Newfangled Endeavor

My first cake wreck.....

2010-02-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you're inspired to make your first fondant covered cake at midnight.

This "masterpiece" was created many months ago.(I've been a very bad blogger.) But anyway, As much as this cake was ugly, it tasted great and had sort of a cloud look to it. I've gotten a little better with working with fondant. Now, my biggest problem other than writing on the blog is remembering to take pictures of my creations. I'm going to try and dig up some of the pictures of my creations from the last few months. I promise! =)

Someone tried to steal....my cake??

2009-09-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

There was a story that went along with my girly pink metalish cake I made a while back. Ok, less than a month ago but I should have written about it then.

I made the cake for my friend Marcee's birthday. As usual, I was running late and had to stop at the mall to get her a present. Of course it was about 90 degrees outside and my air conditioning in the car wasn't working (which we had just paid over $100 to have fixed but that's a whole other story). So, once stopped at the mall I figured I would leave the two front windows down to help keep the car from getting too hot. I took my iPod out of the car and anything else that was of any value.

I had my adventure rushing through the mall trying to find a present and the whole time envisioning the cake melting. Once I returned to the car I was shocked to see that someone had opened the box and made a huge mess of the cake and the car by doing so. There was pink frosting all over the side of the box and on the floor. I opened up the box and there was a large chunk of frosting missing from the side of the cake. The nerve of some people. I mean, I guess I was happy that the potential thief had some heart and realized it was someone's birthday cake and left it there... in the condition it was in.

Alot easier to fix a cake...... than trying to explain "someone stole the cake while I was at the mall!!!!"

Who would have believed that???? Not me! =P

The Ed Cheng No Reservations Cake

2009-09-04T23:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, not quite what I had envisioned.

Not too bad either for the time constraint that I put myself in.

To really understand this cake, I guess you would have to know of the show Anthony Bourdain No Reservations. Most of my family loves the show, including me and my dentist brother-in-law Ed.

Things I would have done differently....

Used (if I had one big enough) a flat rectangular cake plate
Made the cake a little bigger
Made the letters a little smaller
Tried to prevent my brother-in-law from looking like a Sesame Street character!
Attempted to make the "dental drill" in his hand, look more like a drill and less like a knife!
.....kept the picture (Anthony Bourdain) in front of me for guidance.

Ok, I didn't give my self enough time. I made the letters and sesame street characters (oops... sorry Ed, it was not on purpose!) WAY to big, and blamed it on the cake being too small. At the start of laying down the letters, they were running down the sides of the cake.

Conclusion: Pretty good cake and most importantly..... good tasting!

Not what I hoped for, but cute in a cartoonish way =)

P.S.- It's a piece of sushi in his other hand (California Roll to be exact!)

What to make...

2009-08-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure what sort of cake should I make for my brother in law?? He's a dentist, a foodie, a traveler, a???

Short list of ideas I thought of:

Giant tooth cake? Not very original.
Giant decaying tooth cake? Ewwww. (My mom wouldn't want to see that cake!)
Giant sushi cake? I don't think I'd be able to eat it. (I HATE SUSHI)
Airplane? Too much planning/not enought time

Ok, those ideas suck! I did come up with something, but just incase Ed follow's my blog the picture won't be up until tomorrow.

The "metalish" Birthday cake....

2009-08-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

I know "Metalish" isn't a word. But, it's the word my friend Kelly came up with to describe how she thought my friend Marcee's birthday cake should look. Marcee is very girly and listens to a lot of death metal(or any metal music for that matter).

Kelly thought this "metalish" look would have skull and cross bones, band names, or something along those lines.

After a while I came up with this:

I figured black and pink would be girly but didn't know how to do it. I thought I'd make a pink cake but didn't know how to incorporate the black. Then, I thought of making a ring of roses around the top. Since I've never made roses before, I looked on YouTube. There were two short how-to videos that showed how to make fondant roses. Best use of time on YouTube EVER! It's actually quite easy once you make a couple. (part II of how to video)

As for the scull and crossbones, I did a quick image search and found a scull and crossbones that looked suitable for the project. Copied/pasted/adjusted the size/printed.....and then I was able to trace around the printed image onto fondant and cut them out. Once I had all them cut out I used buttercream icing (dyed black) and a circular tip to draw in the outlines and face.

I made the fondant roses and the skull and crossbones a couple days before I had to make the cake. When finally done making the actual cake and frosting it pink, I was able to place the already completed roses on the top and attach the skull and crossbones to the sides.

