New Blog: Joy the Baker

Avocado Pound Cake

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake

My daughter's first food was avocado...so I'm a bit partial to the fruit.  I've been wanting to use avocado in baking for quite some time now...

I admit...it doesn't look all that appealing...but hey, looks aren't everything...right?!

A little avocado facts:
Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.

Here's a link to the home page of the blog: Joy the Baker

I'm hooked...I want some!!

Adorable!

 I need a tutorial...

 Mind you I'm not good with a sewing machine but for this cuteness...I'm up for the challenge!

I'm loving the green...maybe just a little pink over load at times with having a girl...I love seeing alternatives to the traditional, quite over used, pink! 

Appliques Onsies

This is something I really want to do!  I LOVE this idea and can't wait to be able to gift these to a friend. Cute!Cute! And the possibilities are completely endless. 

Here's the tutorial: Daffodil Design

Paper Flowers

How cool are these?!  And from old magazines...I'm addicted to re-using items I already have...I'm on a buying strike.  Here's the tutorial on Frugal Life Project: Cute Rolled Paper Flowers

I'm in awe...

How cute on homemade cards...speaking of which I realllly need to get out some thank-you's for my daughters first birthday this last weekend.  It's been nagging me every other second!

This is just awesome...what else can I say.

Granny Squares...

Have come so far!  They used to make up those ancient old afghans that your great great grandma would make that would hide in the bottom of the closet...but how cool are some of these? 

I like the idea that the squares do not have to be the same size, shape, texture, color, pattern, etc.

I'm working on a blanket...at the rate I'm going it may be done by the time my daughter is a teenager!

I'm LOVING these colors...Check out her blog ...Sweet Eventide by Jessica Nichols  She has some really lovely pictures!

The ever popular and trendy dahlia!

This picture is from here...Love this idea!!

Check out Holidash for the tutorial...easy, yet time consuming and tedious...very tedious.  Not something I'd want to mass produce! 

This was also taken from the same blog as the chair...just a close up...I'm loving the center...it's so very perfect! 

Something a little different...

I made this as a little extra for someone...it could be sort of sweet on a sleeping newborn.  :)

Sneak peek...a work in progress

This has taken me FOREVER...and I'm not even 1/5 of the way done.  I've been wanting to crochet with alternative materials for quite some time now --I'm loving it so far!  Twine is a bit painful, literally, on the hands to work with for long periods of time so I've been only doing a little here and there...at this rate, it may be ready by ummm, say...spring of 2013!  ;)

I MUST work more with felt...and learn felting.

Two kitties has some cute ideas!  These are so simple and certainly going on my "to-do craft list". 

OK....LOVING this one!  How cool is that?!!  Clustered Felted Stone mat by Ronel Jordaan.
And yes, it's felted.  :)

One more...

If you haven't checked out The Purl Bee...definitely check it out...it's a plethora of goodness and creativity!

Hemp pendant lamps

OK I have to start off with saying..."Darn them for making this look so easy"!!  In reality what it is a gluey, sticky, gooey, frustrating ball of mess.  Really.  Go ahead.  Try it.  :)  But how amazing if you can master it...I love these pendants and would go nuts to have them hanging in my house!

Check out the directions...easy right?  ;)

These ones are from West Elm...guess how much you'd pay buying them there!?

Here's the price at West Elm...you only get one mind you!

Party hats!

So I decided that I would make as much as I could for my daughter's first birthday rather than buy stuff...she won't remember anyway, but I have to have the pictures to show her that I went all out for her very first year of life.

Here's where I found the template: Creative Party Blog

And here's what I came up with last night:

 For the girls...

And for the boys...

Now of course you can get crazy and do pom-poms and fringe and all sort of fun crazy stuff...but hey I'm only a one woman show so I opted for simple.  And, my to-do list has about 27 other items on it that need my immediate attention!  ;)

Fabric flag banner

I won't make this into a tutorial...since there are a bunch out there!  Cut and sew, cut and sew, over and over and over.

Then you get to iron every little flag you've made so they lay nice and flat.  Starch helps...this isn't my usual brand...but it did the trick.

I made my own binding...I vowed to use stuff I have! Yes, I do understand why they make pre-made binding...but it wasn't really that much extra work...and you get the exact color you want.

Et voila!  Now...I'm debating on figuring out how to add letters...and what material to use...hmmm.

Birthday pom-poms

I've made some tissue paper pom-poms for a simple (another chance to use items I already had!).  Love the look of these guys...and after the party is over they'll go in her room.

I used ribbon to hang them...but the ones I have in my daughters room already are hung with thread so they appear to "float".

Here's one tutorial on how to make the pom-poms

I actually checked out Martha Stewart...

My inspiration...

...for my next party decoration!

Photo from here

I see xmas decorations in my future...make small ones and string them on a strand of lights --SO COOL!!  :)

And we're off!

Yay another outlet for me!  I love blogging!  Now if I can only think of something to say...