Birthday Cake Pancakes

Posted on February 17, 2015February 17, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

At least once a decade, my birthday falls on Pancake Tuesday. TODAY IS THAT DAY!

$Birthday Cake Pancakes \\ Sophster-Toaster$

So of course, using Jamie Oliver’s recipe for quick pancakes, I whipped up a colourful treat for myself this 9862nd morning of my life.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup skim milk
1 egg from a well-treated chicken
1 pinch Kosher salt
3 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
a bit of butter

½ whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla paste

Method

Whisk together flour, milk, egg and salt until smooth. Add most of the sprinkles, reserving some for garnish, and whisk until just mixed in.
Put a large pan on medium heat. Add a bit of butter to the pan at the start of each cooking batch. Once melted, add the pancake batter a spoonful at a time. Fill when bubbles rise to the surface and break. Remove from pan when both sides are golden and crispy.
Add whipping cream and vanilla paste (you can add a bit of sugar too if you like) to a small bowl and whisk until the cream reaches soft peaks.
Spoon whipped cream over a stack of pancakes. Add sprinkles from a high. Drizzle with maple syrup if you know what’s good for you.

$Birthday Cake Pancakes \\ Sophster-Toaster$ $Birthday Cake Pancakes \\ Sophster-Toaster$ $Birthday Cake Pancakes \\ Sophster-Toaster$ $Birthday Pancakes \\ Sophster-Toaster$

Too full to finish.

Valentine’s Day Birthday, Part I

Posted on February 11, 2015February 12, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

I think this will be the best year of my life. We’re only two weeks into February — one week away from my 27th birthday — and the hubs and I already have big things coming together for 2015. My husband is moments away from inheriting a cottage in Northern Ontario that has been in his family since the 1920’s (don’t get the wrong idea, it’s a money-pit) with intentions of rescuing it from back tax limbo and restoring it to it’s former charm and I achieved a big goal of seeing something I made in a for-real, brick-and-mortar shop window when Craft Arts Market opened up a few blocks from my house, just to name a couple. When I was a child, I always thought 27 was the best age a person could be. I felt it so strongly that the feeling alone has survived in my memory far longer than the reason why I felt it. I can’t believe I’m finally here. I think it’s time to plan the celebrations.

$Building a Backdrop \\ Sophster-Toaster$

With a birthday that always seems to land on the same weekend as Valentine’s Day, I don’t think I’m ever had a birthday party colour scheme other than red, pink and white or a theme other than today is also Valentine’s Day. This year, I’m branching out. I’ve chosen pink, orange and gold as my decoration colours and the theme of … birthday party. Alright, I’m not great at themes.

I’ve spent the last two weeks making my invitations and decorations, and planning food, drinks and furniture arrangement. For the most part, I’m treading in unfamiliar waters and choosing nondescript seasonal decorations and food ideas over festive ones. However, there is one tradition, started by my mother, that I have never gone a year without and have decided to continue, with restraint: there will be one heart…

$Heart Backdrop \\ Sophster-Toaster$

… and I’m making it a big one. (Find the DIY I used to make the backdrop here.)

$Building a Heart Backdrop \\ Sophster-Toaster$

$Valentine's Date Outfit \\ Sophster-Toaster$ $Bow Tie \\ Sophster-Toaster$ $Valentine's Day Outfit \\ Sophster-Toaster$ $Poetic Licence Heel \\ Sophster-Toaster$

Dress: Modcloth // Bow Tie: Sophster-Toaster // Tights: H&M // Socks: The Green Room (old) // Shoes: Modcloth (old) // Hair Clip: H&M (old) // Earrings: Modcloth (old) // Bracelet: Sweet Auburn Studio

Chair is Ikea.

Winter Layering: The Trick to Keeping Warm

Posted on January 30, 2015January 30, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

Growing up, I always hated winter. My brother and I really only got new clothing at back to school time. My mother, wanting to beat the rush, maintained a tradition of taking us shopping in mid-August, just before stores put all the fall and winter stuff out for the back to school crowd. She set an equal and very strict budget for my brother and I; enough to buy two or three high quality and much needed items… or about ten terrible, flimsy things that might just be enough to get us through the year. Obviously, I choose quantity over quality. I bought things that had been reduced in price more than once since they first arrived in the spring and summer seasons. Every year I brought home bags of tank tops, thin t-shirts, ankle socks, Capris, cropped sweat shirts and open-toed shoes… that I wasn’t allowed to start wearing until September. This led to me shivered my way through the next five to six months of winter storms in a sliver of the province known as The Snow Belt.

