#Cake Box manufacturer

[shrisaiprinters]

India’s Trusted Packaging Box Wholesaler: Top Corrugated Box Manufacturer in India | Shri Sai Printers

Welcome to the world of innovative packaging solutions! If you're on the lookout for top-quality corrugated boxes in India, look no further than Shri Sai Printers. As a trusted name in the industry, Shri Sai Printers is renowned for its commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. Let's dive into why they are considered one of the Best Printing and Packaging Box Manufacturers in India.

The Importance of Packaging Boxes

Packaging boxes play a crucial role in safeguarding products during storage, transportation, and display. They not only protect items from damage but also serve as a marketing tool. Imagine receiving a package with flimsy packaging – the first impression would be negative. On the other hand, sturdy and well-designed packaging can enhance brand perception and attract customers.

Moreover, packaging boxes help in organizing inventory efficiently, making it easier for businesses to manage their products. They also contribute to sustainability efforts by minimizing waste through recyclable materials. In today's competitive market, unique and eye-catching packaging can set a brand apart from its competitors.

Choosing the right packaging box manufacturer is essential to ensure quality, durability, and customization options that align with your brand image. Shri Sai Printers stands out as a trusted partner in providing top-notch packaging solutions tailored to meet diverse business needs.

Why Choose Shri Sai Printers?

When it comes to choosing a packaging box wholesaler in India, Shri Sai Printers stands out for several reasons.

First and foremost, Shri Sai Printers has built a reputation for being a trusted and reliable partner for businesses of all sizes. With years of experience in the industry, they understand the importance of quality packaging that not only protects products but also enhances brand image.

Moreover, Shri Sai Printers offers a wide range of products to meet diverse packaging needs. From corrugated boxes to custom-designed packaging solutions, they have it all under one roof.

Products Offered by Shri Sai Printers

Shri Sai Printers offers a wide range of packaging solutions to meet diverse needs. From corrugated boxes to customized packaging, they have it all. Their product line includes shipping boxes, display boxes, retail packaging, and more. Each box is crafted with precision and attention to detail.

Gift Packaging Boxes: - As a premier Gift Packaging Box Manufacturer in India, we specialize in crafting high-quality, customizable boxes that elevate any gift. Our designs cater to various occasions and styles, ensuring your presentation is as memorable as the gift itself. Utilizing eco-friendly materials and innovative techniques, we deliver exceptional packaging solutions that reflect sophistication and sustainability. Perfect for personal, corporate, and retail needs.

Paper Bags Manufacturer: - Our company specializes in Paper Bags suppliers in India. It provideshigh-quality, eco-friendly paper bags. With a commitment to sustainability, we offer a variety of customizable options to meet your packaging needs. Our durable and stylish bags are perfect for retail, grocery, and promotional uses. Partner with us for innovative, environmentally responsible packaging solutions.

Customization and Design Options

When it comes to packaging boxes, customization and design options play a crucial role in standing out from the competition. At Shri Sai Printers, we understand the importance of offering a wide range of customization choices to cater to our clients' diverse needs.

From choosing the right size and shape to selecting unique printing designs and finishes, our team works closely with each client to bring their vision to life. Whether you need custom branding, intricate patterns, or vibrant colors, we have the expertise to make it happen.

Quality and Durability of Packaging Boxes

When it comes to packaging boxes, quality and durability are of utmost importance. Shri Sai Printers takes pride in offering top-notch corrugated boxes that are built to last.

Their packaging solutions are designed to withstand the rigors of transportation and storage, ensuring your products reach their destination safely. The sturdy construction of their boxes provides an added layer of protection for your goods.

As one of the Top Corrugated Box wholesalers in India, their commitment to quality, customization options, and durability sets them apart from the competition. With a wide range of products including corrugated boxes, cartons, and more, Shri Sai Printers caters to diverse packaging needs across various industries. Their attention to detail and focus on customer satisfaction make them the go-to choice for businesses looking for reliable packaging solutions.

If you have a query, please contact us

Name: - Shyam Gupta

Email: - marketing@shrisaiprinters.com

Phone: - +91 9899350149

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[hsiteplasticpackage]

The Good Manufacturers Of Transparent Cake Boxes

When it comes to packaging delicate and scrumptious cakes, Transparent Cake Boxes Manufacturers have emerged as industry leaders. With their commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainable practices, these manufacturers have revolutionized the way cakes are stored, transported, and presented. We will aims to delve into the world of transparent cake box manufacturing, highlighting their significance in the market and the advantages they bring to both businesses and customers.

The Rise of Transparent Cake Boxes: Transparent Cake Boxes Manufacturers have gained immense popularity due to their ability to showcase mouthwatering cakes while ensuring their freshness and protection. The transparent packaging allows customers to visually appreciate the vibrant colors and artistry of the cake, enticing them to make a purchase.

Innovative Designs and Materials: Leading manufacturers continuously strive to introduce innovative designs and use high-quality materials in their transparent cake boxes. These boxes are crafted using food-grade materials such as PET or PVC, which provide good resistance to heat, moisture, and odor. This ensures that the cakes remain fresh and hygienic throughout their shelf life.

Personalization Options: Transparent Cake Boxes Manufacturers understand the importance of brand identity and customer preferences. Hence, they offer customization options to create personalized cake boxes that align with each bakery's branding. From branded logos and patterns to custom shapes and sizes, these manufacturers tailor their products to meet the unique requirements of their clients.

Convenience and Portability: Transparent cake boxes are designed to provide enough convenience and portability. The box structure ensures easy assembly and closure, eliminating the need for additional packaging materials. Handle options and sturdy constructions make transportation hassle-free, ensuring that the cake arrives in good condition.

Environmental Sustainability: Transparent Cake Boxes Manufacturers pay great attention to sustainable practices in the production of their packaging solutions. They employ eco-friendly materials, such as biodegradable or recyclable plastics, reducing their ecological footprint. By opting for transparent cake boxes manufactured by these companies, businesses can showcase their commitment to environmental preservation.

Cost-effectiveness: Transparent cake boxes offer an ideal balance between quality and affordability. The manufacturers' expertise in improving material usage combined with efficient production processes enables them to provide cost-effective solutions without compromising on durability or aesthetics. This both large-scale bakeries and small home-based businesses.

Warranty of Freshness: One of the standout features of transparent cake boxes is their ability to keep the cake fresh for longer. The airtight seals and protective barriers prevent moisture or air from compromising the taste and texture of the cake, guaranteeing that it stays irresistibly fresh until it reaches the customer.

Endless Applications: Transparent cake boxes find application beyond traditional bakeries. They are also widely used by pastry shops, cafes, wedding planners, and event organizers to showcase their sweet creations. The versatility of these boxes caters to various occasions, ensuring an impressive display while preserving the cake's quality.

Transparent Cake Boxes Manufacturers have transformed the cake packaging industry by providing elegant and practical solutions that enhance the visual appeal and freshness of cakes. With their commitment to innovation, sustainability, and customization, these manufacturers continue to set high standards within the market. By choosing transparent cake boxes from these manufacturers, businesses can create a lasting impression and elevate their customer experience while preserving the mouthwatering delight that is a freshly baked cake.

[procurit]

Get Customized Cake Boxes Manufacturer in India - Procurit

If you’re in search of a reliable customized cake boxes manufacturer in India, look no further than Procurit. Let’s explore the key features that make Procurit the ideal choice for customized cake boxes.

Original source of content - Customized Cake Boxes Manufacturer in India

[3liza]

the best part of playing the sims has always been the emergent gameplay which is heavily directed by bugs and malfunctions within the AI framework. this is like a perpetual motion engine that generates absurdist comedy. for some reason my current sims game has a quirk where every NPC is irresistibly drawn to baking white cakes in my kitchen. there are currently 6 whole cakes in my refrigerator and I have to watch every sim like a hawk in order to interrupt their attempts to bake more. neighbors will come to my lot, let themselves into my actual house, and make a beeline to the kitchen to start bulk manufacturing Betty Crocker boxed cake mix birthday cakes. always plain white/yellow vanilla with sprinkles. I cannot sell them. I cannot delete them. they are gently and proudly deposited on every surface of my house. cakes are manifesting physically in my home

[mooncakeboxes]

