Nemo Sundress and a Fall Sweater

I finally put together a dress my daughter will always want to put on.   What's the secret. . .Nemo!  She loves him.  The cartoon. . .her swimmers . .the stuffed animal.  She hugs and cherishes anything with the character Nemo on it.

So of course when I saw this fabric I instantly picked it up.    

And I will say that it was worth the excited look on her face when her jaw dropped to the ground and her voice got all high pitched as she squealed with excitement.  

I also finished another project for Miss B this week.  A fall sweater that I am picturing with a jean skirt, white long sleeve undershirt and brown boots!  This sweater is called: In Threes: A Baby Cardigan by - Kelly Herdrich which can be purchased on Ravelry.  Easy to follow patter that can be used with various types of yarn depending on your style and preference.  This is a 2T/3T size.  The pattern goes from 0-6 months all the way to 4T/5T.

Yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash . . .used 1 1/2 skeins.  Buttons are just some buttons I found in my scrapbooking supplies and I think they came from a big button package I purchased at Joann's years ago.

LOVE this dress!

 I just love this dress and the pattern is so much fun.  This one is a size 8 and made for a special little girl to wear on her first day of school this year.  I really hope she likes it.  I definitely enjoyed making it!

 I also got some shots of little Miss B in the apple and pears dress I made for her a few weeks ago.  Things worked out in my favor this time.  Last time the poor thing got car sick on our way to take photos and the dress did not make it to the photo shoot.  It was not a pretty sight to see :(

But this time while waiting for my husband to finish his 36 mile trail race . . .her and I had some fun with the camera.  What a doll she is becoming!  She is so sweet and thoughtful.  I hope to keep her that way:)   

I think this one is my favorite.  That smile right before she cracks up laughing.

The dress looks great on her . . and to surprise her I found some cute Nemo fabric to make her another dress out of.  Nemo and Mickey Mouse are top dog in this house so I think she is just going to be over the moon for this next dress!  I might have to sneak it off her to wash it. . .who knows?

Goofy kid! xoxoxoxo

The wedding cake . . .

 It came out pretty nice for my first wedding cake I think.  Three layers of cake all from scratch.

Layer #1 - white cake with whip cream filling and fresh strawberries covered with butter cream frosting and fondant.  Cake recipe via - http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/02/white-wedding-cake-and-swiss-meringue.html


Layer #2 - lemon cake with whip cream filling and fresh raspberries covered with butter cream frosting and fondant.  Cake recipe via - http://www.marthastewart.com/632498/lemon-cake

Layer #3 - have white cake (recipe above) and half chocolate cake filled with cookies and cream filling with butter cream frosting and fondant.  Cake recipe via  -http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/buddy-valastros-chocolate-cake/

Butter cream frosting via - http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/buddy-valastros-decorators-buttercream/

For fondant I used - the Duff brand (city cakes) purchased at Michaels.  And for the roses I used wilton's pre-made gum paste.

And although this looks a little black in the photos, the ribbon fondant is actually a dark navy blue to match the bridesmaids dresses.  Since navy blue fondant is impossible to find I took blue fondant and added black food coloring to it . . .works like a charm.

Now the roses . . .took me a few tries to get this right . . especially since it was extremely humid Friday and Saturday . . .but I got them to look great . . .they were just pink from all the corn starch I had to add.  So I purchased some cake spray paint from the Duff city cake line at Michaels and sprayed them and let them dry overnight.  The result was perfect!

The side cake is a grooms cake of completely red velvet via - http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/red-velvet-cupcakes-recipe

The NY Yankee baseball is a red velvet ball cake covered in fondant and I just printed the logo from the web and traced it out in fondant and then outlined with butter cream.

 All and all it was a great experience but very stressful (mostly because I am my worst critic).  I didn't plan as well as I should have but it worked out in the end. . .as with everything you do for the first time . . .there are lessons to be learned.

The Kate (Owl) Dress

This dress was a little more challenging but not too difficult.  I like it but it turned out a little shorter than I would have liked.  My daughter is very tall for her age so I think next time around I will measure the length before cutting.  But that is ok. . .practice makes us perfect. 

The fabric is a lightweight corduroy which I couldn't resist when I saw the cute owls.  They are just so precious. . .and to hear my daughter say owl makes me smile.

Three small buttons up the back and the button holes are made from fabric loops.

This pattern is also a Lily Bird Studio pattern.  And so far all of her patterns have been well written and accurate.  I really have not had any trouble following them.  I would highly recommend them.

