Tonic Water Recipe for Sodastream

As a gift I received the ingredients and recipe for tonic water for my Sodastream. (or direct SodaStream)
-Cinchona Bark (3/4c )
-Citric Acid (1/4c)
-allspice (about 10 berries)
 -sprinkle of salt
-water (1qt)
-agave syrup (1c)
-dried lemon grass (one packet)
-limes (3)
-lemon
-orange

Zest and juice all of the fruit then mix all of the above ingredients (except agave) in a pot and boil then simmer for 30min.
  After boiling strain with a larger strainer then after a coffee filter.

After filtering add one cup of agave syrup and heat to dissolve. Once cool mix 1:3 with gin and add ice, lime wedge and sodawater. The tonic is not very sweet so additional agave syrup to taste

This recipe is modified from the internet, another in this book. Homemade Soda: 200 Recipes for Making & Using Fruit Sodas & Fizzy Juices, Sparkling Waters, Root Beers & Cola Brews, Herbal & Healing Waters, ... & Floats, & Other Carbonated Concoctions

Shrag- Devastating Bones

Hooray! My painting was included on Shrag's new 45 single Devastating Bones. From the amazing album Canines. I would describe it as in the vein of pop punk, maybe think underground railroad to candyland? I am not the best at describing music. Or better yet check out their video for one of my favorites. Rabbit Kids.

Other paintings of bones.

DIY Block Printed Christmas Wrapping Paper.

As the trend towards artisanal wrapping paper continues Mike Is Bored presents: Printing your own wrapping paper.

Block print DIY Wrapping paper- Thanks for the photo Rubidium Wu

Needed is:
Linoleum Cutter
Linoleum Blocks
Soft Rubber Brayer (AKA that roller thingy)
Graph Paper.
Paint of some sort.
Other paper to print on (TBD)

Well I guess we can start out with how to make any wallpaper pattern in case trees are not your thing.

1) The stately square without which wallpaper is but the fevered dream of a madman. 6x6 in this case. Easy to see how we can line them buggers up to make a consistent pattern. If you don't understand how to do that you can look at your trusty graph paper for an example. 

2) Now to modify the square. Any square in the graph paper can be slid to the opposite side and they will still lock up just fine. 

3) Ah. Looks like a tree already. 

4) draft of the final image is done on paper. 

5) GOOOLDEN RINGS!.... or a cut out of the pattern to trace on to the linoleum sheet.  

6) after tracing on the pattern on to the linoleum I cut it out with a box cutter. 

7) cut away all the parts of the linoleum that are not the tree using a Linoleum Cutter 

8) Roll on your ink and stamp away. 

9) I added decorations to the trees using nail polish. 

10) after making the original I had the photo printed as an engineering print at staples.

Please keep in mind that most people on your gift list might prefer squid or octopus wrapping paper.

cat that looks like hitler

This blog officially joins the internet today as I add a photo of a cat.

I know there is a whole webpage dedicated to the subject (that I heard about on a TED talk) but I was so excited to see this guy and had to share here.

Things to draw when you are bored

From the class room (the best drawing ideas have been invented when drawing while bored in class) to an airplane here are the things that I (and my brother) like to draw when bored.

 1. From chuck does art, and making as much sense as any other, can I recommend drawing a running banana with a broken arm.

2. Draw patterns that make good wallpaper. Tutorial to come.

3. Draw in 3D. Tutorial to come.

4. take an 8x10" piece of graph paper and fill every single box with a different pattern. Photo to come when I find my 5th grade notebook.

 -this post in progress send me your suggestions!-

 If you are bored enough to be reading this you should check out all my things to do when you are bored RIGHT NOW.

Experimenting again with backgrounds. This one from Mondrian: Flowers. ... And will not be using this. It makes the blog look like someones myspace page.

Modify a sodastream to make use 20oz bottles and to carbonate milk

WARNING: DO NOT DO THIS. IT DID NOT WORK AND WAS SOMEWHAT DANGEROUS. IT ALSO VOIDS WARRANTEES, MAKES BABIES CRYS AND OTHER BAD THINGS. For actual useful posts about sodastream please check out my sodastream recipes. I know we all want to carbonate whiskey, milk, coffee, wine, fruit juice and all other sorts of crazy things with the sodastream. I am also interested in carbonating smaller volumes like 2, 12, 16 and 20oz bottles. However we are sternly warned not to do this. This post documents my(so far failed) attempt to find a work around.
1)I cut 5/16" Outer Diameter (OD) vinyl tubing to about two feet in length
2)I drilled a 1/4" hole in the top of a small soda bottle
3)I pushed the tubing through the slightly smaller hole to get a tight seal.
4)I slid the tube around the soda stream
5)after filling the bottle with water and screwing on the cap I pumped two times causing the tube to detach from the sodastream the bottle to tip over and somehow dump about 1/2 of its contents without having its cap come off.
6) photo to come