Celloglazing enhances durability

Foiling involves stamping a thin piece of metallic film onto the cardstock, to create a sense of luxury. Aside from engaging graphic design and effective messaging, there are many cosmetic packaging printing factors to consider when designing custom packaging. Stocks / Materials Material selection is an extremely important aspect of custom cosmetic packaging design.The product&air pots manufacturers for sale39;s shape, size and robustness will help to determine the most appropriate shape/type of packaging. You must ensure that your custom printed cosmetic packaging is loud and attractive enough as to differentiate your product/s from that of your petitors. Celloglazing enhances durability, whilst creating a premium finish. Since 1987 our CEO Mark Shergill, along with his family and the Focus Print Group team, have been working diligently to provide the highest quality, most advanced and widest range of print solutions to our clients. No matter what type of packaging it is, everything from Paperboard and Cardboard Boxes, to Stand Up Pouches & Box Bottom Bags can be custom printed with a range of materials, finishes and shapes. The overall shape of the packaging can also be customised with a custom Die.000sqms of print facilities across Australia delivering thousands of print solutions every year. With more than 30 years experience and an all in-house state of art premises, our team is ready to bring your ideas to life. A range of colours are available, including gold, silver, copper, pink, green, white and many more. Through adding embellishments such as foiling, you can elevate the status of your product to that of a premium product, whilst creating an attention grabbing design. When selecting the most appropriate paper stocks for your cosmetic packaging printing, consider the following options: Gloss: Gloss paper has a shiny surface and is available in different sheens, ranging from semi-gloss to high gloss. Matte: Matte paper stocks has a very low sheen and displays colour in much more muted tones than glossy surfaces, for that reason this type of stock brings a nice smooth and natural feeling to the print. Therefore, it only makes sense to have beautifully printed cosmetic packaging that is designed to accentuate the best features of your product and get your brand message across. Other finishes, such as foiling can be applied on top of the embossed/debossed design, to further accentuate the design. Specialty stocks: coloured, textured and metallic stocks can bring a unique feeling to your packaging and stand out from the petitors. When undertaking a cosmetic packaging printing project, your printer will be able to help you select the best packaging type. Recycled paper: The raw appearance of Recycled stocks gives a sense of sustainability and can help to portray a powerful environmentally responsible brand message. Celloglazing: A thin film is applied to the print with heat and pressure.

Focus Print Group started out as a small shop front in Marrickville, and has grown into a more than A metal Die is pressed into the cardstock, so that the design is shown as a raised or sunken surface. Plastic: for some types of cosmetic products such as make up wet tissues, stand up pouches and box bottom bags are the best solution due it's barrier and protection properties. Shapes/ Styles The shape/type of packaging will depend # largely on the product itself. Below are some mon options to get you started: Crash Lock Boxes: Crash Lock Boxes are very easy to assemble, cutting packing time and reducing strain on workers. The film has a silky feel and can be applied with a matte or gloss finish. The packaging for your cosmetic products acts as your brand's voice to municate directly with your customers. Snap Lock: Also know as 123 bottom, the Snap lock boxes are cost effective and can be assembled in 3 easy steps. Custom Die Cuts: Custom shapes can be cut out of the cosmetic packaging to create windows to enhance product visibility. Finishes The Finishes you choose for your cosmetic packaging printing can help to municate the price point of your product, whilst making your packaging stand out from petitors.

The box es flat packed and with one swift movement, the bottom of the box folds outwards and locks into place, without the need for taping. In the retail environment there are so many voices attempting vying for the attention of shoppers. Your choice of materials will play a key role in municating your brand message, though it will also serve to keep the product safe, whilst being displayed in-store and in transit. If you are looking for a reliable supplier to design and produce the best packaging solutions for your products, contact Focus Print Group today. A glossy finish implies a sense of 'luxury' and results in high colour saturation which creates vibrant imagery. The UV coating can also be applied all over the packaging to create an elegant finish.

[facts-i-just-made-up]

How do you build a atomic bomb?

Easily!

All you need are a few household items, a little bit of patience, and a Class 1 Top Security clearance for the manufacture of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons under the Fermi laws of 1954 contingent to permission from the United Nations Security Council.

You're gonna need-

A box of matches

A blender

Tape

Some wire mesh (Like a window screen, for sifting)

Cake mix (Yellow sponge cake works best)

Ziplock bags

String

Ice cubes (The cold kind, not the rapper/actor)

A toilet paper tube

A Catholic Missal

An empty kitty litter bucket

First, you're gonna need two rare substances- Weapons grade uranium and "heavy" water. For the uranium, just take your yellow cake mix and sift it with the wire mesh. Whatever stays on top of the mesh- That's weapons grade. For the heavy water, take some ice cubes, which are heavier than water but still made of water, and put them in the blender. By breaking up the ice cubes and releasing the water, you keep the weight but make it a fluid. This is a process that scientists call "Putrefaction".

To build the weapon, pack some uranium into one end of the toilet paper tube and then cover that end with the Catholic Missal. This guarantees what we call a "Critical Mass" of uranium. Then take a smaller wad of uranium and pack it into the other end of the tube, leaving plenty of space between the two.

Tape the box of matches to that end of the tube. It will act as an explosive device to send the "bullet" of uranium into the critical mass, thus resulting in a nuclear fission explosion.

You now have a nuclear fission device! This device has a yield equal to about 10 thousand tons of T.N.T. But fission is for wimps, right? So let's turn that fission bomb, into a fusion bomb!

Tape your string to the matches to act as a fuse, and then put the nuclear warhead in a ziplock bag. Be sure to seal it tight! Now place that assembly into the kitty litter bucket. Make sure it's empty of kitty litter before the next step.

Fill the rest of the bucket with the heavy water you made in step one, and seal the top of the kitty litter bucket with the string still poking out. Once the fuse is lit, it will light the matches and detonate the nuclear fission bomb. This acts as a heat source to boil the heavy water, and when heavy water boils- Nuclear Fusion!

Congratulations, your bomb is now complete. Remember that it's illegal to carry or detonate a nuclear fusion warhead in public (except in Texas), and bear in mind this will be quite a bit stronger than your usual firecrackers. We recommend only setting off your nuclear device on official U.S. testing grounds, such as the desserts of New Mexico or islands in the Pacific only populated by tribes under no country's protection, because that's seriously what the U.S. did.

So play safe and have a good time,

-facts-i-just-made-up.tumblr.com

[roo-bastmoon]

Last time I'm gonna get into this...

Within the past 24 hours, there have been FIVE attacks on Weibo with paid hashtags against Jeon Jungkook.

JK has been accused of cheating on a blonde girlfriend, leaving a string of broken hearts, getting a girl pregnant, inappropriate behavior at what looks like a club or karaoke bar, and sexually harassing female staff. These accusations are being systematically criticized and debunked when errors are pointed out.

Clearly, there is a smear campaign coinciding with the release of 3D.

Now look, I cannot promise you that all the "evidence" is manufactured. But it's definitely being weaponized. So I'd ask you to just keep an open mind, use your critical thinking skills, and be patient, because this isn't the first time rumors like this have exploded and it won't be the last. Sometimes it takes a while for the truth to come to light.

You'll never catch me in these streets acting like a cult member. I'm not going to sit here and draw up schematics and comparison photos in some desperate attempt to convince the timeline of anything. Nor am I going to say someone rented a similar apartment, staged it with mood lamps and a doberman, and then had an actor wear a mask to set up JK (more likely, it's a random couple that got filmed without their knowledge). I won't delve into conspiracy theories about companies or competitors or comebacks or cosplayers or any of that.

If later it turns out that Jungkook has a partner other than Jimin, I really hope all the members of this community join me in quietly accepting that and calmly wishing him and Jimin well. The vast majority of people here do not ship them because they are pretty dolls to play with, but celebrate them because they are wonderful human beings with a unique, decade-long relationship that makes us light up inside.

Their bond and their characters speak for themselves. And until they tell us otherwise (or, sadly, until REALLY CONCRETE evidence is leaked--which will be hard to prove in a post-fact world full of AI and deep fakes), we can theorize all day long about their behavior and what it means for their personal lives, but only the Tannies ever truly know what the Tannies are going through.

And as frustrated as we are with not knowing, they have a right to keep it that way.

So please get out of my ask box and instead refocus your energy (she said lovingly). The ajumas are most definitely planning a last minute crazy-cakes push on idolplus and the gap in votes is nowhere near safe for Jimin. It's all hands on deck!! We have less than two days to get the only remaining BTS member his end-of-year award before he serves his country, so please make accounts and VOTE.

Also please stream and buy the new releases to the best of your ability, of course.

And finally, if you have the energy, take a moment to lift someone else up today. Even if it's just a kind word in their inbox. Be a good human and do something gentle and nurturing for yourself while you're at it.

Chins up, my puppykitties. We gotta pull ourselves together.

We are ARMY, and we have battles to win.

Plus, tomorrow begins Jimtober. You guys remember Jimin? Here, let JK help you out with that.

Okay, byyyyyyeeee.

P.S. I love you guys.

[arsonsara]

Welcome Home Theory that's been running around in my brain. In the recent update, Food comes up quite a few times. Sally asking Poppy to bake her a cake, Sally buying some goods from Howdy, Frank helping Poppy to bake and the multiple times we see Frank in his garden, using chopped up vegetables as fertilizer.

