01/04/15 07:53 - ID#59719

Salt dough ornaments

(e:Dianne) likes painting ceramics, so I thought she'd enjoy making salt dough ornaments. They're much more free-form artsy yet employ all the same techniques.

First, we made the dough - 1:1 flour:salt + enough water to make it like dough. This was almost a cup of water with one cup each flour & salt. We had also made chocolate chip cookie dough, molasses cookies and sour cream sugar cookie dough that day, so we put it in the fridge to cut & bake later.

The next day, Tanya helped us roll out the cookies and cut them. Then we baked them for nearly two hours, turning halfway through.

They sat for a few days while we finished up the other cookie baking and gathered paints, glitter, mod-podge, brushes, and pretty paper. (A filled loyalty punch card at Hyatt's gets you at $20 gift card!!)

Christmas Eve, Tanya came over and we started the decorating process. We sanded first - definitely recommend this step, it was surprisingly helpful to have smooth(er) surfaces to work with. We painted, decoupaged, glittered and otherwise manipulated the ornaments. Having lots of ornament hooks handy was very helpful as we painted both sides. Paint - dry - paint - dry - modpodge - dry - glitter glue - dry ... Note: mod-podge THEN glitter glue! We got quite a few started and nearly complete.

Christmas Day we hosted the afterparty from Brena's Misfit Christmas Brunch and people created more interesting ornaments. The lady with the dress is from that session.

We went to NYC Saturday to late late Tuesday night, so we couldn't finish until yesterday. I was still tying string on ornaments today. I like nylon invisible thread, and we also used some really nice stretchy gold string. We ended up throwing some unpainted ones away because we just couldn't keep occupying the kitchen table with this project.

Here's the entire set. As much work as they took, I keep expecting there to be more of them!

Permalink: Salt_dough_ornaments.html
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Last Modified: 01/04/15 10:29

Category: holiday

06/03/14 09:01 - ID#59041

Buffalo Pride 2014

My nephew Tyler visited us for Pride weekend. It was great to be able to introduce him to city life and the diversity of queer culture. Denise, (e:Terry)'s wonderful mommy is also visiting. These pix are a blend of Saturday night's Dyke March and Sunday's events. So much fun! It was also my birthday on Saturday and I got to enjoy brunch with with (e:xandra), (e:Dianne), Tyler and Denise, then met the boys at the Harbor after the Skyride. We hung out in the back yard of the 24 where the wisteria was gorgeous and Basra was shoving (e:Dianne) around on the canoe. (e:Dianne), (e:xandra), Tanya and I went to the dyke march, spent a few minutes at the party on Allen, then had Ethiopian food! Yummy! (e:flacidness), (e:hodown), (e:zarkasm) and her boy joined us. We went back to the 24 and played games, then hit Nietzsche's for Stripteasers' 10th anniversary party. Much love! :-)

Permalink: Buffalo_Pride_2014.html
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Last Modified: 06/03/14 09:03

Category: holiday

08/05/13 04:39 - ID#57973

Infringe: the cool kid

we wanted infringement t shirts and happened across the guy who designed this year's logo. he had screenprinted some t-shirts with glow in the dark paint and was carrying then around while infringing yesterday, hoping to sell them. we spent a nice bit of time chatting while listening to Josh Gage's band The Observers in front of El Buen Amigo. he had no small or medium black shirts left but there was one gaudy orange polo with sleeves cut off and a black racing pattern collar. (E:Dianne) loved it, so we got that for her and a black t-shirt for me. our next trip home she put it on and wore it the rest of the night. despite the ridiculousness of the shirt, she totally rocked it. it also glows in the dark (the screen print, not the orange of the shirt).

Permalink: Infringe_the_cool_kid.html
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Last Modified: 08/05/13 04:45

Category: holiday

04/19/13 07:27 - ID#57549

Happy Tax Day!

(e:Terry) and I got done with our tax filings earlier than expected Monday night and got to go on an awesome bike ride (see also (e:paul,57534) and (e:xandra,57532)) with (e:Paul), (e:Xandra) & (e:Dianne), first ride of the season! Woo!

On one of our dates back in December, I had taken (e:Dianne) down to canalside to see the view and she loved it. When we started our ride Monday night, the obvious choices were Delaware Park or the harbor... She had no idea where we were until we were right on the water. So cute.

Then we went to the Pan-American Grill at Hotel Lafayette. Food & beer were okay but the space is incredible!

Floor tiling

Marble detail

Marble context

I would have taken a shot of the gorgeous women's room but (e:Dianne) and I got busted making out before I had a chance (and was too embarrassed after).

We went back to the 24, played a game of Dominion, then went back outside for glow-in-the-dark bocce ball! Woo! (The game is also now known as hibachi ball.)

Permalink: Happy_Tax_Day_.html
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Last Modified: 04/19/13 07:27

Category: holiday

02/13/13 03:41 - ID#57239

pardi gras 2013

I really wanna know what Mike's hand is doing.

Permalink: pardi_gras_2013.html
Words: 11
Last Modified: 02/14/13 04:21

Category: holiday

01/02/13 12:14 - ID#57111

Paul & the ball

This is (e:metalpeter)'s photo cropped a bit - it's definitely my favorite of his set. (e:Paul) looks like he should be engaging in some kind of Men in Black activity, like a space-agey spy.

Permalink: Paul_the_ball.html
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Last Modified: 01/02/13 12:15

Category: holiday

12/24/12 12:10 - ID#57037

Crappy vid of lights synched with music

I took some crappy video of the lights synchronized with music. The music is really faint.

Permalink: Crappy_vid_of_lights_synched_with_music.html
Words: 23
Last Modified: 12/24/12 12:10

Category: holiday

12/23/12 08:53 - ID#57036

Light Up the Holidays!

Jill, Kelly & I judged the annual Christmas lights contest last night. I've asked some photog friends to help out with the official set of pix but here's my set:

Most Christmas Spirit - this year, Jill C. & Rich H. won - talk about maximizing available resources! They rent the first floor of this house and decorated to the max. Excellent details.

Victorian category winner, the Larsens. Again, awesome details.

Whimsical category had a tie - Nicole & Derek - Jill C. & Nicole are sisters and lived together with their mom, Jill's ex-husband and a ton of kids until about two years ago, their house won a couple times.

and Amy & Robb:

Ryan & Melanie at Bloss Holiday Market won best business display even though there are no lights on the decorations. I've made a request to the board of the nonprofit that owns the building to fix the canopy (I'm on the board).

Dave & April won in the Green Christmas category but I need to go shoot video of it. They timed the lights to music - it's rough execution but good concept.

A top contender for the Victorian category

I like this one.

Also not a winner but we liked its log cabin feel.

Nate & Kelly tried really hard but it doesn't top the others.

Another nice one - Lindquists

Chad & Erica are ineligible because they don't live in the borough but I really like how the lights highlight the lines of the house.

Permalink: Light_Up_the_Holidays_.html
Words: 277
Last Modified: 12/23/12 08:53

Category: holiday

10/08/12 03:05 - ID#56815

High fashion

Permalink: High_fashion.html
Words: 1
Last Modified: 10/08/12 03:05

Category: holiday

04/08/12 09:40 - ID#56336

Easter

I missed family dinner yesterday because I was sick, but I got leftovers today! A and his niece made these adorable deviled egg chicks for me. A, Nisha and I went for a little stroll around the pond.