Super-Mega-Update-Of-AWESOMENESS (or something like that.)

        So it's been a little over a month since i've posted -- i apologize guys. Things have been a little... well... busy to say the least. We've not only lost Uncle David suddenly, but also been through one hell of a snowstorm (not to mention the added loss of our two guinea pigs and all four babies they'd had...) With trying to keep enough dry firewood to keep the house warm, writing stories, and crocheting like mad, it's been tough finding time to sit down and make a worthwhile post. (but trust me, if you could see my favorites list right now, it'd have you ooh'ing and ahh'ing. i swear!)

        So i figured -- why not!? I'll share some of my most favorite sites with you so YOU TOO can squeal like the little fangirls you know you are, and enjoy some kickass D.I.Y's and just pure amazing stuff. (You know, so you can look at stuff in between my rediculously long update periods...)
        So first off, i'm posting the wedding-y things. Not necessarily all about dresses, these are tutorials and general "Wow!" articles/sites that have really inspired me in the last few months...

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        First off, he ever lovely Candycanechild (from Craftster's forums) posted a beautiful tutorial on how to make some unique paper that can be used for STD's, invites, placecards, hell even the programs! (not to mention Valentines, greeting cards, or just amazingly colored paper for all your crafting needs!)

 

        They have a nifty tie-dye type of design to it -- and can you believe it's just food coloring and shaving cream? Check out the full tutorial [Here] and squee over it too so i don't feel like such a dork. (please?)

        Second, more paper! Kind of. o.O How many of you are doing STD's? (Save-the-date's) Jim and I are going to do our best to get some out due to the fact that we're having our wedding so close to a holiday, but we have yet to come up with a definite design. (more on that later!) But i have to say, i am in freaking love with these nerderiffic (yes, that's a word...) Space-invader pop-up cards!!

        I can almost hear the music beeping monotonously in the background XD. The extremely crafty (and ingenious) Ceep came up with these on my new favorite haunt -- Craftster forums -- and goes into detail about just how difficult the finished product really was to perfect. (Lookit those teeny tiny strips of paper barely holding on to the top 'pixil's'!! Ack. i'd break it every time T.T) But if you think you're confident enough in your cutting skills to make these (or other sprites! I'm sure a mario one would be kickass!) check out the full thread and fawn over her prowess there, or check out Offbeat brides' "Show us" thread here for some more inspiration from the most wonderful girls on the web!

        Though i'm not a parent yet, I've become quite enamored with the website "Parent Hacks". Not only do they share wonderful eco-friendly alternatives for everything baby, but they also share some pretty nifty crafts to do with your kids (or for your kids). My current favorite, is Tie-dye tissue paper.

        Though you can sort-of see a pattern (haha, a joke!) in my love for all things hippy, i have actually never tie-dyed anything o.O But reading through the tutorial here made me really want to try! Made out of that crinkly tissue paper my mom stuffs into gift bags to make things look bigger than they really are, these beautiful works of art could be used for tons of crafty things! (The website even mentions gift wrapping, although it'd break my heart to see such gorgeous stuff be ripped to shreds!) And be sure to check out the rest of the gallery here where the rest of the fancy images are hiding!

        If you're like me, then you've got a ton of art supplies sitting around in boxes and baskets ready to be used in a moment's notice. If you're also like me, they've been sitting there for about a year because you've been saving it for "that one special project!". Well ladies (and gents), Here's that project.

     I myself, was given a "make your own candle" kit from the hubbs a few years ago, and simply never got around to doing it. I've got wicks, wax, dye, molds, everything! Just no patience or incentive! I've got candles out the wazoo over here (I may be a candle-phile... not sure if that's a word.) so i never really found a real need to make a bright purple pillar candle all of a sudden. I also -- have a bag of 80 tealights that have only seen the light of day (ironically...) during blackouts due to storms. So this project here gives me a wonderful idea for that unused wax!! Environmentally safe, they're not only beautifully elegant and "chic" but also really frikkin' easy. (the best kind of craft.)

(Also, the wonderful people who created this tutorial have a TON of totally awesome candle/soap ideas!)

        Another wicked website "Dollar Store Crafts" is after my own heart. They showcase cheap D.I.Y projects with some pretty kickass ideas. Need something thrifty but elegant for the wedding, and can't afford those $8-a-piece votive holders you saw at Steinmart? Fear not! You can make a cheaper cuter facsimile and who's ever going to know the difference?

        Using dollar-tree wine glasses, gift-box takeout boxes, and battery operated candles (because otherwise they might catch on fire o.O) These little votive lamps are adorable and honestly something i never would have thought of until now! A similar tutorial even shows how you can use dollar-store lampshades instead of takeout boxes!

