Friday, August 18, 2017

Goofin' Off With a Sweet Mystery Revealed

Well, the mystery quilt has been finished for a few days now. I've been waiting for an opportunity to hop on here and update the blog. I will give you a forewarning, however, there is a minor cake mix rant at the end...with a solution I found.

Also, I just wanted to slip in here that I was honored when I was asked to be blogger of the week over at the Blogger of the Week blog. I've met a lot of great new friends there. A new blogger is featured every week. If you're interested in making new blogging friends, this is a great place to start.

Clue #4 left me with these blocks joined together:

Clue #4 Revealed

And Clue #5 joined these pieces together:

Clue #5 Revealed

And the final finish after Clue #6:

Clue #6 - Mystery Solved

The name of the mystery was "Which Way". I can see where the name came from with the arrows point each way in the center. However, the top feels incomplete as is. It really needs a border. I think the white would wash it out, and I don't have enough of the pink left to do a border. I'll have to go through my stash to see what would look good.

But the month isn't over yet. And I still have a hankering for sweets. So I went through my stash remembering these fabrics I bought a couple of years ago and decided to see if I could slip in one more quilt finish before month end. 

Sweet Holiday Fabrics with Cakes and Gingerbread Houses, Red Floral Tonal, and Light Brown Waffle Cone Print

It seems Project Linus will be inheriting some pretty sweet quilts in the near future.  And I've made a dent in my stash at the same time. It's a win/win situation for sure.

I also got a little stitching in this week. I've been working on a few pieces from the August 2017 edition of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine from the patterns titled "Frozen Fun".

My First "Frozen Fun" - Just Needs Back Stitch

Second Piece from "Frozen Fun"

I wasn't able to complete the back stitch of the first piece as I didn't have the recommended color for the pattern. I'll need to get out and pick that up this weekend. 

Now for a slight cake mix rant.  I have, for the past few years, noticed my cakes were coming out smaller and flatter. I assumed that it was something that I was doing. After all, I am not a master baker like some of my friends and family. And then I ran across someone saying they had noticed that the amount of cake mix included in a box had shrunk by 3 ounces...from 18.25 ounces to 15.25 ounces. 

Cake Mix Now Only Contains 15.25 ounces of Cake Mix

What in the world was Betty Crocker thinking?  My 9" x 13" pan has not shrunk. My 9" rounds have not shrunk. The recipes in my Cake Mix Magic cookbook have not changed. How could they possibly think it's okay to change the amount? I'd rather pay a little more than to not have enough cake mix.

Am I the only one who didn't know this had happened?  

After some Googling on the internet, I was able to find what appears to be a common "fix" to the solution. Really, you're just adding your own ingredients to the mix to make it fit your pans or work in your recipes. But here it is:  


I'll give the three-ounce cake upsizer a try in the next few days and let you know how it went for me. 

If you've had the same issue and have come up with a good fix, feel free to let me know in the comments.  

Here is wishing all my blogging friends a sweet weekend!

Linking Up With:
Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?
Finished Or Not Friday
Flaunt It Friday
Scrap Happy Saturday

30 comments:

  1. Congrats on finishing the pretty quilt Andrea. My MIL quilts but that is something that has never interested me. I love your frozen treats.

    Linda

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  2. Wow Andrea your mystery blocks are looking fantastic,love them and love your cross stitch,you sure are a busy girl,well done xx

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  3. Well done to you Andrea. I did go over and had a read. Hope the cake mix will finally work for you..

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  4. I'm loving your top so far. Would you have enough of the pink to make a skinny border (say, one inch finished) then add whatever you can of the other fabrics? At the every least it would separate the top from the white border.
    I have noticed the decrease in cake mix. I haven't "fixed" it, but that's not a bad idea.

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  5. Oh, that is super weird about the cake mixes. I get that they're trying to keep up with profits in a way that isn't obvious by decreasing amounts instead of super-jacking prices up, but. . . seriously - everything you point out about pans and recipes! Kinda crazy. I hadn't noticed, because with my Lupus I can't eat processed foods, so I haven't made a mix cake for maybe 10 years. What a pain!

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  6. Welcome to the new way to have a price increase! Look at how the coffee quantities have shrunk. Frustrating. Better to make a cake from scratch - better for all.

