Fantastic Fair!

This year was another great time at the Iowa State Fair. We made our usual stops: the birthing barn to see baby animals, the FFA projects, the 4H projects, the tractor exhibit, and the food carts. After lunch I am always in the mood for some fair sweets and this year it was harder than ever to choose! Right after we'd downed ice cream at the dairy barn, I came across a new booth where they were selling "Fair Squares" which were essentially rice krispy treats on a stick. I appreciated the cute booth design and the unique idea. Maybe next year I'll save room for one.While I am a fan of the fair sweets, Donavan is a fan of the fair meat.

A Rainbow Cake Dream Come True

I did it! I made a rainbow cake! Finally! I used the occasion of my friend Shawn's birthday to try out the recipe I wrote about so long ago. It took me about 4 hours to make but it was totally worth it to see the look on people's faces at Shawn's birthday lunch when I cut into the unassuming white frosted cake. You see, I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone so as far as anyone knew it was just a regular 'ol cake. It was so pretty to eat and it tasted good to boot! A rainbow cake dream come true indeed for this sugar pants gal. Behold:
1. Some color inspiration to start with.
2. 5 bowls of beautiful batter.3. The layer that didn't quite make it to the final cake. So sad. 4. The birthday boy's life slogan decorated the unassuming cake:)

5. Ta Dah! Color! So easy to make and so many smiles.

My first Alchemy project

Etsy has a section called "Alchemy." I never bothered trying to figure out what exactly it was until the other day and now I am hooked! Buyers make postings about projects they need done and about how much they are looking to spend. Sellers bid on the project and give a little description of how they would go about the project and what they would charge. The buyer then selects a seller to complete the project. I bid on a project recently that involved making monogram totes for 6 bridemaids. I finished the project up and will be shipping it out tomorrow. I think the bags came out so cute that I will be offering them in my etsy shop from now on. Check 'em out yo.

Dramatic Chipmunk Hey - Parry Gripp

New York State of Mind

In a little over a month, I'm heading to NYC with some friends to celebrate my birthday. I am putting together some special surprises for my travel companions so I have been keeping my eyes peeled for anything NYC related. Saw these amazing pics on one of my favorite blogs, designworklife. These paper sculptures are the coolest. When you look at them from above they look like an iconic NYC image yet when you see them from the side, they are a bunch of tiny buildings of differing heights. Check out more pics here.