        Anyone who's ever even tried to google "weddings" has probably come across those completely versatile Apothecary jars that the wedding designers stick candies and little trinkets in -- right? They're really hard not to miss! Well, the lovely people at Dollarstorecrafts, have come up with a simple (yet slightly smaller) solution, that i'm sure with some ingenuity, would result in some gorgeous glassware! (Unforunately due to my blog's size and my lack of knowledge in how to resize shit, the link to the video is [Here] where you can enjoy it in all it's High-Def glory.)

         Again, if you're like me, you love all things girly and frilly. Although i have yet to work these into my wedding, I'm sure if i tried hard enough, i could find a way!

        After all, who wouldn't want teeny chandeliers in your own custom colors to hang above each table? Or hell, i'd just hang it up in my room, but then again i'm a dork. The full (awesomely photographed) tutorial is here for anyone interested. <3

        Of course i've got nearly thousands of things favorite'd right now, so bear with me as i ramble on about things that may or may not have strayed from the weddingness i first promised. To be perfectly honest, it's hard to keep a blog entirely about weddings -- especially for someone who's never been to a wedding (well, being 2 doesn't really count. i don't even remember being two!) and having only seen wedding shows/books/other websites, it's hard to constantly blog about something you don't really know -- so when i do blog about what i know, i end up with crafts. lol.

        I did want to let you all know though, that i plan on keeping the blog alive a little more often. It's a good place to squee about things with other people who understand, as well as show off not only my own achievements in the crafting/wedding world, but those of others! So starting this week, (er... monday i guess?) I'm going to be updating the blog on certain days with certain things, with intermitten posts of geekdom and nerdery in between. <3

The schedule should *hopefully* look like this:

• Mondays -- comprised of what i hope to accomplish this week. Usually recipes or the beginning of crafts. Also recaps any weekend crafting/cooking adventures, as well as a couple of websites i may have visited and caught my eye. 
• Wednesdays -- Complete Geekery. Gaming, Warcraft, Books, anything completely and utterly nonsensical is going here. (There will be MANY many articles/comics going here from my various "dailies" -- comics i read every morning -- as well as exceperts/links from cracked, dorkly, and other fine offbeat places.)
• Fridays -- The best of the best. Websites and crafts that have literally made me squee out loud and deserve a friggin' trophy are going here. (I have an entire freaking folder in my favorites i do this with.. no seriously!) So every Friday i'm going to post a few and what i love about them. (Kind of like a spotlight :-D)

        Weekends and Tuesdays/Thursdays are my Warcraft-- I MEAN "me" time. Okay, warcraft. I may or may not be completely obsessed with that game.... but that's besides the point!!!

        So i hope you guys look forward to a few more updates (and not necessarily wedding!!) though i promise to post some weddingness here and there. ;-) (maybe i'll give it it's own day too?)

-Cake42

Not dead...

I promise I'm not dead, but thank you for the lovely emails!

I've been super-busy with all sorts of things lately, from the death of two pets and an Uncle, to the raging snowstorm we had here in Indiana. With all of this chaos happening, it's been hard to post things in-between it all!

I promise i'll make it up to you. <3

Stay patient!

-Cake42

Tas'Dingo!

So i believe i mentioned once that Jim bought me Prismas for Christmas? Y-eah.... I've kind of gone wild with them this week and completely ignored the blog... i sowwy!

In the process however, i get to spam you all with awesome Arts, right? (nod with me now... "Yesss......")

Firstly, I would like to explain that for those of you unaware, i'm a WoW-whore. (World of Warcraft for those of you confused...). I play a variety of characters (all female, mostly horde) but my main, is a Troll Rogue. Secondly is Abrigale the Belf Warlock, Thrishka the Orc Warrior, Taffeta the Goblin Priestess, and Lokeh the... er... Dranei Warrior o.O (AND my only Ally character. Damn you Jim for loving humans. >.>) Anywyas, i've been planning for like, forever to do a comic of all my family's characters together (Chance -- my brother -- plays an undead, a couple of orcs, and a tauren, and my Mom plays an undead (f), an orc (m) and a troll (m) ). I've been wanting to call it "The Voodoo You Do" after the story i'm writing. (If anyone's interested, wait till the end of the post and i'll pointcha there..)

So with that short (?) explination out of the way, I can now spam you all with fancy arts. (Keep in mind my scanner sucks epic monkey balls and hates dark colors, so these ALL look better in real life as apposed to their sad digital copies.)

