Oooh La La!

I had sort of a French night last night.

Last week Martha had a “man show” dedicated to treats and tips for the man in your life. Steve happened to be watching it with me and agreed that he would enjoy the croquet monsieur she made. I promised to make it for him over the weekend and kept my promise last night. They came out really good. I would definitely make them again, but next time I think I’ll be a bit more liberal with the salt, peppers and nutmeg that go in the sauce.

Then I watched “Marie Antoinette,” which was an absolutely gorgeous movie. The colors, the cakes, the costumes, the flowers – everything was so beautiful. I even watched the “making of” part of the DVD so I could see more. They had a special department of people just to make all of the elaborate food! I wanted to walk right through the TV screen and into the movie. I think I’ll be needing to add that DVD to my Wish List.

Not really French-themed, but I also made a box of No Pudge Fudge brownies last night. I had never had them before, but they’re pretty good for a diet-y food. We’re going to an Oscar party tonight, so I’m bringing those and some spinach-artichoke dip.

On My Mind

All of my mugs are mismatched, and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about breaking down and buying the mugs that match my cobalt Fiestaware. I already have the teacups and saucers. They suffice when company comes over but are not big enough for my regular intake of hot beverages. Then I came across these mugs online and I’m totally obsessed with them and confused about whether I should buy a mug set and, if so, which one.

I’m not sure if they’ll stand the test of time like the Fiestaware does. But really, do I care if the set is just over $100? And I don’t know if the whole mismatch thing is cozy and bohemian or cheap and reminiscent of a college student’s dishware? I guess I’ll have to do some thinking on the matter …

Also, I came across the adorable embroidery patterns at Sublime Stitching like these little sushi:

Oh my gosh! They make me want to rush out and outfit myself with every embroidery tool imaginable. Actually, that Web site offers a pretty neat little starter kit that I might pick up later this weekend. Embroidery is just so tiny, I don’t know if I have the patience for projects on that small scale. But it is a good portable craft for in front of the TV and when traveling, so I might give it a shot.

Take Two

I went on a trip to Beverly’s this afternoon and left with a few new cord options. I think this one is more the right width, but the ends frayed a lot. It was only 29 cents a yard for this stuff, so it’s hardly worth crocheting and felting the cord yourself.

Fun with Felting

Earlier this month, Martha had on her show a tutorial on how to make these adorable pincushions. On Saturday, I raided Steve’s closet and hit Goodwill in search of wool sweaters so I could make some. I ended up with a pretty good stash (for only $11!) and felted them all. I also crocheted some cord with wool yarn and felted that too.

Here’s the first product!!



I’m not totally happy with the thickness of the cord, so I’m going to search for some alternatives this afternoon. I made a companion for this little guy, but don’t like it as much. The sweater I used for that cup and saucer was a bit thicker, and it turned out kind of lumpy. So, if you’re going to try these out, I recommend finding the thinnest sweaters possible for that part of the project.

Really, they’re quite simple and fun to make. Most of the sewing is hand-stitching, so if you are easily annoyed by your machine, you can still successfully crank these out. And you can make them while sitting in front of the TV, which is definitely a good thing!

Flower Power

Steve sent me flowers at work for Valentine’s Day, but they didn’t get to me until the next day. They were FedExed from Miami, and their plane was grounded somewhere along the way because of a snow storm.

Anyway, I’m not usually a fan of ordering flowers from FTD or other similar establishments, because neither the organization nor the florist takes accountability for the quality of the product. But now I might think twice, because FTD is offering these really cool arrangements designed by Todd Oldham! The one Steve sent me was the “Romantic Ribbon Wrap Bouquet.” Excellent quality, though the Gerbera daisies were a little bit weary from their travels. I pulled them and the parrot tulips out to make their own little arrangement, which is sort of dead now, but the roses look great:

The best thing about these arrangements is their vases. The absolute worst thing about getting flowers is being stuck with a cabinet full of the ugly vases they come in, but check out the Todd Oldham vases – they’re things you might actually use again, like a colander, a soufflé dish and a martini shaker! The more traditional ones have pretty, opaque designs -- Mine looks like it is wrapped in red ribbon. I think opaque vases are awesome, so you can’t see the stems when they get gross and dingy.

Valentine's Day!

Just 30 minutes to spare before “Lost,” so here’s a brief overview of Valentine’s …

Traffic was terrible tonight. I fully intended to set a festive table, but by the time I got home, my Valentine had already taken care of it for me! I couldn’t have done it better myself:


I finally made the chicken souvlaki and tzatziki I learned at that Williams-Sonoma class. It was tasty and reasonably quick to make. We had a really nice Windsor chardonnay with dinner.

After the s’mores cake mishap, I decided to go with Betty Crocker for dessert. I made a batch of chocolate fudge cupcakes and frosted them using the vanilla buttercream recipe from Magnolia Bakery. It’s basically just butter and confectioner’s sugar with a splash of milk and some vanilla – so good!


I was really lacking in the wrapping paper department when I went to wrap Steve’s gift. I think this belly band on the box in a heart design was the perfect touch (and a good way to make the package not quite so pink!) What was inside wasn’t very exciting, but practical: two long-sleeved polo shirts for casual Fridays.

My gift was fabulous (and exactly what I asked for!) I got baking supplies to make these absolutely adorable miniature three-tiered cakes. Can’t wait to try them out!

And, better late than never, here's a picture of the valentines I made and sent out this year:

Takes the Cake (to the Trashcan)

Tonight I envisioned my triumphant return to the blogosphere. I felt rested and energized. I decided to bake a cake. Not just any cake, but a glorious s’mores cake in my heart-shaped Bundt pan. I pictured it sitting prettily on top of my pink cake stand, all ready for Valentine’s Day.

My mom bought me a ($19!) s’mores Bundt cake mix from Williams-Sonoma at Christmas. I’ve been the recipient of many of these fancy Williams-Sonoma cake mixes over the years and honestly, they NEVER turn out good. Sometimes they call for ingredients that you don’t usually have stocked in your kitchen (e.g., buttermilk). And sometimes the prep is just really more complex than I want to commit to when making a cake from a box.

This mix required ingredients that I did have (eggs, milk and butter). The prep required whipping up a batch of marshmallow cream, which was easy-breezy considering I am an accomplished marshmallow maker. Mixing up the rest of the ingredients was no big deal either. But after that I had to spread batter in the bottom of the pan, making sure to coat the walls of the pan with batter at least half of the way up. OK – No problem. Then I had to create a well for the marshmallow and spread it evenly, guaranteeing that NO MARSHMALLOW TOUCH THE PAN WHATSOEVER. After breaking out in a sweat while meticulously spooning the marshmallow into its well, I had to cover it with the rest of the cake batter. And then all that rebellious marshmallow wanted to do was jump around and try to touch the walls of the pan when it was getting covered! Because of my patience and careful work, tragedy was averted and everything made it into the pan in the appropriate fashion.

That stuff needed to cook for over an hour. I sat, watching last night’s “The O.C.,” salivating over how delicious this s’mores cake with REAL MARSHMALLOW FILLING was going to be. When the time came to get the cake out of the oven, I read the box: “Let the cake cool upright in the pan for exactly 5 minutes. Tap the pan gently on a work surface to loosen the cake. Invert the pan onto a rack and lift off the pan …”

“Hmm …,” I thought. “Only five minutes of cooling time? Well, those fancy Williams-Sonoma chefs must know what they’re talking about.” The pan was still burning hot after five minutes, so I used my better judgment and let it sit for five more. But then I realized that the professionals who wrote the directions must know what’s up, so I inverted the pan. Half the stupid cake stayed in it, and the rest kind of crumbled onto the plate. Eh … the cake didn’t even taste good at all. The marshmallow wasn’t gooey like I expected, but kind of like angel food cake. The rest was just dense and dry with chocolate chips sprinkled in.

Now, I am a friend to all cakes, but I wasn’t at all interested in even munching on the fallen pieces of this one. What a total waste of time and $19.

Part of a Balanced Diet

I’ve had to work late the past few nights. That means I’ve had to skip the gym and enjoy several handfuls of pretzels for dinner. Actually, last night I tried to be sort of healthy and had a can of fruit cocktail in “lite” syrup for dessert when I got home. To top it all off, I’ll be spending the end of the week in Las Vegas, so I’m sure the buffets and free drinks will help ensure I’m at the pinnacle of health.

