tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33980832307393299152024-03-13T09:41:05.188-03:00 The Pospolita ProjectToo many hobbies, too much to do, too little time - Welcome to the Pospolita Project. Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.comBlogger389125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-21035181587885023682015-05-12T10:53:00.001-03:002015-05-12T10:53:11.730-03:00The antics of the wrong/right chocolate cake
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday I was in a Chocolate cake kinda mood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent a couple minutes on Pinterest and
found a couple of recipes that I wanted to try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
One was an <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/275141858461791005/" target="_blank">"old school" mayonnaise cake.</a> The other was a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/275141858461791036/" target="_blank">chocolate layer cake</a>. I've been looking for a new chocolate cake recipe so I was anxious to get my bake on. :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>When I got home last night, I was rushing around and trying to make
dinner while baking a cake (mistake one). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed the tablet (which is not as reliable
as I would like) to find my recipe and went straight to my pins (mistake
2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was impatient so I went straight to find the mayonnaise cake and opened the link for the 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
chocolate cake pin I came to. I started rounding up my ingredients (mistake 3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started reading through the instructions
and it said “prepare 3 pans”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t’
surprise me that there was no order for mixing – many old recipes don’t have
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that wet mixes with dry last
so I started with the wet ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Buttermilk – darn – I didn’t have any (spidey senses started to tingle
but I ignored them – Mistake 4).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made
buttermilk and added it to my eggs and vanilla.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then added the brown and white sugar…then noticed I hadn’t added any
oil/fat type ingredient…hmmmm I started looking through the recipe, looking for
the mayonnaise…and that’s when I realized I had grabbed the wrong recipe!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LOL<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
that point I was committed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had I read
further into the instructions, I would have noticed the part about creaming the
softened butter with the white and brown sugar – bla bla – which I didn’t do
(mistake 5) because I was rushing…so instead – the butter got mixed into the
liquid mixture to become floaty lumps that would be incorporated into the flour
mixture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The cake baked for nearly an hour (in a bundt pan) while I worked on the frosting
of the wrong cake. Lol <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It called for 12
oz of semi sweet chocolate – melted and cooled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well- all I had was the tail end of a bag of chocolate chips (a little
over a cup’s worth) so I melted those and added some cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>In the end – I wound up frosting the cake
when it was still a touch warm, so the butter based frosting kinda melted off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to toss it in the freezer to set up a
little better…it was quite an exercise in what NOT to do when baking a cake. Lol
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Surprisingly, it actually turned out quite well. </span>It was a little
fluffier than I would have liked (likely because of all the last minute beating
to mix the butter lumps in) but not dry at all. The frosting wasn’t quite as rich
as it would have been if I had had the semi sweet chocolate to melt, but it was still really good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I’m anxious to try it again, though, and
follow the actual instructions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
still a cake I’d be happy to serve to anyone as is (but because I’m a cake snob
– I’ll eat it myself and share the next one. </span><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">) If you get a chance to try <a href="http://rincon-cocina.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/the-best-chocolate-layer-cake-youll.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a> out - give it a whirl! :) You won't be sorry. :) (just follow the instructions and avoid doing what I did. lol </span></div>
Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-35742396288863712762014-09-12T13:36:00.002-03:002014-09-12T13:36:32.045-03:00Thought of the day...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-84623483994404123952014-08-05T11:50:00.004-03:002014-08-05T11:50:51.041-03:00I feel 1000lbs lighter!!The house is trashed. Who am I kidding, it's always trashed. It seems like the to-do list is a never ending game of domino's where one task has to be completed before another and so on and so on. Recently, though, I've been hoping to get kiddo2 into the bedroom upstairs. It's not going well...why?? Because of the domino's. <br />
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This week, I've decided that enough is enough...I need to get her in that bedroom. To do that - I must address the mess. One of the main offenders in this house is "craft crap". The huge down side to being a creative soul is the amount of junk you hang on to because you could do something cool with it later. As a result, I have a TON of yarn, fabric, cross stitch stuff, card making stuff, cake decorating stuff...the list goes on and on and on. Well - no more! <br />
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Yesterday I tackled a project that wasn't technically on my to-do list. I hit the closet at the end of the hall. It's where my sewing stuff (some of it anyway) has been stored for ages, along with a few random toy items and my cross stitch stuff. Well...I asked kiddo2 to empty a couple shelves in her bedroom under the stairs (she doesn't really use it anyway) and that's where I will move my sewing stuff for now. As a result - the closet was emptied. I painted the inside (Heaven help me if anyone ever inspects the quality of the crack filling in this closet - it's horrible!!) But - I painted it anyway. Then - I put the shelves back in - put pretty trim on the front of each shelf, painted the trim and used silicone to keep the shelves in place. Then - I caulked all around them to make them pretty. :) This morning, I went through my yarn stash - I cut it in half - easily! The half I'm no keeping is going to a friend of mine (a fellow yarn hoarder), but I'm happy to enable such a fine addiction. :) The other half is sorted neatly into the closet - AND - I even left some free space for "growth" or other projects that I might start...or simply a space to toss the rest of my crochet junk that I haven't found yet! lol <br />
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*note* Before any fellow "Fiber Freaks" gasp that there is a litter box in the bottom of my yarn closet - I know what you are thinking. Let me point out, though, that all my yarn is in ziplock bags...AND...said litter box is kept ruthlessly tidy (cuz frankly - nobody can stand the Ninja-Cat when his box aint tidy). lol Plus - it's temporary. Once the rest of the domino's fall into place - it will be moved to a different part of the house. :)<br />
