Easter Cookies

My friend and I signed up for a cookie decorating workshop at a nearby bakery. I like doing things like this. It provides a few hours out to meet new people. You usually learn something. It's fun, and all the mess is somewhere other than your place. I highly recommend it.

Here is the "after" photo of how the cookies were supposed to look.

We had a couple of wonderful owner/instructors who provided us with great information and demonstrated technique. We also had the photo, and a workspace. First we practiced decorating using a template and a piping bag. It's not as easy as it looks. A steady hand is helpful.

Our partially *flooded cookies were ready for our touches. We would be combining food colour painting and piping to make our creations.

The small eggs were experimental. The others were...well, clearly also experimental. Some painting, more flooding, then piping. My bunny turned out looking like an angry mouse. The back of my lamb looked like not much of anything. My carrot...pretty good. Butterfly...passable. The flower and big egg...oh well. Just don't compare them to the original photo and they don't look half bad.

Next, we were given a delicious snack. Love those scones, one savoury, and one with raspberries. The lemon square was a highlight, and the punch was tasty.

Voilà! Cookies were dry and ready to be boxed and taken home for consumption. We each received a lovely graduation cookie as well. It was a successful day. I do believe I want to keep an eye out for further fun activities at this bakery.                                                                                                                                         

graduation cookies

*Flooding is the process of filling a cookie with icing. It is necessary to first pipe a "dam", let it dry, then fill the middle with softer icing which once dry, can be painted with food colouring. Making a dam keeps the icing from dripping down the sides.

         

Wire Wrapping Not Wire Rapping

My friend and I recently registered for a wire wrapping class. Not to be confused with the spoken word poetry to music, this was a class in bending wires to assemble jewellery. We wanted to make a beautiful necklace. Registration was inexpensive and the class took place at a large craft store. We were the only two to arrive on a Friday night and naturally, appreciated the individual attention.

First, we selected and purchased our beads and wires at a discounted price. Next, we laid them on a tray provided, so that we wouldn't be chasing down tiny beads all over the floor.


Then our wonderful instructor gave us the beginner info. and tools. We were glad that we didn't have to purchase pliers, trays, and the like. Using her equipment, we attempted to begin our project. After several re-dos, sore and blackened fingers, and minimal success, we were out of time and I for one was out of patience.  

                                                         
Here's what I managed to complete after a couple of hours. I connected three beads. In fairness, I did bend all the dozen wires creating the links. My friend was much more skilled and made several segments for her necklace. Clearly, we needed more time and fortunately were offered such on another Friday night, by our instructor.

We had a new plan for our follow up class. We decided more fun was in order. Since we were early, we shopped, snacked, drank, and acted a little silly. Lots of laughs resulted from our little purchase.  Not only that, Yoda, much attention he garnered.












We arrived at the class and once again were the only two. Our instructor was enthusiastic, Yoda watched and we completed our projects as we snacked on Pringles. What a fun time. Here's the result of our efforts...beautiful necklaces.

Fairy Gardens R Us

On the weekend, my friend and I went to great class at a nursery, Van Belle's. They offered a course in fairy gardens. I hadn't heard of this new fad until a few months ago when I saw a gorgeous example at a relative's. She had found a lovely container and added a lot of tiny toys with help from her children. What fun. Since then, I've observed these quite often at garden centres.

Anyone can do it. In ye olden days we often turned our terrariums into similar scenes. On this particular Saturday, we were given the following items, along with a $25 gift card to shop for extras as part of the class.  There was a large group of participants...children and adults of all ages.

The instructor gave us a few hints about what fairies like to have as part of their garden....places to hide, glitter to light the path, and so on. The children were particularly enthralled. There were many materials including stones, wood, curly willow branches, moss, crushed brick and sparkly glitter available for our use in order to enhance our gardens.

Being a huge fan of gnomes and not so much of Tinkerbell-like creatures, I decided to create a differnt kind of garden. Similarly, my friend found some hedgehogs and toadstools for hers. Neither of us enjoyed the flower that we were given and sought out a different variety of plant. There were no small grasses so I ended up with a coffee plant. I used my gift card to purchase a house. After all, gnomes need a place to live don't they?

Almost done. The only things missing were the gnomes. As they say in the land of floral arrangements, "group things in odd numbers". I acquired three gnomes and two toadstools and placed them strategically in my garden. The third gnome is out back with the woodpile.

