Oh the Cuteness!

My mom gave me a bag of antique quilt pieces a very long time ago. They were so lovely, but obviously cut from a quilt that was in very, very poor condition. These flowery applique pieces are so pretty, and since there were 4 of them I decided to sew them face-to-face and add a little loop of twill tape to make myself some new potholders! Whoever cut the quilt apart cut pretty close to the edges so some of the edges are a little obscured, but hey, they're potholders . And since some of the fabrics are very tattered at least my heart won't be broken when Dennis accidentally lights them on fire (okay he's never actually lit anything on fire, but he worries me in the kitchen so I know it will happen some day). It makes me feel good to know that someone worked really hard on this quilt (it's all made from 1930's flour sack fabrics too), and then someone loved it so much that it was used to death, and even at the end of its usable life it can still be used and...

These are, quite possibly, the best oatmeal cookies ever. I've been making them since college and they're the greatest because, for one, the recipe makes like 3 dozen cookies. Two, they're the perfect texture - crispy on the edges and chewy through the middle. And three, they're friggin' delicious! Make them, trust me. Oatmeal Macaroons Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees 1 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 2/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 1/4 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1/2 cup chocolate chips (you can switch this out for any combination of chopped nuts, dried fruits, or other kinds of chips, and feel free to combine mix-ins up to 1 cup's worth) *For a vegan version, be sure to use vegan chocolate chips, and replace the eggs with 1/4 cup shortening and 1/4 cup applesauce. 1. With a rubber spatula, beat together the shorteni...

Oh man, seriously people, Art Beat Bazaar was so much fun! The musicians, Christina Baily and Kelly McFarling, were so good, and Karen Finlay, the spoken word artist, was so cute! All the other vendors were so wonderful, I wish I had taken more pictures! But I hope to be at the event again next month (It happens every 3rd Sunday), which will give me another chance to capture more. My friend Emily gave me a ride and ended up staying with me all day and helping me sell! What a gal, she's my hero! A bunch of my friends came out to say hello, and sweet Carolyn gave me a ride home. I have the most awesome friends. Ever. Anywho, here are some photos, and some fun news: I've got tutorials in the works for both the bunting banner and the enamel key and locket necklaces coming up soon! I was able to spend some time on my table for once, and even got to set it up and test it out at home. I made the table cover out of the fabric I had left from making this skirt . Luc...

I've noticed lately that a lot of blogs are utilizing Bloglovin, so for those of you who use it regularly I thought I'd better jump on the band wagon. There's a link on the sidebar, click on it to add me to your Bloglovin account! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I remember my mom talking about making "crazy quilts" when I was a kid, but until recently I never really got the concept. Last week, late at night, I wanted to do something random, creative, and quick. So I grabbed this pile of coordinating fabrics that my friend Ivy gave me. They're all some kind of super-soft microfiber chenille, and the color palette is too fun! (Sorry for the late-night odd-colored photos.) I decided to just start randomly sewing pieces together, then cutting the big pieces apart at random intervals in different directions, and then sewing the smaller pieces together randomly until the two pieces I had to begin with were all used up, then I moved on to the next two. I ended up with five piles of patchy pieces, then I started grabbing pieces from the piles and trying to find ones that were the same size, but oriented with the seams perpendicular, from the other piles. More random sewing and trimming as needed occurred. In the en...

I love doing custom orders. Brainstorming with customers, getting to make special items and go a little over the top compared to what I normally do... It feels great. On the " Hire Me " page I have a little blurb about custom orders, and recently I got a few for the Moustache Soaps I listed in the shop. My favorite one was six special soaps as favors for this little guy's birthday party: That's Ash, and his mummy told me he's obsessed with orange (the fruit as well as the color), and moustaches! The sweet invitations were done for her at Brown Paper Goods on etsy. With that as inspiration it was easy: I scented the soaps with tangerine and vanilla essential oils and packaged them in little kraft boxes with orange and white baker's twine: So yay! Another nice little item to add to my portfolio of custom work! If you'd like me to make something for you, send me an e-mail at ohthecuteness@hotmail.com!

