I’ve been wanting to design a book like this for a long time (several years, if I’m being honest) and a couple weeks ago I decided to just bite the bullet and make it.

Besides, I had this amazing retro paper that needed a purpose! I couldn’t just leave it sitting in the shoebox for too long! It was created for something greater (much like all of us!)

And though the cover was fairly basic, the book’s insides were anything but.

In fact, this adorable book measures just 4.675″ square when folded. However, once its contents are allowed to unravel, the book measures an impressive 36″ from tip to tip.

(I could make all sorts of analogies here about “don’t judge a book by its cover” and all that, but I think you guys get the gist without me having to dumb it down for ya.)

The “book” has 16 panels (6 squares, 10 triangle halves) which could be used for a mini-scrapbooking project…photos in the squares, writing and ticket stubs and other ephemera. Or, it could become a canvas for writing, painting, collage, etc.

Once the book is full, the tie closures can be turned into a hanger, if you’d like to display the book’s contents. Think what a great gift this would be for someone you love!

The possibilities for this book are endless, and I’m excited that I FINALLY got around to making it. It went together fairly quickly and I hope to make more projects like this in the future.

In the meantime, if you have fallen in love with Ziggy Zaggy, I’m selling it! Click here for details.

First one to call dibs and send their payment will be the proud owner of this newest creation from Z as in Zebra!

The covers were made from .5″ foam core board wrapped in textured scrapbooking paper (to imitate a leather suitcase). I made a nylon strap to represent the straps folks put around their luggage to keep it from bursting open–”gangly winch-’em-uppers” as my dad calls them Travel stickers were placed on the covers to give it the old-timey travel trunk look.

One of the requirements of every assignment was that we include a colophon which listed the date and the materials used in the project. What better place to include the info than on the luggage tag?

The strap is even fully functional!

With the Venetian Blind binding, two cords run through the covers and every page…much like, well, Venetian blinds. I clamped eyelets around each hole in my pages so the canvas wouldn’t ravel. The cords were made of seine twine (tough stuff often used in sailing.)

Each page was cut from canvas and hand-stitched around the edges to prevent fraying. Photos I had taken while traveling were then printed onto ink-jet fabric transfers and ironed on to the fabric pages.

The Brooklyn Bridge and the St. Louis Arch were there…

Adjoining pages were held together using small silver rings.

From European sights to New York City architecture…

to the courthouse in my hometown (Minden, NE) and the Roman Colosseum…

to the Statue of Liberty to Monas in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Tower of Pisa and an Balinese infinity pool were all represented as well.

Though not a technique that is perfect for just any use, the Venetian Blind binding was a great way to show off some of my travel photography.

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!

***

I wanted to make some cute “sweetheart-type” cupcakes, and I figured Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp cupcakes might be the perfect opportunity! I started by getting out my super-cute pink-zebra-print cupcake liners that my best friends got me for my birthday.

Since rhubarb is naturally sour, I started by sprinkling sugar on it to cut some of the tartness.

While that was settling, I creamed together the butter and sugar, later adding the wet and dry ingredients.

Then, I folded the rhubarb into the batter.

While the cupcakes baked, I warmed up some strawberry jelly in a small skillet.

Once that was ready…

…I brushed the melted jelly onto the baked cupcakes.

Next, I took some gorgeous strawberries and slice them into quarters.

Each cupcake was topped with two quarters of strawberry and brushed with a little more strawberry jelly.

As a group, they looked amazing together.

And even cuter on my little Wilton cupcake stand.

Wouldn’t these just be precious as a Valentine’s Day treat?

Okay, so it’s a Reading Rainbow, not an Eating Rainbow, but I couldn’t resist…I had to get your attention somehow!

This is one of the first cakes I made in my Wilton decorating class. The pattern was cheesy, but we all had to do the rainbow, and man, did we get GOOD at making stars!

I also like the zig-zag technique we used for making the clouds. I’m still waiting for a chance to use that technique again! I knew I would be giving this cake away after class, so I put my friend’s name on it in case she would try to re-gift it. Ha! It was also a good opportunity to practice writing in dots (writing with icing is still one area where I’d like to get more practice.)

This was also before I learned the importance of photographing your cakes from all different angles. Live and learn, right?

***

I absolutely love to host parties. One of my favorite parts of entertaining is the food (surprised?) and how it is displayed.

