A Sassy Little Workshop: Cross Stitch!

My Sassy Little Craft Show Empire has just expanded to include casual monthly workshops.  I instructed the first one: Cross Stitch

We made simple monograms as a first project.  Here I am with one of my students.

Happy Stitchers.

                                      

Our Class Tree

...is adorned with blossoms!

We used coffee filters that I cut into somewhat floral shapes, and the kids coloured with water-based markers.  Then I sprayed them with water so the colour bled and stuck them to the windows to dry (we get a lot of sun, and, they looked pretty there!

                                     

Now my students point out blossoms constantly.  I love using art to teach because I've noticed that when people make an artistic rendering of something, all of a sudden that thing becomes theirs.  They become so intimate with it.

Come one, come all!

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Vacation Scarf Crafting

I have a thing for vacation scarves.  You know those souvenir scarves that you can find in a lot of second hand stores for a few bucks?  The only problem is that they are often difficult to wear.  The satin makes them slide off my head, and they are usually not big enough to use as a belt (or using them that way obscures the awesome campy picture)  But I have this book:

...with a pattern for making headbands.  I decided to use some of my vacation scarf stash to scare up a headband:

I call the look "contemporary bohemian" (snicker).

I used what was left of the scarf to copy a headband that I saw in Forever 21.  Not sure how I feel about this one.  Am I too old to have a giant fabric flower on the side of my head? Is anyone?  Is everyone?

Nest Cookies

Around Easter, I got the idea in my head to make cookies that looked like little birds' nests, using mini eggs (one of my favourite confections) as eggs.  I had many different thoughts about how this would go down, but I ended up with these: Shortbread thumbprint cookies with apricot jam, mini eggs, and crumbled up mini wheats cereal.  The finished product was a little too sweet and rich for me (shortbread, chocolate, AND jam?  Toooo muuuuuuch) but I thought they looked pretty cute!

What Puppet Theatre?

Don't you mean a Flower Shop?

Baking away April Showers

Old fashioned shortbread, from Martha Stewart Cookies.  I added Rosemary, because it is actually impossible for me to follow a recipe exactly.  DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!

Browned-butter pumpkin muffins, made with dried cranberries, walnuts, and butterscotch chips.  Ever tried butterscotch with pumpkin?  Off. The.  Hook.

Recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes.  Healthier flour (quinoa and brown rice) and sugar (evaporated cane juice) substituted.  Roasted pumpkin seeds on top, an exquisite idea that made me fall just a little bit more in love with myself that day.