It's in a cup, it is a cake - It's CakeCups!

We always like to play with our food - that's a given. And we love to play dress up. Makes absolute sense that we would go wacky over little, petite cakes that we get to make purdy and then devour. Enter the realm of my cupcake world - if you dare.

Knit cupcakes with pinkishly cute flavor. A cupcake for all seasons. One you can constantly admire and reminds you of the favorite snack that you should be on your way to purchase, immediately, if you had your way.

So, have it your way Darling!

Hats that look like cupcakes are also an essential. You must have the proper clothing accessories while admiring the object of your desire, planning it's eventual demise, asking yourself that all
important question -

Do I eat all of the frosting off first, or save some for with the cake?

You know that you are being, well, obsessive, when you make photo cards of the cake in the cup, put them in picture frames, send them onto friends to salivate over. Buy copious amounts of cute literature telling you how to create more and more and more of them in all of their earthly forms.

So, if you are in need of cupcake solace, a friend in arms when they try to come and take your cupcakes away from you just when you were having the most fun,

I am here for you.

(And I can hook you up - mainline you some of the Cupcakes accessories any girl would ever need. Or just let you cry on my shoulder, and hold the cupcake away from those salty tears so that we have something good to eat when we come to our collective senses)



My Partner in Cupcake Crime today : Ms. Girlichief!!
She is having a great giveaway - go here see cupcakes and die happy

In the Pink of it

Went to a birthday bash yesterday at the "Pink Palace" - a friend's home that is a plethora of pink and Strawberry Margaritas. Yummy eye candy, always good food.

Happy Sunday out there and Kudos to my friend, Gabe, who just turned 50 - I am not far behind ya!

Scrapping in the rain, foraging without a machine

My sewing machine is officially d o w n - and yet I continue to forage afield for wonderful fabric and bric a brac finds. Seems rather perverse - makes me wish for the machine all the more, even though weeks can go by and I neglect it. But the minute it is out of commission - I am consumed with the need to sew. I am so wrong!

I got this cute little vintage cosmetic traveling case at the same garage sale where I found the other goodies - isn't it just sweet? I plan on clearing it out, cleaning it up and using it on the shelves that are in my "creative corner" - which I really should be cleaning off and clearing up and reorganizing, but instead - I am blogging. Go figure.

It is raining - again. And cold - like in the 40's the other day - and I really had thought I would not be needing my gloves or the heater on - again. We have had a long winter for us here - and I guess this just proves my point. I think winter has not completely left the room - I am speaking to you in hushed tones - I don't want to offend any of the seasons, but I really wish that Spring was truly and completely in control here. Maybe she is - and she's just not in the best of moods. However, the flowers are in no way feeling neglected. There is moisture enough for everyone,
and then some.

These blooms were near a huge crosswalk - and thriving, despite the heavy motor fumes and the lack of respect or awe that the occasional pedestrian might display on that stretch of tarmac. They are a noisy, happy sweet shade of pink - and I stopped my bike and in between the raindrops, leaned down and took photos and smiled. I hope the flowers heard me - everyone needs to hear some praise. It helps us make it through the day, and we remember that what we do and who we are IS important. Being pink and pretty is important on a rain infused day.

Pink

Today, I just wanted to share with you another wonderful hue from life's funfare of color, PINK.
I am off to yet another bowling banquet with my Mom - she is the bowler, and I got up early to be a good girl and get some things done - like add something new to my Etsy account, and post something to you lovelies. Few in number as you may be, but dear to my little creative spirit nonetheless. Thanks for dropping by today -

Embrace the pink - think soft and trusting thoughts of yourself today. Don't be too hard on yourself or others - let it ride for right now, come back to that mess of little knots later. Just take yourself out for a minute - a quick "date" to the corner cafe, and breath.

I have a crush on Blush and Ruffles

The newest spring spectrum of color fascinations have me longing for a new take on my wardrobe and some lighter scarves to wear. I am enthralled with ruffles and the soft color that comes from all tones of the blush of our skin. This scarf is light and soft - it's base was knit in garter stitch on size 8 ebony circular needles from a skein of vintage yarn I picked up at the thrift store - Paton's Jacana - acrylic and wool blend.

I only had the one skein and some lovely slubby, mulitcolored mohair - a mere scrap that I had been holding on for a project for just myself. That went into the ruffle. The last row was then finished off with the main yarn to keep the pink theme intact.

Here is me in one of my vintage slips and brooch - I have a collection of both. I don't mind confessing, putting the slip on reminded me that I needed to take a look at the winter pounds I have somehow collected as well.

Peneolope Cruz and her ad for the new line of clothing she and her sister are doing - Manga - reminiscent of the lovely soft colors that the change of season will hopefully one day allow us to wear.

Cupcakes Anyone?

The cutest cupcake you'll never eat - the Cupcake Hat, which looks good enough to put on any one's head, I guarantee it. I first saw my friend Mary, of Happy Delusions store fame, working on this hat pattern. So adorable I needed one in time for Valentine's Day to give to the little special person in my life. When she couldn't find her pattern, I realized that (duh!) I could find it online - which I did right here, free pattern and all.

I made the size recommended, but my caveat to that pattern would be to make the rib more than 2 inches wide and to increase the length before decreases to over 5 1/2 inches - especially if the child you are knitting for is beyond a year old. As you can see, in what I like to call the "Apple Pie" Hat that I made with the little gingham buttons sown on, our little model will not be able to sport it for too much longer :(( My second important addition to this pattern is when you come to the portion that requires you to knit the "nubs" hold strong, don't over think it. Remember the chain cast on? Where you stick the tip of the needle into the stitch on the left hand needle, make a stitch and put it back on the needle? Now, after 5 of those, just bind off until back to the original stitch. Those darn nubs can cause some unnecessary hardships, if you know what I mean. And this is a confectionery creation - it is meant to be just silly fun

Good models are hard to come by, as are the very best of Grandmas too - but I am lucky that I have access to both!!

Yeah for cupcakes and silly head gear and lovey dovey Valentine's Day gifts - and yeah to all of you - a big holiday hug !
(PS - stay tuned for my adult version of the Cupcake hat - yeah for big kids!)

Princess Slippers for a Birthday Girl

Who doesn't love a pair of handknit slippers for their birthday - especially when heating bills are still ludicrously high and paychecks painfully small. These pink beauties were made from an old school pattern I had from my days of managing a yarn store in SF. The pattern called them "Princess Slippers" (or maybe that was the Canadian yarn they called for?) and I like the name, so it's staying.

I did try to look online to find a similar pattern so that I could post a link with this, but I could not find one. Okay, not exactly true, but there was one with Swedish music playing in the background and fake snowfall obscuring my thoughts, let alone the reading of the pattern, and well, I just couldn't do that to you. So, look for a pattern that calls for 2 strands of worsted weight yarn, and this is very important, K2tog toe decreases. Some patterns have you just string up a lot of remaining stitches at the end of the slipper, leading to the Big Toe poking out and getting severe cold damage, or at best just stuck outside the slipper, alone.

I put to contrasting buttons on the top as decoration and to help distinguish the right slipper from the left, which is ridiculous, as you well know, as they are knit exactly the same. My friend liked them and everyone who saw them thought that to be a very clever design addition, but they are all just sweet like that. They oohh and aahh every time I make something for someone and I am spoilt to have such a great receiving crowd to play too.

The "Princess" who will sport these babies loves pink and black - both in the boudoir and out - so these should be a cozy and cute addition to her nighttime wear. And a special Happy Birthday to all of you Aquarians - so many have made it into my inner circle in the last couple of years - I never knew!

PS - WOW ! new followers - I am honored