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In the beginning of March I bought this cute vintage lamb planter from Which Goose's Etsy shop.
I planted some mixed flower seeds in it that my sister-in-law recently brought me back from Colorado. Here's the start of something...and the start of spring. Bring on the April showers so we can get to the good stuff!
We celebrated my Mom's Birthday today (a little belated- but better late than never). We had a great that everyone participated in making including my almond- apricot cake shown above.
Mom even played a little "Rock Band!" She sang Garbage's "Paranoid," which wasn't bad for not knowing the song. (You thought she was an ultra hip 60-something for a minute didn't you!
Festive table setting...
and super cheerful flowers.
Here's some watercolors to get you in the mood.
I've finally moved beyond crocheting mostly squares and rectangles (with exception of the doll I blogged about before). I've made an actual, wearable shirt/sweater!
I'm not sure what made me choose this color yarn because I own nothing else of this color...but I was pretty happy with it when I finally completed it after many...many....many hours. The pattern is from the Stitch and Bitch "Happy Hooker," book.
If you're looking to pick up crocheting I highly recommend this book. Debbie Stoller explains things so clearly and makes you feel like it's ok to screw up and even gives you secrets to hide your mistakes.
I've always liked the look of knits better but though crocheting was easier. I now feel so confident with the hook that think I'm ready to pick up some needles again. (I did knit my Dad a scarf once that turned out fine but was very frustrating to make). I plan on picking up Miss Stoller's knitting book so she can talk me through some knits and purls. Wish me luck!
I hope everybody had a great holiday. I did. We had a nice brunch with far too much food but it was all VERY good. Our menu included lamb, kielbasa, eggs with mushrooms, spinach and swiss, bacon, french toast, bagels and lox, popovers, seafood salad, fennel citrus salad, cucumber salad, fruit salad, deviled eggs, coffee and mimosas and this tasty raspberry marzipan coffee cake...
The recipe is from the good old "Betty Crocker Cookbook," which I have to say hasn't failed me yet. I own a bunch of cookbooks that I love but if I could only own one this might be it. Every recipe I've ever looked for in the book was there and worked out perfectly.
I've been behind on blogging and making due to the fact that my sweet little nephew Patrick has unexpectedly ended up in the hospital for some pretty serious stuff. So as a distraction and to give you something to look at, here is the story of how silk comes to be. (These picts are from my honeymoon in Thailand)
Little silkworms working their magic spinning their cocoons. Those who are lucky enough to emerge as a moth will lay eggs then die within 24 hours. 
The unfortunate ones....are set in the sun to dry, which kills the worm inside. The cocoon is then boiled and spun into silk yarn.
The woman just pinches the cocoon to find an end to start with then feeds the silk from multiple cocoons together while spinning. They just bob up and down in the boiling water while she spins. I didn't ask but my assumption is that they can't let the worm hatch from the cocoon because it would cause too many breaks in the fiber?
Winding the silk warp in preparation to weave
Weaving up the finished product. Actually I'm not sure if this was just for show or if it would actually be turned into some of the beautiful items available in the shop you're directed into after this tour. I picked up several silk scarves for myself and gift. Bill scored a tie.
One of my favorite parts of this holiday is that Bill makes him almost-famous Guinness Cupcakes. OK, maybe he didn't invent them, Dave Lieberman did. Either way they're a delicious medley of chocolate and stout!
One for Bill...one for the batter.
Somehow I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product so here's the pict from the Food Network site and here's the recipe.
Also I have to tell you that thanks to Bill perfectionism (is that a word?) when it comes to these cupcakes, I lucked out. On the first batch there was an issue with the oven and the cupcakes didn't rise. Even though they tasted fine Bill didn't want to bring his less than perfect cupcakes to the party we were going to so he made a second batch. I am absolutely not a food waster so I came up with a pretty tasty use for the squat batch of cupcakes.
I turned them into what I now call St. Patty's Trifle. I ripped up the cupcakes and layered them with chocolate pudding and Coolwhip spiked with Baileys. One word...AWESOME! I highly recommend trying either the cupcakes as is or in trifle form. This is coming from a girl who doesn't even like Guinness in it's natural state.
Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!!!
I did a small favor for a talented friend and she repaid me by giving me some porcelain clay to play with. She has kiln access and said she would fire my project for me. On one hand I feel bad sending her into her classroom to fire what I created but at the same time I'm pretty pleased with myself. It's a perfect juxtaposition of delicate porcelain...and harsh words.
Here's my project at phase one, raw porcelain
Besides the obvious irony I also like the rustic look of my little dish-bowls in contrast to the pristine material used to create them. I can't wait to see them glazed with the glaze settling into the letters, hopefully leaving them quite legible.
I also see these tiny pieces as being fairly versatile. They could hold jewelry, office supplies, condiments or small snacks at a party where an unknowing friend could get a message when finishing off the mixed nuts!
This was the original dish that sparked the idea for the group. Once they are all fired and glazed I'll share the finished product. I'm praying to the fire gods that all eight make it through the process unscathed.
