Aunt Peaches

Main navigation

PEACHES

Photoshop: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

by 17 Comments

I’m not good at giving gifts. 
Look, it’s not that I don’t try. I do. It’s just that I tend to make or buy things that I think the recipient needs; fingernail cufflinks… a leopard bathrobe…a gift certificate to the Jamaican beauty supply store. Granted, I am absolutely right, the recipient would indeed benefit from such things. But do they actively want such things? Perhaps, not so much.

To combat this problem I have taken to the gift of Photoshop. Fact is, I am pretty good at using Photoshop software. I can say that without conceit because my talent is limited in scope. Very limited. Useful skills like airbrushing or batch processing—nope. Imposing cat faces on 1980’s hair bands—yup.

 
This skill came to me as the result of a brief college internship in the photo archives at a well known magazine. I won’t say the name but it started with Play and ended with Boy. And before you ask, no I never dealt with naked people.  Skin grafting birthmarks of off centerfolds—nope. Etching in hair plugs on Gore Vidal—yup.

Since I don’t get to use my Photoshoping skills much these days, I take it out on my friends and loved ones. For example…

Neil and Lola. You may have seen this last summer. Lola was pasted into a photo of Neil and it hangs in my dining room portrait gallery. Everybody who comes over asks about it.  

How’d you get Neil Diamond to pose with your cat? Can you hire him for parties? Can I get him on my Christmas Card?

Today, January 24th, is Neil’s birthday. So we took him off the wall and set him down for cake and kitty time. 
Happy birthday Neil!

Speaking of wonderful people born on Jan 24, my friend Amy (aka Mod Podge Amy) has a dog Roxie who loves Star Wars. Okay, maybe it’s Amy who likes Star Wars. But Roxie and Yoda are like twins. The resemblance is staggering.

Happy birthday Amy!

My friend Kelly‘s birthday was back in September. Given the fact that this is the Kelly who once made me a flamingo dressed as Pippi Longstocking, this needed to be special. Kelly loves Hall & Oates (pardon my redundancy, I mean, everyone loves Hall & Oates) and since her maiden name is Ott, well, this just needed to happen….

Do you have a weird talent that comes in handy for birthdays? Caricatures? Custom limericks? Astrology forecasting? Custom cakes shaped like feet?  Do tell…
 

Wax Paper Pillar Candles

by 5 Comments

Have you ever been to one of those hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurants with red checkered table cloths and big drippy candles in Chianti bottles? You know the ones that dribble wax all over the bottle? It builds and builds and builds up over time and it looks sort of creepy but you let it go because you think This is just like Lady and the Tramp!

Well, this post is like that except with Shabbat candles and diet coke bottles. Romantical much? And no dripping wax. And no Lady. And no Tramp.

Hashtag Disappointed.

Hashtag WhoWillEatSpaghettiWithMe?


Last month, a reader, Guinevere, asked me about the candles featured in a post from last fall. It didn’t occur to me to do a tutorial on it but since I was setting the table this weekend, I thought I’d do a quick demo. This is a cheap and easy way to get some height on your table without buying a bunch of expensive candle sticks.An it involves drinking abuncha soda and a trip to the ‘Ethnic Foods’ aisle. Wahoo!

The hard part with this is finding candles and bottles that fit perfectly. Too big and they are useless– too small and the candle slips inside the bottle. I have found that most soda bottles fit perfectly with Shabbat candles* but you experiment and see for yourself. Some larger long stem candles fit in beer bottles, or sometimes you can use a butter knife to whittle the bottoms (or use an open flame to melt it down) to make them fit, but this is one combo that always works.

*What are Shabbat candles? Traditionally lit by the woman of the home 18 minutes before sunset each Friday, Shabbat candles are are part of most Jewish households. You can buy a whole box of them in the kosher food section of most grocery stores for $2.00, sometimes less. They burn clean, no drips, and last 2 to 3 hours.

They look really good bundled together on a glass cake plate or platter, just don’t bundle too close. Hello fire hazard! Although no paper is fire proof, wax paper is slightly safer as the melting wax will smother the flame and prevent a full out flare up. But still. Don’t catch fire y’all. Smokey says so.

***

So there it is Guinevere, I hope that helps!

