We’re coming up on one year of History in Kodachrome, so I’ll be making a few tweaks in the coming months, FYI. Here’s the first one!
I’ve sent a transcribed love letter nearly every Friday for an entire year, and the stack of letters to be transcribed has gotten a lot smaller. There’s still quite a few to go, but I wanted to start rotating in more View-Master and related content (there so many rabbit holes for us to go down still!), and I wanted to add one fun feature that allows me to highlight one of my favorite things: creating stuff with my hands not my head.
So, the last Friday newsletter of the month will be a structured free-for-all post (contradictory, I know) where I’ll share anything I’ve made in the last month or so and you are free to tell me and other readers what YOU made in the comments (and post links to your art, hobbies, etc.). Feel free to leave any feedback as well. I know everyone on the internet has feelings, and we all want to shout them out. Here’s your chance.
Don’t worry: I have no intention of making this a personal blog! I’m just nosey and like to work with my hands
Let me kick it off: Here’s some stuff I made in July!
Briksmax & Lego Kits (Not affiliate links — just sharing for fun)
I’m gonna count kits among things I make because I often enjoy them and they provide me with zen living. I finished this one at the beginning of the month.
I’ve had a Hogwarts Lego Castle and some other kits for some time now (I’d put this one together and taken it apart previously). My husband bought me the lighting kits for them. So, I put this one together (again) and added the outrageously complicated Briksmax LED lighting kit. Really infuriating and difficult in ways I wasn’t expecting, to be honest. I’m not great at wiring, and I know very little about how to do any of it (or I used to know very little). It took ages to put together, so I decided I was just gonna be one of those people who have a Lego castle in their dining room for a couple of months. I’ll take it down soon, but I needed to bask in the glory of my achievements for a spell first.
I also had a Lego bonsai kit leftover from Christmas (also a gift from my husband) and I finally put that together, too! It’s a running joke in our household that I love to kill bonsai trees (I don’t, but I inevitably do) so this one just might last until a cat knocks it to the ground.
Elle Cree Paint-by-Number Kit (Not an affiliate link — just sharing for fun)
I bought matching Mr. and Mrs. Fox paint-by-number kits at a cute little gift shop early this month. I get a lot of home color scheme inspiration from Wes Anderson movies because I’m a twee white lady. I’ll be framing this and placing it somewhere in my house once my husband finishes Mr. Fox. He’s a slow painter.
Banana Bread
BAKING COUNTS as creative work, no question. I enjoy baking and making cakes and I made a loaf of my famous, deliriously good banana bread this month.
Here’s the recipe, since you’re gonna want it (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated’s Ultimate Banana Bread):
Bex’s Ultimate Banana Bread
1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
5-6 large very ripe bananas, peeled
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional:
1-2 teaspoons (ish) sparkling sugar
½ cup or so of chocolate chips (I add them at the very end before baking, if I have some in the cupboard)
INSTRUCTIONS
1
Heat oven to 335 degrees (original recipe calls for 350 degrees but tends to burn the edges in my experience). Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray (or just the line the pan with parchment paper like I do). Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.
2
Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover (with plastic wrap but cut vent holes). Microwave about 5 minutes, until bananas are soft and have released liquid. Drain bananas, reserving ¼ cup of the banana juice.
3
Whisk butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add bananas and ¼ cup banana juice. Mash with potato masher until fairly smooth.
4
Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips if using them. Scrape batter into prepared pan. If you have a 6th banana, slice it diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf. Sprinkle sparkling baking sugar evenly over loaf.
5
Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
And that’s it!
If you made it this far, be sure to ❤️ LIKE this post. But, more importantly, feel free to add a comment letting me (and others) know what you made recently.
Here is some stuff I made: https://www.thebluejaysart.com
Great job on the Legos! I put together a bouquet for my wife at Xmas. Never again.
I'm making art! Here's what I made this week: https://www.marcbryant.com/blog/joy-division-ian-curtis