The Elsa Hat
Our niece is OBSESSED with Frozen and specifically Elsa. Which I guess is like every other little kid out there at the moment. We started looking into what to get her for Christmas and of course I immediately went to "what can I make her for Christmas". Little kids are so much fun to make things for because if it's something they'll wear, it takes much less time to make than anything adult sized. Plus …
The Chocolate Cherry Cake
A couple of years ago, I made such a decadent, moist, delicious chocolate cherry cake, that I had to share the details! I actually ended up making it again afterward, I just didn't go "all out" like the first time. At my job at the time, I had been designated as the person to bring in a cake for anyone's birthday... ok, SELF designated, but I didn't hear complaints! I always asked what the …
Homemade Yogurt - Attempt #1
My yogurt is on the left, with the yogurt that I used as a "starter" on the right; I used Siggis Plain Icelandic Style yogurt. I recently started listening to the book French Women Don't Get Fat after it was recommended to me by a friend. It's a wonderful book full of stories/tidbits about the French and their relationship with food. Whether or not you're looking to lose weight, I highly recommend it as a …
The Cactus Pincushion
Recently I've been doing a lot of projects that involve pins and sewing needles. From actual sewing to our US map and embroidery projects. I have a lot of sharp, pointy, "hard to see on the floor" things lying around. I had been using a wrapped up section of the towel from one of my projects as a pincushion, but it was time to upgrade. Luckily, through a basic "cactus pincushion" Pinterest search (I decided …
Cat Paw! Cat Paw! - The Art of Making Sushi
I am a sushi FANATIC. I love it.... like LOVE it... In 2nd grade, for my birthday, my mother brought me sushi for lunch and I happily sat in the school cafeteria popping tuna rolls while the other kids with their PB&Js stared. A year before that in a San Fransisco "pay per plate" sushi place, I ended up in a picture with the chef (at HIS request) holding up my plates. Why? Let's just …
Patriots Heels
My husband (woop!! 2 months in & going strong!) and I are big football fans. I like the Broncos and he likes the Patriots... I know... it's amazing we get along. I will admit that the Pats are my second team and I will cheer for them... as long as they aren't playing the Broncos. A couple years ago (as I'm sitting here I'm realizing WAY more than a couple) I decided to make a …
Pickled Okra
I moved to Austin about three years ago now from Boston and "The South" is a whole new place for me.I have learned and discovered A LOT, including: a love for breakfast tacos, eccentric crafts, the word "y'all" and okra.OMG OKRA! It is so good (if made right). Roasting it and using it in indian food are both yummy, but my favorite okra discovery has been pickling it!It's tangy, slightly chewy and you can make …
My First Crochet Project: Baby Boat Shoes
My great aunt taught me to knit when I was 10, but crocheting is new to me and I honestly never thought I'd even attempt it. The only "crocheting" I'd ever done before was to chain stitch over and over and over to make long chains that were useless and came apart. Then my fiancé's sister had a baby. I started looking up baby bootie patterns, but all of them were for crocheting. Nothing for …
Lumpy
This is Lumpy! (not his best pic, but real. #NoFilter) Lumpy is a crocheted amigurumi whale based on a pattern I found on Pinterest from Anigurumi Today. Unfortunately, Lumpy was made before I started this blog so I don't have any in progress photos, but I do have some lessons learned that will be helpful if you want to make your own Lumpy! Quick details: Pearl hours: 10-15 Start to Finish: 3 weeks Difficulty: Medium* …