Baby - It's COLD outside!

Ok, so I'm a bit of a wimp given that I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and most days the weather rarely dips below 50, so when high 30's are expected we tend to freak out a little.

Since the house was so cold when I got home from work, I figured I would warm it up by baking some yummy treats, the first of which (yes, there were more than one) I'm sharing with you here.

Cranberry Orange Loaf - Allrecipes.com

It's not very often that I find a recipe that works perfectly as written, but this one did.  I originally made it just after Thanksgiving because I had all sorts of leftover ingredients that I wanted to put to good use.

Cranberry Orange Loaf

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, chopped coarse
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice

Glaze (optional)

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and pecans - set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Fold into flour mixture until just combined. Pour into pan.
Bake at 350 in a preheated oven for 1 hour, or until bread springs back when lightly touched.  Let sit for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool.  Pour glaze over warm loaf if desired.

I have made this with and without the glaze - it is nice to have, but not completely necessary.

I'll post my other cold winter night recipes soon!

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Greetings

I know it is a week early - but you have to get those cards in the mail if you want them to arrive on time!

Sorry for the poor photo quality - I need to check my images better before I send off the finished product.

Silhouette images, leaf craft punch, rubber stamps from my Mom's collection

Hoping your Turkey Day is stress free and full of gratitude and love.

Muttville - where all the old dogs learn new tricks!

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of animal rescue and adoption.  One of my favorite organizations Muttville (muttville.org), has just posted their 2000th rescue!

Here is a picture of my beloved Mutt: Jasper! (aka Red #2, 333)

Looking pretty good after a trip to the groomer.

He was surrendered to a high kill shelter after 11 faithful years with his family.  We were lucky enough to take him on as a "foster fail" - a foster that becomes a part of your family.

With the holidays coming up - why not consider a "gently used", beautiful gift to those you love.  Senior pets are especially grateful, are almost always housebroken, and since they are fully grown, you know exactly the pet you are bringing into your hearts.

A card to go with that gift -

I love my Silhouette!

Earlier I shared a rag quilt that I made for a new mama expecting a baby girl.  Here is the card I made to go along with it...

I buy all of my paper either from Michaels or Joann Fabric and Craft.  The flannel used in the rag quilt also came from Joann's.  I know it isn't very "out of the box", but I love putting together different textures and patterns for a more unique look.

My Silhouette SD has been AMAZING for me.  I would replace it in a heartbeat if anything were to happen to it.

Create something beautiful everyday!

or at least try something new...

This is my mom when she was a Rainbow Princess.  Even though she has moved on, her spirit watches over us and encourages us always.

My son chastises me because I make all kinds of things and never seem to keep track of them. As a result, I am constantly going back and forth trying to explain or re-create a past success.

So, in an attempt to document and access my accomplishments in the future, and possibly spark some creative juices, I am posting my ongoing creative endeavors in the hopes that we can all learn from my mistakes and successes.

You can follow along here, or on Pinterest - Let's get started!

Sweet Baby Girl

Rag quilts are my favorite gift to make for expectant mothers these days.  I have been able to find flannel on sale at Joann's and it only takes a day to put together.  Since they are machine washable, you don't have to worry about getting them dirty and they are warm enough for crisp autumn days!

Front view 

Reverse side

 I use a rotary cutter to make the pieces.  The finished quilt measures approximately 35"x54"

And the really great thing is that there is usually enough fabric left over to make these adorable burp cloths too!

Front side

Reverse side - scrap flannel attached to basic cloth diapers from Gerber

Orange has become my color of choice, so you know it has to appear in the patterns someplace!

Happy Halloween!

A treat for my little tricksters - 

Here is the progression, with a couple of lessons learned:

I used Wilton decorative icing for the face and binder on the "bones".  The brownie recipe is "Nutella Pretzel" from  Chef-in-Training.  The brownies are great, but next time I will use an unfrosted version as they were difficult to put in the bags cleanly.

My trusty Silhouette for the tags.

Had some extra skulls, so I just dropped them in along with the secured bodies.  Using skewers was essential to keep everything in line.

Have a wonderful time tonight, and may many Twix bars be in your future!