Mocha Cupcakes, fall knitting, & knitting accessory bags

Mocha cupcakes for a work birthday this week.  Recipe via http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/08/13/mocha-cupcakes-with-espresso-buttercream-frosting/

My review:  I was so so on the cupcake. . .think I would try Martha Stewarts devils food cupcake with a espresso powder twist next time but the frosting was fabulous.  I do however caution . . .make a double batch, I tend to pipe a lot of frosting on my cupcakes and I had only enough for 11 cupcakes.  Thankfully not everyone was in the office because I did not have time enough to whip up another batch that morning before work.  But if you are lighter on the frosting you might be good.

I also topped them with chocolate covered espresso beans that I found at the Woodstock Farmers Market in Woodstock Vermont.  They were delicious!  I am actually making some grasshopper cupcakes today for stamp club tomorrow night and I think they will make a great topper as well since the frosting is baileys flavored cream cheese frosting.  Yum!

Welcome Fall!!!! The cooler fall nights have finally arrived and the leaves are starting to turn. . .apples are ready to pick and my urge to bake and knit is stronger than ever!  So with that said I pulled out some Rowan tweed from my stash and the Yorkshire tweed book and away my needles click.

I also took some scraps from my sewing stashed and whipped up some needle cases to sell at the yarn shop. . .what a great use of scraps!

Last weeks missed post was due to my recovery.  I ran my second 1/2 marathon this year.  (I ended up finishing 2:14:50, not my ideal but it was hot and humid . . .and a much harder race than the Covered Bridges).  I am proud that I ran up those monster hills because it shows accomplishment . . . .last year I would have nothing to do with hills. . .now I am mastering them!  These will be great stories for Brooke someday :)

70th Birthday Cake

Really happy with how this cake turned out for my father-in-laws 70th birthday this weekend.  A  Red velvet cake (recipe from King Arthur Flour) with white chocolate butter cream frosting.

The corn is made from fondant.  I just made a solid roll of fondant in the shape of a corn cob and then rolled little balls off fondant to look like corn and stuck them to the cob.  The outer leaves are just thin leaf shapes that I stretched out by hand and then laid on to look like husks.  Once I had them on there I took a roller tool and scratched the outer later to give it a more realistic look.

Cookies are butter sugar cookies from the King Arthur site and decorated with royal icing.

And around the bottom and along the ear of corn I just decorated with Brach's candy corn for a cute harvest  look.

All and all is was a good cake and a good day:)

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