It's over!

Christmas, that is. Thank god it's over because I'm super tired. But I got the most amazing gifts. First off I got a 3 in 1 printer/scanner/copier which I'm so relieved to say will be wonderful for printing out my paypal shipping labels. I'd like to go to the post office as little as possible. It's a Lexmark brand, which I've heard isn't that great. But I'm not using it for high end stuff, so I should be fine. I haven't tried out the scanner yet, but I really hope it's decent because that brings into play my other gift. $600 in cold hard cash! I'm going to put it towards an Epson art printer so I can make prints of my artwork. Hopefully, HOPEFULLY, the scanner attached to this Lexmark printer is capable of making decent scans of artwork.
Now I just have to jump on creating some more art!
Besides that stuff, I also got a mountain of beads (seriously, I'm not even joking), clay (also in mountain size), a pair of shoes (that don't fit as well as I'd hoped, I'll have to look into that), videogames, and a huge pots and pans set. Cool right? I was literally JUST talking with Lou about how I wish I had a nice new set of pots and pans and then my uncle goes and buys me some. He must be spying on me. But wait...that's not all...I also got a 26" flatscreen tv! I was a good girl this year, obviously.
And now it's time for some relaxation with the game Eternal Sonata that Lou was so kind as to aquire for me...on my spiffy new television.

Attack of the Mexican Wedding Cakes!

My workplace is having a cookie exchange this Monday and I, against all common sense and logic, chose to participate! We each have to make roughly SEVEN DOZEN cookies to split up amongst 17 people. I didn't really realize how much seven dozen was until I was knee deep in cookie dough and sneezing powdered sugar left and right.

I wanted to make something super cool and delicious and my first thought was to make some rum balls. I could get a big bottle of rum and make the cookies and still have leftovers....of rum, that is. I think the real reason I wanted to make them was because I always think back to one time in highschool when my neighbor brought over Christmas cookies for us and my mom wouldn't let me have any of the rum balls. I kept thinking what's the big deal? The alcohol gets baked out of them anyways. Well as it turns out, I was not aware that rum balls are a no-bake recipe. Thank god my mom didn't give me any rum balls.

So I was not aware that I'm actually retarded. Somehow I managed to screw up my rum balls by misreading the ingredients. I added 1/2 cup of rum as opposed to 1/4 cup. I tried to salvage them, but no. Eat one ball and you're drunk. And they're really doughy/gummy. Probably from all of the liquid in them. My roommate says they burn. Haha, that's alcohol for ya. I guess I'll keep them around for when I feel like doing shots.... ick.

Disappointing indeed. I could've re-done them, but I decided I wanted to make a cookie I have to bake. Staying in the "ball" family I made ten million mexican wedding cakes. Yes, you read right....ten million. Give or take a few.

I almost messed this recipe up too! From the website I got the recipe from there was a conversion chart to change the amount made. I doubled the ingredient list but it didn't double the actual recipe. Which I didn't realize until I tried to bake them and started to wonder where the four cups of flour was supposed to come into play. And why it called for only 6 tablespoons of that four cups. But I fixed it and look what I made! (this picture doesn't do the mountain justice. that's a HUUUUGE serving platter that they're on, and the cookies tower so high i'm afraid they're going to topple over any second)






Mexican Wedding Cakes
---------------------
1 c butter
1 tsp almond extract
6 tbsp confectioner's sugar
2 c flour
1 c chopped walnuts
extra confectioner's for coating cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.

Cupcake Locket

I did it! I finally listed my cupcake locket. Eeeeee! The only reason I've waited so long is because I've noticed a lot of copying going on in Etsy. Especially with polymer clay. And I realllllly didn't want this design to get stolen. I'm really proud of it, and I think it's totally original. I'm not saying that every idea I've ever thought of is one of a kind and no one else could've possibly EVER thought of it. I just want to protect my cupcake locket. It's my baby.

Want to buy the cupcake locket?

Little Creatures

As usual, I keep jumping from one interest to the next. What was it...a week and a half ago I was busily working on my candy necklace beads? Have I touched the clay since then? No. But shh..I have been busy making tons of other things and listing tons more in my two Etsy shops, so I don't feel as guilty. I started making a line of little figurines that are slightly different from the "bunny-esque" ones I talked about earlier that I made for my nana and pops. These ones are handpainted and look more like little girls made of dessert. I was thinking that I want to stick to food-related things but I still want to make other things 'besides' just food. Also, I was thinking I want to make sculptures that aren't as delicate. I can picture bunny ear catastrophes happening. But these dessert girls are a little more durable. Sadly, I dropped one I had finished and her icecream top broke off a bit. What's kind of funny is I had painted her with a sad face. Foreshadowing mebbe? I wanted to punch the floor for ruining her, but I knew it wouldn't solve anything. Stupid inanimate objects!!
I need to think of a good name for them now. Something sweet and precious...like Lil' Dumplins. Or Lil' Puddins? Puddin is what my great grandma called me and it would be nice to have a lil bit of meaning behind the name, I think. Or maybe something russian sounding, similar to matryoshka dolls. They sort've look like those anyways. Ah well, something will come to me.

Here's two of the six I have complete. They're about 1 1/2 inches tall.

Candy Necklace progress & such

I'm more than halfway done with my candy beads. There's still blue and white to go..and then I can string 'em up. I can't help getting distracted with other projects though. I'm really all over the place when it comes to things. Literally three days ago I was all about getting my painting going, but now I've discovered that it's super fun to make figurines and paint them. So I guess that's kind've painting also. I can't wait until they're finished so I can list them. Of course they're food-themed.
Today I made some buttons for Lou for a holiday party we're going to this weekend. He has a super tacky green sweater that's just begging for silly holiday pins. Since Lou mostly lacks in the art department I have to end up making things for him and his crazy ideas. Hm, let me count the times I had to help him with his Halloween costumes. One of the pins is for "Robanukah". It's just a made up holiday from the cartoon Futurama, but I think it came out pretty well for five minutes of work with shrinky dink paper. I also made a christmas tree clay button, and Lou busted out his gingerbread man making skills.


Happy Robanukah to all.

Lobsters & Wreaths

Yesterday Lou and I went to something called a Lobster and Wreath Festival. It was really strange. They sold lobster & crab meat and clams & mussels for really cheap, and also wreaths and baked goods. We bought an apple pie, some pepper jelly, clams, mussels and come crab meat. The lady who took the orders for the seafood wasn't very nice though. I made some fra diavolo for dinner with the clams and mussels and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. The clams had these little "necks". I wasn't really ready for a lesson in clam anatomy. I couldn't eat them. Lou ate them though.
But today was a much better experience. I made stuffed mushrooms with the crab meat and they were the best mushrooms I've ever had. For realsies.
Now I'm working on my candy necklace beads. I'm hoping I'll be done with them today.