Marimo Gift Box

Marimo マリモ  or  are little moss balls that live and grow underwater. They keep their shape by the motion of the water rolling them constantly. They've become a symbol of good luck with domesticated varieties being kept in jars and bowls in the home and office and tiny marimo balls being used in jewelry and as charms for keys and phones. They also don't have cute little faces. But I like putting faces on things!

So here's a printable marimo box. I hope you enjoy it! Click on the image for a larger version. Print on card stock, cut out, score, fold, glue.

Book Review- Tiny Food Party

I'm going to be completely honest before I start gushing about the cute. I love tiny things, adore tiny foods, and love good food well made. It just delights me, well-made tiny foods are a joy to look at it and to eat.

Tiny Food Party! -Bite Sized Recipes for Miniature Meals by Teri Lyn Fish and Jenny Park is full of tiny, appetizer 1 and 2 bite versions of regular food. While the focus is on making things small, there is also a strong focus on making them well so they are as delicious as they are cute to make for truly impressive appetizers. A lot of the recipes could also be used in bento style lunches, tea party foods, or even a full meal for a dinner party which allows guests to try several different things.

The photographs are wonderful, the colors are bright and cheerful and the instructions are clearly written with American style volume measurements. A few of the recipes use common convenience ingredients, but most of them are made from scratch. The recipes have a nice gourmet/foodie flair with details and flavors like mini churros made with candied bacon in the batter and suggestions for 3 different dipping sauces.

Here's where I start squealing and clapping. Because those recipes? Are fantastic, clever and incredibly tasty. Shallots in a light, perfect batter to make tiny onion rings, perfect mashed potatoes piped in rosettes on tiny Shepard's Pies, miniature eclairs! If you look at the cover, you can see the little Caprese skewers with a Balsamic vinegar glaze. Under that are miniature toaster pastries. That recipe comes with a few suggestions for filling so you could make them to suit almost anyone's tastes.


One of my husband's favorite recipes, except for size (he feels like a giant when he eats tiny food) is the Country-style Eggs Benedict, I love that recipe too because instead of a Hollandaise sauce it uses a cheesy/garlic sauce that's a lot easier to make and that tastes fantastic.

There are also cocktail recipes for the adults. Little tiny mixed drinks served in shot glasses with gourmet twists and details to make them special and not just a miniature version of a grown up drink. Like the Bloody Marys use a Korean rice wine instead of vodka, and the glass is rimmed with bacon bits. It's a flavorful, spicy, gorgeously garnished mini drink. Adults with a sweet tooth will enjoy the Orange Creamsicles drinks with the honey and sugar garnish.

The authors worked small in very clever ways, and this is one of my favorite cookbooks this year. There are menu suggestions for various party themes, and lots of dessert recipes to go with all the main course and side dish recipes. The end of the book includes equivalencies for people using metric, and a good index to find things quickly.

Published by Quirk Books, you can find recipes and templates HERE.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the book. You can read more about my review policy here.

6 Ws- Boar Bristle Hair Brushes

6 Ws is a new idea I'm trying out, and this is the first one. Inspired by a friend who said that all of us take all these things we know for granted that should be shared. So hopefully at least a few of my friends will do the same thing and share some of the things they know and take for granted.

Why boar bristle hair brushes? Yesterday I was washing my hair brushes and trying to figure out how what looked like yarn bits got into it. The answer will probably remain a mystery, but teaching my daughter how to properly clean one, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

This will cover why use boar bristle hair brushes, how to clean them, and a bit about the different types. I'm not an expert. It's just my opinion.

Who should use boar bristle hair brushes?

If you have straight or wavy hair, boar bristle hair brushes will probably be excellent for you. Some people recommend them only for short or medium length hair, however, they were frequently used in history by women with very long hair. My own hair is waist length and the only hair tools I use frequently are a wide toothed pick to detangle and boar bristle paddle brush.

What is a boar bristle brush?

Basically, it's a brush with bristles made of boar's hair set into a base of some sort. After that, it gets a lot more complicated.
Some have cushions which means there is a soft cushion between the bristles and the base of the brush. Others are just bristles set into a brush base.
The brushes also come in different lengths and softness. Some are harder than others, and some are very soft. As you use different kinds, you'll find the type that works best for you.
The handle/base profile is in part determined by the length of hair you have. For example, the brush above is a large paddle that works well for longer hair. There are some great brushes designed specifically for men's hair which have short bristles and short or no handle at all.
Combination brushes will have two or more types of bristles, nylon and boar bristles is a popular combination.

When should you use it?

Not on wet hair. Ever. If you need to detangle while your hair is wet, use something very smooth with wide set teeth, a lot of people recommend wood or horn combs. I use a plastic hair pick, the same kind my son uses on his very curly hair. If you decide to use plastic, you can sand down molding seam marks by using wet wet/dry sandpaper in a fine size, rinse well and then polish it up with muslin. It seems like a pain, but you only have to do it once for the lifetime of your comb and it will be easier on your hair for taking the time.  Other than that, if your hair is dry, brush it once or twice a day.