May I present: The Chicago Blackhawks hockey puck cake....

2009-08-14T20:36:00.001-07:00

I almost always seem to make a sports themed cake for my friend Danielle's birthday every year. One year it was a St. Louis Cardinals cake. The next year, cupcakes with The Chicago Bears logo. This year I figured, What better than a giant hockey puck?

I spent about 3 hours just making the chief. Another 3 hours making the cake from scratch and dying fondant black. I think it turned out better than I expected and Danielle loved it!

Now, what to do next year? I wonder if she has a favorite soccer team?

The next cake???

2009-07-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what the next cake will be??? It's for my friend Danielle's Birthday. I hope I can pull it off. Her birthday's not until Aug. 11th, so it will be a while before I post up any pictures! =)

Daisy cake

2009-07-28T16:30:00.001-07:00

Ashley, one of my little sister's best friends just turned 21! We didn't know what kind of cake to make for her. She LOVES pink and LOVES flowers. How appropriate, a pink daisy cake!

I think it turned out pretty well. Except for the lack of exclamation. It's the sort of cake you see on Cake Wrecks all the time! I was going to try to squeeze one in, but thought it would just look worse! I'm glad I took the time to make a visit to Joann's to buy a scalloped platter for the cake, it made it look so much better! (40% off with my usual Joann's coupon....what a steal!)

Hanging out with Ashley (post cake eating) around a very smokey bonfire.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.....

2009-07-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

....of some of the past (unposted) cakes and cupcakes.

This was a creation for my friend Danielle's birthday. A montage of teams.

The St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago bears, Chicago Blackhawks(bottom left...I heart toots), and the random Greenbay Packers cupcake thrown in to make her laugh! Kind of a mess....but she still liked it! =)

My sister Bridget's idea of a cute Easter Bunny cake.........on LSD.

Mixing Holidays.

St. Patrick's Day and Easter rolled into one. One decorating night that is.

Prepare your selves for a unhappy Valentines Day....

I think we had good intentions when we began decorating.

By the end our decorating fun.... the had mood changed! =)

Giant Hershey's Kisses....

2009-07-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

For our friend Julie's Birthday, my friend/neighbor Adam gave us a GREAT idea. I guess it was actually something his grandma use to do. Giant rice crispy treat that look like Hershey's Kisses! We placed them all around the table when we went out to dinner. They looked great and looked even better as the night went on. Everyone kept picking them up and shaping them into the perfect looking kisses!

Here's how to do it. It's pretty easy.

Make a batch or two of rice crispy treats
Grease up one or a couple different sized kitchen funnels.
Pack rice crispy treat mixture into the funnel
Poke finger through the narrow part of funnel to push out the "kiss"
Make different sized squares out of Aluminum foil.
Wrap each "kiss" with the aluminum foil squares.
Cut some white paper into appropriate sized strips of paper and write what ever notes you want in (blue) ink. (we wrote "Happy 21st Birthday Julie" etc.)
Tuck the piece of paper into the "kiss"

For her birthday we also made her a GIANT cupcake and some little (normal sized) cupcakes!

YUM!!!!

The Pillsbury Doughboy Cake.....

2009-07-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

... turned out great! Bridget loved it and had NO idea this was the cake she was getting!

Me.....putting the cake on display.

I decided to make some extra cupcakes decorated with, Bridget's other favorite.....bees!

I know... they're a little mutant looking. I thought they were still cute enough to serve!

My sister Bridget delightfully suprised by her "boyfriend" cake.

.....and yes..... I've been a bad blogger. I'll try a little harder.

It's been a long week....

2009-06-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Will's birthday party was great! Everyone loved the new fire pit. Now it's time to start working on Bridget's Birthday. Her Birthday is Saturday...and the doughboy pan arrived in time! I'll probably work on her cake tomorrow during the day. I'll try and take a bunch of great pictures! =)

The Pillsbury doughboy......

2009-05-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

I think that is what Bridget's Birthday cake will be this year. As long as it can get here in time! I Just found the cake pan (from the '70's) on Ebay. I don't mind devulging this on my blog.....because she doesn't read my blog! Which....may be a good thing.
Last year we made her the Cupcake Cake, which was very cute and of course I can't find a picture. I was thinking of making her a Care Bear cake. That is, until I found out there was a Doughboy cake pan!!!!!
I think she'll love it!!!!
(she does call the doughboy her "boyfriend")

Gotta love Chicago News Broadcasts!

