living with threemoonbabies

Chocolate Cake with Coconut Frosting

2013-05-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It's been a while again!

...but I had to stop in and post the cake I made my Mom for her birthday today.

It's the first cake I've been able to make her for a while, but now that we are living in California again...I was able to take back my position as chief-family-cake-maker:)

For this cake, I used my new favorite chocolate cake recipe. It's the one on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa. It turns out perfectly every time...no fail!

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake

(recipe from hersheys.com)

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

VARIATIONS:

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

I usually use the recipe for the "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate frosting too, but for this cake, I used my favorite buttercream frosting recipe and added about 3/4 cup of shredded coconut to it.

Buttercream Frosting

(recipe from chsugar.com)

Ingredients

1 1 lb. box (approx. 3 3/4 cups) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In large bowl with electric mixer at low speed, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed 1 to 2 minutes until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frositng is spreading consistency.

Peanut Butter Crunch: Substitute peanut butter for butter; sprinkle either candy peanut butter pieces or chopped peanuts over frosting.
Chocolate: Add 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, adding milk 1 tsp. at a time until desired consistency. Top with chocolate curls, if desired.
Orange: Substitute fresh orange juice for milk, add 1 tsp. orange extract and 1 tsp. grated orange zest. Top with thin strips of orange peel.
Lemon: Substitute fresh lemon juice for milk, add 1 tsp. lemon extract and 1 tsp. grated lemon zest. Top with thin strips of lemon peel.

To put it all together, I layered the cake with about half the frosting in between and half on the top. I also added about a half cup of the shredded coconut to the top of the cake....and do you recognize those chocolate lumps?!?! They are snack-size Almond Joy bars! Since the cake reminded me of a Mounds or Almond Joy candy bar, I thought they would make the perfect decoration!

Can't wait to taste this!

Tweets in Love: Red & Dark Purple

2013-05-04T13:21:00.001-07:00

Here is a lovebird cake topper I recently finished:

I love the color combo!

The red and purple give the topper a real sense of royalty!

It's funny because as many cake toppers as I make, I rarely create two with the same color scheme.

Every single one is unique in its own way!

Would you like your own, unique, custom cake topper?

Check out my Etsy shop!

Avocado Earrings Beading Pattern

2013-04-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but...

I have a new beading pattern for you!

This one was inspired by the area where I grew up. My grandparents lived in a house surrounded by avocado trees, and I have grown up loving them. In my opinion, there's no better snack than some chips and guacamole!

Anyway...

Here is a pattern for seed beaded/brick stitch avocado earrings.

This pattern was completed using a combination of ladder stitch, single and two drop brick stitch. A foundation row is created using a ladder stitch with two beads in each row. The rest of the beadwork is completed using either a single or two bead brick stitch. It's a really good beginner's project because there are no complicated increases or decreases. I used round, size 11/o seed beads for the earrings pictured above, but feel free to experiment with the pattern using various sizes and shapes of beads.

You can get the PDF download for this pattern HERE.

Hope everyone enjoys the new pattern!

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Gumball Machine Valentines on The Crafty Crow!!!

2013-02-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I was very excited to see my Gumball Machine Valentines featured on The Crafty Crow yesterday!

I've been surprised by the response I've gotten from my Gumball Machine Valentines this year! I've had thousands of people download the printable! I'm sure thanks to Pinterest!

Because of the many attempts to download the printable, I have heard there have been problems with the two sources I provided to get the PDF. I have now added the printable to Google Drive. Hopefully, this helps the people having problems. Also, feel free to email me, and I will send you the PDF.

Here are the PDFs:

Gumball Machine Valentines

Gumball Machine Valentines (Blank)

Enjoy!

Custom House Ornament

2013-01-23T10:30:00.002-08:00

A recently completed custom house ornament:

What a great gift to commemorate a friend's new home!

Mickey and Minnie Go Classy!

