Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I took this photo last year when I went for a walk here Very magical place, where you could easily imagine little woodland fairies hiding in every corner. I don't see any four leaf clovers in this picture, but I'm sure if you wandered the woods here, you would eventually find at least one :)

Are you Irish? I don't believe I have a lick of Irish blood in me, but my husband does, so we celebrate it a wee bit here at our house, with American Irish food. Most people that actually live in Ireland, have no idea why we eat corned beef and cabbage on this day. I believe it comes from the immigrants that lived in New York. I may be wrong, so do correct me if I am. One Irish person told me once, that they kinda eat what they like on this day, but normally it would something more along the lines of lamb stew or leg of lamb. I'm no expert, but since we are American, and I love corned beef, that is what we will be eating. I will also be swing by here , to pick up some of their St. Patrick's day cupcakes. The flavor they are making today is Bailey's Irish cream!

Have you traveled to Ireland? I wish I had gone, when we were living in Europe, but couldn't fit it in.

If you are Irish, tell me how you celebrate.

Have a fun day one way or another!

Three new items in the shop

I had fun making these tiny bloomers, in this lovely lavender linen. I love linen for it's weight, and overall feel.
I think these would look so cute with just a onesie, under a dress or skirt, as well as
this little top made from dotted Swiss cotton fabric.
The shoulder ties, are nice to adjust fit.
I loved making this little top, made out of a mini polka dot cotton voile. The little
ruffle collar is so sweet and would look cute peeking out under overalls or maybe a sweater. It is slightly sheer.
I found the cutest black flower shaped buttons to go down the back.
I think it looks the cutest as a little tunic with leggings

All items are in the shop right now. I had hoped to also include the Liberty dress that I was working on, but the power went out today, and it halted my sewing :(

It will hopefully be done in a couple of days. Until then, go visit the new items in my shop!

Hope everyone has a happy weekend!

Hello March!

March just snuck up on me, and I noticed that my last post was on Feb. 29th! I've been working on getting more items in the shop, and finishing up a special order, which is pictured above. I just shipped it out yesterday, and I sure hope the little girl it is intended for likes it, as well as her mom. The customer fell in love with the Heidi dress, and hoped that I could make her daughter one similar, but in a size 5/6. I had hoped to find similar fabric to the one in the shop , but boy is it hard to find lighter weight cotton for garments out there! There are such beautiful designer fabrics out there, but most only come in quilt weight, and not the feel I'm looking for. I do love how artists like Anna Maria Horner has all kinds, like voile, velveteen etc. I wish other designers would do this.

I've got three baby items almost ready for the shop, and oh so many more little dresses, that I plan to make out of that beautiful Liberty fabric. I also found some beautiful Marc Jacobs eyelet fabric, I have some ideas for.

Anyway, just thought I'd say happy March, and that I'm still over here alive, just working on a few things that have taken me away from the blog. I'm really looking forward to Spring, and all things Easter, how about you?

Yummy Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Believe it or not, it is a "Cooking Light" recipe, and it is one of my favorite dessert recipes of theirs. Normally I look at their baked goods with a leery eye, since they usually end up not tasting as good as the picture looks, but this one is so, so yummy. I think I did a post on it ages ago.
Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake

Cake:

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

4 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (16 ounce) carton reduced -fat sour cream

2 cups fresh blueberries

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350

2.To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons sugar.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

4. Place 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, butter, and rind in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and sour cream. Add Flour mixture; beat at medium speed just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

5. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over cake. Yield : 16 servings Calories 299 per slice

* note, I never make the glaze, so that may shave off a bit of calories. I think it tastes just fine without it.
Have a nice cup of tea with it, and enjoy!!
I just got this in the mail from here. I have all sorts of ideas swimming in my head for this :)

Year 4

My blogs birthday came and went, and I didn't mark the occasion with any wise words or celebrations. I started blogging back on February 12, 2008, and it has truly been a fun ride. Although I have slowed down a bit in posts, I really never was a prolific blogger, I still enjoy having my little piece of the blogging world to share my life, and creative adventures in cooking and sewing. I also really enjoy looking back over the year to see what is it that I did in a whole year, be it vacations, cooking etc. I hope you will follow me into the next year, as I continue to share more cooking fun, and peeks into what I'm sewing for the etsy shop.

Happy birthday dear blog, and thanks to all of you who leave such nice and encouraging comments, I appreciate each and every one of them!

For the past couple days I have been cutting out little clothing that I will soon share, stay tuned :)

Fabric Love

I went shopping for supplies the other day, and came home with some linen, and various trims. I can't wait to play around with combinations and make some lovely little items out of what I bought. Not pictured was some beautiful organic cotton fleece in ivory, that I'm going to do a few baby items in. Usually all you can find in fleece is polyester, but my favorite fabric shop in Berkeley, had some of this soft and cozy fabric. I'm excited to play around with it. I think that means I have to conquer my fear of the serger also.
I ordered these Liberty of London fabrics also, and they are the color palate I'm going to be working with for the newer items.

Hope everyone has a fun weekend, I'm starting out mine by going here for dinner tonight, followed by some cozy Friday night TV viewing.....

