HP Craftalong ~Fall Semester 2012~ *CLOSED*

[skatergirl1007]

I want a donut maker!! I am going to be putting that on that on my christmas list. Then I can make healthy yummy donuts. 

[lightninglisa]

Class: Transfiguration
House: Slytherin
Project Name: Button heart
Brief Description: For this class I stuck to my self-imposed challenge of doing more embroidery and made this simple, but very sweet, button heart. It was very easy to make, albeit time-consuming. I drew a heart on my fabric using chalk then placed buttons around the edges before filling it in. I used pins to keep the buttons in place while I sorted out the arrangement, which was good because I had to change it around a few times before it was right! I also added a couple of buttons overtop of the first layer, to cover up some of the gaps and make the heart more visually interesting. I hope you like it!



P.S. Patty - those donuts look AMAZING! I totally want to get a donut maker now! ^_^

[Abbeeroad]

Your donuts look super professional, patty_o_furniture! The chocolate on top is especially impressive. Melted chocolate and I have a love/hate relationship, lol! Thanks for making me crave donuts this morn!

I just love your hoops, lightninglisa. Great new addition!!

[pinkleo]

I just love your hoops, lightninglisa. Great new addition!!

Agreed!  I adore all your hooplas lightninglisa!

[jillybeans]

Oh that is so so cute, lightninglisa!!!

[indigo_roses]

Class/Challenge/House Pride: Cauldron Treat
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Pumpkin Muffins x2!
Project Page Link (if available):
Brief Description: I did some baking this past weekend, and was just reminded about this challenge by patty's post! I made pumpkin cheesecake muffins with a friend, and pumpkin apple muffins by myself (during which time some passing pixie must have gotten into my oven, because when I opened it to take them out it had gone up 25 degrees from where it should have been!)
Project Picture:

I don't have a recipe for the cheesecake one (but I know it's on Pinterest somewhere!), but here's the one for the pumpkin apple muffins

2 1/2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 c peeled finely chopped apples

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients, except the apples. Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring just until moistened. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into greased or paper lined muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 18-24 muffins.

Class/Challenge/House Pride: Arithmancy
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: "Silks" handspun
Project Page Link (if available):
Brief Description: My spindle goes around and around and around and around and around... This roving was dyed by sarahj2001. It's 1.3 oz and 68 yards. This is also called "I got distracted from my OWL spinning by new wool"
Project Picture:

Class/Challenge/House Pride: Muggle Studies
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Striped Scarf
Project Page Link (if available):
Brief Description: Super soft cuddly scarf. I love how this pattern shows off the color changes in the yarn.
Project Picture:

Class/Challenge/House Pride: Care of Magical Creatures
House:Ravenclaw
Project Name: Ravenclaw Hoodie
Project Page Link (if available):
Brief Description: I made this for my fellow Ravenclaw Rae-mazing. The stencil is quite shiny though, so she should stay away from nifflers while wearing it.
Project Picture:



Class/Challenge/House Pride: Herbology/Quidditch
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Chocolate Frog Dishcloth
Project Page Link (if available):
Brief Description: Made from 100% cotton, this dishcloth would be perfect to help you clean up after a visit from the Weasley twins (or anyone who likes to visit their shop!)
Project Picture:



Class/Challenge/House Pride: Astronomy
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Constellation Hooplas
Project Page Link (if available):
Brief Description: 3 hooplas made for Rae-mazing. Aquila the Eagle for Ravenclaw, Leo the Lion for Gryffindor, and Ursa Major since it contains the Big Dipper, one of the most recognizable constellations. They glow in the dark, too!
Project Picture:

[seeuudee]

Loving all your projects indigo_roses, but especially the constellation hooplas.

[Naantje]

Challenge:Cauldron Treat
House: Slytherin
Project Name: Pineapple Mango Jam
Brief description:
I might have bought one mango too many last week on the market, so today I found myself with a mango I desperately needed to use or it would spoil, but I didn't really feel like eating mango. So I cut it up, added some pineapple and I made jam!

Ingredients:
1 mango (yields about 300 grams of pulp)
300 grams of pineapple (I used drained canned pineapple)
three tablespoons of lemon juice
500-600 grams of sugar

How I made it:
I cut up my fruit and put it in the cauldron with about half my sugar. I gave it some initial heat, to soften up the fruit and also to see if I could make this jam at a ratio of less than 1:1. (That didn't work, I googles a bit later, and both mango and pineapple are notoriously low in pectin!) When the fruit had softened up, I transferred the pulp to my blender and blended until it got a nice smooth consistency, since pineapple doesn't turn to mush, but keeps its shape really well. I then transferred the pulp back to my cauldron, added the rest of the sugar and about three tablespoons of lemon juice, which is very high in pectin and generally gives jams a nicer, fresher flavour. I cooked it up, spooned off the scum and transferred the jam into jars to cool down.

When the jam had cooled, I naturally tested a sample, and it is delicious!

I can definitely recommend using lemon juice in jams when you're using fruit that's low in pectin. I've never bought powdered pectin or jam sugar (which contains added pectin) because of these reasons:
1. I hardly ever make jam, and when I do, it's mostly an impulse to do something homey on a cold, rainy day. I don't like going out to the store for special sugar on cold, rainy days.
2. The price difference when compared to regular sugar.
3. I don't really mind if my jam is a bit runny, as long as it's tasty!
4. Using lemon juice generally works really good ánd it makes my jam taste better

Project picture:

[FiberAlchemist]

Class/Challenge/House Pride: Transfiguration
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Button Christmas Trees
Brief description: I decided I wanted to make some Christmas decor for my coffee table and when I came across the paper mache cones at the craft store I knew exactly what to make.  I wrapped each cone in dark green (it looks black in the pictures but I swear to you it's green) yarn, securing with hot glue at random point along the way; then I added buttons for the ornaments. 

Project Picture:


Class/Challenge/House Pride: October Detention
House: Ravenclaw
Project Name: Clean out the Garage
Brief Description:  As fall is here and winter is just around the corner I wanted to be able to put my car in the garage.  So, with the help of my husband, I cleaned out the garage.  Everything is up on shelves or hanging from its proper hook and there is room for a car.  Yay!  I don't have any before pictures, mostly because of the shame and I forgot.  But I can take an after pic if needed, though it just looks garagey now.

[redpopsicles]

Class/Challenge/House Pride: Cauldron Treat and Muggle Studies
House: Slytherin
Project Name: Italian Sausage Lasagne
Project Page Link (if available):
Brief Description: To make my SO feel better and to provide him with much needed calories and deliciousness after a hard day running a lawn company, I made him an italian sausage lasagne.
Project Picture:


I used this recipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-italian-sausage-lasagna as a starting point, but I didn't use that specific brand of sausage. Also, I sauteed some garlic, onions and green bell peppers with the sausage and I just kind of threw in a bunch of various herbs from my garden, as well as the recommended italian seasoning. I never really follow a recipe exactly, but I always use one as a start.

On another note, I will probably be posting up a storm in a few days. My partner in the 13 days of Halloween swap will start opening soon, so I will be putting up a bunch of projects when that happens.