apron giveaway with Scarlet Threads!

Quick announcement that I meant to mention a week ago! Scarlet Threads has new aprons and we're giving one away, and it could be yours! 

Introducing, Sofia!

Isn't she lovely?

Go HERE to enter! 

Also, there is a new website and lots of great things to see, so have a look! Remember, if you make a purchase from the site, use the code lex25 for a discount on your purchase!

three ingredient Nutella cookies!

Recently, I saw a recipe on pinterest for three-ingredient Nutella cookies, and I was intrigued. I knew I had to make them. It must have been fate, because when I was grocery shopping, Nutella was on sale! It's never on sale! 

Yes, I take photos at the grocery store...is this weird?! Probably. 

Anyway, back to the cookies.

It's a very simple recipe; flour, Nutella and an egg. I pulled out my mixer and mixed away. You'll need one cup each of the flour and the Nutella, and then an egg. Blend them together. The dough was very crumbly, and wouldn't hold together well at all, so I added a few dashes of vanilla, to juice them up a bit. 

I guess they're now four ingredient Nutella cookies? 

The recipe I followed (linked here) says to bake them for 7-8 minutes, but I found that they needed closer to 10 or even 12 minutes. That could be due to my adding the vanilla...

Also, the recipe just made about a dozen cookies...interestingly enough, one cup of Nutella is just about one jar....so, if you have many people to share with, I'd double, or even triple the recipe, to be sure you have enough! Or, make them smaller? Mine aren't that large though, I don't think! 

Here is the finished result:

They were very dense, but delicious! I'd suggest eating them with a tall glass of milk! 

Baking anything new this week? 

Also, I've posted this recipe to Scarlet Threads blog today too, Check them out for lots of great recipes for all sorts of things! 

keep calm and bake

Isn't this poster just darling? I spotted it on pinterest and just love it!

via

I'd love to frame it for my kitchen! 

How is your kitchen decorated? Is there a theme at all?

Let's Get Acquainted linkup!

Happy July, friends! Happy Canada Day, my friends to the north! 

I'm doing a link-up! I love these, but don't participate often. Why? I don't know!

Just a few days ago, I posted a photo of the baby quilt that I recently finished and made for Steve's sister Heather, but here's the photo again, if you missed it. 

"Let's Get Acquainted" is being hosted this week by Heather of Quilts in the Queue. Heather is in the DC Modern Quilt Guild with me, and makes some really lovely things! 

For those of you who are finding me through this linkup, I'm Lexi and I live in Washington, DC, though I'm originally from New Hampshire. I've been quilting for just a few years now, and consider myself an advanced beginner at this point! I make mostly baby quilts, doll/mini quilts, and pillows, but have done a few other things here and there. Here are a few photos of some projects over the last two years:  

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may have seen one or two of these before, but I don't think that I have posted many of them, now that I am looking at some of these again!  Most of these were for gifts or swaps, though a few I've kept. Also, some of the doll quilts, I've sent to Majlinda and Boikokobetso, the little girls that I sponsor in Albania and South Africa with World Vision! 

Aside from quilting, I am a big reader (my mother's a librarian, and I should be one too!), and I love to cook. I'm a total magazine junkie, and have piles of mags and recipes torn from them all over my house! My boyfriend Steve and I love to travel, I am obsessed with corgis and hoping to get one soon, and I collect tea cups/pots, babushkas, and a few other little things that strike my fancy. My mother has been quilting for about 20 years now, which I think is what prompted me to try it! 

Here are the rules for the linkup, if you wish to participate!

1. Link up and recent sewing/quilting post.
2. In your post, or somewhere on your blog, include a link or button letting people know about the link-up and how they can join in the fun!
3. Visit at least two blogs that link up before yours, and everyone who visits you.
4. When the linky tool asks for your name list your favorite summer treat.

Oh, and my favorite summer treat....likely strawberry shortcake! That was also Heather's choice, but great minds think alike  :)

So, please share and link up on Heather's blog!  

another baby quilt!

A few weeks ago, Steve and I went to Iowa for his sister's Heather's baby shower! She's expecting a little boy in early August, and I made a quilt for her! I was so pleased with myself, as it was the first time I've ever finished a quilt before the baby arrives! As I explained in the last baby quilt post, I am always a few quilts behind. I still have to finish Christine's baby Ada's quilt, Heidi's baby Ethan's quilt, and, Stephanie's baby Grace's quilt! Also, I spoke to Stephanie this week, and she told me the exciting news that Grace will be a big sister in November! So, looks like I have another baby quilt to add to the list  :) 

For Heather, I selected a fabric line called One For the Boys by Zoe Pearn for Riley Blake Designs. As I often do, I ordered it from Fat Quarter Shop, which is one of my favorite online fabric shops! They are located in TX and the customer service is second to none. For the pattern, I kind of made up my own, not following anything in particular, and I am pleased with the way it turned out! 

