Yeah... There are just NO comments from me on this Etsy item :-)

Seriously??? I would have thought this was am early April Fool's Day joke, but pre-orders are going for $30.00. Read on for the Etsy store description. Order if you must. Period.

Link to store/item

Introducing Hip Handmaids’ exclusive iMaxi—the only Apple iPad case made with protective wings!

With its durable vinyl outer layer and plush, quilted-cotton sleeve, the iMaxi helps keep your iPad clean and dry.

Plus, the iMaxi's Velcro-latched, advanced wing design wraps snugly around your device, so your iPad always stays where it should.

Best of all, it shields it from all those unsightly and embarrassing data leaks that would make any motherboard worry!

Each handmade iMaxi can be easily customized to fit your active lifestyle.

Please view other listings for different color options including our "lived in" red thread interior. If you don’t see a color you like, just ask!

It's the perfect one-of-a-kind embarrassing gift for the Apple geek in your life! Don’t be caught letting your iPad show!

Ambrosia Cake - A Celebration of Spring!

Ambrosia means "food of the gods" in Greek and Roman mythology. In the USA, it has a much more humble history as a chilled fruit salad! Most ambrosias are made with manadrin oranges, pineapple, and coconut. This show-stopping cake is no exception, with four layers of angel food, pineapple curd, and orange and vanilla frostings.

Don't let the picture fool you... This stunning and delicious cake is super simple to make!

AMBROSIA CAKE

1/4 cup pineapple juice (I used the juice from the can of pineapple slices.)
2 large eggs + 1 yolk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch salt
~~~
3 cups vanilla buttercream frosting (I used the cooked version here)
1 teaspoon grated zest + 2 teaspoons juice from one orange
~~~
1 9" angel food cake (due to time constraints, I used store-bought)
2 15oz. cans mandarin orange slices, drained
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 20oz. can pineapple sliced, drained and cut into half-moons

For the pineapple curd:
Bring pineapple juice to boil, in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Whisk eggs/yolk and sugar together in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pur hot pineapple juice into egg mixture. Return to pan and cook, stirring constantly, until mixtures thickens. (It takes 2-3 minutes and will be VERY obvious!) Remove from heat and stir in butter and salt. Place in small bowl, cover surface directly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thickened (at least one hour).

For the orange frosting:
Put one cup of vanilla buttercream frosting in a samll bowl. Stir in orange zet and juice.

To assemble cake:
Using a serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into four layers (don't worry... angel food cake is quite sturdy!). Place bottom layer on platter, spread with 1/2 cup of orange frosting and top with about 20-25 mandarin slices. Place next cake layer on top of orange slices and top with pineapple curd. Top with the next cake layer, spread with orange frosting and more orange slices. Finish with the top cake layer and coat top and sides of cake with vanilla buttercream. Press coconut onto frosted cake and decorate with orange and pineapple slices.

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

Origami Paper Doll Bookmarks and a Braided Rim Basket! (My Crafty Resolution Update for January)

January was a great month! And, yes, I did keep up with my "Crafty Resolution" :-) Here's a bit of what I created...

I made Origami Paper Doll bookmarks. Loads of them, as once you get started the process is very addicting. (Yes, paper folding friends, I will have a tutorial posted soon!)

I also wove this amazing mini muffin basket! We had a basket weaving party at my Kumon Center, and my friends Nancy, Darlene, and Faith guided me in my efforts to make my first braided rim. Not bad for a first try, right? I love the rim and am excited to weave more baskets using this technique. By the way, this is one of Nancy's free patterns. It can be found here. Bonus: She has a video tutorial on weaving this mini muffin basket here.

On the subject of our basket weaving party... My potluck contribution was an Ambrosia Cake. It was four layers of fluffy, fruity goodness. The recipe will be posted this week. Stay tuned :-)

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

Need a Smile? Call The Nestle Hotline!

If you need a chuckle try this...

Call the Nestle hotline at 1-800-295-0051.

When asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish wait quietly for about 10 seconds and you will smile!

Keep listening, and then press 4.

Listen to the options, then press 7.

Yes, it will make you laugh! Yes, you can let your kids listen to it...

Dial in... Post your comments :-)

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

P.S.
If you comment on this don't give away the surprise!

