After doing my cupcake decorating class about six weeks ago, I've been slowly creating a cupcake decorating kit with all the basic bits and pieces needed to start cupcake decorating. I bought a bunch of cool stuff, and today I made my first batch of cupcakes for a baby shower.
I found the design by just searching google images for something simple, since the mother to be doesn't know the gender of the baby, and I had a lot of fun creating these! It was also my first attempt at colouring fondant myself, which wasn't as difficult or messy as I thought it would be. I bought white fondant, and I used Wilton and Americolour dyes in yellow, pink, and blue to create the three colours. The lady at the shop told me to just dab some on the end of a toothpick, dab it onto the fondant and knead it, and I did. The less colour you use, the lighter the shade, so I used a very small amount of each, then added a bit more and got these lovely pastel colours.
The only downside is that the cupcakes themselves baked in a really strange shape, so I had to do a lot of shearing off the tops with a serrated knife. If anyone can offer tips on how to get that perfectly round cupcake shape, please let me know in the comments! So, while they don't look as professional as I would have liked, I think they're okay for my first attempt!Pin It
Yay, the Oscars! Although the ceremony was kind of a snoozefest, regardless of whether or not you like/don't like Seth McFarlane. To start with, everyone needs to watch this clip of Jennifer Lawrence meeting Jack Nicholson after the ceremony. Now, let's get stuck into the fashion!
Two weeks ago, my Monday Morning Melody was The Lumineers' Ho Hey, and when I first heard it on the radio, I kept thinking it was this song: Little Talks by of Monsters and Men. They sound similar, but not really. But for some reason I though they were the same song for about a month. Anyway, I love them both, so I wanted to feature Of Monsters and Men this week. Your thoughts?Pin It
Busy week for me this week! It was my birthday, and I finished my patchwork quilt, and I had to enroll my daughter in creche, and I did a bunch of other things, the most painful of which happened this morning when I sliced the crap out of my finger while cutting some chicken. GROSS. Anyway, to distract me from the throbbing in my finger, let's look at some links!
- Like Friends? Take this quiz on Buzzfeed, which is asking how well you know Friends. I watch reruns whenever they're on TV (it's a sickness, I can't not watch), and I'm sad to say I got two wrong. - I haven't played The Sims in a while (my sister LOVES it), so I don't know how advanced it is now. This list of the 29 Weirdest Thing to Ever Happen in The Sims tells me that they are pretty crazy. Apparently you can drop your Sim baby in a FISH TANK? And sadly, I can related to number 4. A lot. Number 6 and number 13 cracked my shit up. - The Oscars are this weekend! Some lady had the time to create a site that chronicles every Oscar stat imaginable. I hope you have the rest of the afternoon free, because it is INCREDIBLE. - My sister lives in London, and posted a link to this Tumblr today. Books on the Underground is photos of books that live on the underground trains that people can read while they travel. Such a good idea! If they did that here, I might take public transport more often......MAYBE. Happy weekend, everyone! P.S. Have you liked the Boredom Abounds By Julia Facebook page? Pin It
I am so happy! I started making this quilt a year ago, a few weeks before I gave birth to my daughter. Once I had her in April, I didn't pull it out of the cupboard again until about November last year. I used this pattern, which was quite easy to do since it was just small and large rectangles.
It's to go on our bed, although I think it might be slightly too narrow. I think the pattern should have added an extra row on the edge, since we have a queen size bed and this probably would suit a double bed more.
Anyway, because it's for our bedroom, I didn't want to make it too floral or overly feminine, so I chose a few fabrics that were bluey gray and went from there.
My favourite fabric is that purple looking one with the white print on it. I did put a few florals in, as you can see, but I also mixed it with more plain or simple geometric patterned ones to even it out.
I wanted to find a nice white and blue doona cover to go with it for Winter, and I found THE perfect one at Bed, Bath, and Table, but it was sold out across Australia. So the search continues. But I'm quite pleased with my efforts and I can't wait to have this on our bed in Winter! Pin It
It's my birthday! And last week my mum gave some yellow roses as an early birthday gift. They were beautiful.
Gorgeous, right? The vase is a second hand one I picked up at this place a couple of years ago at this place in Daylesford. I totally forgot I had it until last week, and the yellow roses against the pale blue vase looked lovely.Pin It
During the day, I have the radio on ABC 774, just so there's a bit of noise happening while my daughter sleeps. One day I heard the start of this song, and the singer's husky voice instantly grabbed my attention. It's the late singer Ted Hawkins, who was from Mississippi. He had an interesting and troubled life, from what I've read online, but this song is just so simple and lovely. I don't know if it's his song, or he's doing a cover, but regardless, I think it's beautiful. It's lovely, don't you think?Pin It
I have spent most of this week watching the first season of Hart of Dixie. Could there BE a cuter show? I love it! Anyway, this is the other stuff I looked while not staring at the television. Enjoy. - This is super sweet - a couple in the States adopted a young boy and his sister two years ago, and the mother took some 'newborn' photos of her son. - Did your honey get you a lovely Valentine's Day card? No? It's not too late - maybe something from the Dictators of History range? I think the Leon Trotsky one is my favourite. Oh, Internet, you so crazy. - Still on a Valentine's Day theme, check out Twitter's suggestions for sayings on those little candy hearts.
