here's to 2010

so i've decided i'm back to blogging. and with the new year comes resolutions, so here's mine.

in 2010, i resolve to finish one previously unfinished project every week. or to finish 52 projects by the end of 2010. 52 sounds like a lot, but i cleaned out my sewing room recently, and... it was pretty much a cave of wonders. so i really think i have 52 projects to finish- big and small.

here's my #1:

(that's not cheating if i start before jan.1, right?) i had this idea quite a while ago, bought the stuff, then took about 2 years to actually do it... and it only took about an hour! i made stockings on christmas eve out of thrifted and felted sweaters. i used this template, but changed it a little to work for me. then i used leftovers to make trees for our christmas eve dinner table. i can't say i'll use the same centerpiece every year, but it was fun to do something a little different this year.

bottlecap flags

is it really almost the fourth of july? it's my most favorite holiday, yet it always seems to sneak up. so even though july 4th is so close, why not make a crafty little flag? my sister and i made these a few years ago and have been hooked on finding new and different bottle caps ever since. so with the few i have collected i made some smaller flags to give to friends. here's what i did

you'll need:

1/4" plywood cut to about 7"x10"

1" wide decorative trim

6 bottlecaps

1/2" finishing nails

cut the trim into 3- 5 1/2" pieces, and 4- 10" pieces.

paint 1 5 1/2" piece white, and the other 2 red. then paint 2 each of the 10" pieces red and white.

paint the piece of plywood blue. (i used spray paint since it's fast, but any paint will work) nail all the pieces onto the plywood, and there you go! you can change the dimensions and stripes to fit any trim you want to use. i know it may sound complicated, but really it's so easy, you might want to make a few for your friends too.

happy new year

ok, i'm back and ready to blog. it was nice break. i am excited for the new year! it always brings so much hope. there's something about cleaning up all the christmas decorations and tree that gives me a renewed desire to keep a clean house, start a new project, or just get out and feel refreshed. i've got lots of fun projects going- things i have never tried before- so with hope- i will be able to journal about it here. happy new year!

visions of sugarplums

a friend from church does the neatest thing for all her friends every year. she has boxes and boxes of ribbon, candles, and little christmas trinkets she has been collecting over the years. she also goes around town gathering evergreen branches, holly, etc. then she invites all her friends over to make a nice christmas centerpiece to take home. it's always such an enjoyable time. you get to make something pretty for your house. you get to chat with old friends and new. then you get to warm up with some soup and just feel the holiday spirit. i love that she not only is giving a gift, but is really giving of herself. she'll help anyone needs it and can make gorgeous bows in seconds flat. what a sweet thing to do. we love our centerpiece. it has the spicy smell of evergreen, the beautiful colors of the season, and visions of sugarplums. (or at least that is what i was going for)

it's beginning to look a lot like...

my 100th post! wow! what to do. what to do. well, since i haven't thought of anything- because it just crept up with this silly posting everyday thing, i'll do something exciting for my 101st post. so be on the lookout. any good ideas? i had a lot of fun doing the little drawing last spring... any ideas on what to draw for?

ok- for real, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas here- without the snow. i love getting out all the christmas stuff every year. i equally love putting it away and the feeling of starting fresh and cleaning up. but isn't it great to pull things out and remember the fun and the feelings associated with the holiday? some of my favorite things to get out are the nativities. macy was so excited when she saw all the animals and the babies. so it's a good thing she doesn't know how to climb up furniture to get to all those breakable sheep heads and shepherds crooks.

no.23 leftovers

forget the pie, forget the turkey with rolls, forget the stuffing, the only leftover i need is the frozen fruit salad. for some reason, this has been my favorite thing about the holiday since i was little. when i was serving a mission, the family we spent thanksgiving with emailed my family to get the recipe and i about cried when i saw them pull it out of the freezer on thanksgiving. it was as good as having my family there for real. on top of that, they let me take home all the leftovers. so sweet. so i will be eating this delicious treat for days while everyone else can have the other leftovers. what a good thing.

