Vegan Craftastic: December 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

A New Year, A New Cake

In my world, every holiday needs a yummy sweet:

Since the weather has taken a turn for the lame and icy, I'm not sure what our plans are for tonight, but at least we have cake. Chocolate cake with both chocolate and vanilla frosting, gotta love it!

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you're all having a fun safe night :)

-kala

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Vegan Bran Muffins

I know what you're thinking, "oh great bran muffins, how exciting!" Well, ok, bran muffins might not be the most glamorous of edibles but a nice hearty breakfast muffin is definitely something everyone should have in their meal repertoire. Last night I set out to make a muffin was that was full of fibery goodness, yummy, and something I would feel good about handing to my husband for a rushed breakfast. I started with a recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking, did some heavy modifying, and ended up with muffin success! I will warn you though, if you're looking for a super sugary coffee shop style muffin, this isn't it, this is for sure more on the healthy side, even with the added chocolate chips.

Vegan Bran Muffins

Recipe yields 12 muffins

1 1/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup agave
3 TB canola oil
1/2 cup soymilk (or any non-dairy milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (wheat bran through cinnamon).

2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water until well combined. Add in the rest of the wet ingredients and mix.

3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and the raisins, chocolate chips and sunflower seeds and stir until just combined. Try not to over stir because this will make your muffins tough.

4. Scoop batter into a prepared muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!

-kala

Monday, December 27, 2010

New England Knits Giveaway! - Closed

Giveaway is now closed, thanks everyone for entering!

I hope everyone had a happy holiday, I know I did. I was lucky enough to receive two copies of the gorgeous book New England Knits by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre so I thought it would be fun to give one away here on the blog! This is a book that I have been looking forward to for quite a while (Melissa LaBarre always designs such gorgeous knits) and there a heap of designs that are going into the "must knit" queue. Here are just a few of my faves from the book:

Mystic Pullover:

Brattleboro Hat:

Greenfield Cardigan:

Ok, ready to win a copy of this awesome book? To enter, leave a comment here on this post telling me your favorite thing you've knit this year. For an extra entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment letting me know you've become (or already are) a follower. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win! Giveaway ends January 3, 2011 and is open to both US and International folks, good luck :)

-kala

Thursday, December 23, 2010

This Is What Jolly Looks Like!

For this year's Christmas card, my husband and I decided that funny was the way to go! So we set out on an epic quest to find the world's greatest (and by that I mean hideous) Christmas sweaters and lucked out and found MATCHING vests! Here's the picture we used for our card:

I love how our little project came out, it was tons of fun to take the pictures and it's made me really happy to see people laugh when they open our card :) Here are a few outtakes to enjoy:

But the real question is, what do we do for next year's card???

-kala

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Gift Baking

Last night and this morning was all about cookie baking and prep! I made a batch of banana chocolate chip cookies from the book The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur by Kelly Peloza and they came out awesome:

I also made some oatmeal cookies with coconut and chocolate chips using my standard recipe:

Yum! These cookies (well, most of them, hee hee) will be going to our friends at our old apartment building. I think cookies are my favorite gift to give, mostly because I really love baking, sometimes even more than I love eating the results! I also made the dough for gingerbread men, I think we'll be baking and decorating those tonight :)

Are you guys doing any holiday baking this year?

-kala

Monday, December 20, 2010

Last Minute Printable Gifts!

Since it's getting down the wire in terms of handmade gifts and decorations, I thought I'd make an Etsy treasury full of fun printables! It was a lot of fun searching for last minute gift and decoration ideas and I found everything from coloring books to calendars to puppets:

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas Crafting: I can see the finish line!

Just when I thought I was almost done with Christmas crafting, I finally got an answer from my dad about what he wants for gifts. The answer was totally unexpected, he told me that ALL he wanted was for me to knit him a striped hat with red yarns. How can you say no to that? Plus, he added that he understands that it's very close to Christmas and it would be ok if I didn't have time to finish it. Well, in one evening of speedy knitting and watching Christmas Vacation, I knit a very red hat:

I'm really not a very fast knitter, but as I said somewhere else, it must have been a Christmas miracle or the power of Addi Turbos! My dad's favorite hats are made from my free Slacker Hat pattern, they fit him perfectly and he wears them all the time in the winter, I'm pretty sure my mom has to pry the hat off his head once Spring rolls around :) Here's the Ravelry link for the pattern, if anyone else needs a last minute quick knit.

I also finished the second pair of gift socks for the husband:

These are another pair of plain vanilla socks, this time knit in Berroco Comfort Sock in the Fruit Cocktail colorway. So yes, I can see the finish line of gift crafting, but there are still a couple of things to get done. I STILL need to knit the intarsia bits for a scarf and get that sewn together, and today I'll be sewing some napkins for gifts for my parents (robot fabric for dad and colorful forks and spoons for mom).

Are you guys done gift crafting or shopping yet?

-kala

Friday, December 17, 2010

Owl Bag Winner!

