My Creative Side

I am not skilled in most of the creative arts: my drawing and painting skills are slightly worse than those of the average 8-year-old (I know this because I have an average 8-year-old and she's better than I), I can sing on key some of the time but have a range of about 6 notes and a not particularly appealing voice, I can't dance beyond 80's-style group hopping, and I'm a bad actress. I do better in areas where there are rules to follow - cooking, gardening, writing - than in the more freeform artforms. Except for one.

I do excellent playdough animals. I discovered this talent when Chickadee was 2 or so, and have since expanded my repertoire to include other moldable substances - plasticine, fondant icing and, most recently, edible clay (sort of a Tootsie Roll-like substance than comes in a variety of colours designed to appeal to the immature palate).

Chickadee's school holds a cake decorating contest every year. Last year was our first public display of fondant artwork:

This year, we got more adventurous and made a castle cake, complete with the requisite princess-in-a-tower, attacking dragon, and heroic knights:

Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the cake at home and was forced to shoot it in all its Saran-wrapped glory at the school. And my photoshop skills are not up to the removal of cling film. But I'm particularly proud of the dragon, my best squishy beast to date:

The knights are a little pathetic, but they're less than an inch tall so it's hard to work in much detail.