Up first, we have the first thing my prisma's ever graced the paper with -- a head/shoulder shot of Illondra:

 

Not perfect i know, but I'm happy with her. Her shoulders are from no real specific set (not that i know of anyways o.O) and her head's a lil' elongated... but that's besides the point! I'm still thrilled with how she came out. (Keep in mind, that at this point in time, i hadn't found out you could blend them as easily as you could with an eraser/white pencil.... ) And of course, she's missing a braid on the other side of her head, but i couldn't figure out a way to do it without it looking like phantom-braid-from-hell... blargh. 

So we move on to one of my brother's characters. At the moment, this guy is his main-alt (if that makes sense?). They call him "Galthrin" and he's an Orc Hunter. 

As you can see, my blending got a *little* better in some parts, and completely non-existant in others. I'm completely NOT happy with his mohawk, but that's before i figured out how to do hair. >.> go me huh? His shoulders are from some Hunter set, no idea what tier (he picked them out) and no, he doesn't own them. (though he wishes he did.. lmao). No references were used either! (woo!). Once again, not really happy with it, but then again, when am i? 

Now we've come to the dark part in my art history of the past two weeks... I've ... er... found a new hobby. (and by "hobby" i mean "dark twisted sense of what's appropriate for a 21 year old girl to enjoy") 

What's this disturbing new "hobby"? 

My little ponies. 

There, i said it! But i'm not just talking about the kind you buy form the store and play with, i mean the custom ones that people make into stuff! I've seen boba fett, Sam Winchester (*heart!*), baby murloc's, pumpkin patches, Ravers, anything you could POSSIBLY imagine!! And as soon as i can get my hands on a bait pony (ponies that have been ruined/unwanted sitting in yardsales or goodwill, etc...) and some clay, i'm totally making a few of my own B-). Unfortunatly, i don't have a *true* MLP to show off here, (i will soon though... soon....) but instead, i have a horrible picture that gives the cosmos a reason to revoke my nerd-card. 

(The first -- and horrendous -- version can be found [here]. But be warned, it's pretty bad... o.O) So yes, i've ponified my troll. ISN'T SHE CUTE!? I thought so. :-3 I also had a blast playing with Jim's comic-pens (made for use with epic lineart making!) The blending looks soooooooo much better in rl. (promise!) but once again, scanner = poo. This lil' beauty has been uploaded to Deviantart for about a week or so now, and already has a rather large amount (er... 29...) of people "d'aww"-ing over her. (it makes me squee!!)

(This of course leads me to wanting to make Celestial steed mlp's, and of course Kodo's and Talbuks and wyverns -- OH MY!) so we'll see how that goes ;-) 

Last but not least, I give you the latest piece of work by moi. On Devart, i've joined a group called "World of Warchicks" (See my wicked ID [here]) -- Which is a group of nothin' but female players (just to prove we really do exist... lmao). Now, not all of us PLAY female characters, (nay, quite a few play only males o.O) But they're all wicked artists, or at least wicked-artist-appreciators. Well, they had this newsletter/journal entry that popped up and asked people to sketch up their favorite companions in-game. So of course i drew summin' we troll women be luvvin' almos' more den we be lovin' our men!

Be-be Raptors! Dis' one be what we call an "Obsidian" Raptor Hatchlin'. 

What's that? Obsidian = Black? This little guy's BLUE you say? 

*kicks scanner across the room*. Y-eah. Any black in the real-life photo was completely removed when it was scanned. It rather pissed me off. But I guess i'll live T.T) He still be cute 'mon!

(If you're wondering why i suddenly broke out into a Jamaican accent, the trolls in WoW speak that way.) 

So other than wishing my favorite artist Yapi to get well soon, (Srsly, go check her out, she draws the SEXIEST Troll-men EVER. *drool*) I haven't really been up to much. I've been planning on making Jim a pair of cabled fingerless gloves that he's been asking for for a while now (crocheted of course...), along with some baby booties for a friend of mine's first baby (a girl, due any day now! :-D) and a hat/scarf/glove set for me. *sigh* Busy busy busy.... 

                -Cake42

We'll miss you...

I find myself in the year 2011 with a heavy heart...

All over the world, people are celebrating the lives they've lived, and that they have survived another year. For many, the new year will bring them joy and happiness. I myself, am looking forward to a year with my beloved Jim where we can hopefully (finally...) leave our parent's behind and strike out on our own. We have both endured hardships to make it to where we are now, and there's definately not going to be any less this new year. Though we plan on beginning some things anew, we still can't forget our mistakes and our triumphs of the past. This last year has been no different.

