Feeling a Little Crafty?

These weren't actually in this years competition; I put them in last year. The first one is a portrait of my eldest sister, and the second was my first (remotely good) painting. The painting is supposed to be of Ireland! These were already on my computer so I figured: hey, visual aids!

I am! Feeling crafty, I mean. I've been wanting to make... well, EVERYTHING! lately. Yesterday I made Valentines for three of my friends, my mommy, my dad, one of my sisters, and my three nephews. I was also feeling sentimental for the good ol' days in elementary school when everyone made cute little mailboxes or pouches for their desks and passed out those little Valentines with the cute little sticker hearts! Oh, how I miss those days! I got 1 (I repeat: 1) Valentine... one! And it was from one (I repeat: one! Too much?) of my nephews. And it was only after I had already given them theirs. But I was super excited anyway, because I desperately wanted one (well, I didn't want one. I wanted multiples! I should say: I wanted at least one.) I think the highlight of the day was when my sister, Courtney, made our mommy and me raspberry pancakes with chocolate sauce and honey drizzled on them. Uhhh... yummmm... Well, maybe not quite the highlight of the day. I really, really LOVE food! But I've got to say that if anything was better than eating the raspberry-chocolate goodness that was breakfast it was talking to... someone... about... stuff... for approximately 45 minutes. He is enjoyable to talk to (look at [but really talk to {and look at}] but it makes sense that to talk to him I have to look at him. Which I do not mind doing. Anyhoo...). It was a good day. Moving on from what was probably my least-suckish Valentine's Day yet: This Friday the art from my high school's art competition is going to be displayed in the art gallery area of the local cultural foundation! We're having a nice big exhibition with finger foods and everything! Except wine. Apparently that isn'y appropriate for a high school art exhibit...? Who knew? This will be the first- and hopefully not the last- time my art will be in a gallery. Besides the time I was walking around a gallery downtown with my big bag, in which I always keep a sketch pad. Somehow I just don't think that counts! Anyway, this long-winded babbling crap load has all been my round about way of leading into the main point of this post (and seemingly my entire existence lately): baking! Since we get to have finger foods at the exhibition, I finally have an excuse to make my zucchini bread mini muffins! Oh, the world revolves around the sun, the best time to plant corn in coastal Mississippi is February 25th to March 18th, and life makes sense again! I have never before had an urge this strong to bake! I've never even baked! Unless you count the occasional batch of chocolate chip cookies, and minimally helping my brother/sister/best friend make cake/brownies. But, all of a sudden, I just want to create! I want to make crafty little crafts [?], food, art, gifts, clothes; honestly I'd make just about anything right now. Don't quote me on that, and if anyone has any suggestions on other fun craft ideas I would freakin' love you if you would comment below unless you have a nasty suggestion or want to say something snarky. If that is the case, please feel free to comment, but also leave your email address so I can write you a strongly worded letter. Okay, moving on! I'll probably make the muffins Friday, since I have class Thursday and the showing is at night anyway, and I'll try to take pictures of the process and post it- along with the recipe- here. By the way, I made hummus on Monday but I didn't take pictures. Which turned out to be a good thing since the hummus did not turn out to be a good thing! It would've been marvelous if I had had enough chickpeas! But alas! I didn't even go to the store to get any ingredients because, for some crazy reason we had all of them just laying around the house! Except that our can of chickpeas was 15 ounces and the recipe called for 19 ounces. This set in motion the hummus apocalypse! I was a ninny and decided not to adapt the recipe to the smaller can of chickpeas. I don't know if you'd really call what I did a decision; it was more like I just glazed over the details, blacked out and woke up with a terrible and unfix-able mess. This one detail totally screwed everything up, I mean, it tasted like butt and sesame seed oil (which is lovely in small amounts but-trust me- not in large amounts!), and it turned out like butt-sesame-hummus soup... mmmm... I loved it! Alright, I wrote an essay here instead of a concise post! Now, if only I could sit down and write the THREE essays that are actually due for college! I know, it's awesome! Love,
Belle
P.S.: I'm watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Does this mean I am now officially my mom? Food for thought.

Will You Be My Valentine? Or Come to My Birthday Party?

