Creation Sunday - "Fruit Puree" Muffins part 2 - PUMPKIN!

Today, for "Creation Sunday", Hillary is continuing her 3 part series on variations on a muffin recipe.

In last Week's Creation Sunday, I talked about my favorite Banana Muffin recipe and the minor tweaks I make to take it from awesome to "totally out of this world".  This week, We will take that same base recipe and create a great fall favorite - Pumpkin Muffins!

For our pumpkin muffins, we'll start with the same base recipe, which can be found here on the Post website. Again, my modifications generally follow the rules I set out in my cookie post. You're not going to believe how easy it is to turn these from a bright, summery banana muffin into an earthy fall pumpkin treat.

Here are the changes I make:
-Like with my Banana Muffin recipe, I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular flour.
-I add a good dash of pumpkin pie spice (or something equivalent) in with the dry ingredients.
-I use turbinado sugar instead of white sugar.
-I substitute pumpkin puree for the Bananas.  1&1/4 cups should be about right based on the number of bananas called for.  One small Banana is about 1/2 cup so 2 medium sized ones would be a little more than a cup.
-I add approx 1 tbl of molasses in with the wet ingredients.
-The one time I made these, I used low fat sour cream, but I would think that yogurt or any of the other substitutions I mentioned last week would be fine.

-I substitute Kashi Go Lean Crunch for the cereal.


Again, since this recipe is fairly low in fat, it cannot be made into pumpkin bread as the middle will not cook all the way. 

Yep, the changes are that simple.  If you think that's cool, wait 'til you see the blueberry muffin recipe!  That post may take a little longer, because I think the recipe might need the tiniest bit of tweaking, but it will absolutely be worth the wait!

Etsy Roundup - Pumpkins!

Since Halloween is around the corner, we wanted to share with you some awesome pumpkins from some extremely talented estians!

First, We have an Adorable Romper Outfit from Lil Bug's Clothing.

Next, We have a beautiful Orange Howlite Pumpkin Necklace from Rhonda's Treasures.

Third, We h ave a lovely hand knit Fall Pumpkin Hat from Handcraft Loribelle.

And, last, but not least, we have some awesome vegan friendly Sweet Pumpkin Soap by Blushie.

If you enjoyed this list, then check out "A Pumpkin of Another Color", Hillary's most recent Treasury.

That's all for today, join us on "Creation Sunday" for an awesome pumpkin muffin recipe!

New Promotion! - Caps for Coupons!

Do you have a unique microbrew or regional soda in your area with awesome bottlecaps?  Send us some and We'll give you a special coupon code for 20% off your next order!  For more details and an address to send them to, email Hillary at hippybeads@gmail.com or contact her on etsy.  Hillary loves creating bottle cap jewelry and wants new ones to play with! 

Recent work

Here are some of our new items and recent custom work. Expect to see the flower hairpins in the shop in the next couple of weeks.  We also hope to have some more awesome sun bottle caps for pendants soon!

Creation Sunday - "Fruit Puree" Muffins Pt. 1 - Banana

Today, for "Creation Sunday", Hillary is starting a 2 (or maybe 3) part series on variations on a muffin recipe.

I love baking and I love eating.  One of my favorite things for both is muffins.  They are mega tasty, easy to make and can be as nutritious or junky as you want.  Today, I want to share my favorite Banana Muffin Recipe, and over the next few weeks, we'll explore some variants on it.  First, if you're not familiar with Alton Brown's Book "I'm Just here for more food: Food X Mixing + Heat = Baking", I would strongly suggest getting your hands on it and reading the "Muffin Method" section.  It explains very clearly why you use certain ingredients, what they do and why mixing them a certain way is very important.  In fact, this book is an excellent reference and recipe book for all kinds of baking and I would highly recommend it.

So, for our banana muffins, we'll start with the base Recipe, "Banana Crunch Muffins", which can be found here on the Post website. I make a few modifications, following similar rules to what I discussed in my cookie post. 

