There's no set amount of water that you'll need to add. Instead, scoop the primer into the bucket or cup that you'll be using to hold it. Then, add a little bit of water at a time while stirring the gesso and continue adding water until it has the consistency of a heavy cream. Your gesso will probably be really thick, so it's important to dilute it to make it easier to apply and smooth out. It's better to shoot for too little water rather than too much, since if you add too much water to your gesso, your only choice is to start this process over. Go from the top of the canvas to the bottom, stroking parallel to the length of the canvas. Cover the canvas completely while also spreading the primer as evenly and thinly as possible. Try to create as flat a surface as possible with the gesso. For best results, use a stiff brush with relatively firm fibers. If your canvas is pretty big, you can also use a roller brush instead. Be sure to paint the edges of the canvas as well; these can sometimes be hard to hit with just vertical strokes. Gesso doesn't take long to dry, but give it at least an hour to completely dry for best results. Use fine sandpaper to give your gesso a once-over and give it a smooth texture moving forward. If you don't want your canvas to have a smooth texture, you can choose to skip this part. Be sure to brush off the dust from your canvas after you sand the gesso. While the gesso is drying, take this time to clean off your brush. If you leave the gesso on the bristles for too long, it will be very difficult to remove. When you go to apply this second coat of gesso, be sure to turn the canvas 90 degrees first. This way, when you apply the primer with vertical strokes, these strokes will be perpendicular to the ones you used for the first coat. Using perpendicular strokes will make the finish of your texture much more even. You can apply as many coats of primer as you like, but most people choose to apply 2 for a smoother texture. Just 1 coat of gesso will give your canvas a relatively rougher finish. For best results, give your second coat an hour to dry before you go to sand it. Use very light pressure and short back-and-forth motions to avoid scraping off too much of the gesso. Be sure to remove the dust from your canvas after you sand it. Once you've finished sanding the gesso, your canvas is ready to be painted on!

Summary: Stir your primer and add a touch of water to it to dilute it. Use a wide brush to apply the gesso in vertical strokes. Allow this first coat to dry, then lightly sand it to smooth it out. Repeat these steps to apply a second coat using perpendicular strokes. Sand the gesso after it's dried for a smoother surface.

Rinse the carrots under running water, scrubbing them gently with your fingers or a vegetable brush to remove any dirt. Use a sharp knife to cut the carrots into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces and to slice the onions into thin rings. To save time, you may use baby carrots or carrots pre-cut into "coins" instead of whole carrots. Substitute roughly 5 to 8 baby carrots or 1/2 cup (125 ml) pre-cut coins per regular whole carrot. The onion can also be cut into quarters or minced. The flavor of the gravy will not be dramatically affected either way, so how you cut the onions is mainly a matter of aesthetic taste. Substitute dried onion flakes or onion powder for the fresh onion, if desired. This step saves time and also makes it possible to get the onion flavor while hiding the actual onion from picky eaters. Use 1/4 cup (60 ml) dried onion flakes or 1 tsp (5 ml) onion powder. Mix the two ingredients together in a small bowl using a whisk or fork. Use a medium-high heat, and allow the oil to warm for a full minute or so. A little will go a long way. If you aren't sure about the amount, start with 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) each and go from there. Make sure to season all sides. Place the roast in the skillet and sear in 30 to 60 second intervals, flipping it over with tongs after each interval until all sides are browned. This step is only optional. You do not have to pre-brown the roast in order to cook it in the slow cooker, but pre-browning adds more flavor to the roast and the gravy.

Summary: Wash the carrots. Cut the carrots and onion. Combine the broth and Worcestershire sauce. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper. Brown the roast in the skillet.

If you wish to make butterfly cakes, you will need to prepare some fairy cakes first. You will also need to prepare some buttercream icing. Once the cakes have cooled, you can begin turning your fairy cakes into butterfly cakes. To make the base cakes, refer to the section on making fairy cakes. To prepare some buttercream icing, refer to the section on making buttercream icing. Using a serrated knife, cut part of the dome off on each cake. You want to angle the knife slightly while you cut, so that you are creating a small groove in each cake. You will be filling this groove with buttercream icing later. Your butterfly cakes will need some wings. You can create wings for your cakes by cutting each dome in half, creating little half-domes. You will need to fill the grooves you made earlier in your cakes with buttercream icing. Not only does this give the cakes extra flavour, but it also helps secure the wings. You can fill the grooves with icing either by spreading icing into them with a knife, or by piping icing into them using a decorating bag. If you do not have a decorating bag, you can make your own by filling a plastic bag with buttercream icing and cutting the corner off. To prevent the icing from squishing out the opposite way and getting all over your hands, secure the open part of the bag either by knotting it or by wrapping a rubber band around it. At this point, you can add the wings, or you can make the butterfly cakes more colourful and flavourful by dding a dollop of lemon curd or jam. Simply spoon a little bit of lemon curd or jam right right in the centre of each cake. This can be the body of the butterfly. Each butterfly cake gets two half-dome wings. Place the wings on top of the buttercream and to either side of the dollop of curd or jam. Apply gentle pressure. You want them to stick, but you don't want them to be completely submerged in the icing. The parts that were originally the top of the cakes should be facing each other, and the parts that were in the groove should be facing out. The flat edge, created from when you cut the wings in half, should be in the buttercream. At this point, you can leave your butterfly cakes as they are, or you can add some variety with icing sugar. To do this, simply dust some sifted icing sugar on top of each cake. Make sure to get the wings! You can use coloured sugar or hundreds and thousands instead of icing sugar. This will make the butterfly cakes more colourful.

Summary: Consider making some butterfly cakes. Cut the domes off. Cut each dome in half. Fill the grooves with buttercream icing. Add a dollop of lemon curd or jam. Stick the wings on top of the icing. Lightly dust the butterfly cakes with icing sugar.

Love is not a manufactured emotion. If you've fallen out of love and its not coming back then perhaps it isn't meant to be. People fall in and out of love all the time, and though it can be difficult, there are not always explanations. Sometimes it just happens. By the same logic, however, sometimes your feelings will just spring up naturally, renewing love where you thought there was none. At the end of the day, the best advice is to follow your gut, be honest with yourself and your partner, and hope for the best.
Summary: Don't force things.