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This is where the domino's start to work in my favor. By putting all my yarn in the closet (and getting rid of half) I've freed up the space that it was taking up in the pantry. (Hubby tossed it there out of desperation since he didn't know where else to put it). It also frees up a good chunk of space in the downstairs closet! Yay!! So - now - the rest of the craft crap that has to come out of the upstairs room has a place to go - I can organize the other closet, finish the pantry etc. No more waiting on domino's! I also know that the key to this working is that I have to continue to down size to at least half of everything. I've been working away at that over time - but I'm finally able to move forward, somewhat synchronized with my dominos! Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-8708596688983220792014-06-02T19:24:00.001-03:002014-06-02T19:24:50.764-03:00Twin cake for twinsRecently I had the opportunity to make a cake/s for the sweetest twin girls ever! Birthday mom gave me creative freedom to do whatever I liked - she'd give me the theme and the rest was up to me. Things got a little nutty, though, when the girls chose their theme. One wanted Hello Kitty...but the other wanted "Hello Kitty Princess"! HAHA how do you do one without doing the other? In the interest of finding a design, I asked Birthday Mom to ask the girls to draw what they wanted for a cake. I thought they might work together on a single picture (which would make things very easy) but they might also each do their own thing (which could make things a little more interesting) haha. Either way - one of my favorite things is creating a cake that a kiddo has designed themselves and knew it was going to be fun. :) <br />
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Well - Birthday Mom came through with flying colors and sent...two separate drawings of two separate cakes! HAHA Ok - let the fun begin!<br />
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Not only was it 2 separate cakes, but there wasn't a single thing about either that was the same, except for Hello Kitty wearing tiara....I thought about doing the top tier from 1 cake and the bottom of the other but only Erin's cake had 2 identical tiers. HAHA So...I did the only thing I could do...</div>
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I had alot of fun with these and was really happy that I managed to duplicate their pictures with frosting. :) But that's still not the very best part!! </div>
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Oh - don't get me wrong - they're pretty great, but I was the most pleased with the sneaky side of these cakes. :) And the sneaky part is...IT'S ONLY ONE CAKE!!!!! :D</div>
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The birthday girls got what they drew and I got to have a TON of fun with frosting!! Happy 5th Birthday kiddo's! :) </div>
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-79797470297769192412014-03-18T22:07:00.001-03:002014-03-18T22:07:21.875-03:00Building my Pantry #3 (Shelving...or something close to it.)<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptAEH3xrxVY/UyjssEiMmGI/AAAAAAAAD4U/QiTwFAE04Ww/s1600/20140302_150047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptAEH3xrxVY/UyjssEiMmGI/AAAAAAAAD4U/QiTwFAE04Ww/s1600/20140302_150047.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>I muddled my way through the installation of 3 shelves on Sunday and ran into a few snags. First is that the back wall is the absolute opposite of level…like – we’re talkin – Alice the Camel’s back is more level than my wall! Snag #2 is that the left wall of the pantry is full of wiring, the stack for the bathroom, and not a single stud to anchor into for support! Now that I’m typing this it occurs to me that the pantry wall used to be the opening into the kitchen…so why isn't it hollow?? I can’t imagine why there would be wiring in there?? Oh well – who knows…my friends used to call this house “Lego Land” for years! Lol The strapping for the first shelf took the longest, and the next 2 shelves went in pretty quickly. Even though I had a chop saw readily available, I opted to use the hand saw to cut it all (cuz it was quieter and less scary). </div>
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When I finally had the 3 shelves installed it became very obvious that the walls are beyond crooked. There was an obvious hump in the wall that was keeping the shelf pushed out and off of the strapping. <br />
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I had to cut into the drywall and create a space to push the shelves into (more mess). Once that was done, hubby silicone all the shelves down and caulked all around the top to finish the seams and make it look "pretty". (Trus that it looked WAY prettier once it was sealed...I'll post more pics later)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IumTlIArzKw/UyjtTKUnvbI/AAAAAAAAD4c/RRmQvA74fvQ/s1600/20140305_083508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IumTlIArzKw/UyjtTKUnvbI/AAAAAAAAD4c/RRmQvA74fvQ/s1600/20140305_083508.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a>…and 2 hours later I stood staring into my pantry, even more perplexed than I was before my last post… A Pantry, by definition, is supposed to be for food storage and I get that – but – in my case, my Patry is turning into a “Kitchen storage closet”…</div>
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-50093211904847749012014-03-18T21:51:00.003-03:002014-03-18T21:51:37.063-03:00Time for a cake breakI really do Love to bake (which is unfortunate for my middle). Life has been pretty nutty lately, though, so I haven't had the chance to bake as often as I would like. Today, though, a co-worker had a birthday and since I was out sick yesterday...he didn't get his cake today. :( (Bad cake lady!!) Anyhoo - I decided that I'd bake a cake tonight. The only problem is which cake to bake?? I know I want chocolate with boiled icing...but which recipe to use? I've been using my "old faithful" recipe for a dogs age, but really want something different so tonight I picked<a href="http://www.relativetaste.net/sour-cream-chocolate-cake/" target="_blank"> this</a> recipe that I found on relativetaste.com. I've made it before and I recall that it was delicious...but I'm nearly out of sour cream. :( When I made it tonight, I had to use half sour cream and half mayonnaise...then I added a little extra vanilla (not by choice). It's in the oven now and has been for about 30 minutes...I reeeely hope it works out cuz I'd LOVE some alternatives to my old faithful chocolate cake. :) Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-13955321267126900652014-03-02T13:49:00.001-04:002014-03-02T13:49:23.548-04:00Building my Pantry; #2Yesterday the impatience kicked in and forced me to Home Hardware. I had a brief chat with hubby before I left and was pretty much forbidden to bring anything home. His reasoning was sound - I just didn't care. ;) He's still not back on his feet from surgery and the table saw is buried in the shed - so - he wasn't able to rip the pine needed for the shelf brackets. Ok - I understand - and the other pine is too expensive - bla bla bla...But...since hubby used to work at this particular Home Hardware - the guys are super helpful. They pulled out some very clear 1x2 pine for me and cut my 8' shelving down to 6' so that it would fit in the civic. I only picked up 3 shelves...then didn't get to do a darn thing with it last night. this morning, though, I'm up and attem and reeeeely wanna put some shelves in there. The trouble is...I found <a href="http://www.dream-kitchen-pantry.com/kitchen_pantry_DESIGN/kitchen_pantry_shelves.shtml" target="_blank">THIS</a> article...and now I'm second guessing everything. *sigh* What to do?? I bought 3 shelves that are 12" deep...time to think some more I think...Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-43897139015773935002014-02-23T19:12:00.003-04:002014-02-23T19:12:55.877-04:00Building my pantrywhen I was a kid, I Loved my great grandmothers pantry. Her home was older than old. It was plain and simple with lots of character. Her pantry was in the back corner of her kitchen and was built entirely of dark wood. There were 2 steps to get into it and given my size at the time, couldn't have been very big at all (likely the size of a phone booth). For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a pantry. <br />
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This is a very old picture of my Dining room. The walls are now a nice vanilla cream color and we replaced the icky light fixture... but you can see where the floor is different on the left hand side. That's' where there used to be stairs to the basement (there will be a post some day about fixing the discontinued hardwood flooring...but it has still not been fixed so that post will not happen today). <br />
