April Fool's Cupcakes?

 It was time to get back in the 

kitchen and make a special treat for

Elizabeth's co workers.

We've been on a cupcake hiatus,

and haven't baked since December.

What better time to do

something clever than for April Fools.

 Last year we made our delizioso 

 Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs.

 This year we didn't want to go

with a  main dish, but instead

everyone's favorite snack food,

popcorn.

We used the Lemon Carrot cupcake recipe from

Your Cup of Cake.

 Lizzie's recipes on her blog

are all cake mix enhanced.

It starts with a white cake mix and then you

add pineapple, carrots and cinnamon.

What could be easier?

The buttercream frosting is just the basic

with some lemon zest, a splash of lemoncello, 

for both the recipe and the bakers,

and we tried a dash of lemon gelatin powder for 

extra tang.  I love how that worked.

We made popcorn.

Have you figured out what it really is?

The popcorn was made from
mini marshmallows cut in half
and then 3 pieces stuck together.

The mini yellow ones are from the
bag of spring flavors you can find now.

The co-workers had a good laugh

enjoying their

April Fool's sweet popcorn treat.

Until Next Time-

An Elf?

 Do you remember the story of the 

Elves and the Shoemaker?

At night the shoemaker would leave pieces of leather

on his workbench and in the

morning he'd find  a new pair of shoes
 magically stitched together.

The poor shoemaker was thankful to receive this

 help from his mysterious helpers.

The same thing has been happening to me.

I had started one of my wool blocks, but
hadn't had time to finish it.

But look what I found!

The block was finished with

beautiful buttonhold stitching 

around every wool piece.

In the fairy tale

the shoemaker eventually discovered

who was helping him.

I think I've discovered my 

secret helper too.

Thanks, Elizabeth!

  Until Next time-

Labels Can Speak

Every once in a while
when I search through a linen closet,
a cupboard,
or some of the other places I've stored
quilts, I find one or two
I've temporarily forgotten.

It's like being reaquainted with an old friend.
But an old friend can verbally
remind you of details of the past.

What about a quilt?
There might only be a clue about
your past history together.
While a quilt is unable to talk,
it's important that you tell a little of it's history
in the form of a label.

My labels have evolved over the years,

with the first quilts being very brief in description.

An embroidered name,date and
sometimes a place.

Sometimes I was ambitious and

cross stitched a label. (1989)

I had a quilt stolen once and after that

 I began adding my information
inked to a separate piece of fabric stitched to
the back and then quilted through the label,
 making it harder for someone to remove.

To do this though,
 you have to plan ahead
and add the label to the backing before it's quilted.
Sometimes that doesn't happen.

To make most of my labels,
 I use a light box and a permanent pigma pen and
 trace the information that I've printed on paper to
a fabric label.

It's fun to try different fonts.

Some labels are simple.

Some labels take a lot more time,

  but add more information about the quilt.

Last week I noticed this label on one of my quilts.

I had printed the label directly to the fabric with the computer printer.

I had set the ink with a hot iron and thought everything
was going to be long lasting.

The quilt has been washed a few times, but the
printing is almost disappeared.

Here's another computer printed label and
it's still okay.

But it hasn't been washed.
So I'm hesitant to use this method anymore.

Besides, I was running fabric labels through the
printer once and they got stuck and
well, ...
we had to get a new printer.

So for the past few years,
I've stuck with my permanent pen.

But whatever method you choose,
always add a label.
A quilt can't talk without your help.

Until Next Time-