Anybody else have a follow-up question on something you saw here? Send me an email…it might make for a future post! 


Homemade Confetti

by 12 Comments

After my confetti mirror post earlier this week, a couple of people emailed me to ask about making homemade confetti. I had assumed, wrongly, that everyone was well practiced in the time-loved art of shredding tissue paper. I did it a lot as a kid. In part because there were a lot of confetti occasions, and in part because my parents asked me to make it when they needed to keep me busy. Note: next time you need to a few hours to prepare for a birthday party and your kid won’t leave you alone — set them in the corner and tell them to make confetti. BOOM, right there, you have three hours minimum.


As an adult, it takes a lot less time to make confetti. Ten minutes? Maybe less. I’m a lot handier with scissors. All you have to do is fold up some tissue paper, cut then 2″ fringes along the edge, then slice across. Sort of like dicing an onion. The smaller the slices, the smaller the pieces. The smaller the pieces, the longer you will find them in your carpet. Consider yourself forewarned. It’s pretty easy. Like, really easy.


Let’s take a sec to talk about scissors. In short, you need good ones. Sharp. They need not be funky flower print scissors like mine (I know, awesome much?  A holiday gift from Aunt Annie), but they need to be very sharp. Otherwise this will take forever.

Adding sparkle to confetti is hard because most sparkly stuff (like glitter) weighs much more than tissue paper, and so it settles to the bottom. I get around this by trimming the tips off tinsel garland, which is much lighter and fluffier.

Who needs confetti business cards? Yeah you do.
   

Elizabethan Baked Goods

by 16 Comments

Hey you.

Happy Thursday.

I was making you some jumbo banana nut muffins because I know how much you like them, but the thing is, I ran out of liners. They got used up on a lamp or something. Or maybe it was giftwrap. I could have just greased the pan but my muffin rack is sort of gross. That was not a pun. My muffin rack is perfectly clean, but you know, it looks rusty in the corners. Is your tetanus shot up to date?  You should work on that.

Anyway, the bananas were already blackened to mush and they couldn’t wait until the weekend for me to get to the store, so I made do with coffee filters. They worked fine. Now your muffins have bananas, nut and ruffled collars. 
Elizabethan baked goods – you got ‘em.

Sexy Men Who Knit

by 32 Comments

Let’s be clear on this: I do not knit.

Lots of my friends knit. I like knit wear. I like knit people. For me, mere knowledge of someone’s knitting ability will spark my interest in them as a friend. I like people who knit almost as much as I like people with cats. And that is a lot. On the rare occasion I should meet someone who enjoys knitting and cats, they are instantly recruited into a special club of my own creation, complete with hats and secret handshakes. A club so special, so exclusive, nobody knows of its existence except for me. And you. And all the other crazy cat ladies wearing rainbow-plush eyelash yarn scarves that would put Bill Cosby to shame. We are the Free Masons of homespun craft goods. I could get cut out just for talking about it on the internet. Shhhh….

Did I mention we have hats? 

But, you guys. I know you guys. I know there are knitters out there in my silent reader rough. Perhaps you haven’t joined my secret club yet, but believe me, I know what you like. You like chocolate. You like crafts. You like cats. You like sexy men who knit.

Let’s talk about it.

Ryan Gosling

Everybody knows that crafty ladies love Ryan Gosling. Maybe it’s because he is so handsome. Maybe it’s because he starred in The Notebook. Maybe it’s because he is waaaay wholesome and counts Mormons and Mousketeers as family. Maybe it’s his Rad As Hell early 90’s dance moves. Hard to say. But knitting most definitely has something to do with it.

Gosling picked up knitting on the set of Lars and the Real Girl (a great movie, btw) while spending the day on set in a retirement home surrounded by old ladies.

Okay, seriously, for a second here, try to imagine you are sitting around your nursing home one day and all the sudden, Ryan Gosling, in all his buffed out arms and peanut butter hair glory, comes up and says, “Hey Granny, teach me to cast on.”

Swoon.