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We decided to build the pantry in the back left side of the dining room. We wanted it half the width of the room so that it will leave the window centered on the right. The main entrance to the house used to be there so the wall and ceiling is pretty wonky and un-fixable. The light is still there too - from when it was the entry ( you can see it on the ceiling ) Putting the pantry there will let me hide some of the crooked "sins" of my home and will give me a light inside. The final measurements of the pantry are about 5' wide and 29" on the outside (25" on the inside)<br />
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I've finished the rest of this post with lots and lots of pics. </div>
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As a fun side note...Hubby decided that this stage made for a better "Smoochin Booth" than a Pantry. :) </div>
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My pantry is still in progress so check back for updates as I get closer to done. :)<br />
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-11188482797746208472013-11-06T20:45:00.005-04:002013-11-06T20:45:56.976-04:00The Hollee-Olive-Experiment...Take 1It's been a while since I've posted...but so be it. I keep apologizing for not posting very often but I've convinced myself that it's because I actually have a life...HAH! Not really but it makes me feel better to fib to myself a little...<br />
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Ok here's the reason for this particular post...I need a new "go to" recipe...all of my recipes call for butter or vegetable oil. I definately don't have a problem wiht butter - but...I'd really like to find a nice alternative. lately I've been reading up on Olive oil in cakes. It caught my interest so I thought I'd give it a try. First - I decided to brush up on my science (Yes Mr. Patriquin - I said it...i'm voluntarily referring to science!). I know that every ingredient in cake has a job to do and if I make any changes - I'll change the way the batter behaves. Here's what I know...<br />
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<li>The minute the dry ingredients hit the wet, the clock starts to tick. If I whip the dickens out of it until the batter is smooth - or wait too long to put it in the oven, I'll have a very fluffy - airy cake that won't hold together. Kinda like a cake from a box mix. Not awesome and completely un-decorateable.</li>
<li>Cake gets the structure from the flour and eggs.</li>
<li>Cake gets the moisture from sugar and fat</li>
<li>Room temprature eggs mix more evenly and hold air better = less dense cake.</li>
<li>Olive oil does not hold air. </li>
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In theory - if I let my eggs warm up and whip the crap out of the batter, theorhetically, I should have a reasonably fluffy cake that is moist and full of flavour - but stable enough to hold together nicely and be decorated. Ok - I'm sold! <br />
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I referred to this recipe from <a href="http://www.duodishes.com/recipe/cakes-pies-tarts/the-big-oil-switch/" target="_blank">Duo dishes</a> it went together very easily - My spidey senses were tingling like crazy when it came time to add the lemon, though. I'm not a fan of lemon and neither are most of the kids who eat my cake...I reached for the vanilla instead...then put it back and stuck to the recipe. I can't fix/fiddle if I dont' know exactly what to fix/fiddle with. Overall - at that point, I was pleased to say the least. I was able to mix it more than I normally would - it doesn't make a huge batch - doesn't have a ton of sugar and has nothing that I can't pronounce - it's just good old fashioned cake. :) In the oven it went and the house smells amazing!!! It cooks quite quickly and stayed fluffy - and puffs up evenly. All good signs. I took it out of the oven to cool and it's really fluffy. The recipe says to let it cool for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan...but it also says to line the pan with parchment (I skipped that step). So - I took it out of the pan and it's maybe a little too fluffy...but i think if I let it cool a little, it would be fine. Because I'm impatient, I sliced the ant hill dome off the center of it to taste it and BAM! Lemon!! Then I asked kiddo to give it a try. She is my cake berometer - the instrument by which I determine the success of a cake. She's brutally honest and never lies to spare my feelings. Love the kid for that. Her verdict?? 1st...she screwed up her face...then she stuck out her tongue and made a chewing attempt that looked like a donkey eating peanut butter. Then she asked "did you put that lemon stuff back in it"?? Yup - it's a different recipe...her response?? "I don't like it". I must take out the Lemon...<br />
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I did try another piece with some buttercream on it - but the flavour in the cake didn't blend well with the frosting, sooooo...baaaaaack to the kitchen I go. First, I'll do my dishes from the 1st go-round, and then I'll give it a trey without the lemon. I will not refer to science this time, though. Sorry Mr. P. :)Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-53184350498771076612013-07-06T20:01:00.001-03:002013-07-06T20:01:22.588-03:00My new Fave cake!I Love creating cakes - I really do! Every one is a new challenge and I learn someting from each and every one. Some cakes "click" I get crazy inspired and can't stop once I get started, while others just sortof come together as planned.<br />
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A few weeks ago, I started planning a Monster cake for a little guys 2nd birthday. His Mom is one of my fave cake customers ever! Between the two of us (me mostly) we decided on a monster theme - she gave me the color choices and my frosting-Ninja brain started spinning...and spinning...and spinning!!!<br />
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Lately, I've been trying to be a little more "grown up' about my cakes. I tend to have a hard time restraining myself once I get going on a cake and need to be better at planning and stopping when it's time to stop. So - for this big guy, I started with a sketch. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YwMwf3yWdQs/Udidoi24hBI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/9Hzwd_vq8tM/s1600/1000783_405345696247147_1449907159_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YwMwf3yWdQs/Udidoi24hBI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/9Hzwd_vq8tM/s400/1000783_405345696247147_1449907159_n.jpg" width="300" /></a>I wasn't entirely sure how I would do the arms, but I knew he needed to be tubby and low and squatty with 3 horns and hairy shoulders, wings and a tail.</div>
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When I stacked the cake for him, he was super tall and I knew he needed support so I pushed in 3 solid dowels to help hold him up and keep bad things from happening...and then it was time to to turn him into a Monster. :)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bL6EofvUjho/UdiefekQY0I/AAAAAAAAB6w/EF0TWNi_HXo/s1600/1044367_413967515384965_1628283724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bL6EofvUjho/UdiefekQY0I/AAAAAAAAB6w/EF0TWNi_HXo/s320/1044367_413967515384965_1628283724_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>I made his tail out of rice krispies adn marshmallow...but he still didn't look like a Monster.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JR-bFvDtPoQ/UdieiqcasbI/AAAAAAAAB60/24wxjUJEAEc/s1600/996500_413969065384810_698921129_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JR-bFvDtPoQ/UdieiqcasbI/AAAAAAAAB60/24wxjUJEAEc/s320/996500_413969065384810_698921129_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>Then I gave him a bottom lip and a belly and a tooth. A little more like a Monster, but still...not a Monster. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aNQSZWl20ac/Udiek4_QqRI/AAAAAAAAB68/QCNBeKALg4g/s1600/970753_413999685381748_1055588661_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aNQSZWl20ac/Udiek4_QqRI/AAAAAAAAB68/QCNBeKALg4g/s320/970753_413999685381748_1055588661_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>When I added his horn, teeth and fur and was getting more and more excited about him. When I added the eyes, though, I seriously laughed out loud! I was completely in Love with him and knew I was exactly on track. :)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hjc4ZLw91FE/UdiepekE3WI/AAAAAAAAB7E/pc9owAXhpB8/s1600/1044662_414019405379776_696892041_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hjc4ZLw91FE/UdiepekE3WI/AAAAAAAAB7E/pc9owAXhpB8/s400/1044662_414019405379776_696892041_n.jpg" width="300" /></a>Spikes on his tail, ears, horns and teh rest of his fur. A few more details and then...he was done! :)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4MMKsFP67Ac/Udie5gstJqI/AAAAAAAAB7c/Af_TLOoKE64/s1600/IMG_7068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4MMKsFP67Ac/Udie5gstJqI/AAAAAAAAB7c/Af_TLOoKE64/s400/IMG_7068.JPG" width="266" /></a>I couldn't stop smiling! Seriously - How stinkin cute is he?!!! :)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f-8D8hHfZWw/Udie8pNU8gI/AAAAAAAAB7k/ps6yWI_cCwo/s1600/IMG_7067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f-8D8hHfZWw/Udie8pNU8gI/AAAAAAAAB7k/ps6yWI_cCwo/s400/IMG_7067.JPG" width="266" /></a>I Love his little wings!!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SqMXyq1Gedo/UdifDA9ytUI/AAAAAAAAB74/D4iqhI4HElg/s1600/IMG_7070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SqMXyq1Gedo/UdifDA9ytUI/AAAAAAAAB74/D4iqhI4HElg/s400/IMG_7070.JPG" width="400" /></a>And his littel face! Hello! :)</div>
