The classroom buzzed with a mix of trepidation and excitement. The Design Studio mentor was about to arrive, and we needed to have our sketches all set for her to comment, critique, and select. Carolyne Roehm was a very busy lady, you know! I worked on at least seventy different designs, everything from fluted bodices to clever couturier silhouettes. Smaller in size, not thumbnail sketches nor full-page illustrations, I still managed to get particular with details. There were about seven croquis to a page, and I carefully mounted them on crimson textured Bristol board. After all, presentation was part of the grade, and I surely wanted to make a memorable first impression.

She worked quickly, knew what she liked, and voiced comments candidly. When Carolyne looked at my spread, she zeroed in on three styles, two roused my excitement, the third not so much. After another glance, she checked the third one, and moved on to the next student. I was dumbfounded. The design she expected me to incarnate was a black and white sliced gown with plunging ladder-back V, structured high cap sleeve 'ears', and a dramatic fishtail hemline.

It was the most challenging design in my lot.

Well, I did make that gown, and it was a showstopper on the F.I.T. runway, rhinestone crusted buttons and all. Carolyne Roehm was thoroughly impressed. And I will never forget to this day what she said to me, "Sonya, I picked this design because I didn't actually think you could do it. But I am happy you proved me wrong. Great job!" That gown was a life lesson for me. 

A true mentor teaches you about not only your craft, but also the art of living... -C.R.

The foundation of creativity involves taking design precedents and reinterpreting them with one's own vision and style, thus creating something entirely new and yours. -C.R.

Fall, Leaves, Fall by Emily Brontë

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night’s decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

Sonnet 73 (‘That time of year thou mayst in me behold’) by William Shakespeare 

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruin’d choirs where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou seest the twilight of such day

As after sunset fadeth in the west,

Which by and by black night doth take away,

Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou seest the glowing of such fire

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the death-bed whereon it must expire,

Consum’d by that which it was nourished by.

This thou perceiv’st which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Pleasant Sounds by John Clare

The rustling of leaves under the feet in woods and under

hedges;

The crumpling of cat-ice and snow down wood-rides,

narrow lanes and every street causeway;

Rustling through a wood or rather rushing, while the wind

halloos in the oak-toop like thunder;

The rustle of birds' wings startled from their nests or flying

unseen into the bushes;

The whizzing of larger birds overhead in a wood, such as

crows, puddocks, buzzards;

The trample of robins and woodlarks on the brown leaves.

and the patter of squirrels on the green moss;

The fall of an acorn on the ground, the pattering of nuts on 

the hazel branches as they fall from ripeness;

The flirt of the groundlark's wing from the stubbles –

how sweet such pictures on dewy mornings, when the

dew flashes from its brown feathers.

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

With Thanksgiving in a couple of days, I couldn't miss sharing a new sweet suggestion to join the table merrymaking. Of course you can indulge in traditional pumpkin pie, but wouldn't it be fun to try a little something new as well? Unlike my showstopping Autumn Bombe, this recipe is really easy even for a beginner. I made these for a casual fall weekend dinner with friends, and everyone was thoroughly impressed! 

Spiced Cakelets with Cream

Box of spice cake or pumpkin bread mix (and required ingredients)

1 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened (leave it out on the counter for an hour or two)

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Candied walnuts for garnish (optional)

1) Grease and flour (or Pam Baking spray) a large round baking pan, preferably 12" diameter, or two smaller round pans. Prepare the mix as instructed on the box, and bake accordingly in the pan(s). I used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread mix.

2) After the layer(s) cool, use a biscuit cutter to punch out rounds in the layers creating mini cakes. I made the ones above with a medium-size cutter, about 2.5" diameter, but you can make them larger or smaller depending on how many mini cakes you want the baked layers to yield. Place each cakelet on a flattened cupcake sleeve.

3) In a large cold metal mixing bowl (I advise putting the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes so it is very cold), pour the cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. Hand whisk the mixture first to make sure it is blended, then switch to an electric mixer and whip the cream until stiff peaks form. 

4) Fold in a third of the cream cheese and whip again. Keep adding and whipping the softened cream cheese a bit at a time so everything has a chance to blend together smoothly. Once all the cream cheese is completely whipped together, add the cinnamon and whip one last time.

5) Using a heavy plastic bag (Ziplock is best), cut a 1/4" off a corner and fill with the whipped cream cheese mixture. If you have a small decorative piping tip, you should slip it into the cut corner of the bag before filling.

6) Pipe the whipped cream cheese on top of each cakelet covering the surface. Be generous, but neat! Sprinkle each with a pinch of cinnamon and a crushed candied walnut. 

These little beauties have just enough sweetness and spice to finish off your feast, yet are surprisingly light. I guarantee spiced cakelets with cream will add flavor and fancy to the holiday festivities. Enjoy!

Wishing everyone a very Delightful and Delish Thanksgiving Day! xoxo-Sonya