I fell off the world again...

 Believe it or not I have been hard at work...mostly.  (Today how ever was completely unproductive and I accomplished nothing!)   Rather than moan and complain about my apparent lack of work ethic when it comes to my shop, I figure I'll let the pictures to the talking.

These are resin drinks.  Top Row L to R: Mojitos, Mojitos, Ice Water with lemon, Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Blue Raspberry Lemonade

Middle Row L to R: Tequila Sunrise, Tequila Sunrise on side to show maraschino cherry, Mojitos, Blue Hawaiian's with lemon slices and maraschino cherry, Blue Hawaiian's with lemon slices and maraschino cherry
Bottom Row L to R: Sex on the Beach, Sex on the Beach, White and Red Wine, Orange Deamsicle

Next  up is a pair of commissions made for a trade.  I'm getting some awesome in-scale rock-a-billy cherry print fabric! =D Can't wait already have some plans for it!  In exchange I made to breakfasts.  My friend simply asked for bacon and eggs...well I just couldn't leave it at that! LOL  So I made 2 platters of scrambled eggs and crispy fried bacon PLUS 2 Cheese Danishes; 1 cherry the other blueberry, I also made to mugs of Chai Tea/Coffee with cream/Hot Cocoa.

I am very happy with the way they turned out and my friend is over the moon happy as well!

2nd breakfast meal.

In my head I intend to have my shop stocked with Easter goodies BEFORE Easter...maybe I cam actually get some done!  Here is a basket I created and filled last week.  The basket was handmade by me from 2 kinds of ribbon, then filled with green 'grass' !  I stuffed the basket full of wonderful goodies including a plastic rabbit I repainted, several pastel plastic Easter eggs, 2 marshmallow ropes, a decorated chocolate egg and a bag of teeny tiny jelly jeans. Each jelly bean is about half the size of the head of a pin!

I also created a pink version of the basket that has a chocolate bunny and a bag of hard candies.  The baskets are about 2 inches tall at the highest point of the handle! =D

Chocolate bunnies waiting for baskets

Chocolate chicks waiting for baskets!

This pic is the start of yet another commission.  This one is also a trade for which I'm getting a large lot of Monster High items.  My friend here has commissioned me to do a 'fancy restaurant meal for 2'.    So we decided on appetizers (which I am still having a hard time deciding what to make), green salads, main course of filet mignon, lobster tails, baked potato and green beans, with some kind of dessert. 

So far the Salads are as far as I have gotten but I created several varieties of lettuces, cherry tomatoes, black olives and red onion slivers. I am very happy with these and even created a third bowl that will make it's way into my shop...eventually! lol

Last but certainly not least are these wonderful miniature hand carved and hand painted horses.  They are Dala Horses  from Sweden sent to me by a dear friend!

These wonderful little treasures are just over and inch wide and the same high!  I am looking forward to setting up another scene as I intend for these little cuties to find there way into as many scenes as possible! =D 

Started the new listing and updating process

I've procrastinated enough and finally got started listing the new cupcakes I created as well as began the process of creating a separate listing for each and every item I create.  This is a huge pain source of procrastination for me as I really really really dislike the listing process!  It's just so tedious and boring. BUT it's really hard to sell things if you don't list them! So I relisted most of  the Valentine's Day cupcakes that used to be in a single listing.  3 of the last 4 customers I had didn't tell me which variety they wanted, so I contacted them.  One even admitted she hadn't bothered to read the listing so she didn't realize there WERE options!!!  0_o!!!   So to be safe I broke it out into individual listings.  I also added some chocolate cupcakes in the Valentine's theme that never ever got listed!  (um yeah I made them like 2 years ago. *sad face*)

I also got my St Patty's day cupcakes listed...yay me!  I actually managed to get something for a holiday listed BEFORE the holiday AND before the following year! lol  Of course I now have a crick in my neck from being hunched over my laptop, but we all suffer for our art right? ;-)

From the lookout point overlooking the Hudson River

 Tomorrow I will be back to listing as I have a few more cupcake styles to list as well as some cookie plates.  I also would like to finish the 2 Easter baskets I am working on and get those listed too. Although I probably won't list those until later this week as I think I want to photograph them outside, since the weather is so nice!



 

  We live atop a mountain on historical West Point NY. And in the woods across the street from our house is this fantastic Lookout Post. The above picture was taken from the top looking down into the valley at the Hudson River that lies right next to West Point.Beside the Lookout Point is this really neat earthen embankment.  There is a rock with an engraved marker that says Redoubt #2 1778  It's a defensive position from the Revolutionary War!!!  How cool is that!



