Divine Twine Spring Tree

Spring is just around the corner... can ya feel it!
I love taking drives and seeing all spring time blooms.

I just had to bring some of it indoors.

Pretty close, it gets even better. It lights up!

Chases those dull day and early evening away.

I found this LED lighted floral form at Michaels.
I just new it had to become a tree.

It's pretty boring straight out of the box.

Nothing a little bit of Brown Sugar Divine Twine
couldn't fix up. Prefect for replicating tree bark.

With the help of some double sided tape I began
at the base of the tree wrapping the twine towards the top.

When I came to the crotch of a branch I would secure the twine
with more tape. Cut the twine and begin again.

When the tree was covered I added some
flowers to the tips of the branches.

These millinery forget me not flowers can
be found on Etsy.

Pull the bunches of flowers apart. Remove the
center and with a sharp pair of scissors cut the
center a little larger. Slip over the lights securing
with tacky glue.

After all the lights had flowers I went

around the tree adding buds here and there.

I placed my tree in a vintage milk glass urn.

I placed a piece of foam in the urn, covered it

up with moss. Poked the tree in and added

a little mushroom. Placed this arrangement in my

dinning room and spring had sprung.

Love that this lights up.

An over view.

Lights on.....

lights off.

Materials

LED Lighted Branches

Brown Sugar Divine Twine

Millinery Forget Me Not Flowers

Double Stick Tape

White Craft Glue

Container Or Vase

Moss

Foam

This project was so much fun.

I love working with the twine. AND I

like the fact that the tree looks good on

or off.

Coconut White Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Birthday cupcakes for Mom.

My Mom likes white cake, white frosting with

a sprinkles of coconut. She likes the box stuff.

Seriously, she does!

This year I tried something new. This recipe from food.com for

the cake. 

For the frosting I went with a white chocolate

ganache. YUM

Heat 1/2 cup heavy cream to boil.

Shut off the heat and add 12oz white chocolate.

As well as 4 table spoons of butter.

Mix until combined and chill in fridge or

over an ice bath. 

I let the chocolate cool a bit too long and found it hard to pipe.

So, I spread it with a knife, still a bit uncooperative.

We all liked the frosting very much. I'm sad to say I'm still on the

hunt for the perfect vanilla cake.  ;(

Not to say this wasn't a good recipe..... but, I want one a little

less dense.

All in all a 7 out of 10. 

Not every recipe we can can be perfect, right!

Aquarium of the Bay San Francisco

A few weeks ago we went to the Aquarium of the Bay
in San Francisco.
If you live close and haven't gone yet, GO.
If you are planning a trip to San Francisco you should, GO.

First off it's in a great part of the city with tuns of stuff for
adults and kids to do. Kinda tourist though.....

Right next to Pier 39 and it's famous residents.

My oldest "barking" back at the sea lions.

Tuns of parking in the parking garage.

My boys enjoyed the bridge from the garage
to the pier. Looking over at all the busses
and street cars.

Prepare to be bombarded with photos.....

sardines

jellyfish

Love these ones they reming me Fortuny lamps.

This is one of 3 aquarium tunnels.

Shark over head....

The rays were awesome. Especially the ones in the touch pools.

At the aquarium they have some small tanks with little domes

in the center. So kids can crawl under and take a peek around.

As if the were in the tank with the fish.

My boys had fun pretending to be sharks.  ;)

Back side of starfish. 

The coolest of all........

the octopus. Apparently he is hard to spot.

We were lucky he put on a little show for us.

The touch pools were super cool. 

I didn't get to many photos of that part.

Water, camera, wet hands not a good combo.

Besides we were having so much fun I kinda forgot.

Touching the sharks and rays was the best part.

I wish I did have photos of that, next time.

Leaping Leprechauns

Sneaky little Leprechauns!!!

They have taken up residence in my daffodil forest.

I love this vintage cart. I found it years ago

at Room With a Past. It's prefect for a SPRING

flower arrangement.

(SPRING just around the corner!)  ;)

I started out with a block of oasis foam and

a pot of bulbs. I trimmed the foam, rounding

it off. To look like a hill. Placed in the bulbs

and filled in around the foam with excess soil. 

Then I covered everything up with some

sheet moss.

I have no idea where these guys came from.  BUT, I did hear

something mentioned about Etsy. 

These two seem to be pulling a log out of the forest.

Sneaky prankster, jumping out and scaring any one who

walks by.

Spring, daffodils, and Leprechauns... oh my!