But this post today is not meant to be about me or Jim. But about David.

When i became a part of Jimmy's family, i never imagined i'd meet such amazingly wonderful and incredibly loving people. His "Auntie" Dianne and Uncle Doug were my quick favorites (that is if i had  to choose, lol) and Auntie's father David was no exception. When i first met this man he made me blush as he kissed my hand and welcomed me with open arms into his home (er, porch... it was a barbecue i believe?) Though i'll admit, his thick English accent was sometimes hard to understand, he was still one of the sweetest (and oldest!) men i'd ever known -- such a complete gentleman!
I never tried to pry into private lives, but it was known that David had some physical ailments (as do we all when we are 90-something years old!) and according to Auntie, he had seemed to be growing worse and worse throughout the months. Christmas however, we were all delighted to see him eating and drinking and laughing with us all at dinner -- much perkier and lively than we'd all seen him in ages, and it truly made my day to see him smile and enjoy himself with us! (although i wish i could have seen him open our scarf and hat we'd made him, but i don't blame him for being tired that evening )
Much to my shock, this afternoon i was informed that David had passed away at 2:00 am, just after New Years in the comfort of a hospice. Immediately i fell into tears.

I'm not an extremely religious person by any means, but i do believe that there is a heaven for all of the wonderful people in life, and i do believe David is there now, enjoying himself with his Grandson Jimmy (whom i unfortunately never had the honor of meeting before he too passed away).

I hope Auntie and Doug will always remember him as the wonderful, amazing, kind-hearted gentleman i knew him as -- i know i will.

Rest in peace David.

 

(apologies for not finding an edited version, the song begins at 0:50, please ignore the Elphie/Glinda in the beginning...)

I'm dreaming, of a white christmas!

Merry Christmas guys! :-D Sorry for the super-late post... (it's only the day after the day after Christmas... right?... technically?) I was dragged through town to three different places the past few days and i am thoroughly exhausted! (but it was fun, and who am i kidding... I'd do it again in a heartbeat!) So! other than the annual "naming off all the cool shit i got", I'd like to show off a few things i made. 

First off, i made stockings! (i don't have a picture of my dad's just yet... but suffice it to say, it's based off the lamp from a christmas story, i made the pattern myself, and i SUCK at making fishnets even... the back of the stocking looks like a spiderweb shat on it...)

Jim is in-LURVE with Star-trek (the old one to be specific.. the one with Kirk and Spock and Sulu and all them...) so i made him a redshirt that was skinned and turned into a stocking. <3

 

It was my first stocking ever so be gentle, haha. It was done in-the-round and was a lot easier than i had anticipated! I also made him a sugar-cookie "Redshirt" (which was perfect.. because if he broke in transport, he was expendable anyways ;-) )

(totally not showing off "The Shattering" i got for christmas... XD) Secondly, (the one i'm super-proud of) Chance (my younger brother) asked me to make him a Horde Stocking (from World of Warcraft) 

The symbol was a little skewed, because it was worked in-the-round (same pattern as above) but he still loved it, and i'm proud of it :-D (now he wants a laptop case, a scarf, and a hat >.>)

As for Christmas presents with friends, i managed to make two Rainbow hats (not pictured), Two Cowls (Green and Purple, and Jim knitted a blue varigated one, also not pictured...) and then i made a Unicorn hat!

Which Rachel quickly nabbed, haha. (And i'm sorry, but since i based it off of a hat from Deviantart, and i don't know if they're selling them or not, i can't share the pattern, because i don't wanna get sued. it was for a gift, and no money was exchanged, so please don't sue me O.o

As for other Crochet'd schtuff... i finally took a picture of Chloe's scarf to match her hat:

(which she loved btw!<3) I didn't get to snap a picture of her wearing it, but i got her to hold still long enough to wear her hat.

We also made cinnamon ornaments (cinnamon, Applesauce, and glue...), Eggnog fudge, Brownies (Boxed Ducan Hines, nothin' fancy...), Chocolates, Dog Biscuits, Sugar Cookies with THE perfect icing, and a variety of other sweets for the gift baskets.

This poor little guy barely made it! All of the other cookies came out perfect (and unfortunately i didn't get any photos of them... but i planned on doing a blog post about sugar cookies soon anyways since i got some nifty snowflake cutters... so i'll post them then.) But every single one of the Teddy Bears fell apart :-/ damn. (i have a picture of him where i ripped off parts of his body and added red icing to it to make it bloody too... but i'm already overflowing the blog with pictures, so i'll pass on that one ;-) )

(recipes for the eggnog fudge, icing (though i used egg whites instead of meringue powder), and sugar-cookies, can be found above by clicking on the names!)