2009-05-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ferris Bueller's House

I've had a bad case of boredom all evening. While flippin' through the channels, I started to watch the news. Only now, I don't know which channel it was I was watching. Anyway, there was a short segment about the glass house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off being for sale. What I found funny was once the segment was over, during there "quirky" post segment commentary, the one anchor said something like..."I'd like to live in Ferris Bueller's house".
"I caught that! " I said to myself. "What a dumb b@$#%! That's Camerons house!"

Cameron's house
Much cooler than Ferris'

While attempting to find the clip of anchor lady goofing, I found something even funnier on another Chicago area news broadcast. Check it out..... but make sure to listen at the very end!

UP here we come.....hopefully.....

2009-05-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. Time to start planning our yearly 4th o' July trip to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.

For the last couple years we have been heading up to our "farm" in the middle of nowhere. It's such a great place to spend the Fourth.

Since all of us who head up there live in the suburbs of Chicago, it's nice for us the be away from all the lights, people, cars and tv.

This year quite a few of the usual people (my sister etc.) won't be joining us........ because of the accident last year.....but that's a gruesome story I won't be re-telling any time soon.

But anyway..... this is the place where I get the BEST sleep EVER...... albeit hungover sleep....it's still great sleep. I think it has something to do with the fresh air and the fact that all you hear is the insects and every once in a while, a coyote howl. There was one morning, that we were awakened by our dog Cody. Her canine ears heard the sound of a coyote attacking some small animal before we did. Not pleasant, but not something you normally hear where we live.

The weather is almost always nice. Normally the perfect temp and the sun is always out. Except, when Will and I were up there all alone and there were some severe thunderstorms.....which got a little scary I must say.

.....and don't forget....this is where "MY" park is.....

My dogs are the best....most of the time!

2009-05-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've always thought I have the best dogs in the world. I'm probably just like everyone else though.
There are many stories of their occasional outbursts of misbehavior. Here are the top reasons (that I can think of @ 10PM) they have ended up in the "dog house":

Clyde as a puppy......chewed EVERYTHING from the trim on the walls to the arm of the beautiful couch my mother had just gotten. Not to mention the arm of the matching wing chair.
Improper Urination. Having a dog (Cody) with Idiopathic Epilepsy, there are moments when urinating inside the house, is unavoidable and not something that is at all punishable. However, I don't think we would EVER have a problem of dogs urinating inside if it weren't for my sister Bridget's dog Scrappy. He's a great dog, but should probably just be litter trained. Scrappy, although he pees where he see's fit, now tries to at least pee in the bathroom or as close to the bathroom as he can get. The funniest of all these improper urinations with the dogs, didn't even occur inside, but on the front lawn. Scrappy, doing his business, Clyde doing his business on Scrappy, Scrappy retaliating by peeing on Clyde's leg.
Garbage duty. The garbage can "should" be off limits to the dogs. I've had countless moments of walking into a room to find any one of the dogs with a butter wrapper, licking it clean. There are also the many times I would walk into a room to find a puddle of bile with foil from candy(mainly Reese's Miniatures) being the main course. I now know that Cody is the main culprit, having found her trying to coax open an untouched Reese's cup. The worst of their garbage eating activities normally occurs after someone has eaten at Taco Bell. The mess that is created from all of the taco wrappers torn into LITTLE pieces in unbelievable. These are examples that force us to take any chicken bones directly to the outdoor garbage cans.
Running away. It doesn't happen often and us humans are normally the one's to blame. They will only run away when they are together and we forget that they are outside with us. It normally causes hours of us driving around looking for them and them coming home at the wee hours of the morning totally filthy and smelling like sewage. The funniest part is that if only one of them is let outside and forgotten there, they will sit on the front porch and bark. I guess it's no fun to run away alone!
Barking. It's not a frequent occurrence in our house. One of the dogs (normally Scrappy.....who's vision has become, well......crappy) will start the "alarm" to let us know the UPS man has arrived or someone they don't recognize is approaching the house. It's a chain reaction of barks. They all join in and bark and bark and bark...... until they "scare" the perp away.
Rolling in fecal matter. That's what I thought it was at least. I had Clyde out in the back yard one evening and thought it was SO CUTE that he was flopping around on the ground. I really thought he was just trying to scratch his own back or something. That is..... until he approached me......with that smell!!!!!!!!! Straight to the shower it was that night and I will no longer think it's cute to see him flop around on the ground like a fish.
Don't feed the dog. Sometimes it's not the pets but the people. I have a tendency to feed the dogs people food. I just don't understand why some people choose to feed the dogs certain items that were on our menu. The worst I can recall was with Clyde. He seemed to not be feeling well. I took him outside because it looked like he was beginning to dry heave. We were only outside for a minute when up it came. A HALF AN EAR OF CORN. I guess, 2 DAYS BEFORE, my dad decided to give Clyde some left over corn. While most of us who would want to give a dog corn (not me) would remove it from the ear, my dad tossed him the whole thing. That's exactly how it went down. I'm so glad it came up and he didn't have to have surgery to have it removed. There's also the fact that I didn't even know he ate it until it was on the ground in front of me. Dad got lectured that night!

