another shoulder bag

I made another bag for a girl we know and love who is turning eleven.

I crocheted the bag using yarn I had on hand. Trying to cut down the stash a little before buying more, you know. Some of it is TLC, I think - another is Caron. The last one, I have no idea!

I lined this bag like my other one, using a remnant piece I bought at Hobby Lobby.

(my Birdie)

from my front yard

he wanted cupcakes

Today my husband said he wanted cupcakes, so I made these:

I Thought I'd Died and Gone to Chocolate Heaven Cake

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups raw (turbinado) sugar

2 eggs

1 cup butter milk (I use 1 c. milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)

1/2 cup + 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups unbleached flour

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flower

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup water, boiling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. If using layers, grease and line pans with parchment paper. If using a 9x13 pan, grease and dust with cocoa powder. Sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Add boiling water and beat for one full minute.

3. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes (20 mins for cupcakes, 10-15 mins for mini cupcakes), or until toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool, frost with chocolate butter cream frosting.

(this is based on a recipe I found on allrecipes.com under a different name. I changed it to within an inch of it's life.)

church doll

My mom made dolls like this for all of us little girls at least (not sure if she made them for my two older sisters ... Anchely?). We played with them a lot but most especially at church, while we were supposed to be sitting quietly on the bench like the little angels that we were. The dolls are made with a white handkerchief and have our names embroidered on the bottom corner. I had my friends who are framers put her in a shadow box for me and she hangs in my room.

(another church secret, my mom used to bring masking tape in her purse. apparently we would beg her for pieces and tape our own mouths closed. had we known that was part of her master plan, i'm not sure we would have been so happy about it but i do remember loving that tape.)

thrift store shelves before...

I paid $4 for these, which I think was a steal. The guy who priced my lovely shelves (the very morning I bought them) said he almost threw them in the dumpster. Their future home will be in my craft room on a lovely, orange wall and most likely under my mod podged letters.

Oh while my friend and I were at the thrift store we were talking about 70's style (my favorite!) with one of the adorable, young, male employees when he said, "The 70's were great! I wish I could have been alive during that decade!" We felt old but laughed anyway.

a question and some other stuff

I've mentioned my love of remnants. Several times. I suspect it's incurable and I'm ok with that. I recently found a couple of pieces that I adore. They seem to be calling to me, but I can't quite make out what they are saying.

Any suggestions about what to do with them? Of the black there is 7/8 of a yard and 1/2 a yard of the white.

***

I'm making another flower, but this one is bigger and has no stem. It is intended to be a gift for my friend's daughter's birthday. I thought it would be cute on her bed.

I hope I have enough of the pink yarn.

***

and just for fun, a couple of future strawberries...

does this mean it's really spring?