saturday: The Clarity of English Signs

Happy Photo Saturday friends! I'm officially home from 35 days of travel abroad and so looking forward to sharing travel photos, experiences, foods, and crafts with you from my journey! In the meantime, just wanted to share this sign from the southwest coast of England. It's pretty self-explanatory, right? Right.... 

Hope you guys enjoyed my awesome guest bloggers! Apologies for the one day last week when a guest post was eaten by a sketchy international internet connection. 

Looking forward to "seeing" you guys on Tuesday! (I need Monday off to get back to crafting!)

xoxo

radmegan

Guest Post Tuesday: "Just Because" Medals

I am almost home from my trip and cannot wait to make myself a set of these awesome "Just Because" Medals that my favorite gal Jessica Wilson crafted up! Love them! Hope you have been enjoying my rad guest bloggers! More soon...           xoxo radmegan

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"Just Because" Medals

Hi folks! I’m Jessica (aka jek of scumdilly-do!, scrumdillydilly and CRAFT) with a super fun craft that allows you to use up small fabric scraps, your sewing machine and sticky glue. I was at Michaels a couple of weeks ago and saw some pretty awesome handmade-style award ribbons and medals. They were really happy and super nifty and a bit more pricey that I can afford being that I’m unemployed and all... and I thought “How fun would it be to make these up for some favorite people I know?” And so I did. So go rifle through your craft drawer, box or closet and see if you can rustle up some supplies to create a “Just Because Medal of Goodness”.

Materials Needed:

spool of wide ribbon (1 ½” wide)

various fabric scraps

glue stick

large scalloped paper punch 

scissors

needle & thread

happy button

scrapbook paper

small safety pin

pin-back

super sturdy glue such as E-6000

Cut a length of ribbon at least six inches but not more than twelve. Coat the back with your glue stick and fold in half, pressing down to help tack it in place.

Grab that happy glue stick and slather on a bit of stick to the front of your ribbon as well. We’re just using the ribbon as a base to sew on. You can also use felt if you do not have ribbon. Just trim felt to size and omit the glue stick since they really don’t play well with each other. 

Begin layering lengths of fabric onto your sticky ribbon. Begin at the bottom and work your way up. I like to run the fabric scraps atop the glue stick for a little extra tack. 

Continue until your ribbon length is covered. Turn over and trim fabric bits around the ribbon.

Flip over and trim the bottom of the ribbon so that you have a point. 

Take your bit of happy scrappy ribbon over to your sewing machine and stitch around the edges as close as you can. I used a very small stitch. Don’t forget to backstitch. Add an additional line or two of stitching in between the edges for a little more oomph and trim your threads. Fold up the bottom of the pointed end and anchor in place with your sewing machine and trim those threads as well.

To create the "medal part" of your medal, use a scalloped paper punch to punch a pretty bit of paper. Hand stitch (or glue) your happy button in the center of the punched paper. Use a small safety pin to attach it to the bottom of your medal's ribbon. You can also use wire or thread for this. 

Flip the whole shebang over and use your super sticky glue to anchor your pin-back in place and allow to cure for 12 hours or so (drats).

And that’s it, yer finished! Unless you are anything like me, which will entail you rifling through your happy-scrappy craft supplies in search of more happy bits and doo-hickeys to create more medals. I used a yo-yo instead of craft paper for one of the medals and my noggin is already overflowing with more ideas! I hope you have a blast and thank you for reading! 

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By the way, if you guys are looking for the awesome punch that Jessica used in this awesome guest post, you can pick one up on Amazon here: 

Guest Blogger Tuesday: DIY Recipe Box

When I see that Kristine, from Wait in the Van has posted a new entry on her blog, I actually get giddy before reading it. You know how some people can just make life seem more interesting? That's Kristine. When I asked her if she might be interested in being a guest blogger for me, I really had no idea what to expect... and now that she's crafting? Readers, I totally understand if you abandon my blog for hers!  More from me soon...       xoxo radmegan

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Do-It-Yourself Recipe Box

Hello to all you awesome radmegan readers!


