Identifying the problem.....

So, if you've been here before, you know I complain, whine even, about my inability to take photos, well, good photos. Exhibit A: they're unclear, fuzzy if you will.....

Then there's the problem of getting things in the picture that dont' belong. Or, do you think there's nothing extra in this one? I was kind of thinking there was.
Oh, there it is again. And, to think I used to call him little brown.

UGH! He tricked me! I thought he walked away for good.
Well, this is what it is. It's a softie. It's meant to have a handcrafted look as it's all hand-sewn. For me, it's the practice I need sewing by hand. I'm liking it more and more. It's also good for me because these take much longer than doing something on the machine, so they're an excellent practice in patience! Now, back to better photos.

A real cupcake!

Happy Birthday, Josh!!!

I was going for the less is more cake until he saw it....."no frosting on the bottom?", "do you have any left?"......

No, but, I guess I can find some even though it was really something that should've been done before the top, it is his birthday! So, while I'm totally disappointed in the job, he's glad he got more frosting and that's all that matters. In hoping to make the lower piping a little less sorry-looking, I added fish to the "sea". (blue is the birthday boy's favorite color)

Another attempt....

Still trying to figure out the perfect cake, or in this case, cupcake! There's a birthday at work this week, hence the Happy Birthday on the cake plate. What a boring household--I have no candles! UGH! I really wanted to put a candle in the center of this one to make it a little more convincing that it is in fact a cupcake! But, since there are never enough hours in the day, this one got beaded sprinkles again. This one is slightly improved with scent! It has a vanilla bean scent that actually smells like cake! While I'm making one cupcake, I'm thinking of the next. I was thinking today that although these are probably a little silly, they could really come in handy. They're just kind of fun to have around and pull out to make someone's day a little more special. Even better, this cake will never get stale or mold so it can show up birthday after birthday, at the breakfast table, someone's desk at work, or even at your friend's gym locker and then they can pass it on once it has brought them a good day.

Green cupcake wrapper? YES! I am so ready for Spring! It's 10 degrees and there's more snow on the way.....

Confection #2.....

Another crocheted confection. This one sits so pretty because it's filled with rice! I used cotton yarn for the icing to make it look nice and creamy and personally, I really like the sprinkles!

Secondly, I'm posting a skirt I finally started working on. My mom has been waiting patiently for this all winter. Today, it finally hit me that since the fabric is wool, I better get to work on it. She's been so understanding while it's been put aside for wedding preparations and other personal interest projects. It started out having big circles in different grays all over it, but I obviously bagged that idea. So, then, I thought crocheted flowers would be cute. Then, bagged that idea too. Finally, I combined the ideas: fabric + flowers =

It still needs a zipper, a waistband, and a hem, so hopefully, she'll get to wear it before Spring. Sadly, I'm often easily distracted.