Here are the changes I make:
-I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular flour to make it heartier, healthier, and, IMHO, more flavorful.
-I add a pinch or two of nutmeg in with the dry ingredients for a little more flavor.
-I add approx 1 tbl of molasses (or honey) in with the wet ingredients because it adds a little more flavor and because molasses and honey are more hygroscopic than sugar which means they help the muffins stay moist better than sugar.
-For the yogurt, it varies what I use:  I usually use plain nonfat yogurt, but I have used lowfat yogurt, vanilla yogurt, low fat sour cream and a host of other things as well.

-I substitute Cranberry Almond Crunch for the cereal because it gives it more varied texture and flavor than using grape nuts does.
-The final touch that I add to these muffins that I think adds that perfect little extra "pop" is sprinkling the tops with cinnamon and sugar. 

Actually, I owe the discovery of the last change to my current career as a nanny.  One day, I went to work and there were overripe bananas in the house so I asked the little girl I watch if she wanted to make muffins.  As I was searching around for spices to add in, I found the cinnamon sugar and thought it might be fun for her to sprinkle that on the tops of the muffins.   I knew it would be tasty, but I found that it took my favorite banana muffin recipe from the mountain top to pure heaven.

One note about these: Since this recipe is fairly low in fat, it cannot be made into banana bread as the middle will not cook all the way (trust me).  I have made larger single muffins in ramekins with success, but I have never tried a whole batch of large muffins in a large muffin tin, so I am not sure if that would work.

That's all for that recipe, but tune in over the next few weeks for some awesome variations on that recipe (here's a hint: they're not banana, but they're just as awesome!)...

Humanitarian Beaders and Businesses Everywhere

Last year, We shared a news story from NPR about an organization that was helping women in Manilla who would otherwise have to eat  garbage or starve by teaching them to make jewelry from trash.  We got a very positive response from our readers, so we thought you all might be interested in these stories as well.

The first is about a project in Kentucky that helps refugee women earn money by teaching them how to make jewelry and helping them make the business contacts to sell it.

The next one is about two women who started a jewelry business together and then fell into selling beading supplies.  Now, through the supply shop they own, they regularly make donations to charities, help locals who need assistance and sell the work of local jewerly artists, helping both the artist and the local economy.


The last one is about a business that specifically purchases the jewelry work of low income Ugandan women who would not easily have another way to sell or distribute their jewelry.

Hillary has been a long time supporter of humanitarian efforts and said that she thinks it is fantastic that these people found a way to turn what is often considered a "luxury" or "hobby" into something that helps people in need of financial assistance.  We hope you enjoyed the stories!  Come back soon for more blog updates with interviews, new jewelry pieces and more news.  Thanks for stopping by!

Creation Sunday - Handmade Upcycled Scarf Journal

It is getting ever closer to the holidays again and Hillary is making some fantastic things for her friends anf family.  However, she can't post them here until after the holidays.  So, today Hillary is going to share with you a project she made for her mother last Christmas.
My mother keeps a journal regularly and loves having pretty books to write her thoughts in.  Last Christmas, I made her this lovely book using the instructions in this video.

For my version of the project, I bought a purple plaid fleecey, flannely, scarf from the thrift store and cut it in half cross-wise.  The scarf ended up being an excellent choice because the pattern was pretty, the scarf was exactly the right width across, the fringe was a nice, decorative touch and the fabric did not fray at all. In addition to the pretty fabric, I used a dark red thread for a bit of contrast and a hand painted a black button that I painted myself with bright colors of acryllic paint.  The only thing I did differently as far as technique is that I got a small awl from my local leather-working shop to help punch holes through all the paper and fabric.
As you can see, it turned out beautifully.  This was an excellent, personal gift that was both easy and inexpensive to make.  We hope you enjoyed seeing our project and hope it has inspired you to create!