Blackberry Muffins

Blackberries are in season now and this muffin recipe is a great way to use some of them. YUM!

Blackberry Muffins

adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 1/4 cups Sugar
2 Eggs
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Milk
2 cups Fresh or Frozen Blackberries
1 Tablespoon Sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into creamed mixture alternating with milk and beating well after each addition. Fold in blackberries.

2. Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Makes 1 1/2 Dozen

Organizing Fabric

My fabric stash has looked like this for awhile now:

Not terrible but not the prettiest either. Then I saw a tutorial at Living with Punks about the proper way to fold fabric. It's one of those that you read and think "Um....DUH! Why didn't I think of that?!" Such a simple thing that makes such a difference.

You just fold your fabric in half, the way it was on the bolt originally.

Then fold it in half again. Or, if you have fabrics that are different widths like I do, then you fold it to a size that works for all of them. I folded mine to about 11".

Then, using a quilter's cutting guide (yeah - this is the DUH! part) start folding your fabric around it.

Once it is all folded up, just slide the cutting guide out and you have a perfectly folded piece of fabric.

They all stack together so nice and pretty now!

You may not have noticed but the shelf the fabric is sitting on here is different than the one in the top photo. That is because this craft closet is no longer my crafty home. My amazing husband finished an area in the basement that is now my craft studio! But that is a post for another day. It still needs some decorating before it is ready for it's big debut. :)

Hot/Cold Pack

First, cut your fabric to 8" x 24". Fold it lengthwise with the good side of the fabric on the inside. With a 1/4" seam, sew around two sides and leave one side open.

Turn the fabric tube right side out and fill with approximately, 6 cups of white rice (not instant). You don't want to fill it completely full because then you won't be able to bend it.

Once, it is filled with rice, take the open end and fold it in about 1/2".

Then sew it shut.

Now you are ready to soothe all of your aches and pains!

You can either pop it in the microwave for a minute for heat or toss it in the freezer if you need to cool down.