A couple weeks ago, I was rifling through my scrapbook paper stash when I was struck with an idea…why not wrap cardboard circles with patterned paper and use them as platters?! Not being the kind of person who sits on an idea for too long without taking action, I grabbed a cake circle, a pair of scissors, and a roll of tape. I cut tabs and taped them down, working my way around the entire circle.

Voilà! A unique platter!

The circle I made fit perfectly on the glass pedestal cake stand I received as a wedding shower gift from two of my best friends.

Complete with lid:

Once you have a really cute place to store your cupcakes, you have to make your cupcakes! I chose Recipe #2 (Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes) from the book I’m working through (Cupcakes Galore). Here they are, fresh out of the oven:

Once they cooled completely, I cored each cupcake and added a dollop of chocolate fudge pudding.

Here’s the whole batch, cored and filled. In every dozen, there tends to be at least one REALLY crummy-looking cupcake…one that’s usually destined for the early taste-test. Can you tell which one it is in this batch?

Yup, you guessed it. Top row, third from the left. The runt of the batch, and his cupcake top crumbled in the coring process. But…it can be fixed!! Here’s a quick and easy way to give even the ugliest cupcakes a quick face-lift: whipped cream and cocoa powder!

First, to minimize mess, place a cookie sheet (preferably one with a lip) underneath your cooling rack. The cookie sheet will catch any cocoa powder that falls over the edges of the cupcakes.

Next, give each cupcake a squirt of whipped cream. Next time, I’m going to try a dollop of Cool Whip, rather than the aerosol stuff.

Pour a bit of cocoa powder into a sifter or strainer (shown three photos up), and tap it lightly over each cupcake to give them a nice dusting of cocoa.

YUM.

Next, take some tantalizing photos of your cupcake creation.

Then reunite him with his friends and display the group on the fancy cupcake platter you made earlier:

Warning: These cupcakes taste as rich as they look. You’ll be hard pressed to find a friend who can indulge in more than one. Then again, maybe that’s a good thing.

As I work my way through all 113 recipes in the book Cupcakes Galore, I am skipping around a bit to keep things interesting. There is a chapter in the back of the book called “Cupcakes Plus.” To quote the author, “So I have decided to stick with my original idea of the cupcake [...]. My two basic criteria were (1) the cupcakes all need to be made with some sort of cake batter (to be defined); and (2) they could be made in a cupcake tin–either with or without a paper, mini, regular, or jumbo. I have added an extra section entitled “Cupcakes Plus” for those “cupcakes” that may or may not specifically fit those criteria but that can be made in a cupcake tin and/or served in a cupcake paper and that could pass for a cupcake with a little imagination.”

To that end, I began this section of the book by trying my hand at making a half-batch of the Dessert Rose cupcakes. You start with melted dark chocolate (combined with butter) and a prepared muffin tin:

After the chocolate and butter are melted together, you add powdered sugar to create a “cocoa coating”. Then, you add cornflakes or the cereal of your choice. I used cornflakes since I had some on hand from when I made chicken leg cupcakes. You stir everything together and plop into muffin papers.

After the Dessert Roses have had a chance to chill in the fridge, it’s time to EAT them!! If you’ve ever made “Puppy Chow” from Chex cereal, these have a similar taste, sans the peanut butter (which you could add to this recipe if you wanted to). These can also be made with any type of chocolate: dark, milk, or white. YUM!

These are a great little snack to whip up for those days when you’re craving something chocolatey. My husband loved them and made me promise not to give them all away!

***

Since bananas are a weekly grocery list item at our house, it comes as no surprise that we’d have a couple extra ripe ones available. So…I turned them into cupcakes! Following the recipe exactly, the batter was not unlike that of banana bread…same texture, same smell, same deliciously golden result once baked:

The recipe then asked me to hollow out the center of each cupcake and fill it with strawberry jelly. Personally, I wasn’t sure what this had to do with actual Banana Splits, but I guess some people do put fruit topping on their sundaes (I prefer caramel sauce–YUMMY!) Since I don’t have an apple corer (what a silly utensil anyway), I very carefully removed the center of each cupcake using a paring knife. I filled the hole with about a teaspoon of jelly and replaced the plug:

Once filled, the cupcakes were covered with this sinfully delicious chocolate glaze and a maraschino cherry. The icing crusted slightly on the outside as it cooled, but the inside stayed warm and gooey.

