Too Many Magazines

Normally, I'm not a magazine reader. (Scratch that, I'm never a magazine reader. I'd say I'm more of a magazine looker-atter.) I like to look through them and pour over the wonderful crafts & pictures, but I don't know that I've ever read an article. I don't even buy them that often. That being said, I find that lately I've acquired a few more magazines than usual so I have to share a few of them with you. (At least I'm getting some use out of them this way.)

The first is "Sew Hip", a new sewing magazine from the UK. It just arrive the other day and it's quite nice. There's an interview with our sewing hero, Amy Butler. Tons of great patterns and lots of nice photos too. I pre-ordered my issue from the Sew Hip website. If you go to this page, you can order a copy for yourself.

What's cool: There's a whole page dedicated to Etsy sellers! It's a nice magazine, but I simply can't afford the international pricetag. Perhaps they'll carry it at my local ginormous book stores. I will definitely pick one up when I'm in the UK again.

Magazine #2 "Holiday Crafts", an impulse buy at the checkstand. Perfect! This one is from Better Homes and Gardens and it's just crammed with adorable craft ideas for the holidays.

I find it hard to resist a cute snowman project. What else could I put a cozy on? hmmm I'm thinking Gadget Snowmen for next year.

If I received a gift with one of these guys on it, I'm not sure I'd even want to open it. What could be better? haha Anyway, I highly recommend this magazine if you're looking for some crafty ideas. It's really great.

Last on my list today is Martha Stewart's holiday isuue. It's all about making a handmade Christmas. I'm not known for being a big fan of Martha, but I do love her "stuff". Or the stuff in her books & magazines, that is. However, I'll admit I was disappointed in the projects in this magazine. It's just not my cup of tea and I wish I'd taken the time to look through it before I bought it. You might love it though. To each his own, right?

I'm not saying there's nothing in it for me, just not enough that I'll ever look through it again. I do like the idea of snowflake shaped marshmallows. My guess is that Martha expects me to make my own darned marshmallows and then cut them into cute shapes. In my spare time. Right. Don't count your snowflakes till they've fallen.

There are tons of great magazines on the racks this time of year, tell me which ones you've found.

Quantum of Sadness

I'm afraid I'm not a Bond fan, but I'll be seeing the film today. If it wasn't for Daniel Craig, I don't think I could do it at all. Someone please bring your husband over for a play date so I can stay home.

Away for the Weekend

This past weekend Nick and I went to visit our friends who hosted our wedding back in April. It was nice to see them and to be back in such a special place. I love that they still have the wreath on the door from the wedding. So pretty!


We spent an afternoon wandering through some shops in Mariposa, a small town about 30 minutes away. I was most interested in the kitties hanging out by Chocolate Soup.


On our way home we stopped at the biggest outdoor shop I've ever seen. It was amazing. At the entrance we walked through a giant tree and there were taxidermy animals all over. It was really neat, and Carnaby had a great time too.


It wasn't all fun & relaxing. I got lots of new monkeys made while we were away. Better get busy with my camera and get these guys into the shop.

Two Spoonfuls: Pumpkin Season!

One day, Ginny said to Jenn: "Let's do a cooking blog post." A flurry of emails later, Two Spoonfuls was born!

We are two creative gals who became friends through our mutual love of fabric and sewing. Now, we're bringing our energy and style into the kitchen, trying new recipes, re-vamping old favorites and sharing them with you.

We'll use familiar ingredients to create dishes that are flavorful and easy to prepare, while adding our own helpful tips, bits of kitchen wisdom, and a little food history too. The recipes we share will be practical, with easy gourmet touches.

Look for Two Spoonfuls recipe recommendations: always in time for a weekend, to share with your family and friends.

For the first installment of Two Spoonfuls we're going to make some yummy pumpkin recipes...I made a Spiced Pumpkin Cake.

You know those cool cake pans you can get that look like something? I mean something other than a traditional cake, something cool like a giant cupcake or a beehive? Yeah, well I love those fancy cake pans. A few years ago, before I moved to the UK, I bought The Great Pumpkin Pan from Williams Sonoma. They don't carry it any more, but you can buy it direct from Nordic Ware. Did you know that Nordic Ware invented the Bundt Pan in 1950? That's so cool - I love Bundt pans too (I've got this one)!

The Great Pumpkin Pan is cast-aluminum and it's fantastic. Cast-Aluminum pans are said to distribute the heat evenly and this one is also nonstick. The cakes just fell right out, amazing!


I decided that I'd try out the recipe that came with the pan, you can download it here. I like to get all of my ingredients out and measured before I begin following the steps of a recipe. This one has a ton of ingredients but I think it was worth the effort. Even Nick loves this cake and he says he's not a huge pumpkin fan (though, secretly I think he is).


I found the directions pretty easy to follow, even though I'm a novice mixer operator. I made a huge effort to distribute my batter evenly in each side of the pan, but there was still some trimming required. The best thing about the trimming: we were able to give the cake a taste test before I take it with us to visit friends today. hehe

There were 3 photos of the cake along with the recipe and none of them impressed me as far as decoration goes. I decided in the end that with a cake this sugary and dense, I don't need frosting. I just sifted a little snow (powdered sugar) on top and added a few leaves from the tree in front of my house. I'm so glad I finally got a chance to make a cake with my fancy pumpkin pan. I'm sure it'll be a hit with our friends, it's delicious.

Ginny's Notes:
1. It took me all afternoon to make this recipe, mostly because of the number of ingredients. This isn't a last minute cake and you might have to do a bit of shopping to make it.

2. I over floured the pan and ended up with some unsightly edges on the pumpkin halves. Generously grease, lightly flour.

3. The recipe calls for walnuts. I left the nuts out because Nick's allergic and I'm opposed to nuts "in things". If you want to try something other than nuts, I recommend chocolate chips. They'd be delicious with this rich cake.

4. If you don't have a fancy pan, try making this cake as a Bundt. If you have some batter leftover, make a few cupcakes too. They'd make a nice addition to a packed lunch.

Now, lets stop in at Jenn's to sample her pumpkin bread pudding!