bubolina & bublico blog

2011-01-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

HOMEMADE BOZA

Boza is old and popular drink in Macedonia, usually sold in the pastry shops. It is made from various kinds of grains, corn, wheat, bulgur... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boza

It is rich in proteins, vitamin E and all natural. For this homemade boza I used:

-1 cup bulgur

-1 cup sugar

-1/2 teaspun vanilla

-3 cups water

PART 1

wash and drain the bulgur, soak in water and let it rest overnight. Transfer the bulgur in large pot and add 3 cups water. Cook on medium temperature about 3 hours, if you have a pressure cooker you can cook for 30 min. on constant medium heat.

PART 2

Take the boiled bulgur out of the stove, add additional 3 cups of water and squeeze all the liquid out using cheesecloth. The result will be thick and milky liquid. Add additional water if too thick to achieve milkshake like consistency. Add sugar to taste, you can increase the amount if you prefer sweeter.

PART 3

Let the liquid ferment for about 2-3 days until lightly carbonated, and fermenting bubbles appear on the surface. Store in refrigerator until cold and serve as a refreshment in the hot summer days.

***You can speed up the fermenting process by adding about 5 grams of dry yeast about 1/4 of the package.

Photo of the Week, Oct, 27th, 2010

2010-10-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

one of the many photos my 5 year old takes around the neighborhood. Woodside, NY

Aluminum Kitchen Backsplash

2010-08-28T18:50:00.001-07:00

One of my recent projects this year, installing cheap and durable backsplash in my kitchen.

After long research considering tiles, stain proof plastic, glass and stainless steel, I decided to use aluminum panels. It has the same clean look as the stainless but much more easier to work with , lighter, easy to cut and does not hold fingerprints as much as the stainless.

This backsplash was about $100.00 off course I did not pay for the labor as it was all done by my super crafty husband. The aluminum sheaths size 15"x24" were purchased on e-bay, and they fit perfect because i had only 18" space between the overhead cabinets and the countertop + I wanted to add the suspension rod above the backsplash for my cutlery basket and the dish drainer.

For backing 1/4" plywood was used. Important is to find as much straight piece of board as possible. Measuring and cutting openings for the electrical outlets on the wall.

Before applying the glue (we used contact cement) all the outlets are cut in the aluminum sheaths also. I used the first piece of aluminum at the edge of the wall outlet because it was easier to cut the rectangular opening like this and it made sense for the joint to be positioned here.

The first piece is installed. Next to follow.

At the end after the aluminum sheaths are all glued and dried, aluminum "L" edging was also glued to the panel. The corners were mitered. I had to use some caulk at the wall as it was not perfectly straight.

Perfect!

Make Memories with Memories

2008-12-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays everyone!

as always, this year i ended up getting lots of Christmas greeting cards from my dear friends and family, and i have such a hard time throwing them away. i actually found few from the last year attached on the refrigerator. i got an idea to recycle them and make nice homemade picture frames.

i measured piece of felt to fit to the size of the greeting card. allowed 1/4 inch space for the stitching.

then i crocheted the frame around the stitched felt. i used different color thread to separate the stitches, and added thread on top for hanging.

left one side of the frame unstitched to slide the card and the photo inside,

the finishing touch was adding little purple butterflies at the edge with matching color thread as the stitching.

Pinecones Holiday Ideas

2008-12-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here are few ideas what to do with some pine cones that you can find in the park or in the woods. Every year i collect pinecones that i use for christmas decorations. shown on the picture below is everything you need for these craft projects.
1. HOME DECOR, LIGHT FIXTURE ORNAMENTS

in case you don't have a room for a christmas tree you can decorate your light fixtures. this is plain and simple decoration as I like the look of the pinecones alone. i used twine jute rope to tie these three pinecones together.

then i hung them on the ceiling light fixture and added a velvet ribbon around the tie. if needed additional christmas ball ornament can be added.

2

2008-12-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

PINECONE COCKTAIL RING these are beautiful little pinecones that i found in Central Park, and they make a beautiful cocktail ring and broach. first you need to finish the surface of the ring. if no lacquer available, just use clear nail polish.
i used cheap acrylic green ring for the ring

and here it is!

.

3

2008-12-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT LITTLE WINTER FAIRY
for this ornaments besides the pinecone, you will also need some ping-pong balls, felt, wool or cotton, glitter and ribbon.
fist glue the wool to the pingpong ball. cut small square felt pieces and glue them to the ball as eyes. cut triangular piece of felt and glue on top of the wool as head scarf.

add some gold glitter at the edges of the pinecone. glue the ball on top of the cone. some glittering ribbon can be added for decor around the neck, or just plain red ribbon.

the last step is painting the mouth and sewing treat at top of the head scarf for hanging on the christmas tree.

my first Front Page featured item on Etsy

2008-11-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

RECYCLED T-SHIRT SCARF

2008-11-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

Don't throw away your old t-shirt. here is an idea how to make fun and unique scarf using this easy pattern.

1. For this scarf i used two different shades of red t-shirts, white cotton yarn and two yellow buttons.

2. Cut the t-shirt in long strip approximately 1/2" wide. the width can be bigger depending on the thickness of the shirt. it needs to be wide enough so it doesn't tear.

3. roll the long strip into ball.

4. the pattern is simple. cast 15 stitches. first row knit second row knit and add stitch after every knit so at the end you have 30 stitches. third row knit reverse and release every added stitch from the previous row. repeat second and third rows until you reach the desired length.

5. mixing other colors or yarn will add some additional detailing onto the scarf. I left the knots and ends exposed.

6. when finished add two decorative buttons or wear as is.

New Booties Design at Bublico

2008-10-30T10:23:00.001-07:00

here are the newest bublico baby booties featuring panoramic city skyline with glow in dark windows. the idea was inspired by this awesome Etsy mommy
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5841305
who suggested making the baby booties non slippery.

Halloween child costume- Little Elfin

2008-10-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

here is an idea for quick halloween elfin costume. what you need is old green colored fleece blanket, 2 artificial leaf branches with approx. 30 leafs, old gray or green t-shirt, pair of green tights or in our case we used green pajamas.
hat and leggings
fold the blanket in half and cut two pieces of blanket as show on the picture for the hat and the little leggings

stitch or glue the pieces as shown on the photo above. you should verify the dimensions with your child's actual dimensions.

this is how the hat looks like

for warmer weather use only adult size shirt over green pajamas.

outfit

sew the artificial leafs to the jacket, shirt or shoes as shown on the photo: