Tuesday, May 10, 2011

What I have been up to since last time...

More crocheting of the magical sofa throw. I will post a picture next time... I really have a problem with this blanket because I would like to crochet it non-stop. Therefore, I am having a hard time picking it up when there are other things that need to get done that day, because I know it is THAT hard to put down. If I start, I am not going to stop till my arm starts hurting or my eyes close. Lol!
I also crocheted something else, a cupcake for my mama for mother's day. She had asked me last week why I stopped making amigurumi, to which my reply was naturally "no one wants them and I can't keep them because the cat steals them and then Koda chews them". (grr) She said she would love to have cupcakes ---> I made her a cupcake. 



It's a bit wonky and odd, but cute. And I love the pink pearly beads. So did she. :) I found the pattern through Ravelry, link to the pattern is HERE

I also baked her a real cake. A chocolate cake with cloudberry jam filling. Sounds interesting, but it's really good. It's actually what one of my wedding cakes were (I baked them myself). This time though, I made it with potato starch so that my dad could have some cake, too. (gluten issues). Unfortunately, the recipe didn't work too well with the potato starch. I thought it was too crumbly and dry, the flavor was different too. However, everyone else seemed to like it. Maybe I'm just my own worst critic. Anywho, the recipe is from Martha Stewart, the busy day chocolate cake. I love it because you don't need eggs or butter. And living with the Breakfast King, you'd understand too. ;D The filling is just straight cloudberry jam leftover from the wedding (for the wedding I mixed it with that creme fraiche/sour cream type deal Finns call "rahka"). And the frosting is just whipped cream because I know my mom loves it most. Suitable since the cake was for her. ;)




I have also been busy with our blue chairs. I am utterly tired of blue marks on the walls from the chairs hitting them. Also, incredibly tired of them sticking out so very much from the way the decor has gone... 
This apartment has decorated itself just like every real home should. I started out a year and a half ago with the vision of a pink and white bedroom (which did happen) and the vision of a contemporary but unique living room in peacock blues and greens. Not so much what happened. I bought the first curtains I fell in love with at a flea market, which were a retro blue print. I painted the chairs from my mom (they were her mom's and from the 1930s!) turquoise, even though the color I was trying to achieve was much darker (I can't help myself when it comes to turquoise). We've bought more stuff since Ikea opened last spring and gotten rid of the hand-me-downs that we didn't like. And now we have a mostly black and green living room. With Japan memorabilia from our honeymoon. Not so much peacock elegance... Therefore, I am painting the blue chairs BLACK. I have seen the light of neutral colors (black, white, wood, brown) in decorating. 

Neutral furniture + color accents = easy to re-decorate and change according to the season or mood.

This has been a long-winded explanation, excuse me, lol!
So I have been sanding these chairs. It's an awful job and I was fortunate enough to recruit the husband to help. I had every intention of painting them today....but I can't get the stupid can of paint open to save my life. :( So there they sit. Waiting. Hoping they'll be done this week... 



It was a pretty blue though...

And now that I have taken you out to our patio, here's a couple pictures of my pansies and the pink flowers we have all inside the apartment building's courtyard. Love it!



I also have a few pictures of the first daffodils from our garden. We stopped by on mother's day to plant potatoes and putz around. My mom loves that place so much, it made her day to go. I love this iittala aalto vase I got for Christmas from her, it's a small one, but perfect for small flowers. And this yellow mushroom from Japan is made for our kitchen table, it just makes me smile. I never ever thought I'd like something yellow so much! 




Well, that is all for me. I hope your week is off to a nice start! Happy crocheting or whatever you do! :)
Thanks for reading!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Drop me a line here...Thank you!!