ThoraThinks

Happy Thanksliving!

Nathalie@thorathinks — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:41:11 +0000

Hello all,
My last post was MAY 9th!? Whoa. I spent my summer teaching lots of fun art camps for kids, and have otherwise been caught up in life away from the computer. A few folks have written and asked if Happy Thanksliving! (a vegan Thanksgiving coloring zine) is still available this year, and the answer is yes! It is available here at ThoraThinks and here at Microcosm.

…and if you’re looking for turkey-honoring coloring sheets for your kiddos, look no further!

turkeys
are
the
sweetest

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Mother’s Day Coloring Sheet

Nathalie@thorathinks — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:14:31 +0000

Hello hello! Want to color for your mama?

{print coloring sheet here}

…more Mother’s Day coloring here.
…Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice on sale here.

Cheers to the mamas!

spring sale

Nathalie@thorathinks — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:29:01 +0000

Happy May! Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice is on sale!

spring coloring & boxes of chocolate

Nathalie@thorathinks — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:14:27 +0000

Hello hello,

My love of chocolate making has been reignited this year, and I especially enjoy making special treats to share with friends. This week I made a box of chocolates for my friend Mary’s birthday. After witnessing her excitement (who wouldn’t be thrilled to receive a colorful box of rich, sweet, vegan bites?) I decided to share the process here. This project is suitable for kids or adults. It’s fun, and it reuses materials. If you’d like to give a box of chocolates to a friend, all you have to do is:

*Find a small, cardboard box that you don’t need anymore. A tea box works beautifully.
*Recycle scraps of old wrapping paper, pages, photos, etc. by gluing them all over the box. Collage, draw, write. Make it clean, make it messy. Make it beautiful.
*Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the box. You can glue it down as lining, or just stick it in there like tissue paper.
*Make chocolates! The box I made for Mary was all raw– turtle shells, chocolate-lavender bars, cinnamon-cayenne chocolates, and mint chocolates. For some wonderful raw chocolate recipes, check out Ani’s Raw Food Desserts. Or just browse around online and explore the endless recipes! No matter what kind you make, it’s worth researching your cacao provider before purchasing. For organic and fair trade cacao, I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs.
*Keep chocolates in the freezer until ready to gift. Assemble box, and adorn with a bow or flower.
*Give box of chocolates to your friend, and watch as their love for you grows.

Delicious!

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On another note, would you like to color something Springy? I drew this for my young friends at the University School of Nashville, and thought you might like it too!

PRINT COLORING SHEET

…here’s another Springy coloring sheet from last year.

Enjoy!
-Nathalie

Happy Spring!

Nathalie@thorathinks — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:27:14 +0000

Happy Spring!
Nashville is blooming and the sun is shining. I’ve been gardening, dancing, and juggling various projects (which include a new coloring zine, delicious recipes, and a fun collaboration with Vegan Cuts). Last week I taught a spring break animation camp and had SO MUCH FUN working with 5 imaginative, clever, kind, talented kids. Each day of the week one child got to act as director. The director dictated the story, materials, soundtrack, etc. Check out our videos here:

The Fire
Star Wars: Clone Wars | The Battle of Ryloth
Chalk
Fuzzies Part 2
Magic

be my veggie valentine

Nathalie@thorathinks — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:42:23 +0000

Hey there!
I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my last post– winter is flying by! I’ve been sleeping a little later, moving a little slower, eating a little heartier, dancing, drawing, reading, and doing some big-time snuggling. Letting winter be winter.

Potlucking:

Foodscaping my backyard with my sweet, sweet friend Jeremy:

Fermenting! I’m wild about these raw, fermented nut cheeses made with rejuvelac. Incredible:

Can’t wait for the next batch!

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And now, what you came for: coloring! Hope you enjoy these little veggie valentines. Color, cut, and share with your dearest.

PRINT COLORING SHEET

Happy February, friends! xo

Happy New Year!

Nathalie@thorathinks — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:21:09 +0000

Hello hello,
After enjoying a holiday internet break, I return with fun things to share. I had such a blast teaching another stop motion camp this winter. Making stuff is the best. Kids are the best, too.

Check out these super-fun videos!

Disco Dancing Penguin Party
Merry Christmas
Happy Chanukah
Mouse Attack!