Another view from the lookout tower. Speaking of nice weather, yesterday was lovely and since our younger 2 boys are on Spring Break I took them out on a nature scavenger hunt.  We had fun looking for all kinds of neat spring time things.  I took a few pictures as well. I must have changed some setting as the images had a weird blue hue to them.  So I changed them to Black and White.  I like! =D

Not exactly sure what this building is, as it's on the other side of the Hudson and is actually quite a distance away.  My boys call it "The Castle'...I can't really disagree.  It is a beautiful structure, whatever it is!

Some days I think I've fallen off the planet!

Ever feel like you have so many things you want to do that you just get overwhelmed and don't do any of them???  Well that's been me for the last few weeks.  A zillion ideas rolling through my brain but I just can't seem to get them to come to fruition! 

I wanted to get some St Patty's Day items done for my shop and well, I'm half way there.  I got the items made...but they STILL aren't listed in my shop. :-(  Tomorrow...I'm always saying tomorrow. Can I say that I really dislike the listing part of having a shop..it's so tedious.  But then again it's hard to sell things if they aren't up for sale!  It's a vicious cycle!

 But enough moaning and k'vetching...here are my St Patty's Day offerings!  (sadly I didn't get the corned beef meal made and doubt I will.)

First up are the Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and bowls of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with frosted cookies.  These are based on actual cupcakes I made last year for a dear friend of my sisters.  And in making all things green, you've GOT to have MCC Ice Cream! YUM!

The cookies are just plain sugar cookies that I frosted with chocolate or vanilla frosting.  The chocolate ones got green and gold 'dragees' while the vanilla frosted one got green sugar.

 I realized some time on Wednesday or Thursday, I decided that the best way to really showcase my baked goods was a display case.  Seriously how tough could it be?  Um yeah that is one of those karmically loaded questions, NEVER ask that question...it's right up there with "What could happen?" lol.

I decided to use a shoe box as the basic structure for my shelf.  it was the right height and the right width.  I initally though I was too deep but after painting it I don't think so.  In person the bottom shelf seemed so empty, but looking at this image I think I will remove all the candy jars from along the back.  It actually looks too cluttered in the pictures.  So anyways, this stupid thing took me almost 3 days to assemble and paint. (several times I had to prevent my children from attempting to open the faux doors at the bottom! lol)

 On the top shelf (which sits at a slight angle) we have plates of the above mentioned frosted cookies, chocolate donuts, raspberry frosted cookies, chocolate chip cookies and mint chocolate chip cupcakes.

On the bottom shelf is the Black Forest cake, a slice of Rose Water Cream cake, Chocolate Peppermint cupcakes, Vanilla Cream cupcakes, a slice of Red Velvet cake in the back, 2 different Chocolate Mouse parfaits, Chocolate Nut fudge, and 2 Lime in the Coconut cupcakes

This is a closer look at the top shelf.  Don't look too hard at the shelf itself please, it's rough!  But in the end it turned out good.  Although I discovered by accident that tacky glue makes a GREAT crackle medium!!! lol

The little sign in the back says D-Lightful Designs Pastries.  I used a nail art stamp to do the peacock feather designs on the side.  BTW you'll be seeing more peacocks in terms of my blog and shop coming soon.  I am just in love with them and want to use them as my signature, so to speak.  I found a couple of really awesome stamps that will be used in my packaging and I have a custom set of art work for both my shop and blog being designed for me!

I haven't done much of anything on the doll clothes front, although I did start the process of clearing a space on my desk to set up my sewing machine full time.  (of course at the moment it's covered again with stuff! )  But the space is there and tomorrow it WILL...why...because I have received another Monster High commission!!!!  This one could prove to be very lucrative too!  My customer is looking to have some of the original stock (Mattel-made) outfits recreated.  She loves the outfits but doesn't want to have to buy every single doll just for the clothes or pay the outrageous prices that ebay sellers are asking!  She'd like to start with the Fear Squad uniforms.  Since copying Mattel's designs exactly would #1 be copyright infringement and #2 impossible due to their custom fabrics, I came up with a relatively simple Fear uniform that I think channels the essence of MH while still being unique. 

The pink and white ribbon will be hand dyed silk ribbon.  My intent is to simple dye the top half of the ribbon to allow for a two-toned look.  That will edge the bottom of the pleated skirt as well as make the bow/belt.  My plan is to make a 2 piece uniform consisting of a black bodysuit and a separate pleated skirt.  I am very happy with the design and have sent the image to my customer for her approval!  I hope she likes it!

Also included with her uniforms will be pom-poms!  The Mattel offered pom poms are litterally 3 layers of FLAT printed plastic!!! WTH? 0_o  Sooo my poms are being hand made with pink, black and white yarns!  They will look just like the one pictured above. Mine will also have elastic bands to allow the ghouls to hold them in whatever poses they need to be in!

That's about it for me, so I'll let you go.  Thanks for hanging around and reading about little old me! =D  I really appreciate it!