Homemade marshmallows

(click image to enlarge)

Seeing snow on jack-o-lanterns yesterday had me reaching for some hot cocoa. I decided to try making homemade marshmallows for the first time from this recipe. Whenever I see them at fancy sweet shops and bakeries I adore the way they look piled up like captured clouds in big glass jars.

Results: They came out o-k, they taste exactly like marshmallow fluff to me. Also, the batter became so dense that my stand mixer looked like it was about to explode. Poor sweetie mixer... Next time I will use PURE vanilla extract and more confectioners sugar for the dusting instead of the cornstarch mix.

Now, who wants a marshmallow?

debranding promo items

removed Dr. info and most of logo with a 1-2 punch of 91% by vol. isopropyl alcohol and orange essential oil with some aggressive q-tip swiping.

Warning: I don't know how safe this is, but I do know that both of these liquids are flammable, so use in a ventilated area away from open flames, smokers, flame throwers and circus clowns (they are creepy).

Other things that I've been up to:

Not reading product descriptions carefully online. I thought this was a pocket saw. I guess, technically, it could be a pocket saw if I had really giant pockets. I know you may be asking yourself, "Why would a woman in NYC need a a pocket SAW?" Hey, you never know when you need to cut some limbs...um, tree limbs that is. < -- seeeeeeee I am getting into the Halloween spirit even though I mucho dislike (er, hate) Halloween.

Why I hate Halloween:

1. Opening the door to strangers begging for things that are bad for them. Would you give crack to a crackhead just because they said, "Trick or treat"?

2. I don't find the need to make believe I am someone/ something else for a day. I can be someone else every day. This is a medical condition that people need to take drugs for.

3. Also, I don't find the need to pay money to be scared or buy scary things to scare other people, this is NYC, walk the streets late at night and you can be scared for free. Just looking at the amount of litter on the streets scares me enough, I don't need to buy a skull for my window, thank you.

bar stool makeover

Another trash to treasure! My dad saved this bar stool for me that he had gotten out of the neighbor's trash. The varnish was worn off on the top but it looked perfectly fine otherwise. Everything is free on this project except the wheels! The cream colored paint was left over paint that I borrowed from my parents after they painted their garage and the yellow is artist acrylic that someone gave me years ago after they had given up on painting and decided to focus solely on drawing. Two cheers for free paint. Hip, hip, hooray! I've been obsessed with adding casters to every new home furniture project lately, so I had these wood wheels in my stock pile that I purchased last year (or was it 2 years ago?). I'm very excited about my new kitchen seating! Salvaging and stool shortening credits go to my papa, Mr. P! The vintage table btw was um, "borrowed" from my grandma's house when I moved into my apartment about 8 years ago.

p.s. If you use artist paint, make sure to seal the surface with a clear varnish after it completely dries for durability.

So Softies Facebook page

Become a fan of So Softies on Facebook for news on updates, sales and coupon codes! I posted a new coupon code today, weeewooo....

Coming soon to the shop

Coming soon, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

wool sweater dress for Blythe.

My not-so-mysterious medical mysteries

Well, mysterious until I looked it up online.

Last year I had this itchy chin rash that would not go away. After some research I pinpointed the problem, homemade laundry detergent that I purchased online ahem, Etsy, ahem. It was coming in contact with my chin via my sheets and comforter. After a double rinse on the bedding and a few days later, no more chin rash! I might have been using too much powder or the ingredients inside were just too harsh for my skin OR it could also have been a reaction to the essential oils in the product. So if you have an itchy chin rash that won't go away, this might be a cause for you as well.

This other one is a new affliction, the inside of my mouth peeling off. It all started with a new toothpaste - Crest Pro-Health, not only did it make my teeth achy, after prolonged use it started to make the inside of my mouth peel. Gross. So then I switched to Sensodyne, because I thought it is for sensitive-toothed-people like myself, but no, still peeling. Then I started using the Indian tooth powder that I purchased a while back and guess what, no more mouth peel! So the culprit may be the harsh whiteners or in general all the chemicals inside the products that toothpaste companies are slowly trying to kill us with. The tooth powder is kinda hard to stick with because it is messy and you don't receive any whitening benefits, but at least it doesn't burn my face off. The online peeps recommend Tom's of Maine.

This week's color obsession:

Mustard ~ Bubble envelope yellow :D

How it happened-

I saw this knit scarf project on marthastewart.com and instantly wanted knit mustard things in my wardrobe.

(L) Madewell (R) @ Nordstrom

I think I could put my mind at ease with a mustard cardigan with some pocket action and maybe a little scarflette like the one in the pic?

My new friend Fredrique

I've enlisted my new friend, Freddi the wig stand, fresh from the garment district to help me make some hats for humans! So far, so good, even though I think I'm using it backwards, it seems cuter this way with the bump in the front. I need to save up some $$ for a wooden hat block, the ones I saw online are pretty pricey.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

another reminder to work harder to be the best artist and designer I can be.

More views from the ledge

I'm finding plenty of stuff to tuck into the tiny ledge :D

kitchen ledge

A new addition to my kitchen provided by my dad, papa P. Unforch a little too shallow (1.25") to fit anything other than trays inside, but beggars can't be choosers right? I needed a sturdy surface for the white bottle opener on the far left so he made me this. I'm still able to lean the spice jars on it okay though.

These would be great if they were a tiny bit smaller. So now I'm on the lookout for 1.25" rectangular glass spice jars. I think it is time to take a glass blowing class :)

Here is a close-up of my grandfather's canteen from the Italian army. The tin lid above it reads, "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it." Chinese Proverb

Look what I found in the trash yesterday!

A super awesome, large, heavy duty wire basket! I love it!!! I just posted about this type of basket not too long ago. I guess if you think about something all the time it will really show up! (squeals like a piglet who just found a free wire basket)