Mirabelle, a Forest Elf

Introducing Mirabelle... a forest elf with delightfully pointed ears!

My favorite buttermilk pancakes... quick and easy and healthy too!

My kids LOVE pancakes and waffles. After a bit of trial and error, I have come up with a buttermilk pancake/waffle mix that works for us! One batch of mix will last us for a month or two and it is super quick to make into healthy, yummy pancakes (or waffles).  By healthy, I actually mean a compromise between ALL whole wheat and ALL white flour. The best of both worlds, in my opinion.  The important part is that everyone in my family loves to eat them. You can adjust the ratio of white and wheat flours to your own taste. I plan to keep increasing the white whole wheat flour gradually over time, but let's keep that between you and me!

My secret ingredient is called "white whole wheat flour".  King Arthur flour sells it and it can be purchased fairly easy to find now in many common supermarkets (or you can always order it directly from them online). I actually grind my own to save on costs, but I have used their flour as well. This type of wheat has a lighter color and texture compared to other whole wheat flours (which are actually ground from red wheat, as opposed to white wheat), but it has the same nutritional content - yippee!

Here is my recipe for about 10 cups of buttermilk pancake mix:
5 cups all purpose flour
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal (adds some nice texture and flavor)
3/4 cup sugar
2 T baking powder
1.5 T baking soda
1 T salt

Here is how you get pancakes by using the mix:
1 cup dry mix (from above)
1 egg
1+ cup buttermilk (may need to add more to get the texture you like)
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T melted butter or oil (for waffles, be sure to use the oil)

Combine the above ingredients by mixing gently*. Do not overmix!!! Cook on a frying pan or a waffle maker, as desired.

*I have a favorite hand mixing tool called a danish whisk.  I purchased mine from King Arthur Flour, and have also given them as gifts.  They are fabulous for mixing thoroughly, but gently, which is necessary for good pancakes, muffins, cakes, etc. They can also handle really heavy doughs, like bread and cookies. Amazing!

Enjoy!!!

My latest dolls...

Hello! I have been so focused on making dolls lately, that I have not been posting to my blog! I recently completed a large 18" custom dolly in wonderful shades of deep purple, lavender and blue. I love the contrast of the dark shades with the lighter shades.

I have also been playing around with different patterns for smaller "pocket" dolls. 

This little 7 inch dolly has freckles and BIG blue eyes.  I had fun with adding little features, like dimples on her knees as well as a belly button and little defined bum cheeks.  For her dress, I used some very pretty cotton lace trim and used up some extra fabric for a ruffled bubble dress.  I made her booties with super soft angora blend yarn.

This one is a bit larger (8 inches) and is very cuddly. Her velour skin is so soft and feels great on your cheek. She has little curly boucle mohair braids peaking out from her cap!

I am spending a lot of time dreaming up some plans for a woodland elf (complete with pointy ears) and a butterfly girl! I love dolls with wings and have been doing lots of research to find the best method to get the type of wings I want to make. Hope to have them completed soon to show you!


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Chocolate bunny, anyone?

This chocolate bunny was so fun to make! She is 16 inches tall, but much more slender than my standard doll pattern. Her "fur" is actually an upcycled cashmere blend sweater and is quite soft and fluffy! I stuffed her body softly to give her a very floppy posture. Her bunny ear hat is removable and she has a brushed mohair cap.  Totally delicious! Have a wonderful weekend!

Jessica's Story

Jessica is a beautiful doll who can sit very well, but cannot walk or even really stand up.  She began as a test pattern for an infant baby style of doll.  I learned a lot about how the fabric that is used for the skin will behave quite differently when it is cut on the bias. Instead of the chubby infant legs I was expecting, they stretched out long and thin when they were filled with wool.  Rather like a young girl's legs instead of a young baby. Except the legs are bent in such a way that does not really allow for standing.

 Even though her legs are not quite right for a young girl or for an infant, but something in between, I felt compelled to finish this doll. So, I made a dress for her with a beautiful vintage lace trim and polka dot pants with matching trim. And I put my Roses And Cream logo on the bottom of her foot with my new stamp and fabric ink. Cute!

Her hair is made with a lovely soft yarn in the colors of the sunset.

I am hoping to find a home for her where she will be loved, so I am planning to set up a giveaway for her from my facebook fan page when I reach 200 likes on my page! Please visit my page at http://www.facebook.com/rosesandcreamstudio and consider pressing that "like" button to help me reach my goal. Then watch for the chance to win Jessica!

Linen tea bags for dolly tea parties

Hello! I made these little tea bags the other day for my daughter to use for her pretend tea parties.  I took a few photos as I went along to share how I made them, in case any of you want to make your own! Please excuse the photo quality - I was just snapping some quick photos in progress and did not have the best lighting at the time.



I decided to make 8 tea bags (with 4 different tag fabrics). I used linen for the body of the tea bags and some little cotton prints for the tags. Cut two pieces of linen for each bag, and one piece of cotton for the tag (make these pieces twice as long as your finished tag because this piece will be folded). For the "string" part to attach the tag to the bag, I used silk ribbon. I also used a bit of wool batting to stuff the tea bag and add a bit of dimension, but that is really optional.





Place your silk ribbon between two tea bag pieces (like a ribbon sandwich), so that it will be caught in the seam when you sew the pieces together. I left an opening along the bottom edge to turn it all right- side out after sewing around the outside of the tea bag pieces.



After sewing and turning the piece, I put a tiny amount of wool batting in the bag and tucked in the edges of the part that was left open. I sewed a top stitch line around the edge of the tea bag for decoration and stability, which also closed the hole at the bottom edge.


Then I folded the tag fabric in half, with right sides together and sewed two of the edges, leaving one edge open to attach the ribbon. I did not get a photo of this part. I turned the tag right-side out and tucked the edges of the open side in and also slid the end of the ribbon in the opening. A top stitch secured the ribbon and closed the opening. This part was a bit fiddly with the tiny parts. I may make bigger tags next time!


Now, find your favorite cup, pop in your teabag, put the (pretend) kettle on, and have a tea party! Enjoy!

Sweet Timothy

I have created my first boy doll.  His face has extra chubby cheeks from a new technique that I tried where you needle felt additional wool on the face after you create the initial round shape for the head.  I felt that his face shape reminded me a bit of a hobbit, so I gave him some soft curly hair and rather large feet! This little sweetie has stolen my heart!