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Overall, I think he's close enough to the sketch that I can say I followed it. :) I'm super crazy excited about him (and the "peace sign" is actuall a "2", cuz the Birthday Boy is 2! :) )</div>
Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-87323371013706291612013-06-05T23:23:00.000-03:002013-06-05T23:23:01.338-03:00Cake Decorating with grade 5I've been promising kiddo for a couple of years now, that I'd do a cake decorating workshop with her class. Somehow, I managed to work everything out this year and we are set up for Friday! :) I've been planning like crazy to get ready for it all...and tonight I managed to bake 100 cupcakes tonight in preparation. We have 22 students, and they'll each decorate 4. To help with creativity, I've decorated 8 examples. With the frosting tips we'll be using, and the frosting patterns we'll be demostrating, they'll be able to make any one of them. :) I'm hoping that I have over prepared enough that it will all go well and everyone will have a great time. :) <br />
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Here are all 8 together...<br />
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</a>This one is a "dirt cupcake". A Swirl of chocolate frosting, topped with crushed chocolate wafer and topped with a fondant leaf. <br />
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This one is "Mystery fruit". I swirl of multi-colored frosting, topped with a modeled tootsie roll piece for a stem and a green frosting leaf. <br />
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This little Alien guy was just fun - a giant glob of green frosting - white for the eye and a mini chocolate chip for the pupil. His mouth is a tiny piece of licorice string. :)<br />
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This little guy is supposed to be a frog...I just think he's cute. :) <br />
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Mr. Owl is piped stars in blue, with chocolate frosting for wings and ears. His pupils are chocolate chips. His eyes are lifesaver gummies. :) Oh - he's holding on to a pretzel stick...just cuz I thought it was cute. :)<br />
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This one was super simple. Blue swirls for sky, white squiggles for clouds and a piece of sour rainbow gummy for the rainbow. :)<br />
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Sunflower - oreo cookie in the center and a leaf tip for the yellow petals and green leaves. <br />
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So now...my kitchen is trashed and I'm beat! but I took a few minutes to make a tea and have a seat and eat the one cupcake I made for myself to use up the frosting remnants. :) </div>
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<span style="color: #0066cc;">Isn't he fun??! :) (He was delicious!) </span><br />
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<u><span style="color: #0066cc;"></span></u>Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-29990585034341078282013-05-13T21:38:00.001-03:002013-05-13T21:38:15.317-03:00DIY Garden Bucket (Part 1)<br />
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I have a plan!! That plan is the creation of a super cute and very functional garden bucket of my very own!! I have about a million-ish garden doo-dads that will fit beautifully in it - plus, I just kinda like them so dag nabbit - I'm gonna make one!! :) <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqt3RzD3HnQ/UZF8CEWNpOI/AAAAAAAABz0/R28_MOkAeI0/s1600/IMG_5848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqt3RzD3HnQ/UZF8CEWNpOI/AAAAAAAABz0/R28_MOkAeI0/s400/IMG_5848.JPG" width="265" /></a>I saw these super cute buckets at the dollar store today for $3. (insert squeal of delight here!!) :) I also have a mountain of fabric hidden away in my closet that has been screaming "sew something" at me for ages!! (ummm....sorry roman shades...you don't inspire me at the moment. lol) So - here's the beginning of it all...so far, I've made it as far as cutting out the pattern for the inside piece that will "line" the inside of my super cute bucet. OH! Rewind!! I got the clever idea by browsing pinterest. Specifically <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/275141858457468256/" target="_blank"> this little gem</a>!! :) It's the creative works from<a href="http://hoosierhomemade.com/" target="_blank"> Hoosier Homemade</a>! Lots of great stuff on her site!!<br />
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So - fast forward to tonight... I have an old roll of news print that I bought from the local newspaper back when they used to print locally. Sadly - you can't get them anymore since they moved the printing to another site - but...i still have a partial roll and will enjoy every last bit of it. :)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wOM226MOG_w/UZF9hjOEcqI/AAAAAAAAB0A/Epc1GkwtZY0/s1600/IMG_5849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wOM226MOG_w/UZF9hjOEcqI/AAAAAAAAB0A/Epc1GkwtZY0/s400/IMG_5849.JPG" width="266" /></a><br />
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So - the first thing I did was tear off a hunk of paper big enough to wrap around my bucket. I figured if I crumpled the bucket around the edges of the bucket it would give me the lines to cut it. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IYg1vRkHgLw/UZF9k-LLIKI/AAAAAAAAB0I/ndTyo2MaFio/s1600/IMG_5850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IYg1vRkHgLw/UZF9k-LLIKI/AAAAAAAAB0I/ndTyo2MaFio/s320/IMG_5850.JPG" width="320" /></a>Once I had my lines all crumpled, I unrolled the paper (see all those nice little wrinkles that form the outline of where I'll cut out the shape of my bucket?? ) <span style="color: #741b47;"><em> **thinking voice sez this is going too easy...I wonder what will go wrong??**</em></span> </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YhTlUSMQDk8/UZF99cu1yDI/AAAAAAAAB0g/YMkToeFC1kE/s1600/IMG_5852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YhTlUSMQDk8/UZF99cu1yDI/AAAAAAAAB0g/YMkToeFC1kE/s320/IMG_5852.JPG" width="320" /></a>I traced a pencil line around the arc that would would be teh bottom of my bucket and cut it out. (notice the arc cut out?? That's the bottom of the buckt. ) Once I had teh bottom cut, I wrapped the paper around my bucket again, and folded back each side so that it would only be as big around as the bucket, plus enough extra to be a seam allowance. <span style="background-color: white; color: #674ea7;"> **Note - see the folds on the left and right?? Thats' where I'll cut it out so that it's only big enough to go around my bucket.**</span></div>
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Next step was to cut off at teh fold line to make sure that it was only as big as the bucket. (This will all make sense in a couple more pictures I promise!)<br />
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So now my pattern is big enough to go around my bucket - but it's not the right height. So - I wrapped it around the bucket again and folded the excess paper down into the bucket to make a crease at the bucket height only. (Sorry - my genius is showing. :D) <br />
