DIY Les Misérables 24601 T-shirt

After going to see the iconic musical Les Misérables, based on the Victor Hugo novel, my husband and I came out of the theatre singing "One More Day". We stopped by the souvenir shop at the exit to quickly glance at the overpriced products, when he saw a long-sleeve 24601 t-shirt that he loved. 24601 is the prisoner number of Jean Valjean, the main character, and it is sung in some of the songs. The shirt was also about $40.

The official t-shirt.

I immediately told him not to spend his money, as I figured a similar shirt would be quite easy to make… and it was. I got a plain black t-shirt from Wal-mart, number stencils from the dollar store, and white acrylic paint I already had (although you can also use white fabric paint, they will both work).

I first passed a lint-roller through the surface of the shirt to make sure the paint will adhere properly onto the fabric. Then I played around using a ruler and the stencils to make sure they were in a straight line and evenly spaced out. Next I used a little bit of tape to hold them in place. I used my left hand to further hold the stencils in place when I was applying the paint. Not a lot of paint was needed, just enough to cover the fabric evenly.

I waited a few minutes and took the stencils off carefully. Then I waited for the paint to be completely dried, and then I ironed the design, using another piece of fabric in between the shirt/paint and the iron.

The shirt was a success! My husband was over the moon, and immediately put it on. Also, the stencil design I chose and the black and white colours used, further the prisoner look that Jean Valjean is all about.

Stencils used (from the dollar store!).

Final product, yay!

Vegan (Duck) Apple Pie

There's no ducks involved in this recipe, except for the cute ones made of crust covering the top of this delicious vegan apple pie. It is one of my most coveted recipes, and I must say every time I make this pie it disappears within hours. I also make it with whole wheat flour and minimal sugar, so it ends up being healthier than most!

This recipe is good for three small pies (9" diameter pans). You will need:

For the crust,
- 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 2 sticks (16 tbsp) of Earth Balance
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Ice-cold water

For the filling,
- About 9 medium apples, any kind, although I like honeycrisp apples
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Whole wheat flour

To make the crust,

Mix all the crust ingredients thoroughly except for the water in a large bowl. After you have a nice consistency, slowly pour some of the cold water and mix. This will help the dough become more sticky and less dry. Add more water as necessary until you have a nice doughy consistency. Divide the dough in six equal parts and put them in the fridge for one hour.

To make the filling,

In the meantime, peel and slice your apples in nice thin wedges and put in a bowl. Sprinkle them with a bit of nutmeg, cinnamon, powdered cloves, and the whole wheat flour. Mix lightly until all apples are covered with some of these ingredients.

Now combine,

Preheat your oven to 425 °F. Take one of the pieces of dough and flatten in a circular shape. This will be the bottom of your pie. Place it in one of the 9" circular pans and make sure it covers all its surface, from the centre up to the borders. Place a third of the sliced apples inside in a nice concentric way, starting on the outside and making your way to the center. Then take out another of the pieces of dough, flatten, and using a cookie cutter in any shape (I used ducks and stars) start cutting the dough and placing it on top of the apples. Keep flattening and re-using the dough until you use it all up. Repeat these steps with the other four pieces of dough and extra apple slices to make two more pies. Sprinkle the top with a bit of brown sugar before placing in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden. Once it is done, let cool for about 10 minutes before you dig in. Enjoy!

Image Transfer on Wood

I just finished doing my first image transfer on wood, after seeing the how-to here. 

I had previously attempted to do it on canvases (see image below), but this is by far my favourite result. I used a black and white photo I took of my brother and his girlfriend walking in Bruges, and I gave the piece as part of their Christmas gift. They loved it. I will do a couple more for my fiance and me from some of our trips.

The wood piece I got from Michaels, I used Glossy Mod Podge, and printed the image on regular paper using an inkjet printer.