Cupcake Fever

A couple of weeks ago I took a cupcake decorating class at Spun Sugar, a local baking/confection supply store in Berkeley. I prefer to think of the store as a place one goes when one wants to be blown away by the sheer volume of baking and confectionery goods that they carry. They have just about everything that any culinary enthusiast could want: cupcake liners of all shapes, colors, designs and sizes; premade (either in-house or imported from such exotic places as France) edible decorations; available in retail, wholesale and bulk quantities of Guittard, Callebaut, Cordillera, Valrhona chocolate (their "Wall of Chocolate"); and all the decorating hardware you could think of. In my opinion everything is very reasonably priced, especially things like sprinkles and other novelty decorating items. Anyways, back to the class...

The class, aptly name Cupcake Fever, was three hours long and cost a mere $75. (It was also one of my birthday presents so all I had to do was enjoy it!) The class fee covers everything: the raw, prepared and pre-made materials, instruction and the 13 cupcakes that you get to decorate and then take home. I took that class with Tracy, Spun Sugar's Wilton School of Cake Decorating-trained store manager. She was absolutely wonderful: patient, kind and extremely informative. I asked a lot of questions and basically ended up feeling like that annoying, know-it-all kid in class that never shuts up, but at least I got my answers. We also got to take home a course syllabus which contains recipes for each of the cupcake and frosting flavors that we used. I cherish this bundle of papers especially for the frosting recipes.

All but two of the cupcake flavors were premade for us and we got to watch how to make the white velvet cake; this demonstrative batch of white velvet turned into the cake for two of the cupcakes that we got to decorate. We got to work at stations (of sorts) and make three cupcakes at a time. Some of the decoration aesthetics were not my taste (the shoes cupcake, for example) but it was fun to learn how to pipe frosting and get a feel for how you could make stunning, professional looking cupcakes with just a specialized piping tip, some sprinkles and an edible gnome.

And now for the cupcake eye candy:

Elegant Rose Cupcake

White cake with chocolate buttercream
frosting and a beautiful edible rosebud.

Puppy Cupcake

Red velvet cake with buttercream frosting a
pressed sugar puppy and flower shaped sprinkles.

Petit Four Cupcake

White velvet cupcake scented with almond extract
and orange blossom water filled with raspberry jam
topped with instant poured fondant and a gum paste flower.
(My favorite by far!)

Lemon Verbena Cupcake

Lemon verbena cake with buttercream icing
and gum paste flower.

Hot Cocoa Cupcake

Chocolate cake with ganache frosting and topped
with buttercrem frosting, mini marshmallows
and a dash of cinnamon.

Hostess Cupcake

Chocolate cake with buttercream filling
and a ganach frosting.

Gnome Cupcake

Lemon verbena cake with buttercream frosting,
gum paste gnome and chocolate tree (from France!).

Carrot Cake Cupcake

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and
fondant carrot.

Burger Cupcake

White cake with chocolate buttercream
frosting and a mini, candy hamburger
made from two Nilla wafers, a mini
peppermint patty, colored icing and
sesame seeds.

Boston Cream Cupcake

White velvet cake filled with vanilla
custard and topped with ganache and
chocolate stars.

Banana Split Cupcake

Banana cake with buttercream frosting,
banana chips, white chocolate shavings and
chocolate ganache drizzle.

Disco Dust Shoes Cupcake

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and disco
dust-sprinkled gum paste shoes.

Fashion-Shmashion

Whenever something absurd, ridiculous and generally bizarre happens you can count on my friend Alyssa to be the person responsible. Case in point: dearest Alyssa traveled all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland to pay the Bay Area a visit for a few weeks. She came over to my apartment yesterday afternoon to hang out and chat. I began to show her the various crafty items that I've been working on and we ended up having an impromptu photo shoot.

Alyssa very graciously offered to act as my model...and good thing too, because she looked infinitely better wearing my first every upcycled t-shirt creation than I do. So here we go!

Sexy Halter Top

The pattern and directions for this top come from Megan Nicolay, author of the Generation T books. This specific pattern is from her second book and I made it with the aid of the instructional video that she made for Threadbanger. I had to wing it a little bit because the t-shirt I was using was a little small, which of course caused the final product to be small as well. But I think it turned out great, especially on Alyssa. (I even saved the scraps and used them to make a ton of circles that I plan on using to make some frilly flower adornments for another t-shirt project.)

T-shirt Reborn Tote Bags

I've been meaning to post about these bags for quite some time. All I needed was some photographs and a willing model.