And wow! I’m awfully flattered that a few people have inquired about the tins in my eBay auction. To cover my costs, I think I’ll price them at $15 (without cards), $20 (with five assorted cards) and $25 (with 10 assorted cards). But people, you should take advantage of the eBay, cause right now you can get a $25 value for 99 cents!!

Sold to the Highest Bidder!

In case anyone is interested in purchasing my handiworks, I just posted my very first eBay auction! Check it out here.

We’ll see how this one goes. If I’m successful, I might be doing it more often!

Oink!

I made this cute little card today!

Other weekend highlights include:

· Got a bunch of photos developed
· Made a trip to the scrapbook store
· Did a few layouts
· Weeded and trimmed in my front yard
· Visited two Goodwill stores looking for an old-fashioned hutch to refurbish
· Had my new jeans hemmed
· Saw “Dreamgirls” at the movies
· Cooked orange chicken for dinner
· Watched “Jackass: Number Two” on DVD
· Went to the gym
· Cleaned the house

Big Announcement

I have some life-changing news to share.


I have brown hair.

In true crafty style, I died it myself on Tuesday night. It’s been kind of interesting to see different people’s reactions. From totally ignoring it to thoughtful compliments to “Oh, your hair is brown. Do you like it?”

Well, I do really like it. Except now that I took some pictures of myself, I think I look horribly ugly and that rhinoplasty needs to be next on the to-do list. But for now, it’s a nice change.

It's Greek to Me

I went to a cooking class with my mom tonight. We learned how to make chicken souvlaki and tzatziki. It was SO GOOD. I’m definitely going to be adding those to the lineup.

It's been a while ...

Lots going on this week. But since I haven’t really been proving that I “rock paper and scissors” lately, here’s a picture of some altereds I made tonight. On the right is a chipboard notebook. In the center is giant clothespin photo holder, and on the left is a lunchbox that I’m going to use to store cards. My desk at work needs some brightening up, so they will make their home there starting tomorrow.

The Evening After

Ugh. We had a houseful of people over to watch football today. It was so noisy. I was feeling festive, so I had a few beers. Now my head is pounding. It’s not even 9:00 p.m., but I think I’m going to bed.

It went from loud jubilation to absolute silence when the Patriots lost. So sad. But maybe now some yard work will get done in the lull before baseball starts.

It sure wasn't Woodstock's, but ..

I had a rough day at work.

So when I got home we walked to Round Table, ate the better part of a pepperoni pizza, and drank a whole pitcher of beer.

It felt like college. I so needed it.

Too Sweet

He he!! Check out what I would look like if I was an M&M! You can be an M&M too at www.becomeanmm.com.

I'm so excited about this year's love stamp! Almost as cute as the one with the conversation hearts from a few years ago.

Still, none will beat the one from 1999, which was die-cut in the shape of the image:

Did you know that this was the first and only stamp the USPS ever did in a die-cut shape? I think they should do more! How cute would this year's be if it was cut in the shape of a Hershey's Kiss?!

Another New Me

Oooh, look! Another, more whimsical, cartoon Ashley is fluttering around the Internet!

I made her on the Chick Machine at Bless This Chick. Can you tell that I’m a sucker for anything you can personalize?

Drinkable Art

I’ve been slightly obsessed with latte art for the past few weeks. If you search for “latte art” images online, you can see some truly amazing stuff.

Well, great minds think alike, so I guess that’s why my friend Martha devoted a very lengthy segment to the subject on her show last week. It included a tutorial on how to make a frothy snowman like this guy:

I didn’t think I was equipped to make him myself, as you need a milk frother that can reach 150 degrees. But I did some research, and I’m happy to say that my Coco-Latte can froth up to 167 degrees! I’ll be frothing up all kind of beautiful art in no time!

The Biggest Fan

Hooray! I’m so proud that I just sat through an entire football game. Well, I must admit that I read the last 10 pages of “The Debutante Divorcee” during the first quarter. And I did my nails during the second quarter. But I made a cup of tea at halftime and seriously sat attentively through the entire second half.

It was an exciting game! And now there’s just one more to go before we know if we’ll be hosting another Super Bowl party!