Funfetti Cake!

Ain’t it just the cutest cake you ever did see? And guess what – this cake is famous. That’s right. Famous. You see, I tweeted a photo of it, with the caption “this cake is for the party”, which is the name of a book written by the great Sarah Selecky, who also has an awesome blog and sends out writing prompts every day. She’s real cool. Anyway, this happened:

Spoiler alert: I haven’t read the book, but I did borrow it from the library once. It’s weird that I feel guilty about that. I’ve always loved the title, though.

So the party cake is a famous cake. It was also a pretty cake. And perhaps most importantly, a yummy cake. I don’t know if you remember the Betty Crocker cake mix that made white cake with coloured spots inside it? Well, this is the grown-up homemade version of confetti cake mix. Funfetti, as it’s lovingly referred to in the blogosphere, has been exploding lately. (See what I mean?) So my first cake of the season, for my cutest friend, had to be a cute funfetti cake.

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My First Book!

This as a crazy moment. You should have seen me at the Post Office, picking up my slimmer-than-expected brown cardboard package, practically beaming with delight as I thrust my delivery notice at the bored cashier. I held it together until I got home, I definitely didn’t hyperventilate at the crosswalk or anything (okay, so I did. In a good way.), and then did a happy dance in my apartment. Cause it’s just cute, right?

This is the first book I wrote myself. It was a labour of love. And sometimes hate. There were times (they were usually way past my bedtime times) where I couldn’t express how much I resented my pre-November self who decided to take this project on. Other times, those 1667 daily words whizzed by – but those times were rare. But being able to hold a bound copy of my work, flip through and look at my words (half of which I no longer remember writing)…it makes it all worth it.

I printed a “proof copy” from CreateSpace – NaNoWriMo winners get 5 free copies of their novel, but only after paying for a proof copy – and guess what? I didn’t double and triple check the file, so my book showed up missing the last few pages. Let me emphasize: this was because of my own stupidity. CreateSpace couldn’t have been easier to use. So I’ve now uploaded the right file and will probably order another copy in the future.

How do you think my name looks in print? I’m hoping this won’t be the last time I author a real, tangible book. A belated thank you to everyone who egged me on during that crazy writing month – I’m thrilled it helped me get to this point. Thrilled, I say!

Have a happy Tuesday. xo.

4/10: Colourblock Hats

I’ve been itching to write this post for weeks now! Over reading week, I spent a lot of time learning how to knit. In the span of a few days, I learned how to properly cast-on (I’d been doing it in an unnecessarily difficult manner), knit on circular needles, knit on double-pointed needles (that one was a mind-bender), and change colours properly. I unravelled things, a lot. I started over, a lot. I had a ton of help from my mom and my knitting-whiz of a Grandma – I realized that it’s much easier to learn from real people than it is from videos. (Duh.) I also got to borrow my Grandma’s entire collection of bamboo knitting needles and some hot pink double-pointed needles. Sexy.

I was originally planning to gift the hat above to my best friend for her birthday (which is today! Happy Birthday S! xo) but, at the risk of sounding like a fashion snob, they just weren’t her colours. So I vowed to knit her another one, and started wearing this one myself (because they were my colours). Luckily, the second hat I made was a lot cleaner, less mistakes. Plus, I not-so-inconspicuously asked her which colours of yarn she liked best and knit those into the hat. Problem solved! Here she is in her hat:

Altogether now: d’aww.

To make the hats, I used this pattern for His + Her Knit Hats from the purl bee. I love that website. It’s like knitting, for young hipsters. Like me. Kind of. The pink yarn was a no-name brand on sale at Michael’s, it was really soft and fuzzy. The orange was Softee Chunky by Bernat. The cream was from a giant skein I found in the basement at my mom’s house, label long since lost.

I gifted the hat yesterday, on one of the warmest days of the year so far. Today, too, has been incredibly beautiful. I even went running, if you can believe it. So maybe it’s practically Spring…but it’s the thought that counts! Worst case scenario, we can save these hats til next winter and wear them like twins. My plan all along, of course.

And thus wraps up 4 of 10 DIY projects for 2012! (I’m counting both hats as one, because they were virtually identical, using the same skills.) See the rest of the DIY projects here.

Project 365: Week 9

Week 9 already? How is it March! I still love this project, times a million. It’s just so much fun to take photos every day, I get such a kick out of it now. Some are sort of half-assed, sure, but most of the time I take a few minutes to capture the light or arrange things. It’s a fun process, and it never really takes very long. Doesn’t take time, just a little effort. And I think it’ll go a long way!

Happy Friday. If you need something to make you giggle, check out #whatshouldwecallme. It’s one of the funniest sites I’ve ever read. Enjoy! xo.

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