The Annual Peeps Diorama Contest

The winners of the sixth annual Washington Post Peeps Diorama Contest were announced today! This is one of the most hilarious Easter traditions I know of. Every year the Post gets hundreds of entries to their diorama contest centered around Peeps. Anyone can submit a diorama, but there are a few rules: one person must be able to carry the scene by themselves to the Post offices, and only residents of D.C., Maryland or Virginia can be selected as finalists. The dioramas are usually based on news-worthy events of the previous year or well-known images, and are full of peeps related puns. For a slideshow of this year's Washington Post winners click here.

A lot of newspapers and arts centers have started holding Peeps Diorama contests. Here are some past favorites.

Image via The Fire Wire

Image via The Washington Post

Image via Miss TWA

For more curious and crazy Peeps projects, check out this Washington Post piece, "Eat Them, Craft Them... Kill Them?" -- including a video by 100 Ways to Kill A Peep (Warning: This is not for the faint of heart).

An Evening in Southeast Asia

Liam is on a quest to recreate the quintessential pho. We visited Vietnam two years ago, and indulged in a steaming bowl of pho on nearly every street corner. Pho is a Vietnamese soup with a beef and spice broth base, rice noodles, and different cuts of meat. It is served very hot, and with a garden of fresh veggies and herbs on the side so that each person may garnish their soup as they please. Making Pho requires an array of asian ingredients, and thus a trip to Chinatown for grocery shopping. When faced with so many tantalizing and under-explored ingredients, Liam and I have no willpower. We always buy a lot. So we usually try to make a night of it, and invite a bunch of friends around to test drive the newest pho rendition as well as to sample some other southeast asian treats.

I put all the fresh additions (basil, thai basil, mung beans, cilantro, limes) into glass vases. They took up a little less room on our narrow table than they would have on a platter, plus they made a handy edible tablescape.

Liam ventured into drying his own beef with this salad. Really, it should be dried in the bright, hot sun. But seeing as we live in an apartment, on the fourth floor, facing north, and aside from the fact that it is still winter here, our oven had to step up to the job. The beef was delicious, but it also took about six hours in the oven on the lowest temperature. I'll be expecting a big gas bill for that one!

The linen napkins are from Thai silk company, Jim Thompson. I got tuned in to the company on a trip to Bangkok where I visited the Jim Thompson House and Museum. The house was assembled by Jim Thompson, the founder of the company, in the 1950's from traditional homes that he purchased from different regions of Thailand. The house in itself is a treasure. It is a showcase of traditional Thai architecture, but also of Thompson's charismatic mixture of Eastern and Western design. Although Mr. Thompson mysteriously disappeared in 1967, the company lives on, providing a source for some of the most incredible textiles, both traditional and modern.

P.S. Will someone please remind me to get new chopsticks? The ones I have may be pretty, but they are way too slick to grab onto brothy rice noodles. I need some with better grip. And if there's one thing I hate it is sacrificing functionality for design. There's no point in having something beautifully designed if it doesn't do the job. And these chopsticks don't. Maybe I'll just save the take-out ones, and dip the top ends in some food safe paint....

A Breakable Work of Art

Image via DesignSponge

Recently my dreams have been peppered with piñatas. They are everywhere: in shop window displays, for purchase on Etsy, and as ideas for wedding activities and favors. People are making absolutely gigantic ones, and tiny pocket sized ones. You can find more classic styles, incredibly artistic sculptures, and How-To tutorials. DesignSponge has a DIY tutorial to make piñata-inspired party lanterns.

Comprised of inexpensive materials, piñatas are an ephemeral piece of art. One moment it's there, and the next it's bashed to bits on the floor.

It is also a tradition dating back to the 14th century (as best I can tell). Piñatas can be traced to China, where they were filled with seeds in the hopes of a fertile agricultural season, and burned in celebration of the New Year. From there piñatas made their way to Europe and onward, through the Spanish, to Latin America. It seems that the Mesoamericans also had similar traditions of their own, filling clay vessels with fruits and treats and breaking them at the foot of an idol as an offering. In fact, one of the coolest things about the tradition of piñatas is that there seem to be so many similar traditions all over the world!

Breaking them is really the best part. It brings out the kid in all of us. Being blindfolded, swinging madly with a bat, the exclamations of the crowd, that satisfaction that comes with contact, and of course the delight of tiny treats cascading from the demolished carcass....