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Once that part was done, I unwrapped the paper to reveal the beautiful crease for the top of my bucket...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rayr5lljnHs/UZF-EzzAymI/AAAAAAAAB0w/U4fK-Ud3_vk/s1600/IMG_5856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rayr5lljnHs/UZF-EzzAymI/AAAAAAAAB0w/U4fK-Ud3_vk/s320/IMG_5856.JPG" width="320" /></a>(I didn't take a picture of the pattern when i cut the top off - but you can see my scrap under the bucket. :) So - now my pattern for the inside piece of my bucket is all cut out - I slid it inside the bucket to make sure it's the right size and shape and...it's perfect!!! See how it wraps around the insde with just enough overlap to be a perfect seam allowance?? :) (Again - sorry...my genius is sticking out. :) )<br />
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And - see how it's just a hair taller than the bucket?? That's the top seam allowance!! :) My plan is that I'll sew the skirt around it...but I'll need something to anchor it to - so...I'll need a seam allowance. :) <br />
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So - that's all for the first part of my "plan"...I have the pattern made for the inside of my bucket. Tomorrow (or maybe later tonight) I'll make up the rest of it and maybe even cut out my fabric?? Oooo - the possabilities!! :) Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-35855432841681675852013-05-11T13:50:00.002-03:002013-05-13T20:37:30.686-03:00Jeff Gordon / Nascar CakeMost of my cakes start out with an idea or a sketch. Many times - it stays in my head and grows as I work on the cake. The cakes that I have the most fun with tend to become more elaborate than the originaly "plan", while others are sketched out to keep me on track. For this weekends cake, I started with a sketch. Ok - not true - I started by surfing the internet for ideas, since this is my first Nascar cake and I really know nothing about Nascar. I found a few things that stood out - a round blue base, flames, checkered flags etc. Then - I moved on to my sketch. <br />
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Here it is...<br />
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I also took some inspiration from other cakes that I have done - flames from my hunger games cake, the studded collar for my skeleton smash cake and the bull dogs cake, and the number from the hockey cakes. Overall - I think it will come together nicely. The base is currently frosted and in the freezer setting up so that I can base coat it in blue and start to work on the flames. :)</div>
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Fast Forward and here is the finished product...I had originally wanted to do the yellow background of the flames in fondant...but my fondant wasn't cooperating (although it may have been a user problem he-he) so I opted for frosting instead. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEc6tUrvKBI/UZF2QI9TMtI/AAAAAAAABzM/yw1V9zwZ3Dg/s1600/IMG_5820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEc6tUrvKBI/UZF2QI9TMtI/AAAAAAAABzM/yw1V9zwZ3Dg/s400/IMG_5820.JPG" width="400" /></a>Here's the top view of the cake. The 24 is sortof a creatie freehand. I started by drawing a square the same size as the flag. Inside that, I sketched out the outline of my 2 & 4 and cut them out. Then - I laid each of the numbers down on the flag and outlined it in black frosting. I carefully lifted the paper number off - cleaned up the outline where I needed to and piped in the yellow. Eezy Peezy! </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dssoUhGI7zk/UZF2S_Ar-jI/AAAAAAAABzU/XW4vlokJTvQ/s1600/IMG_5822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dssoUhGI7zk/UZF2S_Ar-jI/AAAAAAAABzU/XW4vlokJTvQ/s400/IMG_5822.JPG" width="400" /></a> I really like the black belt around the base, but it needed a little extra something. Wanna know how I made them look like little hub caps?? Ok - I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to hold it against. me. :) I started but cutting out little tiny circles with my smallest circle cutter. They were too blah - they needed soem detail so...I searched and dug through all of my drawers and finally found...a whiteboard marker!!! LOL True story! I cleaned off the top of the cap and voila! Instant hub cap! I pressed it into each circle, brushed on some shimmer dust and ther you have it - teeny tiny hub caps to jazz up the belt! :) </div>
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Overall - I think it turned out pretty much how I had planned and they were happy with the finished product, so - I'll chalk it up as another success. :) If you have a chance, check out my other cakes on my<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HolleeCakes" target="_blank"> HolleeCakes Facebook page</a>. :) Recentlly, I seem to be updating that with greater discipline that my blog. :S Sorry bout that. </div>
<br />Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-11277718721113663232013-02-10T12:08:00.004-04:002013-02-10T12:08:38.204-04:00A Fairy cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a fun cake to work on!! :) I did it again, though...I let my creative brain take over, so after about 8 hours of decorating time - I had to simply walk away. I resigned myself to the fact that that fairies (who are supposed to be Tinkerbell & Periwinkle) look nothing at all like either. I was ok with that, though, since the rest of the cake turned out pretty freakin great! :) Before I pass judgement on my work, though, I should really refer to my in house critic - a.k.a. Soapy. God bless the excitement of the 10 year old girl. I only wish I could see my work through her eyes. :) she walked into the room and said "Oh! You made it a Tinkerbell cake!:)" and then went on to add "And you added her sister too!" YAY! Ok - cool...she then went on to explain that the hair I gave her was more like wolverine than Periwinkle, so I had to scrape her head off and start over - but my re-work was given 2 thumbs up and a HUGE grin - so - success!! I just delivered it so I'm free to post pics now. :) I'm so excited about this one - I really wish I could move in to it! :) Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-17333478053461929882013-01-28T20:14:00.005-04:002013-01-28T20:14:57.541-04:00Fun and fondant free...well almost. :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This passed weekend I had the chance to make another cake for the same family that requested the horse and skateboard cake! :) There is a big sister who is turning 18 and is very involved in cheerleading. Her grandmother requested a cheer type cake and sent me several pictures. In the middle of our planning, though, we ran in to a bit of a catch. One of the family members requested a cake that you can cut and "not have any fondant"...well...the trouble with that is all the decorative fun stuff comes from what I'm able to do with fondant - EEK! But - it was still important for the big sister to have a fun cake -so - what to do?? Well...you make a super fun Ombre cake of course! :D I wish I was able to cut the cake before delivering it so that I could show you the inside too - but...the best I can do is tell you taht the frosting colors on the outside match the cake color on the inside. :) Once it was frosted, though, it still needed some sparkle and fun - so I dug out the wire swirls and shimmered some fondant and dolled it up just a hair. :) In the end - I think it turned out pretty darn fun...and you can still cut it "and not have any fondant". :)<br />
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-44751473693107764672013-01-24T00:09:00.000-04:002013-01-24T00:09:01.750-04:00Progress is progressI started an Afghan a while back and am really excited with how it's turning out. :) I'll post more as I get more done. :) <br />
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-8275906812795004172013-01-21T12:59:00.000-04:002013-01-21T12:59:00.643-04:00YAY BORSCHT!!!OMG I found it!!! <br />
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A few years ago, I started making Borscht – a wonderful Ukrainian beet soup (which delighted the children by turning “everything” purple – hint hint.) About 4 or 5 years ago, though, I found the very best recipe EVER!! It was amazing and super yummy!! Went together great! And I’ve adored it ever since. Last year, though…I lost my recipe. :( I looked high and low with zero luck. Through some miracle of miracles, I found it on an old USB stick that had been hiding in my desk at work!! YAY CLUTTER!!! So – in order to avoid the same mishap – I’ll post my recipe here for anyone who would like to give it a whirl!! <br />
