More Brownies...

More brownies.. this time for the girls at work!

Day Two in Seattle

I am always on the search for les macarons. Our first stop was le panier in Pike Place market. The macarons had good texture and were pretty tasty, but our favorite macarons came later in the day...
These jewel toned macarons we discovered at Honore Artisan Bakery in Ballard. Although these macarons were larger than their Parisian counterparts, they were delicious! Our favorites were the salted caramel with coconut and the lavender with lavender ganache. Their other pastries and confections were equally delicious!

Our most memorable find of the day was Bella Umbrella just next to Honore Bakery in Ballard.
This tiny shop displayed dozens of vintage umbrellas from the ceiling and housed a myriad of unusual and unique styles along their shelves. All the umbrellas were arranged by color which made for the most breathtaking presentation!

Aaron found this 50's double layered umbrella that was black on the outside with a floral scalloped lining.
The owner rents most of these vintage umbrellas out for weddings and other events, but she also makes a signature pagoda umbrella which I had to have. I chose a pink pagaoda canopy with a red wooden handle. I'm so taken with the shape and style of this umbrella! It has me dreaming of flying away like Mary Poppins!
I also loved this pink and black plaid umbrellas from the 50s...
My pink pagaoda umbrella!

Having Fun...

Having fun with my new iPhone apps, polarizer and quad cam.

A Bedtime Activity

The girls always want a project, but its especially important on nights where its just them and me. Tonight we did a quick painted chocolate project that was lots of fun and none too messy!

By using white coating chocolate, chocolate dies and a plastic mold, the girls created these pink and yellow painted bee chocolates, which are absolutely adorable!

Clean up was minimal and we even got out the paint brushes!

I will be demonstrating at Open Studios in Benicia from 10am -1pm. Demos will be held at Arts Benicia located in the historic arsenal area on the water in Benicia. I will have a table set up for making Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) but there will be lots of other art events going on for adults and kids. Hope you can make it!

We made party crackers today for our house warming tomorrow night. The girls were occupied for an hour and did a great job making them! We used toilet paper rolls, filled them with candy then rolled them in crepe paper. The girls used a sticker to seal the paper, then they tied the ends with baker's twine. It was a fun and easy project and they turned out so well! The rest of the afternoon was spent doing other arts and crafts projects and cooking, but I think this was the success of the day!