I should probably get something out of the way before we go any further, friends. The truth is that I'm NOT a crafter. I generally shy away from anything that requires sewing, knitting, cutting or decoupage-ing. (Well, once I got into scrap-booking, but that was a mistake and I'd rather not talk about it.)


But I think we'd all agree that the amazing Rad Megan is an inspiring girl, right? So. I'm giving it a shot. For her. (Okay, and me.) I spent days anguishing over what the heck I'd make, and when I finally couldn't procrastinate any further, I turned on my computer and started to waste some more time there. Fortunately, my mindless surfing brought me to etsy. It was there that I spotted a really sweet recipe box that used vintage album covers as separators to organize your index cards. 


::light bulb::


Now this looked like a craft that I could butcher!
Of course, there were a few issues to address. I don't have anything particularly vintage on hand, and even if I had albums, I doubt I'd want to cut them up. But what I DO have on hand are cereal boxes. (Don't tell my kids I cut them up, please!) They're cardboard and full of color! It...kind of works! Another adaptation I made was eliminating the need to build the box itself. This (very talented) girl on etsy had built a simple wooden box and painted it a complimentary color. I? I scoured the house and found a black mesh bin that was the right size and look, so I didn't have to make diddly squat.


With those problems solved, I gathered the rest of my supplies haphazardly. (Did I mention I'm not a crafter?)

In all, I had:
1. Pencil or marker
2. Straightedge
3. Ruler
4. Cereal Boxes (or other colorful cardboard)
5. Scissors (or Xacto knife)
6. Half-circle template (I used the base of my tape dispenser)
7. Mesh bin (or other appropriately sized box)
8. Index Cards
9. Paper 


First, I started by measuring the inside height and width of the box so I'd know the size of the template I'd need to create. 

Once I had my numbers, I made the template that I'd use to cut the dividers from the cereal boxes. I used a plain old sheet of paper for this step. I also used the base of my tape dispenser to make the half-circle top for my divider. I pretty much eyeballed the placement of the tab, but a better crafter would've measured, I'm sure.

Next, I used the template to cut out my divider from the cereal box. I traced on the back side (non-colored) of the box so as not to leave stray marks on the decorative side.

I pretty much repeated this process about six times, being sure to flip the template over to create a staggered tab effect. This is the end result: 

I think, in retrospect, I should've been more precise with my placement of the template on the cardboard so that I would've gotten more varied colors in the tabs themselves. (I also probably should've gotten a damn manicure.) But, all in all, I'm happy with the result. It took less than an hour of my time, and it's certainly prettier than the Dollar Store recipe box I *had* been using. (And cheaper than the $30 one I saw on etsy.)


-Kristine

Photo Saturday: Austrian Alp Socks

Is there anything I don't love about Austria? Mmmm no.

Food? Delicious. 

Scenery? Breath-taking. 

People? WEAR FANTASTIC SOCKS WHILE HIKING in the Alps.

Travel update: I am still traveling around Europe, but homesick for all of you bloggy friends o' mine! I'm cramming my brain full of fun crafts & recipes inspired by these travels, and soooo looking forward to sharing them with you soon. On the schedule for me now? A bit more travel, and then returning you to your regularly scheduled programing. In the meantime, hope you are enjoying my awesome guest bloggers! I adore them! 

More soon -xoxo radmegan

Guest Blogger Thursday: Weeknight Shrimp Curry

Melissa, from Suburbanitis is someone I've known (online) for just about ten years! I can barely believe it even as I type it! She's somebody I wish I could live next door to. I adore her so completely, and am super stoked that she shared this yummy recipe with us today! Hope you enjoy. More from me soon...         xoxo radmegan

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A Weeknight Shrimp Curry

Curry is a highly forgiving medium for experimentation. If you can keep a can of coconut milk and some curry powder in the pantry, you're always pretty darn close to having a great meal. This is a perfect way to put your own spin on a dish without much effort. Don't like broccoli? Use spinach. Or sweet potato. Omit the peanut butter, and use light coconut milk for a healthier option. Hot pepper flakes can add some desired heat in a (literal) pinch.


