Cookies for Easter

It's that time of the year again when I get to bake these cookies....

Before baking

Even if I've made them in different moulds many times now, the outcome never ceases to fascinate me! The details are just amazing!

After baking

Springerle cookies differ from most cookies as it uses baker's ammonia as the leavening agent.  (Baker's ammonia was the primary leavening agent used before baking soda and baking powder came to being. ) They have to be air-dried for about 24 hours before baking in order to keep the integrity of their design and are baked at quite a low temperature, resulting in a white cookie.  They are soft and cakey, rather than crisp or crunchy. They are traditionally flavoured with anise but since I don't like anise, I use vanilla extract as flavouring instead.

Springerle moulds are quite expensive and hard to find here in Australia. I have 7 of them now but I bought them one at a time over the course of three years 😉. I only make these cookies for special occasions like Christmas and Easter.

Last October, when two of my kids flew to the US to attend their cousin's wedding in NY, I sent over these...

I made sure I packed the cookies really, really well so they would make it to the US intact! Thankfully, they did!

Last Christmas season, I sent another batch overseas, this time to my family in the Philippines.  My brother, who also lives here in Melbourne, went home for another brother's 60th birthday.

If you would like to learn how to make springerle cookies, HERE is where I learned to make them from.  You can find a lot of moulds online especially in the US.  One of my favourite shops to get them from is this Etsy shop. In Australia, I found some here. I hope you will be encouraged to try them!

I wish you all a blessed and meaningful Holy Week. May you experience Christ's glorious Resurrection and be filled with true Easter Joy all the days of your life!



PS.  I have listed another four "Cakes from the Heart" softcover books in my Etsy.  As these copies were printed before the error on the Yema Cake page was discovered, I will be sending the corrected PDF along with the book. Anyone interested, just head on over to my shop!

One last backpack (and some printed books for sale!)

{If you aren't interested to read about the backpack (again) then feel free to scroll down to the bottom for some news on the printed "Cakes from the Heart" book I am selling.}

So...I'm back again with one last backpack.  As I've mentioned the other day, I was going to make another bag, this time, for an adult.  I am actually giving this to my soon-to-be 22 years old niece for her birthday in March.  I noticed she was more into fabric drawstring and/or tote bags than leather bags so I thought this would be a perfect present for her 😄.

The fabric is again a Japanese cotton duck.  The skulls are actually shiny, metallic gold in person.  When I first saw this fabric at Spotlight, I knew straightaway that this would make a great bag for my niece.

The lining is again a pre-quilted fabric, this time in black.  

Unfortunately, I made a mistake in cutting the fabric pieces for the side pockets, so instead of them being elasticized, I had to make do with simple slip pockets 😭.  They're alright, I guess, but I was a little disappointed nonetheless.

I ran out of polyester webbing so I just made the fabric straps.  They turned out well and coordinated with the black plastic sliders.

I am so pleased with the three backpacks that I made and I certainly loved the time I spent sewing them, even it meant late nights for me! I probably will pack up my sewing machine for now (or if I can be bothered, I might just make small zippered bags and/or wristlets out of the excess fabrics before doing so!).

Ok, so now for some news on the printed book.  I recently ordered three more softcover copies from Blurb as they were discounted again.  I have now listed them on my Etsy shop.  The price is still much lower than the selling price over at Blurb but higher than the first time I listed printed books on Etsy because my price depends on how much I got them for (meaning how much discount I received). If you are interested in purchasing a copy, you can do so here.

Have a good week!

Frosted Heaven eBook on Etsy

Just dropping by quickly to let everyone know that the Frosted Heaven eBook is now available in my Etsy shop. To those from the EU member countries that have been interested to get the eBook but couldn't because of the VAT issue, here now is your chance.  Etsy takes care of adding the VAT to the total purchase price!  This is an instant download and unlike before where problems downloading occurred rather frequently, I do not foresee any difficulties with Etsy.

I am really hoping I could get some time off from my super hectic life to work on a second recipe book.  It's been a long time coming!  The ideas are all there but how to squeeze working on them into everything else that is going on in my life, I really don't know! Fingers crossed, maybe before the year ends?  We'll see!

A Baptism and Some Rosary Bracelets

I had the opportunity to make a baptismal cake this past weekend for the most adorable baby boy.

I really wanted buttercream roses to adorn the front of the cake but I was so tired after having done 3 other birthday cakes earlier that I couldn't do them anymore.  I think though that the simplicity of this cake is what made it more beautiful :) so I'm glad I stopped when I did.

Along with this cake, I also volunteered to make cards and keepsakes for the occasion. 

I did these a week in advance so I actually designed the cake to match them. 

See that beanie the baby is wearing in the photo? Here's a closer look at my cake topper.

Cute, right?

