Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

I do...that's who!
Any chance I get to pick up a cool button, I grab it. I made lots of button scarves last year and intend on making lots more. Some buttons will wait until the perfectly matching yarn or fabric appears. It's great having a wide selection of big buttons to choose from.
Here are two new scarflettes that I'll be adding to my Etsy shop. The blue/green yarn is called Lagoon. It reminds me of the Loch Ness monster, so I added a picot edge and a celtic-style carved bone button. For the soft, creamy homespun, I added these faux bois toggle buttons.

I also finished this wrap over the weekend. It is knit from handspun merino wool in a wonderfully soft Terra Cotta. The buttons are 3" in diameter, handcarved from Argentina. I knew I had to create something special to use those spectacular buttons!
Be on the lookout for more button designs in the LazyTcrochet Boutique!

Spooky

I'm not much of a story-teller, with words anyway. I do love taking pictures and often-times people might wonder "why is she taking a picture of that?" Here's why. If I hadn't grabbed my camera and went out in my pj's on this cold, dark morning, I wouldn't have captured this spooky sky.This one is from last year. The kids were outside playing with the camera. They caught this picture of their breath on a cold night.

For a fun time, visit the M&M's Dark Chocolate website to play "50 Dark Movies, Hidden in a Painting." My kids cheat every year, but it is fun! Google the answers if you want to cheat too.

Front page Exposure!

Etsy -- Your place to buy and sell all things handmade_1223822139085, originally uploaded by storybeader.

Thanks so much to storybeader for sending me this screen shot of the front page! I am so grateful that my Mobius Wrap sold today. It is amazing also that I came home to 10 convos and over 40 new people that have favorited my shop! Thanks to sarawearsskirts for choosing my item for the team article in The Storque. That is the list that made the front page today.
Hooray for good vibes, great friends, and a great place to do business!

Autumn Leaf Festival

We went to Homecoming at Clarion University of Pennsylvania's Autumn Leaf Festival. My college roommate now lives in Clarion with her family and we got to tour her beautiful house! She runs an antique shop with her Mom and Dad. It is located in a renovated fraternity house, so at homecoming it gets lots of visitors commenting how beautiful the house is now. Here's a picture of Jennifer and me in front of the Fulmer House. (That's me in the shades.)

The parade is one of the largest I've ever been to. The floats are sometimes quite extravagant. Here are a few favorites...

And Franco Harris was on an Obama float! The crowd was cheering the former Steeler. I heard that Lynn Swann (another former Steeler) was on a McPalin float, but I must have missed it.

We took the kids on a quick tour of campus and the book store. Some gyros, cheesecake on a stick, and typical fair food topped off the day.

Cheesecake Recipe

I blogged this back in the Spring since I always make cheesecake for Easter. This recipe has been in our family for many years and I'm the lucky one that gets to bake it each year. It's a little time-consuming, but worth every bite!

Have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the cream cheese.

For the crust, mix together 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 oz. butter, 3 tablespoons sugar. Spread into a spring-form pan and press lightly, pressing some of the crust mix up the sides a 1/2 inch or so.

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 16 oz. cream cheese, 16 oz. ricotta cheese, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Mix well, making sure there aren't lumps of cream cheese. Add 4 eggs, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 pint sour cream. Mix well and pour into prepared pan.

The directions say to bake 1 hour, but that is never long enough. My guess is that this is a recipe for a double batch and that you could make half of this recipe and bake it for an hour. I always bake mine longer, until it is done or at least almost set in the middle. There are different techniques to cheesecake if you want to read up on them. Some say to turn off the oven and let it cool completely in the oven. I bake mine until it's done and take it out to cool. It's no big deal to me whether or not it cracks...and it usually does. If you want it pretty, read up about it on Martha Stewart or on Food Network perhaps, or just spread berries or whipped cream all over the top. It tastes just the same.

I haven't tried this one, but if you're in the mood for a Pumpkin Cheesecake, this one has a gingersnap crust and sounds delicious.... Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake. And, while you're there, pick up a copy of my favorite Pumpkin Roll recipe from Libby's (a Thanksgiving staple at our house). Enjoy!

Recovering

I haven't been able to come up with anything to blog about lately. It's been pretty crazy here at home. My husband finally had surgery to repair the damage from his accident (long story here). They put a titanium mesh shelf in to replace the orbital plate (what holds up the eye) and they also rebuilt his septum and have his sinuses packed. It was a very long day at UH Cleveland on Monday. Even though all I did was drive and wait, it really wiped me out. He is resting as comfortably as he can and will have to keep his bandages on until next week.

So, I've been trying to take it easy. I don't deal with stress very well. I either end up over-doing it and hurting my back with chores, or wiped out with a total lack of energy or creativity. These past few weeks have been a mixture of both I'd say.

I am trying to finish a sweater in time for Saturday's Fall Fashion Showcase on Etsy. Everyone has been bad-mouthing the showcases in the forums, but I like to schedule one once in awhile to showcase something new and exciting. Now I just have to finish it in time!

My garage sale stuff is pretty much organized. As soon as I can price everything, I'll open the doors and, hopefully sit around and crochet for a few days straight. You can look forward to some new recipes in the near future. Comfort food sounds in order.

Glow In The Dark Yarn

When my kids were little I crocheted slippers and used glow-in-the-dark fabric paint dots on the bottom to make them non-skid, or less slippery. It was fun, but at the time I was thinking how cool it would be to have glow-in-the-dark yarn.

Bernat has introduced Glow In The Dark yarns! What a fun embellishment yarn that will be. Of course I instantly think Halloween and spooky crafts. Think of all the other ideas for kids safety - backpacks, hats, mittens, bicycle gear, etc. I may have to make my husband a glow hat for commuting.

With the light pastel colors available from Bernat, handmade glow worm-type dolls will be all the rage!

Bernat's Glow In The Dark yarn is now available at some Michael's, Pat Catan's, or Hobby Lobby Stores. Here's a link to find some in your area... Find Glow In The Dark Yarn.