It's officially gardening season! I kept seeing little seed starter pots all over Pinterest , and I decided to go with ones made from recycled newspaper and a soup can for a form. They're made pretty much the way you fold up the end of a roll of pennies. I've seen others that are origami boxes, which I can make with my eyes closed as I use them to package earrings I sell, but the soupcan/pennyroll method seemed faster. Though you're supposed to secure the side and bottom with tape, which would mean they're not fully compostable, unless you use washi tape! Oh yeah... I went there. And obviously from the photo, I used a soda can instead of the soup can. Here's how to make them: Assemble your supplies: a free newspaper, a soda or soup can, and some washi tape. Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half (or as small as needed so it's an inch or so taller than the can). If you're going to be planting these the second the seeds sprout, you cou...

Dennis and I had a little date at the lake, going to the new Oaktown Spice Shop (love love love), and grabbing some Ethiopian food for lunch. I brought the camera along and let (okay, begged) Dennis to play around with my fancy new lens and snap some pics of my fancy pants outfit. (My friend Vanessa says if I get more colored jeans my new nickname will be fancypants. Swoon!) I must say he took some good ones! Pants from the Gap, shoes from Urban, purse was second-hand from a Crossroads in Berkeley. Shirt and tank from Target, Necklaces and rings are all handmade from various local places, watch from Anthropologie, and bracelets were a gift from my mom. The knitting needles in my hair are vintage acrylic.  ^_~ Oh! By the way, I figured out how to put my hair up with those knitting needles from a pic I found on Pinterest. I'm so terrible with hair, so if I can do it, anyone can. Here's the link:  http://pinterest.com/pin/147000375307048558/

Hi all! I'm pleased to announce that I will be selling my crafty goodness at a new monthly venue, the Art Beat Bazaar! The Art Beat Foundation is an organization that helps foster local artists, especially musicians. They hold an event every 3rd Sunday at the Starry Plough Pub in Berkeley that consists of local musicians, spoken word performances, and crafty vendors. I hope some of you will come by and support local artists, and as always if you mention that you're a blog reader you get a discount on my goods! Click here or on the picture above for the list of musicians, authors, and vendors that will be there!

Okay, I know I've been trying to eat healthier lately and help Dennis with his diet, but I had a friend over for tea recently and I just had to bake something. It would have been rude not to, right? And afterwards I took the remaining 1/2 of this bad boy to work to share and they loved it. This, my friends, is my old stand-by: Whiskey-Almond Pound Cake. Oh yes. It's an adaptation from a recipe found in The New Good Cake Book , which was first published in 1982 and I have a newer edition. If you need a good, solid, no-frills book of basic classics like red velvet and honey cake, this is the one to get. Sometimes this cake is made with bourbon and ground walnuts, and I've even made it with orange liqueur as well, but we've had a bottle of Jack Daniel's sitting on our counter since the housewarming party. (I told Dennis no one would drink it, to which he replied, "Then I will at least."... One year later, it's still there.) I'm not a fan of Jack ...

I try to be "fashionable" as much as I can, but most days I only have the energy to throw on jeans and a tee, haphazardly blow-dry my hair, and maybe put some jewelry on. But that darned  Pinterest  site is so full of lovely fashion inspiration, and it's making me want to put together "outfits" and try doing my hair and makeup here and there. I suppose it doesn't take  that  much extra time... So, is this any good? Or do I look like a dork? Well, I like it, and I that's all that really matters, right? Shirt is very old, from Target, belt is from Urban Outfitters, my sister made me the skirt, the tights were from a swap party, and the shoes are Urban, as well as the glasses. Mom got me the yellow leather wallet and the pearl bracelet, and Dennis gave me the necklace and antique silver bangle. I managed to pull my hair out of my face and my bangs are getting so long that I have to pull them to the side now! I feel pretty! ^_^

I made this little guy as a belated birthday gift for a friend, and I thought I should post the pattern! It's a great beginning amigurumi pattern because if it comes out a little wonky it's fine, because it's a mushroom, and they're all a little wonky in real life, right? I think it would be super cute with white pins in the top too so it can me useful. I was also playing with the idea of doing a "How I Make Amigurumi" photo or video tutorial using this pattern, might be fun... Anywho, if anyone catches any errors in the pattern please let me know! Mini Mushroom Amigurumi Pattern This pattern is worked in a continuous spiral, so be sure when you need to skip stitches for decreasing that you skip the very last stitch, which will simultaneously put down the first stitch of the next round, so you'll get the correct number of stitches. It measures about 3 1/2 inches tall when done. There's no guage, just crochet as tightly as possible. Siz...