Painting with a Twist

This past Saturday night I went out with some friends to a place called Painting with a Twist.  It was really fun, and the twist, is that you bring a bottle of wine to enjoy while you paint!

The painting we chose was Starry Night.  Now it seemed like it'd be a lot easier before we got there! The teachers at Painting with a Twist really try hard to break down a painting into easy to follow steps so that even people with little to no painting talent CAN leave with a painting that night!

Being the avid scrapbooker I am I took a few pictures at various stages of completion during the night:

Step 1, Start with a Blank Canvas

I was a wee bit bummed and thought maybe they'd draw on it FOR you! hehe

Step 2, Paint your sky and start on the hills, or was it start on the hills and then paint the sky??

Step 3, Complete the hills.

Step 4, So I realized I didn't take a picture in between the sky & hills and then this - sorry, I blame the wine!

VOILA!!! My completed interpretation of Starry Night!

The whole evening was so much fun; I am really looking forward to going back again sometime soon! Following is a picture of the group of us that went and our finished paintings! I think it's a great night out with friends, a date, or your whole family! No talent required, and I think you will REALLY enjoy yourself!!!!

I'm Hiding and Scrapping...errr Swapping!

I have had a strange week for sure, sorta crappy is a better way to describe it actually. So this morning when I couldn't sleep (I know, it's Saturday for goodness sakes, I really should have been able to sleep in, but) I got up and went to hide in my scraproom! I haven't actually SCRAPPED in quite some time though. Lately, I have been working on swap items for the various swaps I am in over at Scrapbook.com. 

This week I have been working on the Letter of the Word Swap. You sign up for different words. Let's use "Birthday" as an example; each person picks a letter and then makes it and decorates it, there are size restrictions and colors given to use as a guideline so they will all coordinate. Then you send them to the Host and get back the entire word, with each letter being made by a different swapper.  I was so intrigued by this idea and love it so much! I signed up for 6 words; Birthday, Too Tough, Yee Haw, Diva, School, and Son.  I haven't finished them all yet but I wanted to share what I have done so far with you!!!

Above you can see the "a" for Diva; I had to bling out a little.  The "r" for Birthday made on a cupcake and then I used red stickles to jazz it up a bit. The "c" for School, I did a lot of layering and used a pop dot to raise the matted "c."  Then my favorite in this picture is the "o" for Son, I used the Stand & Salute Cricut cartridge and cut out a dog tag in silver, and one in dark blue, then I attached just the tag part of the dark blue one using a jump ring so it actually dangles! I love it!

This is the "h" for Too Tough; colors were purple, lime green and white, she said think Buzz Lightyear so I had the crazy idea to place a cut piece of page protector over top. In my mind it simulates his helmet! I was so happy with myself...hehe.  I just hope my fellow swappers like it too.

After such a crummy week it sure is nice to get to come into my scraproom, hide out, and create something fun! My last letter due is the "H" in Yee Haw, using red, brown, yellow and blue, she said think Woody! I have a few ideas but nothing put together yet. I will post them when I finish. So check back soon, in the meantime be sure to...

Hide n' Go Scrap!

Crazy for Cake...Pops???

Welcome to Food Fight Friday! I'm baaack!

I bet you've already had someone give you a cakepop? Or tell you about someone they know who bakes, and they're intention of selling cakepops! Or maybe you saw them at the coffee shop? Chances are you have had a run-in with a cakepop by now.  Yes folks, it seems to me that we are smack dab in the middle of a full throttle CAKEPOP CRAZE!!!! 

My introduction to the cakepop came at Starbucks.  After a movie we headed over to Starbucks to hang out.  There in the case, looking so cute and delicious, were the *new* cakepops! Of course we HAD to try them!

 

Cakepops next crossed my path as I was checking emails one day. Every now and then a recipe will catch my eye and this one was for none-other-than CAKEPOPS!! I saved the link and reflected on how much work I thought they'd be to make(I'm a wimp when it comes to baking), but I knew Kim could make them with ease!

Next, Sheryl returned to work from the Hair Salon and brought us back a...(say it with me now)...CAKEPOP!!!! She proceeded to tell me how the daughter of the lady that does her hair is starting her own cake business, she's real good at decorating cakes so now she's going to make and sell cakepops!!  I was intrigued at this "homemade" version of the one I tried in Starbucks, which by the way I wasn't all that impressed by (sorry!).  She immediately placed them in the refrigerator and said they were "melting."  After lunch I retrieved my chocolate cakepop from the refrigerator and admired the delicate looking blue decorations. I was excited to try it, then it began to sag off the stick...it did seem to be melting.  I think it was missing the dipped-in-chocolate-to-hold-it-together coating that I see on most of the ones I find on the internet.

My final run-in was when my friend told me she was bringing dessert to Dinner Club and it wasn't appropriately themed.  She said this girl at work had been perfecting her recipes and bringing cakepops into work A LOT.  You know where I'm going with this I am sure, she's making cakepops for her to bring to Dinner Club!!! And even though I have never thoroughly LOVE a cakepop yet, I am still excited, once again, to try these beautiful little treats!

Final Opinion on cakepops:  I LOVE the concept, and some of the professionally decorated ones I've seen online are amazing! However, there is something about the thought of making a perfectly good cake only to demolish it down to crumbs and mix with stuff (can be cream cheese) to form it into balls that doesn't appeal to me. If I'm going to that trouble, trust me, I'm making Oreo Truffles (see previous Food Fight Friday post), because they ROCK! 


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