Spandex can be your friend

I don't like Ike. He has disrupted my etsy addiction and even forced me to close my shop for a week. No worries though, it's up and running again and I even added a new hot little black dress. I'm LOVING creating with cotton/lycra knit fabric. Think of non-shiny swimsuit fabric... that's the good stuff I've been using on a lot of my clothes. It's hard to believe that a dress this flattering could be so dang comfortable to wear. AND I'm all about low-maintenance, which is why this dress is rad to the MAX... no need to hang in a garment bag; just fold it and stuff it in your luggage with your t-shirts. Packs small and light, plus there's no need to iron! Now go buy it. You know you want it.

I received a fun custom order for my Bambino Blocks this week (baby's initials). Here is the finished product:

♥

G is for Giraffe

A is for Alligator

E is for Elephant

K is for Koala

♥

I used memory foam in the center because I love how soft it is and it holds a nice crisp corner. FYI, if you want to cut foam nice and neat, use an electric knife (yep, the kind dad uses for carving the Thanksgiving turkey).

Cake for every meal

My good friend Janna (http://www.teachermom.etsy.com/) is expecting twin girls, so these are the cakes I made for her baby shower. Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and wrapped in Ghiradelli Double Chocolate. The one on the right turned out very sad, but it tasted divine nonetheless. My sister (http://www.janellscakes.com/) is the most amazing cake decorator ever, and she's so nice to be my free 24-hour cake helpline.... Thanks, Janell!

There was a whole cake leftover, which was good because cake is my all-time favorite breakfast! Chug a glass of whole milk with it and you've got your carbs and dairy covered for the morning. Oh, what a blissful meal... maybe I'll make it my lunch, too.

The Patience of Quilters (not me)

I am by no means a quilter, but I definitely have gained an appreciation for the art of quilting by making this quilt. It all started last May when I came up with the brilliant idea of making a “Summer Quilt” for our bed. It gets stinkin’ hot here in Houston, and I thought, “Gee, I’ll just make a fast and simple quilt to use just in time for summer.”… FOUR months later, I finally finished. The actual piecing of the quilt top only took me 4 hours. So far, so good, right? Then I basted the batting and backside together, bought myself a 14-inch quilting frame and started hand quilting. What was I thinking? I already know that I’m not a patient woman, so what made me think I could finish quilting a queen-sized quilt at anything more than a snail’s pace? Long story made short, after 12 hours of hand quilting, I went to the store and bought a walking-foot. Two hours later, I was done quilting. I must admit, I love the vintage look of hand quilting much better than machine quilting, but for my “simple summer” quilt, I threw up my hands and said, “screw it!” So all you quilters out there… I am in awe.