All the lining pieces I did in the same fabric which does make the dress a little thicker on the top. . .I might do this different next time.  The cording along the bib is actual a interfaced cording so I didn't have to worry about slipping and sliding when sewing the cording down or around the bid.  I think this might have been tricky but I am not sure having not done it the intended way.

All in all I think it turned out great.  And Brooke likes it . . .but only because there are owls on it.  Can't wait to see her face when I show her the Nemo fabric I found her at Joann's.  Nemo and Mickey are king in this house right now.

Can you say .....YUM!

That's right . . .Martha Stewarts chocolate cake with a cookies and cream filing topped with the amazing Cake Boss butter cream frosting.   Oh yes, and I can't forget to mention the Oreo cookies to finish off the trim.  

A cake of pure heaven:)

Now you would think that with all this baking I would weight 350lbs . . .well thankfully I am now an addicted runner, have a high metabolism, and drag all this to work so that I only eat . . get this . . .just one slice . . .this is what I call smart guilt free baking:)  Share the sugar and the love baby!

Good recipe but not the winner . . .even though chocolate is always a girls favorite. . .it will stain a girls wedding dress and lets face it . . .most guys are not nice when it comes to the first bite of cake as husband and wife.  Well except for my husband. . .and he is either just the sweetest man there is or completely scared of me.  Until death do us part . . . Guess he is just a smart man!

Wish I could say that I have accomplished large batches of sewing or crafting projects while I have been on vacation. . .but vacation with a 2 year old . . .well not so productive.  I am also torn between getting in a long run or hitting a long run at the sewing machine.  A very difficult decision but the weather here in Vermont is not nice forever and I already dread the thought of hitting the treadmill again so for now ....running it is.  I am up to 19 miles this week. . .woohoo!

But I did accomplish something. . .a design per the request of a friend. . .my own pattern.  A iPod wallet with a side pocket.  Now all I need to do is find some clasps and make a wrist band for it.  Its cute, easy, and a great way to use those scraps.  These would also make great items for a craft fair.

TTFN

Lots of fruits around here

And yes there are lots of fruits in this house but in this case . . .its not what I meant.  This time I am referring to two beautiful and easy to make dresses and one yummy cake!  This dress was so easy that I finished two of them in one weekend without neglecting my child.  A sense of accomplishment and quality time with the little one. . .woohoo!!!  Dress is:  Faith's Shirred Sundress by Create Kids Couture - http://createkidscouture.com/item_43/Faiths-Shirred-Sundress-PDF-Pattern.htm
The price is very reasonable and she has a reasonable policy on remaking the dress for resale.  Sizes range from 6 to 12 months up to girls size 8.  The pattern is also cut from just square measurements so there are no pattern pieces to cut out and tape together (even better).

The cherry dress above and below I made for my niece Emma, size 6 to 12 months . . .although she is only 2 months so it will be a little bit before she fits in this.  A great gift pattern - 1/3 a yard for the body, 1/3 yard for the ruffle, and 1/4 yard for the straps.  You can choose to use all the same fabric which is what I did above or choose coordinating fabric for just the straps and ruffle.

This was actually the first time I actually shirred a dress. . .got to admit the elastic thread kind of intimidated me but it was super easy!  I also learned how to serge a rolled hem with my serger!  Exciting stuff in the world of sewing. . . well I think anyway.

 And dress number two. . . .same pattern but this time in size 2T for my Brooke.  I love the apples and pears print . . .its just so stinking cute!  I can definitely see myself using this pattern over and over again for quite some time and it will grow with her.

Oh yes, . . .lets not forget about the yummy cake.  I am in the process of testing different flavored cake an upcoming wedding for a dear friend.  So far we have tried a white cake with whip cream and strawberry filling and buttercream fondant frosting (forgot to take photos).  This one below is a lemon cake with raspberry filling and a buttercream frosting.  

The lemon cake is a Martha Stewart lemon cake (which is just delicious) and the center I just made up with fresh raspberries, heavy cream, and some sugar.  The buttercream frosting is the Buddy Valstro's buttercream found on Rachael Rays website  

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/buddy-valastros-decorators-buttercream/

This frosting tastes good, decorates well. . .I highly recommend. . he is the cake boss :)  This one definitely will be the center cake we think. . .probably white with strawberries on the bottom and then we are not sure about the top . . .we have chocolate cake with cookies and cream filling to try and of course . . .red velvet. . have to try red velvet.  Really looking forward to trying a white buttercream frosting as well.  So for now . . . .LET THEM EAT CAKE!