Craft fuel: Coffee - DIY Nespresso Capsule Holder

It's been a very long time since I did a 'craft fuel' post and as I write this it has occurred to me how strange it is I have never posted about the most important craft fuel of all: coffee.

Those who know me well (and anyone else who has seen me before 8:30 on any given morning) know that coffee is a big part of my life. I'll admit it is not the healthiest part of my daily routine, but given that it is my only true vice I give myself a pass and allow myself to indulge in a few cups a day.

Sometimes I have a treat with it, some cake or a nice piece of dark chocolate, but even on it's own it is a delightful little indulgence and comes with a perfect little pick me up that when tempered correctly lends a bit of oomph and focus to my crafting.

Now I've been through all the coffee machines out there: I have my toddy for deliciously smooth iced coffees in the summer, I have a siphon for a strong but sweet brew and more recently I set myself up with a Nespresso Machine so that I can enjoy the full range of lattes, cappuccinos and on my last rockstar-of-a-new-year's-eve: boozy frangelico macchiatos!

I love my machine, so much that I've upgraded to a 'Latissima' and at my old job I conspired with colleagues to establish an at-work machine as well. As much as I love the sweet brown nectar that flows from those capsules, I've always been foiled when it comes to storing them. Yes, there are boxes and racks and containers and lovely glass jars out there designed for them but they all come at a high price and none of them have ever really appealed to me that much, so I set out to make my own. Check it out:

DIY Nespresso Capsule Holder

Materials:
- 7 strips of balsa wood (15mm x 5mm)
- thick double-sided foam tape
- magnetic tape
- 1 magnetic note board (IKEA)
- washi tape for decorating

Here's how I did it:

Testing my layout and cut balsa to size with craft knife.

Trimming magnetic tape to 1/2 width.

Attaching magnet strip to wood with double sided tape. 

Cover each strip with Washi Tape

Assemble, and Ta-da!

The capsule holder in situ at my coffee corner.

Mmmm double latte!

So there it is. After a long time of juggling with capsules, I've made my own capsule holder. The nice thing is that it was very cheap (all materials under £15), and it is completely changeable! I can create a new layout or change the colour of my washi tape and create a new look whenever I want... but for now, I'll just admire it while I sip my coffee.

a crafty equation - granola goodness

In light of a new year, new resolutions, and most importantly a new budget, I have decided to re-evaulate my equation for crafting.

Coming up with a new idea or recipe, and diving right in - doesn't always make the most sense. Sometimes craft ideas sit on your to-do list until the perfect storm of crafting occurs; you have a spare afternoon, the supplies you need are on sale, a good friend comes for a visit, someone's birthday or a gift giving occasion is coming up, etc...

Although I always say that crafting inherently saves money (you are staying in and doing something free, instead of going out and spending on entertainment)... expressing a new creative whim, can sometimes be a costly process.

Up until now my craft feasability equation has roughly been based on whether the cost of materials is percevied to be worth the total benefit of fun, function, and time spent.

For example; If the cost of spending an afternoon in making a present for a friend, roughly equals what you would spend for their gift plus what you might spend at a movie or museum for the afternoon, then the value is worthwhile for both you and the gift recipient (just as long as you make something worth giving in the end).

But for 2010, there is a new element to the equation, which is that the benefit should not only outweigh the costs, but also the crafternoon activity should ideally;

a) create something usefull/already needed
b) potentially save money and or use free/reused/already purchased materials

and so comes 2010 Crafternoon #1 -

Granola Goodness

Problem: getting one's baking fix often results in over consumption of cookies, cupcakes, muffins, etc. this results in higher calorie consumption as well as the cost and expenses of desserts you probably wouldn't have bought anyway.

Solution: making your own Granola is a crafty way to do a bit of baking, while making something healthy that you would consume anyway.

break down:
- mix it up, add new elements every time you make it. (creative fix!)
- make your granola with what's on sale at the supermarket or buy in bulk (saves money!)
- don't waste your money on posh boxes of cereal and muesli (saves MORE money!)
- have a bespoke, healthy breakfast every day of the week (useful function!)



This is my granola mix with added sultanas, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, and sunflower seeds. The basic recipe came from a friend, and I added my own mix of nuts and seeds based on what was buy one get one free at the shops.

I'll watch the sales, and hopefully try dried blueberries, dried cheeries, mango, coconut flakes, almonds, pecans.... ack! I cant wait!

crafts to indulge with!

In prep for an opportunity to teach some courses with a local craft school, I've whipped up some little treats to prove that you don't have to go to high street shops and spend lots of money to indulge yourself.

PLUS, I think these little things are just plain nicer and better than what you can buy at poshy high street shops.

For less then thirty quid you can buy all the stuff to make these delights... it may seem like a lot to spend, but a little goes a long way and the recipes I've worked out, make quite big batches!

Here i've whipped a few cupcake bathbombs (scented with lavender), some body butter massage melts made with cocoa butter and coconut oil, and some orange scented tea cup candles... a whip through town and a trip to a charity shop is all you need to make these beauties.

I shaped the body butter melts to look like chocolates... to tie the look of everything together.


Plus as a varation in preparation for Christmas, I've made a few more scented with orange, ginger, cranberry and other nice spices to make Christmas Pudding bath bombs... although perhaps its just a little too early to be consumed enough by the Christmas spirit to bathe in the scent of a cheeky little pudding.

cake and make

the only thing better than a Sunday spent crafting, is when you take a bit of time on Saturday to whip up some treats to get you through the following day.

Why stop for lunch when you have an array of cakes to help you push through an afternoon well spent making things?

Recently I have become more and more obsessed with Jamie Oliver's magazine. I pretty much devour every issue I buy and then meticulously pour over the pages matching recipes I want to make to various appropriate occasions. Mostly the recipes seem to be savoury dishes, but every now and then a dessert slips into the mix - and these incredibly simple, but amazing cupcakes, had crafternoon written all over them!



These little lemon cakes are topped with a delicious icing made with fresh pressed raspberries, and I improvised a bit and added mint leaves I candied to enhance the light and airy flavour of the cakes.


Last year, when working at a restaurant I discovered the amazing combination of berries and mint, and I can't miss out on an opportunity to marry the flavours.

Candying mint leaves is dead easy... you just whip up some egg whites with a bit of lemon juice (or dried egg whites if you want to be a little safer), and then dip each leaf in and lay them all out of a wire rack... sprinkle caster sugar over them lightly as they dry so that the sugar melts into the foamy egg coating... by the next morning you'll have an amazing collection of candied leaves that you can use to decorate or top any number of desserts!

Just a warning - these cakes are dangerously good - they are just sugary enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, but not so saccharine sweet that you'll ever reach dessert capacity while eating them... In other words, you can eat them steadily all day without realising that you missed lunch, or even dinner for that matter!