sympathy

My mom called me Thursday because she was frustrated by how difficult it is to find a sympathy card that doesn't have some cheesy quote that you would never say, a tacky picture, or just doesn't "fit" how you're feeling and how you'd like to love someone during their time of loss.  So she came up with a few verses and a basic idea of what she'd like, and I headed off to Hobby Lobby.  Here's the results.  The inside of the cards have either:

• Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. - Psalms 23:4
• I'll give you strength.  I'll help you.  I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. - Isaiah 41:10

 

  

  

I think paper will always be my favorite medium.  I was the weird girl who didn't go look at wedding dresses the day I got engaged, but spent hours looking at invitations and programs.  My poor father spent so much time with me making sure that we got it {just} right.  I.  Love.  Paper.

I also enjoyed making someone else's little creative vision a reality.  My mom is highly creative in the way she cooks, listens, and interacts with others, but doesn't love to create in the traditional "I spend more time at Hobby Lobby and Blick Art Supplies than the grocery store" sort of way.  So though this is an example of {my} work, it was {her} word choice and layout.

humble beginnings

This week marked the end of Wilton class number one.  I really enjoyed it and realized I have a long way to go!  I made two cakes as a part of course one: (1) a {30th} birthday cake for the hubby's friend, Josh and (2) a {sweet 16} birthday cake for Rachel and Tabi, the daughter of a dear friend.  Our final for class number three (at the end of April) will be a wedding cake.  I'm excited to make it!

Anyway, here's the goods.  I learned 2 things on Josh's cake:  (1) I love polka-dots.  Okay, so maybe I didn't learn that, but definitely reaffirmed it.  (2) I love colorful cakes.  We had to ice our first cake in white frosting for class, and that just made me sad.

 

  

  

The sweet 16 cake taught me that:  (1) leaves are oh so much fun, (2) I love purple cakes, and (3) white cake is WAY easier to frost than chocolate.  But chocolate is very much my preference, so still not sure what I think about that.

 

  

 

lovebug {cup}cakes

In honor of Valentine's Day (a few weeks late I might add), I thought I'd post a few pictures of some love bug cupcakes I made last year for our company bake sale.  The love bugs are made out of E.L. Fudge Grasshopper cookies, which are basically Girl Scout Thin Mints, except available all the time and cheaper.

Looking at them now, there's a lot I've learned from class and might do differently.  But they sure are adorable, huh?

here goes something

Ever since the hubby and I graduated from college, I knew I'd be needing a {creative} outlet. Wedding planning and setting up our first home provided that for some time, but 2010 has finally brought some more significant creative changes to my weekly schedule.

First, I went on a shopping spree to Blick. My wonderful in-laws gave me a gift there for my birthday at hubster's suggestion. Met a delightful young art student who endured my onslaught of questions and painfully obvious lack of artistic training. (So do you know what kind of painting you'd like to do? Nope. Would you like to use natural or synthetic brushes? Don't know. What supplies do you have already? Uhhh... none? So what questions do you have? Ummm... all of them?) Fortunately he didn't ask when I last picked up a paint brush, colored pencil, or had any sort of artistic training (6th grade?). Painted a few canvases for our kitchen when I got home. I'm a fan of how they turned out...

One project down (I think... still can't decide if I'm done yet) and so many marinating in my little brain I almost don't even know how I'll paint anything else. I'm afraid all the ideas will try to explode onto the canvas at one time. I spent a significant amount of time staring at my acrylics and just pondering all the pictures that are sitting in those little colorful tubes... waiting for an artist to take the time to draw them out. There's a lot of potential in that little tube. I love to just think about the paint surrendering to the artist. When a piece is done, you don't see the original paint at all, but it wraps itself around the artists idea and brings it to life. Ahh... creative potential.

Anyway, another adventure I'm beginning is {cake} decorating. This is ironic for many reasons: (1) I'm not a fan of cake. I was the girl who had birthday brownies, birthday cookies, birthday ice cream cones... but not birthday cakes. I don't even like pancakes. I especially don't like frosting. But as of yet, they don't offer {steak} decorating. If you hear of a class being offered, let me know. I'm there. (2) I've often failed at cake baking. I love to cook, but bake? Not my forte. (I'm trying though, and improving slowly). Until further notice, however, Betty Crocker has agreed to help me out and she's packaging one of her secret recipes in these little boxes for me at Target. Many thanks to Betty.

I do, however, love cake {decorating}. There's the key. (1) Cakes mean celebration. Birthdays, weddings, babies, holidays, "just because I love you" days... and I definitely love all of those. (2) For some reason in our culture, cakes have become a reflection of who you are. When it's your special day, the cake is all about you. I love to roll up my sleeves and spend my creative energy on making people excited about who God has created them to be. (3) Cakes are colorful. I. Love. Color.

My dear friend Becky gave me the kit for the first class to get me headed in the right direction. Like any rebellious student would, I opened it before class began and experimented on my own. Here's the cake I came up with for my little sister's 20th "Happy Bloomin' Birthday". I now know after only 2 hours of class all the things I did wrong when I made it, but it still makes me smile.




What a cutie. Happy birthday lady! Welcome to the twenties.