Hand Crafted
"Cocktails are a celebration of flavor and creativity." - Unknown
I have always been a crafter. I have tried my hand at all of the latest and greatest in craft projects. When I was just a child my mother would put me in art and craft classes during the summer. My earliest memory of one such class was, how to macramé. There was this husband and wife who had, what I believed to be the first and only craft store in the Inland Empire. Lucky for me they were located in my hometown of Colton, Ca in a local tourist attraction called Frontier Town. Their little shop was host to all kind of interesting crafts, but the one I was really drawn to was macramé. They made these beautiful hand tied plant holders and key chains. It was this simple homespun activity that started my passion for crafting. This passion was further fueled by the arrival of hobby stores like Beverly Crafts and Joann Fabrics. Another treasured gift I received from my mother was my love for taking pictures. I think my parents gave me my first camera when I was 8. It was a small, 110 format camera. By the time I graduated to 35 mm camera, scrap booking had becoming a thing. I was in my glory, cutting and gluing and illustrating scrap books aplenty. Eventually my crafting interests turned to painting unfinished furniture. There were different finishes like distressed and crackled. I happily created one of a kind pieces for my children’s rooms. There was a little table and chair set that had a navy blue crackle finish with sports balls painted on the top and matching chairs. Once I discovered the world of chalk paint there was no stopping me. I would often craft just for the sport of crafting. With craft projects piled high, the big question was….What do you do with it, once you have done it? I mean, outside of the furniture for my children and the scrap books I dutifully made year after year, a lot of the things I made were truly just for fun. I tried giving my crap, (I mean crafts) away, but who really wants a ceramic bunny bowl, or wine cork wreath? Ok, well in all fairness the wine cork wreaths were a hit, and my friends loved drinking the wine that provided the corks (we were repurposing before repurposing was a thing).
One year, when I was in college and very broke, my friend Traci and I decided we would make all of our Christmas tree ornaments from scraps of things we had been collecting over the years. We laid out small grapevine wreaths and dried flowers; we went through all of the ribbon we had collected from other projects, and bought whole shell walnuts to paint and hang. I don’t remember if we even had a hot glue gun back then, but that did not stop us. Week after week we worked on those ornaments, gluing, painting and glittering everything we could get our hands on. One day as we carefully inventoried our homemade ornaments with pride, we decided that we would host a party and have all of our friends and family over to help us decorate the tree. If there is one thing I like more than crafting it is hosting parties. The thrill of combining those two things, put me on the proverbial cloud nine. Side note, I still have a few of those handmade ornaments tucked away for memory sake…that was over 30 years ago.
Traci was not only my best friend but she was my room mate and travel partner, She was also the motivating force and guiding light when it came to hand crafting, well…ANYTHING! It is possible she loves making things even more than I do. I would even go so far as to say that making is nearly as important to her as breathing. She was/ is one of the most talented people I know. By the time we were in college she was a master sewer. It was nothing for her to whip out a Vogue pattern in a day. After one of our trips to Mexico, where I had fallen in love with the bedding in our hotel room, I set out on a mission to find similar fabric as Traci claimed she could make that bedding no problem. Sure enough I found the exact same pink and yellow floral fabric that had donned the bed and drapes of our hotel room in Puerto Vallarta. Traci, true to her word duplicated that bedding right down to the last detail. She made the comforter, shams, vallances and even the dust ruffle. I was in awe, of her mad skills! I still am. Today Traci has her own line of jewelry, clothing, candles and scented lotions. Her line is carried in a few select stores in Napa Valley Ca where she has lived and worked for the past 30 years as a successful graphic artist and event planner. Check her out at tracilane.com
When Traci comes down to So Cal, she will stay with my husband and me; sometimes for a few weeks at a time. She brings her Golden Retriever Hobie and a car full of things she has made or is in the process of making, lately she has been knitting. Of course she does it mostly for herself or very special friends and their new grandbabies because it is a very time consuming craft. I had no idea until I sat with her for hours watching her knit her magic.
Traci and I lost touch for a time; life just has a way of doing that sometimes. When we reconnected I discovered that we both enjoy making beautiful hand crafted cocktails. I mean, that should come as no surprise to me as Traci has been in Napa Valley for the past 30 years; wine and cocktails are their forte. Of course like everything else Traci has mastered the craft of the hand crafted cocktail. For me, it is all about the presentation. The perfect glass, infused sugars and salts for the rim, fresh squeezed juices and special garnishments are just some of the absolute must haves for crafting beautiful cocktails. I spend hours searching Pinterest for new ideas and spirit filled recipes. I try to incorporate seasonal fruits and themes into my cocktails. My favorite to date has been the blood orange martini’s. My daughter has a generously prolific blood orange tree in her back yard. Whenever I am blessed enough to receive a bag of those little beauties, I will spend hours squeezing and prepping for those rosey colored martinis. Another crowd favorite are the chocolate martini’s I make with chocolate drizzle in the glass and a chocolate bunny precariously perched on the side of the glass. Thankfully my friend Connie, as well as all of my other neighbors, are happy to oblige me and try the latest flamboyant concoction. Finally, I have found a craft that people want and there are no shortage of takers when I am shaking the shaker.
Speaking of cocktail shakers, I just ordered a new one on Amazon. If you are tired of those cocktail shakers that freeze up and are difficult to pull apart, you might want to check out the Kitessensu Hybrid Cocktail Shaker. It is hands down the best cocktail shaker I have found. While there are similar ones out there is one works really well and is moderately priced. I have included the link to Amazon for your convenience. If you get one, let me know what you think of it!
I would also love for you to shared pictures and recipes of your favorite cocktails. I am always looking for new ideas. Check out the gallery, for pictures of some of my favorite concoctions.
Pineapple Martini
1 cup ice cubes, or as needed ( I like my cocktails very cold)
4 ounces pineapple juice (I like the sparkling pineapple juice from Trader Joes)
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce triple sec
Dried Pineapple flowers for garnish. Which can be homemade or for convenience; purchased on Amazon