Here is the finished product from wakinglife. You can easily convert this into muffins. You don't even have to change the recipe just poor it all into a muffin tin instead of a bread tin (I don't know what to call it).
Here's a vegan zucchini muffin. Click on the pic to take you to the recipe, they have recipes for tons of other vegan muffins, too.
This is some homemade hummus. Mine will be nowhere near as pretty as this, but I'll try to not destroy it.
Finger sandwiches are a blessing. They truly are.
Mmmm... yummy, biscotti is super...
Check out my sister's recipe at poorcountrycollegegirl

I have no Valentine this year sadly enough. Hrm... I haven't had a Valentine any year. But I'm okay with that! I am in a good mood today, and the fast-approaching doom that is Valentine's Day will not crush it. "Why are you in such a good mood, Bellamy?" you may be asking yourself. Well, I'll tell you: my birthday is in 14 days and my birthday party is in 13 days and it's gonna be the best! My 5th birthday party officially put me in the books for cutest b-day party ever, it was a big teaparty with a bunch of my little friends! We made big ladylike sunhats and ran around my grandparents beautiful, huge house, with its beautiful, huge garden! So, when i was trying to come up with what to do for my party this year (my 17th) I was figured that since that was such a smash hit when I was 5, then logic follows that it would be a smash hit now! Right? Well, with my friends, yes. I'm going to have little cucumber and cream cheese finger sandwiches, zucchini bread cupcake/muffin things (PROPS TO: wakinglifemakinglife for the recipe), homemade hummus (am attempting to make this!), biscotti (my sister's kickass recipe), and some lovely tea, darlings. We're having tea a bit early so after we can go out for dinner. We're going to get sushi because golly do I love sushi! and there's a cute little sushi place in downtown Coeur d' Alene. Then we'll probably catch a movie and crash at someone's house. I'm definitely keeping it low key this year because after last year's party fiasco, frankly, there is no way in hell I'm going for a repeat. Yep, it was that bad. I am confident that this year is going to be great! After the party I'll post some pics for everyone. I'll also have recipes and pictures of the baking process on here later this month. I'm new to baking, so wish me luck! Well, today in northern Idaho was windy but incredibly warm and sunny and completely out of the norm for February. No kidding, this is Twilight Zone worthy! It's usually horrendous here in February. Slushy, icky, freezing, wet, ugly, horrible weather- usually- but apparently not this year! At least for now, we've got a nice blue hole in that looming grey mass of clouds overhead! Don't worry though, I am confident that by my birthday it will be hideous. Yay! But, fingers crossed for another miracle day like today! And, yes, happy Valentine's Day, ya buncha goons!
Love,
Belle

Saint Valentine's Day!

Claddagh rings are the greatest thing. They're Irish, they're romantic, and they're beautiful. What's not to love? Nothing. That's what's not to love.
I thought these were quite lovely for Valentine's Day, being all ruby red and gorgeous (and cheap).
This one is actually really cute. The note fits inside the tiny envelope and is removable and everything. And as we all know: nothing warms the cockles of your heart (and says "I love you") like tiny, interactive jewelry.
I'd love to find some tights like these, but when I try to find some they're all little girl-sized.
This outfit is soooo cute! I would definitely wear it (and look a heck of a lot happier about it than this lovely young lady seems to be). The red tights make it appropriate for V-Day. Plus, what guy doesn't wanna see a little leg. Just being honest here.
Nice. Mustachios really make this shirt into something that I'd be beyond proud of wearing!
Darn-tootin' this is a super-cute/festive outfit!!!
Happy Valentine's Day! Wondering what to wear on V-Day? Do you have a big special date planned with that certain special someone? By the way- if you do- gag. Or perhaps you're like me and have spent the last, oh I don't know, billion-or-so (or, whatever, all of them! Hey, that's me!) oh-so-barf-inducingly-romantic-worst-holiday-ever-invented-Valentine's Days all alone, watching re-runs of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie and drowning your sorrows in butterscotch pudding and a those heart-shaped-box chocolates that you got from a very special someone (your mom). I know. Best sofa king holiday EVER!! Anyway, I hope this doesn't make me sound like a terrible pessimist 'cause, if I'm being honest here, I'm a HUGE hopeless romantic. But please do forgive me if I don't exactly look forward to a holiday that celebrates mushy-gushy boyfriend/girlfriend love fests when I'm always pitifully alone with no one but Samantha and Darrin (and occasionally Endora) and their ever-so-crazy antics to keep me company. Hmm... how did I get so far off track? Let's move on to some clothes, shall we?!!!!! Yeah well, as we all know hearts and red and pink and frills are the basics for How-to-Dress-Like-You're-Mainlining-Ecstasy-and-Little-Candy-Hearts, but I guess there are some other ways to get all gussied up for that special day. Like some of those super-cool converse with the hearts on the sides. Yep. Sorry I'm not really putting as much effort into this as I might some other holiday-themed posts but I guess my heart just isn't in it. Heh heh. Heart. Get it? Okay...
Love (oh yeah: xoxoxo),
Belle