Mercury Glass DIY Round-Up

I'm simply obsessed with Mercury Glass. There is no better combination of chic and rustic. 

My boyfriend's mom mentioned it just this weekend, and it got me to thinking... how do they make that???

(BTW, she also adorably referred to it as "bling." I love that!)

So I looked it up. You can read the full deal here, but here is the scoop:

Apparently, it was something people experimented with quite a bit, trying all sorts of techniques to get it right. After trying silver, tin, etc. with little success, they tried mercury -- which, as we can attest to today, worked quite well. Unfortunately, mercury is poisonous, so... people died. Because there was not really a simple solution, different places tried different techniques. Thus, today, we have the variety of mercury glass that we have. I can't tell the difference, because the "crow" in me (as my boyfriend calls my tendency to oogle at shiny things) comes out and I just get too distracted by how gorgeous it is. I'm sure there are people out there who can tell the difference. People are so cray. 

Anyway. After learning that it wasn't actually made with mercury anymore, which I figured would be difficult (and deadly) to get a hold of, I wanted to know if I could make this stuff at home, for myself.

Of course, because people are so cray, they've figured it out. And there are a-plenty a ways to do it. 

There is this way, from Musings From a French Cottage, which involves mirror spray paint (which I have the feeling is going to REVOLUTIONIZE my apartment, stay tuned.) and a cotton ball with black paint on it. 

And this way from Take the Side Street. Anna also uses mirror spray paint, but gets a little more scientific with it by applying vinegar to achieve the marbled, mercury look--and I think the results are mesmerizing. 

So this, my friends, is my next project. I'll post the results ASAP. (Note to self: wear a face-mask. While shiny mirrored lungs certainly sound glamorous, they might not work out in the long run.)

Photo Credits:

Tara Bradford's 19th c. Parisian assortment 
Vintage glass bottles for sale on Etsy.
UECo.s Urban Smokeball 

Snakeskin water print

Me in this dress I made.

I made this just in time to wear for Christmas, but couldn't find the missing part to make the outfit complete: so this dress has a missing part. Let me just put that out there. I wanted to wear this mico-mesh mini from AA underneath:

...but couldn't find it in the stores. NOR could I find the fabric that I needed to make it. I figure that, while scandalous in the above format, it could actually be a nice addition to my wardrobe when it comes to layering. You'll see... when I get this puppy and post the complete outfit. I believe it will be very Donna Karan. 

Also, if I ever get tired of the dress (which I doubt, as there are endless ways to layer it), I could always repurpose it into this Alexander Wang dress:

...which is quite fabulous.

Jacket: Express

Socks: J. Crew Cashmere

Wedges: Franco Sarto

Delicious English Muffins

I decided, on a whim, to try out this F&W recipe for English Muffins, and they were SUPER. Even more amazing to me: I did not get any pictures of the final result! No matter though, they actually turned out just like the photo here from F&W (with the link to the recipe!)

The recipe was from Billy Allin of Cakes and Ale fame (Cakes & Ale, my comp is having trouble with the link and &), a restaurant I never got to try :( in Atlanta, and now sorely regret. It was haled as nothing short of genius and is on my list for when I go back to visit.

As a side note, I made mine with molasses instead of the barley malt syrup because they seemed interchangeable. The barley malt syrup was said to be earthy and sweet, which reminded me of molasses although I can imagine they are probably quite different. While the molasses turned out well, I wouldn't mind trying the barley malt next round.

These are not my muffins, but mine pretty much looked the same and were as yummy as this picture implies! I was too busy chowing down to stop, breathe and take a photo this time!

Below is my handiwork:

The three stages of the muffins before baking them: just cut from the dough, pan fried just until browned, and waiting on the pan to go in the oven.

And again. I was SO tempted to eat them as they were! (But I'm glad I waited!)

And baking. They really puffed up!

How cute is she on this cover?

Just a few more days until Laura Bennett's new book, Handmade Chic: Fashionable Projects That Look High End, Not Homespun. hits the shelves! I keep periodically checking Amazon.com to see if a few new pages or a few random copies have shown up - to no avail - so my patience is waning and excitement is mounting!

Because I plan to get the new iPad 3 (or at least the iPad 2, if the 3 hikes the price back up) in March, I am extra excited about this book. Hey, I work at J. Crew. I know how much a cute iPad cover can potentially cost! " Apparently there is a leather project for iPad covers in there. But I really wouldn't know what lies behind those glossy covers of LB's new book, I haven't seen it!!! Needless to say, I am extremely jealous of those "advanced copies" some folks received. At any rate, no, you aren't going to find any tutorials here that you haven't seen anywhere else. In fact, I'm not even going to post the Blogging Project Runway Laptop Case tutorial. (But sorry, I can't resist linking to it...!)

And let me just say, I LOVE Mrs. LB. Some folks have been seen critiquing her supposed derogatory attitude towards "homespun," but I am not one of those. Do I want people to look at my clothes (jewelry, accessories, etc.) and say, "Oh, did you make that?" No! I want them to say, "Oh, I looooove that!" Then, I can knock them off of their feet a la Scarlett O'Hara, "Why, this old thing?" Oh yes. I made this old thing. And you want to buy one? Well it's not for sale, ha-ha! (J/K, this is never my response. I am always so excited when someone complements something I have made that I can just, rather uncool-y, smile and say "Thank you," while my face turns beet red.)

Anyway... here's are some bags featured in the book. Oh, LB, I can't wait!!!!

I love all three of the leather ones!!!! The wallets are pretty adorable, too.

Click here to go to Laura's page on the Daily Beast 

Homemade Ginger Ale (with Agave!)

