New York City Guide

As Spring makes her appearance, I too seem to be getting my act together again. Recently my crafty friends at Cut Out + Keep asked me to write a New York City Guide for their site, which I was more than happy to do. They have a great selection of guides written by crafty people from those particular towns, cities, states and countries. So if you're planning a trip you may want to get a local's point of view!

Cut Out + Keep has been a favorite site of mine for years to find tutorials and crafting ideas. So pop over when you're looking for some inspiration.

I'll be back soon with some details on my costumes and travel plans for Atlantic City Boardwalk Con... my first Con!

Fuel for the Road

In honor of my last posting about the Coffee & Tea Festival and my overall dedication to coffee & tea, I present you with my top tips and crafty ways to get your coffee on the go!

Travel Tips for the Caffeine Fiend! 

1. Chocolate covered espresso beans... possibly one of the best culinary creations ever, in my coffee-dedicated opinion at the very least. A couple of these and you'll get a nice jolt. They pack well. They are yummy. What more could you ask for?!? I put about 8 pieces into a Zip-Lock snack bag for a total of 1 Points Plus value on Weight Watchers, or 11 beans for 2 Points Plus values.


2. Try making a Coffee Cup Coffee Maker. I haven't followed this exact how-to from Instructables, but I've done similar tricks. You'd have to keep some coffee filters and coffee grinds on you, but for a pack light travel option or for a camping trip, this is definitely possible.



3. For summer trips or trips where I won't be spending much time in the hotel, I bring Starbucks Iced Coffee Via packets. All you need to do is pick up a bottle of cold water, add the packet and shake. Voila, you have iced coffee.

Photo Credit: Betty Kane
Starbucks Via are my personal favorites for travel. Read directions carefully
when purchasing to see if you are getting one that requires
hot water, cold water, or hot milk.

4. Campfire Coffee! A hot cup of fresh coffee first thing in the morning is a great way to start a day in the wild. When I camp I usually have off-site plans for the day so I don't like to start a fire in the morning unless someone is staying at the site. To avoid a morning campfire I bring some kind of propane grill or burner for cooking breakfast. It's also great because you don't have to wait for the fire to reach a high cooking temperature. Start, by filling a camping kettle, such as the GSI Tea Kettle and get the water boiling. If you're a tea person then just pour into your mug and you're good. For the coffee drinkers, invest in Coffee Maker and using coffee filters and your favorite grinds from home you can brew an individual cup. If that's too much for you then bring instant coffee like Starbucks Via packets.


5. Flavor, flavor, flavor! When you're in the USA it's pretty easy to get a basic cup of black coffee in just about any town in any state. I can't vouch for other lands, but here in the US, we live off of a basic cup of coffee. However, most people look at me like I'm crazy for drinking it black, and even I like a nice treat of a caramel macchiato once in a while. So... how to flavor when your out and about?

• Mix 1/2 packet of hot cocoa mix into a cup of coffee for a mocha. One of my friends also recommends a splash of Nesquik. 
• Keep sweeteners such as sugar, honey sticks, etc. in your glove compartment, work desk or day bag on a trip. You can get a great variety of individual sized packets from Minimus.biz.
• When at home, or on a vacation location with kitchen access, try using some caramel syrup and milk. Ikea has a frothing wand for the milk if you want to get real fancy.

6. Look for a local cafe. When in new cities or towns I love to keep an eye out for little Mom & Pop shops. Places I've found this way include:
Kiss My Cake in Huntington, NY - A great cup of black coffee and a French Macaron is a heavenly treat here.
Jaho Coffee & Tea in Salem, MA - I recommend the lattes and the Zodiac teas.
Harney & Sons Fine Teas in New York City, NY - They have a great variety, a cafe with snacks for sale in the back of the shop and the front end of the shop offers taste testings and containers of tea leaves to go!



7. For nearly all trips (minus camping) my survival kit includes a Heating Coil, a Fold-A-Cup and some Starbucks Via packets. I've actually mentioned this in an earlier post, but it really is my best trick.  Simply fill the fold a cup with water, put the heating coil in the cup and wait about a minute for the water to boil. Carefully remove the coil and let it cool on a head resistant surface. Add the via packet and if you're lacking a utensil to stir, use the empty packet to stir. Enjoy.

Photo Credit: Betty Kane
My Heating Coil and Fold-A-Cup from Magellans.com have
traveled many miles with me, and will be traveling more!

A Lovely Bunch of Crafters

It's been a busy couple of week. I'm trying to make my "To Do List" a "Done List." I've been working at my pays-the-bills-job, working at my part-time-extra-cash-job and I started an Etsy Shop page selling handcrafted jewelry (more plugs for that later *wink wink*).

During what I like to call these kinds of "Grown Up Days" and "Grown Up Weeks" I find my fun crafting gets pushed to the side. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to start sewing a dress, I really do need to do my regular laundry. Explaining that I'm wearing half sewn dress at work because I didn't do laundry is not on my "To Do List," as it turns out.

Weeks like this I try to be satisfied with "crafting" via making breakfast with leftovers, finding low Weight Watcher point snacks and finally organizing a pile of papers. Ok, so I'll organize the papers tomorrow, but my omelet (bacon, onion, green peppers and egg whites) this morning was lovely. Oh, and slicing a banana and sprinkling it with cinnamon and a little honey is also delicious and low in WW points.

I found that banana recipe on Pinterest. I find a lot of ideas on Pinterest. However, I do remember a time long, long ago (in Internet terms) when the almighty Pinterest didn't exist. Yes, some six to nine months ago, it's true, Pinterest wasn't a big deal. Where, oh where did crafters go to find tips, tricks and how-tos before Pinterest? I'll tell you!

