More Flowering

More flowers here.  Tried the version that I had made a few years back that was previewed on Marthas show by a woman that uses the flat version of coffee filters.  Anyway, I pushed it a bit beyond her basic directions and was really pleased.

The others are for a woman's meeting this Tuesday for the table decorations.  I will be very happy when my REAL roses start blooming.  They are really not as much work!

Let her EAT CAKE...Oh, yes.

There are really few desserts that I love more than Coconut cake.  My grandma Mamie used to make a refrigerated kind that had whipped cream frosting and after a few days, it was heaven.
But the kind I like has mucho calories and right now those are not allowed in my house.  So, I came upon a recipe with 7-up and so I thought I would give it a go.  Here is my attempt.  It is easy peasy and REALLY quite good.
Start with a white cake mix.  Any brand will do.  Mix it with a can of diet 7-up or Sprite or lemon-lime.  That's it.  REALLY.  Oh, and I dropped in a couple of drops of coconut extract in the batter.   Line your pan with PAM and then with wax paper.
 ( Bake in two small rounds or one oblong cake pan. If you do the oblong, you cut it in two for two layers....)  You will want it to release.  Bake until slightly brown on top.  Follow box directions for temp and time.
Release after it's cooled and store in fridge for a couple of hours.  This cake  is very tender and  will fall apart if handled very much.  Be very careful transporting it from the pan.
Now take a cup of light whipped topping and mix with 1/2 cup shredded coconut.  Spread on middle layer .
Then take remaining cool whip and spread on whole cake.  I used the entire small container of cool whip.

Now take 1/2 cup of coconut and press onto top and sides.  Refrigerate.  I stored mine in a tupperware container and it was good for a week.  I figure it is about 4 ppts per piece. For this small version, I divided it into 5 slices. ( I had made cupcakes also. 8.)

Filter Flowers

There is paint everywhere.  I have two tables in my studio and they are both covered with painted coffee filters in various colors and such.  I think making these flowers was a but more fun than I am supposed to have.  Especially when I have commissions to work on and laundry piling up.

Nevertheless. I like that word. It sounds daring and cheeky.  (Another word I LOVE-especially because my little redheaded girl loved using it...and it described her exactly!)  Anyway, I digress...that is a word that describes me...I digress from things I am SUPPOSED to be doing.  Like laundry and commissions.  BAH.

But I decided that I needed to make these flowers-for someone to receive that might need them not to wilt and die and have to be thrown out.  Hope so.

And these colors reminded me that I love, absolutely love ROSES.  And I am trying to patiently wait until we can put in our new rose bed in the corner of my yard.  In WA I had over 55 rose bushes and I miss them.  So what can a gardener do put plant them again?

So I followed a tut that had me roll them onto tape but soon I found my cooler melt glue gun to work faster and better and I could fold and roll and gather pretty darn fast.

I also went to DI and got a really ugly vase and repainted it.  AND I forgot to take a before pic...but believe me, it was a real UGLY brown and orange thingy.  Yes, a bit of green glass paint and antique and spray and it can be  used.  GREAT DEAL VASE..2 bucks.

SO, I am ready to mail them off and I am somewhat pleased how they came out.  I hope they  will convey the spirit of hope and beauty that is  intended.  tutorial on coffee filter flowers here,  This girl is a real hoot to read....just sayin.

Scarf Forger

Pinned this very cute scarf the other day....and thought.  Hmmm, I can do that.
So after purchasing a flat sheet from IKEA, I began.  The marker method with alcohol turned out VERY UGLY...so onto plan B.

 This time I used acrylic paint and just tried to stay random but switched the pattern around each blue flower and off the edge occasionally.

Then I started adding the red splotches and mixing in  a bit of purple.  You see my mixtures up there?
I diluted with a bit of alcohol and water....and mixed the paint right on the fabric.

The red really was fun and just makes the thing pop!  Oh, I think yes.  I let it dry well and then ironed it...this is supposed to set the paint, but have you ever tried washing out acrylic paint?  YEAH...it's a nightmare..

Then I sewed across the hem about an inch above the cut edge and pulled out the threads to form a fringe.



Fold over a scant quarter inch hem and iron, then fold again to make a narrow hem.  IRON.




And then wrap it around your wire friend and admire.....

More Bunnies here

I have been on the bunny hunt for awhile now.  I have a thing about Rabbits- I do not know why.  I just like em.
Then I saw this Pedestal in a  Pottery Barn catalog....oh, my goodness...A PEDESTAL and A RABBIT???














So I was on the hunt.
Found this little guy...

Sanded his head so I could glue a platter on top.  Looks a bit painful.  But he actually kept right on scratching his ear...

I glued the bunny and platter together with a good epoxy and then spray painted the base.
The top piece got a couple of coats too and both got a shiny topcoat.

Then I hunted all over for a cute bunny for the top and found this cute bumpy one in Tai Pan.  I forgot to snap a photo of it whilst it was still green. 

here it has been moved to my springy spot...

 they seem to fit right in....welcome to the family.

Alcohol involved---ISOPROPYL 70%...that is!

For any of you Martha fans out there...and for the haters too-PURPLE was the word of the day.  She had a "Purple Show" with her contributor, Darcy Miller.  Who by the way, I think is a real genius.  As long as she has the big bucks to play with and the resources of NY city...she is fabulous.  She had done a purple party for her little girl Pippa.  It was amazing!

And I love that she has Martha's number!  On the show she had those big long PIXIE sticks and Martha didn't know what they were!  Marcy got a real chuckle out of that and muttered under her breath that she couldn't believe that she found out something that Martha didn't know.

Later on the show she had a craft segment and it was also based on purple stuff.  Such a fun idea and EASY.
It involves SHARPEE markers and good ole rubbing alcohol.
Of course, my artsy mind started running and decided to do a bit of experimenting on my own this weekend.

I had the help of my darling niece's daughter, Livi.  Here she is in her sweet Halloween costume.

I                                                                                                 ...and all ready for the first day of school.

 So she and I started drawing with the markers and her shirt turned out darling and silly me, I forgot to get a pic.  But I did cut up a cotton t-shirt and experimented with different combinations.  The colors are vibrant and beautiful and every blossom a bit different...you let them dry and then set with the heat of your iron.

I plan to make another section and sew it to the first and make a scarf....such fun and I have a few other ideas I am mulling around in my head.  More fun to come....

Five Inches of New Snow for MARCH....

Cold wintery weather inspires me.  Yeah, I am so inspired I  just lay down on the couch and zzzzzzzzz the whole winter away. But somewhere along the way, I remembered that last summer I promised myself I would clean closets this winter (when I couldn't garden...) and finish covering this chair.  SOOOO, rather than open the closet doors in this place I opted to get busy on this chair.

I have been buying clearance napkins and yardage for a few years now and then started the piecing last winter.

I really do love recovering furniture.  It is a puzzle that you take apart and then put back together.

Debra and Dad had done the previous cover for me and I loved it in my blue and yellow bedroom, but we moved and it aged.  But as I was pulling it apart, I couldn't help but remember how I sat in the night and nursed my last baby.  Good memories.

BUT onto the puzzle.

I was really hoping to rip it apart and find a gold piece or 100 dollar bill inside...but no...just lint, and dirt.

 Here is makings of my backache......and see that scrap of yellow and blue on the floor...that is the BEFORE fabric.

I really did have a great time piecing the fabric for this chair.  and I love the fact that it is done.  Now onto the closets.  BLEHHHHH.