That Warm Fuzzy Feeling...

Video games.  It seems like you either love them or you hate them.  Personally, I love them.  The thing that bothers me the most about the haters is that they are either ignorant about all the positive that can come from a video game or maybe they just feel like the negative outweighs the bad?  I disagree with that though.  Video games, just like every other past time/hobby/etc., has its fair share of idiots who make bad choices and do stupid things.  What people need to realize is these people were morons before playing the video games.  Oh, but what about little Johnny who wants to copy everything he sees in Grand Theft Auto?  First off ESRB ratings are listed right on the games, with the reasons why they are rated that way also printed (surprise) right on the game.  It's the same concept as not letting your child see a rated R movie.  Okay, so it's Daddy's game and he plays it all the time when little Johnny is around.  Then it's Daddy's fault for being an irresponsible parent.  Video games are not responsible for people making bad decisions, dumb people are.

Lately, I've heard a lot of good come from video games that gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside.  I just came back from a large fighting game tournament where I baked a bunch of cookies for free with a donation box set up.  Every person that got a cookie donated money.  The amount of people that were genuinely interested in where I planned on going with making cookies was overwhelming.  There was a girl who came all the way from Canada to play in the tournament and another girl she doesn't even know let her stay over her place so she could catch a bus the next day.  It's a tight knit community where you are taken care of.  How amazing is that?  I hope to be at as many gaming events as possible from now on because I had no idea how awesome the local community is.  Here are my cookies from the event which I hope I will be invited to many more to come!

From the left clockwise: Servbot, Hulk, and Kirby

The Spice of Life

Let me start this post out by saying I am a very indecisive person.  Whether its deciding what to eat or if I have to pick between buying 2 different pairs of shoes (or both or neither because I probably shouldn't be buying anymore shoes haha), I can't ever seem to make up my mind without wondering what if?  My hobbies are the same.  I have gone through a various assortment of interests, baking being one of them.  However, one thing that has remained a constant in my life is art and I believe that is why I adore decorating so much.  Sure, I have my lazy days where I could've baked and didn't but once I get started I always wonder to myself what was I griping about in the first place?  It's something that has become a large part of my life both at work and in my free time.  I, for the first time in a long time, feel like I've found something I truly enjoy and want to make work for me.  It's both relieving and terrifying at the same time because now that I know what I want to do where do I go from here?  There's a long road of trial and error and there's no guarantees but I guess that's the spice of life.

This afternoon I worked on some sample cookies to show to a friend for her wedding.  I've noticed a lot of bloggers, once they get big, go back and delete their old posts.  Maybe its to look more professional or who knows what the reason is really.  I personally think that its silly.  I like to see where I've come from and what did and didn't work for me.  I think these cookies are a good example of that.  I started out decorating with a small tip and you can see that the designs (white cookie with blue details) are more shaky than with a larger tip.  She loved them and I'm happy too.

Dia de los Muertos

I've been slacking pretty badly lately when it comes to making baked goods.  So I'm trying to make up for it by going overboard for the months of October and November.  Kicking off October is a cookie design I've been dying to do for a while (heh heh, get it?).  Technically, Dia de los Muertos takes place on November 1st but I'm not one to be on time so let's ignore that part.  My love for the decorated sugar skulls was rekindled by the amazing artwork by Sylvia Ji.  Her artwork evokes mystery, allure, and sensuality.

"Catrina"  Sylvia Ji  http://www.sylviaji.com/

Obviously my cookies are a bit more of a whimsical take.  I was nervous at first but really you can't go wrong with these design wise.  Dots, swirls, and petals in a bunch of different colors...this would probably be a fun project if you had a day at home with kids.  The main goal is to enjoy what you are doing, right?  If you happen to make something pretty as a result that's just a bonus.  Have quite a few ideas for what to work on next so stay tuned!

Summer's Ended

 Okay so this entry is a little late.  October 1st is tomorrow and around where I live the temperature dropped weeks ago and the leaves have already changed their colors.  But this year it felt like summer was here and gone before you knew it.  As a kid I used to spend my summers playing outdoors soaking up every last minute of the summer sun and dreading when it disappeared early because it meant that school was right around the corner.  As an adult, every time summer rolls around I vow to relive those childhood memories of frolicking outside but end up coming right back indoors after 10 minutes of omigosh-I-can't-breathe humidity.  Haha oh well.  Summer's ended but my now favorite season of all, Fall is here.  And even though you can still have camp fires and roast s'mores in the fall, they have always reminded me more of a summer time treat.  So here is an ode to the end of summer, my rendition of a favorite you can enjoy year round, S'mores On A Stick cupcakes!

It's a chocolate cupcake with a graham cracker crust and toasty marshmallow on top.  But wait there's a surprise....

....Melted chocolate pieces in the center!