Icing the Cake

How do you ice your cake?  After over 20 years as Mom with many birthday cakes for three children, I found that there was a secret to icing the cake.  Often in a hurry, with children eagerly waiting for cake, you just can't ice a warm cake.  So, after the rest time out of the oven I flip the cake right onto a serving platter and stick it in the freezer for the quick cool down.  Shortly after the bottom layer has gone in the freezer I microwave the icing and ice between the layers and add the second layer to the whole cake and stick them both in the freezer.  Why do I microwave the icing?  Warm icing spreads easier.

I melted this icing quite a lot and it turned out shiny and oh so spreadable.  Working with it reminded me of ganache.  The cake and icing were just from the box and the can straight from the store.

So what are your tricks for icing the cake?  The cup is by Wedgwood the pattern is Royal Homes of Britain.

 Sherry
I will link this to:

 Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage 

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life

Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm 

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 

Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays

What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Friends Sharing Tea at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog  

Sweet Treat

Today I have styled up my cup of hot chocolate with some valentines.  This hot chocolate is so good.  It reminds me of the chocolate Vianne(Juliette Binoche) made for Roux(Johnny Depp) in the movie Chocolat.

 Hot Chocolate 

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 oz. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon amaretto or imitation almond extract(may omit)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup whipped cream

Directions:

In a saucepan over low heat, bring chocolate and half-and-half to simmer, whisking constantly.  Simmer 1 minute or until mixture thickens slightly.  Remove from heat; whisk in extract and amaretto.

Pour into four 1/2 cup demitasse or coffee cups.  Top each with 2 TB whipped cream, dust with unsweetened cocoa (if desired).  Serve immediately.

Sherry
I will link this to:

 Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage 

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life

Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm 

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Sunny Simple Sundays  at Sunny Simple Life
Friends Sharing Tea at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 
Homemaking Linkup at Hope In Every Season

Home Sweet Home #104

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!  This week I made a Valentine's Day Wreath and showed you how to make it too.

I put some genuine pressed four leaf clovers for sale in my Etsy shop in Some Luck For You.

I made some Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies.  They taste like a chocolate covered cherry in a cookie.

And I created this photo of a Sailor's Valentine from the inspiration I had in the latest Romantic Homes magazine.

I am going to feature again this week by the most viewed post.  Here are the top viewed post from last week's Home Sweet Home party.

Ann, Heather, and Shelia at Friendship, Life, and Style created this winter decor on a baker's rack.

Shirley at Housepitality Designs created this new table vignette.

Cindy at Beaux R'eves showed off her beautiful vintage guest room.

 So many great post each week and so many talented people!   It is really hard to feature a few!  Thank you to everyone who joins me at Home Sweet Home!  It is wonderful to have you here! 

Sherry

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I will join these ladies today:
Be Inspired Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Home and Garden Thursday  at A Delightsome Life 

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff 

Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or you won't be featured.

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes, delicious recipes, crafts, or whatever makes your home special!

 *If you are pinning a post submitted here, please pin from the original site. 

Sailor's Valentine

image source: Romantic Homes Feb. 2013

I always love to join Debbiedoo's Copy Cat Challenge but, I can't always find something to copy that I have the supplies for.  But, this month I had the three items in this full page photo taken from Romantic Homes February 2013 issue. 

The article was on Sailor's Valentines.  Such a romantic gesture for a sailor at sea to craft a heart shaped box out of seashells for his sweetheart.  I think I could create another post on sea themed valentines.  I'll see what I can come up with.

 Sherry

I will link this to: 

Debbiedoo's Winter Knock Off Decor Party

Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style  

Black & White & Red All Over

What is black and white and red all over?  My Valentine's Day wreath is.  It can even be read because I made the hearts and flower out of book pages. 

Supplies:

12-inch straw wreath

3/4 yard of red taffeta, cut into 3 inch strips

stick pins

1/8 yard of contrasting fabric

Vintage book pages

scrabble tiles (I printed mine from a resource on Pinterest here)

pencil

scissors 

tape

glue

Here is how you can make one too.  First take the strips of taffeta and wrap the straw wreath.  I pinned each strip in place at the back of the wreath.  This is the beauty of a straw wreath, you can pin and disassemble later to make another wreath. 

Then make the hanger with the contrasting fabric.  I first cut the fabric into a 3 inch strip.  Then  loop it around the top of the wreath and tie a knot in it.  The fabric I used doesn't ravel.  If you pick a fabric that does ravel you will need to sew or glue a hem down each side of the strip before this step.

