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Sweet Irish Soda Bread

Hello World,

Welcome to my first post on my new layout! You probably notice that now I am on my own domain instead of a blogspot address. All past blog posts have been migrated over to this new site, and I am currently working on the “tutorials” page. Favorite part of this new design? The design is responsive! Responsive design is design that adapts to the device and browser width. So instead of chopping off the side of my site on a smartphone anymore, everything scales to size.

Now onto the title of this post, sweet irish soda bread! St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, and my heritage is mostly Irish and Italian. In celebration of my Irish roots, I wanted to share my family’s irish soda bread recipe:

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Ingredients:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 4 tablespoons of softened butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1.5 cups buttermilk (or make your own by adding 1 teaspoon vinegar to milk)
  • 2 cups raisins
  • Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top once cooled.
  • Optional add-ins: dried cranberries, grated lemon or orange rind, poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a ceramic casserole dish, or glass loaf pans. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon into greased baking dish(es). Bake for 45 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

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This sweet Irish soda bread is delicious all by itself, or you can do what I do and spread butter on it.

moss_in_a_teacup

I went strolling around my yard the other day, and found moss growing all over the back of my barn. I picked some off and repotted it in this cute thrift store tea cup. I think it looks like a little slice of Ireland.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Feature + Freebie Friday: Karissa of “Start of The Shaw’s”

Hello World,

I would like to introduce you to one of my Kappa sisters and a fellow blogger, Karissa. She blogs over at “Start of The Shaw’s,” a lifestyle blog.

She posts multiple times per week, and my favorite reads include her “What I Wore Wednesdays” and her “Making our House a Home Series.” I recently started a job where I have to dress business-casual, and her Wednesday posts have helped me to see what is cute, yet appropriate, for a business setting.

Being a die-hard, DIY-girl, I love reading about anything thrifty and innovative. Karissa is great at revamping the old into something new. In one of her recent blog posts, she repurposes a vintage door into a headboard:

Clever huh? See how she did it here: link.

Also, in the title I mentioned a freebie. If you head over to Karissa’s latest post here, you can enter yourself into a giveaway for two custom bracelets (like the ones above), made by yours truly. The giveaway ends in 5 days, so be sure to head over to her blog and enter.

Happy Crafting!

Tutorial sneak peek

Hello World!

I recently moved and started an internship in North Idaho. Because I moved, I lost access to the camera I always used to take blog images. I have been saving up though and now have enough to buy my own DSLR. 🙂 I’ve been researching different models and brands in my price range, and probably will get a Nikon d5100 (and buy a separate prime lens). If you have any advice or camera tips, please leave a comment below.

Upcoming no-sew tutorials include:

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Twine wrapped photo display

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Power-tool-free seashell garland

Stay tuned, and happy crafting!