Kentucky Derby Party

      Niece Amy and her hubby recently hosted a Kentucky Derby Party at their lovely home. The weather was a bit gloomy but no one seemed to care.We drank traditional Mint Juleps and nontraditional Margaritas, ate a variety of hors de'oeuvres, and anticipated winners with a couple of betting games. Fashion prevailed as the ladies sported beautifully embellished hats.

Rissy's chapeau featured a bow to match her dress and a little equine accessory

Poor little Gage - his horse didn't win any money!

Pink Piggy Birthday Cake

     Since my last post featured the effects of Pinterest, this subsequent post will feature a Pinterest inspiration for Rissy's twelfth birthday party. Two six inch cake layers formed the base which was covered in chocolate buttercream icing (the top was swirled to look like ripples in muddy water). The original recipe used Twix candy bars but I spied a couple of boxes of generic label cookies that were less than half the price of the candy bars, and looked just about the same! Two rows of cookies encircled the cake and were tied with a pink grosgrain ribbon. Then the fun began. The piggies were incredibly easy and lots of fun to make out of marshmallow fondant (reminiscent of Play Dough!) I made several body parts and used the best pieces for the cake. Rissy loved the cake...and her presents too, of course!

Interest in Pinterest

     At the moment, Pinterest is the third largest social network online, succeeding only Facebook and Twitter. It may be a temporary fad but I too am following the craze (though not in a fanatic way like some pinners). Having always loved magazines and often clipping pictures or articles to save, Pinterest allows me to collect similar items in a neat and simpler fashion. My boards include mostly home and garden decorating ideas, myriad inspirations for photography, craft, and holiday projects, and a couple of miscellaneous interests.

     What has emerged from this collection? At first it was just fun but one day as I perused my pins, patterns of significance began to emerge. I never pinpointed a particular style for my fashion or decorating sense because my interests seemed so varied, but those gathered pins indicated otherwise. The characterization of my online collections has given me a little more insight into who I am, what I really like and where I am most comfortable. I like that feeling.