How To Remove Scratches From Leather

Pets are great - they add to your family, they don't judge you, they provide unconditional love, they scratch up your leather sofas  . . . . .   So, my cat Buddy, and another Cat George before him, decided that when they were young kittens, jumping on and off my leather sofa was a big time.  Unfortunately they left their mark behind.  Evidence below:

Hideous, right?  After a while I started not to notice, but one day I realized how awful it looked and went online and typed in "cover up cat scratches on leather furniture."  Well, there was a world of options out there, but one that I had in my good old pantry was Olive Oil.  Found several sites that indicated rubbing olive oil on the surface of minor scratches would do the trick.  So I decided, what the heck, it's worth a try, and if it doesn't work I can wipe it off with some baguette slices and have a nice snack with my wine.

Results = FABULOUS!

BEFORE    

AFTER                                          


BEFORE

                                             












AFTER

I am THRILLED with the outcome.  I used a soft cloth to rub the olive oil into the leather in circles.  I think the key is really rubbing it in.  I followed up with a paper towel and buffed it off a bit.  I was a bit worried about oil residue on the leather, but the paper towel buffing revealed there was no oil left on surface of leather.  A few weeks later it still looks awesome.  There are a few deeper marks that are still somewhat visible, but it looks tons better than it did.  The oil also brought back the rich tone of the leather a bit.

TAGS: scratch repair, leather furniture, cat scratch, leather sofa, leather chair, repair


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Vegan Christmas Tree Pastries

These tree-shaped pastries are easy and fun to make, and inspired by a post that has stuck in my head for a couple of years from VeganLovlie.  She used homemade pie crust pastry, but I went the quick route and used store-bought puff pastry.  Each package makes four 4-6" trees (more if you try making smaller ones), and you can fill them with anything you like- savory or sweet.

Start with your sheet of puff pastry and cut in half.  Then make two 1 to 1 1/2" cuts on the middle bottom for your tree trunk.  Then carefully score the outline of the tree (triangle) without cutting all the way through.  Trim the upper corners so you don't have too much dough to work with (use scraps for something else), then trim the bottom corners too.  Lastly, cut strips on either side of the tree- not an exact science, but about 1/2" each, stopping at your scored guide lines.

I added a layer of Tofutti cream cheese mixed with garlic salt, dried basil, and cracked black pepper, to make an herb spread.

Then I added a layer of a saute- spinach, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted pine nuts- sauteed in a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Make sure this mixture is not wet!

Starting from the top, simply fold each strip towards the center, overlapping one side, then the other side.  Wrap firmly over your filling.

When you get to the last two side strips, fold up the two bottom corners.  You may want to trim these a bit if it seems like too much dough.  Then go ahead and finish the two remaining side strips, tucking the last one under a bit.

Place it on a prepared baking sheet (I used parchment paper), and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Then broil the tops for a minute or two- watch it until it turns golden and puffs up. Let them cool a bit before picking them up with your hands. 

Invisible Christmas Tree