Most major holidays are represented by a specific color or two, but Easter brings to mind an entire rainbow of malt chocolate candies and plastic filmy “grass.” I’m not entirely sure what the origin story is to explain rabbits hiding eggs full of goodies and why it isn’t a bit more suspect, but I prefer to happily munch on my treats and not ask too many questions.

A life-long arts and crafts enthusiast, dying eggs has always been a favorite Easter activity of mine. While you are perfectly welcome to buy a package of neon-rainbow dyes from your local grocery store, I would suggest that half the creativity and fun comes from experimenting with natural items you might already have lurking around your kitchen.

Ingredients

• Yellow – turmeric, lemon peels
• Orange – yellow onion peels
• Red – beets (chopped)
• Brown – green tea, black tea, coffee, chili powder, red onion peels
• Blue – red cabbage (chopped)
• Eggs – I tried to do one of each with brown and white eggs

Tools

• As many containers as you have dyes (jars are ideal)
• Spoon, ice cream scoop, or a bent wire loop for dipping eggs
• Dish Towel

Directions

1. Hard boil your eggs! I know this sounds obvious, but we have a fantastic family story of a memorable Easter when step slipped someone’s mind before the grandkids got busy dunking eggs in their rainbow baths. What made for a hilarious discovery later might still be a little frustrating if you love deviled eggs as much as I do.
2. Next, it’s time to dig through those cabinets! I cheated and made a trip to the grocery store for some items, but tried to use mainly things I either had on hand or would use in my daily cooking anyway. I was pretty cavalier with the dye-making process, preferring to simply throw each item into its own pot of water and let it boil for about 15 minutes. Consider it “casual science” (that makes your apartment smell kind of curious…)!
3. Once the dye has simmered a bit, you’re ready to fill every jar in your cupboard! I added a tablespoon of white vinegar to each container and then added a dye. You’ll want to leave enough room for at least one egg in each container, so don’t fill it all the way to the top!
4. Now we wait! I left the eggs to do their thing while I went about my day, letting them sit for about 6 hours. You don’t have to wait nearly this long, but the longer the eggs sit, the more vibrant they will be. My previous experience has shown 30 minutes to be the minimum.
5. Using your spoon/bent wire/ice cream scoop/ fingers, carefully remove the eggs from their containers. It’s handy to have a dish towel nearby to both clean up any drips and to pat down the eggs before placing them back in the egg crate.

My favorites were the turquoise from the red cabbage, the burnt orange from the black tea, and the deep red of the brown egg dyed with beets. I’m not quite sure why some dyes stuck better than others, but I might try adding a dash more vinegar next time, in the name of Easter science!

The post DIY Natural Dye Easter Eggs appeared first on Clutch MOV.

After wrapping up graduate school in December, I quickly realized I needed to get to busy making a designated workspace in my apartment.  I am constantly making, drawing, painting, gluing, stitching, and so on, and after six years of design school, I’ve been spoiled to the point that even my giant studio desk was not spacious enough to contain my creativity (or is that my habit to start too many projects at once?), so no standard writing desk would quite do the trick at home.  I live solo and drive a bicycle, so furniture shopping tends to involve my dear, sweet, car-owning friends to help me pick up larger pieces and haul them up the stairs to my second floor apartment (thanks guys!), which leaves me feeling a tad guilty.

Cue the Floyd Leg, “a simple, clamp-on leg that allows you to make a table from any surface material.”  Designed and manufactured in the USA, the concept was inspired by the creator’s own need for flexible, easily transported furniture that provides the ability to express oneself. Check and check, I was sold.

Once the Floyd Legs were delivered to my door, I headed over to the architectural salvage at Ballard Reuse, and came home with an oversized cabinet door.  While this would be perfect for a simple laptop workstation, I am still looking to expand my work area.  The beauty of the Floyd Leg’s flexibility is that I can change out the surface when I find my dream sheet of birch plywood!  It also means that if I get a little too aggressive in my making (things can get exciting, ok?), it’s easy to swap in a fresh new table top and get right back to it. Using the Floyd Leg, I was able to carry and maneuver everything on my own, getting set up in a matter of minutes.  And if I move across town or across the country, I can simply pack up the table legs into their carrying tote and replace the tabletop when I get where I’m going.

Since first launching their Kickstarter campaign roughly a year and a half ago, the Floyd family has grown to include different colors, a coffee table height, a more rugged utility table, and a shelving fixture, all of which are designed and fabricated in the not-so-rusty-anymore belt of Detroit.  The guys at the Floyd office are in the midst of promoting an as-yet-unrevealed expansion to their catalog this summer, so keep an eye out for more creative solutions!

The post The Floyd Leg appeared first on Clutch MOV.

There is no better, more reassuring and reliable snack than fresh bread topped with butter, jam or perhaps a nice brie.  For the longest time, I thought baking bread was too complicated, skill intensive and time consuming to even begin to consider, but this recipe is so basic that I find myself enjoying a small loaf for breakfast or lunch a few times a week!  I typically make a large batch of dough in advance and keep in the refrigerator all week to have on hand, simply throwing a small loaf in the oven while I get ready in the morning!

Ingredients:

2.5-3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup warm water (120-130° F)
rosemary & thyme to taste (optional)
A pinch of sea salt (optional)
Hot water in a cake pan for baking

Begin by mixing half of the flour with the yeast, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme and salt.  Pour in the hot water (not scalding!) and stir for a few minutes (around 100 strokes, it isn’t has arduous as it sounds!) until well mixed and sticky.

Stir in the remaining flour until the dough loses its stickiness.  Turn dough onto a flour-covered surface and knead for about 8 minutes, dusting with flour as sticky surfaces reveal themselves.  This is the perfect time to go over your mental to-do lists, catch up on some daydreaming, or practice your big solo to the radio.  I actually love to knead bread when I’m under a lot of stress, as it can get pretty zen folding dough over and over upon itself.

Place the dough in a greased or floured bowl and cover with a warm damp cloth.  Let rise for at least 15 minutes (although it only gets bigger and better over the course of 45 minutes) in a warm spot away from drafts.

Punch down the dough and shape into a round loaf.  Place the loaf on a baking sheet dusted with flour (or cornmeal is even better).  With a wet, sharp knife, cut an X one half inch deep in the loaf, or get creative!  Sprinkle the top with sea salt, and maybe even some more rosemary or thyme.

Place the baking sheet in the middle of a cold oven.  On the lowest shelf, place a pan of hot water.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees and back for 30-50 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

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