2013-01-14T11:35:00.003-08:00

Here is a wedding cake topper I recently finished:

I'm calling it: Mickie and Minnie Go Classy!

My Etsy Shop Is Open Again!

2013-01-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

My Etsy shop is back open!

I'm now accepting new orders!

I'm accepting new orders for my custom house ornaments too!

Another Version of The Easiest Advent Calendar... Ever!

2012-12-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you remember, but last year I posted an idea for "The Easiest Advent Calendar...Ever!". It was a simple project of stamping the numbers 1-25 on wooden clothes pins.

Last year, I attached magnets to the backs and stuck them to the refrigerator with fun activities or ideas for each day until Christmas.

This year, I did something a bit easier and lazier! I pinned a piece of twine to the wall and clipped on cups (recycled from when my girls had their lemonade stand this past summer) and filled the cups with sweet treats for each day. I think it would have looked even cuter with paper bags, but I didn't have any.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll do something different with the numbered pins next year too. Hmmm....

How do you count down the days to Christmas? I can't believe we have only about a week left!

Another Custom Family Ornament

2012-12-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

Here is another custom family ornament I recently finished. This one incorporates a new baby sister!:

Custom Family Ornaments

2012-11-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Here are two recently finished custom family ornaments:

Three More Custom House Ornaments

2012-11-24T08:26:00.002-08:00

Here are some more of my recently completed orders:

(P.S. notice the tiny yellow lab on the front porch!)

Polymer Clay Pumpkin Pie: Tutorial

2012-11-17T18:00:00.001-08:00

What you need:

bottle cap

Unused and flattened type is the best. You can find them at craft stores, Amazon, or on Etsy. You can also look at stores that cater to home brewing.

beige/crust colored polymer clay
orange/pie colored polymer clay

I mixed orange, brown, and gold to get a color I liked. I have also seen people mix in real pumpkin pie spices to make it look more realistic!

white for the whipped cream
needle tool or something to crimp the edges of the crust
liquid polymer clay to strengthen bond between clay pieces

As I mentioned before, I added some brown to my orange to get a more realistic pumpkin color.

I still wasn't happy with the color, so I added some gold too.

I flattened the clay, then used a 1 1/4 inch circle cutter to cut a piece of beige and orange. I used a tiny, about 1/4 inch, circle cutter to cut a piece of white to use for the whipped cream.

Center and place the piece of beige/crust colored clay in the bottle cap. I added some liquid polymer clay between the two to secure the bond.

Roll the orange/pumpkin colored clay in a ball.

Place the orange ball in the center of the beige piece of clay.

Press and flatten the orange clay ball.

Press the side of the needle tool in increments around the pie to crimp the edges of the crust.

Try not to indent the orange portion of the pie.

Roll the white clay into a ball.

Pinch the top of the white ball to form a teardrop shape.

Add a drop of liquid polymer clay to the center of the pie.

Place the white clay in the center of the pie with the pointed side up and squishing it down a tiny bit.

Bake according to clay directions.

And...your pies are finished!

You can use them as festive hair bow centers, to decorate napkin rings, as magnets, or even glue on a bail to create a pendant!

My 6 year old daughter helped me make the pies and made two of her own. She likes to use them to feed her Lalaloopsy doll!

Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Custom House Ornament

2012-11-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Another recently completed ornament:

Such a cute home!

More Ornaments

2012-11-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a bunch of custom ornaments I just finished...

Aren't they cute?!

Love all of the different personalities represented!

Another Custom House Ornament

2012-11-14T13:28:00.002-08:00

Yes, I'm still working on custom house ornament orders;)

PINspiration: Pink Peacock Feather Earrings

2012-11-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

I pinned this photo on Pinterest:

Source: bohemiadesign.tumblr.com via Marjorie on Pinterest

...and it inspired me to make my beaded peacock feather earring pattern in pink!:

P.S. You can get the pattern for these earrings in my kindle book.