Love this picture…very Pop Art-ish:

Overall, the cupcakes were amazing. Two of my Twitter followers volunteered to take most of them off my hands for me: @ScrapsOfMe and @Lofolulu. ScrapsOfMe wanted just 3 cupcakes (well, actually, her husband wanted them and tweeted under her name! ha!) and reported: “Cupcakes were awesome. Not too much of anything.” and Lofolulu took 10 and said: “Oh dear @abbiz , please burden me & kids w/ your excess incredible homemade cupcakes again. TY! They were GREAT! ; ).” I was also told by my own husband: “Do NOT give all of these away!” haha!

The cupcakes were reminiscent of Grandma’s banana bread, with a sweet jelly center and just enough chocolatey goodness to please anyone. They even look neat with a bite taken out of them!

I also have been working on a way to display the cupcakes. I’ve been a print designer for the last 9 years, and old habits die hard! I’ve been thinking up ways to combine the passion I have for cooking with my love of all things paper. This week, I made some little toothpick flags with my trademark zebra stripes. Each flag features the name of the cupcake…

…as well as the address to this website. That way, anyone who receives a Z as in Zebra cupcake will be able to visit this blog and see what other things I’ve been whipping up in the kitchen.

As always, if you do not follow me on Twitter, you are welcome to do so at any point. On the days that I bake for the sake of baking, I will post tweets in search of cupcake eaters. I’ve decided to charge $1.50 per cupcake (you can get any quantity you want) to offset my costs. I’ve noticed that bakeries and coffee shops around town charge more than $3 per cupcake, and I am confident that my cupcakes are just as good…and fresher since they don’t sit in a bakery case all day!

Let me know if you’d like to be a recipient of my gourmet cupcakes. You can see the list of all the flavors here.

I’m embarrassed to admit that the book sat on a shelf for nearly a year before I got the nerve to even leaf through it much. The recipes contain so many ingredients and techniques that I’m unfamiliar with that I had let it intimidate me to the point of not even TRYING.

Then two of my best friends took me to see the film “Julie & Julia,” and I read the book that inspired the movie. Both the movie and the book encouraged me to overcome my fears by tackling projects that seemed to be just out of reach. Cupcakes Galore was the most logical place to start.

There are 113 recipes in the entire book. Even the author admits some of the recipes do not fit the classic definition of a ‘cupcake’ (i.e. the gelatin/fruit cups that use cupcake tins as a mold), but nevertheless my goal is to complete each and every recipe in the book. Rather than give myself a time limit, I am setting my sights on 1 to 2 batches a week. At that rate, it will take me about a year or two to get through everything.

As I work my way through the book, I will be posting my creations here on the blog. I will also be tweeting on my baking days, looking for people to take my creations off my hands (I do NOT want to eat 113 batches of cupcakes and end up weighing 400 pounds!) To help offset expenses and buy ingredients for the next recipe, I will be charging a small fee for the cupcakes and dividing them based on need (you want 4? 8? 10?), rather than on ‘typical bakery’ numbers.

Below is a list of all the recipes I will conquer during this adventure. You can refer back to this post as we make our way through the year. Once I’ve baked a certain type, I will gray out the name. After the post for a particular recipe has been featured on the blog, the name will change from gray to a hyperlink, so you can check out posts you may have missed.

GRANDMA’S FAVORITES
1. Zucchini Pine Nut Cupcakes
2. Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
3. Black & White Cupcakes
4. Blue Blueberry ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes
5. Brownie Cupcakes
6. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
7. Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes
8. Apple-Cranberry Crumble Cupcakes
9. Maple Walnut Delights
10. Three-Gingerbread Cupcakes
11. Strawberry-Filled Oatmeal Cupcakes
12. Persimmon Nut Harvest Treats
13. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Cupcakes
14. Yogurt Cupcakes
15. Poppyseed & Lavender Honey Cupcakes
16. Sunshine & Vitamin C Cupcakes

KIDS’ CUPCAKES
17. Yeti Cupcakes
18. Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
19. Root Beer Floats
20. Birthday Beauties
21. Chocolate Sundae Cupcakes
22. Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes
23. Hot Chocolate & Marshmallow Cupcakes
24. Jelly-Filled Cupcakes
25. Peanut Butter & Jelly Swirls
26. Rocky Road Cupcakes
27. Banana Split Cupcakes
28. S’Mores Cupcakes
29. Chocolate Malted Milk Shake Cupcakes

AFTER DINNER CUPCAKES
30. Burgundy Blues Cupcakes
31. Rum Raisin Cupcakes with Butter Rum Frosting
32. Beer & Peanuts Cupcakes
33. Kir Cupcakes
34. Cappuccino Cupcakes
35. Cuba Libre Cupcakes
36. Irish Coffee Cupcakes
37. Mint Julep Cupcakes
38. Mezzo-Mezzo Cupcakes
39. Margarita Cupcakes with Lime Glaze
40. Midnight Madness Cupcakes
41. Piña Colada Cupcakes
42. Pastis Cupcakes with Anise Frosting
43. After Eight Cupcakes

