This Book is La Merde!

I do wonder if the English translation of "La Merde" is equivalent to the American slang for "the best". I doubt it, but that's totally what I meant by it. For anyone out there who is as fascinated by Parisian culture as I am will appreciate having this next book as a hollow book safe.

In the Merde for Love follows the adventures of Englishman Paul West as an expat in France.
What is the best way to scare a gendarme? Is it really polite to sleep with your boss’s mistress? And why are there no public health warnings on French nude beaches? Paul discovers how to judge a French vacationer by the rustiness of his bicycle; opens his English tearoom; and finally understands why Parisian waiters are so cranky.

The hollow book is now available at Ring Bling.

Women come to New York for the two L's: Labels and Love

Happy holidays people! It's been a while since my last post but I'm back at it, blogging and crafting. I just put the finishing touches on my latest crop of hollow books which I plan to release on my Etsy site over the coming week. First up: as this post's title hints at, is a novel about a woman who really needs no introduction. It is she who made Manolo a household name...Ms. Carrie Bradshaw!

This book, Summer and the City, chronicles Carrie's earlier days in the Big Apple and how she came to meet two of her besties, Samantha and Miranda.

If it were Carrie, what would she keep in her hollow book? Perhaps a pack of cigarettes or her signature "Carrie" necklace? Oh the possibilities!

CupcakeCamp DC

I had the great fortune to attend a fantastic event last Saturday. Apparently, CupcakeCamp is an event spreading across cities all over the world (Check out http://cupcakecamp.org/ for their worldwide directory!) and DC is one of them! Basically, the idea is that bakers, whether amateur or pro, sign up to create their signature cupcakes which the attendees get to sample. Both the attendees and a formal panel of judges decide on the best of the best. And all the proceeds for the event benefit a charity. In the case of the DC CupcakeCamp, it was DC Candlelighters, a childhood cancer foundation.

So what was my take on all this?

They had me at cupcake.

My cupcake selections (left to right): Lavender lemon, salted caramel, key lime, pumpkin spice, chai latte, and toasted coconut.

CupcakeCampDC attendees (at the Continental in Rosslyn)

The winners!

The first place winner of the 2012 CupcakeCamp DC was Joel Gill of Josie's Confections for his ingenious Chicken & Waffle cupcake. To Joel, congrats!! And since I couldn't get my hands on one before they were all snatched away, where can I get these??

This Week: Cupcake Chevron-Striped Pouch

It's been a long week y'all. My goals for the week included getting caught up at the office, working out at least a few times, and finding some time to craft. With last-minute fire drills popping up daily at work, I've barely had time to think, let alone find time to work out. But as I got home each night, my mind whirring full of the craziness of the day, the only way to calm my frustrations was through craft.

When a day just seems to spin out of control, there's something empowering about using your own hands to create something from nothing.  "Nothing" being defined loosely, however. I had just purchased this beautiful blue chevron-print fabric and was itching to put it to good use:

I love chevron! I also have some sunny yellow terry cloth that's so soft to the touch. So what better use would there be for these two fabrics than a zippered pouch?

By the end of the week, I impressed myself by the ability to channel all this excess pent-up energy into something positive and cheery. I love my new cupcake terry cloth pouch (with chevron print interior) and I really hope you do too. Now available on Etsy.

Cupcake Applique Tees!

New merch in da house! I'm giddy with excitement with our new children's cupcake applique tees! The first one has now been posted, but check back often as I'll be listing others throughout the week.

What I love about these tees is being able to pair my love of cupcakes with my love of beautiful printed fabrics to create a unique applique.

A preview of the other tees to be posted later on throughout this week (in an array of colors, patterns and children's sizes):

Pork-Stuffed Tomatoes

I made myself a most delicious meal last night and just have to share. I found the idea of making ground pork-stuffed tomatoes on Pinterest and then started searching the Web for different recipes. Pulling from a variety of recipes I found, I came up with a unique, Vietnamese-style receipe of my own:

Ingredients:

4 large ripe tomatoes

Pork stuffing:
1 lb of ground pork
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 bunch of watercress, blanched and finely chopped
2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
ground pepper, to taste

Olive oil

Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375F.

2) Slice the top part of the tomato off and scoop out the seeds and flesh to leave a hollow cup. Reserve seeds and flesh in a separate bowl for the sauce. While preparing the pork stuffing, place the tomatoes upside down on a plate to drain.

3) In a medium-sized bowl, combine ground pork, shallot, watercress, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper.

4) Take the tomato cups and gently pat the insides dry with a paper towel. Fill the cups with the pork stuffing, tightly packing all the way to the top.

5) Add enough oil to a frying pan to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and heat over medium high. When the oil begins to slightly sizzle, place the tomatoes meat-side down. Cook until the tops crisp up and brown, approximately 10 minutes.

6) Transfer the tomatoes to a baking pan, meat-side up, and bake for 40-45 minutes.

7) While the tomatoes are baking, add the reserved tomato pulp to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. While it's simmering, stir in the ketchup.

8) Combine fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and water separately. After the tomatoes are done simmering, remove from heat and add fish sauce mixture.

9) Serve stuffed tomatoes with rice and pour sauce on top. Enjoy!

Etsy Craft Party 2012

Have you seen the latest event posting from the crafter's mecca that is Etsy? On Friday, August 24, Etsy is hosting a Craft Party: A Global Celebration of Meeting and Making.

Deets direct from Etsy:

Craft Party is a time to get to know your neighbors and exercise your creative spirit. Craft Parties take place around the world when communities come together to participate in art, craft, design and DIY in every form. Anyone can organize a Craft Party and anyone can participate — the power is literally in your hands!

This year's theme: Wish You Were Here

We encourage you to work together on projects that reflect your hometown. Think about local and regional crafts, music, style and food; ways to pay tribute to a notable landmark or place; an activity that tells local lore through handmade means; or any creative project that has local flavor. It's up to you to decide how you showcase the theme at your party — go wild!
Etsy and our special sponsor, Michaels, will provide every party that has at least 25 participants signed up with a free box of craft supplies. The deadline for RSVP sign ups is August 12. The more people signed up for your party, the more generous the box of supplies! (Of course, we encourage you to continue garnering RSVP and participation right up till the big day too! We set this deadline, so we can get the box of supplies to the party organizers in time.)
We will also provide every event organizer with a free, downloadable Craft Party Kit containing how-to project instructions and templates, party decor ideas, and other tips for hosting your own party, plus a few surprises.

Get involved

To organize or find a local event, visit the Etsy hub on Meetup Everywhere. Add your event — big or small, public or private — or find one nearby to join.

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There are a ton of groups already formed so check out the Meetup page for your local group. Or start your own Meetup if no one has already! For those residing in Washington, DC and the surrounding area, I would suggest joining this group (already over 25 strong!). This is such a great idea to bring likeminded people together and garner that sense of community. Hope to see you there!