My Mom's Frozen Fruit Salad

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 can crushed pineapple

1 bag frozen strawberries or raspberries

2-3 bananas

1 tub cool whip

Combine cream cheese and pineapple, then stir in strawberries and bananas. Fold in cool whip. Spread in 9x13. Freeze overnight. Allow to soften before serving. Slice like a cake and enjoy.

happy halloween

twilight

will he or won't he?

the man's cake

after being so inspired by this cake, i wanted to make it for richie for his birthday, but alas, he requested his most favorite cake ever. and i can't really blame him because it is a fabulous cake. but seriously not for the faint of heart because man, it is rich! it's a recipe that i got from my mother in law and has been a favorite of richie's since he was little. we've been married for three years and i still get requests for recipes his mom makes. all this time i thought i could brain wash him into thinking i am the better cook. oh well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. (and hopefully she won't mind if i share the recipe here.) oh, and why the picture of a frosting mix? this is a 'secret' ingredient. you have to use this exact mix. and good luck finding

it. i have yet to find it in the state of washington. otherwise, you can find it at albertsons. and one more thing. i have this little habit of starting to make recipes without all the ingredients.... i try to make sure i have it all, there's just always something that falls through the cracks. so when i went to make this cake, i was sure we had cocoa in the back of the cupboard, but it was special dark dutch process cocoa. well, it was too late to go to the store and i was too tired, so i used it. lo and behold, it was even better than regular cocoa! just don't try it with cake flour instead of all-purpose. or if you do and your cake falls apart when you take it out of the pan, don't say i didn't warn you. and then you can turn it into a trifle which is also delish and yes, we've done it. yum-o!

Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 TBSP. cocoa

Mix together, then add:

1 cup oil

2 cups water

2 TBSP. vinegar

Beat, then pour into two well-greased round pans. Bake at 350 until cake lightly springs back when touched, about 30 minutes.

Frosting:

1 quart whipping cream

1 pkg. vanilla frosting mix

Beat until stiff. Frost as pictured.

happy fourth of july!

raspberry red velvet cupcakes

in honor of my favorite holiday, here is a festive cupcake for your festive picnics! watch out, they'll go fast!

For the cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Frosting:

1-8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries for garnish.

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 muffin pans with
papers. In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients. In large bowl,
gently beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour
batter into prepared pans, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake in oven
for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool
completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla together
until smooth. Add sugar slowly, then beat until light and fluffy.

Frost generously and garnish with raspberry and pecans.

easter dress

here's is macy's easter dress! i actually finished it on time. i was a little nervous with all the craziness that has been going on here, but was able to finish it friday. she loves to walk while holding it up because it is a little long. so here are the details.... i think i was in a holly hobby mood when i picked everything out. i made the dress using a pattern i swiped from my mom's collection, circa 1977. the bodice front piece was missing so i made my own, which is not easy when the little girl it needs to fit won't sit still. so i am thinking the neckline is a little larger because i couldn't really measure her. i also made the pintucks on the bodice and skirt two different sizes... i don't really know why... i added the eyelet underskirt just for fun. you can't see them, but macy is wearing hot pink cowboy boots under it! i had some sweet little sandals, but she wouldn't wear them. and i kinda like the boots to go with the whole holly hobby idea.

All You Need Is Love

I decided that this year I would buy or make some valentine decorations because I have never had anything more than the vase with conversation hearts in the bottom. As soon as the Valentines stuff hit the stores, I was on a mission. I looked everywhere I could think of. I even scoured the internet for cute lovey crafts I could whip up. Unfortunately, the only thing I found was 'love' (at Target) which is on my mantle. I haven't even found any cute sales since V-day. So in the end, the only decor I have is love and the roses Richie gave me on Valentines day. Not to worry though, I am actually quite fond of the love on my mantle. It fits so perfectly in the space under the mirror. I am loving the emptiness that fills in the space around the love. I guess all I really needed was love. (Did I mention that I love that song too?)