Z as in Zebra

In September of 2009, I started a cupcake adventure. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can do so here.

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((I know this is a Christmas post and it’s February. I also know some people who just took down their Christmas tree, so at least I’m not that far behind…))

The first step in making Christmas Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes is to steep 4 bags of Peppermint tea in hot water for several minutes.

While the tea was ‘brewing’, I mixed together the chocolate chips, butter, and sugar.

I also got my Christmasy cupcake papers ready to be filled.

Then, I poured the hot tea over the chocolate chip mixture (it made the weirdest bubbles!)

The mixture was then stirred together until everything was nice and soupy.

The chocolate/butter/tea mix was then added to the dry ingredients to make the chocolate batter.

Meanwhile, I got the egg whites whipping in the mixer.

From there, they were folded into the liquid chocolate.

Few things are as potent as this stuff right here:

But it’s sooooo good when you add it to a bowl of cream cheese icing.

Since the icing called for crushed up candy canes, I grabbed a dozen…

and experimented with my food processor (note: not the best method–makes them more like dust than nice, yummy chunks.)

So, I switched to the old stand-by method: Ziplock bag and a rolling pin!

Mmm…peppermint cream cheese icing with candy cane chunks.

LOOK at that!

So…I should’ve remembered to divide the batter out to more cups than the recipe called for. If I had, I wouldn’t have experienced this overflow:

But…moving on! I just gently peeled away the part that overflowed. The cupcakes looked a little raw around the edges, but since I wasn’t selling these, their ‘look’ didn’t matter much.

And once a cupcake is iced, who really cares anyway, right?!

As a group, they looked so tempting.

Individually, they were pretty darn tempting, too.

Yummy!!

In September of 2009, I started a cupcake adventure. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can do so here.

***

((I suppose since it’s February I should finally show you the cupcakes I made for Christmas.))

Ahh, fruit cake. It’s about as Christmasy as Rudolph and elves and icicle lights, is it not? So of course I had to try the cupcake version of the infamous cake that everyone re-gifts.

The first step was to soak candied fruit (is that stuff even really fruit?!) in rum for a couple hours.

Meanwhile, I mixed the dry ingredients…

…and the wet ingredients, including apricot jelly and orange zest (that’s the blob to the left of the yolk).

Then, dry and wet were combined.

Mesa, my chef-helper, wanted to make sure you knew she was in the kitchen with me that day.

After mixing the batter, we added in the rum-infused candied fruit…THE strongest-smelling cake batter EVER.

Since I’ve learned to make a few more than the recipe says, I ended up with 19 instead of 12. I guess the cupcake tins in France (where the author lives) are bigger than our American version…??

The spices and candied fruit did give the batter a really pretty coloring and great texture.

They even looked cute after they were baked.

Next, we mixed up the fondant…not the typical plasticy rolled fondant you buy in stores…this is more of a glaze.

As I glazed each cupcake, my lovely assistant added red and green Christmas tree sprinkles.

Not bad!!

But even if it was nasty (like fruitcake is rumored to be), it’d be pretty hard to re-gift it with a big bite missing.

For Christmas, my friend Sarah wanted some custom-designed photo albums for the women in her family. I was exciting to take this project on, as I’d never re-covered existing photo albums before. Below are the final results.

To start, I found several inexpensive albums that held at least two hundred 4×6 photos. Needless to say, I snatched them up!

After disassembling them and peeling off their original covers, I covered each album based on Sarah’s preferences. She had come to my studio the week prior, and can I just say that it made this project go SO smoothly. She knew exactly which materials I would be using for the covers and had a lot of input regarding the final product. I love knowing my clients will be totally satisfied!

For the Clarks, I covered their album in my Red Velvet paper and used black facing pages.

Half-inch white satin ribbon closure ties were added.

Metal letters were affixed to the front cover using ruby gemstone brads.

I kept the original spine from the album (complete with bow), as it gave the album an elegant touch.

For Kerr family #1, I was told to stick to very natural textures and colors. I used a natural brown distressed paper for the cover.

I used white marquee letters to spell out “Kerr” on the front cover.

Half-inch brown satin ribbons served as tie closures.

This geometric leaf pattern was used as the inside paste pages.

This book style was different from Album 1, in that the paste pages were attached directly to the first page of photos.

With clear sleeves and space to write in memories or captions, I was thrilled with how this album turned out.

Next, was Kristen’s book. Sarah’s sister Kristen loves childlike, playful patterns, so this brightly colored polka dot paper was perfect for her!

Inside paste papers were a shockingly neon green!

I removed the bow from the original spine…

and instead added a “K” brad.

On the cover, I used neon green marquee letters to spell out Kristen’s name.

Sarah brought me a swatch of fabric to use for her mom’s book. It was this amazing textured paisley. Since the fabric was a bit stretchy, I wasn’t sure how well it would work as a cover. I’m happy to report that it turned out great!

I added 5/8″ black satin ribbons as tie closures

and used black Canson paper for the paste pages.

Black letter brads spelled out the family name.

