MBOI Makin the Best of It Chainmaille Jewelry

When landing in MBOI's shop, (sister shop to http://MakintheBestOfIt.etsy.com) I could not help being pulled in by the clear, dazzling pictures of chainmaille necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

Sterling silver, copper, and steel rings are joined together to make exquisite works of art, which happen to double as body jewelry.

Did you know that Byzantine Chains, with their rope-like texture, originated in an ancient Roman civilization during the Middle Ages? This style of chain is actually named after its origins, the Byzantine Empire.

Back then, Byzantine chains were used as a way to show status. Today, you can wear yours to express your taste for things interesting and unique.

Andrew, the shop owner offers endless possibilities with his hand coiled, saw cut metals.

Whether you'd prefer something you see in his shop in a different metal, length, or even want to create something unique to you, he is definitely the artisan you want to go to for your next chainmaille piece.

Have a handmade Christmas with chainmaille gifts from MBOI - gifts for mom, girlfriend, wife or sister!

Homemade Lemon Cake

I have got to show you all this cake I made for my mother. Her birthday was on the 22nd, but she was away on that day, so I made it for her on Friday. We had a bit of company over Friday night, so there were plenty of tasters and opinions.

I had not made a cake from scratch since, if I remember correctly, the first grade. It's an awesome and quite simple memory for me that goes like this:

One day, I brought home a recipe for cake from school and my mother was so interested that she was willing to make it with me. And so we did!

I chose this recipe because it's pretty simple. Although it calls for all-purpose flour, I really wanted to use cake flour (because I'm SO looking forward to starting Culinary school - I'll be studying baking- in February.)

That's a long time to wait, so I think I'll get back into baking again while I look forward to starting that new adventure.

Anywho- to substitute cake flour in for all-purpose flour, all you have to do is add 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of flour.

The recipe called for 1 1/2 cup AP flour, so I used 1 12/2 cup cake flour plus 3 tablespoons of the good stuff.

My son helped me with this, doing the measuring and some of the stirring. It was just an all around great thing to do.

Now... I don't know what it is about the taste, but I didn't dig it. Every one else did (except for my son, of course)

It was the consistency of a box cake- Nice and fluffy, but not too much so, and according to the reviews on the recipe, which can be found here, it tasted more like wedding cake than birthday cake.

I thought, GREAT!

I el oh vee ee wedding cake, this is going to be so awesome!

To me, it tasted like a really fluffy cakey biscuit. I cut the cake in have to make it 2-layered and put some of the lemon cream on the inside, too

But every one else loved it, so it is what it is.

I'm going to attempt a good ole down home 7up cake next, something that is more my style. Wish me luck!

1000Markets, Here I Come!

So, I've decided to take the 1000Markets plunge. I just love the way the site looks and the fact that not just any one can sell there. (although the process is a bit much, it's all good.)

I'm still waiting for my shop to be approved, but I have no doubt that it will.
Until then, I've been browsing the site and have decided to put together a spotlight of things that welcome fall - Enjoy =-)

You Better Check Yourself!

I am super excited to tell you all about my plan to help promote breast cancer awareness!

Last month, I decided that I wanted to do something to help celebrate and contribute to Breast Cancer Awareness. The plan was to make something pink and donate what ever was left after shipping and covering supplies to help get the word out about breast cancer, what we can do to catch it early, and to give hope to those who have via the Susan G. Komen website - http://ww5.komen.org/. But after chatting with a friend, I learned that her sister is a survivor who runs in a race for the cure. Michelle (Glass Identites) is already donating portions of her sales to her sister's camp. In order to be able to run, the entrant or orginization has to have raised at least $1,000 for the campain. I'm not sure where she is or how much she has to go (will let you know when I find out) but I've always wanted to do something like that, but never have the right timing or connections.

SO, rather than go to the Susan G. Komen site to donate, I'm going to give my donation to Michelle's sister so that she can run for us.

You can find my donation items in the "For the Cause" section of my studio.

When the month began, I sat and thought about how I had been affected by breast cancer. After a bit of thinking, I decided that I've been lucky enough to not have been affected by it at all.

But when I layed down to go to sleep, my eyes popped open with the memory of a lady that I knew only as Dee. I wasn't very old when she was around...probably 4 or 5. I remember tagging along with my aunt to see her friend. I remember her asking her how she was and her mentioning that 'she wasn't thinking about that titty'. She was glad it was gone, I'm sure. Dee had had a mastectomy.

She was an older woman, and her house was kind of dark in the inside. Like there were no over head lights, only lamps. She was a nice lady who I really never knew and who died as a result of having breast cancer. But I do still remember her.

So, what is it exactly?

"Definition of breast cancer: Cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk). It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare."

(Definition taken from the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Homepage)

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There are things that we can do to keep people in our lives longer, and to make sure that we ourselves are around to see the day when _____.

Did you know that

• the older a woman, the more likely she is to get breast cancer?
• white women are more likely to get breast cancer than women of any other racial or ethnic group?
• African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women?
• men can get breast cancer, although it is rare? Less than one of every 100 cases of breast cancer in the U.S. occurs in men.
• in 2008, it is estimated that men will account for 1,990 cases of breast cancer?

Check yourself.

Encourage your loved ones to check themselves.

Talk about it.

And please remember that women aren't the only ones affected by breast cancer. Men get it too, so tell them to check themselves as well!

Here is an interactive tool which teaches us how to perform self check exams properly:

http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/InteractiveTools.html

Random Love

So, Lanee's Crochet's Summer Sale is over - Thanks to every one who stopped by to check it out!

I was browsing Artfire using the shop by color feature and felt like seeing red. Lots o

f neat stuff came up, but here are a couple that REALLY caught my eye:

A Red Felt Heart from TheFunkyFelter

(The perfect heart felt gift =-)

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Little Pokeball Cat Toys from Mouchois

(great for pokemon lovers who also love cats!)