One thing I noticed in particular, especially when it came to Sally, is that Sally doesn't particularly assign the concept of Eating with Flavor at all. Howdy sold Sally a box of Soap Flakes as Instant-Mashed Potatoes, a Sponge for Bread, and Wood Chips & Sawdust as Cereal. And when asking Poppy for a cake, she was more interested in the cake's aesthetically qualities more-so than how it actually tasted. Now this could just be seen Howdy fleecing Sally and Sally being quirky, but I couldn't help but feel that was...weird. Especially the idea of Howdy selling Sally a bunch of actual junk and calling it food. Sure, he seemed eccentric but he wouldn't sell anything to a friend that could actually hurt them just for a quick buck! Heck, he doesn't even take money! What reason would he have to fleece Sally, much less recklessly endanger her like that? Than there's Poppy and Frank with their...muffins? I mean, they're baked in Muffin Tins but they're just an amalgam of seeds and peanut putter from the sounds of things! And aside from the Peanut Butter it doesn't sound edible, it sounds more like a cartoonishly exaggerated idea of what a Giant Puppet Bird would eat from an aesthetic perspective, not so much a realistic one.

My guess is the Puppets don't have access to actual food. They probably couldn't even eat actual food! They're puppets! Everything they "Eat" are arts-and-craft amalgams or props of what would look like food for a show!

It would also put more focus on when Frank said "You eat with your eyes first." Whether he knew it or not, that's literal! It doesn't matter if it's actual food, just if it looks like it!

The only thing that could disprove this theory are the decomposing vegetables in his garden. Wheras every other bit of food we've seen could be written off as meant to look like food and not act like it, his torn up peppers and tomatoes look fairly realistic. That being said, they also don't look decomposed either. They look like they were freshly torn into and just plopped onto the ground. But at the same time, it's hard to say. Now, what does this imply? So what if the Puppets are eating fake food? Well, it's just a hunch, but I think this adds credence to the idea that the world the Puppets exist in is fake and manufactured, like the show they supposedly come from.

Another detail in the Bug Videos is that, as opposed to the Lost Media that was posted onto the website, the Bug Videos are far more candid and calm. They feel more like Slice of Life segments than they do cut up moments from the show!

I think this is meant to imply two things! 1. The Puppets in Welcome Home are real. And I mean that as in, they aren't just puppets. They have feelings, emotions, and they do things when the cameras aren't rolling. They have lives outside of the show they're a part of and broadcasted at towards children. 2. This world is fake, and was made by someone. More than likely the Playfellow Workshop. Whether or not this is a literal world the staff made, or simply that the Puppets see the sets they live in as a world and the Playfellow Workshop does a good job to prevent the puppets from being Truman Show'ed is another thing. Heck, maybe it isn't even the Playfellow Workshop! Maybe it's another third, unknown entity we have yet to encounter! Either way, I get the feeling this theme of the Puppets being in a Fake World, as well as the details of Wally pushing past the fourth wall of reality, imply that the story takes place in two realities: The real world, and the puppet world, and that the main conceit of the story and the horror come from how the two worlds blur together.

[goretier]

I'm really excited about the green knight and I think I can guess what full animal is, but what is Warm Gun? 👀👀👀

Hi Vio :3 it’s some more little Helmut/the soldier I’ve had cooking for months and have never given my full attention. I’ve only got about 700 words that I like but it’s about the soldier cleaning his guns and then Helmut cleaning him! Or, it will be. Right now it’s about the firing range, lol. Here’s what I’ve got if you’re interested :9

Heinrich had an outdoor range put in soon after the Soldier came to live with them. Helmut remembered the groundskeeper shaking his head as a team of contractors dug up and plowed flat a thick stripe of land where the edge of the forest abutted their wide, grassy lawn. The smell of fresh and wet dirt lingered in the air for months after, even though the men had it finished within a week.

It was sort of simple in design, Helmut would guess. Just a single, very large dirt impact berm, with a thick concrete back and heavy wooden sides containing it to the left and right. It had no permanent firing stand so the Soldier could be made to set up at any distance from paper targets or ballistic gels and unload hundreds of bullets in an afternoon.

In summertime his father might have a tent erected along the firing lane if it pleased him to supervise his practice. Helmut would watch from his room as teams of servants relayed between the tent and the back kitchen door like a trail of ants, carrying trays of sandwiches, carafes of chilled wine, and stacks of paper for his father, and olive green ammo boxes for the Soldier by the hand truck.

By the end of the Soldier’s first summer in their care the hard-packed earth before the targets was glittering with casings all down the range like gold in a dry riverbed. The sheer volume of spent rounds made cleanup impossible, and as such the groundskeeper only allowed his most decrepit lawnmowers to pass over the dirt there when the grass and wildflowers began to return. And though the land was forever changed, eventually the scar began to fade.

Surprisingly, the rewilding didn’t bother his father much; the Soldier kept a three-foot wide lane of dirt stamped clear up and down the length of it well enough. Depending on the season his boots were caked in mud, dry-brushed with pollen, or dusted with silt, and sometimes invisible up to the ankle when the Siberian bugloss began to crowd against the edge of his well-worn lane.

Helmut liked to stand in his Soldat’s desire path while he worked, clutching his headset tight to his ears and squatting in the dirt to pick over the casings left to rust between volleys. He felt like an archaeologist holding up brass arrowheads to Soldat for identification, wading knee-deep in a dig that would rival the Royal Cemetery at Ur in a young boy’s mind.

Entire summers might pass for him there in the weeds and wildflowers, dirt under his fingernails and gun smoke in his hair in the shadow of his most dedicated protector, listening to the endless practice until his own shoulders stopped flinching with every pull of the trigger.

The pageant of firearms was endless, too. Helmut didn’t care much to note them all, and oftentimes he wondered if the Soldier cared either. They were all deadly in his hand no matter the manufacturer or style. Helmut had seen him rip open ballistic dummies with little micro 9mms that were practically invisible in his thick palms just as handily as a Barrett M82A1M.

Well, he hadn’t exactly seen that one happen. After a rusted old car had been dragged up the lawn and parked in front of the berm, Heinrich had ordered him into the mansion as Soldat slung the rifle over his shoulder and walked half a mile into the tree line. Even then the sound of the report had made him jump through his skin and clap his hands to his ears. He fired it ten times, and the range was closed for repairs for an entire week while Soldat was away.

Still, despite the glut of weapons to choose from, there was always just one type of gun strapped to his thigh. Helmut would stare at the back strap of it sometimes where it was peeking out of the holster and always smelling of gun smoke.

A SIG-Sauer P220ST pistol chambered in .45 ACP. It was two-toned just like the man who carried it; a standard black frame with a shining steel slide. A mismatch, yes, but handsomely paired. Lucky that it fit together better than he did, where his scars were red and angry still.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Dume"

*pulling out more tissues* Anyone still need these? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? I am way too young to be making that joke.

Live reaction version.

As if to rub things in, this episode starts moments after the previous one ended. The fireball is under control, finally, though still burning, and an officer comes up to Pryce to confirm the news:

Kanan is dead.

Pryce knows she's made a mess of things but latches onto this fact as a way to still look good in front of Imperial High Command, deciding to throw a sick kind of celebration for it. In a twisted way, the Jedi also represents "hope" to someone as despicable as Pryce.

Oh man, he doesn't know. He's so happy to see them.

Zeb's first hint that things didn't go as planned is Sabine hurling off her pilot helmet, swiping her eyes angrily as she passes him in complete silence.

And then the near-comatose Hera, dead on her feet, staring up blankly towards the horizon and Ezra shaking his head because he can't help her.

Chopper rushing immediately to Hera's side because he knows her, knows something is horribly wrong.

Zeb grabbing Ezra by the shoulders and he barely reacts to it.

"Kanan's gone." is all he can say, and his anguish when he has to repeat it when Zeb asks for clarification, the anger and sorrow, the way his voice shakes...

And Zeb's expression drops in horror and he wordlessly pulls Ezra into an embrace.

I WANTED THEM TO HUG BUT NOT LIKE THIS.

And Chopper silently holding Hera's hand. :((((

They bring back the white titlecard too, just to remind you we're still in mourning.

It gets a bit lost with everything that happened, but the attack on Lothal's factories? That was two days ago. The disastrous failure and loss of 24! fighters is going to be very fresh on the Alliance's minds, and add Kanan's death to the mix and they absolutely will not risk any more hardware and personnel on Lothal. The Spectres will have to fix things from within, on their own, by themselves.

Which they gradually discover that they have started to. The Alliance's primary goal on Lothal was preventing the Defenders from being manufactured, and Kanan accomplished that. Anything in addition to that is cake topping for the Alliance, Lothal goes back to being one of the thousands of worlds in the Imperial-occupied crowd they have to face down.

They don't know about the Temple. And that's why Lothal also needed Ezra.

Who, after an outfit and scene change, is about to be as functionally useless and paralyzed as Hera.

:(((((((

I was unclear on why the wolves were so angry the first time through. It's clearer now that they're trying to snap Ezra out of his funk, because time is running out and they can't afford for him to sit there and be depressed about things, they need him to move, they need him in action. They're not kind about it, but the reality is not kind, If Ezra does not get himself together, Palpatine will gain the WBW, Lothal will be doomed, everyone will die.