As for going places for Christmas, we spent a kickass evening at Mitchell's in his basement playing my first drinking game

 (I came out with 13 shots in the end, and was dizzy and sleepy, but no worse for wear... and i didn't drink enough to manage a hangover either. Woohoo!) and played a little pool....

 (which i lost HORRIBLY at... lol)

Christmas day we headed to Auntie and Doug's to have a very british-inspired christmas with Christmas Crackers (i won a dinosaur finger puppet, and a 1" squirtgun Grandpa Rex suggested i fill with vodka, lmao) and some paper crowns

We had a beautiful dinner with the best green bean casserole i've ever had. It was really awesome having a dinner at a real table with family for christmas! Most of my family is either too busy, or going somewhere else, or my close fam doesn't have a car/health to make it anywhere. After dinner, we opened presents (i honestly wasn't expecting to end up with as much as got O.O but i thank everyone for their kickass gifts.. i'm totally wearing my fuzzy socks. Have i mentioned i have a sock-fetish/collection? lmao.


Doug and Jim (Jimmy's Uncle and Dad) ended up with THE COOLEST hippy Santa statues i've ever seen, and honestly, I'm a bit jealous! Isn't he adorable?

(Can you believe his Nana made those?? I don't know if she actually sculpted them, but i do know that she  painted them.)

After presents, we hugged and made our goodbyes and headed up north to his Mum's house for more food (ugh o.o so full!!) and more presents. (it totally made my day that i was the first person Chloe hugged XD).

Once Joe and Chloe showed up, everyone started finishing up dinner (which was equally as awesome -- Pork roast, hobo potatos, Gramma's Mac n' cheese, steamed broccoli, crescent rolls, and gravy). Speaking of crescents rolls, Chloe helped Nana make them! (Apparently she loves to help Nana make the rolls and has her own stool to help out! :-3) 

 

 Then Gramma carved the roast beast, 

and we ate until we were bursting. Presents ensued under "Petey" the Christmas Palm (Peggy and Jeff bought it for their deck last summer, and brought it indoors for the winter, lmao)

 Petey likes to blind my camera...

Chloe ended up with (i think o.O) every Zhu Zhu pet in existance o.o (srsly.. i don't think she's missing a single one of them!). But she had a blast, and it was fun watching her open up all those presents and scream "ZHU ZHU PETS! ZHU ZHU PETS! THANK YOU NANA! THANK YOU PAPAW!" every time she ripped the paper back! (It makes me want my own kids now XD) 

We did indeed (despite the weather patterns..) end up with a white Christmas. 

Which was awesome. (and i didn't fall this year! haha!)

And did i mention Chloe lost her two front (bottom) teeth? (the first time she's lost a tooth!) So i nabbed a picture of that too ;-) (needless to say "all i want for christmas is my two front teeth..." was sung numerous times.)

Also, i have some pretty big news! :-D i managed to win my very first blog-contest!!! :-D From Lark Crafts, i snagged some sweet felt, and some other goodies!! (which awesome arrived the day after sending my address! O.O i dunno if you sent it out express Thom, but it got her super quick! Thankies again!!! i can't wait to use it all!)

First off, i got nearly a whole box of luscious browns and yellows... it's so soft i can't possibly think of what i'm going to use it for! (although i'm eying a pattern for a heated sleeping mask you put rice in? oooooh yeah... B-) )

Secondly, (sorry for the wrapping still on it, we were in the middle of making fudge and rushing out the door when it arrived!) A felt-a-long calendar! It came with the patterns for every felt image in the book, as well as stickers to place for doctor's appointments, weddings, christmas, and pretty much every other holiday one could think of!! way too cute!

I entered approximately THREE contests this month trying to win this book, and just about danced when i pulled it out. Fa la la la Felt is such an adorable collection of patterns for just about everything you can think of! I'm really looking forward to making the stockings in it next year! (The Joker one is probably my favorite, but the peek-a-boo flowers is sneaking in some love too...)

And last but not least, i recieved several sheets of sample felt in various shapes and colors -- perfect for future orders, *and* for adding final touches to those projects who need spiced up! (the hearts and circles are totally my favorite... haha).

Along with the felt, i managed to collect quite a vast amount of presents this year O.O (much to my surprise! i hadn't been to such a huge family gathering in so long!) So for all the curious minds out there (and for my own gloating purposes...) Here's my annual list of "look what i got!"-ness. (and i only managed to grab a few pictures before my camera died of a battery-related-death...)