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I would also like to extend my most profound apologies to the web site that gave me this recipe…if I could find you – I’d totally give credit where it is due (and if I could find you…I never would have lost my favorite recipe.) If I ever do find you – I shall totally link you here (pinky swear!) <br />
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<strong>Borscht (Funky Beet Soup, and you can dance to it)</strong><br />
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Two bunches of beets, about eight beets, 1.5 lbs or so<br />
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2 tablespoons butter<br />
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1 onion, finely chopped<br />
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1 large or 2 small table white potatoes (waxy), peeled and cut into small dice<br />
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1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into small dice<br />
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1 litre chicken stock (or you really want to stick to the meatless thing, vegetable stock)<br />
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14 oz can tomatoes, chopped, or just used a 14 oz can diced tomatoes<br />
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4 bay leaves<br />
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good pinch each of salt and fresh-cracked black pepper<br />
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1 tablespoon red wine vinegar<br />
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1 tablespoon white sugar<br />
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1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus more to serve in each bowl<br />
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sour cream, a dollop for each bowl<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut the greens off the beet, leaving just a tiny stub of the greens, and cut off the pointy root end, near the bulb of each beet. Rinse them under cold water to wash off any dirt, dry them with paper towel, then place them on a large piece of aluminum foil. Fold over the foil and pinch and roll the edges all the way around to seal it well. Place on a baking sheet and in the oven and roast for one hour.<br />
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During this time, you can start the rest of the soup. Heat a soup pot over medium heat for a couple of minutes and add the butter. Add the onion and saute for two or three minutes to soften (keep and eye on them - you don't want them to take on too much colour. Reduce heat if that happens). Add the carrot and potato and then then chicken stock or vegetable stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil and let simmer.<br />
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Remove the beets from the oven and use a knife to open up the foil. Let them cool for 15 minutes or so, so you can handle them. Cut the rest of the greens and the root end off each beet. Use your fingers to squeeze off all of the skin from each beat. Slice the beets into small dice, about the same size you used for the carrots and potatoes, and add them to the pot. Continue to simmer the soup for at least another hour to tenderize everything and really blend the flavours (at this point, the soup can be cooled and stored if necessary). Add a tablespoon of fresh dill 15 minutes before serving. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Ladle hot soup into bowls, add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.<br />
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-49623584710065710992013-01-12T14:47:00.001-04:002013-01-12T14:47:08.757-04:004 cakes done!!!I did it!!! Don't ask me how, but I did...and here they are;<br />
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1st is the Plymouth voyager van cake. I really wanted it to be more realistic than cartoonish - but...to slope the nose right, I'd lose a TON of cake and trust me when I say that the cake that's inside this van is tooo freakin delicious to spare!! :) It's a triple fudge chunk cake which is crazy moist and dense and delicious!!! In addition, the frosting that's glueing the thing together is out of this world!!! I feel guilty for not giving them a side order of insulin with it cuz it's soooooo rich it's crazy! The frosting recipe goes like this...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XQd_YTnfLQM/UPGuj3mFvqI/AAAAAAAABsM/BqitdfEfFWU/s1600/IMG_5141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XQd_YTnfLQM/UPGuj3mFvqI/AAAAAAAABsM/BqitdfEfFWU/s400/IMG_5141.JPG" width="400" /></a>combine 1 cup of whipping cream, 1 1/4 c granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of cocoa...whisk it together and bring it to a low gentle boil for 1 minute. Remove it from the heat and...this is where things get crazy - you add 6...I'm sorry - did you say 6?? yes - SIX chocolate baking squares!!!!! Stir it to melt it all together ( it gets super thick and you'll wanna grab a spoon - and if you do, you're just like me!! :) also - stir in 1tsp of vanilla and let this deliciousness cool till it's room temp.<br />
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Nex - whip a package of cream cheese and a cup of butter together until they're...well...whipped! :) Then add the delicious cooled mixture and mix util it's...well...whipped!! :) That's it - you'll wanna eat it with a spoon!! (I did - shhhh!) <br />
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Not only was this one super delicious with diabetes inducing frosting...I snuck some fresh raspberries in between the layers. :) Yah-hum!!! So here she is...the story line behind this one is that the birthday boy had a 1995 voyager until recently and it was his baby...but it's gone - moved on to greener pastures! :) Hence the wings, the halo and the green grass (for greener pastures) :) <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TPbZSzKdfUI/UPGutQ59fTI/AAAAAAAABtc/HE_i4MDh-E8/s1600/IMG_5161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TPbZSzKdfUI/UPGutQ59fTI/AAAAAAAABtc/HE_i4MDh-E8/s400/IMG_5161.JPG" width="400" /></a>Next are the 3 cakes for youngest kiddo's friend Luca. She's having her party today with 20 of her friends - eek!! (imagine 20 ten year olds inside of 1 home!!) But - she wanted a horse head cake so that's what she got! :) Her Grammie sent me the link of what she wanted, which was <a href="http://www.ginacakes.co.uk/portfolio/horse-head-cake-3d/" target="_blank">a beautiful grey horse by Gina cakes</a>. I did my best to come close, but I always struggle with black. For whatever reason, my black coloring did not want to make black frosting or black fondant today so I had to settle for grey. I used cocoa to color the bridle though. I didn't want it all near-black cuz I felt it would need some more color than that. <br />
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The other 2 were for her birthday dinner with Family tomorrow. Luca is a triplet and has 2 brothers who needed their own cake for their big day! :) I'm super excited about the skateboard cake!! :) I think it turned out pretty cool! :) <br />
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Being a girl, Luca wanted her own cake for her family birthday dinner and sent me a pic of <a href="http://www.flickriver.com/photos/lecupcake/3653475075/" target="_blank">the cutest little white horse cake by Kylie Lambert from Le Cupcake.</a> I'm happy with how it turned out. :) <br />
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Overall, I think they were all a success. As with every other cake, I learned so much with these 4! (which is one of the things I love the most about making cakes! :) Lessons include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Not all icing sugar is created equal.</li>
<li>Black is a very hard color to make in frosting and fondant.</li>
<li>I'm getting better at smooth frosting.</li>
<li>If you spray fondant with water, then sprinkle white sugar all over it - it will stick and look super sparkley pretty! :) </li>
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So that's it for this post - my next cake on the list is a Montreal Canadiens cake for a co-worker. :) I'm really looking forward to it cuz it's chocolate too!! :) Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-60548538575875532762013-01-08T16:16:00.000-04:002013-01-08T16:16:11.259-04:00An exercise in planning (4 cakes in 1 week!)Here we go again!!! <br />