Bit a lot more headcanon-y but also I think the Loth-wolves may have preferred Kanan be the one to enter the WBW and save it? Owing to [gestures to unanswered mystery box about Kanan's past they hinted at]. Maybe? So maybe they were also just a little pissy that their first choice went and got himself killed even after they warned him.

Like I said, speculation and spitballing on my part on that one.

Anyway.

Ezra runs away from the Loth-wolves' attempts to confront him and I already praised it in my first watch but the camerawork is excellent here. Very nicely staged, good insets, good tracking shots, good dollying.

The Loth-wolves actually pause here, waiting, watching Ezra to see what what he'll do. Ezra had the full opportunity to reach out and connect, and talk to them, but he chooses not to, running away again.

So they wind up knocking him out when they knock him down.

Meanwhile at Imperial HQ, good lord that is a lot of smoke. It's literally blurring the edges of the Dome.

Pryce seems very pleased with herself for killing the Jedi. Too bad Thrawn literally doesn't care about that, because he's pissed she let Hera Syndulla escape and also the whole fuel depot thing. Thrawn says he's not in it for glory but I think he does take some personal satisfaction from defeating someone he considers a Worthy Opponent. Hera was his victory and Pryce undid it as soon as he was gone. That has to sting, lol.

And Rukh is grinning like, "Sucks to be you, bitch."

I don't know if we're meant to take Hera's, "Why did I wait so long to tell him?" as being about saying I love you or about being pregnant but I'm going to go with the latter because, again, the suggestion that that was the first time she'd actually told him is dumb and I won't entertain it.

Chopper is so very present for Hera through all this, even when Hera regrets even starting the Rebellion in the first place.

I think a few people have speculated that each of the Spectres represents a stage of grief. Ezra's stuck in a certain kind of Denial, and gets tempted with the Bargaining stage an episode later. Sabine and Zeb are both Anger. Hera is obviously Depression.

Eventually all of them reach Acceptance. Chopper may have already been there.

Zeb is actually the one who notices first that the factories are completely shut down, which is a nice touch.

I can't quite tell if Ezra wakes up in the same location he was knocked out in or if the wolves moved him. He bolts up in a different position so there's room to argue they moved him, possibly on Dume's orders.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: Ezra stumbling like he's falling asleep on his feet.

He looks so tired. And he's stuck. Emotionally and physically.

Maybe that's why he turns to the children's nursery rhyme like he did in Season One's "Path of the Jedi" to try and decide a way forward. But he keeps rejecting the options he lands on. So he does it again. And again.

Until a manifestation of Kanan appears, like it did before, to get him back on track.

Sabine holding back on her Mandalorian revenge instincts, implicitly because of Kanan's Jedi influence. T_T

Watch the sky in this part, you can see the hue shift to purple.

The Dume wolf sniffs him and he immediately stirs with a confused, "Kanan?" ow my heart.

Some Endgame-like trumpets and drums in this part.

Zeb has height and strength going for him here, but Ruhk is so much faster and quicker. Not to mention has the stealth cloaking. Sabine's helmet gives her a leg up on that momentarily until it's knocked off.

Back with Ezra in the wolf-vision and Kanan-as-Dume interacts with Ezra in a very pointed, Force-y way, dragging out the truth from Ezra about why he ran, why he's stuck, what's holding him back.

"You... ran." It sounds almost accusatory. Ezra gives a weak excuse about the wolves chasing him, but upon being pressed again starts letting things out:

I feel lost, I'm afraid, I don't believe in myself without him, I can't do this on my own.

Ezra's grief is tied up and tangled in his self-esteem issues, a bit self-pitying and "woe is me", because without Kanan he doesn't feel brave or strong, he's not special he's not like Kanan.

Who is he but a child, a "boy who was lost", without his wise brave master? He's nobody.

"I am afraid, all right?! I'm afraid. Everything seems so hopeless now."

Frick I need to hug him. :(

Zeb gets a little bit too into his anger when Sabine's exploding paint finally lets them see Rukh enough to smack him good.

Sabine being the voice of mercy when there aren't Jedi around to do it. :(((((

Back with Ezra and the wolves have given him the keystone and finally explain what the deal is: The Jedi Temple is in grave danger. Secrets and knowledge lie within, that the Empire cannot get hold of. Those words are not a coincidence. We're meant to think back to Malachor, to where it first all went wrong, as Ezra's sentiment goes.

Still not quite sure why the Dume wolf had to bite Ezra out of his vision but Imma chalk it up to another mysterious wolf thing.

Ezra immediately yelling out for Kanan tho. :(

Sabine and Zeb like troublesome siblings pulling a prank as they send Rukh off painted and humiliated lol.

Meanwhile Hera has added a new bead to the Kalikori, representative of Kanan and using a piece that looks like a Jedi holocron shard.

Sabine looks so genuinely happy here.

Ezra's functional enough for now, so he's back too, and we end on the cliffhanger of the Lothal Temple in danger, the secrets within about to be seized by the Empire.

The last half of Season Four is very tightly written, this episode a prime example. It's breathing space for us to grieve, and it still is seamlessly tied to the plot in the episodes prior and after.

The Dume wolf operates, as Ahsoka would suggest later, as an extension of Kanan's will, working Ezra through the blocks in his head one last time, like he did in "Gathering Forces". Ezra wouldn't fully recover until after "The World Between Worlds" but he's on the way to properly grieving, shelving his feelings for the moment in order to do what he has to, what only he can.

And boy am I looking forward to that. :)

[japanskalekt]

Did you know that although Japanese Kit Kats, most widely known for their unique flavors,  didn’t actually come from Japan – but instead originated from England?

Almost 70 years after they were first made in the UK, Japan released the very first non-chocolate flavored Kit Kat and things were never the same again. Now, there’s officially over 400 Kit Kat flavors — giving lovers of the famous Japanese candy an abundance of options to choose from.

The Origins of Japanese Kit Kats 

From its origins tracing back to the 1930s at a Northern England chocolate company, Kit Kat bars have gone through quite the journey to become a distinct part of modern Japan.

The history of Japanese Kit Kats began in 1973 when they were first imported here by the original manufacturer, Rowntree’s. Around a decade later, the Swiss food and drink company, Nestlé, took over the product, and during the early 2000s, their Japanese division started experimenting with all sorts of flavors.

The very first Kit Kat flavor that was developed specifically in Japan was strawberry. They were initially sold in Hokkaido and ended up becoming a big hit. Because of their popularity, the Japanese Kit Kat team conducted a market test, and found out that they were popular not only with locals, but with visiting domestic and foreign tourists as well. 

Experience all of the the unique flavors Japanese Kit Kats have to offer with TokyoTreat’s Japanese snack box!

After this discovery, they had the idea of strategically targeting a common Japanese tradition: the gift-giving custom of omiyage. An omiyage is essentially a small gift or souvenir that you give to family, friends or coworkers after you’ve gone on a trip. Traditionally, omiyages are chosen to be representative of the place or country you visited.

This led to them releasing unique flavors to appeal to other parts of Japan, and by doing so, Nestlé didn’t just make Kit Kats a staple of Japanese souvenirs, but they also helped foster a hometown connection between the snacks and Japanese people. Some examples of these regional Kitkat flavors include the Ocean Salt Kitkat, which uses sea salt from the Seto Inland Sea in southwestern Japan, the Uji matcha flavor inspired by a special type of tea that grows in Kyoto, and the purple sweet potato flavor representing the island of Kyushu.

The Evolution of Japanese Kit Kats

As they grew in popularity, Kit Kats also adopted more luxurious style, and incorporated their brand into the everyday aspects of Japanese people’s lives. 

Back in 2003, Nestlé hired pastry chef Yasumasa Takagi to collaborate with them to develop a series of gourmet flavors. With each new flavor, Chef Takagi and other collaborators always conduct a taste test. 

The taste test can last from a few weeks to more than a year, depending on when they feel like they’ve perfected the taste and texture. In fact, it wasn’t until 2005 — two years after he was hired by Nestlé Japan — that Takagi came up with his first contribution, the Passion Fruit Kit Kat.

Since then, Takagi has added more flavors to the line-up, many of which are exclusive to the Kit Kat Chocolatory — the “luxurious” side of Japanese Kit Kats. The Chocolatory is a series of specialty stores all across Japan that offer more high-end ways of consuming the snack. You can buy limited edition Kit Kat flavors and enjoy luscious cakes and desserts, all of which, of course, features a type of Kit Kat bar.

For further proof of how Kit Kats have become more than just a snack in Japan, one only needs to look at entrance exams, arguably one of the biggest turning points in a Japanese student’s life. Because of how Kit Kat is pronounced in Japanese (“kitto katto”) and its similarity in sound to the phrase for “You’ll surely win” (“kitto katsu”), students in Japan often bring a Kit Kat bar with them to serve as a good luck charm for the exams. Conveniently enough, it can also double as a quick snack in between answering the tests.

When they were first introduced to the country in the 1970s, it’s safe to say that nobody back then anticipated what a big role Kit Kats would eventually play in Japanese people’s lives: from giving tasty souvenirs to loved ones, to becoming a fine dining experience and even becoming symbolic of wishes for good luck to a test-taking Japanese student.

