Dreamland

45.

 
Birthday plans:

*ponder

*try out my new SetaSilk paints

*ride my bike

*watch a movie

*practice screenprinting

*read (Creativity for Life by Eric Maisel)

*order a dress form

*eat dinner at Matt's

*make dessert

That's right, I'm taking the whole day to play.  You can play too...by entering my birthday giveaway:  tell me what movie you most enjoyed watching this summer (old or new), and you'll be entered in a drawing to win your choice:  a set of five of my favorite handwritten quotations OR any return address stamp.  Leave a comment on today's post, I'll draw the winner on Thursday morning.  I still love my birthday!

Quote of the Week No. 16.

Available for purchase here.

I had good intentions of getting this quote listed on Monday, in honor of the first day of school, but with adjusting to the new schedule and preparing for 30 people to hang out at our house last night, I just didn't get that far on my list.  (And I didn't get a photo of the cake pops either.)

Cake pops and cupcakes.

 
Juliet requested "TV Dinner Cupcakes" as her birthday dessert (from the book Hello Cupcake).  They were so much fun, I didn't even mind making 40.  

Drumstick:  I substituted crushed toffee chips for the cornflakes in the recipe.  (Does anyone really want to eat a cupcake covered in crushed cornflakes?)  There's a donut hole on top of the cupcake/under the frosting to give it the right shape.  The bone is melted white chocolate.

Mashed Potatoes:  These were the most popular.  That's caramel sauce, not gravy.  The butter pat is a softened/reshaped Starburst candy.  It was strange that they looked both authentic and yummy at the same time.

Peas & Carrots:  Green Runts candy and little cubes of orange Starburst over green frosting.  I only made six of these, and five were leftover.  As my sister-in-law said, "I guess people really don't like to eat their peas & carrots!"

Chocolate Pudding:  Chocolate icing and sprinkles.  

 
Next up:  cake pops for potluck night!

Quote of the Week No. 15.

 
Available for purchase here.

Also, my birthday is coming up (next week!).  Any suggestions for a birthday giveaway?

Before.

 
My first fabric printed at Spoonflower.  The bottom rung on the creativity ladder...but today I'm meeting with my mentor for another dye-date with this cotton voile and some cotton lawn I picked up to overdye.  Here's hoping the results are worth sharing!

Rereading.

I am a re-reader. I read a book, bits & pieces engrave themselves on me, and the rest is more-or-less forgotten, so that when I read a book again, a whole lot of it seems brand spankin' new. (Call it the filter of perspective.)

I re-read The Creative Habit while I was on vacation last week (and yes, I did get a little teasing for my choice of summer reading). Was I asleep when I read it the first time? Or maybe just skimming? I'm now wishing I hadn't checked it out from the library for all the page corners I folded in.

A handful of books have influenced me this way: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Style Statement, 52 Projects, The Happiness Project.

And in the way of all good books, it's led me to (or reminded me of) other resources: Eric Maisel, Keri Smith, Maira Kalman. Books I've been meaning to read, or re-read.

Speaking of summer reading, I stumbled on a summer read-along idea for grown-ups. (Why did I not realize before now that I miss the library summer reading program...for myself?) Anyone want to try it next summer?

Quote of the Week No. 14.

 
Available for purchase here. 

Hi From Juliet!!!

Hi everybody! This is Juliet. I'm 13 now! We've been on the north shore of Lake Superior. We've had a great time hiking, looking for agates, and biking!

On the shore: Thursday.

 

On the shore: Wednesday.