T-Rex Mug Cakes

when you need breakfast food

Yesterday I did my groceries for the month, and while I am not exactly committing to a Whole 30 for January, I am going to try some of the recipes and suggestions. I love food. Food is my crutch. I especially love quick, savoury foods, and comfort food piles. Anyone else? My goals this year are to start hiking around the mountains, biking, and practising yoga daily. I do not have a specific weight loss goal in mind. Let me be honest though. I have stored extra fat around my abdomen and it concerns me that excessive visceral fat around my organs is causing me to have many issues. I struggle with adrenal fatigue, inflammation, muscle cramps, drowsiness, lack of energy, poor sleep to excessive insomnia. And. McDonald's caramel sundaes. So.

Yes, it's true: I used Thrive products for about a year now. I truly enjoyed the DFT patches and vitamins. I never have a bad word to say about another company. It is ok to change it up! Since I was noticing my Thrive stash dwindling, I really started watching (more like Facebook stalking) my friend Laura, and her journey as an It Works distributor. I fell in love with her enthusiasm for the products and how down to earth she is about sharing. I admit I was skeptical about the crazy wrap thing, but so interested in the supplements!! Spending the money is a non issue, because I am going to buy and use supplements whether they are from It Works, Thrive, a Health Food Store or Grocery, I've even used Melaleuca. They all work. They are all good.

What I like about It Works is the guess work has been taken care of. The formulas are all outlined. The products are non-GMO. But, most importantly, the people using It Works are all Happy. 

Happy

This is my 2016 word. 

Happy

The New Year always seems like a good time to try new things. "I'm not a New Year, New You kinda gal. There's just too much pressure. The expectation freaks me out. And too much excitement gives me adrenal fatigue. I have to stay level headed. And I have to stay off the bagels..."

I said "What if". And went for it.

My It Works wraps came in yesterday, and I wrapped last night. I am looking forward to learning all I can about these amazing products. I can't wait to start sharing my experiences later this month...

First, this afternoon I made an abundant Sweet Potato and Beef Stew, it is simmering in my Ninja slow cooker as I compose. My landlord just exclaimed out in the hallway, "Oh! It smells so good!" I mean really, anyone can make stew right? I'll offer up my recipe in a future collection:

Abundant Sweet Potato and Beef Stew
*heart heart swoon

"Breakfast" is my most neglected meal of the day, while knowing this contributes to my Adrenal Fatigue issue. So, here we are discussing the breakfast option. I have grown tired of smoothies, especially since I am actually required to chew them. In their book "It starts with Food" Dallas and Melissa give a good talk about not drinking your calories. I love the chocolate protein smoothie from Vega, so I invented the Chocolate Protien Mug Cake. Because, chocolate. My almond milk is Almond Breeze. It has carageenan(not allowed on Whole 30), and I welcome any suggestions on an almond milk product that is not full of additives, aside from making my own. What you're really here for is this:

my mug cake with melted peanut butter

My T-Rex Chocolate Mug Cake

1 scoop protien powder(Vega is not listedon Whole 30 as it is made up of pea protien and contains stevia)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg white

3 tbsp chocolate almond milk (and a splash of water because the microwave uses the water to cook)
2 tsp shredded coconut
1 tbsp cocoa
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Whisk wet ingredients, (egg white, water, chocolate almond milk) then add to dry ingredients and stir it up. Pour mixture into your favourite mug, I used T-Rex because he makes everything strong.
Microwave 45 seconds, check it, microwave 45 more seconds.
Toppings:
-melt a bit of peanut(peanut butter is not on the Whole 30 list) or almond or hazelnut butter and drizzle on top
-chopped nuts or dried fruit

-fresh berries

style all the things!

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"Disny the Dead" Zombie Baby

Tonight I took a timeout from pottery projects to work on my Halloween costume. If anyone knows me, they know how much I love creating cool as shit costumes! And scaring the kids. *here's your warning, if you're gonna be offended you should probably split, taking this message: I think this is hilarious, and that's why I'm happy, living the dream*

Please meet Disny. She's a Zombaby, and half of my costume this year. She's a typical baby, except for a few character traits that make her special. Well, she's an aspiring artist as well. I would love to share with you how I made her!

We have this fantastic second hand store in Canmore and I've found so much great stuff for Loft Living, my studio and for my travelling pottery show. 

Today I found this red tag doll, 50% off. Along with a $1 bag of face paint, this little pumpkin candy holder which is the perfect size for Disny, and two half price growlers for my Kombucha experiment! Eight bucks total. I says, "Pardon me?" John's like, "I know! All red tags!" Winning.