And so, despite not originally coming up with the now-famous chocolate wafer bars, Japan turned the seemingly simple Kit Kat and transformed it into a snack that’s full of depth and endless flavor possibilities. 

[time4hemp]

What Is Hemp?

It’s A Trillion Dollar Cash Crop.

Hemp is a name given to a strain of the cannabis plant.

Hemp is a name given to cultivars of the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa) that have been selected over many generations for fiber and seed production. Most hemp cultivars contain less than 1.5% THC, a narcotic compound that has the potential for abuse in high concentrations. Cannabis sativa cultivars selected and developed for their drug properties, referred to as marijuana, or dagga, can have a THC content of 3%-25%.  Hemp is a bast fiber, producing its fibers in the stalk similar to flax, kenaf, and sun hemp.

Multiple Uses

Hemp fiber and seed are used to produce a wide range of commodities including food and beverage products, fiberboard, insulation, paper, composites, textiles, carpets, animal bedding and feed, cosmetics, body-care products, soaps, paints, fuels, and medicines.

Hemp Seed Food and Beverage Products

Hemp seed contains about 25% protein, 30% carbohydrates, & 15% insoluble fiber. Hemp seed is reported to contain more easily digestible protein than soybeans. Hemp seed contains all 8 amino acids essential to human nutrition. Hemp seed is high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, carotene, sulfur, iron and zinc, as well as Vitamins A, E, C, B1, B2, B3, and B6.

Hemp seed imported into the United States or Canada must be steam sterilized at between 180 degrees F and 212 degrees F for 15 minutes to prevent sprouting. Many US facilities receive imported viable seed under customs bond, steam it, and release it to the consignee or customer with a Certificate of Sterilization.

Hemp food and beverage products include hemp oil and seed, flour, pasta, cheese, tofu, salad dressings, snacks, sweets, hemp protein powders, soft drinks, beer, and wine. Hemp beer can be made from the seed, flowers, sprouts, and seed cake that is a by-product of oil pressing. Hemp beer is produced and sold in Europe and the United States of America.

Hemp Oil

Hemp seed is 25% to 35% oil, and is one of the oils lowest in saturated fats (8%). Hemp seed oil is the richest source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (80%). Hemp seed oil is the only common edible seed oil containing Omega-6 Gamma-Linolenic Acid. Hemp seed oil is very fragile and not suitable for cooking.

Pressed hemp seed oil must be bottled immediately under oxygen-free conditions, and must be refrigerated in dark, airtight containers.

Fiberboard

Hemp fiberboard tested by Washington State University Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory proved to be two and one half times stronger than wood MDF composites, and the hemp composite boards were three times more elastic.

Hemp herds can be used in existing mills without major changes in equipment. Russia, Poland and other Eastern European countries already manufacture composite boards from hemp and other plant materials.

Pulp and Paper

The major use of hemp fiber in Europe is in the production of specialty papers such as cigarette paper, archival paper, tea bags, and currency paper. The average bast fiber pulp and paper mill produces 5,000 tons of paper per year. Most mills process long bast fiber strands, which arrive as bales of cleaned ribbon from per-processing plants located near the cultivation areas.

Composites

Until the 1930’s, hemp-based cellophane, celluloid and other products were common, and Henry Ford used hemp to make car doors and fenders. Today hemp herds can be used to make new plastic and injection-molded products or blended into recycled plastic products. Hemp fibers are introduced into plastics to make them stiffer, stronger and more impact resistant. Hemp plastics can be designed that are hard, dense, and heat resistant, and which can be drilled, ground, milled, and planed.

Hemp plastic products currently made include chairs, boxes, percussion instruments, lampshades, bowls, cups, spectacles, jewelry, skateboards, and snowboards.

Hemp Animal Care

Hemp horse bedding and cat litter are produced and sold in Europe. After oil is extracted from the hemp seed, the remaining seed cake is about 25% protein and makes an excellent feed for chicken, cattle, and fish. Chickens fed hemp seed on a regular basis have been found to produce more eggs, without the added hormones used in most poultry plants.

Fuels

Hemp seed oil can be combined with 15% methanol to create a substitute for diesel fuel which burns 70% cleaner than petroleum diesel. Hemp stalks are rich in fiber and cellulose, making them conducive for conversion into ethanol and methanol fuels that have a higher octane than gasoline and produce less carbon monoxide. These biomass fuels are also free from sulfur, and do not require the addition of lead and benzene used to boost octane and improve engine performance in fossil fuels. Ethanol holds condensation, eliminating oxidation and corrosion, and is reported to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30%.

Hemp has been studied in Ireland as a biomass fuel to generate electricity. Hemp has been reported to yield 1000 gallons of methanol per acre year. Hemp stalk can be converted to a charcoal-like fuel through a thermochemical process called pyrolysis. Henry Ford operated a biomass pyrolitic plant at Iron Mountain, Michigan in the mid-20th.

Paints and Varnishes and Binders

Until the 1930's, most paints were made from hemp seed oil and flax seed oil. Hemp oil makes a durable, long lasting paint that renders wood water-resistant. Hemp herds have the potential to make glues for composite construction products that are non-toxic and superior to binders currently used. With this technology, industry can produce composite products where all components are derived from hemp.

Markets for Hemp Pulp

Some paper manufacturers already have the equipment to process decorticated hemp fiber into paper. The leading European supplier of non-wood pulp, Celesa, currently produces about 10,000 tons per year of pulp from hemp. The use of hemp pulp in blends with recycled fiber of other non-wood fibers is growing. Tests by several European pulp and paper producers suggest that hemp pulp may replace cotton cost effectively in several specialty paper applications.

Potential Markets for Medical Application of Low-THC Hemp Cultivars

Many cannabis medicines have been produced using cannabis cultivars high in THC, and there has been medical research into cannabis that is low in THC and high in CBD.  CBD is a cannabinoid that does not have many of the psychoactive effects associated with THC.  CBD has been used to treat the following medical conditions: epilepsy, dystonic movement disorders, inflammatory disorders, pain, chronic insomnia, chorea, cerebral palsy, and Tourette's syndrome. According to a July 1998 report by the National Institute of Health, CBD may hold promise for preventing brain damage in strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and even heart attacks and has been found to prevent brain cell death in an experimental stroke model.

Please share this with your friends.

[artemisarticles]

Getting Started

Clear the decks. Take everything out of your pantry, give it a hard look and decide what you can get rid of. Be ruthless. If you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it.

Keep what looks and smells good. “Expiration,” “sell by,” and “best by” dates are not good guidelines. Some are determined by regulators, others by manufacturers, and almost all are arbitrary. Properly stored, some (unopened) ingredients, like canned fish, can last for years; others, like dried herbs, start declining in quality the moment they are sealed in a container.

Assess what remains. Then organize it according to the logic that makes sense to you: There’s no single best system. Your nut butters might be with the condiments, or the breakfast items, or the baking supplies.

Fill in the blanks with food that will make you a better cook. Each of the pantry lists below is a proposal, not a prescription. There’s no reason to stock black beans if you only like red. There’s no need to have everything here available at all times. You’ll know your pantry is well stocked for your purposes when most of the time, you need only add one or two fresh ingredients to cook one of our recipes from scratch. Or even better, none.

The Essential Pantry

The foundation layer for all three pantries, this is where everyone should start. There’s so much to be done with these basics. The rule here is stock your pantry mostly with what you’re confident using, and what you love to eat. You’ll turn to it again and again.

Oils and vinegars: Extra-virgin olive oil, neutral cooking oil (such as canola or grapeseed), red-wine vinegar, white vinegar or white-wine vinegar.

Cans and jars: Tuna in olive oil, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock or vegetable stock (box-packed tastes better than canned). A good-tasting, simple tomato sauce can become a soup or a stew, or make a quick dinner with pasta or polenta.

Spices and dried herbs: Kosher salt, red-pepper flakes, ground cayenne, curry powder, bay leaves, black peppercorns, sweet paprika, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, garlic powder or granulated garlic, dried thyme and dried oregano. This selection will take you through everything from a basic beef stew to Saturday morning pancakes to Thanksgiving dinner.

Grains and starches: Long-grain white rice, one or two other grains (such as quinoa or farro), dry pasta (one long, one short and chunky), plain bread crumbs, crackers, canned beans (white beans, black beans and-or chickpeas), dry lentils.

Nuts and nut butters: Walnuts, almonds, roasted peanuts, peanut butter (smooth and crunchy).

Sweeteners: Honey, maple syrup, granulated sugar.

Preserves and pickles: Fruit jams and preserves, anchovies.

Condiments and sauces: Basic vinaigrette, mustard (yellow or Dijon), mayonnaise, ketchup, hot sauce, salsa, soy sauce.

Produce: Garlic, onions, all-purpose potatoes (such as Yukon Gold), lemons, shelf-stable tofu (Essential for vegetarians, Expanded for others).

