Autumnal Equinox

It's official...fall has arrived. Although it has felt like fall for awhile now, since returning to school last month. Not much crafting at Chez Arrow lately, but I am excited about Knitters Tea Swap 2!

The beagle had a birthday last week...three years old! Last year she had a cupcake for her birthday, and this year I was going to get her a doggie cannoli, but the store was out of them...maybe a belated doughnut if there still are no cannoli this weekend...


Arrow, how did your ears turn back?

Bags & cakes

I finally finished the Amy Butler Downtown Purse this weekend, just in time for Joanne's birthday celebration...


Lavender birthday bag

I am mostly pleased with the finished bag, it is just slightly lopsided and a bit floppy. Britex does not carry Timtex, so I used regular heavyweight sew-in interfacing...next time I will have to order Timtex or use a double thickness of interfacing. Also, it is a very wide bag! I thought the Nappy Bag was big, but then I figured a baby diaper bag is meant to carry lots of stuff...now I wonder if all of her designs are big...perhaps the bags are for very tall people?


The lining

And every birthday celebration needs cupcakes! I made lychee coconut cupcakes with ginger cream cheese frosting...


Topped with candied ginger

Somehow I foolishly left out the coconut cream and realized the omission near the end of baking...so I decided to make chocolate cupcakes too, just in case...


Topped with marscapone cream and cacao nibs

The lychee coconut cupcakes were not too bad, once frosted...and the chocolate cupcakes always seem to turn out moist and chocolatey, thankfully...though I had some trouble piping the marscapone cream...next time I will use my mechanical pastry bag, which is still in its box. It is time for me to learn how to use it!

Sweet treats

Lookie! Joanne brought these sweet treats from Thailand...Choco mint and choco coffee Tim Tams, Cappuccino and Lemon Cheesecake Kit Kats, and Choco Banana Pocky...yum!


Sweet treats and pretty chopsticks with elephant holders

I finally got to try Tim Tams, a lovely cookie indeed. And I just love the special edition flavors of Kit Kat...why oh why are they not available here?

Other sweets from the weekend: I made a fig and plum cake....my parents stopped by Chez Arrow and enjoyed the cake with a cup of tea...and now it is already all gone! (Dan and I had a few pieces too.)


Plum, fig & walnut kuchen