And Ryan ain’t the only one…



 
Sufjan Stevens

Between hipsters and God there is Sufjan Stevens. An indie, folksy, banjo busting, butterfly wing wearing composer/musician/singer-songwriter to end the turgid uncoolness that is singer-songwriter music. His album, Illinois, is a wintertime favorite of mine, as is his anthology of Christmas music, as is just about everything he touches. Can you tell I’m a fan? I’m a fan. I said it. He is also something of an enigma which makes people like me even more fascinated with what little tid-bits of his personal history are made available, such as, whoa – prepare yourself – he was a freelance knitter for Martha Stewart.  

And you thought you knew how to waffle stitch.

 
Russell Crowe

Y’all, did you see Les Mis?

Everyone I knew was all HE CAN’T EVEN SING! Why did they cast him?! He should just go back to being a gladiator, that sadass Russell Crowe.

It broke my heart. This man sung his little Australian guts out and everyone was being such a shadenfruede because Hugh Jackman looked better by comparison. Poor Russell Crowe. I like him. I like his voice. I’ll bet he likes cats and stuff too. And he knits.

Ughhhh, I just want to give him a hug and make him soup.

Some reports indicate Crowe took up knitting as a way to deal with anger management issues, while others report it’s just a rumor that resulted from the photo above. I’m not sure. He still makes it look sexy, and that’s enough for me. And you. Oh Hell, Russel Crowe is sexy enough for all of us.

 
David Arquette

Did you know David Arquette is an avid knitter? So much so, he graced the cover of Celebrity Scarves 2. And here I was blown away by literary force that was Celebrity Scarves 1.

Odd Fact About David Arquette: In addition to his acting chops, he is a WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Yes, a wrestler who knits. Who knew?

***

So there you go, my friends. Four sexy famous celebrity men who knit. Mind = Blown.

Next time on Aunt Peaches’ Hollywood Craftastic, Sexy celebrity men WHO CROCHET.

Update: Through various comments here, on facebook, and by email, it has been brought to my attention that many other famous men can knit (or, at least they have been seen knitting one time or another). Including but not limited to; Tom Hanks, Cary Grant, George Lucas, Ewan McGregor, Rosey Grier, Jacques Plante (hockey player), Laurence Fishburne…the sexyness never ends!

Confetti Mirror

by 21 Comments

I had big plans for a New Year project featuring confetti but then a Julie Andrews marathon came on the TV. There went my Sunday.

Honestly, how is one supposed to craft with Julie being all Mary Poppins and nun like and such? You can’t just Climb Every Mountain and use scissors at the same time. That’s just flat out unsafe.

Since I had already made three pounds tissue paper confetti, I decided it was going to be used elsewhere. Somewhere. So this weekend I made about five different things. Prepare yourself to get confettid out! You’ll see the rest of them later, but for now, while my carpet looks like the aftermath of a clown convention, I thought I’d start easy: a mirror.

Instructions on this are easy.


Just smear the frame in a heavy coat of glue, pour on the confetti and call it a day. The only trick is to use thick white glue (I am fond of Aileen’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue), and not the regular school stuff, otherwise the water in the glue will sink in the tissue and it will flatten out into mush and bleed pigment all over the place. Pleasant.

 After letting it dry overnight, I ran my fingers all over the surface to get off the loose bits. I even grazed it with  the vacuum cleaner hose just to be sure. How often does one implement the vacuum cleaner in the artistic process? Not often enough!

Third Annual Valentine Swap

by 29 Comments


TRUMPET SOUND TRUMPET SOUND TRUMPET SOUND
Attention handmade valentine lovers!

For the third year running I am inviting my readers to participate in the biggest, most snazztastic valentine swap of all! Last year 210 folks participated from all around the world. That means more than 600 Valentines were exchanged between total strangers, all in the name of love.*

*let’s sing it together.

Courtesy of Lacey. I have an illustrious history with Valentines.

I know what you are thinking….

Gee, I love the sound of this valentine swap. How does it work?

Well friend, I am glad you asked. This is the nitty-gritty: You send three handmade valentines to total strangers = You will receive three handmade valentines from total strangers.

That sounds fun! Where do I sign up? How do I exchange addresses?

Good question. Let me break it down:

  • You click here to fill out the sign up form no later than Jan 25. (Sorry, sign up is now closed)
  • You receive an email from me on Jan 31st with the addresses of three total strangers.
  • You send one valentine to each address you receive, no later than Feb 5.
  • You receive three valentines sometime around Valentines Day. 