Dairy: Eggs, unsalted butter, cheeses (Cheddar, Jack or Colby, Parmesan), milk or cream for cooking (not skim).

Freezer: Chicken parts, sausages, thick fish fillets, shrimp, thick-sliced bread (for toast), spinach (and other vegetables such as corn and peas), berries (and other fruit such as peaches and mango). Some fruits and vegetables take particularly well to freezing — and in most growing seasons, the quality is better than fresh. Frozen fruit is useful for baking and smoothies.

Baking: All-purpose flour, cornmeal, rolled oats, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, pure vanilla extract, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, bittersweet baking chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, raisins or another dried fruit, cocoa powder. With these ingredients on hand, thousands of cookies, brownies, cakes, muffins, quick breads and other sweets can be produced without a trip to the store.

The Expanded Pantry

For the cook who has a grasp of the basics, but wants to be able to stretch toward new options and flavors. Here, long-lasting, punchy ingredients like tahini, hoisin sauce, coconut milk, sherry vinegar and capers are stocked alongside classics: limes with lemons, jasmine rice as well as long-grain, almond butter in addition to peanut butter.

Oils and vinegars: Peanut oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, sherry or balsamic vinegar, apple-cider vinegar.

Cans and jars: Sardines, unsweetened coconut milk, whole Italian plum tomatoes, beef stock (box-packed tastes better than canned). Whole plum tomatoes are rarely called for in recipes, but they tend to be the ripest and best-quality fruit. They can be diced or crushed to use in a recipe — or drained and slow-roasted for an intense topping on omelets, salads, grain bowls or pizza.

Spices: Flaky salt, single-chile powders (such as ancho and pasilla), ground coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika, cardamom, za’atar, allspice, fennel seeds, dry mustard, garam masala (a basic Indian mix of warm spices), five-spice powder (a basic Chinese mix of spices), whole nutmegs.

Grains and starches: Rice noodles, basmati or jasmine rice, brown rice, panko bread crumbs, dry beans.

Nuts and nut butters: Almond butter, tahini, pecans.

Preserves and pickles: Olives (oil-cured and-or in brine), capers in brine. These ingredients, served with good bread and butter, make an elegant appetizer with wine, or everyday snack.

Condiments and sauces: Worcestershire sauce, hoisin, Thai red curry paste, fish sauce, anchovy paste, harissa.

Produce: Russet potatoes, carrots, celery, limes, ginger, avocados, parsley, cilantro, scallions, jalapeños. Keeping chiles, aromatics and herbs on hand gives you instant access to intensely fresh flavors, even for — maybe especially for — the simplest dishes you cook.

Dairy: Plain full-fat yogurt, more intense cheeses (pecorino, feta), salted butter.

Freezer: Pancetta, artichoke hearts, homemade stock, homemade bread crumbs, fresh pasta, vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cut and peeled winter squash, chopped onions), cooked grains. Prepared ingredients like chopped onions and cooked grains speed your route to dinner.

Baking: Cake flour, whole-wheat flour, dark baking chocolate, vanilla beans, almond extract, powdered gelatin, molasses, light corn syrup, buttermilk powder, active dry yeast.

The Expert Pantry

For the cook who likes taking global flavors, new methods and viral recipes for a spin. Here, the chiles get hotter, the chocolates darker and the cheeses funkier. These ingredients are just a fraction of what’s out there, but by stocking them, you will be able to cook almost any recipe you come across and experiment with creating your own.

Spices: Hot smoked paprika (pimentón), sumac, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, flaky dried chiles (such as Aleppo, Urfa or Maras), dried whole chiles (like ancho and arból), marjoram, dukkah, baharat, shichimi. Whether you stock spice mixes like baharat (a mix of warm spices used in the Middle East) or shichimi (a Japanese blend of ground chiles and sesame seeds) will depend on the global flavors that most appeal to you.

Grains and starches: Short-grain rice, dried pastas (bucatini, mezzi rigatoni or farfalle), spelt, pearl barley.

Nuts and nut butters: Pine nuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), pistachios. Toasted nuts like these (not as everyday as almond and peanuts) are good in salads and granola, on roasted fish, or just with olives for a classic pre-dinner snack.

Preserves and pickles: Pickled hot peppers, cornichons, kimchi, preserved lemons, roasted chiles, horseradish, caperberries, dried sausages such as saucisson sec and chorizo. The intense flavors of pickled and salted ingredients can be a great pick-me-up for mild dishes. In cooking, you can often substitute a bit of preserved lemon for regular lemon, or use the brine from cornichons as part of the liquid in a recipe.

Condiments and sauces: Gochujang, mango chutney, miso, wasabi, dark soy sauce, Chinese oyster sauce, Asian chili bean pastes.

Produce: Shallots, fresh mint, fresh rosemary, lemongrass, fresh Serrano and Thai bird chiles, fresh bay leaves.

Dairy: Ghee, crème fraîche, aged cheeses (Gruyère, blue cheese). Ghee (Indian-style clarified butter) and crème fraîche can reach much higher temperatures than butter, yogurt and sour cream without burning or breaking, so they are useful in cooking.

Freezer: Edamame, curry leaves, makrut lime leaves, merguez (spicy lamb sausages from North Africa). Fragrant leaves like makrut lime and curry (not the spice mix, but an Indian tree with scented leaves) are much more powerful in frozen form than dried.

Baking: Bread flour, pectin, almond flour, tapioca pearls, rose and orange flower waters, gelatin sheets, black cocoa, currants, fresh yeast, sparkling sugar, pearl sugar, candied citrus rinds

Best Practices

Once you have your ingredients, remember that cooking will always create change and disorder. Cans of tomatoes may never match, spices may never live in matching containers, and your hot sauce collection may always try to take over the condiment shelf. But here are a few final thoughts on how to keep your pantry well stocked and well organized enough to be truly useful.

ORGANIZING TIPS

Cooks with different styles need different systems. Some people store the jam with the dried fruits and maple syrup; others associate it with peanut butter, mustard and mayonnaise. The best logic is your own, and it may take some time to figure that out.

If you can’t see it, you’re probably not going to use it. A storage space with more shelving is the most efficient configuration for ingredients. Drawers or slide-out shelves also help tremendously with visibility.

Store everything you can in clear containers. Airtight plastic ones are best, and available in many shapes, sizes, and systems. Rectangular shapes make the best use of space.

Keep a roll of painter’s tape and some permanent markers in a kitchen drawer. It’ll help you make quick labels.

MAXIMIZING INGREDIENTS

Be realistic about your habits. It’s great to clean and trim a week’s worth of vegetables at once — but if you’re not going to do that, buy smaller quantities.

Buy ground spices in the smallest quantities you can find (except for spices you use regularly). Specialty companies will ship as little as an ounce, about 3 tablespoons. You’ll save space and produce better, brighter flavors in your food.

Buy fresh herbs. Dried herbs used to be a pantry essential, but most start out with very little flavor and lose it quickly in storage. (A couple of exceptions are dried oregano and dried thyme.) Pick up fresh herbs when you need them for a particular recipe; it’s a better investment of money and storage space.

Buy heavy, shelf-stable ingredients like boxed broth and canned tomatoes in bulk; better yet, order them online to save time and irritation. Almost any delivery service or website will offer a better price on these items than a brick-and-mortar store.

Cooked ingredients are much easier to use up than raw ones. Whether you steam, boil, pan-fry or roast, cook anything in your refrigerator that looks tired. You can always use it in a salad, a grain bowl or a pasta.

[rawk-chikk]

How to Build Your Own 'Augmented Super Wife Supersoldier From The Future' Funko Pop.

A Semi-Coherent Guide By RC.

This is a long one. A loooooooong one.

I meant to do this like two and a half years ago, but in the spirit of keeping this fandom's head above water, and the fact I'm at the hospital (nothing serious!) with nothing to do for the next couple of hours, I'm doing it now.

So if, like me, you are still bitter that Grace and Dani didn't get official Funkos, or official *anything* due to manufacturer short-sightedness, why not say 'fuck it' and build yer own?

This rambling tutorial will attempt to demonstrate how to build Grace from the 'when they start to kill me, run' scene.

Like, literally that bit 😋.

Anywho. Let's do this!

You will need:

- Funko Pop DIY (female)

- Polymer clay (eg. Sculpy, Fimo, CosClay). I'd advise against cheapo no-name alternatives purely because in my experience the baking times/temperatures stated are absolute garbo. Also, polymer clay will give off quite gnarly fumes while curing, so better to use a trusted source. But if cheapo's all ya got, it's all ya got.

Other modeling materials you might consider instead of polymer clay include...

Epoxy clay (eg. Milliput, Apoxie Sculpt, The Army Painter 'Green Stuff', even something like J-B Weld or similar 2 part plumber's/repair putty).

Plain ol' air drying clay (eg. DAS, FimoAir, Gedeo).

You could even whip up a batch of 'cold porcelain', or an oven cure salt dough from ingredients you probably already have at home. Make sure you clear coat any salt dough creations properly after curing as over time ambient moisture may mess with it.

