Merry Christmas from my Tacky Sweater to Yours

My company was having our annual holiday party and this year's theme was "ugly sweater." I wanted something out of the ordinary and am proud to say I won "most likely to go viral on social media." I give you the tinsel garland tacky sweater.

Assemble your supplies:
tinsel garland (I used four 8 feet strands)
cardigan (purchased from Goodwill)
bow or fake flower of your choice
spray glue adhesive
ornaments

I loosely followed these directions but really it is all about intuition. Liberally spray the sweater with the adhesive. For the next use, I will sew the ornaments onto the sweater, instead of hooking them onto the tinsel.

Happy celebrating!

for my nephew

I'm back. I've been around and creating, just haven't been posting.

I am proud to say, as of Thursday, I am an aunt! This creation went to my new nephew: his father went to University of Arizona; his mom went to University of Illinois; and now they live in Phoenix. He arrived just in time for the beginning of March Madness; very appropriate.

Want something personalized? Email me at designsbyalicia at gmail dot com with your ideas, and I'll work with you to come up with a great gift.

bacon, gruyere, green onion scones

Time out for another great recipe: Thanks to spoon fork bacon, I made these today. I substituted pancetta for bacon. They are just as yummy as they look.

cheer on the home team

Knowing my friends love sports, here's one for the baseball enthusiasts. It works for tee-ball, little league, college sports, and the MLB. Play ball!

Want something personalized? Email me at designsbyalicia at gmail dot com with your ideas, and I'll work with you to come up with a great gift.

celebrate the joy of reading

This year the Library of Congress is celebrating the joy of reading with the 11th Annual National Book Festival on September 24 and 25. Come to the National Mall and hear from your favorite authors. I'll be volunteering with the Junior League of Washington in the book signing lines both days.

go dawgs!

My college roommate and her husband are hosting a baby shower for a couple who attended UGA, and M wanted a bit of college cheer.

Red, black, and  bit of white. Go Dawgs.

Want something personalized? Email me at designsbyalicia at gmail dot com with your ideas, and I'll work with you to come up with a great gift.

nonna's lemon ricotta biscuits

I had a tub of ricotta cheese that I got from my CSA that needing using. Google brought me to this. Thanks to my CSA, I've had most of the fresh ingredients already on hand.

lemon ricotta muffins

originally by giada de laurentiis

adapted by me (alicia)

ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened (from my CSA)

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest (approx 2 lemons)

1 large egg (from my CSA)

1 cup ricotta cheese (giada recommends whole milk ricotta)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 cup milk (from my CSA)

frozen blueberries, however much you want

Preheat oven to 350. Line 18 muffin cups with baking liners (her recipe says 12 muffins but I had plenty of batter to spare).

In a mixer, beat on high together the butter, sugar and lemon zest (approx 2 minutes). Add the egg; beat. Add the lemon juice; beat. Add the ricotta; beat.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Incorporate in three passes the dry ingredients and alternate with milk. Mix until incorporated.

Add in the blueberries, mix until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the muffin liners.

Bake for approx 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container, in the fridge.

Enjoy.

You can use whatever citrus you want for flavor: lemon, lime, orange. Add more zest if you want more punch.

Note: I always use a fresh box of baking powder when baking...just rotate it with the one in the fridge and use the old one for cleaning.

easy berry dessert

I love berry season.

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup sugar, divided in half

3/4 cup milk

2 cups berries (frozen or fresh), I used cherries

1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the butter in an 8x8 pan and place it in the preheating oven, until the butter is melted.

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients together, only using 1/4 cup sugar (reserve the other 1/4 cup). Add the milk and stir together until smooth.

In the buttered pan, dump your mixed ingredients on top of the butter; do not incorporate, just drop. Place your berries on top of the batter; again, do not mix, just drop. With the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, sprinkle it on top of the batter and berries.

Cook for 20-30 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream and/or whipped topping.

Yum.

courtesy whole foods

burp cloths surprise

I've shown you the front of the burp cloths, but what's on the back? A label so you can come back for more!

Want something personalized? Email me at designsbyalicia at gmail dot com with your ideas, and I'll work with you to come up with a great gift.

unisex

Don't know whether the baby is a boy or a girl? I've got some great fabrics that work for both!

Want something personalized? Email me at designsbyalicia at gmail dot com with your ideas, and I'll work with you to come up with a great gift.