These are my favorite crafting sites: 

Cut Out and Keep
This is my favorite source for project directions & ideas. It's an easy site to navigate and they have a nifty blog as well as a well produced online magazine.


Instructables
I go to this site to get lost in ideas. I think, sometimes as a crafter that's just what you need. I might go there looking for a cookie recipe and walk away from the computer an hour later wishing I had the equipment and space to build a kayak. Yes, you can find both on there, the cookie recipe, the directions to build a kayak and everything in between.

All Recipes
If you are into cooking at all you've probably been to this site. It has a fantastic selection of recipes and it's easy to search. I recommend going through the comments on a recipe before you try it. People will often give good tips, substitutions and recommendations after they have tried it. 

Dollar Store Crafts
This blog give you a great new perspective on your local dollar store. She's got great projects and tutorials for parties, weddings and children's crafts. Everything is budget friendly and most everything requires basic supplies that you already have. If you're ever looking for a list of rainy day ideas I'd say her entire site is perfect.

Rick Steves' - Graffiti Wall
Rick Steves, known for his guidebooks and TV show about traveling through Europe, has a website that focuses on European travels, his products, books, etc. When looking into a trip a few years back I discovered he has a "Graffiti Wall" on his site. This part features well organized tips from viewers and fans. The focus is European travel, but many of the tips are applicable for any trip. Even if you aren't currently planning a trip, after a long work day it's nice to just see what others are recommending and maybe spur a little inspiration for your next trip. 

ETSY
I often describe ETSY as "eBay for crafters." It is primarily a site for crafters to sell their goods. For example, you can buy handcrafted jewelry from me at my site Strand Designs (promised I'd plug my shop)! You can also find great vintage clothing, accessories and decor. As a crafter, I love the site for purchasing supplies as well. So, if your short on time to do your own crafting, support fellow crafters and buy something new, neat or nifty. Or order some supplies and hope that your "To Do List" will be a "Done List" by time the supplies arrive in the mail.

Happy crafting folks!

Start at the beginning...

I've always said that if I lived my life the way I travel I'd be the most organized, well balanced person around. That may be a bit overambitious, or even dramatic. However, the basic ideas behind that statement are feasible... well, so I hope. You see, when I travel I plan and prepare, I'm much more willing to accept roadblocks and I get to figuring out crafty ways around those roadblocks rather well (most of the time anyway). 

So... why am I telling you all of this? Glad you asked! The Crafty Explorer page is here to share successes and failures in getting crafty in everyday life.

I guess a first posting should have some of life's most basic crafting skills...

Top 10 Ways to Make People Think You are MacGyver...
Using a Safety Pin


10. Wardrobe Malfunction
Ok, so this is probably the most obvious, but seriously, lost button, zipper snafu, hem comes undone, etc. These are all things that could make for an embarrassing situation in the office & all can be temporarily fixed with the aid of a single safety pin.

9. Emergency Zipper Repair
Busted zipper on bag or suitcase? No problem. Take a couple of safety pins and use them to close the two sides of the bag together. Zipper pull breaks? Most zippers have a little loop on top that will allow you to attach a safety pin to use in place of the pull. Add a pretty bead and consider it a fashion statement.

8. Drawstring and Shoe Lace Stringing (or Restringing)
Have a bag, hoodie or sweatpants where the all mighty drawstring has come out in the laundry? Need to guide old shoelaces back into those little holes? You can struggle with either of these tasks forever or just use a safety pin to guide those drawstrings and laces back into place.

7. Coat Check Gloves and Scarves
I used to hate putting my winter coat into a coat check with my scarf and gloves stashed in the pockets. Getting all of those items back always seems like a gambling bet. However, if you string your scarf through the sleeves and pin it to the back of the coat and then, using the same pin attach your gloves or using a second pin attach the gloves to the inside of a pocket (my preference) I think you'll see you've put the odds in your favor. 

6. Jewelry Repair
If the clasp on your necklace or bracelet breaks you can join both ends of most jewelry with a safety pin to get you through the day. The pointy tip is also great for trying to get knots out of chains too.

5. Fashion Design
A quick search on CutOutandKeep.net or Pinterest will show you a plethora of ways to turn safety pins and beads into jewelry ranging from necklaces, earrings, broaches and even a watch band.

A great how-to for a snazzy watch band can be found on this blogger's page: 
http://bktribe.blogspot.com/2012/02/safety-pin-watch-or-bracelelt.html
Those sites also have some great t-shirt and blazer design ideas using safety pins. 

4. Computer Keyboard Cleaner
The gunk that can build up in between the keys of a computer keyboard is gross, especially on a computer that is shared by many users. Get those stuck keys moving again by scraping the gunk out using the safety pin. And then go wash your hands, only goodness knows what that gunk actually is.

3. First Aid Kit Helper 
I've found two nifty uses for the almighty safety pin in my first aid kit. First, I've disinfected it and then used the pointy bit to help remove a splinter or two. Even better, I use a safety pin to keep Ace bandages in place.

***Disclaimer: By no means am I a medical authority in any way shape or form. Follow advice at your own risk.***

2. Stapler Stand-In
I work in an office where you are more likely to find Sasquatch than a stapler. Be careful not to stab yourself and just poke a safety pin through the pages you need to keep together. Leave the stapler hunting to the rest of the office. 

1. Secure Important Documents / Items
When you need to carry important items and / or documents, particularly in crowded areas you can put them in a small zipper pouch or even a zip-lock bag. Then you can use a safety pin to secure the pouch or bag to the inside of your pocket. This is particularly useful for places like concerts and amusement parks. I've put my license, debit card and some cash in a pouch and did this for Six Flags, Disney and even some kayaking trips.