We All Scream For Ice Cream!

This past May I was visiting my parents in my hometown when my mom and I came across a small little auction in a church parking lot. I've never participated in an auction but there were a few pieces that caught my eye so I decided to try it out. Luckily we have a big vehicle because I left with a lot of goodies to load up for the drive home.

First up was a silver plated tea set. I wanted to respect the beauty of lines and decorative detail so I decided to just add a little pink.

But, I decided that wasn't enough. So I decided I would take it 'over the top' and do this...

As much as I loved the whimsical design and colors, I felt like it didn't showcase the natural beauty of the set. So, I stripped all the paint (by boiling in hot water - no chemicals! The paint just peeled away) And ended up adding an ivory spray paint then distressing it and hand painting some gold details to create this beautiful centerpiece for the holidays.

I think I'm done with it... at least for now.

My 2nd auction purchase was this adorable low seat/high back chair that I bought for $5 at the auction. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the seat is perfect for a child's height. 

before/after

As much fun as these projects were, I had one more piece that I couldn't wait to refinish. Ready? Here it is... drum roll please......

Isn't it adorable?! Just look at that wheel! I saw it and immediately I knew it would be the inspiration for my daughter's September birthday. In the past, I've spent weeks months trying to decide on a perfect party theme, but the moment I spotted this tea cart I knew, without a doubt, my daughter was meant to have an ice cream party and this would make the perfect ice cream cart.

Well... June passed... July passed... August passed... and there my little cart sat completely untouched in our garage. My daughter's birthday party was scheduled for September 26 so naturally I waited until the Tuesday before to start actively working on projects. Since I had been planning in my head for months I figured it wouldn't take long to actually complete it. I promised myself that this year I would 'keep it simple'. More importantly, I believed it when I said that. However, anyone who knows me also knows that 'simple' isn't how I do things. So, here is the outcome. 

brownie balls in homemade waffle cones

ICE CREAM CART

FAVORS 

ICE CREAM BAR

The homemade toppings included marshmallow cream, vanilla bean salted caramel, dark chocolate ganache, eggless cookie dough, waffle cones, and a custom blend of sprinkles

THE OUTFIT

Happy Birthday, Quinn!

Smoothie Bowls

If you know me at all, you probably are aware of how much I love Yonanas. While Yonanas is an amazing little gadget, the concept is simply blending frozen fruit until it reaches a soft-serve ice cream consistency. It's the perfect summer treat. However, I've recently been using Yonanas to create these delicious smoothie bowls. They are simply amazing. It's like a giant bowl of healthy ice cream for breakfast. What's better than that?

On the journey...

I haven't been posting much lately, but it's not for lack of creating. I've been focusing on a number of things that I'm hoping to transition my business to. In the past I focused primarily on children's accessories, hair pieces, apparel, and photo props in addition to a number of other custom orders. I'm hoping to recreate it surrounding food art including specialty desserts made to order, food photography, and kitchen decor and artwork. With no formal training in either photography or the culinary arts, it's a struggle I'm facing how to actually make a brand out of it. But it's my passion and something I love learning each and every day. So, I'll keep learning, and maybe someday I'll figure out the details. For now, here is just a sampling of what I've been up to.

Mini stack of pancakes

Raspberry and vanilla bean snow cones

Taco night

Raspberries (from the garden)

Smoothie Bowl

Hand painted tea set

Mixed media canvas

Acrylic painting trio

Mixed media canvas

Mixed media canvas

Mixed media canvas 

Work in Progress

I haven't posted much lately, but I've been busy as ever. For the first time in a few years I've freed up my schedule from custom orders and I'm focusing on some new mix-media kitchen inspired artwork. This is just a sample of what I've been working on recently that I will officially launch for sale on Etsy in the next month (or so).