I already started adding gesso to the dolls body when I recognized the opportunity for a blog post. Here she is, all cute and innocent with her dress as a do rag. 

I loved her adorable little eyes, but they were too sweet for a Zombaby who just found her way to be a Halloween costume!

I gave this Dollie a good coat of gesso with a sponge. I dabbed it on so it would have texture rather than brush strokes. I apologized to her repeatedly and assured her little spirit that I adore her as is. She's actually quite forgiving. And asked that I play some musics. I found a Disney stamp on her neck, and gave her a name. It's appropriate don't you agree?

As the gesso cured I assembled acrylic paints, brushes, a salad tray for a palette and started mixing. For the Zombie Grey I mixed white with a blob of black and green. I used the same sponge that I used for the gesso to sponge the color all over. Even though the hair is covered, I used packing tape to mask the very edges of the hairline, and it helped hold the turban in place.

Next, I started mixing a Zombie Flesh colour. I used white, red, yellow and a touch of the Zombie Grey. Skin is not pink. It's kind of green in some light. So, I mottled it with two different sized bristle brushes, this kept the fleshy textures consistent. 

Here's a good close up of her little Zombaby face. This doll has a flat face and there's no contour whatsoever. I used a much Darker Shadow Grey to create deep eye sockets. Her features popped once I added a layer of Light Grey. The lips have Blood Red added, which is the color I also use for the wounds. 

Zombaby's wound is built up using one ply of toilet tissue and my favourite acrylic medium Mod Podge. It's glossy, so it creates depth to the Wound Red and Blood Red. Wound Red is simply a dab of red with some of the Zombie Grey. Blood Red has a dab of black in the red. 

Now for the gross part. I used pieces of toilet paper, Mod Podge and the Blood Red to make fleshy bits in her little monster hands. 

 

That's disgusting. But wait til you see what happens next!

Pallette

Disny Zombaby! Ready for Trick or Treats!

Clean your dryer!

Let's Talk! Tuesday Tips Anyone?!

There's this inconvenient phenomenon that occurs in my laundry. Tissues get left in pockets. So they end up exploding in my washer and then in my dryer. Today after it happened I had this strange urge to vacuum out the lint catcher in my dryer. I want to say something funny and witty, but I think it's really more important that you take me seriously about this for a few minutes! Here's my Pinterest, to give my Tip credibility!            Visit Tamara M. Hannah's profile on Pinterest.   

First I removed the lint catcher and started to run hot water on it. The water was beading off, rather than draining through the mesh. I said to myself, "I think this was a good idea!" and grabbed the soap and a scrub brush. Next, I took the Dyson with the crevice tool and started to clean out the area that holds the lint catcher.....

THIS IS WHAT WAS IN THERE! I had to empty the Dyson vacuum 3 times! 

 Needless to say, I did some investigating, just to find out how all of this works. This "grate" comes off of the inside of the dryer wall just below where the lint catcher rests. Once I took it off a PILE of lint and about half a cup of sand fell out of the crevice that it covered! I was shocked and grossed out. This is how houses burn down. 

Next, I scrubbed the build up from the grate, this is how my lint catcher looked also. I vacuumed the rest of the gap where the lint was building up. I could fit my whole hand down there and was gathering hand fulls of lint. Ok, so this dryer was a second hand jobbie that was in my loft when I moved in. It didn't occur to me that cleaning it was a necessity. I'm sharing this well learned lesson with you today for the simple fact that I think it's pretty unsafe. 

 Here is my washed out lint trap! 

Here is a weird angle of the whole area that the grate piece screws on to and then where the lint catcher would sit. This photo is after I cleaned it all out.

Here's the clean grate being screwed back onto the inside of the dryer. 

And inserting my clean lint catcher back into its holder. 

This situation made me nervous because sometimes I like to leave the dryer running when I leave the loft for work in the afternoon. Riggs isn't very good at calling 911 if you know what I mean.

So take a few minutes when you load the dryer next time and see if you have any build up in your lint catcher! This whole project only took me about half an hour, it was worth it!

This certainly isn't my most sparkly, bubbly, glittery post to date. And you'll adjust. It can't all be rainbows and kittens! 

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Hot Tips! Pottery tips to change your studio life a little wee bit!

Hey Pottery Pals!

Today I have to share with you some awesome hot tips!

First, "The Best Tip Ever"

You know when your underglaze lids get all crusty and dried out and really hard to open? I personally just changed my own life! Put a thin layer of Petroleum Jelly a.k.a. Vaseline, around the lid and rim of the jars. Ta-Daa! You're welcome! Saves your wrists, thumbs and time.

