Sewing Crafts

These little fondant bunnies and carrots are easy to make. Use them to top cupcakes, cookies, cakes, candy… Crush chocolate wafers and sprinkle over brown or chocolate frosting to make “dirt,” if desired. I just stuck them on top of these New Oreo Fudge Cremes, which I can’t find anywhere online, but I think they are THESE. Perhaps I bought an early edition and they’ve changed the box.

how to make bunny and carrot toppers you will need:*
rolled fondant
food coloring (orange, lime, and maybe pink)
light corn syrup
edible writers (black and pink)

*Find pretty much all of the above in the baking aisle of your craft store. You can find food coloring and writers there, though I prefer Americolor soft gel paste (Orange, Electric Green and Electric Pink) and Americolor Gourmet Writers. For tips on finding supplies click HERE. To make your own fondant, click HERE.

step one: make your fondant pieces
For bunny…. Knead a piece of white rolled fondant briefly to make smooth. Working with small pieces (about the size of a gumball, or desired bunny size), make the body by rolling a ball with a flat top and bottom. Make the head by rolling a smaller ball with a flat bottom. Pinch two small pieces for ears and flatten the bottom by pressing onto a flat surface. Make a small ball for a tail and flatten one side (you can use pink fondant, if preferred, by adding a drop or two of pink coloring and kneading into a piece of fondant). Set your pieces aside and let stiffen an hour or two at room temperature.

For carrot…Knead a few drops of orange coloring into a piece of fondant very well. If fondant gets sticky, let sit uncovered at room temperature for about 15 minutes or until easily pliable. Take a small piece and roll into a log. Narrow one end with your fingers and flatten the other by pressing upright on a flat surface. For the carrot top, knead a few drops of green coloring into a piece of fondant. Take a small, nickel sized piece of fondant, pinch into a flat oval with your fingers, then roll up the oval, pinching one end to make a point. Flatten the point a bit by pressing onto a flat surface. Set your pieces aside and let stiffen an hour or two at room temperature.

step two: assemble your bunny and carrot
Dab your finger or a clean, small paintbrush into light corn syrup and paint on all the parts that go together to use as glue. For bunny, put the head on top of the body, attach ears on top and add tail to back. (You can see in the pic that I got a little too syrup happy with the ears. oops.)For carrot, attach top and let rest on side until dry, a couple hours. When dry, write details: For the bunny, make a pink dot on the face for a nose, add two black dots for eyes and a few black lines for whiskers. For the carrot, add a few black lines.

step three: use your toppers
See the above ideas for using your toppers. If desired, snip the end of the carrot so it looks like it’s coming out of the ground. Use corn syrup as glue, if needed, to attach the toppers.

It won’t be long before these sweet studs by meltemsem are mine. I just went on a bit of an Etsy shopping spree though… so they’ll have to wait until the Paypal balance reaches positive values.

It’s strange what falls out of old files when I’m looking for something I did years and years ago. This scan of a photograph dates back about 12 years to when I was busy “interpreting” nature with silk ribbon embroidery.

I had been painting accessories for the National Wildflower Research Center (Lady Bird Johnson’s finest achievement), and had hundreds of photos I had taken during different seasons. Great pictures to work from when designing needlepoint.

Anyway, this egg is gone – I have no idea what happened to it, but I apparently photographed the canvas before it went to the finisher. The bluebonnets have the little touches of magenta that one sees on the flower – did you know that bluebonnets are actually quite purple? I had no idea, and I’m a native, until I started mixing paint, using real flowers to get the color right. Incredible! They look so blue en masse out in the field. The little red flowers are Drummond’s Phlox, which the Wildflower Center had planted in a bed full of bluebonnets – and the yellow ones are Huisache Daisies.

This was a fun exercise in silk ribbon, as I remember, so think I might try it again. It’s already starting to get hot here, but we’ve had enough rain that the wildflowers out there should be glorious this year. They don’t last long, but it’s an incredible sight out in the fields. Bluebonnets bloom along with the Indian Paintbrush, (which I never did in silk ribbon). As River Silks hadn’t been “invented” yet, on this egg I used Thread Gatherer overdyed ribbon for the foliage, and YLI ribbon for the flowers.

While things are still blooming in the early spring – do go outside and walk and really SEE the leaves and flowers, and think how you might do them on needlepoint in Silk Ribbon!

I thought I’d share with you all some upcoming changes to the decorated cookie, though I’m afraid I gave it away with the title. Yes. The ads are coming. I’ve held out for a year and a half as I’ve watched my blog grow (thank you all!) but it’s time to take things to the next level. While some extra pocket change will certainly be welcome (and the term pocket change is pretty accurate, as are such things with a blog of my relative diminutive size), I’m also taking this step for another reason… to become part of a larger foodie community. That’s why I chose to publish ads with these folks:
I researched my options a bit before settling on Foodbuzz. I was drawn to that aforementioned larger foodie community I was seeking, their ads are relevant to my blog, and many of the blogs I admire so much are Foodbuzz featured publishers, as I will be, like CakeSpy, Savor the Thyme, Bake at 350, Not So Humble Pie, La Fuji Mama, and so many more…. And that was their greatest endorsement.

I hope you will bear with me during the transition, as computer programming and technological changes of any kind are not my smoothest skills. And I hope to keep all you dear readers as well as welcome more, but I also am happy to hear your thoughts!

This little darling comes sitting in her very own flower pot. You can enjoy free shipping from mykobocek right now too!

Can you believe it? Next weekend is already Easter! Where has March gone?! In celebration, this week is bunny week on Ulixis Crafts! Most of my posts will center around my favourite little critters!

I found this picture while going through a file on “jeweled” things – both flora and fauna. It’s from another of my phases – or “binges” – that I periodically go through. This one was prompted by an ad in an Antiques Magazine for some very old and very beautiful jewelry of the tropical genre, including a parrot and this palm tree.

As I remember, the brooch was enameled, with peridots on the leaves and topaz on the trunk. I stitched a number of these things – fish, etc., but didn’t do any of the shells. I think that’s what I shall do next, and probably offer some outline drawing on Freebies Etc. for peope to design their own ornaments with shells and fish. Small, bright and beautiful, and the imagination can soar.

Anyway, what a perfectly appropriate day to be showing a palm tree!! It’s Palm Sunday.

I listed my mini monster plush key chains in my Etsy shop last week and the orange flame topped guy was picked for a treasury today Thank you Plain Spirit!

I just have to show you one of her pretties…they are so unique! She melts & plays with the silver to make these amazing and one-of-a-kind pieces. She also works the rocks herself. How cool is that?!?

Whenever I’m alone for supper, I like to cook with ingredients Pat wouldn’t eat – in this case, coconut milk. Although filling enough to be a main course as I had it, it could also easily serve as a side. I used hot curry powder, but the coconut milk really cancels out the bite – I could definitely have used a lot more without overpowering the dish.

1. Chop the onion & garlic. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat & throw in the veggies. Fry the onion & garlic for a few minutes, until tender.

2. Add in the rice and curry powder.

3. Stir in the liquids, salt & pepper & the bay leaf.
Bring to a boil.

5. Meanwhile, toast the cashews lightly. To do so, simply throw them into a small frying pan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Toast them until they start to get a bit darker where they touch the pan.