celebrate CREATIVITY in all its forms

Hangin' Around

I've long admired those pretty padded clothes hangers that I often see while flipping through various magazines.  After studying one recently it occurred to me that this would be a great project to try myself.

That brings me to today's project and this easy padded floral hanger.

    

I think any fabric would work with this easy design but I decided to go with a floral decorator fabric.  I actually bought this fabric for another project and I had quite a bit left over.  

I hate to throw away fabric remnants and this is a perfect way to use up fabric pieces that are too small to do anything else with.  You'll only need about 1/4-yard of fabric for one hanger.   

Grab some coordinating ribbon to adorn the finished hanger.  You can find ribbon by the spool at most fabric stores.  I love the dainty look of these roses on a string.  Each rose has a tiny pearl center.  Perfect for this project

     

You'll need some cotton fiberfill along with a few wooden coat hangers.  Many wooden hangers come with the pants bar across the bottom.  This bar is easily removed with a good tug.  Be sure to also remove the tiny nails that the bar is attached to.

Measure the distance between the end of the coat hanger and the center.  Add about 1/4-inch to that measurement and cut with a 3-inch width.  Label this piece A.

Create piece B by cutting another piece of fabric about 8 1/4-inch longer than piece A.  Piece B will also have a 3-inch width.

Round the corners of piece A and B identically.  I used the large opening of a regular sized paper cup as corner-rounder guide.

The longer fabric piece (B) will need to be gathered all the way around.  To gather, select your largest stitch width (also called a basting stitch) on your sewing machine and stitch 1/4-inch all the way around fabric piece.  Make sure you leave several inches of tail thread on the end.

Next, stitch an identical row all the way around about 1/4-inch to the left of your original stitching.  This will give you two parallel rows of basting stitch.

Gently pull the top two tail threads that hang off the raw edge of the fabric and gently slide the fabric forward to create the gathers.

The thicker the fabric the more care you need to take with the gathering.  There's nothing worse than getting halfway through your gathering process and having the pull threads break on you.

It's a good idea to gather from both sides of your fabric piece and have them meet in the center to reduce the risk of pesky thread breaks. 

The photo below shows piece B after it's been gathered. 

Pin piece B to piece A matching both at the bottom raw edge.  Then ease the gathering so that both pieces fit together with right sides together.  Pin and then stitch all the way around with a 5/8 standard seam allowance.

Turn inside out and this will give you the first fabric sleeve for the hanger.  Duplicate steps for the second fabric sleeve.

Slightly stuff both sleeves with some cotton fiberfill and then insert the ends of the wooden hanger into each one.  Do not over-stuff at this point because you still need to insert your wooden hanger.  You can use a knitting needle to help get the stuffing into the farthest end.

Gently insert the end of the wooden hanger into the sleeve.  Make sure you slide the wood under the cotton so the cotton fills out the gathered top portion of the sleeve. 

The photo below shows what the project should look like at this point.

Bring the open ends of pieces A and B together at the center of the wood hanger.  Slightly overlap one open end over the other and slip stitch them together.

You can hide the slip-stitching by wrapping ribbon around the hanger several times before topping it off with a bow.

        

This is another really simple but elegant project to make.  As you can see, even a first-time effort can turn out nicely.  Imagine how pretty three of these covered hangers would look sitting in a tissue paper-filled gift box.   

Wouldn't a trio of fabric covered hangers make a great gift?  The fact that you made them yourself, would make the offering even more special. 

Now this is the kind of hangin' around that really pays off.

Simply Scrumptious

Much to the chagrin of my family at dinner time, I'm not a very good cook.  However, I am a decent baker and that makes me quite popular after dinner when it comes to that age-old question, "Mom, what's for dessert?" 

With that in mind, allow me to share a family favorite.  The key to this beautiful dessert has less to do with what you put in the recipe-and more to do with what you put the recipe  in.

    

When you pour the recipe into this rose-shaped cast aluminum cupcake pan you get something really special. 

These pans are manufactured by Nordic Ware and the detail in each one is amazingly intricate.  You definitely get an extraordinary looking dessert from ordinary ingredients.

This particular design is called Sweetheart Rose and it creates a delightful flowered design that seems painstakingly carved right into the cupcake.

A look at the bottom of the cast aluminum pan shows off the fancy impression that will appear in the dessert.

I must admit, I do gravitate toward very simple recipes and this dessert fits in with that perspective. 

While the Nordic Ware pans like this typically work best with bundt or pound cake mix, I decided to try regular cake mix this time which only requires oil, water and eggs.  Of course, fresh fruit on the side is optional. 

An electric mixer is ideal because it really gets the batter super creamy.  It's also much easier on the hands, especially when working with thicker batters.

         

To ensure perfect removal from the aluminum pan make sure each cupcake pan crevice is generously greased.  I use a spray that also contains flour because it's easier. 

You may also want to use a basting brush to make sure that every nook and cranny of the pan is covered.

        

Tip:  After spraying the pan, sprinkle a tiny bit of regular sugar onto the sides before adding your cupcake mix.  The sugar has an almost caramelizing effect and will give the finished baked dessert a little extra crisp and shine.  This too, is optional.

One of the great things about using heavy cast aluminum bakeware like this, is that the oven heat is evenly distributed throughout each finely detailed area of the pan.   

The finished dessert turns out perfectly golden all the way around.  This photo makes me want to bite right into it.

