My New Obsession - Homemade Soda

Yes you read that right. Homemade soda

I love to make homemade anything, so when I saw this pin on pinterest how to make Homemade Ginger Ale, I had to try it. It was as easy as the post said it was. I added all the ingredients to a 2 liter bottle, and in two days (and it was pretty cool) the soda was fermented and bubbly. So bubbly in fact that I had to keep opening the bottle a teeny bit to let the air out and re-close until it settled a little.

I loved it, but I think there is a bit too much lemon, and I'm sure there is too much sugar. So I searched websites and found lots of great recipes. There was also too many ginger chunks that had to be strained after. I didn't like that.

Alton Brown's Recipe is similar, but eliminating the chunks by simmering the Ginger, straining and adding the Ginger flavored Syrup. Alton Brown Ginger Ale This recipe will go in my next bottle. I'll let you know how it goes. I also want to try lime instead of lemon. And you can use powdered ginger too.

I started thinking, that if it's that easy to make Ginger Ale, what other soda's can I make. I searched and this was the best resource I found. Thank you Mother Earth News. I think the real trick is, very clean utensils, the right amount of sugar and the right amount of yeast.

I've purchased Root Beer extract. It's on the way. And I must try Grape Soda too. I'm going to try other things, like teas and herbs. How about Lime and Mint. Mojito soda. Awesome! I've also ordered champagne yeast. See if that makes a difference.

There are a few other tips I read if you want to try this at home. Although you CAN ferment in bottles, it's recommended that you first try plastic bottles. Two liter soda or gallon milk/water bottles. The fermentation can cause the bottles to explode if it goes too far, so better broken plastic, than broken glass, and the plastic does give a bit. Another tip was to feel the bottle when you first add all the ingredients. It should give a little. The process is finished when the bottle is firm and does not give. Remember to put in the fridge immediately to stop the fermentation process.

I'm so very excited about this. Hey, if I'm ever snowbound and out of soda, I can whip up a batch in 2 days. Cool. The best thing about this, is that it's supposed to be healthier. That is except for the sugar. But the thought is that you can maybe use less sugar and maybe stevia, or honey, or even agave syrup. I'm wondering how molasses or honey would taste with the Ginger Ale? I'll be trying everything and posting my best recipes for you. Keep watching :)

Mother's Day - Ever Have One of those Kids?

I thought I'd talk about what Mother's have to endure with their kids. Hey, mine weren't as accident prone as my daughters are, but I did go through hell with them. As a matter of fact my son was so careful not to get hurt that the day he skidded on his bike and came to the door skinned from his nose to his toes, the look of shock on his face was so comical I could hardly stifle a laugh. Nice mom huh?

My son did, however, have to go through a lot of surgery and hospital visits with his heart condition. Guess that's probably why he didn't need any more abuse to his body, and therefore the utmost caution in playing games.

My daughter was a klutz, but no broken bones, except apparently when she dropped the bowling ball on her big toe when she was five. She seemed to go through life unscathed until her preteens. There was the day that her eye suddenly started flipping up in her head. We knew she was evil, but here was the proof of her possession. Nope, turns out she had a lazy eye all these years and it never showed until she started staying up late and got less sleep. Too late for surgery, she had to wear special glasses and still does.

Then the bowling ball thing. Bet you thought that was too easy. Turns out it kinda split the bone in the tip of her toe, and an she developed a bone tumor during her growth spurt. Two surgeries to try to remove and 2 trips to remove the toenail later, and there is still a little spur on her toe.

That's the story of my kids, how about yours.

Here are some pictures of my daughter's kids. The youngest boy's face seems to be a magnet for disaster. These are 3 different incidents. The first happened at school the day the baby was born. Kinda hard to see, but he has s shiner. In the
second, he was recuperating from almost loosing his eye, when a plastic thingy at the end of a bungee popped him right in his eye and caused internal bleeding. That one had to sit still for a month. You try to get your 8 year old boy to sit still for a month.

And the last picture is from this year's Halloween party where the mean kid next door pushed his face into a metal chair (he fell into it). He has taken Karate lessons now, so hopefully he has discovered how to change his center of gravity to his body, not his face.

Then there's the baby. Right now she's about a year and a half and yes,
that picture is her in a cast. She doesn't walk yet, but that's because she's a mountain climber. She likes to test her standing skills by climbing on bed and sofa and bouncing on them. We're always careful to watch her, but her parents didn't think that she would fracture her elbow from taking a little spill off a picnic table bench. But the way this little daredevil plays, we all fear there are more hot pink casts to come.

Happy Mother's Day to you patient and loving Moms out there and I  hope your kids appreciate what you put up with for them :)

Craft Seller Tips - Sample Making Pt 2

My first post showed how I was going to try to do something simple to make new purses without really making them. See Craft Seller Tips - Sample Making Pt 1

Well, I made my Purse sleeves and did a photo shoot. But I wanted to make more purses that I didn't have pictures of so I did some Photoshop. You be the judge. What is real, what is a sleeve and what is Photoshop?

This is a purse that was made and photographed

These bags were sleeves over a purse and photographed

These two purses are Photoshopped panels in older photographs

I can't decide what is better. I'm not sure either of them look any better than the other. I am beginning to think that I don't even have to make the sleeves to make the presentation, as long as the image on the bag is the right size. I can cut out the panels and shoot them and "shop" them into already modeled bags. And Although the crease in the smurf bag doesn't look great, I think it actually makes it look more "real"

What do you think?

Fauxtography - Punny Picks for Great Photo shoots

I've been working out new ways to do interesting photography for my items. Fortunately I am very handy at Photoshop. I just did (and am working on) a series of Fauxtos of my Bow Ties on Tuxes. Here is some of what I did.

I took some Tux images and creatively altered them in Photoshop to show off my ties better. I did the Jon Hamm just for fun, not to add to my listings. Not sure either he or the producers of Mad Men would like that, but I was having so much fun.

I'm not exactly sure just how legal using these images are, after all, I'm not crediting the photographer. If you photographed any of these, let me know and I'll give you shared credit. After all, these images are digital altered art collages done by me. Heck, a collaboration with me, could make you famous Jon Hamm.

Find these bow ties and many more at Poppy's Garden Gate.