Each option above has its own pros and cons. Do your research if you aren't sure. Me? I used Fimo.

*ahem* Carrying on...

- Masking tape

- Hobby knife

- Pin vice

- Kebab skewer (wooden), or styrene rod

- Paint brushes

- Primer (plus dust mask if you're using a rattle can indoors)

- Sandpaper (around 400 grit oughta do it but you could probably go 200 either side of that and get a good result)

- Acrylic paints (optional: Posca PC-1MR pens in black and white for fine detail).

- Crafter's heat gun, or a hairdryer

- Varnish/clear coat.

Optional extras: Airbrush, spray booth/cardboard box, rotary tool, oven thermometer, artist's/cake decorating turntable, UV resin, silver leafing pen, jeweller's files, jeweller's wire, acetone, superglue or 5 minute epoxy, a lil piece of sponge, pearl mica powder, scavenged Funko Pop head 😈.

Step One: Grab your Funko DIY and separate the head from body using heat to soften the vinyl enough to wangle it off the neck post. Shoving it in a mug of hot water for a few minutes should do the trick. Make sure to dry out the head as much as possible. Last thing you want is mould growing inside it. This is Terminator, not The Last Of Us 😉. Alternatively you could use your heat gun/hairdryer, but I explain in Step Six why the water bath approach is a better option (imho) at this early stage.

(You are giving this entire thing a quick read through before you start, right? I dunno about the rest of you but I like to have at least a basic idea of the work ahead before I get stuck in. Saves finding out you're missing a necessary tool/material at an inopportune moment and all).

Stop rambling, RC. Sorry. It's easier to be succinct when you haven't lost half your photos 🤦‍♀️. Moving on...

If you don't wanna attempt to sculpt the hair yourself you can, as I did, take a kitbashing approach instead of using the supplied DIY head. Grab one of the many commercially available Funkos with a decent approximation of the hairstyle you want and then go Step One on em. Buy 'pre-loved', buy BNIB, dig one out of a dumpster, steal one from your lil cousin, it doesn't matter. Procure as your time/budget/situation dictates. Improvise where necessary.

Sorry, Ron. I need your floppy hair. I do not need your clothes.

Or your boots. Or your motorcycle.

...😋

Step Two: Take the body of the Funko DIY and mark out the position of the tank top and the cuffs of the jeans. These will be used as guides for when you add the clay.

At this point I used a pin vice to drill the hole thru the fist for the rebar. If you're a crazy person you could use a rotary tool with an appropriately sized bit attached.

To make the rebar I fashioned a mould from a drinking straw and filled it with UV resin. Because I'm awkward. A wooden kebab skewer, or some hobbyist's styrene rod (eg. Evergreen Scale Models) would work just as well. Just cut it to size, paint it silver and you're golden. I used a metallic leafing pen. You use whatever you've got handy. Doesn't have to be shiny. A flat grey acrylic would work just fine.

Use jeweller's files and sandpaper to make small adjustments to the hand hole and rebar respectively in order to get a good press fit. There's always glue if you overdo it 😉. But don't add the rebar to the model just yet, as you're gonna need room to manoeuvre for the next bit.

Step Three: How do you make it look like your figure is wearing clothes when you don't have much real estate to work with?

You fake it, that's how.

You do not need to model an entire set of clothes! It's an arse ache, and we're all about working smarter not harder on the RC channel.

So, take your modeling compound of choice, roll a chunk of it out to the desired thickness, and then cut into strips, say 2-3mm wide. Use your best judgement here.

Now, using the jeans as our example, wrap a strip around the bottom of the leg where the cuff would sit. Cut off any excess and blend out the join. Just give it a lil rub and it's like it was never there. Like magic! You should have a nice defined edge at the bottom, just above the foot. Now see the top edge of your lil clay strip? Well, you wanna start pushing and flattening the clay to blend the edge right out so it fades back into the body.

Repeat for the other leg, and the bottom of the tank top. The straps are relatively simple, tho the bits that pass under the arms can be fiddly due to lack of space. Use a hobby knife to shape and crisp up those edges and then blend out the extraneous edge. Same thing with the neckline.

Run a strip around each foot to form the soles of the boots, and a lil 'x' on the top of the feet to give the impression of laces.

For the rips in the clothing you can simply gouge out a little of the clay. If there isn't any on that part of the model (the knee for example) roll out a little wormy dealie (for you North of the Border fans 😉), position it as needed, blend out the edges, then gouge as required.

If you're playing on hardcore mode, this might be the time to start piling clay on the Funko DIY head and sculpting the hair. You may prefer to leave it til the head's re-attached tho. It depends on the material you're using. If you don't think it'll stand up to a bit of manhandling while pushing the head back onto the body, save this step til that bit's done.

Cure according to the clay manufacturer's instructions. The vinyl will not melt at the temperatures required to cure polymer clay, but if you don't wanna risk it or you don't wanna use your food oven to cook plastic, with all the gnarly fumes and stuff, I've given you plenty of air dry and/or non toxic alternatives. Consistent temperature is key with polymer clay. Undercooked, it's quite brittle. An oven thermometer comes in handy here if you've got one.

Step Four: Primetime!!! Some like to brush on primer, which is fine if you're painting a fence or throwing gesso on a canvas. Not so fine if you're painting a figurine imho. I mean, unless it's Cassandra from Doctor Who. A good rattle can of spray paint is what you want ideally, but again, it's about what you can afford/wangle/manage with your crafting space, so feel free to ignore me and brush away!

First rule of Primer Club: several light coats are better than one heavy coat. Second rule of Primer Club: knock each coat back a lil with sandpaper before applying the next one. Third rule of Primer Club: sit your rattle can in a warm water bath for five minutes before shaking it up to improve flow.

You can get primer specifically for plastics but while I would recommend it, it's not absolutely necessary.

A scavenged head may need masking off if the base colour already matches the skin colour of your character. Save yourself a bit of painting innit. You can get really tight, clean edges against the hairline with a hobby knife. If the hairstyle, hair colour, and skin colour match straight outta the box? Congrats! Why are you even reading this? 😜.

That thing in the background is a portable spray booth (that other thing is a turntable). A cardboard box is also a portable spray booth if you want it to be. Only thing it doesn't have is an extractor fan. So put on a dust mask, and open a window or work outside.

The DIY figure comes primed outta the box, so if you're using the DIY head and are planning on sculpting the hair after re-attachment you don't need to prime it. Unless you want to.

Step Five: Time to paint that shizz. You don't need me to walk you thru this bit, right?

Right?...

Masking is your friend if you don't trust your ability to freehand with a brush. If you're masking over a part you've already painted and are afraid of pulling the paint off, you can knock the level of tack on the tape down by sticking it to yourself (or your clothes) a couple of times before applying it. Some prefer to add a light layer of clear coat to 'lock in' the underlying paint. It's like a real life 'save point'. Some people do both. Some use masking fluid. Some use silly putty/blu-tac/plasticine. Play around, see what works. You do you.

I painted Grace's eyes blue coz Grace is extra and so am I. I threw a lil bit of pearl powder in there to add a subtle shimmer, as I thought going full metallic blue might be a bit too extra.

Lady Funkos have eyelashes. Don't forget the eyelashes.

(I nearly forgot the eyelashes).

A fine tipped Posca pen comes in handy here if you've got one.

Ditto the eyebrows, tho those aren't just for the ladies obvs.

For Grace's augmentation scars, again I recommend a Posca pen but a brush will do.

DO NOT PAINT THE NECK POST. Don't even varnish the neck post. Keep that bitch masked up until you're ready to reattach the head. Like, you can get away with painting the very bottom if you're worried the bare plastic will show even with the head attached, but that's it. Any more will be making a rod for your own back.

You have a choice now. Whether to weather your figure. I chose to add that extra level of detail as it made sense to me. Use a combination of dark washes, dry brushing, and/or sponge stipling to add dirt, blood etc. If ya want.

When you're happy with your paint job, give everything (except the neck post!!!!) a couple of layers of clear coat.

Step Six: When it comes to reattaching the head you probably don't wanna be dunking anything in water by this point, just in case. So we're gonna soften the neck post (and around the base of the head if necessary) with hot air instead. Use a hairdryer if you don't have a heat gun. DO NOT use an industrial or decorator's heat gun for the love o' god. That shit's meant for stripping paint, not gently warming vinyl figurines. It'd be like using a nuke to shake a cherry tree, and you'd likely burn yourself. A hairdryer is more than capable of doing the job.

Why did we not use the hairdryer for Step One? To be honest there's nothing stopping you if that's what you wanna do, but as you don't have direct access to the bits that need softening at that point you will have to wait for the heat to penetrate. You could be doing other things in that time by letting a water bath do the work for you.

Now, however, you do have direct access, so you'll probably find you only need to blast the hot air for 10 seconds or so.