A quite simple recipe for homemade Ginger Ale using agave. The agave gives it a more interesting flavor than plain old syrup. 

1 oz. peeled and thinly sliced ginger (I sliced mine using my peeler to get it extra thin)

1/2 cup agave

1/2 cup water

Combine all and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully, the agave syrup will bubble up as it gets hot! 

Let seep for AT LEAST 20 minutes, strain the syrup into a jar. (Hint: this syrup gets better after it has sat for a while. My first glass of ginger ale made that day immediately following the straining was not nearly as refreshing as the glass I had a day later!)

Serve with a squeeze of lime juice (this is crucial!).

Syrup, first!

Ice next.

Then add Seltzer, lime juice and a lime wedge (not pictured, we are out of limes, sadly!!!)

Good Grief Saints

Anddddd we lost to the 49er's. I thought we could go further. And I wasn't the only one who thought so...

Thanks a lot, Peter King.

Jinx!

JK, I don't believe in jinxs, but for real SI, don't be doin this next year!

I'm sad, but I'll get over it. After we lost LAST year to Seattle, nothing seems as heartbreaking. 

Also, I have plans to make it to the Superdome next year, so I still have much to look forward to!!!!

Late to the draw...

OMG, Topshop had a Mary Katrantzou collection! Can I get a Whaaaaaaaat? I wish I would have known or I would have raised my awareness to "Stalker" level and vied for one!!!! (Just read it today on this blog, by Kellebelle, and Topshop's website already appears to be out!) Guess I'll watch eBay and cross my fingers now.

However, while fishing around on the Topshop website, I uncovered these jeans, which do for denim what Mary did for dresses. And this corset, which is frankly, adorable.

 

If I put the two together, could I pretend to be a harlequin version of Mary Katrantzou's Fabergé Egg Dress.

A new dress!

Feeling particularly inspired by 1950's fashion and winter issues of W Magazines (November, December and January all arrived the same week...???) I decided to embark on a new project: a fitted bodice with a full skirt. I couldn't find any great advice out there on how to make the skirt nice and full whilst keeping a clean waistline.

Rocha's on the left (from W Magazine) and Prabal Gurung on the right. Both used as inspiration.

I wanted to emulate Audrey Hepburn, although *not* in the Paris Hilton sort of way.

Yes, Please!

Ugh, please.

Using the last fading light of day, I photographed these pics below. I plan to wear this in "real" life soon, so I'll post more when I can!

With my J. Crew Carrie Coat.

The next day, with better lighting.

Donuts!

Mmm... warm, fluffy, HOMEMADE Donuts.

Yes, I made the beauties above. Oh yes, and they were delicious. I got the recipe from Food & Wine's December Mag, and used the recipe for the Rich Five-Spice Glaze (without any of the spices as I inconveniently found myself without them when glazing time came) and they were super delicious!

I - OF COURSE - do not have a donut cutter, and I presume most folks are probably in the same boat. Instead, I used a cocktail shaker. You know how those things have two main parts? Well I used the wide rim of the shaker to cut the donut, and then used the smaller spout to cut the donut hole. Worked out perfectly, if not adding more character to the shape of the donuts. (BTW, you can buy those things for like, $2 online, but I wanted instant gratification.)

A convenient alternative to a doughnut cutter.

Let me just note that I probably gave them a bit too much rising time, which resulted in the dough being just a bit flat. I was kind of hoping for the opposite, that time would make the dough more rich, such as the case with beignets, but was maybe not so lucky.

Yeah, sure mine looked like these... kind of...

Another valuable lesson I learned was about bread flour. Apparently it is a bit different from All-Purpose. Here is what I found (sure, it's probably more than you want to know, but if you are reading a blog about a review of a donuts recipe, you're probably the curious type):

It's about the protein

Wheat flours contain a protein called gluten which, in the presence of water, forms an elastic network throughout the dough. This is the stuff that gives bread doughs their rubbery consistency. The whole point of kneading bread dough, in fact, is to organize the strands of gluten running through the dough into a strong, resilient, interconnected web. It is this web of protein that will entrap the bubbles of CO2 given off by the yeast as it ferments, enabling the dough to rise. Without the gluten, the CO2 would just bubble up to the surface and be lost. But flour vary greatly in both the quantity and quality of the gluten they contain because different strains of wheat from different regions and different growing seasons have different gluten profiles. There are times when gluten is not your friend; in a cake batter, excess gluten will create a chewy, coarse-grained cake, and in pastry doughs it will produce a tough pie crust. But for bread you want lots of strong gluten to produce a well-risen and well-shaped loaf. This is why there are special flours for special purposes: cake flour, pastry flour, bread flour, etc. All-purpose flour is typically a blend of "hard" and "soft" wheats which will perform pretty well in most roles. It usually contains 10-12% gluten. It can be used for bread, but will tend to produce a denser, flatter loaf. Some people will add 1T extra per cup of flour when using all-purpose for bread. Bread flours have from 12-14 percent protein. They will feel decidedly more elastic while kneading, and will give full, rounded loaves. These flours are made from hard winter wheats from northern states. Besides the quantity, the quality of the gluten will vary. Some glutens are better at forming the elastic network than others. You can judge this for yourself by making a "gluten ball" from different flours: make a stiff dough using just water and 1/4 c of flour. Knead it until it becomes quite elastic, then continue kneading it between your fingers under a stream of water. This will wash out the starch from the flour and after a few minutes of this you will have a ball of pure gluten. By playing with this ball, stretching and folding it, you will see that some are far more resistant to tearing than others. A good bread flour will enable you to pull the gluten into a thin membrane.

Ah-ha, so that is the difference. I know you've always wondered.

Anyways, if you are considering making these donuts, do it! It was worth it!