When using regular cake batter, I'd suggest you fill the molding slightly less than half way to prevent the cups from rising too high.

I filled my first batch higher than I should have and as cupcakes do-the batter rose up over the top of the pan like a fat muffin. 

This made it hard for the rose dessert to sit flat on my serving tray.  So, for a more stable looking presentation, I simply sliced off the bottom, muffin-like portion.   

This gives the underside a nice straight surface and the rose cupcake will sit upright on your platter.  I doubt your guests will check the bottom of the dessert for any reason, so don't worry about that shaved appearance underneath. 

While over-filling the aluminum pan is a minor issue in the scheme of things, you may want to initially experiment with the batter levels to see what works best.  As you become more familiar with your pans, batter levels will quickly become second nature..   

By the way, your kids will love the shaved cast-offs, so no part of the cupcake is wasted.

After the cupcakes have cooled, sprinkle a small amount of confectioner's sugar on top for a nice finishing touch.  A flour sifter will make for a more even and light distribution of the powdered sugar.

   

The photo below shows the same rose design but in the large cake size cast aluminum bundt pan.  You can see the baked-out dessert using this pan on the cover a recipe book that I mention toward the end of this post.

I must admit, this bakeware is a bit addictive and I've been collecting Nordic Ware baking pans from a favorite local gourmet shoppe for more than ten years.  Some designs are also available through Williams-Sonoma.

By the way, with gentle, non-abrasive cleaning and deligent care these pans will continue to look brand, spanking new even after years of use.

The aspiring chefs in your home under the age of 10 will also enjoy helping with this recipe. 

My daughter is typically the first to help fill them with batter, while my son is pretty much the first to sample the finished dessert.

   

Here's another look at the dessert baked with a boxed pound-cake mix.  In this batch, you can definitely see the difference in the texture which is determined by the type of mix that is used.

As you can see, the pound cake mixture produces a less poreous, tighter finished dessert which displays the design in much greater detail.

In addition to the rose design, this carousel pan is another one of my favorites. 

After baking, the little merry-go-round horses can be individually painted with multiple icing colors for a fun and festive look.

 

There is also a larger version of the sweetheart rose cupcake pan. Now, this pan creates some pretty large cupcakes that bake out a little bigger than 5-inches in diameter.  That is huge.

Despite the hefty size, these fat cupcakes are just as beautiful and intricately carved as the smaller ones.

Here are a few of the cupcakes from that larger rose-shaped cast.  I baked these a little longer than I did for the smaller ones which is why they came out a tad browner.

On a side note, I've been working to improve my photography and experimenting with a newly purchased light tent which really helps to illuminate objects much better. 

For these two photos, I placed the cupcakes on a pedestal and set the stand down inside the tent.  The photos were snapped from above the tent for a couple of shots that look good enough to eat.

 

I used a large sheet of pink scrapbook paper under the pedestal to achieve the pink background in this photograph.

 

While I used boxed cake mixes for these cupcakes, there is a nice book available with a collection of recipes you can make from scratch.  Bundt Classics has lots of flavored recipes including Butterscotch Rum Ripple Cake, Luscious lemon Daisy Cake, Crunchy Granola Coffee Cake and Mint Julep Cake to name just a few of the 150-recipes.

My only complaint with this book is that out 150-recipes, there are only 8-color photos of finished desserts and that's including the cover shot.

I think these cupcakes would be positively perfect for any occasion.  Just change the batter flavor, the batter type and/or the fruit compliment to suit the event and you'll have a wonderfully elegant dessert that takes very little time to prepare.

If you serve this beautiful dessert, I'm sure your guests will be delighted and impressed at the same time. 

I suspect if tummies and taste buds could talk-they'd say simply scrumptious!

Blogaversary Giveaway Results (with a twist)

First let me say how humbled I am by all your kind words and participation in my first blogaversary.  It's been so wonderful to have my creative efforts so well received. 

I'm happy to pass along these machine embroidered pillowcases in appreciation of your support throughout my first year of blogging.  

Keep reading for the names of the winners and the twist.

A total of 142 visitors entered my little giveaway.  Your kind comments were so encouraging and my mom really enjoyed reading them too.  I really appreciate each and every one.

After printing out a copy of all the comments, I cut them up into strips and folded them over before placing them all into a large container.  You may recognize this fabric-covered bucket from an earlier post.

My two favorite helpers were eager to pitch-in, and happy to each get a chance to draw the names of the winners.

I think now would be a good time for that drumroll please. 

Congrats to winner #1-Adla.  

Can we go with an imaginary trumpet instead of a drumroll here?  Another congrats to winner #2-SmilynStef.

Now for the twist.  I sure wish I could send every one of you a pillowcase set, in appreciation for all your support throughout my first year.  Of course I can't.  However, I can add one more set to the winners circle.

In an effort to increase everyone's chances just a wee bit more, I embroidered a third set to add to the blogaversary giveaway.  Yellow is one of my favorite colors and I love how nice and summer-like this set looks.

The winner of this third pillowcase set is Sandy.

Adla, SmilynStef and Sandy, please e-mail me with your mailing instructions and then stalk your postman because I'll drop everything in the mail right away. 

Congrats to all three of you and thanks for participating in my first blogaversary givaway.

Once again, I'd like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to every one of you who has popped in for a visit.  I think you can tell that creativity is good for my spirit and my soul.

Judging by the reception, I suspect it's good for yours too and I'm thrilled to be in such great company.

Looking forward to year number two.