Scrap Journals and cake!

So last time - it was scrap scarves. Now it's scrap journals.

I just couldn't bear to throw away my leftover fabric scraps. I didn't use them all up with my scarves.

So, while "last minute shopping" at Borders today I saw some Moleskin notebooks. I vaguely remember seeing something about being able to sew on these. I grabbed a three pack, came home and picked through my scrap pile.

I came up with these:



Scrap Journals!!

After finding the fabric pieces I wanted to use and arranging them just so, I sewed the pieces on. I was able to sew right through the fabric and the notebook covers with no problems.



I'm quite please with how they came out. I even played around a little with running the stitches right off the edges of the notebooks.

I definitely see myself making more of these - they took less than 10 minutes to sew and I think they came out great!

I even sewed bookmarks to the back cover to match.


Some other last minute handmade holiday gifts were these little beauties:

Red Velvet jar cakes! (Well sort of...)



I didn't have any mason jars. I even braved Walmart on a weekend to look for some, but came up empty. Instead I found these small Pyrex containers.



Perfect!!

I used this recipe (thanks Super Eggplant for the idea!) for the cake and canned cream cheese frosting (instead of making my own).

Then I wrapped each one in a red kitchen towel, added a bow and a bell, and voila!...



Instant presents! I handed these out to my neighbors today. I hope they liked them. Of course I had to save one for me, it was delicous!


Merry Christmas!!

I hope Santa is good to you and brings you lots of yarn!

Mmmm Bread.....

I was busy this weekend...

I decided to make my own bread. It all started on Friday night. I whipped up the dough and set it aside to rest and rise... It rested all night and part of the morning on Saturday - and then after a few more steps and a few more naps - it was ready for baking.

I am very proud to present - my first homemade bread!




Isn't it gorgeous!





It was tasty too - fresh and hot out of the oven - we ate it with butter and honey. Wow - I felt like I had died and gone to bread heaven!

Later we made bird's nests with it - oh so good!





and of course - we ate it with every meal!





(It was especially good with my last bottle of V Sattui Family Red - yum!)





Lately - I have been inspired by the amazing baking of my friend Jen and I couldn't resist trying to bake some bread for myself.

I was a little nervous about making this particular bread - it's the No Knead Bread recipe that has been sweeping the internet lately - because I didn't have a large covered pot to cook it in. So - I improvised....

I used my pizza stone and covered it with a large ceramic bowl (I made sure it was oven safe first!) This provided the natural steamy environment that the bread needed.





It worked like a charm and the bread come out looking just fabulous. I was so happy with the results - I immediately ran out to the bookstore to get a Bread book I have been eyeing...





So what's next? Bagels, Ciabatta, Naan, sourdough - you name it - I'm going to try them all! I'm addicted!

Spring is coming!

This weekend was gorgous!
Well Saturday anyway - I was laid up with a migraine all day Sunday :(
But Saturday was the perfect day - warm and breezy - the sun in the sky and nothing to do but enjoy the day. Bailey and Hurley and I had a blast playing outside - going to the dog park - and just generally being outside all day long.

Here are some of our antics:








Yes - I do believe that orange thing is a cat toy. No - I did not give my dog a cat toy - Hurley found it.... somewhere... He loved it!





And look at this!! The first flower of spring!!







I know it'll probably die with the next frost - but it's the first flower of Spring! Yippee!! And - it's a crocus.

I find this amusing because whenever my hubbo doesn't know the name of a flower - he calls it a crocus. So I was all excited about the flower and I ran in the house to tell him about it.

He said, "Cool - what kind is it?"

"A crocus!" I said.

"Oh... What's that?" he said.

Me "..."

Yeah... Men!

I must give him props though - he did manage to fix the tv - yeah! I was able to watch the Grey's Anatomy and Ugle betty reruns :( I want new shows!!!


In knitting news - I put down my CPH for a little while and started on a new sock. Jolene had let me borrow her 12 inch circular needle and I liked it - so I went out and bought one for myself. I knit one sock on the new needle - a Monkey sock - with some of my hand dyed sock yarn. ( I love this pattern by the way!!)

I am making the second sock on DPNs. I don't know if I was "doing it" wrong - but my left index finger is killing me - I managed to slice my finger while trying to knit with the mini circ. I kept using my left index finger to push the needle back. (I'm a thrower - so I would wrap the yarn around with my right hand and then push the needle back with my left.) I couldn't find a more comfortable way to move the yarn up and push the needle back. You know what I mean? How do you guys go it? Do tell. I'm in pain from my way! I really like the way the sock looks though - no ladders and it's really nice and even. But I don't think I'll use it much if I can't figure out a better way to move the yarn around.


I also managed to find time this weekend to bake a cake... It's Devils food cake with butter cream icing on top and chocolate fudge in the middle.... mmmm.....



It's already gone! It was delicious!