I've been smokin' pot

That's right. I said it. I was totally smokin' up tonight.

LOL!!!!!!

Allow me to recap: I was having a lovely (but busy) evening with Morgan, trying to get dinner ready and keep her occupied by feeding her in intervals. I totally suck at preparing food to be ready at the same time… I had apples and sweet potatoes in the steamer while she munched on a chicken breast. After I took the apples out I didn't even check how much water was left below for the sweet potatoes to continue cooking. I didn't even think to check EVEN THOUGH I could smell burning. I even went so far as to walk through the house to find out why my house smelled like S M O K E !!

And so tonight... I'm a total burn-out :)

(Check out those burn bubbles, I really did a number on it, eh?)

Cake Order: Baptism Cake

Back in the fall of 2011 our church had a "Time and Talent" auction. I offered myself to make a cake and it was purchased by a lovely family who wanted the cake for their daughter's 3rd birthday. The special part of this story is that this girl had just been adopted from China and this was her very first birthday party/cake! This is the cake I made then:

The mom asked me to make a cake for tomorrow to celebrate this lovely little girl's baptism. I was happy to do it! I don't often sell cakes, because it's a LOT of time and work, but I am glad to have accepted this opportunity to bake for a happy celebration :) Here's how it turned out:

And now that it's almost midnight and the cake is safely stored in the frigde… it's off to bed I go! Goodnight :)

Today was sew busy

*Whew*

I am quite proud of myself today! Not only did I have a productive day with my sewing machine, I also managed to clean the house, run errands, and keep the baby alive and fed. Go me! LOL

I had a lovely request from Maggie to make a few outfits for Baby, Louise's baby doll! Baby was supposed to come to my house to get 'babysat' for the day so I could take her measurements and make sure everything fit okay. However, she spent the day in Maggie's car while she was at work. Poor baby.

I made her 2 dresses. Please keep in mind I have NOT attempted clothing of any type yet. I was glad Baby needed some, it was a very welcomed opportunity to learn and practice! Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to make something for one of the real children! :)

I have no idea what I did or how I did it. haha. Are you shocked? … I'm starting to see a pattern…

I did try my best to figure out the pillowcase dress based on a variety of tutorials on Pinterest. The second dress I was mostly winging it. For the gathering of the skirt I proudly remembered how to make a ruffle, as Joyce taught me back in October!

Oh yes. I forgot to mention, I had to use Teddy bears to make sure they would fit Baby, but I forgot to take pics without the bears! Oops! Maybe the bears can borrow them someday!

I also spent the day conquering my greatest fear: Binding a quilt! *Double Whew* I finally just sat down and figured it out! Well, the truth would be that each side gets a little bit better than the last. By the 4th side (or aka the LAST chance side) I think it turned out okay!

I said this on my FB already, but I think it is true: At least by he time she is old enough to notice all my sewing flaws she will hopefully be old enough to appreciate a home made quilt from her Momma! :D

Alrighty, nighty night!

Have you seen...

I'm looking for my self control, has anyone seen it?

I ate my way to the bottom of a chip bag to find it, but alas- it was not there :(



( Boy, when you stop eating junk it sure feels strange when you finally pig out! My body used to be so well conditioned for over indulgence. Now, I just feel yucky all over! )

Krinkles and Taggies

When I first re-started sewing in September 2011 I really needed to start learning all over. It had been about 10 years since I had even touched my machine!

One of my first project was a krinkle taggie blanket. It was ok, but far from perfect! I've since made one for a lot of babies: Jack, Alice, Silvia, & Morgan... Each one getting a bit better and less terrible!

Tonight I made the cutest one yet! A mini patchwork one, hope Morgan loves it!! Made %100 from scraps:
Ducks- from Jessica's project we did in high school
Daisies- from my childhood best friend Allison when we were in grade 7 family studies
Cats- from grade 8 family studies, had a pair of pj pants with them
Orange- from Michelle, she gave it to me to use as accents on an apron for Louise

Love pulling all these treasured bits and scraps out to create something new and fun!!

My Favourite Cakes

Last spring Maggie, Nana and I took a cake decorating class and it was so much fun. I really enjoyed it and have been continuing to bake/decorate cakes ever since! I had been dabbling with it for a while before we took the course, but now that I have a *few* real techniques its even more fun! In fact, when I look back at my first few cakes it's a bit embarrassing! No, not really embarrassing... but I definitely have improved!

I'm a beginner. There's no denying that! I have, however, been asked to make a few cakes for various occasions in the coming spring/summer months. Actually, I have 2 wedding cakes to make. That's a bit more stressful and I might have to do some practice cakes! Mmmm… practice cakes, the best kind because they need to be eaten… mmmm…

… Okay, so one of the reasons I like to make funky shaped cakes is because someone has to eat the scraps…

This post isn't about new cakes, but I thought I'd make a post about my top 5 favourite cakes yet!

Louise's 2nd Birthday: I learned how to make these beautiful buttercream roses. Is this not the most lovely floral cake for a 2 year old? No need to fight over who gets the flower on this cake! :)

Morgan's Baptism Cake: This one was inspired by a cake I saw on Pinterest. No, it didn't turn out how I wanted it to, but yes, it turned out just lovely either way!

Kiera's 1st Birthday: Some friends asked me to bake this for their little girl's party. This one was fun, they asked for duck theme and this is what I came up with. Caution: Don't eat in the tub!

Grammie's 75th Surprise Birthday Party Cake: I think this one may actually be my #1 favourite yet! I love making things for special people in my life, and she would also be at the top of that list too! I think this one was a big hit at the party, because it also had so much icing, and lets face it… butter + icing sugar = DELICIOUS

Louise and Silvia's Baptism Cake: It certainly isn't perfect (as if any of them are, haha) but I had fun learning to work with fondant. Had to do a lot of practicing for this one! Maggie helped too, she was a saviour!

I'm sure I will look back through my photos and feel bad for the cakes I didn't choose as my top 5 favs :( Sometimes I can really relate to Jillian Jigs who loved all her pigs… I love all my cakes equally, because they are interesting to make. And really, what could be better than if your favourite hobby is also your favourite food?