Nicaragua

A couple weeks ago we went to Nicaragua for my friend Kate's wedding! We had a great time and visited a bunch of places. In general the Nica aesthetic does not place a lot of importance on cute, which is what I expected. However, I did come across a few cute things in my travels.

This limbless turtle is actually a light! Along with all its legless, headless turtle buddies, it sits around the edge of this fountain in a public park. Presumably at night it shines light on the pool, but this was a daytime sighting. This example shows that Nicaraguans do in fact have an understanding of cute - instead of just using a regular light, they made it look like a turtle - nice work.

I found these cute little critters in a museum of ancient stuff in Granada. What's really cool about this is that they're so old - evidence that even the native Central Americans loved cute stuff!


Lastly - a cute hammock tree! You may know that Nicaragua has a huge hammock industry - they are a people with a love of lounging, which could be why I got along so well there. Adult-sized hammocks are sold all over the place, but this store really knew how to do cute - mini hammocks, many of them, and they're hanging in a tree! Maximum cuteness right there!

In conclusion, though cuteness may not be an integral part of Nica culture, don't forget that you can find at least some cute stuff wherever you go! So if you have cute things you've come across in your world travels, feel free to share them with us!

Mini Sweaters

In December 2008 I made a mini sweater. It was loved by all. So in December 2009 I made a whole slew of them! Mini and multiple, they make great Christmas tree ornaments, which make great gifts. In December 2010 I will either have to fill a closet with mini sweaters, or maybe make something that can wear them...

Mini Gingerbread Houses

Every year around Christmas time I think about making a gingerbread house. Once in high school I made one with a friend but we put it on display in the dorm and people ate it. So I've never quite worked up to making another whole house. Then I saw these mini mug houses on Not Martha. My friend Sarah was coming over and I knew we had to make them. Ours were not quite as cute (or as photogenic) as the originals, but they are still pretty good! Edible, mini, and multiple, when you look at the whole neighborhood!

Giant Ornaments

These don't exactly exude cuteness - also I took the pictures with my phone, in the rain - but the attraction here obviously lies in the fact that they are GIANT! You see, giant Christmas ornaments make everything else around them look mini. And we all know that mini things are super-cute! So next time you are walking by Radio City Music Hall in New York, and it's Christamstime, keep an eye out for these giant ornaments and lights, as well as the giant nutcrackers that I was too wet to take a picture of.

White Chocolate White House

Apparently every year the White House pastry chef makes a gingerbread model of the White House. This year it was covered in white chocolate and the whole thing weighed 390 pounds. That's a lot of house!

But the cutest part was the little marzipan garden! Mini veggies are bound to be cute, and mini veggies made of candy are even cuter. The detail on these leaves and the baskets and signs are amazing. I'm not sure how I feel about the White House putting so many resources toward extravagant holiday decorations, but I am glad to know that they have some cuteness in there!

Sushi Cakes

My latest creation, to go with a sushi dinner we had at our house. Sushi cupcakes! Without looking at them closely, a couple people didn't even realize they weren't real sushi. Snigger snigger.

These are another great example of cute things that look like other things. Sushi is not cute. Cupcakes alone are not cute. But combine these two great things, and cuteness is born. Unfortunately, they didn't taste as great as they looked. But the point was really to admire them and we accomplished that!

For details on how they're made, read about them on GastroFabulous.

Bent Objects

Another cute video! This artist at Bent Objects makes cool stuff out of wire. I've been reading his blog for a while now and he just came out with a book. Not all of his sculptures are necessarily cute, but the way the video shows them as regular objects and then as they come to life, the effect is indeed pretty cute!

The upwardly mobile cupcake was another good example of something that is made cuter because of it's humanesque qualities, and the same principle applies here.

In addition, these guys seem extra-cute because we get a glimpse into their inner workings. Cuteness is not only on the outside, you know! They have secret lives that we never see, and all kinds of mysterious adventures! Think about that next time you eat a marshmallow or a cheeto.