Not only that! It also helps seal the lids so they are a bit air tight. This helps them last longer. Hey, you know how to make your underglazes last a really long time? 

Tip #2: add water to your underglazes when you first get them. Brand new underglazes are my absolute favourite. I started using a few commercial neon glazes also. If you split off the jar into another old jar, maybe you're empty jar, you're underglazes will last twice as long. Besides, I find a couple of thin coats is better than one thick coat. Drop a round pebble or two in the jars to help shake them up when it's time to go!

Tip #3: always have the jar sitting on the table while you open it. You know why? Ever spill a whole new jar of underglaze all over your breasts while teaching a class? Ya. BTDT. Tossed the Tshirt.

Tip #4: the mini mixers are great to remix all your dried up product! 

Make sure you put some of the Vaseline on the rim of the mixer and the lid! 

Tip #5: a toothbrush can be your best cleaning tool. Glazes dry hard sometimes and stick in the worst crevices! I have about 20 toothbrushes in the studio.

Well! Take my advice today and save yourself some moolah! Potters are poor!

Bonus tip:

Use a sharpie,

And label ALL THE THINGS! 

It makes it so much easier on "Artist Brain" while you're in the zone. 

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Make your own LegWarmers! #MYOL

There's alotta hashtags going around in my head! #MYOL so much fun!

This great, simple, Beginner's crochet pattern will get you through spring yoga sessions like a whiz! I am making fluorescent pink ones to start off!

  Leg Warmers

Convert this to knit 

EASY Crochet
These leg warmers will be most appreciated in the dead of winter when temperatures plummet and winds wail, but be sure to have them crocheted and ready to wear.  

Directions are given for size 9-11.  You will need two 4 ounce, skeins of 4 ply yarn and sizes I and K crochet hooks. 

Gauge: 3 hdc equal 1 inch 

Starting at lower edge with smaller ,hook, ch 30, join with sl st to form ring, ch 2, do not turn.

Row 1: Sc in each ch, join with sl st in top of ch-2, ch 2, do not turn.

Rows 2 through 8: Repeat Row 1.

Row 9: With larger hook, ch 2, hdc in each sc across, join with sl st in top of ch-2, ch 2, turn.

Repeat Row 9 to length desired, after last sl st, fasten off

Comment below for a chance to win a Yoga Sesh with me at Electric Cobra Yoga!

Post by Electric Cobra Yoga.

#DYOM

DESIGN YOUR OWN MUG!

You get to choose and personalize your very own Pottery Verve Mug!

20 oz mug $40

16 oz mug $30

- grab a sharpie and sketch paper and draw out your design

- choose from any glaze finish

-in four to five weeks your mug will be ready to be picked up

-all special orders must be pre-paid by cash, credit, emt or paypal

LET’S DO THIS!

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March came blasting in!

It seemed like a whirlwind snowstorm brought March in! Have you seen my Electric Cobra Yoga Facebook dealio?
Click this:

Post by Electric Cobra Yoga.

It is time now for Kapha season which begins around March and continues until around June. We also know how much we all just want winter to get it over with already and bring on spring! 

I lurched around today as though watching a drone of myself carry out tasks, feeling heavy, as though my actions were working against me. When I noticed annoyance creeping up in the parking lot at the bank I gave a meagre smile out, wishing I hadn't left the house. Now that I am aware of my self care, through my yoga practice, I am inspired to find ways to cope with balancing these days of low, sluggish energy. Calling the government squashed my intentions today. My solution was a 2 slice dose of Donair pizza, big bottle of Canada Dry and two naps. My old habit of self medicating won out over any healthful solution in the moment. Going with the flow didn't really hurt that much.

After my second nap I started looking for a few yoga poses to help out my weird, sluggish body feeling. Sun Salutations are a great way to get moving! I like to promise myself to start with 3 on each side. After 3, sometimes I am ready to add in a couple more. I like to do the movements to my breath. 

Adding poses like Matsyasana Fish pose, Ustrasana Camel pose and Paripurna Navasana Boat pose  

Camel pose

to my practice today will help me release all that "i'm so sick of winter" stagnant energy from my body. You can click these links to help you get a feel for these rejuvenating poses. 

Fish pose

I started Electric Cobra Yoga so that I could help people find themselves in a yoga practice specific to their needs. And starting with some of my own needs helps me be a good listener to help teach my clients. I'm offering a Beginner Special of 3 one hour sessions to help people who believe they can't do yoga. Come on a yoga journey with me!

Boat pose