The Current Piñata Spectrum

The Classic Party Piñata:

Romeo Gilberto Osorio crafts piñatas at his studio, Pinata Art, in San Francisco. I know I've passed by his storefront on Mission Street in the past, but next time I will definitely have to go inside. He sells both pre-made and custom piñatas: you can find dogs, princesses, and even order up your own Michael Jackson! He's also designed theatre props and parade floats. NPR did a three minute piece on Osorio.

A quick search for piñatas on Etsy revealed a highly saturated handmade Piñata market. Here are my favorites.

DalePinatas's detailed and playful animals:

Image Via Etsy

Image Via Etsy

PinataQueen crafts beautifully detailed replications of Strawberry Shortcake and a box of Crayons, among other things:

Image Via Etsy

Image Via Etsy

The Piñata as Art Inspiration and Decoration:

On the opposite end of the piñata style spectrum is Confettisystem, a duo who designs art installations inspired by confetti, piñatas, fringes and more. These creations are so imaginative and so beyond a basic piñata. And the best part is: all we have to do is poke around some shops to find Confettisystem's inspirational pieces. Opening Ceremony had these incredible exotic bird heads mounted on their mannequin bodies. And J. Crew and Urban Outfitters have featured their work as well.

Image via Tumblr

Image via Tumblr

The Piñata as Fine Art:

The Andy Warhol piñata was made by Jennifer Rubell for the Brooklyn Museum's Brooklyn Ball in 2010. There were a lot of whispers leading up to the Ball as to what she would put inside of it. The guests beat Andy up and were rewarded with "classic" American dessert treats such as the DingDong.

Image Via FlavorWire

The Wedding Piñata:

I saw a pair of bride and groom piñatas that a friend had made of the couple for their fiesta-themed wedding on Green Wedding Shoes. Throw caution and tradition to the wind and bash the newly weds into oblivion!

Wack! Pinataria sells these Bridezilla and Groomzilla piñatas on Etsy.

Image Via Etsy

A Tropical Birthday

Allison wanted something fun and simple for her birthday party. She wanted to invite people to her house rather than go out to a bar, but she isn't a huge cook, and reorganizing what she usually uses as a studio space back into a living room where her friends could hang out comfortably was going to be enough work in itself. So we came up with a tropical theme, threw together some simple eats (that didn't require plates and silverware), made a specialty cocktail from the Virgin Islands, and assembled some lighthearted decorations!

This is Allison's studio/living room. She is the designer behind Zipper 8 Lighting, and as such the space is full of sample lights and materials.

We decided to feature one of her light fixtures in our party decor because it went so well with the Tropical theme! This is her Cocktail Umbrella Light, which you can purchase from Etsy.

Image via Zipper 8 Lighting on Etsy

So we ran with the theme! We put cocktail umbrellas everywhere, and Allison bought some kitschy items from a party store to really help us glory in the tropical island sunshine. We also put together a playlist of some of our favorite beachy songs to evoke true "Island Time" (that is the pace of a Caribbean island, not Manhattan island).

The Menu:

Painkiller: a Virgin Islands cocktail with dark rum and pineapple juice

Thai Lime and Chile Cashews

Wasabi Flavored Almonds

Corn Chips with Sweet Mango Salsa, Spicy Tomato Salsa and Guacamole

Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

Ginger Marinated Beef on Toasts with Spicy Mayo

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I just want to break this menu down for everyone who, like Allison, is concerned with the complexity of providing food at a party. This menu took two of us one hour to prepare and plate. Trader Joe's provided the nuts, chips, salsas, guacamole, shrimp and pre-marinated beef. We had to cook the meat, cut the bread, mix mayo and sriracha sauce together, and assemble the toasts. Then we had to mix the drinks up, and plate everything. I made the cake. Now check out how festive and delicious it looks! For one hour's prep time, that ain't bad. Notice the chips in plastic sand buckets!

We gathered a bunch of beach towels and draped them over her furniture. You can see Allison's dog, Basel, lounging on "the beach" in the background. Amazingly, Allison had a container of sand she had held onto from a previous project. We poured this on a plate and nestled a bunch of candles in it.

Some party-goers all dressed up for the occasion and drinking their Painkillers! We hung leis around for guests who felt they needed some extra adornment.

And here's the cake, with some lovely blue waves lapping at its edges, and my favorite tall and skinny birthday candles in neon colors.

