Fondant Fun - Pokemon Style

I love making cupcakes. I love making things in general. But there aren't enough occasions to do so. So, birthdays are always my excuse to make cupcakes! These were for a friend's birthday, and were one of my first adventures with fondant.

First I made chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter frosting. Both recipes came from the book on my counter in the picture: 500 cupcakes. It's a keeper.

I started with a block of store bought white fondant, and picked a design that only required several colors of fondant: Pokemon! Then I split up my fondant and kneaded in the food coloring. This was sticky and messy and gross. Then I washed my hands. 

Next, I cut out circles the size of the top of my cupcakes, which conveniently happened to be the same size as a glass. So I used the glass like a cookie cutter. Then I spread some frosting on the cupcake, like glue, and placed the fondant circle on top.

I broke down the cupcakes down into shapes, and cut all of the shapes for the Pokeballs and Pikachu faces.

And then stuck them on using little dabs of water. Easy-peasy. 

The verdict? Fondant is not so bad. It's actually pretty fun. 

But I've seen Cake Boss, so I know I still have a long way to go. No fondant Mona Lisa's for me yet. I'll be sure to show you when I attempt, though. 

And I'm now accepting cupcake requests/challenges. =]

Clothing Without Commitment

You've probably heard of Netflix. It's a subscription service that gives you access to streaming movies and TV shows whenever you want them. You don't have to pay for the individual views, so if you don't like something, no money wasted, just stop watching it. It's a great service.

Let me tell you about something better. Imagine if you could do that with clothes... have a subscription closet. You can pick clothes whenever you want them, and if you don't like them, just send them back. For me, that's the ideal way to shop. I love the wide variety you can find by shopping online, but the risk factor of not seeing and trying before buying is daunting. 

So, thats where Gwynnie Bee comes in. For a monthly subscription you get access to an unlimited wardrobe, with free shipping both ways. Even better, you can use my referral link to try it for free for a month. I know I sound like a cheesy advertisement, but I have had SO much fun with my free month that I think you should try it too. 

You get a box in the mail with hand wrapped items that you can wear as much or as little as you want. There are prepaid return bags inside the box, so when you're done, you just drop them off at a UPS dropbox. There's no commitment. You can be adventurous and use the opportunity to try things you normally wouldn't, or you can use it to find something to wear for a special event. You don't even have to launder them when you're done. Here's a dress that came in my last box that I wore today:

It was fun and perfect for twirling in. And it's already in the UPS bag ready for me to return it tomorrow. The only downside is that they only offer sizes 10 and up. Sorry skinny minis. You'll have to eat some cake first. ;]

So click here to check out the collection, and if you like what you see, try it out. No commitment. =]

Photo Frame Memo Board

Here's a quick post about a recent project. One of our friends/neighbors uses a picture frame as a weekly calendar. I loved the dry erase idea, and happened to have an unused collage frame (kinda like this one) laying around. I put a picture in one of the frames, and scrap-booking paper in the others. Now it's our memo board/ notepad, and occasionally we try out new dry erase hairdos and facial hair on the pictures. ;]

Retrospect

Well I was reminded last night that I was overdue for a blog post, and I've been meaning to write one, but waiting for the right place, emotionally and physically. So now, I'm coming to you from a place of retrospection, and from a little coffee shop in downtown Portland.

I don't have anything profound to say, but maybe God will still speak something profound into your life through what He's been doing in mine. 

One week ago, on last Monday night, my aunt Rosann passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer. She had been in a lot of pain for several months prior, and we are thankful that she is no longer suffering.

On Tuesday night, the students of the school where she was principal held a candlelight vigil in her honor.

photo copyright Miami Herald

All you have to do is google Dr Rosann Sidener to see the incredible impact she had on so many lives. Here's an article detailing just a small portion of her accomplishments. She lives on here through the changes she brought to Miami and to so many lives.

But she lives on in a way that is so much more than that. Because of her trust in Jesus as her Savior, death has no hold over her, nor over anyone who trusts their life to Him. Our family can find comfort in the fact that the next time we see her, she will not be in pain, but in the joy of spending eternity in the presence of God.  

Death is a weird subject that makes a lot of people feel awkward. It's hard to respond to. Yes, it's hard for the loved ones left behind, and there is still grief in loss. But there is joy in the death of Christ that put our death in His grave. Here's a song with some great lyrics about what Jesus did through the cross. 

"He has cheated

Hell and seated

Us above the fall.

In desperate places

He paid our wages

One time once and for all."

I highly encourage you to watch that and think about it. 

I've also, once again, been able to see God's timing clearly through hindsight, and once again His providence. Maybe in my next post I will detail those things. 

Thanks once again for reading, and for being in my life. I appreciate you. =]

April Showers

Well it's April. But no, it's not raining. In fact, it's cold enough for snow. Fortunately it's not snowing either. Anyway, like I said from the beginning, I'm not the greatest at this consistent blogging thing. But I do have a bit of an update.

I've been working as an office administrator for the past few weeks, and starting next week, they've asked me to go full time. That means I'm going from three days a week to four, but the ultimate goal is for me to move to five as the current administrator phases out. It's a good job, but has its stressful days. It's fast paced, and there's a total of five other people in the office, so one person's bad mood can really affect the atmosphere. I'm enjoying getting to know the others in the office, and surprisingly, I even enjoy my bus/train/another bus ride there.

Tom is in the midst of midterms right now, so he's next to me with books all spread out, studying away. He's also applied for a security job on campus. We've decided to stay in Chicago for the summer, so hopefully he can find a job to fund some summer courses. As an international student, he's only allowed to work on campus, but hopefully with the amount of students going home for the summer, some positions will open up.

As of today, I am the excited holder of a plane ticket to Portland! (And back, of course.) I had a trip that got canceled last year, so this flight credit has been waiting to be used. So, in two weeks, I am Portland bound to see my friend Karena. Portland is one of my most favorite places, and is up there on my "live here someday" list. Karena is pretty rad too. =] Unfortunately, Tom won't be able to join me on this trip, but after hearing me talk up the place so much, he's eager to visit sometime too.

That's all I have for now. I'm off to enjoy an Americano at Eva's, our favorite little coffee place in Chicago.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Here's some pictures from our first St. Pat's in Chicago! I made green punch with shamrock straws, Baileys chocolate cupcakes, mint brownies, green mustache lollipops, and we had green peppers with ranch. Our lovely friends Chris and Kelsey joined us in Chicago, and we went down to see the famous green river and do some exploring. 

St. Patty's Rag Wreath!

Welcome to March, everyone! I was hoping March would bring some spring weather, but not so, as we had a big snowfall last night. At least March bring something to look forward to... Saint Patrick's Day! So, as I've shared, I use every holiday as an excuse to decorate. I've been seeing a lot of these rag wreaths on pinterest, so I thought I'd give it a go. I think the point is to use scraps you already have, but I haven't used much green fabric lately, so I got some fabric quarters in various green floral prints.

These were 18 inches by 21 inches, so I cut my strips 6 inches by 1 inch, yielding 63 strips per quarter. I had five prints, and only used about half of the strips for a 14 inch diameter wreath.

Then I used floral wire to make a base, and tied the strips on. Add a ribbon to hang it, and voila!

This is our first St. Patrick's Day in Chicago, so I'm looking forward to the whole shebang- dyeing the river, the big parade, etc. Do any of you celebrate or have any St. Pat's traditions?