Bee cake recipe!

YIELD Makes 14 to 18 servings
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INGREDIENTS

4	cups cake batter
1	(10-inch) round cake board, covered, or large plate
1‑3/4	cups prepared white frosting
Assorted black, yellow and red candies
Black licorice twists

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2-1/2-quart ovenproof bowl. Pour cake batter into prepared bowl. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until wooden skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in bowl. Loosen edge; invert onto wire rack and cool completely.
2. Trim flat side of cake. Turn cake over and cut small piece from top of cake to slightly flatten back of bee, if desired. Place cake on prepared cake board.
3. Reserve 1/4 cup white frosting. Tint 3/4 cup frosting black and 3/4 cup frosting yellow.
4. Using toothpick, mark semicircle about 3-1/2 inches from one edge of cake for face, and 3 parallel semicircles for rest of body.
5. Frost face with reserved white frosting. Alternately frost body sections with yellow and black, piping frosting with floral tip to create fuzzy texture, if desired. Reserve small portion of black frosting.
6. Using medium writing tip and reserved black frosting, pipe line between head and body.
7. Arrange assorted candies and licorice twists for face, antennae, legs, wings and stinger as shown in photo.

This recipe appears in: Special Occasions

Just a reminder; Pablo Picasso

               No other artist is more associated with the term Modern Art than Pablo Picasso. He created thousands of paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramics during a time span of about 75 years. For many Picasso is the greatest art genius of the twentieth century. For others he is a gifted charlatan. Undisputed is the fact that he influenced and dominated the art of the twentieth century like no other modern artist.

Fishing Cupcakes; A fun and creative recipe that is sure to put a smile on your childs face!

Cupcakes

1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
	Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1	container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla or butter cream frosting
	Blue food color

Fishing Poles

24	cocktail straws
24	pieces dental floss
24	Betty Crocker® Shark Bites® chewy fruit snacks (2 to 3 pouches)

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Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cake as directed on box for 24 cupcakes.

1. Stir together frosting and 2 or 3 drops food color. Frost cupcakes with blue frosting; pull up on frosting, using metal spatula, so frosting looks like waves.
2. To make fishing poles, cut each straw to make one 3-inch piece. Cut dental floss into 3 1/2-inch lengths. Attach piece of dental floss to end of each straw, using needle, to look like fish line. Attach 1 fruit snack to end of each piece of dental floss. Decorate each cupcake with a fishing pole. Store loosely covered.

Another Fun cookie recipe idea!

YIELD Makes about 1-1/2 dozen cookies
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INGREDIENTS

1	package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
Black and red food colorings
All-purpose flour

PREPARATION:

1. Remove dough from wrapper. Divide dough in half; place in separate medium bowls. Let dough stand at room temperature about 15 minutes.
2. Add black food coloring to dough in one bowl and red food coloring to dough in remaining bowl. Beat doughs separately until evenly colored. Wrap doughs separately in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll black dough on lightly floured waxed paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle dough with flour to minimize sticking, if necessary. Cut dough using 3-inch round cookie cutter; place cutouts 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Repeat with red dough, cutting out same number of red circles as black circles.
4. Cut and remove circles from centers of 3-inch cutouts using 2-inch round cookie cutter. Place red 2-inch circles into centers of black 3-inch rings; place black 2-inch circles into centers of red 3-inch rings.
5. Cut and remove circles from centers of 2-inch cutouts using 1-inch round cookie cutter. Place red 1-inch circles into centers of black 2-inch rings; place black 1-inch circles into centers of red 2-inch rings.
6. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until firm but not browned. Cool on cookie sheets 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack; cool completely.

This recipe appears in: Butter & Sugar

Creative painting techniques for those painting lovers!

Sponge painting

Begin by deciding which colors you would like to use. You will need a base color and at least one accent color, though several can be used. Apply the base coat to the walls and let dry overnight. You are now ready for the fun part of sponging.

Any sponge can be used, but a sea sponge creates a richer effect. Prepare the sponge by running it under water and wringing out any excess. Dab the sponge into the accent color and remove any excess paint on some newspaper or cardboard. Begin by pressing the sponge onto the wall while rotating your wrist to create different patterns. Continue the process until the whole area is covered. You can then follow the same process if you wish to add any more highlighting colors.
Stippling

Stippling is an effect used to create texture. It is a simple process, although it can be time consuming.

Begin by painting a small section of the wall with glaze. Then using a stippling brush, or any other tool with firm bristles, dab the bristles into the wet glaze. Be sure to work in a pattern to avoid overlapping. Repeat the process while keeping the brush clean and free of excess glaze.
Rag Rolling

The rag rolling technique makes interesting patterns. It is similar to sponging, but a rolled up rag is used instead.