I also made a few cloth covered burp cloths using cloth diapers and some fun fabric! 

Along with these, I gave Heather a little onesie and a copy of Peter Rabbit, one of my all-time favorites. I think she liked everything, and I hope that Baby N likes them too, when he arrives. He'll be here in a few weeks and I am looking forward to meeting him! 

The baby shower itself was very nice, and Heather received many lovely gifts. Baby N is so loved already - what a blessing! It was a short weekend in Iowa, as that was the main focus of the trip, but we did have time to see some friends of Steve's and a few other things in the area. We toured a historic home, just for fun, and I met an aunt and uncle of Steve's that were in town for the shower. I hadn't met them before, as they live in St. Louis, so that was a good thing! We'll be back in Iowa in September for a Labor Day weekend wedding! 

Tasty Tuesday! Strawberry and Creme Cupcakes!

Here's a recipe from my sister Bethany! I have it cross-posted to Scarlet Threads blog today too, so feel free to peek there if you wish! Also, we have some darling new aprons in the apron shop...have you seen them yet?? I'm loving the ruffles on Priscilla so much. Remember, if you purchase anything from Scarlet Threads, use the code lex25 at checkout for a 25% discount! We're trying to get to all 50 states this year, so please share with your friends! Any friends in Alaska? That's my goal...send an apron to Alaska  :)


Anyway! Cupcakes! My sister loves to bake, and they always look delicious, and these cupcakes were too good not to share! Of course, I just wish I lived close enough to try one...DC and MA are just too far apart! 

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Normally I like to bake from scratch, but I always keep a few boxes of brownie and cake mix in the cupboard for those "emergency moments." My husband and brother in law spent the day ripping up the carpet on the stairs in our new house and putting in new hardwood stairs- yay, they look so pretty!  I was in the mood to bake, which isn't anything new, and felt the boys deserved a treat after their hard work.

Luckily, I had all the ingredients necessary for a cupcake recipe I'd been wanting to try!

I didn't have as much time as I hoped, as I had plans for the evening and it was already 4pm, so I pulled out a box of chocolate cake mix, heavy whipping cream, and fresh strawberries.

Make the cake mix as directed on the box, and fill cute cupcake tins about three quarters full.  For maximum moistness, bake for a few minutes less than directed on the box.

While cupcakes are cooking, wash and dry strawberries.  Cut into thin slices and set aside.

Wile cupcakes are cooling, whip heavy cream with hand mixer until fluffy.

Carefully cut off tops of cupcakes.

Spread a layer of whipped cream onto each cupcake, cover with a strawberry or two, and replace cupcake top.  I also put a dollop of whipped cream on the top so it would stick to the strawberries!  Add another dollop of whipped cream to the cupcake top and cover with one more strawberry.

Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve and store extras in fridge as well.

This is a delicious, easy summery recipe that got thumbs up from all!

What's baking in your kitchen this week??


Eeeek! Just realized this was my 700th post!!! Should I do something to celebrate? A fun giveaway? What do you think??? A Scarlet Threads apron?   :)

pre-flight breakfast!

Happy Saturday! I have a  2pm flight to Iowa this afternoon for Steve's sister's baby shower tomorrow. This flight includes a four hour stopover in Chicago (UGH!), but I had time for a leisurely breakfast watching The Pioneer Woman at home before I left!

An English muffin and tea.  Perfection.

Yes, I always fly with my passport, even domestically....you never know when you'll be whisked away on a secret mission somewhere  :)

I made a baby quilt for Steve's sister Heather, so I will post photos next week!

Happy weekend, friends!

pinterest baking fail.

 

 

If you're on pinterest, I'm sure you've seen the recipe for the fresh strawberry yogurt bundt cake that has been all the rage. I think I've repinned it about a dozen times from a dozen different blogs....each time I saw it, it was a different photo of course, from a different blogger, so I just kept on repinning! Sunday afternoon I decided to try it. I had a container of Greek yogurt, and a container of  strawberries that needed to be used. Usually I gobble up the berries as soon as I get home, so I am not sure how these stayed in the fridge for a few days this time! I looked back to pinterest and found my most recent pin (ha!) and grabbed an apron and set off to bake.

 

 

 

 

This darling apron is the Lucy from Scarlet Threads. She's now retired, but there are a few others in this same style in the shop! Remember, if you make a purchase, use the coupon code lex25 for a discount on your purchase!

 

 

Normally when I cook and bake, I follow the recipe for the most part, but improvise here and there. This time, I followed it nearly exactly, with one main switch. The recipe called for lemon zest, and I realized too late that I didn't have any lemons, but I had a jar of lemon zest, so I used that instead. Not a huge change, I didn't think.

