Bookmark Tag and Foodie Friday

Today was a good day...I got the first little cucumber from my garden and the rest of the veggies are coming along well.  Yes, while the rest of you are raking leaves and pulling out your gardens, we in the tropical south are just beginning our growing season!  I may never get used to it.  It's actually still to warm for lettuces and parsley so I'll have to wait to plant those.

Did I remember to take a photo of my cucumber?  Of course not!  We put it in the Insalata we had for dinner.

I did some major cleaning in the studio today so today's project is a quick and easy one.  I'm planning on making some of these for the fall craft shows.

I have been on the hunt for some good manila tags.  The tags I found in the office supply stores were of so-so quality and I was afraid the hole wouldn't hold up to ribbon or tassels.  I finally found these:

Love them!  They have a smooth surface for stamping if I don't want to alter them and a reinforced hole.   I will have some of these in my Etsy shop.  They're too nice not to share.  :-)

My friend, Janet, showed me how to make these twisted bookmark tassels using cotton pearle embroidery floss.  They are super easy.

I found the directions here along with some easy instructions for tassels.

Supplies:

Paper - Manila tag, SEI Moonrise, SU Summer Sun

Ink - Versafine black, PTI Chai

Accessories - 1/8" ribbon, DMC #5 Embroidery floss, Glue Arts Ribbon glue

Now onto Foodie Friday!  DH had inventory this week.  He likes to treat the inventory team to homebaked goodies every year and they really look forward to it.  I usually make quick breads but this year, I decided to make our traditional holiday breakfast coffee cake.   I found the recipe years ago in a Pillsbury cookbook filled with yummy bread and breakfast goodies.

You can have this in the oven in less than 30 minutes!

Jewish Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Cake

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 t. vanilla

3 eggs

2 c. all purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/8 t. salt

1 cup sour cream

Filling and Topping

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 t. cinnamon

3 T. butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour 10 inch tube pan. 

In large bowl, cream sugar and butter; add vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.  Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Combine only until thoroughly blended.

Combine filling/topping ingredients.   Mix well.  Spread half of topping in pan.  Top with half of cake batter.

Sprinkle with remaining topping and cake batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.  Invert onto a large plate or cookie sheet, then again onto serving plate, streusel side up.

12-16 servings

Foodie Friday and One Layer Wednesday OLW23

How's that title for messing up your days of the week!  It's perfect for the kind of week I had this week...I actually had look on my computer for what day it was yesterday...I seem to have misplaced a couple of days this week...

Ok, as promised, here's your Foodie Friday treat.  Thought since I made you wait, I'd serve it before my card...after all, it's still warm!  Mmmmmm!

This is a simple and not too sweet Pineapple Cake.  A mere 20 minutes to mix up, 30-35 min. to bake and you've got a warm and yummy treat that's great for breakfast or dessert.  Who needs a mix when this cake is so super quick and easy.  Bet you have all the ingredients in your pantry right now.

Pineapple Cake

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temp.

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. chopped pecans

1 c. coconut (omit if you don't like it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13 x 9 baking pan; set aside.  Drain pineapple, reserving the juice.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds.  Add sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add eggs, beat until smooth.  Add flour and reserved pineapple juice, alternately beginning and ending with flour.  Beat at low speed just until combined.  (overbeating = tough cake)

Fold in pineapple with spatula.  Spread in prepared pan.

Combine brown sugar, pecans, and coconut.  Sprinkle over batter.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Serve warm.

Makes 12-16 servings.

Now here's my take on the One Layer Wednesday OLW23 Heavy Metal Challenge.  The challenge is to use metal on your card.  Thank goodness she didn't ask us to play an electric guitar..I'm so not musically gifted!  Darn it!

I just got these awesome SEI Moonrise Filigree Metal Accents in yesterday's mail...perfect for this challenge!  Is that leaf not gorgeous!?  There are 5 other beautiful coppery metal accents included. 

I scored 5 lines down the left side then ran a strip of copper sequined border that I picked up at JoAnn's awhile back on clearance.  The sentiment is PTI First Fruits stamped in Dew Drops Brilliance Cosmic Copper ink.

Heavy metal indeed!

Gotta run, my cake is getting cold!!

                 

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

                                    

                                                  

Not exactly a card but close enough.  I love the colors from the Off The Wall Craftiness challenge #27 this week! (OTWC#27) Aqua, cream and brown are some of my favorite colors.  May Arts Ribbon is sponsoring the challenge this week!   

One of my favorite paper packs is Dill Blossom by SEI and I knew it would be perfect for this challenge.  This paper pack has a beautiful linen finish...love it!  The notebook is also cream and brown so I added a strip of the paper to match it up as well.  I tied everything up with a length of gorgeous May Arts brown satin ribbon .  I can't decide whether or not to leave the ribbon/button on the pen.  What do you think?

Challenges:  the first SEI link party (How cool is that!?)

Sew Many Challenges - Anything Goes (they're also looking for some new DT members.  If you're interested, the info is at this link as well.

Thanks so much for stopping by...I appreciate your comments a bunch!