A super quick post this evening. Yes, it's Valentine's Day, and while it's not a huge deal for my husband and I, I still wanted to make something nice for him. So, I found this recipe on Taste and gave it a whirl.
The verdict? Delicious. Yes, the one pictured has chocolate ganache and strawberries on it, and I served it with pistachio gelato, but I had enough mixture left over to make a loaf cake. Without chocolate ganache, it's still a pretty tasty cake! I would maybe add a tiny bit of vegetable oil to the recipe because I suspect it could get a bit dry, but it's quite nice. Not too dense, not too rich. I highly recommend it. Pin It
I love this song. It's Ho Hey by The Lumineers. It's just so damn catchy. Although every time I hear it I keep thinking it's that Of Monsters and Men song. You know that one I'm talking about. Thoughts?Pin It
And so the last month of Summer begins. But it's also my birthday soon, and the weather is nice, and my baby is loving her swimming lessons (although she keeps trying to drink the water, which, in a public swimming pool, totally grosses me out). So, let's look at some links! - I haven't seen the last two seasons of 30 Rock, but it's on my list of things to watch. Since it ended last week, this article on Buzzfeed is a nice look at the series from a writer. - You need to read this article from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about coming out of the sports closet. He reviewed the TV show Girls, and apparently people couldn't believe that an ex-athlete could have coherent thoughts on something in the pop culture arena. - Mean Girls was such a good film. So Buzzfeed looks at where the dudes from the film are now. You will not believe who Shane Oman is now. Seriously, I did NOT realise he plays....well, you'll see.
The Movie:Safety Not Guaranteed The Players: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson The Makers:Colin Trevorrow (director), Derek Connolly (writer) Run time: 120 minutes
I first heard about this movie last year when David and Margaretreviewed it, and thought it sounded quirky and interesting. And it was!
Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and Arnau (Karan Soni) are interns at Seattle Magazine. Darius is a bored, directionless college graduate who seems to be in a permanant "funk", as her widowed father puts it. At a meeting one day, Jeff, one of the magazine writers, proposes an interview with the author of a classified ad that reads:
Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O.
Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You'll get paid after we get back. Must
bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this
once before.
Darius and Arnau are assigned to help him, and the three of them travel to the seaside town Ocean View to find the author and write a story about him. Staking out the PO box belonging to the letter writer, Darius follows him and discovers he is Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass), a local supermarket employee. After Jeff fails to get any information out of Kenneth, Darius approaches him in the supermarket, piquing his interest. They arrange to meet up later on, and he takes Darius through a series of training exercises to determine whether she is worthy of accompanying him on "the mission."
While Darius gets more involved in training for the time travel expedition, Jeff reveals an ulterior motive and tracks down an old girlfriend, Liz, from his youth. As Darius and Arnau continue learning more about Kenneth, Jeff gets involved with Liz and realises that life in Seattle might not compare to beachside life with his old flame. Things get complicated, though, when Darius begins to fall for Kenneth, and the trio from Seattle discover that Kenneth's claims that he's being followed turn out to be true, and that his past isn't quite what he's made it out to be. Kenneth tells Darius to meet him at the launching site, determined to continued with his mission. Darius is torn, trying not to let her feelings for Kenneth get in the way of getting a good story.
Disguised as a sort of sci-fi film, this is more of a romance. Aubrey Plaza, who I've always found kind of bland (possibly because of the permanent bored expression on her face), actually gives a sweet performance. She's cool and collected, but her gentle inquisitiveness creates a lovely bond between her and Kenneth. Jake Johnson provides a welcome side of humor as the arrogant magazine writer using interns to do the hard work for him, while he uses the business trip as an excuse to rekindle his romance with Liz. One of the strongest points of the writing is that the film isn't used as a tool for time travel debate or cynicism, or as a way of painting Kenneth as some outlandish conspiracy theorist. Instead the characters each embark on their own journey of discovery, as their memories and past hurts push them towards some form of realisation that the past can't be changed. This was an incredibly sweet film that subtly captures the first moments of falling in love - the highs, the lows, the doubts, and the discoveries. It's a gentle story that doesn't try to argue too much, or convince the audience it must believe in one side over the other. Instead, we watch and wait, letting the belief that Darius begins to find creeping over her slowly washing over us as well. It's well worth watching. In a word: sweet
Wow, it's February already! I missed Friday links last week because we were away in SA at a wedding, but it's a new week, and it's a Monday, so that means it's time for a melody! I heard this last week n Triple J and thought the singer's voice, and the melody, sounded a lot like girl bands from the Motown era. It's a 9 piece Melbourne band called Saskwatch, and it's super fun - this tune is called Your Love. Cute, no?Pin It
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