On top of a teeny green stocking of candy (mmmm... reeses.....) and a manicure-purse kit from Erika (not pictured) I got everything above from Jim's family :-3 (although i don't quite remember who gave me what now o.o i know a few though!)

From jim's Dad (Jim o.O) I recieved a box of 5 Cranberry-Mandarin candles (mmmmm!), a 30 dollar gift-card to walmart (more on that later...) and a cookbook of "my kind of cooking!" (all recipes are only 3-5 ingredients long, and they ALL look delicious). From Peggy and Jeff (Jim's Mum and Step-dad) I recieved a HUGE box of Caron Yarn in various colors, and three sets of knitting needles to get me started! (woot!) along with three scratch cards, with which i won 10 bucks! The fuzzy socks (which i'm TOTALLY wearing right now!) are from Auntie and Doug, as well as an adorable guardian angel keychain (this woman knows me... i collect socks and key chains... i think she's stalking me!) A chocolate orange (which i busted my knee trying to open thismorning, lmao) and another manicure purse! (aww... this one has kisses on it! I love the little stand-up mirror too. My nails shall never be horrid again!) She was even so sweet as to think of Taffeta and Purl this christmas, and bought them their own bag of Carrot treats!! Nana and Rex gifted me a kitchen towel (one of those kinds with the knitted top, so you can hang it off the stove handle) and a "Pumpkin Butter" Reed diffuser that is currently wafting through the living room making everything smell purtyful.

I think that was it. (If i got your names wrong guys on who gave me what, i apologize! leave me a note and i'll fix it! <3)

As for Home-gifts, Mum and Dad bought me a brand-new Dell Laptop, and an LED mouse that glows blue and red (which shoots purple lights up onto my cieling! :-D) and "The Shattering" ! the next book in the World of Warcraft line :-3 Of course they bought Chance and i the new Expansion for WoW "Cataclysm" and i'm currently rocking a lvl 26 Goblin Shadow Priestess B-)

Grandpa gifted me a basket of yarn, some new crochet needles, and three beautiful bracelets with little rings and shiny bits on them i can add charms to :-D -- and of course Tiffy and Purl were from Jim ^.^

With the gift-card, i bought P, Q, and J crochet hooks, Three skeins of yarn (two small green and yellow cotton bits), and one purply-pink fuzzy stuff for Jessie's baby girl. (they're *hopefully* going to be a hat and booties, unless i find another pattern soon..) a Strawberry-Banana Sobe (because hey, i was thirsty o.O), and a 3-pack of WoW cards, that ended up in 9 UDE points, 2 more hero cards (an undead affliction warlock, and a dwarf priestess), a primal shadow, and a primal earth, along with other various cards of awesomeness. So all-in-all i made out like a bandit this Christmas! But i think the best gift, was being able to celebrate it with so much family this year! I'm so glad i was able to make it, and even got to see Uncle David (Auntie's Dad) perk up and have a good time with us too :-3

In short, i hope all of you had a wonderful christmas :-) I hope you all got what you asked for, and nobody ended up with coal (unless it's the bubble gum/chocolate coal... that stuff rocks, no pun intended! lol). Happy Holidays to all of my wonderful readers... and as soon as i ebb out of my stocking-candy-coma, i promise i'll update with a few more crafty bits for you all, and possibly some more stuff on the wedding!

-Cake42

Hammy Goodness!

The other day, i showed off my gorgeous new hammy babies Tiffy and Purl :-3 today, i managed to snap some better pictures of them to show off. (not by much though, they don't like to stay still o.O) 

Meet Tiffy and Purl, (short for Taffeta and ... er... Purl? lol) My twin panda hammies :-3




Both were born on October 14th of this year, and (except for two minor details) are completely identical! Tiffy, has white under her chin that continues onto her neck (but you can only see it if she's sitting up, so when they're running around it's hard to tell...) and Purl has half-an-ear! O.O



Jim surprised me with them as an early Christmas present this year! :-D Though neither of us noticed Purl's ear until two days later T.T -- it doesn't seem like a fresh wound, so it seems she's had it for a while... (and being in a gigantic tank at our favorite pet store with 50 other hammies, it's bound to happen to a few of them T.T) But it doesn't seem to bother her at all, and it definitely makes telling them apart a LOT easier, haha.



They love to do everything together -- especially their wheel! Though pictured here, their cage looks rather plain -- it was how they were delivered to me, and hadn't been spiffed up yet.