I'm nosey, so tell me what you are going to do this weekend :)

Happy Sweethearts day!

Happy Valentine's day all! I just had to share this adorable card that Caitlin made for Cyrous. Her watercolor cards are always a treasure.
I made this one for my Valentine. I love Valentine's day, I don't care what the cynics say. Today the weather is so nice, and there is love in the air everywhere you look. I love seeing guys dashing about with a bunch of flowers in hand, off to their sweetie, or women standing in line at the chocolate shop, choosing treats for their special someone. It's just a nice day to remind your loved ones that they are truly loved. Sometimes we get caught up in the day to day routine, and I think this day pulls us back and reminds us to be kind to one another, and share a bit of sweetness.

The line was out the door for these little yummies.
I'm off to make a pot of tea and share these with my Valentine's :)

Hope everyone has a sweet day and stops to say I love you to their sweetie.

Fast Friday Post

I just had to document this with a post. If you have been a long time reader, at least two years or so, you would know who Quincy bird is. This little guy has been with us for two and a half years, and never warmed up to us. We tried everything!!!! You may recall in older posts our attempts at getting him to do the basic hopping on the finger training. He would refuse and freak out. So, I let his wings grow out and let him be in his cage, with his toys for amusement.

Today, I talked to him sweetly like I do every Friday when I clean his cage, and then I decided to try and touch him again. He kinda was a bit ticked off for a bit, and screeched, but then folks it happened......He gently stepped up onto my finger. Caitlin and I were so surprised, that we let him sit on my finger until we both got tired of it. Caitlin then tried and we figured out that he liked to go to that cement perch and hop on there. I guess he doesn't hate us after all.

On other news, I have sold four items out of my shop to local people, so if you notice a few items missing, like the dress I just finished, that is where it went. This has kind of kick started me into getting some more items made and into the shop sooner than later. I also have a special order that I'm working on as well. I went fabric shopping Wednesday, and picked out a few goodies, but in general, I really didn't see what I wanted. I chatted with Nicole and asked her if she had seen some fabric in London that would suit what I needed for my spring/summer items. She knew exactly what I wanted and we are doing a swap of supplies. I can't wait to see what she finds for me :) I'll share the goods as soon as I get them.

I really want to do more posts, but boy the week seems to get away from me with nothing really to show for it. I suppose that is how life goes though.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

Oh, I was going to do a post on the duck from last weekend, but I thought it would be a little disrespectful to Quincy to post a picture of a dead duck along side a photo of him :) I'll share it later.

Like pushing a rope!

This dress took forever!! Not because it was especially difficult, I just kept putting it off to the side. The weather here isn't helping, and this cutie should have been in the shop during the holidays, but I couldn't get my act together!
I think if your little girl needs to go to a winter party though, this would be quite lovely. Or if your little one will fit into it by next year ( size 2T), it would make a great Christmas dress.
Bound hem....
Detail of vintage ribbon, that I bought here. This place had the most beautiful ribbons and lace, as well as many other goodies too numerous to list. They have a lace museum also.

Anyway..... I had fun there and chose some really beautiful ribbons and trim a couple months back, and they will make an appearance into some of the future items for the shop.

This jumper will be in the shop through February, then I plan on taking all the velveteen out , if not sold ,until next season perhaps.

Tonight I'm making a blood orange duck out of the new Donna Hay magazine. I can't wait to eat it. I might snap some pictures of it.

I hear the timer, I must go baste the duck..........

SoNo Vanilla Angel Food Cake

This was the book that I received in the mail last week. There are some really good looking recipes in this book, and I can't wait to try them.
First out of the gate is something not chocolate for a change, and instead, something light and airy. I have never made an angel food cake, so I thought it would be fun to give it a try. I remember having a friend ages ago, that told me that all the babies in her family would have an angel food cake for their first birthday. I thought this was such a sweet tradition, and I always think about angel food cake in that context now. I also love how versatile it can be with different toppings to pair with it. I saw a blogger "frost" it with whipped cream that had lemon curd folded into it. I'm not sure what I will top it with, but strawberries and chocolate sound good.....shoot there I go again, with the chocolate. It isn't dessert unless some chocolate is involved!
Just got a heck of a deal on this angel food pan at Sur La Table. They are having a sale on their pans.
Separating 12 eggs can be a bit nerve wracking, but fun too. Can you crack an egg with one hand and empty the contents with out shells in it? I can :) , but when you have to separate 12 eggs, with not a trace of yolk or anything else, you have to be a bit more meticulous.
As I cracked the next to the last one, very carefully I might add, it literally just flopped out on to the counter before I could get it in the separator!!! I had to fetch another one, but then I had to get the white at room temperature. A quick search on the internet, said if I put the whites in a bowl, then set that bowl in warm water for 5 to 10 min., I would be good to go.
This recipe was a bit different than others I saw in other books and on tinternet. It required you to put all the whites, the sugar and other ingredients into a double boiler. This kinda made me nervous, but I managed to get it to the next step without cooking the whites....Phew!!
Cooling in this position for an hour...... Resulted in the cake below! ( I clicked on something below that will not let me type below this picture, so I'll close here. Hope everyone has a great weekend!)

