Sweet River Studios

Over the weekend, our family celebrated my parents 50th Anniversary. Although I practiced making chocolate lace (previous post), I didn't have any confidence in my abilities at this point so I didn't try it. Instead, I wrapped some ribbon along the bottom of each cake tier and sprinkled it with gold colored sugar and called it done. I also decided to try to make some flower arrangements with little puppy flowers. I bought a variety of flowers at the local grocery stone, floral foam and a little decorative box and made 2 arrangements. One for my parents and one for my grandmother because grandma's should always get their own flowers to take home. Here's a close up of the cake. The bottom tier is yellow cake with raspberry, the center is hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing and the third is yellow cake with orange curd. Of course we had way too much cake but that's what freezers are for. Mom got her wedding cake cutter out from June 1966, whic...

My parents 50th anniversary is June 18. Last year was my in-laws anniversary and we had a nice catered party with a 4 tiered cake that I worked my backside off preparing. My family on the other hand is small. Even with all the cousins we only number about 14 people and my parents don't get out and don't have any friends. I've asked my parents several times what they wanted to do for their 50th and they always say "nothing" so I haven't really planned anything. My grandmother on the other hand is a different matter. She knows my parents want nothing for their anniversary but she doesn't believe that includes having cake and ice cream. And it got me thinking... There's been a cake decorating technique I've wanted to try and it seems like a good opportunity to try it out and there's a cake recipe that I found that I think my parents will really like. So I thought I'd combine the two. First the decorating technique. I found this video of...

I decided to try my hand and making some topiary arrangements using sempervivums and succulents this year. I wanted to make a topiary (or a few) and maybe a large pot arrangement. I don't have any sempervivums (hens and chicks) or succulents and I find our greenhouses around here don't really carry all that much or much of a variety. So I decided I would order them, but first a few definitions. Sempervivum is the genus of about 40 different plants that means "lives forever." Sempervivum's are a perennial succulent that leaves form rosettes. Mature rosettes then produce offshoot plants. Most people know the term "hens and chicks" because of the little baby plants that are produced next to the larger plant. Usually around 3 years old, the plant will flower then die. Sempervivum's like to grow in hot, dry climates and prefer soil that drains (sandy/rocky) and can tolerate frost and low temperatures. These plants are called "hardy" while se...

I thought I'd go over the process of making some of the applique pieces for this quilt. I did some testing (see Part 3) and they came out really well and went fairly quickly. Let me tell you though, this process makes a ton of trash! After cutting on the 12x12" mat, you peel off the excess which is trash. Do that to interfacing and the fabric and you can see how this generates a lot of trash but the pattern pieces are getting cut and cut quickly. After scanning the images and importing them into the Silhouette software, I can place them on the 12x12" mat and have the Cameo cut out interfacing or freezer paper backed fabric. You just have to remember that if you're cutting out the fabric to enlarge your pattern piece first so you have plenty of fabric to turn under once the interfacing is ironed on. Once the interfacing was cut out, I did some test pieces by just ironing the interfacing to some fabric and cutting around the shape leaving a generous 1/4...