Mix-n-Match Photos

(The following photos are not in chronological order.)

My youngest niece, Macaroon (my nickname for her, don't be silly) turned three on Monday. Since B and I moved back, I've been able to spend quality time with her. One of our favorite shared activities is baking. We've made cookies and brownies a couple times. She has plans to come over to our loft to bake a cake and have a tea party (her tea set is glass so I have to be very careful with it). Living out of town for so long, B and I never have celebrated a kid birthday so I didn't know what was expected in the way of gift-giving. I always try and give gifts that represent something from the relationship I share with the person.

I was inspired to sew Macaroon her first apron. She loves 'girly' things and helping in the kitchen. I thought it might be a good match. My favorite aspect of creating/making something for someone else is I think about them the whole time. Every step, stitch, row, or morsel, I've thought about how special the recipient is to me. LR informed me that Macaroon hasn't taken the apron off.

Macaroon loves pink. I'm not sure how much she really knows about Hello Kitty, but she loves almost anything related to the pink items featuring the cute cat. LR did a fantastic job on the cake. The ribbon is bubble tape, the eyes and nose are jelly beans, and the cake is a perfect hue of pink with a subtle flavor of strawberries. Macaroon opened the fridge door to look for Kitty and exclaimed "I love it!"

Spicy Cider Martini garnished with a slice of apple and cinnamon. Master Mixologist in the making...

B and I hosted a dinner party, well, only the dinner part. Our friends were accommodating and allowed us to prepare dinner at their house. We had a great time. I forgot my camera, so no entree pics. Just what was left of one of the best apple pies I've ever made. I'm salivating just looking at that crust!

My latest bag...I'm calling it a Hipster Oversized Bag. If you're interested, let me know. I'm willing to part with this one.

Positives: I used canvas to line the bag. It keeps the bag from flopping all over. I like the beading. Lastly, I like how I was able to adapt and overcome my running out of orange velvet.

Negatives: Yikes. It's huge. The bow might eat my head!