What He Said. What I Heard. (Husband to Wife Translation)

So... I'm sitting at the kitchen table this morning making origami doll bookmarks. (Yeah, no pictures. Yet. I seem to have misplaced the cable that links my camera to my computer. Shame on me!)

After an hour or so of cutting and folding, my husband strolls out of his office and says, "Wife. Whatcha doing?" (Yes, he calls me Wife. I call him Husband. If I call him Dave, he knows I'm mad about something. I can't remember the last time he called me Anne!)

I smile up at him lovingly (ok I glare at him a bit, because he is disturbing my creative process) and reply "I'm making origami doll bookmarks, Husband. Aren't they beautiful?"

"Cool!" Husband says as he looks upon an army of headless kimono bodies. "I'm so happy I have a crafty wife."

Ha! I, of course, heard "Please feel free to go to Michael's and spend as much money as you want. This makes me happy."

I now am the proud owner of two bags of new crafting supplies :-)

Ladies, please feel free to share this translation with your husbands. Or not.

Until I find the camera cable and can post my Origami Doll Bookmark tutorial...

Hugs and blessings~
~~~Anne

My Crafty Resolution, Part Two - Free Basket Pattern Links

Time for basket weaving needs to be factored into my Crafty Resolution for 2010. Below are some links to FREE PATTERNS for some of my favorite "must weave" projects for next year.

Basket Maker's Catalog has a lot of free basket weaving patterns. OK, they're not just patterns, many of them are complete tutorials with very detailed instructions and lots of pictures. Click here for the free pattern for the "Simple Gift Basket" pictured above.

There are tons of FREE patterns for beautiful baskets at Suzanne Moore's NC Basketworks - I love the Summertime Wall Baskets (free pattern here), and will definately be weaving these. Don't you love the colors and embellishments?

These sweet teacups were made by my blog friend, Juliana Deen at "A Handwoven Life". These have a high priority on my weaving list, as I'd really love to give them as Mother's Day gifts to my mothers-in-law and Aunt Judy. (Click here for free pattern.)

I, of course, can't forget to mention some baskets I intended to weave in 2009 that were posted by my "real life" friend, Nancy Jacobs at Basketmaster's Weavings. The first is this awesome and useful Recipe Basket. I'm going to weave two of these... One for "tried and true" recipes, and one for new recipe clippings. (free pattern here)

I also want to weave a collection of Nancy's Kitchen Counter Baskets (free pattern here). I think that if I modify the dimensions a bit, they would be perfect to store my "keeper" magazines like Cook's Illustrated and A Taste of Home.

'

Oh... Nancy has a YouTube Channel with amazingly detailed and simple-to-follow video tutorials of how to weave several different baskets, including the recipe basket pictured above. Please visit her here for more weaving inspiration.
'

Until next time...

'

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

My Crafty Resolution / Linky Love - Part One

2009 is coming to an end, and what an amazing year it has been! I've collected links to a bunch of projects I am going to find time to craft in 2010. (Seriously, I have so many grand ideas that it is not realistic for me to think I'm going to be able to complete them all in a year.)

One of my "resolutions" for the New Year is to find/make time to craft. This can be a challenge, so in my efforts to make this an attainable goal, I am going to commit to completing one new project per month.

I'm excited about sharing some of what might be on my "craft plate" next year... And I will keep you updated on each of my monthly projects.

See below for some fun ideas and tutorials. More links will be posted soon.

Hugs, blessings, and Happy New Year!
~~~Anne



Cute, cute, cute! I have to make this one in several colors... But first I need to figure out how I'm going to make and attach wings :-) Check out Q.D. Patooties for the easy-to-follow tutorial.

These Hedgies were made with car wash mitts from Dollar Tree. I think my Barkley would love playing with them, but I am certain the pom-pom nose would only stay on for a minute :-) Please visit Darling Petunia for the tutorial.

I'm loving these water balloon luminaries from candletech.com. The tutorial they provide makes this look like a fun and affordable project, with tons of possibilities.

Amazing punched tin butterflies from Gingerbread Snowflakes. Yes, Pam provides a full tutorial, and if you browse through her site, you'll see a bunch of other suggestions for punched tin ornaments, as well as a bunch of other fun projects.