My Badge for the event.
Annoyed that it didn't say "Not 2 Shabbey"
Gotta fix that for next time!
Most of you know that I was away last week in California for the CHA Winter Show, but what most of you did not know was what it was or why I went. To give you a very short overview, the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) is an organization that brings together everyone in the Craft and Hobby industry. Pretty much the entire world of crafting is represented - sewing, scrapbooking, mosaic, beading, fine arts.... the list goes on and on. What's amazing about the conference is that you not only get to meet the people behind the companies, but you get to play with the materials that they manufacture. New products are displayed that are just coming out and in every booth demos are given to teach new skills and projects. The day before the show opens they offer a full day of seminars and workshops. These classes are also given during the show days as well. What's great is that these classes are completely geared to people like me in the Craft and Hobby industry.
So why did I go?
Well, first off, I wanted to see what new materials are coming out and I wanted to learn directly from the people who make the product. Secondly, I wanted to make relationships with the companies that I already work with. As a Jewish proffesional crafter and blogger I am in a very unique position. One of my main goals was to reach out to companies for partnership and sponsorship opportunities. The other was to be inspired by all the new materials and projects. There is nothing like being surrounded by crafty and creative people like you.
The first booth I went to was Plaid. As I am sure you have seen in the numerous pictures of my work, these are the paints that I use to make my beautiful glass creations. I literally had to pull myself away from their booth!!
After I went over to the S.e.i. booth. I saw some really beautiful fabric painting going on and I thought that these products might be GREAT for tzizit.
Of Course I got samples to try!
There were so many amazing crafts and demos going around throughout the entire convention center. I loved just seeing everything and getting inspired.
Totally inspired by this Sscrabble Wall Art.
Wouldn't it be great for a family? Diplay all the names!
Found at the Elmers booth
LOVE the displays!!
Craft party kits!
In LOVE with Stampendous
Can't wait to use their products!!!
Wouldn't this be GREAT in Hebrew?
It's a name book.
The booth that I was dying to visit was Viva Decour. I LOVE their products, but haven't had a chance to use them yet. Not only did they load me up with FREE samples I can't wait to try out, they were the NICEST people!!!
Isn't that gorgeous??
Mirror Paint!
My ring I got to make at their booth!
Their beautiful display of glittery butterfly's
Of course I was drawn to the Bottle Cap Co.'s booth. The color was so striking and I became so involved in the crafts that you can make with their products. I cannot wait to do a demo for you all!!
After Day 1 my feet were killing me! So tired and believe me. Lugging all those catalogs really took a toll on my aching back. Heading to my favorite Kosher restaurant in LA the Fish Grill for dinner. UG. Totally wish they had a store in NY. Common' guys Coffee Bean came - you can too!!!!
Fish N' Chips - Childhood memories Don't worry, I was back on my diet the next day.
If you follow me regularly then you know that my house has been going through some issues. It all started with a little leak that turned into a much bigger situation. Although we are still living in a rental.... and the basement is slightly creepy, I am trying hard to look at the bright side. We are almost ready to start rebuilding and I can hardly wait! At least I get to show tricks and techniques to rebuild and decorate on a budget.
Right?
In the meantime I need to go through all my boxes and filter through all those old pieces that were transferred to the rental property. I really don't want to have to shlep them back to the studio!! There are just too many pieces! So I decided to have an End of the Year Clearance Sale! The perfect way to end this fantastic year with my fans. Let's get rid of those pieces just hanging around the studio and retire some collections.
Check out not2shabbey.com for clearance items and don't forget to use your 35% off code CRZYDLZ. Sale ends 1/1/13.
As you can imagine, I’m a kind of out of the box type of
person. I am always looking at normal everyday items and thinking about how or
what I could do with them differently.
You will often find me in my studio and not in my kitchen.
Cookie cutters and chocolate molds are just not in my vocabulary. However,
upcycling is.
Upcycling is a new term being used in the art world and one
of my new favorite things to do. According to Wikepediait’s the process of converting waste materials or
useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better
environmental value.
So in my craft crazy mind I concocted some great Chanukah projects
using items that are in your regular everyday kitchens, just using them a
little……differently. Each night I will feature 1. Here's the first!!
Chanukah
Shaped Latkes
A dreidle latke?? Oh yah! Yummo!! Who wouldn’t love a
menorah latke??
