Amie Borst

Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays of the year! I'll admit, I'm still a kid at heart, so I love dressing up in costumes. Last year my hubby and I went as Thing 1 and Thing 2. But I've been so busy this year that I haven't created a costume for myself. Thankfully there's plenty of stuff packed away in my "costume box" that I can come up with something quick. Maybe I'll just throw on my red cape and go as Little Red :) Another reason Halloween is one of my favorite holidays is because I have the liberty to be as creative as I want. Last year I made a graveyard cake, for example. And each year I make cute little crafts with my children's classes at school. It also gives me a creative outlet for writing. I love "dark" or "spooky" stories and Halloween really ignites the flames for things of the unknown....ghosts, goblins, demons, vampires, witches and werewolves! Plus, Halloween means NaNo is right around t

October is nearly over and I've only now realized that somehow the month escaped without a single blog post from yours truly. Time seems to pass at such a rapid rate....I swear only yesterday I was sending my girls off on the first day of school! Yet, somehow the quarter has already come to an end and we're facing first quarter report cards. It's been a busy month with two birthdays, out of town guests, class parties and of course, Halloween preparations. Then there's the writing....which I've been doing a lot of lately! Revisions on my MG story CINDERSKELLA and I'm nearly finished with a humorous MG/Chapter Book, MADDIE & MIKEY. She's like a slightly grown-up Junie B Jones, with a southern twang. Her misadventures with her little brother get her into more trouble than a 'coon in a garbage can! Then there's today....where October has brought...snow?! I mean, what the heck? I'm not particularily fond of the white stuff in the bes

My daughter asked me to make a cake for her orchestra teacher's birthday. So I caved in to her request, dedicated a few days (and lots of thinking) and created this cake for both the teacher and my daughter. In order to create the violin shape, I had my daughter trace her violin onto art paper. Then I cut it out and placed it onto a sheetcake I had already baked. After carefully carving the cake, I was able to apply the fondant. To get the shiny patina, I hand painted Wilton gel food coloring (in various browns and reds) right onto the fondant. Thankfully I had premade all the tuning pegs, the scrolls, the fine tuners, the bridge and the chin rest out of fondant (though next time I might mix some gum paste into that fondant to help it dry harder). The strings were floral wire and although they worked well, it was difficult to get them perfectly straight. I might try string next time. I thought adding some flowers and sheet music would really give the cake that extra