Apply a base coat to the wall area and let it dry thoroughly. Dampen the rags with water and roll them up leaving them slightly wrinkled to add to the effect. Using gloves, dip the rag into the paint or glaze and squeeze out the excess. Using both hands, roll the rag down the entire length of the wall. Keep the rag uniformly covered in paint and slightly overlap each roll with the next until the area is finished.










Sponging off/ Ragging off

The sponging and rag rolling methods can also be reversed. This is called sponging off or ragging off. These techniques are known as “negative”.

Reverse the process by working with a wet base coat and do not apply paint to the sponge or rag. The same patterns can be created by removing the paint or glaze with the clean sponge or rag.
Ragging

Ragging is much like sponging. The main difference is that a plastic bag is used instead of a sponge. Have many different bags available and overlap to create an exciting pattern. 

Apply a glaze to the wall and leave wet. Take a plastic bag, free of dirt or dust, and press it into the wet glaze. Rotate your hand so that each application looks different from the previous. When the bag becomes wet, continue the application with a new bag.
Dragging

The dragging method creates a texture of lines. It can be done horizontally or vertically and is best used for smaller areas. The dragging pattern is hard to create on large areas.

In small sections, cover the area with a glaze. Then, using a dry paintbrush, drag the brush lightly down or across the glaze. Each drag of the brush creates a pattern of fine lines. Continue until the entire area is complete. Be sure to keep the brush dry and free of excess glaze.
Smooshing

The smooshing technique can be used to create a “fake” marble effect. Since marbling is not an easy effect to create, smooshing may be just what you are looking for.

Apply a glaze to the wall and immediately lay a large piece of plastic on the area. Bunching up the plastic while it is on the wall creates a “vein” effect similar to marbling. Remove the plastic and be careful not to disturb the pattern.

There are many possibilities. Be creative and have fun adding your own personalization to any of these techniques. 

Creative Eye shadow design for the girlies!

Just something i found on the internet! Enjoy one of the other discovered experiments! - Lauren Creations

Creative Cookie Recipe no.1

YIELD Makes 1-1/2 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS

1	package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/4	cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Regular-sized and mini peanut butter chips

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheets. Let dough stand at room temperature about 15 minutes.
2. Combine dough and cocoa in large bowl; beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. For each cookie, shape dough into 1 (1-inch) ball and 4 (1/4-inch) balls. Place large ball on prepared cookie sheet; place smaller balls on one side of large ball.
3. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until cookies are set and no longer shiny. Remove from oven; immediately place regular-sized peanut butter chip on first "toe" and place mini peanut butter chips on remaining "toes" of each cookie. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

 CREATIVE COOKING: Don't plan meals very far ahead, although I know that's efficient. It's just not my style. Do you find mealtime approaching and limited supplies available for preparing dinner? Don't panic.Be creative! Make a mental list of the main food supplies you have available and then think creatively. You'll be amazed at the results.
Suppose you have potatoes, carrots, onions, various frozen vegetables, rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, milk, eggs, cheese, butter or margarine and some left over meat. No need to list your spices and herbs - we'll use them later. We could fill a cookbook using those main ingredients - but you don't need a cookbook. Mix and match the ingredients to see how many different dishes you can imagine:

• pasta with spaghetti sauce
• pasta with spaghetti sauce and leftover meat
• meat, mashed potatoes with gravy and a salad
• rice with stir fry vegetables (with or without meat)
• vegetable soup
• stew
• shepherd's pie
• hash
• hopple popple (pan fried potatoes, onions, meat and eggs)
• omelet
• baked potato with toppings
• Mexican casserole
• etc.

Color plays a vitally important role in the world in which we live. Color can sway thinking, change actions, and cause reactions. It can irritate or soothe your eyes, raise your blood pressure or suppress your appetite.

When used in the right ways, color can save on energy consumption. When used in the wrong ways, color can contribute to global pollution.

As a powerful form of communication, color is irreplaceable. Red means "stop" and green means "go." Traffic lights send this universal message. Likewise, the colors used for a product, web site, business card, or logo cause powerful reactions. 

It all starts with Creativity!

Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new (a product, a solution, a work of art etc.) which has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs. What counts as "valuable" is similarly defined in a variety of ways.

Scholarly interest in creativity ranges widely: the relationship between creativity and general intelligence; the mental and neurological processes associated with creative activity; personality type and creative ability; creativity and mental health; creativity in education; and ways of fostering creativity through training and technology.

Creativity and creative acts are therefore studied across several discplines - psychology, cognitive science, education, philosophy (particularly philosophy of science), theology, sociology, linguistics, business studies and economics. As a result there is a multitude of definitions and approaches.

Creativity can be defined either as producing something historically new, such as scientific discoveries or great works of art, or as producing something new in a personal sense - an apparent innovation for the creator, regardless of whether others have made similar innovations, or whether others value the particular act of creation.