oh happy day!

sugared violets

I've been making some sugared violets to decorate chocolate cupcakes. It is something that I've always meant to do, after I read about it somewhere, and saw how expensive sugared violets are. All you need is egg white, and superfine sugar. You just dip the violet in the egg white, (you can also use a little brush, to paint it on, as the violet sometimes folds up on itself when you dip it.) Then dip it in superfine sugar, (or sprinkle it) and voila! I am not so sure I would want to eat them, but I think they'll look lovely on some chocolate cupcakes!

gardening

we've (and by we, I mean Jay...ahem) have been getting the garden all ready to go over the past few days. Building structures, planting peas and potatoes, and other such things.

 

Here's Clara helping out with the trench for the potatoes. She's wearing a little skirt I made her the other day.

 

Here's Jay making some tomato cages...

 

Here's what Lillian and I were doing....loungin'!!

We've just been hanging around, enjoying the sun lately. I wrenched my back doing something ridiculous, so I've been lying low. Gardening has been a bit neglected. We have yet to plant our peas! I have to get busy with that, for the whole season just sneaks up, and then goes by so fast.
I've been sorting through my fabric stash. I forget how much fabric I have, really. The sewing room turned into a baby room. Then the crafty/sewing area downstairs got smaller and smaller as toys and the play area encroached upon it.  So I relegated all of my craft supplies and fabric to boxes in the attic, leaving only my needle felting supplies and a little bit of fabric downstairs. Let's just say, if you want to start a project, even the tiniest one, you better allow a good twenty minutes to find what you need, while you root around like a mole in the darkness,  and then proceed to bang your head on the rafters numerous times. Anyway!
And now here are some pictures that are unrelated to that rant.
 
Clara's blondie curls...getting longer and longer!
 Here are world's tiniest Saltwater sandals, for the tiny girl below! I notice now that the warm weather is upon us, lots of pics have been popping up of people sporting their saltwater sandals. So, here's one more! They just arrived the other day, and today it is too cold for her to be wearing them, so they are sans a foot. But this weekend, it's supposed to be like 86 degrees, so she'll be wearing them with some cute little bloomers for sure!

  

I'm interested to see this. It looks like Drew Barrymore makes a perfect Edie.  Of course, I don't get HBO, so I'll have to wait for Netflix.

Also, go take a look at the Purl Bee, where Mimi Kirchner donated a pattern for one of her dolls.  I'll have to add this to the extremely long (and neglected) list of things I want to make.

easter weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

It was a lovely Easter weekend, filled with family, chocolate and first big time baby laughs.

friday

Clara is finally able to sit down and patiently partake in a little crafty activity. She used to become very overwhelmed when the slightest little thing didn't work out, or her hands got a bit dirty. But we sat down to do a simple little Easter project today, and she was so patient and happy throughout the whole thing. She loved the repetitive nature of crumpling up little bits of crepe paper and dipping them in glue and sticking them to her "egg."  In between each dip, I had a wipe nearby so she could clean the glue off of her fingers... totally doesn't like sticky fingers.

 

I'm excited, because now I think we can have a little arts and crafts time everyday while Lillian takes her morning nap.

 

We also made some hot cross buns today. This was a very last minute decision, so they weren't ready until evening, hence the weirdo lighting. They came out ok, despite some questionable past due yeast and hard as rock currants. Didn't wait for them to cool to sloppily pipe on the icing. Now we have a million hot cross buns, and I believe they are best eaten on day one. aah, well, it was a fun little activity to engage in, even if they don't get eaten.  I personally think that next time, I'll get all adventurous and use chocolate chips as opposed to currants. yes. I think that would be an improvement.

guest curator

Hey! I hope you'll check out etsy's blog, the Storque, where today I am a guest curator. I picked a collection of really cute needle felted items by some talented artists!

Here is a slice of a cake I made, the last cake I am making for awhile, I swear! It is delicious and seems really old-fashioned, like the type of cake you would make to take on a picnic.
the recipe is via Orangette.
Flo Braker's Plain and Simple Jam-Filled Butter Cake

 

crafty

yesterday turned out to be a crafty day. Clara was happily playing with her art supplies at the kitchen table, baby was content,  and I got to feeling like making something myself (other than the animals I should be making). Then in my email appeared the Martha Stewart craft of the day. I happened to have all of the materials, it seemed easy, so I got busy.

Here is the sweet little spun cotton & needle felted nest I made, as demonstrated by www.vintagebycrystal.com. I used cotton balls split into strips , as opposed to cotton upholstery batting. The "tree" turned out to be very bright white with the cotton balls, so I dipped the whole thing in tea, and after it dried, it looked grungy and old, just like I wanted; as though I dug it out of an attic.  I didn't have any tinsel, but I had some silver wirey meshy stuff, so I used that instead. I think I might add some more leaves, as the one she made on the show was loaded with leaves.  I like how delicate and vintagey it looks. Fun!

 

 

Instructions

today is...

rainy! It is pouring outside. So inside, we have...

 

all the lights on, for a warm glow...jammies on...ready to snuggle up on the couch all day!

 

potty training...shes' really trying!

 

and toenail polish! Big girl stuff! 

Not much to say, so just some pics.

 

 

Oh, I will say this...make Ina's Brownie Pudding. Oh my word. It is delicious.