Author: ladivarouge

Baking Joys

Posted on by ladivarouge

This Easter I decided to get out my cookie cutters and make some brightly colored treats to ship to friends and family. What fun it was to pick out which cutters to use, and bake up a storm. And it was even more fun to mix up several batches of royal icing for a palette of beautiful colors!

When I got out my collection of cookie cutters to look for Easter themed shapes, I came across a trout shaped one, and decided to make some rainbow trout for my boss who is an avid fisherman. While it’s not precisely related to Easter, knowing how much he loves fishing I thought that a school of rainbow trout would make a fun and surprising gift! So the trout had to be included in the endeavor! My daughter Molly, who was over for the decorating fest, looked up some photos of rainbow trout so we could plan out what we’d like to do with them. We decided that making them white and green with dots of other color icing would make them resemble rainbow trout. Here’s a photo of how they looked when we were done:

TroutCookies_onPlatter

They’re pretty cute! Next time I make rainbow trout cookies, I would like to play with paintbrushes and Luster Dust or Petal Dust to see if I can’t get an even more beautiful gradation of greens, and a light dusting of pink down the center of the fish. Luster Dust and Petal Dust are powdered food colorings you can brush or dust on to give a gradient effect, or more delicate nuances of color.You can also make a paint out of them and add details to your good art with a fine paintbrush.

I wanted to make several traditionally shaped Easter cookies, and so baked up a few score of egg shaped and chick and duckling shaped cookies as well as the trout.  Then I also made some little elephants, as my toddler granddaughter simply adores elephants.

RoundPlate_ofCookies

Molly was kind enough to come over several evenings in a row so that we could decorate cookies together and get them ready for gifting. We had so much fun deciding what sorts of patterns we wanted to put on the cookies, and building up the designs layer by layer. This is a painstaking labor of love for sure, as it takes several days to complete the cookies. One day for baking, then three or four days for decorating, as each layer must dry before you add the next layer or detail. Still, it was a complete joy to create special Easter treats that are a delight for the eyes as well as for the tummy!

Cookies_ForShipping

Once the cookies were all completed and dried, I carefully placed each one into a cellophane bag and began packing them for shipment. Several layers of bubble wrap and several layers of brightly colored tissue paper should help them arrive safely at their intended destinations – and hopefully surprise and delight the recipients!

Chick_in_Egg_Cookie

Hello World!

Posted on by ladivarouge

Greetings!

I hope to fill this blog with beautiful photography, thoughts, images, and inspirations. In naming my new blog, I played with many variations on the theme of Creating a Life in English, Spanish and French, to see what phrase might make a lovely title. I moved from one phrase to another. “She Creates Beauty,” (Ella Crea Belleza) was one, perhaps I could shorten it to “Crea Belleza”?  “Una Vida Creativa” was another favorite, I’d have loved to title it “Creative Life” in Spanish, but “La Vida Creativa” was already taken!  So I moved along through other phrases like “Creating a Life of Beauty and Meaning,” or creating a Life of  Joy and Beauty – “Una Vida de Alegria y Bellezza. It was good to ponder these possibilities, as this is the direction I wish to take my life and musings – I want to fill my corner of the world with beauty, joy, and meaning. I want my life  to have impact, and to know that my contributions help create a better world.

But, ultimately I did not choose any of these ideas for the name of my blog! Instead, I chose “La Diva Rouge” – my nickname in French!

Today I am thinking of Crossroads. Having just finished two more degrees, adding an AAS in graphic design and an AFA in photography to my BA in Spanish Literature, I am at a place where new beginnings confront me. While this is a good place to be, it is also somewhat daunting to me. It is time to choose my trajectory! Which way shall I go? Which path shall I take?  Yes, I’m sure it’s possible to use all these skills in my life, but which shall be the main chosen profession?

Do I pursue being a professional photographer? How would that be as a career? I would love to do portraits, family and children, and boudoir photography. It is wonderful to work with people in the studio or the field, and I love the play of light on the human form. Product photography is also an interest – I’ve been doing product photography for the packaging and portfolio classes at Shoreline Community College for the past two years, and really enjoy the creative challenge of getting beautiful images of a really wide variety of items. They bring me all sorts of items! On any given shoot day, I may be presented with perfume or wine bottles, jars of honey or hot sauce, ice cream cone wrappers, book covers, brochures, or posters. One never knows what is going to walk through the doors to the studio. It’s also a great pleasure for me  to chat with the fledgling designers while photographing their work. (I allow them to stay and welcome their preferences and suggestions.)

Do I pursue being a graphic designer? There are worlds within worlds in that profession as well! Which avenue within that profession would suit me best? Packaging design? I have created some very beautiful packaging, and really enjoyed doing so. With the 3-D design courses I’ve taken, I have the ability to design specialty bottles or packaging in Maya. One place I’d love to intern or work would be Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery’s graphic design department.  We had a tour there once, and how fabulous that was! I found the rampant creativity very inspiring: They design everything in house:  labels, logos, ads, signage, and the beautiful specialty boxes for their ultra high-end wines. The in-store displays that are distributed to their retailers are also designed and created right there in Woodinville! They have an entire web division as well, which is responsible for the Chateau Ste. Michelle website, and the sites of the various wine brands from all around the world which they promote here in the states. Creativity abounds! I would be thrilled to land there!

Web Design is also be of great interest. So many small companies and artists and craftspeople are terrified of technology, and they all need a little help. There’s definitely a business opportunity there!

Two roads diverged into a wood… and I… I am standing at the crossroads pondering my choice!

One thing I do know, after three years of intense study, working to get as much technical know-how as possible, it’s time to begin!