Bunheads for bunheads! Dancers have long embellished bobby pins with tiny flowers, beads and rhinestones to dress up their buns. But I’m going to suggest we take things to the next level. Let’s shove tiny disembodied heads in our hairdos!

Supplies:

• small wooden beads – about 1/2 inch in diameter
• bobby pins
• mini pom poms
• sequins (my fancy sequins came in a grab bag I bought at Michael’s)
• teeny tiny rhinestones
• craft paint
• small paint brushes
• strong glue
• skewer or toothpick
• pencil
• scissors

1. Paint the beads any colour/ethnicity you like, and allow to dry completely. It may take 2-3 coats. You can also leave them plain.

2. Glue the bead to the rounded end of a bobby pin. (I used E6000, as it holds well.) Use a skewer to line the inside of the bead and cover the top of the bobby pin with glue, then slide the bead down. Don’t go too far – you want most of the bobby pin free for securing to hair. Wipe off any excess glue and allow to dry completely before embellishing. Clipping the pins to a box keeps them upright when drying glue/paint at the various stages of assembly.

3. Sketch the hair and a face with a pencil. This isn’t necessary if you feel you can freehand with paint.

4. Paint on the hair and face. I kept mine simple, but if you’re artistic you could go crazy here.

5. Glue a mini pom pom to the top of the bead, covering the bead hole.

6. Cut a sequin in half and glue it to the front of the mini pom pom. A skewer helps with the application of glue.

7. Glue a tiny rhinestone to the sequin. Again, a skewer or toothpick helps here.

You could skip the sequin, and simply use rhinestones to dress up your little friend’s bun. Teeny tiny flowers would be nice too!

Clipping the pins to a box keeps them upright when drying glue/paint at the various stages of assembly.

I brought some of these bobby pins to class last week, and the girls went bonkers for them. The girls, by the way, are in my Advanced ballet class. THEY AREN’T LITTLE CHILDREN – most of them are taller than me. Clearly these have ageless appeal!

(If you’re into ballet crafts, you might also like these Ballerina Peg Dolls!)

Are you a ballet dancer? Do you have a ballet student in your life? Are you looking for a little gift for a dancer that is cheap AND will impress? Maybe you should make a handy sewing kit!

Sewing kits are a must for dancers. They are easy to throw together, and most items can be found at a dollar store or around the house, so you won’t have to spend much cash on things that will be sitting alongside sweaty tights. Sewing kits are also a great way to impress ballet teachers, and could very well secure a lead role in the next production. Or perhaps get you promoted from Shrub #3 to Party Onlooker! When I see a kid with a sewing kit? Well, it really helps me look past that underwear sticking out from under a bodysuit.

Let’s begin. First, you’ll need a small tin. You could use something from the dollar store, a little candy tin, or a vintage tin you stole from a senile relative bought on Etsy. It should be something small and sturdy – bonus points if it’s cute. Tins will generally hold up to a good tossing in a ballet bag. (Make sure the lid fits tightly.) At a mere 3 inches square (and only 1.5 inches deep), my kit takes up no room in a dance bag.

Safety pins in a variety of sizes really come in handy when things need to be held up or together. Like, for example, when a bodysuit strap explodes. And sewing needles? Well, they make sewing way easier.

To make safety pins easy to find, glue a magnet to the underside of the tin’s lid. (I used an old fridge magnet.) Attach a strip of felt by gluing only the ends to the lid, and you’ve got an easy way to secure straight pins and sewing needles. See how the sharp ends are tucked under the felt?

If there’s anything I’ve learned after teaching for 20+ years, it’s that you can never have too many pairs of scissors or too much thread in your dance bag. Pink thread is a must for female dancers, black/white/beige is great for guys and gals. Teeny-tiny scissors can be found in cheap sewing kits and at craft stores. Throw in a seam ripper and needle threader if you can.

Buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes are a fast-fix for nearly any wardrobe malfunction, and are often overlooked in sewing kits. Show up for recital with these in your bag and your teacher will finally forgive you for that stunt you pulled on stage last year.

You don’t have to use a super-cool tiger measuring tape – a little fabric one will serve just fine. Pointe shoe ribbons/elastics and elastics for ballet slippers can be found at your local dance store or online. I like to bundle these things together with hair elastics, as you can never have too many hair elastics at a dance studio. If you/your dancer doesn’t wear pointe shoes, leave out the pointe ribbon/elastic. For male dancers, emergency elastic should match the colour of his ballet slippers – white, black and tan are the most common colours.