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  7. Cute mystery quilt; I like your colors too. Congrats on getting highlighted in Blogger of the Week! I don't make cake mixes much, so I didn't realize the amounts had been changed. Frustrating, but it looks like you've found a solution!

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    1. I have mixed feelings about the mystery quilt. I definitely would have made sure I had enough of the pink to do a border. I will be searching my stash this weekend to find a border that will help the quilt "pop". Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  8. Wow lots here; you write posts similar to mine LOL! Great mystery quilt, like your colours. I am like Wendy that I rarely make cake mixes, prefer making them from scratch, but geez Louise, that's unfair! Your cross-stitching is gorgeous!

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  9. Congratulations on winning blogger of the week! Love your quilt, and I agree it needs a border, I will keep checking back to see what you decide! Your stitching is lovely too! Thanks for the tip about cake mixes, anyway to save a buck eh? Everything makes sense now...

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  10. Hi Andrea,
    That is just SO darn annoying about the cake mixes. Geez, if you're going to go to the 3oz fix you might as well skip the mix altogether. What is the point Betty Crocker??!! Cute quilt but I absolutely agree with it needing a border. I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Big HUGE congrats on being blogger of the week!! How exciting. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  11. I hate how they repackage and down size everything.... And they hope we don't notice the resizing.......

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  12. You are right, the quilt does need a border. I'm sure you will find the right fabric. That cake mix thing is so sneaky. We are not suckers. Thanks for the fix it tip. Have a fun week!.

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  13. It took me awhile to see the arrows in your mystery quilt, but once I did - isn't that fun! So frustrating about the cake mixes - I had no idea! I bet the price hasn't gone down though!

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  14. I've never had the courage to make a mystery quilt. Maybe one day! Thanks for linking up with TGIFF @ A Quarter Inch from the Edge!

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    1. Thanks for hosting TGIFF! I love to see all the projects people are working on. This was a simple mystery. I must admit, I kind of enjoy designing my own quilts at the moment. I'm not sure I'll do many mysteries in the future. Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  15. I liked seeing the arrows in the mystery quilt! :)

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    1. I really liked the effect of the arrows, but felt the quilt needed a little something more. Adding a border should help. Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  16. Me again :) I did a post about cake mixes ages ago ( ticked off! :)

    http://www.frugallittlebungalow.com/cake-mix-boxes-shrinking/

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    1. I know I was a little late in discovering this. Maybe because I am usually quick to think problems are my own doing. I plan to try the "fix" I found this week. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for sharing your link! Andrea

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  17. What an annoyance about the cake mix - although I confess I cannot relate, because I've never used a mix, I've only ever baked from 'scratch'... glad to see you've found a fix for the problem!

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    1. Anthea, Thank you for dropping by! I wish I had the time to make cakes from scratch every time. Sometimes I just don't or my family prefers the cake mix over scratch. However, I always make frosting from scratch. Have a great week! Andrea

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  18. I just love the quilt square Andrea! Your Frozen Treats look pretty good too, especially on these hot days in AZ!!

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    1. Faith, Thank you for dropping by! Yes, those cross stitched frozen treats would taste fantastic on a warm summer's day...if they were only real. Have a great day! Andrea

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  19. The mystery has been solved and it looks great! Yes, it definitely needs a border, I hope you find something you like. I love your other choice of fabric, more sweets!
    Frozen fun looks good too, always time for ice cream.
    I didn't realize that about the cake mix, but maybe because I usually use a bundt pan. But thanks for sharing you tip. I have noticed the ice cream tubs getting smaller, $$!

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    1. Thank you for dropping by! And, yes, I think I have found a good border fabric to help make this sweet quilt finish pop. I, too, have noticed that many items are getting smaller such as ice cream. It can be quite frustrating at times. Have a great week! Andrea

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  20. I didn't realize that it was that much smaller! I know that manufacturers have been doing this for ages now, reducing the amount in a package rather than raise the price. A 'pound' of coffee is now 12 ounces. A half gallon of ice cream isn't a half gallon anymore. No wonder the recipes aren't working! Thanks for the fix.

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    1. It has definitely become a bit frustrating when they make these changes without letting people know. I tried the fix the other day. Everything baked beautifully but was just a tad bit drier than I remember. I'll give another try in the near future. Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  21. Congrats on being blogger of the week. Your answers were great. Great job on your projects too. Glad you found a fix for your cooking problem.

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