Plum Jam

This time last year I was busy working on some future Christmas gifts.  One of them was plum jam.  I had made jam before, but never plum jam.  I had a ton of plums that were about to spoil and I needed to use them.  I had remembered from the movie Calendar Girls that they loved (in your best British accent) Plum Jam.  I figured why not give it a try.

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My First Professional Cake

I'm sorry that it has been awhile since I last posted, but I have been incredibly busy.  It just seems that the busyness of life all hits at once.  Thankfully, I have been one busy woman making all kinds of gifts and taking orders from Jilly's Boutique.  I really wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't going 100 miles per hour most days.  On to something fun...

Over Labor Day weekend, I put in over 6 hours in cake baking and decorating.  The Wednesday before, I got a call to make a special first birthday cake for a little girl in our church.  I was very apprehensive as this is the first time I had made a cake for purchase and one of this size!

The theme for the birthday party was a sock monkey.  I sent some picture options for the cake to the Mom.  She choose a tiered cake with polkadots and a fondant monkey.  I had never worked with fondant.  I knew this would test my limits and see what I was truly capable.  If you know me at all, I am always up for a challenge!  Just tell me I can't do something and you have sparked a burning fire within me.

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Pumpkin Hats

Fall is just around the corner and I couldn't be happier.  I love when the weather cools down, but is still warm enough to really enjoy being outside.  I'm ready for all the fall festivals, pumpkin patches, colorful change of trees and bonfires.

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My Second Course Cake

It has been a crazy busy week.  I'm beginning to wonder if life will slow down from here on out!  I do have a two week break before I start my third Wilton Cake Decorating Course.

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Cake Decorating Class and my new toy

For the month of August, I have been taking my second cake decorating class.  I love learning all these new flowers and how to make them.

Last Monday, I made my last batch of royal icing for class.  It must be beat using a mixer for 7-10 minutes.  This was my second batch of the day and boom, sparks flew and a weird smell came out of my mixer.  Oh no, not again!  Yes, I have burned up yet another hand mixer.  Confession time:  This is my fifth mixer that I have burned up.  I must bake too much or make heavy duty items that don't go well with a hand mixer.  After the demise of #5, I knew it was time to shell out the big bucks and get a Kitchenaid stand mixer.

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Newsboy Hat

My sister wanted a cute newsboy hat for my nephew this past winter.  I love trying out new patterns.  I jumped on board to try the newsboy hat.  I had plans to make Evan one as well, but we had a warm winter and time didn't allow for me to make another.  He might get one for this winter though.

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Initial Earflap Hat

Awhile back, a friend of mine asked me to make an initial flower on an earflap hat for a baby gift.  She sent me some examples of what she liked from different hats but she wanted to use a variegated yarn.  She also wanted me to make a flower for the side with the baby's first initial sewn inside. I thought this was a really cute idea.

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Jill's Shop has reopened!

It has been a long summer getting settled here in Ohio.  I have felt very out of sorts as we try to figure out family life in a new environment.  I picked up my crochet hook again about two weeks ago and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

I figured with the boys starting school next week that I could reopen my shop for all the fun fall hats and such.

I am always open to suggestions of products you would like to see in my shop.  Remember every item is custom made to your specifications.  If you would like changes in color or type of yarn, just message me and I will happy to make you a personalized item.

I will be adding new items and featuring them here first over the next couple of weeks.  Be on the lookout for many new products!

All my products (even those not listed in my Etsy shop) can be found on my shop's Facebook site.  Visit it at https://www.facebook.com/jillysboutique11  Please browse my shop and leave me any suggestions Jillysboutique.etsy.com.