Creative Living: Quilting, skin care coming on shows

Information on creating background designs for quilts and new findings in skincare products will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and noon Thursday.

Quilter and designer Laura Murray will demonstrate what she calls "playing in the grid." She will show how to use a paintstik primer on the background fabric and then use the grid as a guide for your quilted creation. Murray's business is Laura Murray Designs and she's from Minneapolis, Minn.

Vincene Parrinello is the founder of Wai Hope Organic Skincare, and she's going to talk about actual chemicals used in skincare products, and explain how they may be contributing to serious health problems. She lives in San Diego.

Information on fabric landscape art, using organic sugar products, and making mini scrapbooks will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" noon Tuesday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Sewing expert and designer Cindy Losekamp will demonstrate how to do landscape art, which is similar to appliqué in that it uses smaller scraps of fabric and uses double stick fusible web to make placement easier. Her company is Sew Artfully Yours, and she's from Trenton, Ind.

Pauline McKee is a natural sugar expert and marketing manager for Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc. in Sugarland, Texas. McKee will show how to prepare foods using organic products to ensure you know what your family is consuming.

Maria Nerius says that mini scrapbooks are really "hot" right now because they are less intimidating to make than a full-sized scrapbook. She will show several themed mini scrapbooks for special events and celebrations. She is the Creativity Expert for createforless.com in Portland, Ore.

Cinnamon crumb cake

• 1 1/4 cups organically grown white flour, unbleached
• 2/3 cup Sucanat
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup chilled stick butter, cut into smaller pieces
• 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup of milk, with 1/4 tsp. organic vinegar, added
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (real)
• 1 large egg
• Extra butter

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Butter an 8-inch round cake pan well. Lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup.

Combine the flour, Sucanat, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Let mixer stir the mixture for a few minutes while you cut the butter into pieces. Add the butter and oil, and mix well until the mixture is crumbly, but sticks together when pressed in your hand. Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour for the topping.

Combine the remaining flour mixture, baking powder and baking soda. Add the milk, vanilla and egg. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes or so. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup flour mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or till cake springs back when lightly touched in center. Cool in pan.

Yields 8 servings.

"Creative Living" is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque, NM.