Freecycle

Do you know what Freecycle is? Any idea?.. If not, I urge you to look it up and find your local Freecycle community. Freecycle is a community, where people give away for FREE something they don't need anymore. Something that still has life left in it and can be used. Something that YOU don't need in YOUR home may be needed in someone else's home. So, you can find stuff you need for free or give away stuff to clean up your garage or attic. This way, I have picked up tons of craft supplies, like fabrics and yarn, just recently I've picked up couple boxes of cross stitch kits and magazines, enough to cross stitch for a lifetime! You can find anything, starting with broken crayons and finishing with furniture. Tons of baby stuff out there, too! So, just take a look at what's there. One tip: don't sign up for a daily digest, but rather for single messages - this way as soon as someone sends a message to a community, you'll receive it. And if you're interested - jump on it, because 1 minute can make a difference between you or somebody else getting it. So, go ahead! Look up Freecycle group of you area, embrace @Reduce-Reuse-Recycle@ rule and stop being a good consumer - it is bad for the Earth!

Vegan white pizza

Cooking is also a type of craft, isn't it?..
Ok, so I love pizza, very much. Who doesn't, right? But I am a vegan => I don't eat cheese. And my hubby cannot eat tomatoes (what a pity!!!). So what does that leave us with?.. We'll be making White Vegan Pizza!! And trust me, it is in fact so much better than you might think!
Ok, here we go.

Ingredients:
1 12" pizza crust or enough of your favorite home made dough for thin 12" crust
(Now, I prefer home made! Also, when you'll be making it, mix in a tsp of italian herbs or alike spices)
2 tbsp good olive oil + some to grease the form
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of dried basil
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, but really adds to flavor)
5-6 middle sized crimini or white button mushrooms
half can of artichokes (more if you like them)
half can of olives, crushed or cut (more won't hurt)

Ok, so you put your dough on a nice greased pizza pan, and stretch it well. Don't try those tricks with throwing dough into the air like you've seen on TV.. Trust me, just stretch :) Heat your oven to 350F. In the meantime, prepare sauce: mince garlic into really fine pieces, mix with olive oil, salt and basil+oregano. Spread this mixture evenly over your crust. Now take nut. yeast and evenly sprinkle on top of that. Next layer is mushrooms. Slice them thinly and put evenly on the crust. Next will go artichokes. Also slice and spread on the crust. And finally, crush or cut your olives and put on top of artichokes. By now, oven should be just ready. Bake for 20 mins or until crust has nice golden color.

Easy, isn't it?.. Imagine, how tasty it is!!!

My little 45 lbs happiness and her coats

So we have adopted a doggie in late August. Some kind of boxer mix, called Fiona. She's soooo adorable! And so smart! I could give her compliments for hours! But ok, I won't. I just will post few pictures of her :) In her lovely coats that my mom and I made for Fiona. (Thanks, Mom!)

Coming back

I have just started blogging when I was interrupted for few long months.. I have a good excuse though. Buying our first home, helping my mom to move here and then going to her wedding, preparing for my first craft fair.. That may not sound like a lot, but so far it probably was the busiest year of all.
Ok, so now we have settled in our home, adopted a dog (couldn't be happier!) and I've gone thru the experience of a craft fair. What can I say. i have prepared really hard and my table was by far more interesting than anyone else's. Also, my products were more artistic than anything else I've seen there. My only mistake was to chose the wrong place. But oh well, I still did decent, and have certainly learned a lot. I am planning on doing my next fair maybe some time next May. By the way, anybody has a good knowledge of good fair in MA?.. I'd appreciate any info..
I am currently working on my site, but still the mode is more relaxed than it's been in the last 6 months. I finally don't have to rush anything. Just occasional custom orders. Like this coat for a neighbor dawg :) I have a lot of plans like making a dress for my cousin's wedding, cross-stitching a picture.. or few.. making a nice baby blanket (I will have a baby sometimes!), doing more with seed beads.. etc, etc.. No, I am not bored :D
Well, and now few pictures.. more to follow :)

Is it easy to go vegan?

I am often asked by my friends if it's easy to go veg*an. Somehow they assume that it is NOT and do not try or try and fail quickly. Well, what can I say.. Yes, it is difficult if you approach it with the attitude of a sacrifice that you're making in the name of who knows what, maybe just because you think it is cool. Then, of course, it is difficult to not crave foods that you're used to, that your tongue loves so much.. We are in one stage or another are slaves of our tongues.. and so you are looking at carnivores who continue eating meat and envy them.. and then you give up. Because there is no real basis under your veg*anism.
But on the other hand, it is SO easy to go veg*an if you know why exactly you're doing it.. If you know what your foods go thru before getting to your plate.. if you know what it takes to make a nice burger.. or even a glass of milk.. then it is so easy to abandon this type of food. If you look at the cheese and think how tasty it is, but then think about a cow who lived a horrible life that you wouldn't wish to your bad enemy.. think about several little calves who were taken from her and raised for veil.. that cheese does not look all that appealing any more, does it?.. It doesn't to me - and trust me, I was a big cheese lover! After all, the bottom point is - it's all in your head. As soon as you realize that your going veg*an is not just following a fashion or being cool.. when you realize that it is in fact the moral, ethic way of supporting your own life and live in some degree of harmony with the world around you - it becomes so easy.. You don't even crave meat any more. You know, there was one specific type of ice cream that I used to love.. it came from a local creamery that, in fact, treats cows nice.. So, after i decided that i was going to abandon dairy as well, I ate my last ice cream, i enjoyed it - and I was done. Since than, I didn't crave for ice cream any more. Mi brain just realized that it was useless to send me craving signals and so it didn't bother. and when you set up your mind on going veg*an, you find that there are SO MANY awesome ways to feed yuorself and your family with only plant based foods! Tons of good recipes! Take Indian cuisine - that's a blessing for veg*ans!! And with stores like Whole Foods which can offer you a huge variety of produce, as well as grains and all the stuff you may need - it becomes even easier! And trust me, as soon as you lose the HABIT of eating meat, your taste for food will change. It will take some time, but will eventually happen. I have gone thru that kind of transition myself. First i thought that my diet was too plain and boring, then i started discovering more and more recipes, i became more creative in the kitchen - and now - my taste buds love what i cook and don't crave for even cheese! And one more thing.. interesting fact that I have noticed: when you abandon "sharp" tasting food with concentrated taste.. like same cheese, like fried meat, etc., your taste buds start feeling natural tastiness of fruits and veggies better.. products that seemed boring before, now taste so good! Remember, how you start feeding a small baby?.. After just milk, you give him or her some carrot, peas, apple, banana puree - and they enjoy it sooo much! You reach baby's unspoiled stage of eating and enjoying food! And I think it is so awesome!
After all said, remember one thing: whether you say you can or you can't - you're right.