I'm sure there are tons more I will think of but am getting a little sleepy and the pups are looking tired too!

I'm from Chicago...and look like a tourist!

2009-05-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

I finally visited "The Bean" in Chicago's Millenium Park.
As cool (actually HOT in 80 degree weather) as it was to see in person, I still looked at it and wished I had some windex. I can only imagine the amount of hands that touch it every day! However, you'd think with the amount they spend on the whole park......they could hire someone, maybe one of the many homeless men you run into anyway, to walk around it with some windex and a squeegee!

Note: If you look close at the picture of my friend Ben and me......you can see what I'm talkin' about! =)

Me...that was right mom....right????? =)

WTF Chicago????

2009-05-22T20:03:00.001-07:00

Call it what you will. From this angle, this "work of art" looked some what...... pornographic?
What do you think?????

and Ben attempts the "big door"

2009-05-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ben even had the advantage of a running start.....and he didn't make it atop the knob either. Maybe next time we'll come prepared!

The BIGGEST DOOR in Chicago

2009-05-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

I know it will happen some day!
I've been to the "big door" in Chicago......twice now. Each time there, I attempt to get on top of the door knob. Don't think It's going to happen with out a ladder!

We visited the "big door" today after spending the afternoon at the Candy Expo. Emily(my older sister) helped us get passes to the expo.....and I LOVED it! We left with probably 20+ pounds of candy. The only problem we had at the expo was that they wouldn't let Emily come in with her almost 6 month old baby. Come on.......what's a 6 month old going to do wrong at a candy expo. She can't crawl, walk or talk. Oh, and there's also the fact that she has NO TEETH and wouldn't be eating any of the candy! However, Emily was a good sport about not being allowed in. We offered to switch off staying with the baby, but she told us to have at it and....... WE DID!

Reasons to stop using the computer tonight

2009-05-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

My eyes are already dry from "trying out" the new firepit
I need to get a little rest to be able to work and then continue my "work" in the yard
There's got to be something good on tv tonight
I don't realize how much time really goes by while I'm online
Surfing the internet doesn't burn many calories
The "a" key tends to start sticking on my laptop....and it will soon become impossible to write ANYTHING!...with an "a" that is....like my name =)
There's laundry to be done
My dogs are scratching at my bedroom door.... signaling......you guessed it.......
Bedtime!!!!!!!!!!!! =)

A WORK IN PROGRESS

2009-05-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

The work continues and the body aches continue. This fire pit re-construction..... is A LOT of work!

I can't wait to see the finished product!

Wisconsin Death Trip

2009-05-18T09:04:00.001-07:00

That's how it can feel on a trip to Wisconsin with the family......but not the case for our most recent adventure to the north woods.
On our trip back from my Aunt Karen in upper Wisconsin, we had a chance to stop in Black River Falls. The town is the setting for the book and the movie Wisconsin Death Trip. Once you know some history of the town, you'll want to visit too.

I did want to have my picture taken holding a rock to the window of one of the many cute stores, to sort of channel Mary Sweeney ( a cocaine snorting school mistress with compulsion to smash windows who frequently runs amok in the area).....but with the car alarm unconsolably screeching, we headed home.

Feelin better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

I've been a slacker lately. I had a couple months of doing a whole lot of nothing. Well, Except work!

My sewing will be set aside for rainy and cold days. For now, it's time to work out in the garden. The garden seems to be a project that never seems to get completed. Hopefully this year it will!

The fire pit we've had for years, has also been neglected for years. It was left out in the rain, snow, heat, cold, ice storms.....you name it. Now, after years of use, the bottom rusted out and it's totally useless! Time for an in ground fire pit! Before and after pics to follow.....as long as I can find a before picture. That is one problem I have. I NEVER remember to take the before pics. I'm the type of person that loves to see before and after pics, but never get it right myself!