 

 

However, look at my cake---

 



 

 

This is not pretty, and does not look delightful. It is delicious, but far from appetizing looking! The recipe calls for a glaze on top, but I didn't do that in the end, because it just wasn't looking good. All of the photos I've seen of this cake are gorgeous - light colored cake where you can see the strawberry pieces baked inside! I have no idea where I went wrong! 

 

 

When I poured the batter into the pan, it filled it at least 3/4 of the way up, and when it baked, it baked up and over the top a bit! At one point, I heard a pop from the oven, and realized that there had been some sort of heat bubble inside that exploded, and a blurb of batter splurted over the top of it, making almost like a crust over the top, while still in the oven! So perhaps I'd have to cut the recipe in half next time? In this case, it is supposed to bake for an hour, but after just over an hour, it wasn't quite done yet.

 

 

 

As I said, it does still taste good, but just doesn't look good. I almost didn't want to post about it, but I figure that not every recipe is perfect every time, right? Mistakes happen, and that is how we get better in the kitchen, eh? 

 

 

 

Have you had any baking fails recently?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



funniest pet contest!

My brother's dog Styles has been entered in a funniest pet photo contest! 

Don't you love it?! 

He's part pit, part mastiff and the sweetest thing you've ever met. 

If you are feeling generous and want to cast a few votes, go to this link. The contest is run by a local Rotary group nearby my hometown in NH, and all of the proceeds from the contest go to a local scholarship fund, of which I was a recipient back in the day! Seven votes is $5, and local college students would be so grateful to the support! 

If you vote, scroll down to CF18 Styles D***** to cast your vote! 

Styles and my brother would also appreciate it, and feel free to share this via twitter if you wish! My twitter name is @lexilooo, if you don't already follow me there!  

hey! that's pintastic! confetti dotted wine glasses!

Several weeks ago, my friend Elizabeth came over one Saturday afternoon for a craft project. I saw this on pinterest, pinned it, and sent her the link immediately, declaring that we must do it that very weekend. Quite possibly my fastest pin made ever  ;)

These are confetti dotted wine glasses!  Pinned from here, original link here.  

That Saturday morning, we met at a DC mall that has a Bed, Bath and Beyond. We found a coupon for the stemless wine glasses, and with that, two boxes of four each were $10! Wooo! Elizabeth had bought the paint the weekend prior, from Michaels. We used Q-tips to do the dotting, and did little color themes for each, and they were so much fun to make!

We took a break for snacks. Snacks make everything better. I've been really into olive plates lately....so, green olives, black olives, mozzarella and mini gherkins! Oh, and cheese and smoked sausage, of course. 

The finished product! 

We forgot to buy the spray to coat them, but I bought some the next day. 

As you may notice, some of the dots are a bit smeared, but that just adds character, right?

These were so much fun to make, and now I can say that I made them myself if someone is over and asks me where I got my wine glasses  :)

Also, I'm linking up with AP's Hey! That's Pintastic today, so go have a look at some of the other fun things people are creating today!

Any crafts for you lately?

Madrona Road mini quilt!

Over the weekend, I finished another sewing project! The DC Modern Quilt Guild is taking part in a project organized by the Modern Quilt Guild involving a new line of fabric called Madrona Road by a designer called Michael Miller. Each Modern Quilt Guild across the country (and world!) was sent little bundles of this fabric, and each person wanting to take part could make whatever they wanted, as long as they used just this fabric, and no other, other than adding solids if needed. No patterns by any other designer.


Of course I wanted to take part, but I didn't know what to make....I get intimidated at times like this, but pressure is good sometimes, right? So, I decided to make a bookshelf mini quilt, as found here. I've done this one before, and I just love it!  

My little bundle of fabrics:

The quilt top, finished: 

 

 

Finally, finished! It's small, but I love it.

 

 

So, it will hang on the wall in my sewing room, I think. 

 

 

It was definitely fun to take part in this challenge.

 

 

Thank you to Michael Miller for donating these fabrics to the Modern Quilt Guilds!

 

 

 



 

vodka l'orange?

Errr, just the best idea ever! Why didn't I ever think of this!?

Upside Down Orange:

1 large orange 1 small bottle vodka

Remove top stem part of the orange.

With a knife, gently poke insides of the orange to open up the pulps.

Open vodka bottle and insert into the hole.

Rest orange in a small bowl, vodka bottle side up.

Put in the chiller. Wait for 6-8 hours.

When orange has absorbed vodka, remove bottle.

Slice into wedges and enjoy.