By power of the magical and mysterious Random Number Generator, the winner of the Owl Zippered Pouch is Jamie from Modified Mix! Thanks everyone for entering, it was so much fun reading about your favorite treats!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Chocolate Peanut Butter Jen Snacks

First, I want to say how much fun it's been reading everyone's favorite holiday snacks in the the Owl Pouch Giveaway! And the amount of entries has really blown me away, this is by far my most successful giveaway and it warms my little vegan heart that so many of you want something that I've made :)

There are a lot of good entries (and still time to enter) but it was an entry from my friend Jen that intrigued me the most. Don't worry, the winner of the contest will be chosen by random number, so Jen still has a chance to lose, lol! Anyway, Jen's holiday cookies are super simple and came out delicious:

These cookies are simply crackers sandwiching a layer of sweetened peanut butter and then dipped in melted chocolate and topped with chocolate sprinkles. I used Back to Nature Classic Rounds for the crackers, natural peanut butter (one ingredient - peanuts!) with a bit of powdered sugar added, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, and Let's Do Sprinkelz for the topping. Here's an inside shot:

Delicious and perfect for the holidays when we're all pressed for time but still want to share homemade goodies! And when I told my husband that I was trying out Jen's recipe he called them "Jen Snacks" so I think that's what they have to be officially named.

-kala

Owl Hat Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the Owl Hat Giveaway! And extra thanks to Dahlia Soleil on Etsy for providing such an awesome prize! And the winner, as chosen my random number generator is....ManaRose!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Owl Bag Giveaway - closed!

Giveaway is now closed, thanks everyone for entering!

It's Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! Welcome to any and all new readers who found my blog on the Sew Mama Sew site (or anywhere else for that matter). This is my first year participating in Giveaway Day and I'm super excited! The prize for this giveaway is this cute zippered pouch, made by me:

The Colorful Owl Pouch is one of the most popular items in my Etsy shop - Vegancraftastic - so I'm very happy to give one away to one of you guys!

To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post telling me your favorite treat to eat around the Holidays. Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on December 17th when a winner is chosen by random number generator. One entry per person please and make sure I have a way of contacting you if you win!

-kala

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Blizzard Crafting: Napkin Sewing!

So yesterday we had a huge crazy amount of snow here in Minnesota, the most snow I've ever seen for sure! Even the buses stopped running which just floored me because if even the buses couldn't safely travel it must be BAD. Since we we're snowed in, I took the opportunity to get some sewing done. Sewing for myself, and not for my Etsy shop, madness! The result was a pile of cute and colorful napkins:

I used this simple tutorial from Skip to my Lou, I did the square corner version because the mitered corner napkins looked like a pain to prepare. Because of the size of the scraps and leftover fabric bits I used, I ended up cutting the squares at 15" which ended up being perfect! I plan on making more as gifts (there's some robot fabric at Crafty Planet that would be PERFECT for my dad...)

Oh, and be sure to come back tomorrow, I'm participating in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day, see you then!

-kala

Friday, December 10, 2010

Handmade Gift Progress Report

Including today, there are only 15 crafting days until Christmas! Unless you're one of those early Christmas morning crafters, then you guys have 16 days :) I'm pretty happy with my gift making progress, but I still have a few things to finish up. A scarf for my husband still needs the intarsia panels (I'm making him a skull scarf), I'd like to finish up another pair of socks for him too, I'm thinking about sewing something for my parents - maybe napkins or placemats.....but really, if I don't finish any of that stuff (except the scarf) I'll still be happy. I made some super cute magnets the other day that I'm hoping will make nice little gifts:

Cute, right? I just made the rounds on my button machine and then instead of adding the pinback, I glued them into bottle caps.

Here's my progress on Shane's 2nd pair of socks for Christmas:

I'm using a skein of Berroco Comfort Sock in the oddly named Fruit Cocktail colorway.

So hows your gift crafting going?

-kala

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Quick and Easy Handmade Gifts and Decorations!

The holidays are here, and Christmas is just around the corner! Time seems to pass at warp speed this time of year so I thought I would do a post about handmade gifts and decorations that came be made in an evening or less! Here are some of my faves that I've designed over the years:

Little Trees. I designed these a few years ago because I needed some quick decorations and I wanted to use up some fluffy novelty yarn I had in the stash. This pattern is free and is also available on Ravelry.

Daria Bracelet. I had to include this fun little pattern because it's my most popular pattern by far and knitters are always letting me know that they make great gifts. The Daria Bracelet is a free pattern that's also available on Ravelry.

Nesting. This cute bird and nest set comes together quickly using leftover bits of yarn, gotta love that! Also available as a Ravelry download.

What are some of your favorite quick projects for gifts?

-Kala

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Owl Hat Giveaway - Closed!

Giveaway is now closed, thanks everyone for entering!