GOURMET CUPCAKES
44. Tarte Tatin Cupcakes with Caramelized Apples
45. Bourdaloue Cupcakes with Caramelized Almonds
46. Cevenol Cupcakes with Crème de Marron Icing
47. Crèpe Suzette Cupcakes
48. Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes
49. Earl Grey Cupcakes
50. Crème Brulée Cupcakes
51. The Arlésienne
52. Peche Melba Cupcakes
53. The Languedocienne
54. Ricotta Lime Cupcakes with Lime Glaze
55. Tiramisu Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream
56. Linzertorte Cupcakes
57. Mendiant Cupcakes with Fig Topping
58. Marrakech Moments
59. Pineapple Surprises
60. Macadamia & White Chocolate Cupcakes
61. Orient Express Cupcakes with Ying Yang Frosting
62. Mini-Financier Cupcakes
63. Poire Belle Helene
64. White Chocolate & Raspberry Cupcakes
65. Gateau de Savoie (Savoy Cake)
66. Saffron & Orange Cupcakes
67. Strawberry Cheesecakes

HOLIDAY CUPCAKES
68. Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
69. Epiphany Cupcakes
70. St. Patrick’s Day Pistachio Yogurt Cupcakes
71. St. Patrick’s Day Irish Soda Bread Cupcakes
72. Mother’s Day Filled Rose Cupcakes
73. Easter Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes
74. Easter Lavender Butterfly Cupcakes
75. July 4^th Red Velvet Cupcakes
76. July 4^th Blueberry & Raspberry Cupcakes
77. Thanksgiving Carrot & Cranberry Cupcakes
78. Thanksgiving Apple Cider Cupcakes
79. Halloween Orange Juice Cupcakes
80. Halloween Pumpkin Pecan Cupcakes
81. Day of the Dead Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes
82. Chanukah Honey Hazelnut Cupcakes
83. Christmas Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
84. Christmas Fruit Cupcakes with White Fondant
85. New Year’s Eve Pink Champagne Cupcakes
86. New Year’s Eve Confetti Cupcakes

CUPCAKES PLUS
87. Dessert Rose Cupcakes
88. Almond & Hazelnut Mini-Meringues
89. Deep-Dish Apple Pie Cupcakes
90. Chocolate Cupcake Pies
91. Cherry Almond Pie Cupcakes
92. Baklava Cups
93. White Chocolate Panna Cotta Cupcakes with Passion Fruit Sauce
94. Baba Au Rhum Cupcakes
95. Blueberry Tart Cupcakes
96. Strudel Cups
97. Boston Cream Cupcakes
98. Caramel Vermicelli Cupcake Flans
99. Clafoutis with Crème Anglaise
100. Charlotte a la Fraise Cupcakes
101. Black Forest Cupcakes
102. Cupcake Kebabs
103. Rosemary’s Summer Pudding Cupcakes
104. Chocolate & Nut Dacquoise
105. Gelée of Fruit with White Wine in a Cupcake
106. Dessert Cups
107. Special Occasion Cupcakes
108. Far Breton Cupcakes
109. Lamington Mini-Cupcakes
110. Party Sundae Cupcakes
111. Opera Cupcakes
112. Chocolate Charlotte Cupcakes
113. Aunt Florence’s Frozen Lemon Cupcakes

TOTAL: 113
DONE: 41
REMAINING: 72

Bon Appétit!

I created a box from Davy board and covered it in some very swanky flocked (fuzzy) paper I found at the SCAD bookstore, Ex Libris. This box would be my buttonhole book’s home.

To make it easier to remove the box lid, I created a knob-like embellishment by wrapping a metal ring in magenta hemp.

Inside the box, I used the same hemp and another metal ring to create a pull-string that would make it easier to remove the book from the box.

Size-wise, I got much more ambitious with this second book. I alternated paper in mint green and two shades of pink and ended up with a book block that was nearly 2″ thick!

I experimented with embroidery floss for the stitching, using both green and blue thread.

Stitching detail shot:

In all, this was a fun project and I enjoyed experimenting with new materials. Next time I do the buttonhole stitch, I want to make a book that’s slightly larger (perhaps 6″x6″) to use as an address book.

What kinds of books and/or journals do you use in your daily life?