Easter

Here are some pics of the Easter festivities. Do you like the Peep Bunny garland above? I saw one made of felt and decided paper would be easier, faster, and cheaper: http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2010/03/felt-peeps-bunny-shaped-easter-craft-decoration-ideas/

Easter eggs!

These eggs are a little...different. More about them later.

Dinner was chicken meatballs with sweet potato, zucchini, and summer squash pasta. My sister was inspired by the sweet potato pasta made by Richard Blais on Top Chef All-Stars. The vegetables are peeled very thin and then cooked very quickly in a skillet with just a little liquid. Delicious!

Almond cupcake frosted with sweetened whipped cream and garnished with chocolate-covered almond.

I'm not sure what kind of plant this is exactly. Isn't it beautiful? My mom brought it over for us for Easter.

The aftermath of the cascarones! I had heard of these confetti-filled eggs before and was thrilled to find some at the local Walgreens for only three bucks. I had read that people often crack them over each other's heads to break them open. Unfortunately, these were quite a bit harder than I had imagined and I just ended up hitting my sister in the head with an egg; it didn't even bust open! I think it's because both the inside and outside were painted, which made them a little too...sturdy...for cracking over heads! If I make them at home at some point then I'll just paint the outside.

Here's more info on cascarones: http://www.highlightskids.com/Stories/NonFiction/NF0302_cascarones.asp

Faces at the MIA

My sister I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art (http://www.artsmia.org/) last week. While I was there, I thought it would be fun to take some photos of different faces in the paintings and sculptures.

A Walk in the Woods

The natural world in spring is a different experience than in summer. It is a quieter beauty, more subtle. You have to look closer and pay a little more attention.

The lush greenery of summer is soft, rounded; the bright flowers' blooms zinging with life. In spring, I admire the spare geometric lines of the bare tree branches against blue sky. In spring, wildflowers poke their heads up tentatively through the leafy mulch; is it time yet? Is it okay to come out? I admire their delicacy....and their resilience! They shrug off a light dusting of snow or a little freezing weather. The first leaf buds on the trees, the first bunny sighting, the first butterfly of spring...I think I love them more than a hundred perfect summer blooms.

Party Time aka Fun with Streamers

We celebrated my sister's birthday over the weekend. I was looking for a fun way to decorate the house and came across a stash of crepe paper streamers. I often dismiss streamers and go for something a little more "sophisticated" or unusual. However, there's nothing more festive than a mass of colorful streamers. I also found the cool paper masks (below) at Michaels in their dollar section.

Painted Cakes

I've been practicing some fondant techniques and trying out some new ones. I've been wanting to try painting on fondant and to see if I can translate my painting style to fondant. This birdy and flowers looks a little more tropical than I had wanted and also looks a little like a tattoo. Overall, I'm happy with it.

Here is another view - you can see the ribbon at the bottom in this one.

Extreme birdy close-up!

Here is the other cake I decorated. Same basic color scheme but a really different style. This one is a little more whimsical and maybe more fitting for a teen or child.

I combined fondant cut-outs and painting with this one. Below is a pic of both of them together.