This is how their cage looks now :-3 -- still small, but they seem to love it ^.^ We plan on going to our favorite pet store  and checking out their end-of-the-year sales and see if we can't nab another cage or two so they can be separated later. (As much as i love seeing them together, i've been warned by people from forums and websites alike, that syrian hammies will start fighting eachother pretty soon... so i'll have to get them apart before the end of the year T.T) And of course i have a playpen for them (again, nothing fancy... but i just got them this week XD) Everything in there is re-used toys from our previous hamsters Elphie and Squirt (but since they both passed away in their cages mysteriously (although most likely from old age... they were both 3-4 years old...) i washed the HELL out of those toys/pen so if they died of anything catchy, it wouldn't spread.



They *love love LOVE* the yogurt treats their daddy bought them (and so do i ... they smell so strawberiffic i'm about to try one myself >.> lol) but last night we gave them some lettuce (i know i know, it can be dangerous, but there's no additives or anything and it's locally grown anti-pesticides and all that junk, and i'm not feeding it to them every day...) and a few various ham-safe-nuts left over from decorating Christmas stuff. 

Tiffy, (seen above) is super outgoing and hyper, and would probably have an anurism if i took the wheel out of the cage o.O seriously. I have to hook it to the top of the cage (so it's on it's side kind-of...) just so she won't run herself to death o.o. Although she ends up climbing up the sides of the cage and monkey-bars across the roof so she can sit on the back of the wheel and play King of the Mountain... lol. Too adorable XD i'll have to post video of that later...


Purl (seen above as well...) is much more shy and calm (and chubbeh...). So far, she seems to love to cuddle and sit in your hands inquisitively. The bell-moon-thingy (that was origionally a parakeet toy...) is her favorite object in the whole cage (2nd is the wheel when she can elbow on with her sister...) and it's so frikkin adorable to watch her hold onto the bell, grab it with her teeth, and then shake the hell out of it XD she'll do laps around the cage and then do it again! lol. 

They're by far, one of my favorite Christmas gifts, and they're just too cute to fully explain :-3 when i can get some better light, i'll have to post some videos of them performing their antics ;-)

<3

Tis the season to be busy as hell... Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra, ra RAAAAAA!

It's no lie that with Christmas looming around the corner, most people start baking and cooking, and preparing for the holidays! Our kitchen, is no different. However, we're different in the fact that we've made pretty much nothing Christmas related... XD (Yet! wait for next week... >3>) But i figured i would catch you all up on a few wonderful things we've been up to. 

First off, for those of you who haven't checked out "Cakewrecks" you need to! This blog/site has kept me awake for the past three weeks while i browse the archives and giggle/facepalm my way through some of THE WORST decorated cakes in history. 

Heck, i even submitted one myself this time: 

 

Yep. I think it's supposed to be half-a-Santa. (The evil half-brother to Santa... *da dun CHI*) made of course, out of cupcakes. (or as Cakewrecks so-lovingly named them, "CCC"'s or "CupCake Cakes" ick...) Anyways, i found him (or whatever's left of him?) at my own local Walmart whilst perusing the wonderbread. 

Don't get me wrong though, Cakewrecks posts some pretty wicked stuff on there too! You guys know me and my love for food and pretty things... Well, they have a "Sunday Sweets" blog post (every Sunday... dur...) where they showcase some UH-MAZE-ING cakes that are anything but wrecks! In fact, one has me absolutely swooning at the sight!

Isn't it gorgeous??? It's from the outstanding cake-baker from "The Secret of Our Dinner" (a Bulgarian cake/food blog with a unique twist on almost all the cakes). I love the pearlescent sheen to it, as well as the drippy snowy icing, the delicate teeny snowflakes, and of course the oh-so-adorable fondant deer on top :-D too cute! but that's not the real reason i'm drooling over this cutey... 

Check this out: 

Do not adjust your screen. Blink if you have to... 

Are you seeing it? 

Yes! That's right! those layers are going the wrong way! They're friggin' vertical!!!! How amazing is that!? :-D It has a perfect icing-to-cake ratio, and it looks absolutely stunning! (not to mention unique as heck!). Wondering how on earth they did it? Well, (if you can decipher the google translation...) they made a tutorial (it's about halfway down the page, but they explain how to do basic fondant flowers, fondant, and all kinds of their amazing techniques!) <3

Can you believe this cake is basically a giant jellyroll?? And just look how easy it seems o.o!!! (no doubt when i go to try it though, it'll be too dry, and everything will crumble and fall apart... haha. but hey, i can try!). 

