Nice to see you again!

Wow. My last post was in December of 2011!

Life threw me some curve balls but almost 3 years later I'm out of grad school with my masters and in a job I love. Something else that I love that has continued to grow is my love of sewing. Quilting in particular has won my heart. It's my therapy and my happy place! I've become a fabric hoarder as many quilters will understand it comes with this habit!

Here are some quilts I've finished or I'm working on.

Here's one that's been in the works for about 3 years. It's a WIP for my sister. Something else always comes up, but I want to finish it before the end of the year.

Today I had a proud moment regarding my skills to teach someone how to sew. My friend Melissa and I met in grad school and once school was done she asked me if I would teach her how to use a sewing machine and how to sew. I was slightly hesitant because I wasn't sure about my skills as a teacher. We have been meeting for about 2 months about 4 times and for a few hours. We catch up, chat, run to the fabric store, eat, drink, and then we tackle a skill or project. I could tell tonight that she was gaining confidence in her own skills which made me proud and made me think that maybe just maybe I am a good teacher! How cute is this dinosaur tail??

Which makes me think of possibly organizing some sewing classes. Something I've been thinking about. I want to build my network of crafty people and also spread my love for sewing and quilting. Hopefully this works out. Starting with one or two students and going from there. I wish there were some quilting groups around this area as well, maybe this will be another thing on my list. Possibly. This to do list is getting long! Thank goodness grad school is done!

Promised myself I would update this more often.

from scratch

Hershey's "perfectly chocolate" chocolate cake cupcakes, with homemade buttercream

This is my first cupcake that has been baked from scratch, cake and frosting! I even colored the little pearls with silver dusting powder. I did a lot of research and read a lot of chocolate cake recipes but this Hershey's one was the one that had the best reviews. I have to say that I was a little worried because the batter turned out really runny and thin, but on the recipe it does state that it will turn out that way so I went ahead. I was also a little apprehensive on making my own buttercream, I really thought I was going to fail big time, but I didn't! I'm glad I did it cause they turned out sooooo good! I had friends and the boyfriend taste test it, friends loved it! The boyfriend proposed...ok so he was just kidding but really he loved them :)

My dad asked me the other day what all the baking and cooking is about and I said I HAVE NO IDEA! I've gotten the domestic bug or something, but it's so fun and really makes the day go by faster.

Here are the recipes:

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate cake
recipe from Hershey's

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa (unsweetened)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


Buttercream Frosting
Recipe from My Baking Addiction blog

Ingredients:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

2. Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Makes enough to frost about 24 to 30 cupcakes depending on how generous you are with the frosting, OR one 9 inch layer cake.

Notes: this was the easiest recipe ever!
I used gel dyes specifically to color frosting. I wanted it to turn out more pink than that so next time I will get a brighter pink.



On a crafty/sewing note...I have been taking a small break from from sewing machine. It's not that I'm mad at it or anything and I'm sure it misses me but I've been busy job hunting, and cooking, and baking and playing with my adorable niece Emma. I did however a couple of weeks ago, made a small visit and made my mom an awesome table runner. It was inspired by the tutorial over at The Purl Bee they have this Thanksgiving Appliqued and Quilted Table Runner. My mom used to have this cream really formal and not cute runner so I decided to make her one, I used linen and cotton. I put a little padding so that it can double as a hot pad for hot plates and cups. I gotta say my skills at using bias tape to bind are getting better. I blind stitched it all the way around and I think I did a pretty good job!

I think my friends and boyfriend pretty much love me right now, I end up giving all my cupcakes away for taste testing purposes, oh and so that I don't end up eating them all!

new love...OWLS

I found the cutest way to use my fabric scraps. I got the original idea from a tutorial over at Moonstiches. I made my own pattern to fit the way I wanted them to be. It was easier to use colored felt with the cardboard and sew that onto the bottom instead of covering the cardboard first. I made these as gifts to mail to some friends. I think they are adorable and were easy and fun to make.

I also made a little drawstring bag to go with each of the two sets (2 owls per bag). I embroidered a small red heart and tied it with some ribbon and twine. I think it turned out really cute. It was also another easy project to do.

I'm working on some new ideas for some cloth dolls right now they are in the trial and error stage but I'm hoping to post a finished product in a few days.

COMING SOON: Tutorial: How to make a freaking Aram sandwich! (with pictures)