The Teacup Incident Turns Two!

Today is both my birthday and second blog anniversary! Thank you to everyone who's been following along, trying my recipes and enjoying my musings. I appreciate every visit and especially your lovely comments :)

I'm currently in northern California (SF Bay Area) at a family reunion - my sister is visiting from New Zealand and my Dad is throwing us a party. Her birthday is also in June so its a great time for celebrations, large and small. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and visiting some of my favorite spots in my home town.

How To Eat A Cupcake, by Meg Donohue, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, by Aimee Bender. Good books that feature cake!

I've set up a few blog posts in advance so don't worry - you can get your Teacup Incident fix. This week's recipe of strawberry-basil ice pops goes live on Friday.

Terrific cookbooks for that special occasion: Babycakes by Erin McKenna and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer.

As an early birthday gift my friend Linda took me to see the Yves St. Laurent retrospective at the Denver Museum of Art. What a fabulous show! The fashions were amazing and beautifully displayed. There was a replica of Catherine Denuve's closet with all her evening gowns, jewelry and shoes; a sample corner of YSL's studio with his desk, sketches, books and personal photos and Andy Warhol painting. Film clips showed him at work and in interviews about his life and process.

When we were finished viewing YSL's show we visited an interactive fashion studio set up in the museum. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to make a mood board, draw a clothing line using templates, and "choose" fabrics by touching an array of beautiful fabrics (wool, cashmere, chiffon, silk, crepe). You could sit at a table and create outfits on doll-sized mannequins using strips of fabric or try on tulle and silk costumes and model them in a photo booth or walk a red-carpeted runway to strut your style.

I'd never seen couture clothing up close nor understood the incredible number of skilled hours that go into each handmade piece. If you love fashion and live near Denver I highly recommend this show, which runs through July 8, 2012.

If you can't visit but are intrigued by Yves Saint Laurent's iconic style, you might enjoy the DVD Yves Saint Laurent, the life story of the man who re-imagined women's fashion, by Empire Pictures. This DVD has two complete movies, one on YSL life and times and one that is a behind the scenes glimpse of his atilier during the development of his last spring fashion line. Beautiful and eye-opening!

Sketchbook renderings I did after the show.