My Dystopian Life

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Tag: DIY

I Finally Finished My Post-Apocalyptic Themed Pleather Jacket!!!!

October 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments

This jacket is pretty much the collimation of years of post-apocalyptic book and film fandom. Considering how utterly crappy the world is right now it is also timely. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and economic meltdown and this jacket faces it head-on. No butterflies and toxic happiness.

This is an actual pleather Killstar jacket that I got online for really cheap. It has features to it that make it ripe for DIY work. I know that some DIY enthusiasts would give me shit about this fact, but why should I spend hundreds on a similar style jacket? Plus, if I majorly messed up on it somehow it wouldn’t get me bummed because I didn’t spend that much on it.

On the back I used a deglazer to get the dirt off of the surface before painting it with Angelus acrylic leather paint. This was my first time painting on pleather so I added a hardener to the paint so that it is more flexible and won’t crack as easily. I started all of the painting with a layer or two of white paint first so that the other colours would pop more. I didn’t add a hardener to the green paint because if the piping looks raggedy that doesn’t really matter because it would be easy to touch it up. Lastly, I used stencils for the bombs, mushroom cloud, cityscape and the radiation/pandemic symbols.

I got all of the pins on the jacket from Etsy. There are so many nice enamel pins for sale on there that it can be very difficult as to which ones to buy. Plus, it’s a great place to find spikes and studs. So far I have decided not to put any on this jacket but I may change my mind.

So what is my next project going to be? I have a distressed Killstar denim jacket that I got for very cheap, and I plan to hand-sew dystopian/post-apocalyptic film themed patches to it. Stay tuned!!!

Yummy Pumpkin Spice Cookie(UK biscuit) Recipe

September 28, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I love anything pumpkin spice flavoured. Since I am a US transplant to the UK it is very difficult for me to find anything pumpkin spice flavoured because it has not become a ‘thing’ here yet. However, Waitrose carries cans of pumpkin puree so not all hope is lost! Plus, you can just order some online along with premixed pumpkin spice.

I make this recipe on a pretty regular basis because it is so easy to do. If you have children this would be a great recipe to make with them because it’s very difficult to mess up, and it’s okay to mix it up a lot.

This recipe is from the US, so if you are in the UK you will have to make some adjustments. Don’t worry though because it’s honestly not a big deal, and I will add those details.

INGREDIENTS

1 box of spice cake mix (In the UK use 1 box of any vanilla cake mix) Mixes in the UK are slightly smaller but that doesn’t matter.

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree. Again the size in the UK is slightly different and that’s okay.

In the UK add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice blend. This is easy to order online or you can even make your own.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F or 175 C (155 C for fan assisted ovens)

Line you cookie sheet with parchment baking type paper or grease your sheet.

In a large bowl empty the cake mix, and in the UK also add your pumpkin spice and blend together.

Add the can of pumpkin and stir together until all lumps are gone.

Place rounded spoonfuls onto your cookie sheet. I tend to make them a little larger but just do whatever size suits you.

Check them at 18 minutes. I always take them out when they are visibly brown on top. I like them with a little crunch. Remove them after a few minutes to a wire rack to cool.

These cookies(biscuits in the UK) are very moist and are basically little yummy cakes! I get about 26 from this mix and I can eat them all within 48 hours!

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