Cat

Today is such a beautiful day, one of those days that lifts the spirits. It's too bad I'm down with a chest cold otherwise I would have spent more time outside on the balcony (even though it's a tad bit chilly)

Honey the cat is really enjoying it though, she keeps sitting in front of the sliding door waiting to be let out, and if she isn't doing that then she wants to be brushed to get rid of any excess hair before the hot weather.

Here are some photos I took yesterday when she followed me to my room to sit in the sun then as I knelt down she decided to jump onto my knee and demand a scratch/brushing.

Upcoming projects

The weather has been changing a lot lately, this morning it rained, then we had some sun in the afternoon and the evening was a bit chilly and windy. I decided to go outside on the balcony and see what I can do with an incense stick. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time but really had no idea how it worked.

I've discovered that it's definitely easier than I thought! Just wave the stick around against the night sky and take a photo (my sisters camera seemed to do a better job than mine, I have yet to figure out the settings on mine)

It's quite fun though the night was a bit windy, may have to try to find a calm night and do some more experimenting.

The latest pictures from my artifact collection have been uploaded to flickr, I'm quite pleased with how the photo of the gold piece came out, it's an interesting unique piece but I must admit it was hard to photograph, in the end it looked good against a turquoise sheer fabric.

Below are some photos of several pieces, some made of stone, others appear to be metal or copper, and some are carved out of a reddish smooth stone. All these pieces come from the Mesopotamian region, I do not have much more details but if you do please do feel free to leave me a note, also regarding any tips to make my upcoming projects.

Mineral Makeup tutorial

Youtube has been good to me today, I'm so pleased. Spent the day uploading a few videos that my sister and I made earlier (yes, she's the camera person and deserves credit as well ; ))

I'm very happy that mineral makeup is gaining popularity out there, though I'm still a beginner and experimenting I'd love to offer any help if needed with application tips, and of course I'm open to advice and ideas from everyone who has something to share.

Thanks to a flickr member who had a few questions after ordering her first kit I decided to make this video to better illustrate what I tried to describe to her in text.

The following are two parts, mini instructional videos about how generally to apply mineral makeup. It's quite different than other brands out there because with minerals it's all loose.

I'm using two brands, Bare Escentuals (bare minerals) and Everyday Minerals.
BareEscentuals comes with a special vitamin cream called "bare vitamins" and this is applied before using the foundation. I find that this brand tends to sparkle slightly, also it doesn't feel as "fine" as the other. Some people have mentioned to me that it doesn't stick to their skin well even with the cream, some have had breakouts so please try it on a small portion of your skin first to test.

Everyday Minerals is the latest brand I've tried, it's very well priced and can be ordered from the website unlike the other which is usually available at Sephora here in Canada. I love everyday minerals, they're smooth, matte, very fine, and stick to the skin even without a cream. Normally I apply my normal organic moisturizer though about half an hour before using it.

Bottom line the technique is the same when applying - "less is more" and feel free to try a few coats and see what suits you best. I would highly recommend the Everyday Minerals concealers, they're excellent if used very sparingly.

CINNAMON ROLLS RECIPE

Today I decided to share the cinnamon roll recipe in my entry since it was such a huge success on flickr : D

Thanks everyone for the sweet comments!!

I'm not sure where the recipe came from but who cares, right? It must be either from the net or from my bread bakers apprentice cookbook. So.. here it goes:


CINNAMON ROLLS

Dough:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup milk
3-1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour (using dip-and-sweep method of measuring)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

Filling:
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or toasted chopped pecans (optional)

Icing: (optional)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces confectioners’ sugar

To make dough, microwave butter and milk until warm, about 120 to 130 degrees.
Add 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and egg. Beat for three minutes. Stir in remaining flour. Knead until smooth and elastic, about eight to ten minutes. Place in covered bowl to proof until double in size.

Position oven-rack at center of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two 8”or 9" square or round pans. To make filling, combine sugar and cinnamon (and raisins or pecans, if using). Roll dough flat into rectangle. Spread and press filling evenly into dough. Taking care not to roll too tightly, roll up from longer edge of dough, and seal by pinching dough edge along length of roll. Cut cross-wise into 18 slices. Place rolls in pans. Cover and let rise until double in size. (Or, if baking the next morning for breakfast, cover and refrigerate overnight, and proof until double in size before baking.) Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tops are golden-brown.

During baking, make icing by stirring together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Remove rolls from oven. Turn out in one piece onto serving plate. Ice rolls while hot. Serve at once. Makes 18 rolls.

Enjoy!!