What sort of Valentine should I send?

Handmade! It could be a simple scrap of paper with a doodle from your kids, or a stitched up and sequined masterpiece. Adding some glitter or a buttons to a pre-existing valentines is OK too. Just as long as it has a handmade touch and can fit in an envelope, it’s game. 

I’m in! What else do I need to know?

  • This exchange is open to anyone, anywhere, any skill level. No one is expected to buy anything except stamps (heads up: people who read this blog are scattered around the world, so we all might need to double up on stamps)
  • You are welcome to include a note inside your valentines with information about yourself, your blog/website/etsy business etc…but it is not required or expected.
  • This is not an advertising opportunity. This is just a simple way to exchange random acts of kindness and send some love out into the world. No Debbie Downers, please 🙂
  • If you feel weird disclosing your name and address, I assure you I will not compile and use this information for any other purpose besides sending you valentines! Please be sure to include your name. Last year, some folks omitted their names and the post office refused deliver the cards, so just include your initials or nick name if you are uncomfortable with everyone getting up in your business.  
I don’t like filling out forms, can’t I just reply in the comments or send you an email?
Listen, I hate forms too, but I set aside my animosity in the holy name of holiday crafts — I’m asking you do do the same. Please, take 20 seconds to fill out this form. I promise you pal, it’s easy! If it takes you more than 20 seconds you are trying too hard. If you send me an email with your information, all I will do is go to the online form and fill out for you. So do me a favor – don’t put it in an email or the comments or on facebook – click here to fill out the form.
What happens if I get busy and can’t send a valentine? Can I back out at the last minute?
If you back out before Jan 30, no problem. Just send me an email — no harm, no foul. If you back out after Jan 30, that’s a problem as your address will already be in circulation to three other people who will be sending cards to you. Those three people would be pretty peeved if they knew they were sending valentines to someone who was not holding up their end of the bargain, as would the three people who will not be getting your cards. So altogether, that’s six people who will be ticked at you. SIX. Do you really want to risk those kinds of karma points? 
If I send you a picture of the valentines I made or received, will you put it on your blog? 

I might! The better the photo, the more likely it will happen. You never know. Either way, I would love to see what you are cookin’ up!

Okay, I’m in! Let’s get this party started!

***Update an hour later: Just to clarify, after you fill out the form and click SUBMIT you will see a ‘Thank you’ type of confirmation pop-up at the end. As soon as you see that pop-up you are good to go! There is no automated email. After that pop-up you will be referred back to Emailmeform.com’s home page, which *might* look like a sign up form. Ignore it. There is no reason for you to sign up for their services. There is no second form to fill out. If you see a second form, ignore it. Thanks!

***Update: Sign up is now closed. Thank you to everyone participating! Look for your email on Jan 31!

The Art of Improvement

by 7 Comments

If you are a parent or a person who works with children, you probably know of Haim Ginott. His book, Between Parent and Child, was published 40+ years ago and has never gone out of print. It’s a thing.
And even though I don’t have kids or work with them, I read Ginott’s work in college and find myself thinking of it often – usually when dealing with difficult adults. Honestly, it is weird how much seven-year-old girls and over-educated-and-ill-tempered-grown-ass men have in common. The thing is, this expression above seems to work. On everyone. Try it. For real: next time you find yourself in a rough patch with someone, find a way for them to secretly overhear you saying something nice about them. Then just wait and see what happens. I’m telling you, it works like a charm.

Do you have any special tricks for working with difficult people? I would love to hear.

DIY Statement Necklace

by 7 Comments


So, this thing happened where I got to make something and a movie star put it on her website.

So, yeah.

Tuesday is feeling pretty special right now.

This is the part of the post where I am supposed to tell you how much I love Elizabeth Banks, her work, her attitude, her activism, and the example she sets for women in general. This is the part where I tell you how flattered I am that she chose to feature something I made and invited me to write a guest post for her blog. Unfortunately, at this moment, the only thing I feel compelled to type is….OMG  you guys, it’s Effie Trinket. Effie Effin’ TRINKET…over and over and over again.

So, yeah.

Click here for the full tutorial at elizabethbanks.com. Better yet, join the community!