Fun free stuff and a cozy weekend

Have you ever entered a contest or sweepstakes and thought you might win, and do? Last weekend while I was watching the local news, they were announcing their sweepstakes latest winner, and I decided to head over to their Facebook to enter in the contest. I was hoping to win the iPad 2 that was one of the prizes. I clicked away, entering all my info, and I had this funny feeling that I was going to win, and I could see my name on the TV being announced. Fast forward to this past Monday, when they announced the daily winner on the 11:00 news. I happened to not be watching, but I was on Facebook, when a couple of friends posted on my wall, "Did you just win an Xbox?" Sure enough I did!!!

This was the picture that they took at the station when I went to collect my prize. The assistant that had me sign the paper work, was very nice. She said that I was the happiest winner yet, and that the other people that had come in to collect their prize had a kind of "whatever," attitude. I couldn't believe it, until I went home and looked on their Facebook to see the photos of the other winners. The lady that won the iPad, looked so solemn! Oh well, I was happy with my prize, even though I'm not a gamer, I plan to use it to stream netflix, and others in the household can enjoy the game aspect of it.
When I got home from collecting the Xbox, the UPS man had arrived. We had a lot of points through AMEX to use on Amazon. So, free books and puzzles had arrived :) Don't you love those kind of days?
Look at how cool these pieces are!
But......this has to be complete first, sigh...... I had a picture of the book to put up too, but I'll go ahead and show you later, because it is another baking book, and I will add it to another post when I use it.
I don't eat junk food, or cheap chocolate, BUT M&Ms are one guilty pleasure that I occasionally have, and my sister introduced me to mixing them with popcorn. A fun treat every once in a while, on a rainy cozy afternoon while watching TV.
Caitlin and Cyrous look extra cozy.
I leave you with this very odd photo. While flipping through the channels, I saw Johnny Cash playing a minister on Little House on The Prairie. What a strange image right?

Anyway......hope you have a nice weekend everyone. I decided to forge ahead and finish the dress I was working on. I just can't leave it undone and not put it in the shop, so hopefully it will be done very soon.

I have missed embroidery

I started this piece two years ago, for something to work on when I was recovering from my hip surgery. I really don't know why I didn't finish it, but I found it the other day while looking through my supply cabinet. I have been missing embroidery, and really wanted to get back into another project, but when I saw this, I told myself that I should finish abandoned projects first. This little sampler is really charming, and would be adorable for a child's room. Perhaps it will be tucked away for a future grandchild, or a gift. It is a very easy pattern to work on, and the prefect way to get my creative juices flowing again.

I took a tiny break from the dress I was working on for my shop, and I'm having a hard time getting back to it. Perhaps it is because it is velveteen, and I'm already looking at spring things. It doesn't help that it has been sunny and very warm here in Northern Cal.

What do you think? Should I finish it and put it in anyway, or move on and save it for next fall/winter? I'm in one of those stuck moods lately and avoiding working on things for the shop in general.

We are due for a big storm tomorrow, and perhaps being stuck in the house will bring me back to the work room. Although stormy weather brings out the baker in me as well......I really need to focus!!!

Deadly Brownies from "Baked"

I've been wanting to make these since I bought this book a year or so ago, and because we have all been trying to be super good here with the treats, as in not eating them very often, I resisted making them. I don't know what got into me yesterday, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and make them. I should not however, eaten them so late in the evening, as I think it affected my sleep a bit. Perhaps a tea time treat is better in consuming these, for me anyway.

Ok now for the review and low down on this recipe. At the end of this post, I will give you the recipe for these.
You must use the very best ingredients for these, because I think it makes a huge difference. The "Baked" people sell their brownie mix at Williams Sonoma, for those who may not be able to get Valrhona chocolate. Looking at the picture of them in the book, and on the Williams Sonoma site, I do believe that they turned out exactly like them. I found the espresso powder at Sur La Table. I hunted high and low for it and was so pleased to discover that they carry this one that is pictured. You can use it in frostings and other batters for a little mocha love or to enhance chocolate.
Look at that beautiful dark chocolate melting away. This recipe requires 11 oz. of it and two sticks of butter! Yikes huh?! Does the heart healthy chocolate cancel out the butter? :)
Best vanilla extract of course.
This melted concoction is the butter, chocolate, and sugars. They must sit at room temperature before you add the eggs (5 of them!) and flour/cocoa powder. The tip in the book, if you can read the note in the first picture, is that you will need to use the darkest cocoa powder you can get. I used Valrhona for this as well.
They are really, really good! Now, if anyone wants to come over and help us eat these let me know :) I hope they don't go begging, because I'm not sure I can eat very many of them. I will be at the gym much longer than I really want to if I do!

How many out there love to bake, but can move on, and not eat their baked goods? That is me. I tasted it, had fun making it, but could easily not have anymore.

I give this recipe a huge thumbs up! Here is the recipe. Go out and buy this book though, because it is a winner.

"The Baked Brownie"

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

11 oz. dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao) coarsely chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and the bottom of a 9-by 13 inch glass or light colored metal baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to three days.

Enjoy people, and let me know if you make these.