CRAP CRAP CRAP

2009-02-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

I feel like it, Crap that is. I also had to deal with alot of real crap today. Cody(my dog) had a seizure, which began in my mom's bedroom. No one knew she was up there having a seizure...but she pooped all over her floor....and on some of her new books. Just my luck too, the book she pooped on was a signed copy of a book that my mom JUST got. But....I feel like crap still. Not much energy to write or anything! :)
And.....my mom and I finally got a "new" car. I'll write more about it when I'm feelin better =)

That time of year

2009-02-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

It happens the same time every year...I get a cold. Only this year, I got a cold....started to feel better...and now I think I have the flu! This sucks! I have sooooo much stuff I want to be doing....and can't! I barley have the energy to write this =(

I forgot again!

2009-02-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

I always do! I spent yesterday re-decorating my mom's pantry....and I forgot to take a before picture! The after looks good...but it's even better when you get to see the before picture! I'll try to find a picture where the pantry just happens to be in the background :)

2009-02-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

BLAH

2009-02-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

This is probably the worst time of year. I always wind up getting sick right about now and the weather sucks! I really wish I could be doing some of the stuff from the long list of things that I want to get done.....but can't.

We spent the night up at Emily's in Racine last night...and I got barley any sleep at all. I woke up...from Bridget opening up a can of coke at 4 am. (after falling asleep after 2am) I kept coughing and coughing and it was impossible to fall back alsleep. Once I did though, the whole process repeated itself every hour on the hour. I was at least trying to be somewhat polite by coughing into my pillow.
(I also want to thank Martha for donating a Mucinex to me at 5 am. I think it helped.... a little.)
I was then woken up at (I think...) 8 am, when Emily found a large hair ball , which was coughed up by her cat Murphy on the floor of the guest room (I must have given him my cold), and she started steam cleaning the carpet. I still didn't want to get out of bed.... the sound of the steam cleaner just lulled me back to sleep!

I eventually managed to get my ass out of bed. Although, I didn't even change out of my PJ's. I just hopped into Bridgets car AS-IS.

I have to admit that it is fun to be the passenger in a car when you are sleep deprived but in a good mood...it was fun :)

I am worried though, that Bridget's road rage is going to give me a stroke! She stresses me out when she drives. (and my mom, when she's forced to drive with her) Anytime we go anywhere, she is cursing everyone on the road. Everyone is either a "douche", "douchbag", "dickwad", "dickass"(and that one doesn't make too much sense)....they're either going too fast or too slow.... They are riding behind her too close (while she is riding behind someone else to close.....
SHE JUST NEEDS TO CALM DOWN....AND STOP BEING IN SUCH A RUSH TO GET EVERYWHERE.....or I think she might...someday...make me stroke out! :)

The road to Racine

2009-02-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

Bridget, Martha and I are up in Racine for the night. It's our older siser Emily's 30th birthday today, so we're "babysitting" for the night. It definitely not a three person job, but it's more fun with all three of us!
On our way up here, I had one of those moments when you wish you had your camera on you. We saw a '94 Impala that was raised up on some huge wheels...or should I say rims....there was barley a tire! Don't get me wrong... I love old school impalas....but this was just awkward looking!The funniest part was within a minute....we saw a red '94 impala raised up on huge rims....Very strange!
I think I need to get a smaller camera....so I always have it on me! :)

....and now uninspired

2009-02-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

I feel like crap! I've had a terrible cold for a week now and don't feel like doing much of anything. My sister Martha gave me a Mucinex saying that it might help me feel a little better. She was laughing as I opened the bottle and joking about the size of the pill. It looked like something you'd would give a horse! A little hard to swallow but I think it's starting to help.

I did have the smallest burst of energy this afternoon. I walked into my crap....I mean....craft room, looked around, took my "before" picture and walked back out. Today is just not the day for a re-organizing project! But...maybe by the end of the week when I'm feeling better I'll get it done. :)

Inspired

2009-02-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

I have set a new goal for the next few days. I am going to organize all of my fabric! It's a mess right now. I have so much new fabric and feel that I shouldn't stack it any higher in my craft room. I found a website that sells fabric organizers (to make them look like bolts again) but they just cost more than I can afford at the moment, for the amount of fabric I have! Check 'em out though... they are pretty cool! I'll just have to come up with a cheaper alternative for now....and I'm thinking of cutting up card board boxes......maybe from Bridget's Jagermeister POS. (At least then they'll be recycled and not thrown away!)