It doesn't have to be authentic, it doesn't have to be precise, but it can always be just the thing for that Wednesday night dinner. 

Recipe:
1 lb shelled and de-veined shrimp
1 large onion, sliced very thin
3 cloves garlic, diced very fine
1 head broccoli, florets cut from the stalk
1 14oz can diced tomatoes 
1 14oz can coconut milk
1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt and pepper to taste


Heat olive oil and butter in a deep skillet on medium heat, and add onions, curry powder, and garam masala powder. Stir frequently until onions are soft and curry is fragrant. Add chopped garlic, stir often until garlic starts taking on a golden hue. Add shrimp and cook until both sides are opaque, seasoning with some salt and pepper. Add diced tomato and accumulated juices, stir to incorporate. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, and broccoli florets, stir well, and cover, simmering on low until broccoli is just tender. Taste, and season additionally if necessary. Serve over rice - I like to use brown rice, but use what you like! Most importantly - enjoy!

Guest Post Tuesday: Cribs (the Crafter's Edition)

I first "met" Cassandra here on the radmegan blog! She left me a few lovely comments, and I followed the trail of breadcrumbs back to her blog where I fell in LOVE with her handmade plushies! I hope you enjoy this peek into her inspired crafting space!            xoxo radmegan

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Crib's: the Crafter's Edition

Hello all you lovely readers! I'm Cassandra, a bloggy friend of Radmegan's. I'm so happy to be a guest poster over here while Megan's on her trip. (Many congrats to you, Meg, and I hope you're having a blast!) Per her awesome idea, I'll be taking you on a virtually-guided tour of my workspace. A sort of Crafter's Cribs, if you will. Without further ado...here is what we see upon entering the happy little haven that is my space:

Well, technically, this is a shot from the corner where my new sewing table will be. (A project I WILL complete this summer. The table is going to be made out of an old barn door I found, and some vintage apple crates we got at a local farm. I'm super stoked about it! But it's a lot of work - slowly but surely.) I generally tend to work in a sort of organized chaos. This is pretty much immaculate compared to what it normally looks like in here. I mean, it's pretty much the same, but usually there are a lot more projects strewn across all surfaces at any given time.


Here is my "command station":

This is where the magic happens, folks. I used to be a lot more picky about having things laying out. I tend to be an "everything in its place" kinda gal for the rest of the house. But I find that I'm a lot more inclined to just plop down in my big squishy chair and churn out a few stitches if everything is at my fingertips.

Pictures above, is one of my favorite spots. Probably because this is where Eustace currently lives. He's my latest art doll. And I love him. He's sitting here with some great vintage blue glass Ball jars. I love the color and weight to these old jars. I use them for holding a lot of neat stuff. Like my wooden spool collection. And buttons. Lots...tons! of buttons.  

As you can see, there are parts of my craft room where the neat freak does occasionally rear its obsessive head. Above, we can see the rest of my button collection. Organized in very specific categories. I have all vintage buttons in one jar. (I like to use only vintage for my plushies.) All the "new" buttons in another. The "one-of"s in another. And "non-button" buttons in another. There are also jars of safety pins, pin backs - things like that. I also like this shelf because it houses some of my awesome vintage toy cars. My boyfriend is a huge collector of old toy cars. I like the really colorful litho ones from the 50s - and this is where most of my mini collection lives.  


Speaking of collections:

This is a collection very near and dear to me. My Breyer horses. I used to be BIG into collecting these gorgeous model horses.  And following that whole "Breyer scene". Did you know they actually have "shows" for these? If you look close, you can see a trophy I won at a show once when I was younger. Also in this pic you can see some of my old book collection. I love old books. I don't know why. It's really everything about them I guess. I love the written word - literature, language, its history, its beauty. Most of these are classics - but some I just liked the graphics or the font, subject, etc.


