The Illustrious Yule Log

The holiday baking season, along with the release of "Julie and Julia", reminds me of watching Julia Child and wishing I could make the illustrious Buche de Noel or Yule Log. I can still hear Julia saying "Buche de Noel!" My childhood love of HoHo's had me longing for this rolled chocolate spongecake with chocolate ganache. Yum!
Last year I finally decided to try it. I don't have any Julia Child cookbooks, but I did have a hand-written recipe card in my recipe box for many years. When I was in my teens, I wrote down a lot of recipes from my Mom's recipe box, but I never knew her to make Buche de Noel. So, who knows where this recipe came from.Well, it ended up being a total flop! I was interrupted too many times with people and dogs and who knows what. The cake was over-mixed and was a rubbery mess, despite the long time it took to make the filling and frosting and assemble it.
I won't be trusting that old recipe card, if I even kept it! There are several online sources for Buche de Noel (or Yule Log) recipes. Some trustworthy, tested sites are the JoyofBaking, Food Network, Epicurious, and, of course Martha Stewart. I'm not sure yet which I'll try, but will take a look at the different styles, techniques, and ingredients to see what suits my tastes.
I am not a gourmet chef, but I do love to bake. Some tips for a sponge cake like this are, get yourself a jelly roll pan, don't use it for anything other than sponge cakes, and don't use waxed paper. Some recipes call for using waxed paper on the pan and I just can't get that smell of melted wax out of my head. While I use parchment paper for most other baking, I opt for aluminum foil for a sponge cake. It forms to the pan. You can grease and flour it easily and the cake comes off clean.
I hope this inspires you to make a Yule Log or Buche de Noel this year. Heck, I may even try the little marzipan mushrooms! Just keep in mind that looks don't matter as must as taste.

In the Spirit of Things

I've been so busy making things for the many shows that I have planned that I haven't taken time to decorate for Fall or for Halloween. Today, I am setting aside some time to clean and put up a few fun things to spook the kids and kick off the spirit of Halloween.
My favorite Halloween decorations are the black lights that I hang in the window and the vintage jack-O-lantern that is missing the clip-on light, but I put it over a basic candle lamp. There's something about things that glow that make this time of year special. For me, it's kind of a transition as the evenings get darker and calls for candles at Thanksgiving and twinkle lights at Christmas.I also love these two handmade pieces from my brother, Chris. I'm always encouraging him to create more. His love of guitars has taken over the creative side of his brain lately though. He has always been a big fan of Halloween and has a huge monster collection. He painted this fun sign on a piece of slab wood. This skeleton is a sample of the many skulls and Frankenstein masks that he's created over the years. There are so many gorgeous pieces on his walls and I really think that he should open a museum! (Perhaps we should collaborate and create a book of monster art or something.)I am also mesmerized by the art of Jack & Cat Curio. Something about Frankenstein in art always grabs my attention, but when I saw the beeeswax dripping from this Halloween collage, I had to ask them about it.
I asked Jack & Cat Curio to tell me a bit about themselves...
"We are a couple that love to stay up late creating mixed media pieces. We specialize in encaustic/beeswax collage. We compile different imagery and ephemera and then put it all under several layers of beeswax. Sometimes we use colored wax to achieve a certain look, other times a heat dye. Sometimes we stamp, imprint, and graph the wax.
We also specialize in digital imagery,trinkets and do-dads. Lesley also creates confectionery goods when not crafting with beeswax. We also travel and teach several workshops and classes on these topics."
I did look up "encaustic" and read that it was a technique using hot wax with pigments and that it was first used in Greek ship building to seal cracks in the ships and evolved into an art form from there.
You can visit JackandCatCurio.Etsy.com to see more of their beeswax collages, altered art, mixed media, and prints. I encourage you to visit their blog as well at http://JackandCatCurio.Blogspot.com. I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to their "Art Makin' Blues" playlist while writing this. I may just keep it playing and dance around as I decorate this morning! And, if you're in the Phoenix area, check out the class schedule as posted on their blog.
(Special thanks to Mike and Lesley from JackandCatCurios.Etsy.com!)

Fun with Felting

As if I don't have enough to keep me busy this time of year, I decided to gather some supplies and try my hand at felting. So many people have asked why I don't spin my own yarn. I'm sure it is fun, but I wouldn't have time to knit and crochet the designs that I love to make. So, for me to buy carded wool and roving, was a bit shocking. There it was all gathered together and me without a clue as to what exactly to do. I've read several blogs and watched a few videos on feltmaking, specifically on how to make a scarf.
Tip #1 don't try it outside on a breezy day. I started laying out my fibers on the batting and the wind blew them all over the place. So, I went to the basement. This is a messy wet project and it didn't matter if I got the basement wet.
Tip #2 use a sturdy work surface. I used a fold-up craft table and it was rocking all over the place!
It ended up being a little too thick and wide for a scarf, but a wonderful fabric nonetheless. The picture doesn't pick up the gold sparkle throughout. I am thinking that, with a sturdy lining and shoulder strap, it could be made into a fabulous bag.
Tip #3 keep trying. It was fun and I'll definitely try again. I also have a silk scarf that I want to try felting the fibers onto. I want to dye it first. I also have some yarn to dye...but I've never dyed before. Yet another thing to try.
So, that's what I've been working on, along with more shrugs, sweaters, hats, and fingerless gloves for upcoming shows. Busy time of year!

Spooky

I'm not much of a story-teller, with words anyway. I do love taking pictures and often-times people might wonder "why is she taking a picture of that?" Here's why. If I hadn't grabbed my camera and went out in my pj's on this cold, dark morning, I wouldn't have captured this spooky sky.This one is from last year. The kids were outside playing with the camera. They caught this picture of their breath on a cold night.

For a fun time, visit the M&M's Dark Chocolate website to play "50 Dark Movies, Hidden in a Painting." My kids cheat every year, but it is fun! Google the answers if you want to cheat too.