The Beer Chang tote was the first ever sewing project that I completed. The pattern for this tote is also from the Generation T book, but it quickly became a referential source: I really wanted to use my sewing machine rather than hand sewing the pieces together per the Nicolay's instructions. This meant that I had to alter the order in which I sewed the components together which is something that I figured out after I began sewing; it also required me to use my seam ripper and a little more brainpower than I had anticipated. But I think that overall it turned out great, especially considering that this was the first time that I used a sewing machine for more than just practice and I was working with a stretchy fabric.

The second bag is a variation on the first. Again I used the Generation T tote pattern as a reference source but I shortened the handles (read: ran out of black t-shirt material) and streamlined the entire process a bit. As for the story behind the "Free Katie Holmes" message: last summer I went to a Goodwill store in San Leandro and found a bunch of white XL and XXL t-shirts with this image on them. I thought they were too weird and unique to pass up. So I bought one with the specific intent of turning it into a tote. Nearly one year later and that dream has come true.

I'm not quite sure what to do with these totes. I'm thinking about posting them at my Etsy shop.

A Multi-Functional Purse

It took me a while to complete this purse. And like always it was the finishing touches that delayed its completion...especially finding and attaching the handles. But it is finally done and I took it out for the first time on Saturday. Then Alyssa put it on her head and turned it into a hat. (I should have learned by now not to leave her alone for more than a few moments.) Naturally I whipped out my camera and documented the silliness that ensued. And, oh what marvelous silliness it was.

Note: the following captions are roughly paraphrased quotes from Alyssa and myself. They will help give you an idea of how our minds work, especially when we are in each others presence.


A: "Are you sure this isn't a hat? I think its a hat. How could you not wear it as a hat."


A: "They're like giant earring/handle things so that your hat doesn't blow away."


Yours truly: "Its like Star Wars meets 1920s flapper girl."


Both: "WIN"


A: "I found a shark. Can I keep him?"


Me: "I don't think the feeling is mutual."


A: "Yes, yes. This hat most definitely suits the abominable snowman."

Vacationland

Our trip to Maine was lovely and now I'm back in Oakland. Well...I've been back for almost two weeks, but its been so busy that it seems like we got back yesterday. I haven't had enough time (or ambition) lately to make new things, but my plan for now is to photograph all of the craft projects that I've completed in the last year or so. And I resolve to post said photos next week. Until then, enjoy these great pics from my lovely escape to Maine.

Waiting for our flight to JFK, which was delayed.

Giant chicken. Monmouth, Maine.

Evan's parents' house in Monmouth and the welcoming committee, Parker.

Wicked Whoopies. The shop in Gardiner is super cute and I left feeling like I bought one of everything....because I kind of did. But they weren't all for myself: I shipped all but one to my dad and brothers.


Boothbay Harbor, Maine.


My lobster. tasty...





Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

Beautiful flowers, awesome fungi, and orbs in the forest.

Casco Bay.


Us and the L.L. Bean 90th Anniversary Boot, Freeport, Maine.


Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Bristol, Maine. Now all I need to do is visit a lighthouse in Alaska and I then I can say that I've visited lighthouses from all corners of the country.





Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Neat living colonial museum and beautiful New England architecture.


Campaign ball of the 1840 presidential election. They sure don't campaign the way they used to.

I have more photos on my flickr page. Check it out if you want to see more, which I know you do.

See you next week!

Apologies and Grilled Cheese

I'm sorry I've been neglectful. Here: have a grilled cheese!

I know that I haven't posted anything lately, but life has been truly insane these past few weeks. Without going into too much detail there was an interview that lead to a series of (emotionally draining) interviews that have resulted in a new job. I am no longer at the museum--which makes me very sad--but I am now a proud member of AmeriCorps: I will be working as an AmeriCorps member through the Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation at the Richmond Main Street Initiative. This move was completely unexpected and came to fruitition through the generous, and unwavering, support of my aunt and uncle, and an amazing informational interview with one of their contacts. Negotiating a new schedule at the bookstore (I'm still there because the AmeriCorps position will only last through September), figuring out the logistics of travel and making everything official was a bit of a nightmare, but I am very happy with my new work and the experiences and opportunities that I will gain from it.

And after all that, I will be even more busy until I fulfill my 450 hours of service: a typical day will mean that I either work in Richmond all day, or start at the bookstore at 8am, travel to Richmond at midday and get home around 7:30pm. I am not worried about getting my crafting done (I can do that on the bus and on BART); its just finding the time (and good light) to photograph my projects and energy to write about them.