Allison made this brightly colored balloon wreath for her own birthday blog post this year. Go check it out at the 3 R's blog for a step by step tutorial on how to make your own, and other awesome ideas to Reduce, Reuse and Redecorate!

Weeknight Dinner Party: Yikes! They'll be here in an hour!

People seem to have this conundrum a lot: How will I have time to prepare a dinner party when I only get home from work one hour before my guests arrive? My advice: Keep It Simple, Prepare Ahead, and let it be a Casual Affair. Don't let working all day deter you from hosting a dinner and enjoying your friends' company during the week. It doesn't have to be a stressful event. I’ll continue to offer more menu and set up ideas, but here is one from this week.

We had talked about going out to a Mexican Restaurant, but ultimately we decided to eat at my house.

The Menu:

Green Salad with Mint (leftover), Cucumber (leftover), and Olives

Green Chili Enchiladas

Sour Cream on the side

Foil-wrapped Chocolate Hearts to nibble after the meal

I did my grocery shopping two evenings before the dinner. The next evening I made the enchilada sauce, cooked the chicken and shredded it. I have some amazing green chili powder from New Mexico that makes a great seasoning for an onion-based enchilada sauce. I had some Valentine chocolate hearts which I scattered down the center of the table. They livened up the table and looked good with the pink roses I got for Valentine's Day, and they also served as dessert so I didn’t need to make one myself.

When I got home the night of the dinner all I needed to do was assemble the meal and set the table. Or so I thought.... There was one unforeseen hitch in my perfectly timed out plan. I had ended up painting walls all day so I was speckled and smeared with yellow paint. I hadn't foreseen that I'd need time to shower and change my clothes as well, so I answered the door in my paint splattered jeans and tee shirt. What can you do. A bit of paint-dipped host didn't seem to bother anyone. We had a delicious post work day meal, took our shoes off, and enjoyed one another's company.

Homemade Valentine's Dinner

Dinner at home can be so romantic. Especially if you're like me, and you want all the details to be handmade and special. For a romantic at-home Valentine's Day dinner, let me stress: Details. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or time consuming (believe me, mine weren't: colored paper and m&m's). Just something personalized and fun.

I kept the same color scheme of bright pinks and white as I had at breakfast. Cut out paper hearts, pink and white m&m's, and of course the necessary Conversation Hearts twinkled happily among the tea candles. (Try having a conversation only using the phrases on the conversation hearts.... Very tricky!) I displayed the festively wrapped gifts on the mantle, and adjusted the various lamps for a low and romantic glow.

The Menu

Riesling

Smoked Salmon Pate and Baguette

Chickpea, Cauliflower and Red Endive Salad

Mussels and Clams with Crusty Bread

Belgique Chocolatier Artisan Chocolates

I tried to stay in the pink realm with the food too, though the mussels and clams are stretching it a bit! But it is so fun to slurp the broth out of the shells and to use your hands. And the chocolates. One of the few things I would rather buy than ever attempt to make myself, Belgique's filled chocolates (stores in Kent and New Canaan, CT) are perfect in every way. Eat some if you are ever in the neighborhood www.belgiqueonline.com

After dinner we opened our gifts, and since we were home and unshod, complimented one another on the festiveness of our Valentine socks.

A Pink and White Breakfast In Bed

Happy Valentine's Day! I know a lot of people dread this holiday. It is either a downer because there is no one to share it with, or too stressful because the expectations are high. Yes, in mainstream culture this holiday is primarily for couples, but remember back in Second Grade? The whole class would be cutting and pasting valentines together, giving one to everyone, sharing chocolates and wearing pink and red. This is how I still like to think of Valentine's Day. Ok, ok: I am spending the evening with my very special valentine. But I also e-mail and call my parents and friends to send them virtual kisses. I wish I could make and mail valentines to everyone because for me that truly is the epitome of the day. Perhaps that is a project for next year. But this year I'll be sharing ideas for breakfast and dinner.

Breakfast Menu

Heart Shaped Scones with candied orange peel

Scrambled Eggs

Sliced Strawberries with sugar and balsamic vinegar

Butter and Berry Jam

Coffee and Tea

And a scattering of paper hearts….

I chose dishware in pink and white, and set everything up on an industrial sized aluminum baking sheet. This baking sheet is a versatile kitchen accessory. It doesn’t fit in my tiny oven, but I use it as a surface for icing cookies, drying fresh pasta, and also as a tray when I need a really big one -- like for a breakfast in bed!