Day 28: 10/9/11 - "Precious Pain"

"Everybody's got a hunger

No matter where they are.

Everybody clings to their own fear

Everybody hides some scar..."

-"Precious Pain" by Melissa Etheridge

Creatively Lacking in Creativity: So here I will post my efforts at being creative in the last week or so.  Most people will likely agree when I say that these efforts are fairly anemic.  I'm not sure where to place the blame for this.  Is it more of the medicine keeping me from being creativity?  Or have I simply lost the spark?

Clothing Design:  When I was in high school I actually spent part of one semester drawing either prom dresses or wedding dresses for my classmates.  I was either a Freshman or a Sophomore because I remember still being in band.  I wish now that I had kept them all because I'd like to see whether I had an eye for design or not.  The point of that little trip down memory lane is that the other night I had one of those overly detailed dreams where I was working in a night club (yeah, right!) and I was wearing this great outfit (not one I would be able to wear in real life).  The outfit was so real to me that I had to draw it when I woke up.  I only wish I knew how to sew because I would love to make it for someone.

Of course, once I drew this outfit, I had the urge to draw the wedding dress that I created for a character in one of my books (you know, one of those things I'll never finish).  The dress is actually designed to be made from 3 pieces of cloth and 2 decorative clasps, but realistically it could be created as a one piece dress.

Not that I'll ever need a wedding dress, but again, I'd love to make this some day.  The bottom layer is actually designed to be sheer.  The other two pieces provide the coverage needed to make the dress-wearer stay decent.  The bottom piece covers your butt in the back and the clasp and gathering of the fabric in the front cover the rest.  The top part is a mirror image but in the opposite direction, also creating the train of the dress.

I think someone would have to be daring to wear this dress in the first place but if they had the right body, they could likely pull it off!


Baking: I finally decided to give my S'mores cupcake a shot.  I can say that it did not turn out as expected but I actually like my first try at combining the graham crackers and the chocolate cake.  I tried 3 different variations:

1. I lined only the bottom and about 1/4 inch up the sides of a ramekin with graham cracker mix.
2. I lined the bottom and sides of a ramekin with graham cracker mix.
3. I placed some of the graham cracker mixture in the bottom of a cupcake liner.

partial graham cracker layer

I poured the chocolate cake mix into all 3 and put them in the oven.  They took a little longer to bake up but they were super moist and the bottom graham layer actually stayed soft in the ramekin versions.  I don't know yet about the cupcake liner versions. 

full graham cracker cup for cupcake

I tried the one on the left and found them to be tasty even without the marshmallow icing that I was supposed to make.  I'll have to wait to do that next time since I want to work on the graham cracker crust a bit more.  I can't wait to try the full graham crack crust version as I think it will be the most interesting one to eat.

Hair Twisting:  I actually took the time to twist my hair up today.  I wasn't going to but with the rain this morning and my desire to wash my hair, I went ahead and took care of it.  Not sure about how it looks but it feels great!  It's been a while sense I've felt good about my hair and I need that right about now.