Book #5 was for Sarah’s sister-in-law. Sarah chose an olive green fabric with chocolate brown polka dots for the cover.

To balance the black photo pages, I used black paper for the inside pastes.

Half-inch brown satin ribbons functioned as tie closures.

A label holder held in place by peridot gemstone brads showcased the family name.

I kept the original spine, complete with bow, as it gave a nice flourish to an otherwise simple design.

Book #6 was for Sarah’s other Sher sister. Sarah chose this purple and turquoise flocked paper from my supply inventory. ((Digging through piles of supplies with a client is the most fun part about a studio visit!!))

To balance the black photo pages, I used black Canson paper as the paste pages.

I removed the bow from the original spine and replaced it with a black satin ribbon with amethyst brads and slide-on letters.

Silver letters beautifully spell out the family name.

Sarah, thank you for asking me to make these albums for your family! I hope they enjoy filling them with photos for years to come!

In September, I started a cupcake adventure. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can do so here.

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Few combinations thrill the masses as much as chocolate and peanut butter. So why not a cupcake version of the beloved combo?

As an ode to Mr. Reeses, I used dark orange cupcake papers.

Semisweet chocolate was melted down into a puddle of deliciousness.

Butter, sugar, and peanut butter combined to make the beginnings of the batter.

Mmm…can you smell it?!

Do you like chunky or creamy peanut butter?

Next, I added the melted chocolate.

Mmm.

Next, these superstars came onto the scene to lend a hand.

A few PB chips were sprinkled on top of each scoop of batter.

The cupcakes had a yummy cookie-like texture after being baked.

Next, Reeses Pieces were grouped together for decoration.

More melted chocolate.

A yummy chocolate/peanut butter combo…icing this time.

The only thing left to do was take these guys:

And slather them in this stuff:

And top them with Reeses Pieces “flowers”

I happened to have two (very) willing taste-testers on hand. While their mom was in the hospital delivering their baby brother, they were at my house getting their sugar fix. Win-win.

In September, I started a cupcake adventure. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can do so here.

***

I had no idea how much people love this stuff:

From the moment I mentioned that I was going to be making Chocolate Hazelnut cupcakes, I got several emails from friends and family offering to take them off my hands. Who knew Nutella had such power?!

To make the cupcakes, I first mixed the dry ingredients.

Meanwhile, my electric mixer was in the business of creaming butter and sugar.

Next came the glorious Nutella spread.

Yummy, chocolatey, hazelnutty batter.

Muffin papers were filled 2/3 full.

After being baked, the cupcakes had the most perfect, brownie-like texture…

…though they did expand past their cups a bit.

Nothing a star of Nutella can’t fix!

YUM-O!!

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s time to start considering a thoughtful, handmade gift for your sweetie. ((I can help!))

Two years ago, I made this book for my (then) boyfriend, who is now my husband!…not that the book caused that transition, mind you, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt either.

It was a simple book, really. 8.5″ square, covered in blue velour fabric.

I used letter brads and a mesh heart brad to spell out the following message on the cover:

Throughout the book, I used the theme of “Love…” from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. For each “Love…(is patient, is kind, never fails, etc.)”, I placed a photo of myself on the left-hand side of the page.

On the right-hand side of the page, I wrote a sentence or two about my feelings for Andrew and how his love for me (or my love for him) fit that “Love is” message.

Some were just plain silly.

Some were more contemplative.

Some involved inside jokes.

Some were heart-warming (that’s me with Andrew’s two daughters).

My love for Andrew grew even as I put this book together. I am willing to bet that a gift like this would strike a chord with your sweetie as well. You still have time to put together a Love Album before Valentine’s Day. And I can help! Visit the Contact tab in the top right corner of your screen for more information!

I’ve had this huge roll of amazing black and white paper for a few years. Although I’d brainstormed about it, I’d never made the time to turn it into a book. I finally got the chance to do so when my friend Cindy Beall asked me to be a part of her “Week of Awesomeness”, where she is featuring different artists and crafters. ((Thanks, Cindy!))

The following book will be given away on her site by the end of the week. Pop on over for your chance to win!

As for the details: The book is classically bound.

The pages measure 8.5″ x 8.5″ square. Green satin ribbons function as tie closures.

The paper’s black areas are flocked (fuzzy), while the white areas are pearlescent (which, unfortunately, is hard to tell from the photo).

The inside paste papers are a simple textured paper in light gray.

And the roll of paper was leftover WALLPAPER from my Grandma’s house. It’s the exact same paper still hanging in her basement bathroom to this day. It’s so fun to be able to use the paper in a way other than the way it was originally intended.

And, honestly, what Black/White/Red bathroom would be complete without a toilet professing your love for the Nebraska Cornhuskers?!

She pretty much rocks. Thanks for the paper, Grandma!

Now, go try to get your hands on that giveaway!

I think we’d all admit that no kid’s birthday is complete without a theme cake, right?

Well, who better to help you turn this age…

…than this superhero?!