It's been a while since I've done a giveaway here on the blog, and I'm really excited about this one! The owner of the lovely Etsy shop Dahlia Soleil has recently added line of vegan friendly hats to her collection and she's giving one super cute owl hat to one lucky winner! Read on to the end of this post to find out how to enter! Let's get to know Paulette and her shop:

1. How long has your Etsy shop been open and what inspired you to start?

My Etsy shop has been open for over 4 years and it started as an online venue for my offline business.Since it focused mainly on hand made products it was a better fit for me than Ebay.

2. Do you have any fun hobbies outside of your shop?

I am a full time artist so everything I do in my life has some type of art related aspect to it.My first love is photography and I participated in a few shows with a full line of photo greeting cards in numerous stores many years ago.I love that I can incorporate photography in my business because I take all of my product pictures.I love going to live shows and outdoor events and taking pictures of people in New York City.

3. How do you fit creative time into your day?

My entire day is spent creating.My 8 year old daughter is an avid crafter when she's not in school so my studio looks like a craft store threw up in it.On our way to school I am usually crocheting on the train while she reads a book.While she's at school I am on the computer and embroidery machine working on orders.I am always thinking on new ideas and jotting them down on paper no matter where I am.I feel blessed to be able to create beautiful things for a living.

Ready to enter to win a cute owl hat? There are 6 possible entries, only the first entry is mandatory. Please leave a separate comment for each entry and leave a way for me to contact you if you win (ravelry name, etsy shop, e-mail...) Entries:

1. Visit Dahlia Soleil on Etsy and leave a comment here letting me know your favorite item.

2. Follow Dahlia Soleil on Twitter.

3. "Like" Dahlia Soleil on Facebook.

4. "Like" Vegancraftastic on Facebook.

5. Follow Vegancraftastic on Twitter.

6. Blog, tweet, or post on Facebook about this giveay.

Contest closes on Thursday, December 16th and is open to both US and International folks! Good Luck!

-kala

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Finished Knit - Thorpe

A few days ago I decided to take a short break from holiday gift knitting/crafting to make something for myself. Since I walk to mail almost all of my Etsy orders and it's winter in Minnesota, I need a hat. A nice warm hat with ear coverage. After admiring a very lovely Thorpe on the head of one of my friends (Miss Kathy!) I decided that would be the hat I would knit. And here it is:

I'm super happy with how it came out and it was a fun to knit! The pattern is very well written and easy to follow and the largest size fits my gigantic head, bonus! I used 2 skeins of Berroco Comofort Chunky (a lovey warm vegan yarn) that I had in the stash, a red and a heathered gray. I had just barely enough red to make the hat, but I think I had used a bit of the skein for something, so if you plan on making this hat with this yarn, just know that you can't use a half skein or anything.

I wore my hat all day yesterday (literally all day, even during dinner out) so I can safely say that it's my favorite hat ever! And my husband really liked how it came out and has wanted a hat with earflaps for a while, so we headed over to 3 Kittens and picked up yarn for a red and black hat for him. Yay for husbands that request and appreciate hand knits!

So what are you guys knitting and crafting?

-kala

Friday, December 03, 2010

Gluten Free Vegan Rocky Road Brownies

Pure deliciousness:

I made these awesome Rocky Road Brownies last night as an experiment and I am more than happy with how they came out! They're ooey, gooey, sweet, and delicious. And they're vegan and gluten free! They came out so delicious that I knew I had to share the recipe with you guys :) Enjoy:

Gluten Free Vegan Rocky Road Brownies

1 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
12 oz silken tofu
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soymilk (or any non-dairy milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups Dandies Vegan Marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8X8 baking pan with a non-stick spray or oil.

In a large bowl, mix the "flour," baking soda, salt, coco powder, and sugar. In a food processor, combine tofu, canola oil, soymilk, and vanilla extract. Process until smooth.

Add the tofu mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips, almonds, and marshmallows.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Because the marshmallows tend to bubble up when baking, place a large cookie sheet under the brownie pan to catch any potential spills. Bake brownies for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool, slice, and enjoy!

-kala

Thursday, December 02, 2010

A Box of Vegan Joy!

Over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, I didn't buy much online, but I did make a big purchase from Vegan Essentials! I adore Vegan Essentials, they're based in Wisconsin and have tons of hard to find goodies, plus they ship super fast and since Minnesota is so close, my boxes always arrive in 2 days. Anyway, they were having a deal where you get a bag of Dandies vegan marshmallows free with your order so I went ahead and ordered some gifts. Here's what I got:

The highlights of my box were the Dr. Cow vegan cheese (delicious and perfect sliced on top of crackers), tons of chocolate, 2 holiday shaped vegan marshmallows from Sweet and Sara - I got the reindeer and the husband got this cute snowman:

I'm pretty excited about these chocolate footballs:

So what's your favorite hard to find, once in year kind of treat?

-kala

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Friday, December 31, 2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Monday, December 27, 2010

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Monday, December 20, 2010

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Friday, December 17, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Friday, December 10, 2010

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Friday, December 03, 2010

Thursday, December 02, 2010