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This week is sure to be a test of my abilities to plan things well. I have 4 cakes on the horizon. The first is a minivan cake for a co-worker. If all plans go as I hope – it will be a Burgundy 1995-ish Plymouth Voyager with a Superman logo on the hood, angel wings and a halo. :) It’s a smaller cake for 3 people only – BUT – it will be crazy super rich and chocolateeee!!! Plus – there will be lots of fun detail work to keep me plenty busy. Hubby is most excited about possible leftovers. (Can’t say I blame him)<br />
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The other three cakes are for a classmate of my youngest kiddo. Her party is on Saturday and she has requested a horse head cake for her party – but…she’s a triplet and has 2 brothers. They will also be having cake with family – so – they will also need a separate skateboard cake for the boys and a small horse cake for the birthday girl. <br />
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Yup – that’s 4 cakes alright! Wish me luck! <br />
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-65102111986157434292013-01-06T18:40:00.001-04:002013-01-06T18:52:31.295-04:00Applebee's style ribsAs I get older, I'm becoming more and more aware that I show love through baking and cooking. One of the most obvious examples of that, is ribs and wings. I'm not a big fan, but hubby is, so I make them for him as often as I can...it's a little twisted but it makes him so very happy - how could I not? lol He claims that I make the best wings on the planet, so I figured I would branch out and give ribs a try. <br />
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Yesterday, I grabbed a falt of ribs and did a search for a good ribs recipe. I found (what appears to be) a great one over at <a href="http://www.food.com/" target="_blank">food.com</a> for<a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/applebees-style-baby-back-ribs-145998" target="_blank"> "Applebee's style ribs"</a> I sent the link to him and he replied with "I Love you" so I was confident that I had a winner. :)<br />
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So - the recipe says:<br />
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1. Place ribs in a large pot and fill pot with enough water to cover ribs. <br />
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2. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until ribs are fork tender.</div>
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I cut the ribs into smaller pieces and tossed them into the roaster covered in water. </div>
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I didn't notice till later in the recipe that I should toss in a cup of apple cider vinegar with the water if we wanted them "fall off the bone" tender...oops! I added this at the end so I hope it helped. In the middle of this process, I had to run in town so hubby stepped in to help. In total - I think they boiled for longer than an hour (closer to 2 in fact) so we'll see how it goes. <br />
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I put the sauce together to boil. It said to boil/simmer till it thickened...but it was already pretty thick so I didn't really pay much attention to that part - I just boiled/simmered it till I was ready. </div>
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My kitchen assistant sat nearby, waiting hopefully... </div>
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When they were done boiling - I pulled them out of the pot and layed them on a broiler pan - meat side down. (Like the recipe says)</div>
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I wasn't sure if I should put sauce only on 1 side...or both - so - I put it on both sides, but made sure they were back on the meaty side before putting them back in the oven. <br />
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Then I slapped it all over the ribbs - flipped them and slathered with more sauce (cuz I made a double batch that's why) :) I like saucy things. :) </div>
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The recipe also said to broil them 4" to 5" away from heat...I left them a little further down to be honest cuz I was worried about them burning/drying out. (I don't like burnt dried out things)...<br />
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I took them out of the oven - flipped them over and slapped on more sauce (I saved some, though, for hubby cuz he always wants extra). Because it was the meaty side cooking this time, though, I raised the rack so that they'll actuall be about 4" away from the heat source. crossing my fingers that it's not a mistake to do this (*insert pretty please dance here*)...<br />
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and now...they're flipped over and saucy - sitting pretty darn close to the broil element and I've got my fingers crossed (which makes typing a real pain to be honest). :) </div>
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*fast forward 30+ minutes*<br />
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The ribs turned out "great" according to hubby. :) I thought they were yummy too. I've never really had ribs before (cuz they're not my preference) but they were prerty good. (But I don't have anything to compare it to.) </div>
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Since we have all enjoyed the ribs (and my kitchen assistant has since realized she is not getting any) she has changed her position and giving quite a thoughtful look. :) As mentioned before - I'm no rib expert...but hubby (who is) gives this recipe a solid thumbs up, so it looks like I'll be making them more often. </div>
Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-34737660774346224352013-01-01T11:51:00.002-04:002013-01-01T11:52:56.710-04:00Not on my list but...It's not a secret that I fear boredom...and I'm pretty sure I have ADHD because I have the attention span of a squirrel! Seriously!! Most days I'm like - Mmmm I smell bacon! Red punch buggy - no punch back! What day is it? I need coffee...Oh hey! how long have you been here? What's that?? lol ok so where was I?? Oh right! I fear boredom! So...while looking for ideas for clothespin dolls I got totally distracted by string dolls (a.k.a. voo-doo dolls!) there are days that I seriously could have used one of these bad boys and so...I payed $2. for string at Michaels ($2.23 to be exact...I had a coupon) and came home and made this little guy! (Actually - I made 3...but still have enough string to make at least 2 more. :) Isn't he cute??! :D<br />
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I smell bacon...gotta run! :)Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-11760872984392572432012-12-28T15:54:00.002-04:002012-12-28T15:54:55.019-04:00What to do? What to do??December 28th and I'm sitting at my messy dining room table - covered with the flotsom and jetsom of Christmas morn. To my right, lays a lazy Saint Bernard - merrily drooling and snoozing on the floor...to my left...well...there's a china cabinet to my left but that's neither here nor there (it's left - hehe). I've managed to get the decks and walkways cleared and the dishes are nearly done with kitchen mostly clean...unfortunately - that's where everythign kinda went pear shaped. I reeely wanna accomplish something over my break. My mind is painting pictures of me finishing my many crochet projects or completing my impressive list of to-do's for the house...but then my un-motivated beehind sez; "pass me another piece of that toblerone wouldja??" :)<br />
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At this point in the day - I'll be happy if I make it to Walmart to pick up pics for kiddo's giant picture frame and manage to put her room back together before her sleepover tomorrow. Until then...I'm off to find the rest of that toblerone! lolHolleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-18426172247353747512012-12-25T19:40:00.000-04:002012-12-25T19:40:24.933-04:00A very merry Christmas!!!Another year and another Christmas under my belt. <br />