My friend was very creative with her hedgehog garden. I just loved how it looked too.

 We aren't quite ambitious or interested enough to tackle anything massive like the gorgeous fountain fairy garden display at the nursery, but we were proud of our efforts nonetheless.

 Here we are...all done and dehydrated after an hour and a half of creativity inside a greenhouse.

 It's so great to have a friend who is a willing participant in these sorts of adventures. That's truly the best part.

Afternoon Tea - The Experience

Sunday finally arrived. Our tea time reservation at the Fairmont Royal York was for 12:30. Because of all the street and train station construction, it was a bit of a challenge negotiating my way across to the hotel. I entered to see this magnificent display.

I arrived quite early, so I decided to check out the shopping underground tunnels. Unfortunately, they were closed, as were all the stores and coffee shops on the lower hotel level. Construction, I was told. I ventured upstairs where I first passed sculptures based on the story "A Christmas Carol", carved entirely from tallow.  As I stood and admired this creation, depicting one of the ghosts, I heard a fellow say to his friend, "Who's that supposed to be, Jesus?"

Although I had dressed in a presentable manner, I decided to forgo the fascinator. I was glad I did when I saw this Christmas tree sporting the exact same hat. That could have been embarassing!

After sipping a martini and gulping a few glasses of water I went to check out the reservation. "Nobody's here yet from that party," I was told, so I hung up my coat and took a few timer photos with the large lobby tree.

When I returned to the library lounge ten minutes later, everyone had arrived...well, except for me. I took my place at the head of the table and attempted to read the menu. It didn't really matter that I couldn't see because except for the tea, we all received the same food items. Our specified flavour of tea arrived first, then the sandwiches. My teapot had a minor issue which caused me, in my handicapped state to pour tea all over the tablecloth. Oh well, it smelled and tasted a bit...er...agricultural anyhow...no great loss.

Meanwhile, we were all having a wonderful time meeting with each other, chatting and laughing a lot. We nibbled our very filling sandwich triangles. When my friend decided to explore the depths of her teapot, she came up with this rather disturbing discovery...another huge source of amusement.

 Next came the dessert tray, containing a variety of items including scones, macarons, tarts, cake and cream puff swans. Goodies not consumed were packed up in a lovely Fairmont doggy bag.


I

As we got ready to leave, I noticed the source of our entertainment. It wasn't a recording at all. Rather there was a guitarist sitting directly behind my chair. Gave new meaning to the words, background music.

  We hated to disperse after such a lovely time, so all of us went to take individual and group photos by the huge lobby tree. What a lovely memory and good times with nice people.

I'd consider doing this again some day. It would have to be in the summer, when the cost is lower and there's the opportunity to tour the hives and herb gardens on the roof of the hotel. I think that opportunity would add a nice dimension to the tea time experience. Oh...and just to add another dimension, I'd seek out a place where I could afford to have two martinis prior to tea time.

Gifts

I have to laugh. People are totally getting to know me. I can tell by their gift giving. This just goes to show that it's not true what they say about seniors. We don't have everything and need nothing. I can honestly say that prior to this year, I did not own any of these items. Not only that, I am using or will use every last one. As one of my friends said, "old people don't only need items that have medicinal properties."  How true.

A gift from hubby. This bug is a garden ornament but is so great that I couldn't wait until spring. It now adorns one of my houseplants.

A sleep mask and handwarmers that look like pigs. Who doesn't need these wonderful and unique items? My friend presented them to me. Then we tried to think of as many pig expressions we could..."when pigs fly", "pig in a poke", and "this little piggy..."

I love the socks from my stepdaughter. In fact, they match my favourite nutcracker earrings. I have to ask though, "Do these socks make my dog look fat?"

My son knows that I'm an English language stickler. He got me this book full of amusing photos with captions demonstrating the correct and incorrect use of "quotations". Funny, entertaining, and yet, sad.


  



                                                     




And now for the more elegant items. This is a great Terry's boutique string scarf. It has several uses and can be worn many ways. Besides converting to a belt, it can hang down, be tied loosely, knotted tightly and more. The strings contain my favourite colours. It has sparkle and sheen. I've already had compliments on it and I will be wearing it often.

This table cloth and a matching runner came from another friend. Lovely and seasonal.

I hope that everyone has been as blessed as I to have such wonderful friends and family that know me so well. Continued happy holidays to all.