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Lauren Purnell has a real talent for playing with food.
On her blog Culinary Canvas, Purnell turns leftover food scraps into small collages.
SEE ALSO: 25 pieces of food art that are too cute to eat
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Mar 20, 2016 at 5:36am PDT
Purnell tells Mashable that her adventures in food art began in college with a humble plate of spaghetti that she transformed into a "tree" using the leftover scraps. She has since elevated her plate to more ambitious designs.
She's created garden scenes from herb leaves and bicycles from orange slices, but her signature is the hummingbird.
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Nov 16, 2015 at 11:15am PST
The pieces Purnell posts on Culinary Canvas make use of the scraps — peels, pits, skins and more — that she might otherwise toss out after cooking. When she does use the occasional fruit slice or whole berry, she'll save them for eating later.
Though Culinary Canvas began as fun project to share with friends, the photo blog has since grown into a creative outlet for Purnell.
"From there the combination of food and art became a fun part of my culinary experiences and a way for me to channel by creativity by combining it with my love for food and photography," she said.
More of Purnell's work is available on her website and on Instagram.
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Mar 16, 2016 at 5:54am PDT
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Mar 6, 2016 at 5:44am PST
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A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Aug 31, 2015 at 4:08am PDT
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Nov 11, 2015 at 4:03am PST
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:21am PST
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Feb 14, 2016 at 7:30am PST
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Feb 22, 2016 at 5:20am PST
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Jan 29, 2016 at 5:47am PST
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Dec 9, 2015 at 9:28am PST
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Nov 15, 2015 at 12:49pm PST
A photo posted by L A U R E N P U R N E L L (@lopurnell) on Oct 4, 2015 at 4:41am PDT
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