Where?

You get what you pay for, there are some decent, inexpensive brushes that come from all over the world. More expensive brushes will last longer and are designed better. English brand Mason Pearson makes wonderful brushes with a rubber pad that helps cut static electricity, but they also cost over 100.00 each.
(okay, I stretched for where)

How to use and care for a boar bristle hair brush:

If you have longer hair, you'll want to get the tangles out before brushing. Brushing with a boar bristle brush is less about detangling and more about styling and finishing. You remember when you were a kid and your mom detangled your hair from the bottom up? That's exactly the opposite of how you should brush with a boar bristle brush. You should do long strokes, root to tip. A hard brush can be hard on your scalp, and a soft brush might be too soft. Find the in-between that works best for you.

To care for a brush-
The Mason-Pearson brushes frequently come with a brush cleaner. Most don't and the brush cleaner only works to pull out strands of hair and dust. It doesn't work on the waxy sebum from your scalp which will get on any brush you use.
Since bristles are hair, you'll clean it much like hair. Use the back of a comb running it back and forth across the bristles and tapping it bristle side down lightly every so often to shake off the residue. If you have hair (or yarn, seriously, why was there yarn in my hair brush?) in your brush, comb through the brush lightly. Don't force it, you don't want to loosen the bristles. Pull it completely off and clean the comb then repeat until all the stuff caught in the bristles is off. Get the bristles wet in warm water, then use a small amount of shampoo, work it into the bristles, and rinse well. Clarifying shampoos are best, they break up oil and hair product well. Then set the brush down somewhere safe to dry completely before using it again.
Do the first method, running the back of the comb across the bristles to shake loose dust daily. Comb out long hair strands weekly, and wash your brush either every 2 weeks or once a month depending on how oily your hair is or how much product you use.

Why use a boar bristle brush?
What boar bristle brushes do better than any other kind of brush is redistribute the oils from your hair. Those oils are vital for healthy hair, but just at the scalp, it looks awful. When the oils are redistributed down the length of your hair, your hair shines. Not an oily shine, but a healthy shine. The brushes also give a very sleek finish. My daughter likes them because they don't pull her curls the same way other brushes do, and she can get her hair well managed by washing it every other day and using a boar bristle brush between washes.  I like them because they do really make my hair very sleek and shiny.

The Spornette DeVille brush is very affordable and works well. The Mason Pearson brushes are better quality and more expensive.

Little Super Quick Octopus Finger Puppet (crochet)

This octopus barely counts as a project, and I wasn't sure about posting the pattern so I asked on FB if I should. Because it's so easy and so fast. It was one of my little yarn doodles and a fun use of small amounts of worsted weight yarn. It uses mini pony beads worked into the crochet for eyes, and it's a nice method for adding eyes to finger puppets, hats and other things where safety eyes with their pegs may not be the best choice.

You will need:

• small amount worsted weight yarn- I used Bernat Handicrafter in Pinky Stripes
• Size F hook
• yarn needle
• 2 mini pony beads (4x7 mm)
• scissors

Abbreviations:

st or sts = stitch or stitches

sc = single crochet

sl st- slip stitch

beaded sc= beaded single crochet- insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull loop through stitch (2 loops on hook), push bead up, yarn over, pull yarn through loops on hook.

repeat ** = repeat the instructions between the *asterisks* 

Put the 2 pony beads on the yarn. Push them up out of the way until they are needed.

Ch 2 or make magic ring

Round 1- 4 sc in first ch on hook or magic ring. Sl st to join.

Round 2: ch 1, does not count as first stitch, 2 sc in each stitch around, sl st to join (8 sc)

Round 3: ch 1, does not count as first stitch, sc in first st, sc in next sc, sc in next st, beaded sc in next st, sc in next st, beaded sc in next st, sc in next st, sc in last st, sl st to join. 

Round 4: ch 1, does not count as first stitch, sc in each stitch around, sl st to join

Round 5: ch 1, does not count as first stitch, sc in each stitch around, sl st to join

Tentacles:

Round 6: *ch 8, skip last ch, sl st in next 3 sts, skip 4th ch, sl st in last 3 chs, sl st in next st on round 5* repeat ** 7 times working one tentacle in each stitch around. 

Break off yarn, weave in ends.

The skipped chain is what makes the little curve in the tentacle by making one side long then the other. 

Super easy! Because they are worked with a smaller hook and pretty small they also stand up pretty well even without a finger in them, so you could make a handful of them to decorate a curio shelf very quickly. 

I use this method to make eyes for a lot of my crochet figures, especially when working with thread. Beaded eyes are easy and inexpensive. In the example below I used size 8 seed beads with size 10 crochet cotton.