Merry Christmas from the Bertrands! I don't have much time for making things lately, but I hope that changes with this Christmas. I have plans for making things as gifts this year. Real plans. Well, real plans according to my Pinterest baords. That counts, right?
This morning I stumbled across these photos that I took at a birthday party thrown by my friend for her daughter. (You might remember the cake.) She'd thought of everything to make this art-inspired party fun and colorful. Face painting, little manicures in a rainbow of colors, and snow cones with fruity colorful flavors. But my favorite activity by far was the painting table. Each place contained a blank canvas, one for each little girl, and a rainbow of colorful paints to choose from. Ah! It was so hard not to jump in there myself. So. Hard.
Love this arrangement. These were from my sister-in-law's garden, not mine. Mine is full of weeds that I'm desperate to get rid of. But not desperate enough. Not yet. However, I know that when I'm ready to get rid of them they'll still be there. Bigger and badder than before. Until then, I'll look at these.
Due to my long absence from here, you may or may not be aware that my husband is a writer. You may also be unaware of an article in the current issue of The Weekly Standard that describes him as “a major crime-fiction talent,” and “one of the best police procedural writers I’ve come upon in years.” Ack! How awesome is that? Yep, extraordinarily awesome. If you'd like, you can read the entire article here. (Do it!) And there's also a great blog post by novelist Mike Durand about the article (here) that's a great read as well.
So cheers to my wonderful and amazing and talented husband!
I made it quite a while ago, really. Grated ginger, honey from the farmer's market and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Ugh. So good. And even better, enough left over to share with friends. That's something I hope to do more of here too. Share, post. Remember things I did and make nice unrealistic (but lovely just the same) lists of things I hope to do. So cheers! Here's to picking back up where I left off. Thanks for stopping by!
Recipe for Lemon Honey Ginger Tea
Ginger
2 Lemons
Honey
Water
Boil water. Finely grate about 1-2 Tbsp of fresh ginger into a bowl (I use something like Pyrex that can take having boiling water poured into it). Pour boiling water over grated ginger and allow to steep for at least five minutes. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and strain out seeds and pulp. Add to bowl. Add 1/4 c honey plus more to taste. You can drink it hot or put ito a container and refridgerated for up to a week.
You might call it OCD but I love it when my Pinterest board covers color coordinate.
I learned a valuable lesson (again) while making this cake... it is very important to chill after icing each layer. I did not follow my own advice and this sucker started to ooze. Layers were shifting in one directing like a small sugary mudslide. I literally thought I was going to lose the orange layer completely. Fortunately, my dear Friend Meagan (also the mother of the birhtday girl) was gracious and wonderful and loved the cake, ooze and all!
I purchased a 4-pack of Wilton gel food colors in pastel Rose, Blue, Green, and Yellow and they turned out great. Super saturated and so fun. I added the dots to coordinate with the party colors. Plus, it helped catch the eye and detract from the side that was not-so-pretty (and not pictured!).
While cleaning out and reorganizing my kitchen storage areas I came across an untitled recipe card written in my mother’s handwriting. I knew instantly what this was going to be and that I was going to make it. Fast. It was her banana bread/muffin recipe. The one I’d grown up eating and the one that I compare all others to. The one she still makes to this day. So before the day was through I made it. I only made one change, I added an extra banana.
Oh, they were good.
So good.
Five muffins eaten in five hours good.
Two things...
1. A cup of coffee with a dear friend in my new to me mugs.
2. Cheers! My latest project, a rousing success, was featured in the December 2011 Good Housekeeping (page 34). One of my freelance design clients is a company called DRINK FLAIR®. Two enterprising local women who came up with an idea to create a line of reusable drink labels. Totally cute! I've been working with them for almost three years now and have enjoyed every moment, even the late night deadlines. So... eight weeks ago GH approached them about creating a holiday set to appear in a feature that they were doing on setting up your holiday bar. How cool is that? Very. Pay attention though, beacause this is a limited edition set. Once they're gone, they are gone. Did I mention reusable? Yes, you can bust them out every year! At only $5.00 for a set of 12 you should click here to order yours now. (And yes, I designed their website too and would love for you to check it out!)
These babies are bright, beautful and that yellow one in the front is as big as your face. Yowza! And today they are all sitting on my desk as I type this. I did not grow them. Nope, not this little novice gardener. They were a gift from a friend who has an amazing garden. Thank you!
You can read more about them here.