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I know it's not new years yet - but...I'm already ready for a few resolutions...1st is that I will NOT be up till 2am wrapping next Christmas!! Next year, I'll have my shopping done WAY before the last pay before the big day - pinky swear! In fact - it wouldn't disappoint me to have it done by September! lol Last night, I didn't get to bed until 1am because I was up wrapping! I thought I was all done until I found another bag! UGH! then - at 3:35am, youngest kiddo woke us up with a sore belly. It didn't take long for it to pass but she was postive that being allowed to open the presents under her tree would make her feel better. By 5:30am, Both punks decided it was time to open presents. Groan! By 6am hubby and I were upstairs watching the punks open away (Me - grouchy - slugging back coffee and eating an english muffin with peanut butter in hopes of waking up just a little so that I felt way less like a grizzly - on what was supposed to be a magical morning! lol) By 8:30, hubby and i were back in bed napping merrily...till 9am when the phone rang. Mom was calling from next door to say breakfast was ready! Groan! So - up and attem - off to Mom and Dads for a corn fritter and grease breakfast! (Double yum!!! It's tradition!! Ham, sausage, bacon adn corn fritters!!!) We wrapped up breakfast and headed home again (next door) and once again it was nap time (not sure why I'm sooooooo tired today??) Closed my eyes and next thing I knew it was 4:40pm!!! Did I mention that Dinner was at 5:00?? UGH! (starting to see a pattern here). So - up and attem again and tossed the girls in the shower (cuz they were stinkin from all the dancing they'd been doing) and off to Mom and Dads for Christmas Dinner...which brings me till now. :) I'm sitting on my couch, while the girls dance away to their newest addition of Wii just dance. what a hoot! They're laughing and carrying on like sisters should (and don't even realize that they're exercising.) shhhh! Meanwhile - Ninja cat is staring at me from the newly exposed under-belly of the Christmas tree. he thinks I can't see him but he'll be sprayed any moment. :) Too late - had to hiss. :) <br />
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So now we're off to feed my boss's kitties (which I'm pretty sure are part of the family now) lol And then...well...I'll be amazed if I am able to stay up late...cant believe how tired I am! lol<br />
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So - wishing anyone who's reading this the merriest of merry Christmas's. I hope you had an amazing day full of Love and surprises and family and fun!! Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-10341836423062947392012-11-25T18:33:00.000-04:002012-11-25T18:33:15.983-04:00Monogram pillow case tutorialI should have taken a picture of the supplies needed before I started but...I didn't think of making a tutorial until after I started soooo...this is as good as it gets. :)<br />
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Here's what you need;<br />
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<li>A white pillow case</li>
<li>Fun fabric</li>
<li>Cardstock (to make your letter template)</li>
<li>Iron on fusing</li>
<li>sewing machine</li>
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I started my project with a quick stop at the dollar store, where i picked up twin packs of white pillow cases for $2. (I got 3). I brought them home and ran them through the washer and dryer. Next time, I'll open the packages first, though, because a few of them were this thin weird non-nice fabric, while the other 3 were a nicer thicker cotton. <br />
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Once they were washed and dried, I ironed them to get them ready for the monogram. <br />
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My next step was to cut out letter templates for each of the girls. S for Sophia, B for Bronwyn etc...I drew them out on cardstock and traced them onto the fusing. (*Note - remember to flip it over so that you're tracing the mirror image onto the fusing - like the Z. The fusing goes onto the wrong side of the fabric so that when you iron on to the pillow case it's not backwards.) <br />
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Now that you have your fusing letter traced and cut out (sorry - missed the pic on this one too) You can move on to the next step.</div>
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Remember that we flipped over our letter so that we cut it out of the fusing backwards. Lay your backwards fusing letter on to the wrong side of your fabric and iron as per the instructions. (Leave the paper backing in place for now). Once it is ironed in place, you will cut it out. <br />
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When you cut the letter out, though, be sure to cut it slightly larger than the fusing. The reason is that you don't want the fusing going clear to the edge of your letter because a) it will gum up your iron...and b) you want a small edge to fray (it looks cuter)<br />
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This is what the S looks like once it's flipped over<br />
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Continue this process for as many pillow cases as you want to make. Once you have them all cut out - they'll look like this. :) (See - they're not backwards anymore...well...except for the Z cuz I'm a total bone head and didn't realize it was backwards until after it was sewn on to the pillow case...and we were at the hotel...and was passing them out - DOH! Sorry Zaide - I'll make you a new one. :( <br />
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So - remember that paper backing that's leftover from the fusing?? Well...once it has cooled, that paper will peel right off. You'll know it's perfect cuz it will have a bit of a sheen on it. You'll need to peel the paper off before you iron it on to the pillow case. (Not talking down to ya - just outing myself for forgetting a few times myself. ) </div>
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See the sheen?? Aint it purdy?! :) </div>
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So the next step is to place your fusable letter on to the pillow case wherever you want it to be and iron it in place as per the instructions on your fusing. </div>
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And there you have it - a letter - stuck to a pillow case!! :) The final steps are to head to your sewing machine and stitch it down leaving a small seam allowance all around. After that - toss it in the washer and dryer. <br />
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Note that by the time I got this far - it was late and I was fighting with outlets and old sewign machines so I didn't get any more pictures...but will psot more later. <br />
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Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398083230739329915.post-42274379785061777952012-11-25T18:05:00.001-04:002012-11-25T18:05:40.397-04:00Parties are exhausting!!Today, we wrapped up youngest kiddo's 10th birthday party. She chose a sleepover birthday party at a hotel (cuz they have a pool and room service). I have to say that it went very very well (crazy kids aside and all! :) ) We've been planning her party for ages but life always got in the way. <br />
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Yesterday, 4 of her friends arrived at the hotel. I had a schedule of events for their entire stay and (for the most part) we were able to stick to it. The first thing we did was pass out pillow cases to each of the girls with their initial on it (to keep them from fighting over pillows). I made them from dollar store pillow cases and scraps of fabric that I had on hand. (I'll post a tutorial later). They swam for about an hour, then we went back to the room for pogo's and room service french fries (which were awesome btw) followed by birthday cake and presents. Before heading to the pool again, we all made fleece blankets (the kind that you tie knots around the edges of). It was fun for all and they were all super quiet for the first time in hours! lol Before bed, they made duct tape purses (another tutorial to post later) and watched a movie until well after 1am. (side note - air mattress = not awesome!) This morning, everyone was up and away by 11am, but not before taking in another swim.<br />
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Today, the Birthday girl is smiling from ear to ear from having all of her friends call this "the best sleepover ever" and Mommy is totally beat! :) Here are some pics of the big day - including one of her cake which I'm completely in LOVE with!!! It's my first owl cake...but was almost a pigeon. lol Holleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05920631589923839405noreply@blogger.com0