Did We Really Need 5 Minute Chocolate Cake??

I received an email this morning from one of my High School classmates and thought instantly that is would make for a fun post. I have to mention that this classmate is a guy. If that isn't cool enough, he just married for the first time at age 51!!! He is as happy as anyone I have ever known and I guess he decided now that he's married he can let his figure go! Just kidding, Randy. Anyway, here ya go-

5 Minute Chocolate Cake for One

4 tbsp. Flour

4 tbsp. Sugar

2 tbsp. Cocoa
1 Egg

3 tbsp. Milk

3 tbsp. Oil

2 tbsp. Choco Chips (opt.)

Small splash of Vanilla

1 Lg. Microwave safe Coffee Mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add egg and mix thoroughly.

Add milk and oil and mix again.

Place mug in microwave and cook on high for 3 minutes.

The cake will rise over edge of cup-don't be alarmed.

Cool.

You can tip it out onto a plate if you like.

Eat and enjoy!

If you are feeling generous, you can share with a loved one.

My personal addition would be a little whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

And I ask one more time...DID WE REALLY NEED THIS!!?? sigh.....

Just In Time For Spring.....

...a little Bumble Bee!!!! This is Patsy Cline (the dog, not the singer) and you don't have to look too closely to see that she was not loving her little outfit. But you have to admit she looks good in antennae.

Has the Dauphin Deflowered the Dauphine Yet?

A very funny line in the movie "Marie Antoinette". One must picture this proper gentleman- satin breeches, ruffled shirt, powdered and curled wig and having had maybe one too many celebratory cocktails- leaning in with an attempted whisper to speak these words to another slightly inebriated fellow. It makes it funnier yet when you realize that these were times when everything was so very prim and fussy. I watched the movie again this afternoon and just sighed as I was taken to a place where every single thing in a room, including the people, were embellished to the max. With all the interest of late in Marie, the movie just needed to be viewed one more time. "But it's not historically accurate" Well, folks, I think that ship sailed with the scene a few minutes in being enveloped in the music of Bow Wow Wow and Atom and the Ants. It may not have been a history lesson, but it was surely some great eye-candy. Speaking of eye-candy-if you have seen this flick, you may remember a short scene where the tea Marie poured blossomed into a lovely flower. You can get the same type of tea here. I purchased a sweet little kit right after viewing Marie for the first time.

One of the little things we can do to make ourselves feel more royal and pampered. If by chance you have yet to see the movie, I suggest it. Preferably on one of those days when you really need an extra dose of fluff and fanfare.

Adventures In Jewelry Land

I have been working heartily on making jewelry the past few weeks. As I mentioned earlier, I notice with my artsy endeavors that I go in phases. I may be very involved in paper arts today and tomorrow the jewelry findings and stones will call my name. The process for jewelry is much the same as for any other undertaking except for one thing-when I am creating a piece of jewelry, I nearly always have someone in mind when I start. Many times I end up with something that I will make more than once, but the original thought is usually for one particular person. These pieces were made for my Mom last Christmas when I was feeling especially sentimental and missing my Grandparents

I was very fortunate to know my Grandparents from both sides while growing up. In fact, my Maternal Grandparents were alive well into my 30s. This little ornament was made with a photo of them, taken in the 1970s. This is a soldered piece accented with flat-backed crystals and topped with a bow. I pictured it on my Mom's Christmas tree.This is my Maternal Great-Grandfather, Virgil. I was 3 years old when he passed away, but I have a very slight memory of him. Handsome guy???

Here he is again. And meet my Maternal Great-Grandmother, Ethel. She was alive until I was 20 years old. Grandma was quite a spirited woman with many wonderful stories about her heartiness. She actually built a house from the foundation up and had an article about the undertaking in the newspaper of the town they lived in. While this was an amazing feat, it was just one of many, many stories about Grandma. You hear it said that certain people are ahead of their time, and I believe she truly was one of those people. She was an advocate for equality long before it was fashionable to be such and she promoted it not by being loud and all-knowing, but by living her life with passion and not allowing others to determine her ability.

This is a two-sided pendant which was made the same as above and finished off with some wire-wrapping techniques. I had just taken my first wire-wrapping class and I see now that all things improve with time! LOL!!!! I finished it by building a necklace with copper and bronze colored beads.

Bejeweled Bedazzled & Feathered?

I have noticed a trend of late towards all things bird and nest. I have never really had a passion for birds, but even I have been drawn to the sweet little nests and things that are showing in so much of the artwork right now. I have seen many different versions of jewelry with the bird theme and really wanted to make myself a necklace that I had envisioned. So many times when my mind's eye sees something of this sort I end up putting it off until I forget it, but this has been gnawing, so here it is:I started with a coil of 18 ga. silver wire and just kept coiling it until I had a nest that pleased me. I added freshwater pearls for the eggs and a bird charm at the bottom. I have already worn it a couple of times and I love it! As is nearly alway the case when I make something I really like, I couldn't stop and ended up making a few more. One is earmarked for a friend of mine in Denver and I have plans for some of the others.
I go through phases in my creating. I am definitely in a jewelry phase right now and have decided I want to be a part of an art charm swap. I have a friend who participated in one where they made 50 charms. What a lot of work, but what fun would it be to get that parcel in the mail??? I have been sketching tons of ideas and will post them here as I get them done. Who knows...maybe by the time I actually get to do a swap I will be ahead of the game and have them done!