Summer Newsletter
Colorado Creative Living


Beveled-Glass with Pressed Flowers Coaster Set Kits Available at a Special Price!
Go to the Purchase Craft Kits link and take advantage of the special price of $24 on our beveled-glass with pressed flowers coaster kits.

Flower Pounding Fabric
Having a difficult time finding treated fabric for flower pounding? Watch the Purchase Craft Kits page on this website for availability. Fabric will be available by the yard in either bleached or unbleached muslin.


RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Perfect Crispy Butterflied Shrimp

Preparation is the key to making these impressive, restaurant-style at home. They are easy to prepare and can be breaded and refrigerated up to a day before frying.

Makes about 25 shrimp

1 pound extra large raw shrimp (21-30 count), thawed, if frozen
1/3-cup cornstarch
2 large egg whites, beaten well with 2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups panko flakes (Japanese bread crumbs); available in Asian markets or the Asian section of the grocery store)
Canola oil for frying

1. Shell the shrimp leaving the tail intact. Lay the shrimp on a cutting board back side up. Using a sharp paring knife, slice into the entire back of the shrimp until almost cut through, as shown. Remove the vein and flatten the shrimp with your hand to form a shape resembling butterfly wings.
2. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set aside. Place the cornstarch, egg wash and panko flakes into separate shallow dishes or bowls. Dip each shrimp into the cornstarch, then the egg wash and finally the panko flakes, pressing the flakes well into the shrimp. Place shrimp onto the lined cookie sheet.
3. Heat the oil in a deep skillet, on high flame, until the handle of a wooden spoon dipped in the oil bubbles around the edge Fry the shrimp in three separate batches until lightly browned and crispy. Do not overcook. Drain onto paper towels. Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon.



CRAFT OF THE MONTH
Beaded Ceiling Charm
Craft provided by Carol Pando, a freelance graphic designer from Denver.


I wanted to make a “decoration” for my home office that could be displayed year round. I had been making jewelry for a while when I discovered form holding wire. Although it is normally used for arm length bracelets, I noticed that it would stretch lengthwise when weight was attached to end of the wire. I chose bead colors that coordinated with my office and were symbolic of peace and serenity. I decided to add charms here and there for a dangling effect and to help represent my vision. I hung my charm from the ceiling in the corner of my home office and noticed that it would spin beautifully if a breeze hit it just right.

Materials:

• form holding wire (used for bracelets)
• bead cord
• different sized beads in coordinating colors (holes need to be large enough to accommodate the wire)
• different charms of same basic subject
• crystal or crystal type bead for bottom anchor
• jewelry wire

Tools:
• bead caddy mat
• needle-nose pliers
• wire cutters


1. Using needle-nose pliers, loop the end of the wire so the beads wouldn’t fall off.
2. On a bead caddy mat, lay out the beads in random order, some spherical, long, thin, decorative, small, large, dangling; any way that interests you. Before stringing them directly on the wire, thread your bead layout onto a bead cord (in case you want to change something). Once you have determined your desired length, transfer (thread) the final beaded layout onto the prepared wire, leaving about one-inch of the wire unbeaded.
3. Bend the bare wire to form a loop large enough to hang your ceiling charm. Using a small length of jewelry wire, connect the crystal to the bottom of your finished piece by bending the wire to form a jump ring. Trim off excess wire.

Editor’s note: A great place to buy beads in Denver is The Bead Trader on S. Broadway just south of Yale Ave. They offer a large assortment of beads as well as bead jewelry making supplies.

GARDENING WITH ALTITUDE™
Shade Flowers
Most of the annuals purchased for our gardens in the spring require full sun to survive. Halfway through our recent hotter-than-usual summers, some of these plants may produce fewer flowers and may even stop producing them all together. This is especially true for potted annuals. Even the hardiest geraniums give up on flowering again until fall. You may have better luck with shade plants such as begonias, coleus or impatiens. Because they are sheltered from the intense heat of our sun, these plants, when watered properly, will flower more consistently throughout the summer. They require a little more attention but the results are worth it. Plant them in a Northern location, under trees, or hang them under a porch roof. Water often and continually pinch off any spent flowers.


WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
• In some areas of the world, shrimp can grow as large as 9 inches!.
• Shrimp start out their lives as a males and then change their gender to female.
• Mother’s Day became a public holiday on May 9th, 1914.
• The U.S. began its first regular airmail service on May 15th 1918.