I printed out the cards myself and also handmade the one decade cord rosaries.  The acrylic beads and crucifixes have been in my (almost) forgotten rosary-making stash for ages and it's a good thing I got to use up a lot of them for this purpose. Except for the nylon cord, I didn't spend on anything else.

In the process of making these giveaways, I discovered that I still had a lot of beads and other materials for rosaries.  So I started putting together bracelets for no specific reason and before I even knew it, I already finished a whole bunch!

It's been a long time since I stopped selling rosaries online but I figured since I already had all these bracelets made, there's really no harm in trying again. If you are interested to have one so you can use them for prayer anytime, anywhere, I have them listed in my Etsy shop. I might make some car rosaries as well since I still have a lot of the brown wood beads left.

If you can't have my cakes because you are in the other side of the world, maybe you'd want to own something else created by me?  You can't eat it but you can keep it forever and ever!

Have a good week!

Look!

... at what I recently got in the mail!

Printed copies of my book!  I ordered a few to send to my family. One copy is for my aunties, to whom I dedicated the book. Only 2 out of the 5 sisters are remaining and my aunt, the baker, is already 89 years old. I am excited for her to know how she has passed on the love of baking to me.  

I wish I could have more copies printed out but the cost is just too much.  Even with the least expensive option - softcover and standard paper, it is still very pricey.  The book quality is alright but I find the photos, including the cover, rather dark.  (It is not really as bright as it appears in the photo above.)  Overall though, I am still very happy to see my hard work published and bound :).

Last Saturday, it was my youngest son's Confirmation.  I chose to make him an old-fashioned chocolate cake.  I had the book open while I was making it, just to make sure I was doing everything according to instructions!

I reckon I did a fairly accurate job!

Many people are asking me for the recipe of this particular cake.  Unfortunately, I cannot share it here as I had already indicated before that it will only be shared in the book.  Only fair to those who have already purchased it, right?

If anyone wishes to get the printed book instead of the eBook, the BLURB BOOKSTORE is offering a 20% discount till the end of September. Just enter the code SEPTEMBER20PERCENT at the checkout.  Otherwise, you can get the eBook from here, if you haven't done so already. 

Enjoy the rest of the week!

The Frosted Heaven eBook is here!

Someone once told me that the recipes on this blog make Filipinos all over the world "closer to home".  Isn't that such a nice thing to know?  When I first posted the Ube Macapuno cake recipe, I never expected such a huge response.  That inspired me to post more recipes.  I have lost count of how many people I have corresponded with because of the recipes - some had one-off questions but some had gone further and formed friendships with me, even just through constant exchanges of emails.

Not too long ago, I took a break from selling cakes.  In my down time, I thought of working on compiling my recipes into a book.  As it is, I have a lot of my recipes scribbled in different sheets, scattered in different parts of our house.  The more used ones have been stuck in the fridge door for years!  I thought it would be a great idea to have something concrete to pass on to my children, just in case they would be interested in baking in the future.  Another thought was to share them to the rest of the world, in particular, to those who have faithfully followed me through the years, trying one recipe after another, sharing cake photos, and giving me feedback or telling me of their experiences.

So finally, I finished it!  An eBook containing the most popular chiffon cake recipes from this blog PLUS more new ones.

Front cover

I am very happy with the way the book turned out.  It does look like it was very professionally-made.  In the near future, I will have this printed into an actual book.  But for now, the eBook will suffice.

To see a preview of the eBook, for more information about it and how to purchase it, please click here or on the image link at the sidebar.

Here's hoping for your kind support.  Please help me spread the word! Thank you!

Pattern testing complete!

Three out of four, at least.  I don't know what happened to the fourth tester.  After an initial email, I didn't hear from her again. Oh well.

Here are the finished bags of the ladies who so kindly volunteered for the job (and finished it!).

From Jenny

From Mimi

From Susan

Aren't those lovely?

I've already done a number of patterns/eBooks and tutorials before but this was the very first time I've had my pattern tested by someone else.  What did I learn from this experience?

First of all, the comments and suggestions from these ladies were very helpful.  There were a few steps and photos that I wouldn't have thought of fixing up had they not told me to do so.  Overall, they did find the instructions clear and detailed and the photos very useful (which is a relief for me!).  If you've ever bought any of my patterns or tried any tutorial on this site, you would surely know that I do not skimp on photos!

What I would probably try do the next time around is have a pattern tested by people I actually know.  Like my friends here perhaps, or my sister in-law (who lives in the next suburb), or mums from my kids' schools. That way, as they sew, they can ask me and show me their work personally.  It would definitely be easier to explain things especially when something is unclear or when something goes wrong.  Sometimes, it is very hard to communicate via email alone and misunderstanding results from it.

Anyway, I am just about ready to release this eBook on "How to make a Cosmetic/Make-up Bag".  This 34-page eBook includes patterns for two bag sizes and aside from instructions on how to sew the bag, I've also added instructions on how to make your own bias binding tape.  It will be available shortly in my Etsy Shop and also on Simple Things.