But I've pulled through it all for what will hopefully be a renewed commitment to sticking to a (semi)regular blogging schedule. And for staying loyal and forgiving me of my brief, unannounced leave, I give you a tale of a delicious grilled cheese sandwich:

I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Just about any kind will do. I, of course, have an affinity for the good 'ol American standby of 2 Kraft singles melted between white bread. This classic of my childhood (and occassional adulthood) will forever remain near and dear to my heart. However, my palette has grown more sophisticated and my urge to experiment with various flavor combinations has grown. I find myself wondering what types of cheeses would taste good melted together between two slices of bread. As I walk home or absentmindedly shelve books I daydream about various pairings of cheese, condiments and bread.

One of my favorite combinations is provolone, chicken breast and a quick, homemade kalamata basil tapenade. And it goes a little something like this:

Two pieces of whole grain bread with a little bit of butter to aid in delicious browning. (Freebie tip: a cold stick of butter rubbed directly on frozen bread results in even disbursement of said browning agent.)

2 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), 4-5 pitted kalamata olives, a generous handful of basil and some vigorous chopping=easy peasy homemade tapenade good enough to eat by itself. But don't; its much better in between melted cheese and crunchy bread.

Open face grilling produces evenly crispy outsides and perfectly gooey insides. I like to set the range to medium heat and cover the pan with a lid; this way the direct heat from the pan grills the bread and the residual indirect heat melts the cheese.

TA-DA: The finished product.

Unlike fast food commercials and recipe books, my cheese does not ooze profusely...but believe me, its more than enough to satisfy any grilled cheese junkie.

Another gratuitous shot for all those cheese and crispy bread lovers.

Now go make your own and be merry!

P.S. Despite the craziness of these past two weeks--and the months to come--I will be able to indulge in some sweet, sweet time off this week. Evan and I are flying to Maine so that he can visit his parents/metropolitan hometown of Monmouth and I can satisfy my appetite for touristy activities, salt water taffy and lobster. A post from Maine to come (most likely when I get back).

Thrift Store Haul: Part Deux

This weekend was far from fun: I worked both days (Saturday at the bookstore and then a reception at the museum) and came down with a cold. Accordingly, I will be blogging vicariously through the decidedly more fun activities of last weekend.

My first thrift store success story came from a trip to Urban Ore, a mecca of all things used, outdated, vintage, and bizarre. And while it often hopelessly panders to the tragic hipster (read: overcharges for vintage oddities and employs trendy folk) they have some great stuff, especially if you aren't opposed to doing some rummaging.

Evan, myself and our friend Louis stopped by Urban Ore last Thursday afternoon. The menfolk had their eyes set on the used vinyl and CDs section. Meanwhile, I headed straight for the kitchen wares department. I was pleasantly surprised to find that someone had recently organized everything, which made finding what I was looking for so much easier. I'm not opposed to having to dig through mounds of stuff and really look through everything, but I do love organization. Much as last time I was hoping to find some large mason jars (for storing dry goods) and found two.

And as always, I kept my eyes peeled for any Pyrex or Corning ware. As luck would have it, I found a lovely 13" round Corning casserole dish. Despite some rust colored stains along the crevices of the handles, it was in great condition and totally worth the $3.50 that I paid.

I was also looking for a glass that would be suitable in both style and design for my DIY cake stand project. I knew that I wanted something old, sturdy and preferably antique looking and/or colorful. After scouring the kitchen section three times and leaving disappointed, I spotted some vintage, rose colored cocktail glasses in Urban Ore's "Vintage Boutique" section. There were six glasses in total, and I thought about buying them all, but at $4 a pop, I settled on just one. I felt bad about destroying the set, but know that I couldn't afford all six and that I probably wouldn't ever have a use for them.

I also picked up a scrap of cloth for a buck and a small blue and white plate, which brought the grand total to $13. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

On Sunday we walked to the Laney Flea Market--an open air bizarre that I can only describe as truly bizarre. The general consensus about the Laney Flea Market is that there it is mostly full of junk and/or merchandise of questionable provenance or quality, but it also has its diamond in the ruff moments--if you're willing to pay the $1 to get in and work for it. As with every other thrift store and flea market, I shop at Laney with the express purpose of finding anything antique, Pyrex, vintage or unique. On my first trip there last fall I found an amazing bohemian, maroon scarf/shawl and a gold, leaf necklace that I absolutely adore.

power drill, anyone?

This time I found three items: a squarish oval Corning casserole dish, a hexagonal shaped bowl...and a medium sized, vintage Pyrex mixing bowl. I was so excited about the Pyrex bowl that I even haggled a little bit, which is something that I rarely do because it makes me feel uncomfortable. But the man was very nice and I'm sure very tired of lugging it around. (He also had two larger Pyrex bowls that were very similar to the one that I bought, but they were badly scratched.) Needless to say I am well on my way to amassing a hodgepodge collection of dishes...I like the sound of that.

Although the color palette is different, the motifs on the bowl matches that on the divided casserole dish that I bought a few months ago.