Once you’ve collected your supplies, jam ’em into the tin and you’re good to go! Throw that little tin into a dance bag, and you’re prepared for any shoe/wardrobe emergency that might come your way. Except for toilet emergencies. A number of my students have dropped their bodysuits into toilets over the years. A sewing kit can’t help you here.

For almost two decades, I told my students not to worry about falling off the stage. When you are little, and it’s your first ballet recital, that’s the sort of thing you think about. But I could confidently say: none of my students have ever fallen off the stage.

And then it happened.

A dancer came to me before class one day and said: Jo-Anne fell off the stage last night. Seven perfect little words strung together, followed by the first retelling of Jo-Anne’s fall from glory.

Our dancers were performing at a senior’s centre. It was a national (folk) dance – always well received by the elder set. The stage was very small. Jo-Anne clipped something with her shoe – maybe another dancer’s foot – then stumbled right off the stage. Her fellow dancers didn’t stop dancing. Not surprising, as dancers are trained not to stop, no matter what. Not even if someone pitches herself off the stage face first. And then, despite almost breaking her face, JO-ANNE GOT BACK UP ON THE STAGE AND STARTED DANCING AGAIN.

Over the next few years, I heard the story dozens of times. The tale, with its accompanying giggles, brought joy to many. Jo-Anne, both a dancer and faculty member with us, confirmed the details many times over. But though always delighted by her animated retelling of The Fall, I was sad. Sad that I had missed this milestone in my colleague’s dancing life.

And then, a few months ago, a group of us received a message. The Fall had been recorded on video. The video was attached. We rejoiced. I watched that video 4.7 million times, laughing just as hard every time. And then Jo-Anne said I could share it with you. Because it’s pretty awesome.

{posted with permissions}

Now, should you wish to watch the video again, I’d suggest paying particular attention to the following details:

• the dancers at centre stage who pause for a moment as they realize what is happening
• the delightful sound the audience makes as Jo-Anne drops from the stage
• the adorable “ooops” from the videographer
• the camera pan to Jo-Anne on the floor
• the dude who asks, “Hey, you alright?“
• Jo-Anne, running back to the stage – her arms, MY GOD, her arms

I promised Jo-Anne I’d make her a cake to celebrate her achievement and this, the world premiere of The Fall. Because when you do something awesome, you should be rewarded with something special. A frosted crown edges the top of Jo-Anne’s celebratory cake – an homage to the traditional costumes and flowered crowns the girls wore on that fateful night. The poodles? Well, I added those because when Jo-Anne first joined our team, I referred to my youngest students as Little Poodles. The poodles are wearing custom tutus because, well, teeny-tiny tutus are the best. And the one poodle who has slipped down the side of the cake? That’s Jo-Anne. (Obviously.) She’s one of my most favourite Poodles ever.

So, as some of you embark on a new year of school, ballet lessons or whatever new thing you might be trying, I hope you will hold this lesson close to your heart: keep going. Run awkwardly to the next challenge. Laugh when things go wrong. Be unique, filled to the brim with life, and take chances.

Also, when a stage is really small, maybe consider adjusting the choreography.

Materials: peg dolls, drill, pencil & eraser, acrylic craft paint, small paint brushes, fine-tip marker, mini pom-poms, glue, thin ribbon (about 1/4 inch wide), needle & thread, scissors, birthday candles, grit and fortitude.

Step 1: Buy peg dolls. Or, if you are a skilled woodworker, make ’em.

Step 2: Drill a hole into the top of your ballerina’s head. The hole should be the same diameter as your birthday candle – we used a 1/4 inch drill bit. (This step is optional if you don’t plan to set your ballerina’s head ablaze.)

Step 3: Sketch the bodice, hair and eyes onto the peg doll – bring your only friend wooden friend to life.

Step 4: Paint the bodice and hair. It is likely that you will need 2-3 coats of paint. A fine-tip marker works well for the eyes.

Step 5: If you opted not to drill candle holes, glue a mini pom-pom on top of your ballerina’s head. If you drilled candle holes, you can set a mini pom-pom (without glue) on top of the hole, and remove it when you want to insert the candle.

Step 6: Make the tutu. Secure thread to one end of a very thin ribbon, and then weave a sewing needle in and out at short intervals, pulling to create a ruffle. Make the ruffle long enough to fit your ballerina’s girth and then sew the ends together to complete the tutu. Place tutu on dancer. Squeal with delight.

Optional Bonus Steps:

Step 7: Surprise your guests by removing a ballerina’s bun.

Step 8: Shove a candle into her head.*

Step 9: Light on fire.

* Note: it is easier to shove a candle into your ballerina’s head before you place her on a cake. That said, trimming the base of your candle and ensuring it will slide easily into your dancer’s head-hole before placing her on a squishy frosting surface will ensure the whole operation runs smoothly.  

Happy birthday, Pumpkin! To mark this, your seventh birthday, I made you a cake. A cake topped with lots of teeny-tiny things. Because teeny-tiny things are the bestest.

For example, kittens are teeny-tiny and way awesome. So were you when you were born. Also, rats holding teddy bears. And pixie portals. Good things come in teeny-tiny packages.

I’m guessing you’re old enough to hear a few teeny-tiny things about your father (my brother) now. Some things that might help you understand why he is… the way he is.

First off, as a child, your dad had an imaginary friend named Peter Wife. No, not White. Peter’s last name was Wife. It caused a lot of confusion, because everyone thought your dad was saying Peter White, when he was actually saying Peter Wife. Your dad would get super irritated about the confusion, but in fairness, I think he was feeling some heat from Peter. Anyhoo, Pete spent some time with us at a rental cottage one summer, and I believe he moved there permanently (along with your dad’s sense of humour about the whole thing) in the early 1980’s. So, the next time your dad is staring off into space, give him a little hug. He’s probably missing Peter Wife.

Second, your Aunt Haddy and I used to call your dad Dumbo. Like, for a long time. (Years.) It made him pretty self conscious, so maybe get him a dvd of Dumbo for Christmas.

Third, your dad was hit in the face with a garage door when he was little. It basically knocked his front teeth out. So, when he does really embarrassing stuff, assume that has something to do with it. He ain’t right in the head.

Finally, your dad is pretty cool. He knows a crapload of stuff about junk most people couldn’t care less about. I hope it will serve you well one day. Or, at the very least, fill in any awkward silences at the dinner table.

So, sweet girl, I made this cake for you because it’s a one bowl cake. That means it’s easy to make, even if you’re only seven years old. (Maybe Dumbo could help you out.) Also: lemon buttercream. Because lemons taste fresh and springy, and buttercreams are perfect for making birthday cakes look extra special. I made you some teeny-tiny party hats, because they are way cute (like you), and then customized some ballerina toppers to match the teeny-tiny sprinkles.

And for today, I’m going to overlook the fact that you’ve opted for taekwondo lessons over ballet.

Happy birthday, wee Pumpkin!

. . .

One Bowl Yellow Cake

print and bake

Yields two 8-inch circular cakes.

• 2 1/2 cups cake/pastry flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, room temperature

Mise en place – begin by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch circular baking pans and line with parchment paper.

Sift the cake flour into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Add the sugar, baking powder and salt, and mix for about 30 seconds on low speed to combine.

Add in the butter and mix for about 2 minutes on low, until it’s incorporated, and no large lumps remain.

Add the milk and vanilla, mixing on low speed to blend the ingredients, and then on medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Add the eggs and beat for about 1 minute on medium-low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Mix for an additional 10 seconds to ensure no lumps remain.

Divide/spread the batter evenly between the two prepared pans (a kitchen scale is handy for this), and then smooth the tops a little with a spatula or bowl scraper.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. The tops will be slightly golden, and the edges may pull away slightly from the pans. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool completely on wire racks.

. . .

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

print and make

Yields enough to crumb coat and frost a two layer 8-inch cake with minimal embellishments.

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

Mise en place – begin by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients. 

Cream the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) until light and floofy (3-5 minutes).

Sift 2 cups of the icing sugar into the bowl and add the salt. Blend on lowest speed to bring the ingredients together and then increase speed to medium, mixing until well combined.

Sift the remaining 2 cups of icing sugar into the bowl. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, and mix on low speed to bring the ingredients together, and then on medium speed until well combined.

Add the heavy cream and beat until well combined, light and floofy.

Add additional icing sugar or heavy cream to adjust for desired consistency. (Add in very small quantities, as it is easy to over-correct.)