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I’m still taking requests for veg/winter themed coloring sheets. Let me know what you’d like to color!

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Lastly, the limited edition Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice character dolls will no longer be available in 2012. These snuggly friends have had a good run, but the time has come to start making new things (more zines!). Thora, Aksel, Krog, and the Tweeters will be available in the ThoraThinks store until the end of this week.

Farewell, friends!

Cold Weather Coloring

Nathalie@thorathinks — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:52:53 +0000

Hey friends!
Since the Happy Thanksliving! coloring zine madness has come to an end, I have been spending my time working on various kitchen projects,

(making NYE ginger beer!)

making holiday gifts, catching up on reading, spending time with loved ones, gearing up for another animation camp (remember this?), and working on ideas for new coloring zines! You can count on some fun, veg-themed coloring in 2012. : )

In the meantime I’m taking requests for winter, vegan, holiday, and/or Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice-themed coloring sheets! Wrap yourself in a warm blanket, bust out those colored pencils, and speak up… what do you want to color?

p.s. You can find snowy coloring sheets from last year here, here, and here.

December!?

Nathalie@thorathinks — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:36:14 +0000

Hey friends,
It’s finally getting cold here in Nashville and I’ve flipped to the last page of my calendar. I’ve been cherishing each and every carrot, radish, head of lettuce, leaf of kale… it’s all still here, but not for long.

Last week I celebrated November in all of its abundant glory– a creative, collaborative, joyful, farm-fresh, vegan Thanksgiving feast!!! Friends arrived throughout the day, and we worked together to make lentil-pecan-stuffed acorn squash, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato-peanut soup, spicy daikon cakes, kraut, tempeh, chanterelle gravy, fresh bread with rosemary-garlic spread, turnip greens, salad, cranberry sauce, stir-fried broccoli, pumpkin cheezecake, chocolate-peanut butter cookies, whipped cashew cream, wine, hibiscus tea, and even more stuff I’m forgetting! DELICIOUS.

What a celebration! When we choose not to have a turkey on the table, our traditions are not threatened– instead, our celebration becomes more meaningful and full of life.

…and what would Thanksgiving be without Green Friday???

After helping our farmer friends harvest for the CSA, we all feasted on leftovers–

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Thanks again to all who have supported, endorsed, enjoyed, and COLORED my very first zine, Happy Thanksliving! This was such a fun project. Your glimmering, shimmering feedback has gotten me totally pumped, and I can assure you that there are more coloring zines to come!

Vegan Lemon Ice Cream Recipe & Happy Thanksliving!

Nathalie@thorathinks — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:44:40 +0000

Hello all!

A few bits of Thanksliving lovin’ before we get to the way-too-delicious lemon ice cream recipe.

-Thanks to Marsha at the Institute for Humane Education for her super-supportive review. IHE has also compiled a list of 9 turkey-friendly children’s stories for Thanksgiving. Sweet! (This one also looks promising). I recommend browsing this wonderful site to learn more about IHE’s compassionate work.

-Want your copy of Happy Thanksliving! to arrive before Thanksgiving? Place your order by tomorrow!

-Here’s a fun, new interview!

-Adam Gnade of Microcosm Publishing has put together a vegan recipe zine, entitled Let Gluten-Freedom Ring! This collaborative cookzine is only $4 at Microcosm and includes my recipe for raw cheesecake balls. Not exactly Thanksgiving-themed, but fun news nonetheless!

-On a glutenous Thanksgiving note, this looks incredible.

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On to the rich, creamy, tart, sweetness! Yesterday we celebrated a family member’s birthday and his request was lemon ice cream. I stuck with my tried and true cream base– coconut milk and raw cashews– and the rest was so simple and terribly delicious.

A juicy lemon was perfect for this moody November day.

Vegan Lemon Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS
-1 can coconut milk*
-1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least an hour
-1/2 cup liquid sweetener of your choice
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
-1/4 cup + 2 tbs. lemon juice
-1 tbs. lemon zest + more for garnish

*I recommend Native Forrest brand organic coconut milk, because the can is BPA free.

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Combine all ingredients in high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions. Garnish with additional lemon zest. I recommend serving this ice cream with the blackstrap gingersnaps from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. (Or something similarly warm and gingery).

So wonderful! More ice cream here, here and here.

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