Friendship Bracelet: Tutorial

2012-11-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a really easy friendship bracelet tutorial!

They are easy enough for kids to make too!

Getting started...

#1. You will need:

a long piece of t-shirt yarn in any color (you can also make by cutting a long strip of t-shirt about an inch wide and pulling the ends to stretch and lengthen)
embroidery floss/thread in as many colors as you choose
a safety pin

#2. Tie a loop at one end of the t-shirt yarn with an overhand knot

The Knots...

#3. Safety pin the looped piece of t-shirt yarn to your knee

Cut the embroidery floss in long pieces (around 40 inches in length of each color, depending on wrist size and the amount of different colors used)

Tie (with a double knot) the group of embroidery threads to the top of the piece of t-shirt yarn as close to the knot of the loop as possible, leaving a couple inches of length on one end and the bulk of length on the other

#4. Hold down the long portion of the t-shirt yarn and all pieces of embroidery thread, including the short ends, except for length of embroidery thread in the color you want to show up

Take the chosen color and cross over everything else, making a 4 shape

Wrap around everything else and come up through the loop created by the chosen color of embroidery thread and pull the thread up towards the safety pin/ top loop to tighten the knot

Repeat this way of knotting (a forward knot) until you want to change colors

The entire bracelet is made of forward knots in alternating colors

Knotting Continued...

#5. Continue knotting, alternating colors as desired

#6. Once you have knotted about an inch or two down in length, you are free to cut off the short ends of the embroidery floss

Do not cut the long pieces of thread or t-shirt yarn off!

Finishing Up...

#7. After you have reached the desired length of your knotting, you split the amount of embroidery threads in two and tie a triple knot around the t-shirt yarn

Trim the ends of the embroidery thread

#8. To tie onto your wrist, slip the left over length of t-shirt yarn through the top loop and knot

Cut off excess length of t-shirt yarn on both ends (near the top loop and the end piece)

And...you are...FINISHED!

The good thing about using the t-shirt yarn is that it has a bit of stretch to it, so the bracelets are easy to slip on and off....making them easier to share and give to friends!

These look so cute worn in bunches!

Have fun and feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

Custom House Ornament

2012-11-07T14:42:00.001-08:00

Here's another custom house ornament I've recently completed:

The Midas Ring

2012-11-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

Guess what....

I have a fun, new beading pattern for you!

I have been loving glittering gold lately...

so I decided to create this crown ring.

There are two versions of the pattern.

This pattern is completed using a ladder and brick stitch.
You will need a beading needle, beading thread, and seed beads.
I used 11/0, round, silver-lined, topaz seed beads to get the glittering, gold look:)
I also used 8/0, round, transparent, rose-colored seed beads
on the tips of the second pattern to get a different look.
You are free to experiment with different colors and sizes of beads!

You can get the PDF download for this pattern HERE.

Hope everyone enjoys the new pattern!

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Custom House Ornament

2012-11-05T10:48:00.002-08:00

Another recently completed custom house ornament:

Ornaments, Ornaments, and More Ornaments!

2012-11-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

You guys have been keeping me busy!

Thank You!

Custom House Ornaments

2012-11-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Recently completed:

Halloween 2012

2012-11-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hi! Hope everyone had a fun Halloween yesterday!

Here are a few pictures of my kids in their finished Halloween costumes.

A Dia de los Muertos bride, Dobby from Harry Potter, and a Lalaloopsy doll:

The Dobby mask ended up being super uncomfortable, so we cut out the ears and attached them to elastic...much better!

On the Front Page!

2012-10-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

Yay! My Polymer Clay Decorated Pumpkin Tutorial made it to the front page of Instructables!

Nevada Day Costumes 2012

2012-10-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

Nevada Day is on Halloween so at my kids' school, they have to wear Nevada themed costumes.

This year Charles went as a miner and Sienna as a giant piece of silver!

P.S. You can see some of their past Nevada Day costumes HERE.