Here’s a how you make these super simple delicacies.
First you gotta make the batter.
Simple Latke Recipe:
5lb bag of potatoes
1 large onion
4 eggs
½ cup of flour
1 Tablespoon of salt
¼ TSP Black pepper
You want to keep your potatoes in ice cold water after you peel them.
If not they will turn brown. Once you finish blending all the potatoes and
mixing in the ingredients you want to drain all the extra water out.
Then you are going to add oil to your frying pan – about half way up so
your pan is half full with oil. You can
make sure your oil is ready by adding a little batter into the oil and seeing
if it sizzles.
Put your cookie cutters into the pan and scoop the batter into each of
the cookie cutters.
You know that they are ready to flip when they no longer stick to the
bottom. If you can move the latke then you know that they are ready to flip.
When they are brown on both sides they are ready to take out of the
pan. Let it cool for a few minutes. Those cookie cutters are HOT! Take your
knife and cut along the edge of each of the latkes to help separate them. Then just
push them through. They should easily come out.
They are so delicious and yummy. The thickness of the potato is what
makes these so delightful!
So if you follow me on Facebook you would have noticed that I went on a bit of a Hanukkah rant this morning. It went something like this......
When did blue and silver become the Hanukkah colors??? I'm kind of a little upset about it. It never used to bother me, but seriously. WHY? I'm doing research for my next blog post and all that comes up are blue and silver. Not sure why it bothers me, but I'm very much annoyed. Anyone else bothered by this??? Perhaps it's just me and my "out of the box" - "non conforming" self.
After a very interesting discussion, it was established that the colors stem from the Israeli flag of blue and white. So I guess it was decided, by the powers that be, that in order to combat the holiday season of green and red the "Jewish" colors of blue, white, and silver had to be the Hanukkah ones. Hmmm.... I guess you could say that it's a color war of sorts, right?? LOL.
When I was a teacher, just starting out, I taught middle school girls at a modern orthodox school in Beverly Hills. We used to get into some very interesting conversations and one time it happened to be about Christmas. One of my students mentioned that Christmas was very similar to Hanukkah and she wanted to know how that came to be. If you're a history buff like me you will find this fascinating, but I won't bore you "others" with the details. I just want to point out a couple ideas that can be "food for thought."
- Ever wonder why Hanukkah is called the Festival of Lights? Seems similar to Christmas.... look at all the lighted houses!
- Did it ever occur to you that Chrismas and Hanukkah are on the same "days?" Hanukkah = 25th of Kislev and Christmas = 25th of December.
- Besides the fact that Santa Clause was a made up character by Coca Cola why do both holidays have a gift giving element???
As I said before I won't bore you with the details, but if you want to know the answers to some of these questions you can read about it here, here, and here.
SO, let's now get back onto topic of what I really wanted to show you guys........ HANUKKAH TABLESCAPES!! I had so much fun looking for some this morning and I was surprisingly able to find some colorful ones as well.
The first one I want to show you comes from Breezy's. They were lucky enough to be asked to do a Chanukah buffet table for Elegant Impressions Magazine! You can read all about this super fun and oh so yummy tablescape on their blog. I love the color combo of turquoise and purple!!! BTW - Recipes are included and as always I love Breezy's tricks and tips!
Milk and Cookies anyone?
The next one I found was at Houzz.com - If you have never been on that website, you can thank me after you go to check it out. Now that I am redoing my entire house due to my house debacle, I need a lot of inspiration Houzz helps - a lot!
I've always wanted to make Thanksgiving.
There's just something about a beautifully set Thanksgiving table.
So warm and inviting.
The delicious hot yummy meal.
I love the Fall.
I love the changing of the leaves.
The colors are so striking.
But alas, I never get to make it.
Thanksgiving is always spent at my Aunts.
Gathering once a year for a family reunion.
I am most thankful that we can still all get together.
Even though I can't put a Thanksgiving feast together in my actual home, I can at least post what I would do!
I would try to find a set of eclectic turkey dishes. My color scheme would be hunter green, mustard, gold, and berry wine. I would get huge glass vases and add cranberries and chestnuts to the bottom and put XL pillar candles inside. Small candles would accents around the table.
I would would find an eclectic set of turkey dishes.
Setting my table in a formal setting would be a must.
For the kids table, I would go with something playful and fun. It's always best to engage the little ones with a colorful and festive table.
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