Perfect for concerts/drive in movies/football games

Via pinterest, of course. I'm so creative these days, eh?  ;)



hey! that's pin-tastic! garlic pull-apart bread.

As you know, I am very often posting about things I've seen on pinterest, and today I decided to link up with AP's Hey! That's Pin-tastic! I thought this might be fun! I love reading AP's blog, though I don't seem to comment there as often as I should!  If you don't read her blog, you should - her boys are just the cutest. For real. 

One night last week (New Years Eve, in fact), Steve and I roasted a chicken for dinner- one of my favorite meals. He had to work during the day, but I was off, and spent some time on pinterest, natch. I found this recipe for garlic pull-apart bread, and it sounded like the perfect thing to go along with the chicken! 

It wasn't a terribly difficult recipe, though I'd make a few tweaks, I think. Here's the original:

Ingredients:

1 can of refrigerated Grands biscuits (not the flaky layers)
1/2 stick of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning 

Instructions:

1-  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Throw the cold stick of butter in a bundt pan and let it melt in the preheating oven.

2- While the butter melts, cut the Grands biscuits into quarters. In a bowl, toss the biscuit pieces, garlic, Italian Seasoning, and Parmesan cheese together.

3- Once the butter is melted, add the biscuit mixture, sprinkling with any cheese and garlic that gets let behind in the bowl.

4- Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 22 minutes until golden brown. Turn out on a dish and enjoy!

My notes:

I might use less than a full stick of butter next time. It was a lot. 

I didn't use the Italian seasoning either. Steve isn't hugely wild about it. 

Since I had a chicken in the oven, I couldn't melt the butter in the pan while preheating, so I melted it in the microwave. After the butter was melted, I used pre-minced garlic, as I realized I didn't have any full cloves in the house. For shame! Also, I was quite low on parmesan cheese....clearly I did not think this through carefully before I decided to make it! 

So I added the minced garlic and the parmesan cheese to the small bowl of melted butter and as I cut up the biscuits (and I DID use the flaky kind, despite the recipe saying not to!), and I'd "marinate" them in the mix for a few seconds before putting them into the pan. 

Most of the butter mix was soaked up to an extent, but the little bit that I had leftover, I poured over it afterwards. What I didn't realize, was that while baking, it would sink! So, when they came out, the bottom layer was somewhat sopping in butter, while the top layer was just about perfect! So, less butter would be ideal for the next time, I think. 

Before baking photo:

After baking photo: 

Overall, this was a great recipe, and so easy. You could also try other spices too, to switch things up. Maybe rosemary and thyme? I do love rosemary! Another cheese would be fun too. Maybe add some olives and feta, for a Greek take on this? 

How might you change this up?

the best gift

I must confess. I've been a bit out of sorts this Christmas season. At first, I blamed my sister's wedding...since that was Thanksgiving weekend, I never really had a chance to relax before it was suddenly December and I had to be ready for the holidays and all that come with it, but that really wasn't fair of me. I knew her wedding date all year, and of course the date of Christmas doesn't change...so I had plenty of time to prepare. I just didn't.

 

 

So, by saying I've been a bit overwhelmed this month would be an understatement. 

 

 

 

We were in Iowa this year with Steve's family, meaning this was the first year that I wasn't with mine. More on that later.

 

 

 

After my sister's wedding (which I never blogged about, did I?), I had an extra day at home in NH, to relax. There is an antique shop downtown that I love, and try to pop into each time I am home. Steve and I went in Sunday afternoon. I spotted these, and my heart stopped-

 

Chiko and Elena.

 

 



 

My grandmother has a set of these prints on her wall, and has had them forever. She and my grandfather received them as a wedding gift more than 60 years ago. Apparently in the 40's, these were very fashionable, and the "in" thing to have. She has always loved them. In their house, they hung at the bottom of the staircase, and as a little girl, my mother would sit on the bottom of the stairs and talk to them.

 

 

A few years ago, my mother found a set at an antique shop and bought them for herself, and my aunt has a set as well. When I saw them, I think they were marked $12 each. I took this photo, but never bought them. A few days later, I saw the photo again, and wished that I had bought them. I tweeted and instagrammed about them too, and people said to call the store and see if they were still there. I emailed my mother and asked her to stop by and grab them for me. She replied saying that she went to look, but they were gone. Sadface.

 

 

 

This afternoon, after spending the day in yoga pants watching a Law and Order: SVU marathon (Steve and I got back at 2am last night!), we opened a few gifts that my parents sent to us. In doing so, I found this-

 

 

 

Chiko and Elena!

Yes, the very ones. As it turned out, my mother went down to that antique shop the very next day to get them for me, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Now I just need to find the perfect place for them to live in the house!

What was your best gift this year?


Hope you had a most happy Christmas and New Years!