Amy contacted me for some party/gift giving help. 1: she wanted to have a custom journal made for a gift. 2: her son was turning four and only likes Spider-Man. Nothing more, nothing less. Spider-Man. No questions asked. Aren’t 4 year olds great?!

So, I spent some time creating a custom-made Spider-Man cake…better than the regular ol’ sheet cakes you buy with the decal stuck on top, no?

I used homemade marshmallow fondant to create his spidey eyes and layered them on top of rich, dark chocolate icing.

I used Candy Melts (dark cocoa flavored) to create the spider emblem on his spandex suit.

And the edge was finished off with a row of chocolate icing beads.

Happy Birthday!!

This past Fall, I was flooded with orders for personalized journals. It was great fun to be so involved in so many people’s gift-giving for 2009!

I got a great email from a woman I’d never met before. Her name is Peggy and she wrote: “My children are grown and married [...] for Christmas I want to give them a book that on the first page I will write a message/prayer to them. Then in the following pages my hope is that the couple would write love notes/prayers back and forth for each other. My thought is that this would be such a beautiful keepsake for them and for their children and grandchildren one day. [...]  I know I could go to Mardels and get a “journal book” but I think something more personal would be so much more special.”

I loved Peggy’s idea and immediately contacted her to accept the project. Peggy wanted to include the names or initials of each couple and wanted two soft-bound and two hard-bound books. She gave me some pointers on each couple’s favorite colors/style, and I set to work collecting supplies. Below is the final result.

AARON and LAUREN
Aaron and Lauren are engaged to be married and love the color blue. I started with a sapphire blue suede cover.

The inside paste pages were made from scrapbook paper resembling burlap. A black satin ribbon bookmark was added so Aaron and Lauren could mark the page where they left off.

Slide-on alphas spelled out their names on the cover. Silver star brads helped keep the ribbon secure.

BRANDON and JODI
For their book cover, I used a flat black cotton cloth and alpha brads bearing their initials.

I carved grooves into the book boards before binding to give the plain black cover a little punch.

The ETHRIDGES
For the Ethridges, I used a vibrant red suede cover and circular alpha brads in an alternating pattern of black and clear.

I used a funky retro circles paper on the inside and added a brown satin ribbon bookmark.

TOMMY and HEATHER
For Tommy and Heather’s book, I covered the boards in my blue-gold bookbinding cloth. The inside paste pages were a cube/column pattern reminiscent of 1980s video games.

I added a brown satin ribbon bookmark as well as heart brads on the spine.

On the cover, I included their initials and a mesh heart brad.

Peggy, thank you for allowing me to bring your wonderful idea to life! I’d love to hear how these books bless your family for generations to come! I know I’d enjoy reading love letters that my parents or grandparents had written each other. God bless!

This would be a wonderful wedding or anniversary gift! If you are interested in having a Legacy Journal made for your significant other or for loved ones in your life, contact me. Let’s preserve those memories!

In September, I started a cupcake adventure. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can do so here.

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This is one of those ‘cupcake’ recipes that isn’t cake at all. But it’s in the book, so go with it. I did.

Want to know the trick to getting lots of things done in the kitchen in a limited amount of time? Get your kids to help!

In all seriousness though, allowing your kids to help in the kitchen is amazing. It improves their reading skills, math comprehension, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and so much more. PLUS, it teaches them about cooking—a basic survival skill in this era of drive-thru dinners. Also, kids who help cook are generally less picky when it comes time to eat—something about having pride in their work makes it hard for them to say “I don’t like _______.” Try it with your kids and tell me what you discover!

I guess there’s something magical and typically-for-adults-only about a plane zester. I don’t know what the fascination is, but our 10-year-old was begging to try it, so I showed her how to remove the peel without getting too much of the white pulp and then I set her loose to do it ALL!   That freed me up to take pictures.

Meanwhile, my 6-year-old nephew and our 7-year-old daughter (hiding) were using my one-bowl-at-a-time food processor to chop up graham crackers and cornflakes. They liked doing the ‘pulsing’ and this small processor is great for small hands.

After all the zest had been added to the sugar, we got to business.

The graham crackers and cornflakes made a nice powder…

Add those scoopfuls to some melted butter….

And it makes fine buttery crumbles, perfect for mini cakes.

A 1/4 cup scoop was the perfect size to smash the mixture flat in the silicon molds (thanks, Gina, for letting me borrow your mold!)

Now that the crust is ready, we are ready for the filling!

Juice from the now-naked lemon was squeezed and whisked together with some sugar.

Now for the healthy sinful part: whipping cream.

The sugar/lemon/whipping cream mixture gets poured on top of the crusts. Then, you stick the whole thing in the freezer for several hours.

Next, you grab some candy lemon slices and try not to eat them all while you’re waiting for the cuppies to freeze.

Once you pop each little lemon freeze out of its mold, you top it with a lemon slice and display it on a cute plate.

Yummy! THE perfect treat for a hot summer day…if you can gobble it down before it melts, that is! Though I can promise you, gobbling them down isn’t really a problem.