I'll try to post up a before and after.....

Shanked with a fondue fork

2009-02-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

This year I am happy to announce that there were not any fondue fork stabbings at our annual Valentines Day fondue dinner! Although Martha's friend Andrew did make a comment about stabbing someone with the fork. He had no prior knowledge of the history behind fondue fork stabbings in our house. For those of you who haven't heard I'll give you a very brief synopsis.

At the first V-day fondue dinner we hosted a few years back, Aki was stabbed with a fondue fork. Aki is Bridgets (my sister)"boyfriend" of sorts. At that time though, he was dating someone else. This girlfriend of Aki's stabbed him in the arm with a fondue fork. (told you I'd make it brief)

For some reason, every year, someone always brings up stabbing someone with the fork. I don't know what it is about the fondue fork, that contemplate using it as a shiv!?

VD.......it's a tradition

2009-02-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

Not only is it a tradition in my house to refer to Valentines day as VD (as in "what are your plans for VD?" "I'm trying to avoid it") but it has also become a tradition to make fondue.

I LOVE making fondue. Ever since I realized that I can duplicate what they make at the Melting Pot for WAY less money....we've just done it at home. It really beats waiting for a table anywhere on Valentines Day. If anyone ever wants a good recipe....I have it! =)

I wish I could just make it now!

More of Lilys dress

2009-02-13T22:13:00.001-08:00

Lily's Dress

2009-02-13T21:39:00.000-08:00

Last week there was a party held in Chinatown for Lilyanne. A Red Egg and Ginger party to celebrate her being one month old. My sister was trying to find a dress for her to wear and wasn't having any luck. The few that she was able to find would have to come from Hong Kong and wouldn't get here in time.

So, she brought up the idea of having me make the dress. Of course I said yes. I love the challenge of a newfangled endeavor. By the next day I had found a pattern that I thought would work. The next step was to hit up the crack dealer....I mean craft store. We bought the pattern and a couple yards of a beautiful brocade fabric...and by the end of the night I had most of the dress complete. By the next day it was complete but not before a lot of altering. The pattern that I bought was for infant-toddler....but not for a 7lb baby! I kept having to make it smaller and smaller. Eventually it fit her body double perfectly(my sister Martha's Build-a-bear).

For the first dress I have ever made I think i did a pretty good job. Especially when you consider how small it is :)

My new niece

2009-02-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I shouldn't say new niece. She is my only niece. Not even two months old would pretty much make her "new" though. Lilyanne was born the day after Christmas and she is the cutest thing EVER!

When Emily's (Lilyanne's mom) baby shower was coming up I thought it would be nice to make a "custom" blankie for her. I remember the blankie my Grandma made for me (which I carried around for at least eight years until it was just a little clump of thread and batting) and thought it would be great to give her something hand made. With a little love behind it.

It was the first blanket I've ever made and I think it turned out pretty well. After success with that one, I was able to make a small quilt blankie for my nephew Liam (not officially a nephew....but I've dated his uncle for 10+ years.....He's my nephew!)

I'm back....

2009-02-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

....With nowhere to store all the fabric that I just purchased. Ok, maybe I do have room, but not any left over energy to put it all away(the right way)!

I remember the same sale going on Presidents Day weekend last year. I think every single fabric I purchased was a paisley print. Although beautiful, I wasn't very inspired with what to make with the fabric. This year though, I had "visions". Not delusional "visions", but visions of the finished project for EACH fabric that I purchased. I say that's quite a feat for myself. Not to mention real motivation to create! Hopefully, with all the other things going on this weekend I will find the time to work on something.

It's kinda like crack.....

2009-02-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

Time to go to Joann's. The store is kinda like crack to me. I can NEVER get enough! Although I guess it is a much healthier addiction than crack. None of the nasty side effects. Although after a large spree...you will find me alone (in my craft room), secluded (in my craft room) and broke.

There is a big sale going on right now and my tax return has come in. Looks like it's BINGE TIME!

Happy (early)Valentines Day!

2009-02-13T11:57:00.001-08:00

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An introduction

2009-02-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

I am a busy body. A do-it-yourselfer. I guess I just love to create....anything. My family considers me their own little Martha Stewart of sorts.

I'll try posting pictures of some of my past creations and any stories that go along with them. There are many newfangled endeavors to come.....

2009-02-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

I never thought I'd start a blog.

My Newfangled Endeavor.

Many more to come!