And here's part of why I love doing what I do:

I love fabric. I love the colors. The textures. The movement of the different kinds of material and the countless combinations you have to work with. One of my favorite parts of my creation process is the fabric selection. And one of the greatest thrills I get during my thrifting/antiquing trips is finding some new awesome piece of vintage fabric. *Sigh* I'll never get over that rush. (Geesh, I sound like a craft nerd! Ha!)  

Anyway, I guess that pretty much wraps up the tour. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed yourselves! And I hope, if you're ever feelin' friendly, you'll swing by my blog and say hello. Oh! And I wouldn't be a proper saleswoman if I didn't throw in a plug for my Etsy shop. Check in often to see new plushie creations, new vintage finds, and the occasional one of a kind piece of jewelry, when the mood strikes me. :)  

Photo Saturday: Pumpkin Seeds in Styria

Happy Photo Saturday from Austria! In addition to working 14-hour days out here, I've also been able to have a few amazing meals with new friends. One of my favorite new discoveries is pumpkin seed oil! In Styria (the green county of Austria) pumpkin seed oil is put on salads as dressing, in scrambled eggs, and I hear it's wonderful over ice cream as well. All I know is that I cannot eat enough of it! Love love!! Above is a photo of the best salad I've had in a long time- drizzled in, of course, pumpkin seed oil. 

Guest Blogger Thursday: Coconut Candy

I met Jessica Perkins of The Perkins Family Blog a few fears ago. I used to work with her talented hubby and when I met her, and discovered how talented SHE was, I thought it might be illegal for two people to have that kind of combined awesomeness. Enjoy this insane looking sweet treat from my favorite tropical locale! More from me soon...            xoxo radmegan

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Making Hana Coconut Candy

Coconut candy is a yummy slow-roasted, sugar-coated coconut treat that I thought could only be found at a roadside stand on the famous Hana Highway in Maui. It’s something I have treated myself to multiple times after enduring the nauseating drive of that winding highway. 

Recently, my parents brought me back a few bags of this treat after a trip they had taken and I realized that it might be possible to enjoy the candy without having to buy a plane ticket or subject myself to the stomach-churning road to Hana. I researched and practiced the art of making this treat and this is the method that I’ve come up with!


To make this irresistible treat you will need:
1 whole coconut
Raw sugar (also known as Turbinado Sugar, Sugar in the Raw, or Natural Brown Sugar)
An old dish towel
1 Hammer
1 Nail

As I’m sure you've guessed, the hammer, nail and dish towel are not part of the recipe, just part of the coconut-cracking process. The great thing about this treat is how natural it is. It’s just coconut and a little bit of sugar to bring out the awesome flavor.

To crack the coconut, I put a hole in each of the three depressions. Then I sat the coconut (holes-down) over a glass so all the coconut water could drain out. I don’t know what to do with the water (let me know if you do) but it’s a good idea to drain the coconut before you bash it into pieces. When the water has drained, cover the coconut with a dish towel and hammer it until you can feel that it has broken into many pieces. Once broken, pry the pieces of flesh away from the shell with a butter knife or your hands. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the coconut into thin pieces. 

Put the shaved coconut in a ziptop bag with ½ cup of raw cane sugar. Place the bag in the refrigerator for 20 minutes until the sugar starts to melt into the coconut. If you leave it in the fridge for too long it makes the coconut too soggy (and nasty)! 

Arrange the sugared coconut shavings in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Heat the oven to the lowest setting. My oven’s lowest temp was 170, I wouldn’t go higher than 200. Stir and rearrange the coconut about every hour. 


These are going to bake for a long time. Mine baked for about 6 hours. Baking times will vary depending on how low your oven goes, and how your oven distributes heat. You will know when they are done when they are a toasty color and crunchy, not chewy. 

These would be great to make on a cold day when your house could use the heat from the oven being on all day, and your spirits could use a little tropical treat!