Arts and Crafts Day

Yesterday was just a blast.  I used to call any time that I had to pick up a pair of scissors for anything at home or work, an arts and crafts moment.  Yesterday truly was - all day.  I painted and finished an abstract type painting that turned out to be quite fun to look at, I made three pretty and delicious layer cakes from scratch for a church meeting, and I attended a class at church where a wonderful woman taught us to make scarves and flowers from tee-shirts.  You remember that first Tuesday of every month meeting I go to at church where we learn all sorts of stuff?  That was the class, and that's where we ate the cakes.

A couple weeks ago, after I painted the big circle painting, I realized how much I wanted to just dive in and start painting what ever struck me and learn on my own by trial and error, reading about it, and mixing colors.  So my first painting was the poppies above.  So cheery and cheer - flaws and all.  It made me happy so now it hangs in our bedroom and I love to look at it.  Isn't that all art is, whatever pleases you when you look at it?

So then I did a few more, all very different from each other, from real photographs I would see somewhere on the web and then interpret with paint and they turned out pretty nice too.  Like better than a kindergartner.

Yesterday, I finished this one below, painted specifically for a place on the third floor, the finished attic floor where there are two bedrooms and 1 bathroom and lots of hall space.  A place all the grandkids like to be.  I found it looked best in the little bathroom up there with it's blue and white color thing going on.

Now I'm thinking about painting boats or glass - we'll see what happens next.  On to the cakes ...

Yellow butter cake, four layers, with a pink (very) tinted butter cream.  I piled glazed strawberries to finish it. 

Three layer deep chocolate cake with a sour cream and 1.5 lbs chocolate based frosting - silky!

Hummingbird cake with a cream cheese cinnamon frosting and fresh peach roses.

And last night's class was really informative and fun.  About 25 of us learned to make scarves and flowers for pins and barrettes from old tee shirts.  She knows her stuff that Gina Udy!  I won't show you my scarf because I need to make it again, this time using a tee shirt with no seams; then it will be presentable.  I forgot that part of the instructions.

I put the roses in that little vase once the cake was cut.  

gi

Gina setting up before people start arriving.  She's wearing one of her infinity scarves with flower.  

She said she learned to make these looking at Pinterest - very clever.

Then, today, something exciting happened in our kitchen here at home that really brightened it up and now I feel the urge to roll out pie crusts.  We switched out the table grade wood island top for a granite top that is really unique looking.  Somewhat of a marble look but not.  It pulls in all the colors of the kitchen yet stands so terrifically on its own.  

Before

And now a word to the wise:

Photo by Modern Hepburn