Jim and I are thinking about trying it for the wedding cake maybe! (So of course i'm going to post all of our failed/successful attempts up here XD)

But as for things WE have baked, i give you the following: 

 

This one is entirely Jim's creation... living in the boondocks of Indiana, we've come across "Indiana-only" foods of course, but this one was a first o.O "Indiana Sugar Cream Pie". Think about that name for a minute, and tell me you don't picture a granulated sandy textured pie... like condensed milk with sugar added to it o.O... but he made this following some youtube tutorial with a 100-year-old woman, and it turned out divine. it's a creamy smooth sweet concoction that actually surprised me. 

This one, was also Jim's idea, but i made the crust XD -- it's an entirely Strawberry pie :-D (no Rhubarb...) and it was amazin'. Slap on a dollop of whipped cream, and we're i business! <3

 These are "butterscotch white chocolate chip cookies from "Not So Humble Pie"-'s recipe :-D They were crunchier than expected, but they were still tasty! (in hindsight i probably should have stuck them in an airtight container with a slice of bread.... but that's besides the point.)

Of course with Christmas drawing ever closer, i've started getting our annual christmas cards from family and friends, and even a few early christmas presents :-D (woot, stuff!). My parents have already let me have a sneak at mine and my brother's matching laptops (Dell with Windows XP -- able to play all those games i missed, while still having the ability to be fully upgradeable cheaply! woohoo!) and then of course, Jim snuck me in something he just couldn't keep hidden until the 25th......

 

Hamsters! :-D (sorry about the blurry bleh pictures... it was late, and my bedroom has a lack of overhead light... so all i have is a floorlamp that hates me with every fibre of it's being... so i had to use flash and it sucked. 

They're two month old black and white panda hamsters (me rub you rong time?) and are practically identical twins!!! (they came from the same litter too :-3) Seriously, if it weren't for the teeeeeeeeeny tiny details, i wouldn't be able to tell these two hammies apart! Luckily, Taffeta (the one in the ball) has white on her chin and leg, is hyper and outgoing and would probably have an anurism if i had to take the wheel out of the cage, and Purl (like Purl-stitch?) on the right by Jim, has a bite taken out of her ear (which we didn't notice until two nights ago T.T poor baby!) and is fully black on her chin and stomach. She's quiet and reserved, shy, and loves to cuddle -- so much calmer than her sister. But they're my new babies :-D Now i just have to find them a metal wheel to replace the plastic thing in their cage, because it's noisy as hell and keeps us awake at night. boo.

Unfortunately, i have yet to snap a picture of Declan's finished green hoodie (all it needs is edging and buttons, but we just got the buttons yesterday, and i have yet to decide if i want GIANT multi-colored buttons of awesomeness and cute, or white pearly buttons that remind me of a pretty cardigan... but yeah :-D as soon as i get the buttons on, i'll take a picture and slap it up on here. <3

Well, i've decided this year (since i've discovered how to crochet >:-D) to make stockings for everybody! Dad's is a malgamation of two stockings, but is basically a woman's leg with a black-and-red garter at the top that moves into a fishnet'd leg, ending in a bright red heel. The pattern is my own, so if everything works out right, i'll post it up here and on Ravelry :-3 

In the meantime, i've just-about finished Jim's stocking (a redshirt star-trek stocking knitted in the round <3). All it needs is the grey cuff, and the gold com sign. My younger brother Chance -- like me-- is a total WoW junkie. (For the Horde!!) so he's been begging me to make him a "For The Horde" scarf (with double Horde symbols on each end) since the chill of winter first danced through the air -- so naturally he asked for a stocking of true anti-alliance fashion:

 

The chart i'm using is my own, and scaled down from the scarf version (done in tunisian), but this is simply a single crochet worked in the round. The cuff is alternating SC and HDC. (and i have SOOOO MANY ENDS to weave in!! D: >) It's got about 10 more rows, and then i get to start the heel. (yay... >.>) But at least it's pretty. ;-) 

My and my mum's stocking will be done in Granny-hex's in alternating colors i have yet to decide on. (though i'll probably try and use up some of my self-striping stuff.) 

And speaking of WoW, i've been screwing around in Photoshop for a while, learning how to use some of the basic stuff, and started forming a reference photo for my character Illondra for a (hopefully!) upcoming comic. 

Here's the WIP of you're interested :-D

 I've since added a glove to the hand on the left, but other than that, she hasn't gotten too much further. But for my first time in photoshop, i think i've done pretty damn well! (and for using a mouse nonetheless! no fancy schmancy tablets here! (although i'm dying to get one T.T .... just sayin'... lol) you can visit my [deviantart] account if you want to see more updates on her. <3

Well, i hope you're all having a wonderful Holiday Season! :-D Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, and a Happy Holidays to the rest of my wonderful readers and their respective celebrations. <3

-Cake42