To make the hearts I hand drew a heart and cut out the four hearts from a vintage book.  I glued the four hearts on the wreath where I liked them.  I copied the scrabble tiles from the craft resource above and glued them onto each heart.  I hand drew the flower spiral on another book page.  I found this also on Pinterest here.

Cut the spiral design out.

This is the tricky part.  You start from the center and roll this spiral design up to create the flower.  I tried to loosen the flower up by taping the bottom as I rolled it.  In taping it you can stabilize the part you have rolled up and keep rolling.  My flowers always look a little uptight. I just keep working with the flower until it looks like I want it to.

I placed my flower on another flower base and pinned it in place.  I thought it looked like a daffodil.  I hand drew all my patterns, I am not a perfectionist so if it was a little uneven I thought it just added to the character of the design.   That is the fun of making your own wreath it doesn't look like anything in the stores.  Time to bring out the romance for Valentine's Day, it is right around the corner.  

Sherry

I will join:

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sundays  at Sunny Simple Life

Share Your Cup Thursday  at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Cowgirl Up Party at Cedar Hill Ranch 

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 

An Important Decision

I really don't have an important decision.  I opened this book that I use for book page crafts to use as a backdrop for this photo and the chapter I opened it to was "An Important Decision."  It made me wonder how many people have been proposed to on Valentine's Day.  So that became the theme of my little scene here.  These are the first pictures with my new 50mm lens.  My other one broke after two years and I had to order a new one.  I will be back in business taking photos this week.  Meanwhile...I found some older pictures and collages that I loved and I thought I would re-post them.

Sherry

I will join:

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sundays  at Sunny Simple Life

Share Your Cup Thursday  at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Cowgirl Up Party at Cedar Hill Ranch 

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House 
Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Valentine's Tea

A cup of tea with a romantic setting for Valentine's Day.  My teacup is Old Britain Castles by Johnson Brothers. 

I can never get enough of this peach pink shade of roses.  It is one of my favorites.

Wishing everyone a fabulous day tomorrow!

 Sherry
 I will join:

Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life

Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage

Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites

Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations

Tea Party Tuesday  at Sweetology 

Tuesday Cuppa Tea  at Antiques and Teacups

Tea For Friends  at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life

Your Cozy Home Party  at Cozy Home Scenes

Flowers for You

source: Georgianna Lane via Sherry on Pinterest

source: Georgianna Lane via Sherry on Pinterest

source: florabellablog.com via Sherry on Pinterest

 source: Georgianna Lane via Sherry on Pinterest

source: fionaandtwig.blogspot.com via Sherry on Pinterest

source: bellasrosecottage.blogspot.com via Sherry on Pinterest

source: allthebeautifulthings.com  via Sherry on Pinterest

 source: vintagerosebrocante.tumblr.com via Sherry on Pinterest

Some virtual flowers for you for Valentine's Day!  Because you deserve something sweet!

  Sherry

I will link with:

Pinning and Singing Party with Natasha at 5 Minutes Just For Me
Valentine Link Party  at Dear Lillie

My song is The Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston

LoveFeast Win

I was recently the winner of a lovely Heartgram, which is a set of velvet plush pumpkins by the LoveFeast Life Shop.  I thought they would be perfect to show off for Valentine's Day.

They would look great sitting on your desk.  Thank you LoveFeast Life Shop they are adorable.
   Sherry

I will link with:

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper  

Show off Your Cottage Monday  at The House in the Roses  

Home Sweet Home #53

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!  I hope you get some sweet treats on Valentine's Day next week.

I am showing off some of my vintage German Valentines today.  I picked them up years ago for very little at a flea market.

Valentines Day wouldn't be complete without some roses.

Now, I would like to feature some posts that got my attention from last week's Home Sweet Home!  

Catherine of Freddy & Petunia transformed a storage piece into this stunning cottage style furniture.

Audrey at Timeless Treasures turned a mailbox into a Valentine Greetings Planter.

Bella at Bella's Rose Cottage had a lovely post on Groundhog's Day.  She mentions roses are never a bad idea.  I second that !

Being a cottage style fan I was most excited to see Betsy of Betsy Speert's Blog link up.  She is a designer that has been published in Traditional Homes and House Beautiful.  Her cottage style interiors show that cottage style can have a timelessness about it that will forever look good.  Featured here is a kitchen she did for Aeorsmith's bass guitarist Todd Hamilton and his wife Terry.

Anita of Far Above Rubies  shows off her English Cottage style kitchen. 

Thank you to all who join me at Home Sweet Home!   It is wonderful to have you here!

Sherry

I will join these ladies today:
 Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up with inlinkz you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or they will not allow you to link.  

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes!