#cotton-candy-art

#cotton-candy-art

"I found this really cute picnic basket at Goodwill for $4.79 and loved the weaving on it," Ana Ochoa from @ana.ochoaliving said in a recent Instagram video. She shared that the basket's straps were on their last legs, and she had the perfect second life in mind for it.

This intimate 8 person hands-on masterclass will see a guided 90 minute session in making four daifuku: two matcha strawberry daifuku and two classic daifuku, filled with fresh strawberries and grapes.

Drawing on childhood memories, folk art, and nature, the London-based illustrator and model maker creates expressive sculptures and puppets that inhabit dreamlike realms. Invoking historical costumes and cartoonish and emotive faces, Johnston's otherworldly cast seems both familiar and strange, as if children's book protagonists have sprung to life or converged with a strange dream.

Easter desserts are the crown jewel of the holiday meal. And no, we're not talking about chocolate bunnies, Peeps, or mini eggs from a kid's basket-though those are welcome too. We mean shortcakes gilded with cream and fresh berries, tart lemon meringue pie, a tower of chocolate and praline, and stunning layer cakes fit for a celebration.

Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Crème Eggs offer the same chocolate and peanut butter combination as other Reese's offerings. The chocolate and PB are flavorful, with an emphasis on the soft peanut butter-filled center. These are a good pick if you want something more peanut buttery than chocolatey, with colorful wrappers that are eye-catching and ideal for setting out Easter candies.

Thanks to their vibrant appearance and soft, meltable texture, Peeps can easily transform homemade desserts, breakfasts, and snacks into colorful, festive treats. There are an array of flavors to play with. Each brings its own distinct flavor and hue and opens the door to all kinds of playful Easter-inspired creations.

Carrots are not only a superfood, they're also incredibly sturdy, making them the perfect vessel for holding flowers. If you scoop out the inside, you can actually pop a stem right in the middle, along with some water. If you fill up a few carrots like this and place them in a clear vase, you'll have a gorgeous, colorful centerpiece that's sure to be the talk of your Easter celebration.

The sakura raspberry cream donut ($8), which starts with the brand's signature airy dough. It's filled with raspberry mousse and raspberry jelly, then dipped in sakura-infused white chocolate for a creamy, floral finish. A dusting of sakura powder and crunchy dried raspberries adds texture, while a fresh raspberry on top delivers a bright, tart pop.

Illustoria is a print magazine for creative kids and their grownups. The magazine celebrates visual storytelling, makers, and DIY culture through stories, art, comics, interviews, crafts, and activities. This high-quality triannual publication is geared toward readers ages 6-12 and the young at heart. Illustoria is the official publication of the International Alliance of Youth Writing Centers, publishing writing and art by young people alongside accomplished professionals.

Sand Art is a game by Kory Jordan and published by 25th Century Games for two to four players ages 10 and up. It takes about an hour to play, and has you collecting resources and then coloring in a bottle, making art in a bottle out of sand, in case the name didn't give away the plot. Gameplay Overview: Sand Art has you gathering and mixing sand, which is used to fill your bottle.

Last fall, I bought a ton of marble scraps off a sculptor in Woodstock for like, $10 off Facebook. For sandwiches and cakes, crumbling asphalt parking lots are good. When I lived in Sunset Park, they demolished a building a couple blocks from my apartment, and there was a hole in the fence, so I'd go in there and find tons of cool shapes and textures of rubble.

The bag is crafted from genuine translucent leather in a pale, almost golden yellow that does a convincing job of mimicking the cooked skin of a steamed dumpling. The leather is soft and smooth to the touch, and because it's translucent, you can see straight through to the canvas lining inside. That lining is printed with images of chopped vegetables and filling, creating a visual illusion that's almost unsettling in the best possible way.

The Museum of Ice Cream reopens February 4 with expanded interactive exhibits, hands-on play areas, and new spaces designed for kids, parents, and winter break fun. At a Glance: Reopens: February 4, 2026 Where: SoHo, Manhattan What Changed: The Museum of Ice Cream NYC renovation expands the experience across three floors with new interactive worlds New Highlights: Hall of Freezers with secret rooms, a larger carnival-style playground, and Sundae House creativity space

That tapered top is perfect for decorating cakes, and the bottle is a firmer, easier vessel to squeeze and manipulate mess-free than a pastry bag. We love repurposing various kitchen items - it keeps waste out of landfills and also helps us avoid unnecessary spending. This hack in particular is a win-win: Enjoy your favorite condiments, then sustainably reuse their bottles, and allow those bottles to help you harness your inner pastry chef and decorate cakes like a pro.

Their shops are known for making gelato in house daily, using organic Sonoma County milk, Belgian and Italian chocolate, pistachios from Sicily, hazelnuts from Piedmont, Italy, and locally sourced ingredients. For example, the new Arancia Rossa flavor, or blood orange, is made with fruit grown at JJ's Lone Daughter Ranch in Redlands, San Bernardino County. Fresh flavors, including vegan sorbet, rotate in every month.

This year, the American public is expected to blow $29 billion on Valentine's Day, according to the National Retail Federation. That's $1.5 billion more in consumer spending than 2025 somehow, against all odds, the country is in the mood for lovin'. Some of that money will go toward flowers, spa treatments and classy dinners, some no doubt toward lingerie and boxers. And a lot will go toward chocolate. After the winter holidays, Valentine's is the busiest time of year for most chocolate shops.

If, like me, you'd rather be in Puerto Rico slathering mashed banana on your semi-nude body than braving the forthcoming cold front in New York City, just know you're not alone. "TROPICALIZE ME!" (2025), pictured above, was performed by Matthieu Laurette at the 3rd Gran Bienal Tropical in December, where the artist took home one of five "Golden Coconuts" along with Poncili Creación, Ángela María Domínguez, Miguel González, and Aldo Álvarez Tostado.

Tony's Chocolonely and Cj Hendry have opened an immersive Valentine's popup in New York, transforming a cast iron storefront into a fully red environment that pairs chocolate retail with interactive installation art and a $1 mystery box concept. From the snow-covered sidewalks, the address reads as a glowing block of color. Windows gleam crimson behind heavy curtains and the brand's logotype floats in white across the glass.