Pretzel Turtles

I made these treats for my friends for V-Day. They are super easy to make and I made two batches in about a half hour - and most of that time was spent unwrapping the rolos!

I got the instructions from here:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pretzel-Turtles/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

Valentine's Day Treats

Here are some cute cupcakes that I made for the kids at work. I used a mix and made a simple buttercream frosting. My frosting gun broke a while ago so I snipped off the corner of a ziploc bag to frost these. It worked pretty well, I think. To make the mini cupcakes below, I used little metallic bon-bon wrappers that I bought at Michaels. It's hard to get a sense of scale in this photo but they are about 1 1/2 inches wide. I baked them at 325 degrees for about 6--7 minutes and they turned out perfectly. They're bite size so great for a party where people don't have utensils.

Coraline - the movie

I'm pretty excited about this movie, adapted from Neil Gaiman's novella. The story definitely has some dark and creepy parts. The official website has lots of behind-the-scenes info and fun interactive elements. You can create your own flower, as I did above, in the "Garden" section or upload your photo to give yourself button eyes in "The Other Mother's Workshop."

Here is the official website:
http://www.coraline.com/

Here is an unofficial website that has a lot of great info:
http://evilbuttons.blogspot.com/

Need a new snack idea?

This is from an old chiquita banana recipe booklet fron the 60's. If I had tried my hardest I don't think I could have come up with anything more disgusting.

Resolutions and Plans

(aren't these cute notecards? I got them at Target)

Here are some of the resolutions that I made and kept last year:

Start an Etsy Shop
Keep blogging regularly
Comment more on other blogs
Display a painting at the Alumni art exhibit this summer
Split a CSA share with friends
Go Canoeing on Lake Calhoun
Start/join an Artist Trading Card group
Make a cake successfully from scratch

I'm not going mention all the ones that I didn't quite get to. However, here's this year's (not at all comprehensive) list:

• Visit Franconia Sculpture Park
• Go on more picnics
• Renew Passport
• Go Camping (at least twice)
• Buy a digital camera
• Learn how to use a sewing machine
• Attend Sunday life drawing sessions at MCAD
• Pick berries at a U Pick place
• Grow a windowsill herb garden
• Volunteer work relating to teaching or art
• Show art at a coffee shop
• Have professional slides made of my work
• Visit the Museum of Russian Art and the Weisman Museum
• Make yeast bread
• Send more letters and postcards
• Learn how to can/make jam
• Design my own fabric with Spoonflower (http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome)
• Have more dinner parties
• Buy fewer magazines (it's a sickness!)
• Tryot to break any more bones

Country Living Magazine

Here are some photos from Country Living's website. My sister got me a subscription to the magazine for Christmas. I know it doesn't sound promising; it sounds chock full of quilting, antiquing, and twig crafts. And there are some antiquing tips but it is also full of good recipes (like the chocolate bark pictured above) and decorating ideas (like the picture below). I have eclectic taste, I guess, since I also like urban modern stuff. I guess if I had to describe my style I would say I'm a little bit country and a little bit rock n' roll - just like Donnie and Marie! I think I just dated myself, for sure. Anyway, you can check out the magazine;s website here: www.countryliving.com

Both these pics are courtesy of the Country Living website.

a cake and a cast

Here is a photo of the chocolate orange cake I made for my sister's birthday.It was very tasty but slightly rustic looking because my frosting gun broke. The bottom layer is covered in ganache that I bought at the farmer's market over the summer. Tthe top layer is frosted with an orange-infused chocolate buttercream.

In other news, I am hunting and pecking to type this post because I broke my left arm. I would love to say that I did it while I was saving a puppy, but truth is I slipped on an icy sidewalk. A common tale this winter. I can still surf the net but won't be doing too much crafting.