Half-Mask with Glasses

I've decided to participate in BlogHer's NaBloPoMo for October. The theme is "Mask."

It's hard to wear a mask when you wear glasses. The glasses just get in the way. Because I've worn glasses since the age of four, I've either had to sacrifice the mask or the glasses each year for Halloween.

But when my husband and I went to a charity masquerade ball recently, I got an idea for how I could wear both. Here's my half-mask, with glasses.

I bought a cat mask at the Halloween store and added maribou around the ears and a jewel
on the nose to jazz it up a bit.

Then I cut the mask's elastic band, wrapped it tightly around my back-up pair of glasses, and
knotted it.

Voila! I have a mask, and I can still see! Also, no elastic to mess up my hair!

Cake Decorating by the Book

I like to make my sons' birthday cakes myself. While I'm far from an expert decorator, I can pipe a passably straight line of buttercream. I try to keep the designs simple while still giving my boys a cake that they'll enjoy.

For my younger son's first birthday, I got my inspiration from his favorite book, Thank You Prayer. I read this little book to him before bed every night. The pictures were simple and worked well on a sheet cake.

I copied the design onto the plain, frosted cake using a toothpick first. That way, if I messed up, I could just "erase" it with a spatula. Then I piped the frosting over the top of the lines I'd drawn. Voila! A cute cake with one of my boy's favorite things on it.

For his next birthday - coming up in just a few months - I may try making a Hot Rod Hamster cake.