Now that I’ve grown up and realized that I can literally buy warmth, I spend my money more wisely. I buy well made items that will last several winters, collecting them slowly, year by year. I buy wool, cotton and polyester for layering. I couldn’t find a thick, long sleeve flannel shirt in the women’s section, so I bought one from the men’s. I buy winter dresses and skirts, knee socks, knit tights and thick stockings. I’m well on my way to owning a respectable range of cute and cozy sweaters. I’m starting to enjoy winter.

Yesterday evening, I layered up and the husband and I took a walk through the park.

$Winter Layering \\ Sophster-Toaster$

I moved to an area of the province with an opposing microclimate, -3°C in January is downright balmy to this Snow Belt expat.

$Winter Layering \\ Sophster-Toaster$

I wore cotton undergarments, a polyester slip, nylon stockings + garter belt, a cotton cardigan, a wool skirt and a wool/polyester blend coat. I like to layer with a mix of natural and synthetic fabrics in the winter. Natural fabrics like cotton and wool feel warm to the touch and are good for wicking away sweat to keep you dry, but they can also be quite permeable to body heat and cold wind, especially cotton. Polyester is light and doesn’t breath, making it good for locking heat close to the skin.

$Winter Layering \\ Sophster-Toaster$ $Winter Layering \\ Sophster-Toaster$

Cardigan: H&M (old) // Skirt: ModCloth // Stockings: ModCloth //Shoes: ModCloth // Coat: Old Navy (old) // Gloves: ModCloth (old) // Bag: ModCloth // Jewellery: gifts // Hair Bow: Sophster-Toaster

Afterwards, we walked to the pub for a pint of oatmeal stout and some sweet potato fries with sriracha mayo to warm up. He let me double dip.

T-Shirt Giveaway / Winter 2015

Posted on January 19, 2015January 19, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

It started with a joke. A few months ago, while driving to the mall, I joked with my husband about how easy it would be to make and sell t-shirts. “All you’d have to do is choose a nice font, choose a good word like pizza, ice cream or cats, and slap it on a few t-shirts over the weekend,” I said with an air of unearned confidence. Then something weird happened, I sat quietly for the rest of the ride.

Over the next few days, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I thought about what kind of font I would choose, which t-shirt wholesalers I might use, dozens of words that I liked and plans for growth and expansion of my imaginary t-shirt line. After several days of not being able to shake the feeling that this might be a good idea, I decided I would go for it.

Over the Christmas season and into January, I learned the (somewhat difficult, actually) process of screen printing with a lot of help from my husband. I assumed things would go smoothly, his father used to teach the skill to prisoners before he retired and would often do pro bono print jobs at home for his church and social groups, but, of course, it didn’t. I lost track of how many times my husband said something like, “hmm… I don’t remember this part,” or “he always did this part at work,” as we fumbled our way through the first few unsuccessful attempts at making a usable screen. Somehow, through the difficult and frustrating process of learning a new skill, we had a lot of fun together.

I choose the first design set by bouncing ideas off my reluctant friends and relatives until they told me I was ruining Friendsgiving. Here are the winners:

$Tea T-shirt \\ Sophster-Toaster Giveaway$ $Coffee T-shirt \\ Sophster-Toaster Giveaway$ $Milk & Sugar T-shirt \\ Sophster-Toaster Giveaway$

Don’t worry I have pages and pages of more ideas and I fully intend to ruin Easter as well.

The t-shirts are American Apparel’s (sweatshop free) organic, sustainable edition, the ink is water based, everything we use from prep to clean-up is eco-friendly, and the hardware is even made in North America (or salvaged from my father-in-law’s attic).

Finally, the bit you came here for…

I am holding a giveaway to celebrate the new winter t-shirt line! There are three prizes to be won: first prize is two t-shirts of your choice, second prize is one t-shirt of your choice and third prize is a $10 Etsy gift card.

The t-shirts are available from size small – extra large in women’s and men’s/unisex. (You can find more info about sizing in the shop.) Winners can choose any shirts in any sizes they like. Prizes will be shipped for free to any location in the world.

The giveaway ends at midnight on February 1st. Winners are chosen at random. Winners will be announced here, on Facebook and on Twitter, and contacted via email.

Good luck!

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