Step Seven: So, you've got the head re-attached, and your paint job is finished and clear coated. That means it's time to add the rebar. If you went a bit too far with the drilling or sanding now's the time to get your glue on. As an final extra touch you can spiral some thin jeweller's wire around the length of the rebar to make it look more rebar-y. I didn't do this bit as the wire I had in my possession at the time was too thick for my tastes.

But whether you opt for that or not, congratulations on making your very own Grace Funko Pop!

I'm still planning on making security guard and future war versions of Grace, and at least one version of Dani. Yeah, I've been saying that for the last two years, but it's still absolutely happening, trust me.

Anyway. That'll do it. If you have any questions, or you need further explanations or recommendations etc. y'all know where to find me.

[planterfulpieces]

What on earth is 3D printing?

That's... a big one. Sorry in advance. It also gets a little technical. Folx, if you want to chime in in the notes what we forgot or missed, have at it, just be polite. Discussion is great. Being a jerk is not.

So you know that we sell 3D print planters (and some other stuff coming out soon), but we saw a lot of comments in our first post introducing ourselves that were curious about what 3D printing was, if it was resin printing, and how it worked.

We also didn't realize our ask box wasn't turned on until we saw a note after the post was up for several hours. Sorry! It's open now if you have questions or comments or whatever. Just be polite.

Well. We are not experts. We're going to share our own experience and understanding of what 3D printing is, most common methods, and why we do the kind of 3D printing we do.

So.

What is 3D printing?

In its all-encompassing definition, 3D printing (also called additive manufacturing if you want to get STEM-y about it) is basically creating a 3D object using a digital 3D model. The programs engineers use, like Fusion360, AutoCAD, FreeCAD, and others? Yeah. Those. Exactly.

If you're an artist, don't despair, you can create models in Blender (or whatever 3D modeler you use) and work with those for 3D printing.

If you're us, who only started modeling a few months ago, you use the program geared for children and young adults, and that's TinkerCAD. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just limited in what it can do compared to other programs. The massive benefit is it's free and the learning curve is also much more gentle than the sheer cliff we ran face-first into trying to learn the CAD programs or Blender.

If anyone has good sources to learn them (esp with Blender's new updates) we would be happy to try them. Because as much as we love 3D printing, modeling still gives us a headache.

So that's the most basic definition of 3D printing.

So, what's the most COMMON form of 3D printing?

Well, we'd say there are two:

Resin printing. There's several different methods, but the most common today still is SLA, or stereolithography. Basically, a UV laser marks a cross-section of part of an object on a layer of liquid resin. When it's exposed to the UV light it's cured and solidifies. Another layer of resin is put down, the laser process is repeated, and it continues until an object is made. What's nice about it is it lets you get high detail in very small objects, like minis for Warhammer or other games. There's also Digital Light Processing (DLP), which is like SLA but uses digital projection to expose more parts of resin to light. It can cure an entire layer at once, instead of only part. If you see a Warhammer figurine being sold, or any miniature, especially stuff for DnD or other tabletop games, it's probably resin printed.

FDM (fused deposition modeling). It's also known as FFF, or fused filament fabrication). This is what you probably think of for 3D printers if you ever saw one, where things are printed in one tiny layer at a time where a heated print head is pushing out filament in layers on a build plate. FDM is more common for practical prints, like car parts or manufacturing pieces. To us it reminds us of icing a cake. You can print with stuff like carbon fiber and nylons or flexible material like TPU. FDM is good for prototyping and larger objects, like our planters (last product plug, we swear) to. You know.

Houses.

We use FDM printing.

Why?

Most everything we're going to make doesn't need the detail that a resin printer provides. The smallest, jewelry, still isn't to the level where we'd need a resin printer -- FDM printers work in fractions of milimeters, and resin printers can go even smaller. That's not necessary for us.

Everything we make is going to be larger prints, which means more material. Filament (which we'll explain in another post) costs less than resin.

Resin is more toxic than PLA filament, which is what we use. We can handle PLA filament spools without gloves or protective goggles. Resin? Absolutely not. They ARE making plant-based resin which is less irritating, but we have no experience with it. If you do, chime in in the comments.

Resin involves cure time. You also have to wash your print after. That can add to the process time too.

So that's the extreme basics of what 3D printing is, the two most common types, and why we do FDM printing. We hope you found it helpful! We're going to try to make this a series to explain more about 3D printing in general so it's less mysterious for non-printers. What do you want us to talk about next? Let us know! Like...what different materials you can print with? What are they made of? Maybe some example pictures with different finishes? Would that be interesting? We'd love to hear from you. And we look forward to seeing the comments in the notes/tags! We couldn't go as in-depth as we wanted without turning it into a novel, so have at it in the notes. We can't wait to follow the discussion!

We're Planterful Pieces, a small business focused on offering made-to-print products that cater to the planty people of the world, whether that means you OWN plants or simply just LOVE nature. We also want to share with you all cool designs that aren't easily accessible to people who DON'T 3D print, and there's a LOT!

If you're not interested in our planters but ARE interested in future products, like our upcoming art collection, jewelry, and more, subscribe to our email newsletter on our website here (you'll have to scroll down a little). We promise we'll only email you once a month with sneak peeks, product updates, deals, or if there's an upcoming launch. Frankly, we don't have time to spam you with emails, since we'd rather be designing and printing.

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Thanks for reading!

(PS: We haven't forgotten about those interested in international shipping! If you sign up on the newsletter we can let you know as soon as it's available! We'll make posts here of course and our other socials but that's always hit or miss. This way it goes right in your inbox.)

[geometricalien]

Can you imagine how hilarious it would be if a few months in their relationship, neither Seijūrō nor Kōki know each other's birthday because the subject never came up whenever they talk?

Like, considering Seijūrō's upbringing, it wouldn't be a surprise if he thinks of birthdays as something trivial. Just as another regular day. Whereas for Kōki, birthdays are a milestone.

So it's November 8th, Kōki's birthday. But he's completely busy dealing with real life stuff that he entirely forgets about it... Until his co-workers surprised him with popping confettis, presents, songs & of course, a cake.

Skip to Seijūrō who just finished work, he opens his social media account just to pass time. He checks Tetsuya's post, where the light blue-haired guy celebrated & congratulated Kōki's (insert ordinal number here) birthday, surrounded with Taiga & people he don't know.

Seijūrō blinks. Today is Kōki's birthday???

He looks at the clock. It's 09:00 P.M.

Fuck. Seijūrō only has 3 hours left to find the perfect gift for Kōki.

But he's not an Akashi if he gives up. Either he tries even if it means he'll have to wait the comfort of a hot shower & his bed or he'll miss out on his BF's birthday.

Okay okay, so, besides my private hc that Kouki would rack up bills from designer brands with his husband's black credit card- I think he is someone who won't accept extravagant gifts, like, the price of it hangs over his head and he knows he won't ever be able to match it so he can't accept them.

With that option out of the window, Akashi's only remaining choice is to arrange an experience. Some phone calls later Akashi books it across the city and makes it to Kouki's apartment in a record time of 27 minutes. When Kouki opens the knock on his door he is met with the sight of a slightly frazzled Akashi holding a small bakery box. (No he absolutely did not pay the individual who was closing shop for the night 30,000 yen to let him buy a cake afterhours)

"Happy birthday, Kouki."

Confusion gives to surprise and then to joy. Kouki's chest burns with light. Uncaring to his neighbors who may be nearby or the pedestrians on the street who may look up, he leans forward and kisses Akashi. He pulls back from Akashi who is also surprised since Kouki rarely displayed affection in public- Akashi leans towards Kouki, chasing his lips a bit. He blinks open his eyes to see Kouki's bitten back smile and his feet are barely able to catch himself when Kouki pulls him into the apartment by the arm.

They spend the last couple hours of his birthday in each other’s presence simply enjoying being together because those last few hours are the loneliest as an adult on your birthday. When you can feel the echo of your voice on the walls and the touch of your loved ones from eariler is gone. You just want to be with those you love.

In the morning Kouki wakes up to the smell of something burning. He can't help but laugh as he watches Akashi attempt to scrap something black off of a pan into the sink. Frustrated he drops the pan with a dull clang. It's easy to sneak up on Akashi when he is so focused on something else, and that's just what Kouki does. He wraps his arms around his waist and buries in nose in his nape. The smell of Kouki's conditioner fills his nose. Instantly Akashi relaxes.

Almost petulantly Akashi mutters, "I was going to make you your favorite meal. It's harder than I originally thought."

Kouki's arms tighten a bit and he presses his smile into Akashi's shoulder. "Thank you for trying, but you really shouldn't be allowed in a kitchen."

Akashi hums a half agreement. He turns around and returns Kouki’s embrace.

"I might have ruined your pan."

Kouki's laugh paints the kitchen gold.

On Kouki's next day off Akashi takes him out for his "birthday date" which involves taking him on a tour of the premier train manufacturing company and entering the next top of the line model that will officially release in two months.

"I don't know how I'll be able to match that for your birthday... and when is your birthday by the way?"

"December 20th. You do not have to worry about that. I would just like to spend it with you."

"That can be arranged."