Thank you once again to Jenny, Mimi and Susan.  Thank you for taking time out from your busy life to help me out.  Hope you learned something from me as I have from you.

A wallet and a pouch

What a tiring couple of days I had.  Apart from the usual things, I had to make a cake plus cupcakes for a birthday.  Baking is fun but it always becomes a bit stressful for me when I am getting paid for it.  I have come down with a cold and have a slight toothache as well.  But here's something that has brightened my weekend inspite...I have a new wallet!

I've been needing to make a new one and have been procrastinating for a while now.  So yay, I'm happy I finally got it done. 

I used my own long wallet pattern, but since it's been a long time since I last made a wallet like this, I had to bring out my print-out of the instructions!

 

I totally love this owl fabric but am a little worried it will get dirty right away.

I had some leftover fabric from the two fat quarters I used and found inspiration over at Pink Penguin's to make a patchwork zippered pouch.  I didn't use her tutorial though since I am already used to my own way of sewing up a pouch like this...

How cute is that?

I skipped the strap because the pouch turned out a little bigger than I originally wanted it to be.  The finished size is about 6 1/4" (H) by 8 1/4" (W). 

I know my son wouldn't use this for his DSi XL (though it's certainly a perfect fit), thus I have decided to list this on my Etsy shop instead.  I don't usually sell the things I sew, so here's your chance.  If you're interested to have it, just head on over here!

Hope you all have a great week ahead!

New eBook and GIVEAWAY!

Yes...I made another one of my pretty toilet paper roll cozies. This is very similar to the first one but I would say, is a much improved version. The size is more exact and also, it is sturdier because I had lined it with cotton batting. This way, it would hold its shape and won't collapse as the toilet paper is being used up.

I took pictures as I sewed. For whatever it's worth, I went ahead, laboured, and made the pattern and instructions for it. I personally think the cozy is a pretty neat idea, though I am unsure if many people will be interested in making one for themselves. It is really just one of those simple, functional things that I love creating.

To come up with one standard size for the cozy, I had to look at the different brands available in our local supermarket. I found that as far as sheet size is concerned, the Australian standard appears to be 11 cm by 10 cm (about 4.3" by 3.9"). However, different brands had various number of sheets per roll and also there's one-ply, two-ply and even three-ply. The main difference, I think though, lies on the thickness of the paper because this ultimately determines the total volume of the whole roll. For instance, the inexpensive supermarket brand with 210 sheets and thin paper had less volume than the more expensive kind with extra thick paper and only 180 sheets.

In the end, I decided to settle with the Kleenex brand. I figured, this was a brand that most likely existed worldwide. Its size and volume is also comparable to most of the other good-quality brands I saw. Having said that, I am quite certain the cozy will fit any regular, standard-sized toilet paper roll out there, whether it's Kleenex or not.

The eBook is finished and is now listed in my shops, here and here.

For a chance to win a FREE copy of this new eBook, just leave a comment below. Sign up to be a follower if you aren't one yet. And please do not forget to include your name, as well as a way to contact you (email, blog, etc) in case you win. Entries close on Sunday, the 22nd Wednesday, the 25th. Winner will be announced the following day, Monday, the 23rd Thursday, the 26th. Hope you can all join, thanks!

In the past week...

...I got my first cake order! Was reluctant at first to accept because I was afraid I would stuff it up.  It was for my sister in-law's niece, who, for her 17th birthday, only asked for one thing...a soft and light chocolate cake. As most cakes in the shops here are heavy and super rich mud cakes, my sister in-law thought of asking me to bake for her.

So glad I did...I was super pleased with how the cake turned out and I got great positive feedback from those who feasted on it!

I love the flowers (but honestly, I don't even know what those are supposed to be!).

Yesterday, it was my eldest son's 16th birthday.  Naturally, I had to make a birthday cake for him as well.  It's much harder to do one for a boy, isn't it?  I couldn't put flowers in even if I wanted to...

I opted to design the cake with his favourite NBA team in mind, the Orlando Magic! (I had to promise my other son I would make him a Lakers cake come his birthday.)

Got the team logo off the internet and printed contact print sizes to make those little flags!

I do think I am getting better with cake decorating.  Still amateurish, but considering the fact that all my skills are self-taught, I should be pretty happy with myself...

In the sewing front this time...I managed to sew another digital camera cozy.

 

The Hello Kitty fabric is way cute!

A nice finishing touch is this little red bow button.

The new eBook and pattern for this digital camera cozy is now available here and here.  You might wonder how I was able to complete that one so fast.  After already writing up many tutorials in the past, the process really does get easier.   There are no complicated steps in this particular project so I encourage all those with boring camera cases to give the pattern a try!

Before I end, let me just leave with you with this music video of my current favourite song.  Puts me in a good mood everytime, just like the people in the video!