Happy Birthday Mom!

Hey All - In honor of my mom's birthday today (I'm not telling you what year she's celebrating; I value my own happiness) here's a cute cupcake design that will make her smile:



my mom LOVES to ski :)

Check out the blog Cupcakes Take the Cake for more snow / skiing influenced baking.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

singin' in the freezing rain

happy friday!  i don't know what the weather is doing where you are, but here... it's gross!  however, my fellow new yorkers would say, "shut up rhea, at least it's not snowing."  touche

so as i'm drowning my dreary rainy sorrows in a large, hot cup of caramel mocha coffee, i stumbled across this...



toffee mocha cupcakes by jocelyn @ bru crew life



how stinkin' perfect!?!  so guess what i'll be making this weekend?  ;)  although it's already gonna be busy (hair appointment, helping hubs pick up our new truck, friend coming to visit (and buying our motorcycle), church on sunday morning, and of course the pro bowl on sunday afternoon) i'm definitely going to squeeze in some baking / decorating time.

how are you spending your weekend?  out and about?  keeping it low-key?  going skiing? (that one's for you ma!)  whatever it is, remember to smile while you're doing it because we have an awesome GOD that we serve and HE is incredibly merciful and gracious towards us all.  PRAISE HIM TODAY!

Knitted Heart Mittens

I LOVE FAIR ISLE KNITTING!!

Alright, so I understand that these aren't technically fair isle, but they're really close and still beautiful none-the-less!  And they have that traditional Scandinavian look without so many color strands to handle at one time. 

Just for your own knowledge, fair isle knitting* are patterns that incorporate three or more color strands in the pattern, knitting no more than three stitches in a row before switching colors, the unused yarn is carried behind the work, and the patterns originate from the Shetland region of Scotland. 

*Not to be confused with intarsia (the technique used to make argyle socks, sweaters, vests, etc.), double knitting (used most notably for super thick reversible socks), and mosaic slip stitch knitting (geometrical and Grecian designs, great for coats and jackets).

If you would like the pattern to these adorably festive mittens,

check out this blog:

Knitty: Little Purls of Wisdom

Party Cupcake Pics!

Yellow cake with vanilla frosting and colorful sprinkles!

In orange and gold harvest wrappers!

Displayed in my amazing cupcake tree stand!

 

I'm so happy with how these cupcakes turned out!  :)

Merry Christmas... and happy Friday the 13th!

Hello all you crafty people!!  I'm back! :)  My brief sabbatical turned into a 6 month hiatus and I'm just now getting back to "normal" life (normal only being defined as a setting on one's dryer).  So here's how I'll be getting my feet wet as I'm easing into my creative enthusiasms...

First of all, my sister-in-law rocks solely and completely because she gave me THIS for Christmas:



A Beautiful Silver Cupcake Tree Stand



 So between the cupcake carrying case that she gave me for my birthday, and this display stand, EVERY event should now have cupcakes in attendance!  Event #1 - Ladies Ministry Meeting on Tuesday evening... be prepared for pictures!

Next, even though I have promised myself that I will NOT start any new yarn projects until I have completed or frogged all my UFOs, I'm feeling a little weak on my conviction because I have decided to teach myself how to crochet!  I've watched a couple video tutorials and I'm ready to tackle the chain... I figure it's best to start the way I did with knitting; making a washcloth (btw, I didn't originally intend to knit a washcloth, but at the time a scarf just seemed to take way too long to complete). 

As an aside, I can't believe 19 years ago I taught myself how to knit by reading a book!  I look back and that's just a freaking miracle to me because now I'm going to crochet and it seems impossible without videos, blogs, multi-angle detailed pictures, AND a real life human interface.  I think the Internet has made my brain mushy.

So here's to cupcakes and crocheting!!