Craftiness NOW

New Year, New Blog!

2012-01-17T00:56:00.000-05:00

[card created at Paperless Post]

Happy 2012!

Thank you to everyone who has read or commented
on Craftiness Now over the last 2 years.

Now on this 150th post it's a new year and time for a new blog:

JenKimMade.com

I'm so grateful for the good cheer, support and advice from

those of you who saw me through the transition

-- you all know who you are!

Please stop by for a visit. See you soon!

A Lovely Package Exchange

2011-12-20T14:21:00.003-05:00

This is the first year I'm participating in the {lovely} PACKAGE EXCHANGE graciously hosted by Danni from oh, hello friend.

Nearly 200 lovely bloggers signed up to exchange pretty presents by mail and I was matched with Carrie Koehmstedt from Carrie Loves and Sweet Faerie Designs. And oh happy day, her thoughtful gift was one of my favorites from Etsy: a Gourmet Sea Salt Kit from Cook Outside the Box.

My offering was a bracelet from Wish by Felicity and little Moleskine notebook set since Carrie's favorite colors are turquoise and pink and she put the most adorable photo up on her blog:

[photo by Carrie Koehmstedt]

Thanks, Carrie and Danni for the holiday cheer!

I Heart Holiday Prep

2011-12-14T18:04:00.002-05:00

Call me cheese-y if you need to, but I'm a lover of holidays...and especially of planning!

Aside from event planning for a living, back in 2010 there were big plans for Christmas time (even though only 4 out of 7 were accomplished) and prep for my first flower arranging job. And back in 2009 I recapped my haul from Michael's when they opened a Manhattan location, so exciting!

Last night Justin kindly drove me out to Bayonne, New Jersey and patiently walked down every aisle with me in awe "like a kid in a candy store" as he said. The Michaels motto is "Where Creativity Happens" and it's impossible not to agree while swooning at the Martha Stewart section. I tried not to overfill the cart, but it was amazing knowing I had a whole car to drive me home. So, here's the somewhat controlled haul (which includes the pretty ball ornaments above):

Mint Drops and Wilton pink gel coloring for a January Gingerbread House-Building Party and Martha Stewart sequin stickers, glitter glue and a snowflake stamp set.

Sparkly blue paper, striped pink paper, lavender blank notecards and (finally!) a paper punch in a nicely sized tag shape that I've been trying to find for a while: no need to ever buy tags again.

Styrofoam in tree, ball and wreath shapes, plus pipe cleaners to make even more snowflakes.

LOTS of ribbon (there was a 50% off sale!), glitter glue pens, mini pompoms and mini jingle bells in bright and subdued tones. Do you know how hard it is to find mini jingle bells elsewhere in New York City? When I needed some to make amigurumi cat toy mice and a reindeer I had to cut them off a cat collar.

I had coupons from joining their e-mail list and I also signed up for MichaelsRewards ("where Creativity Counts"). If you can read the prices on the receipt you'll see how little I spent for so much, PLUS in the bag were more coupons!

Maybe on my next visit I can get a discount on buying more time.

Christmas is only a week and a half away....Happy holiday prepping!

Addendum! Forgot to mention I also snatched up the premier issue of Stitch Craft Create Magazine, lots of great holiday inspiration here.

SweetAnd Condensed

2011-12-04T23:09:00.001-05:00

Oh my, oh my has it been a crazy month: welcome to December! I feel blessed, I feel happy....I feel...tired. I heart the holiday season there's just so much to do and so much going on...

I love being busy though and made some cookies for the 2nd Annual New York Holiday Cookie Swap event today organized by Bloggers Without Borders to benefit the Cookies for Kids' Cancer charity. So many great blog friends to catch up with and new ones to meet. Oh and did I mention all the cookies?!

So, someday I'll catch up on blog posts about flower arranging, (birthday present, 2 Thanksgiving dinners, 2nd year of amaryllis for a big fashion client), canning (Brooklyn Swappers event and Justin's first pickles), sewing (new book and material to make my first skirt), knitting (another beautiful book and lilac-colored socks), felting (have the tools, don't have the time), paper crafts (squirrel place cards and so many great friends who are into this!), craft fairs ('tis the season), friends visiting from out of town (yay!), holiday parties (double yay!) and holiday projects (oh so many in mind...)

But this week is the busiest one of the whole month for catering, so I'll resurface very soon.

Here are some much better recaps of the event, enjoy:

Three Many Cooks: thank you so much for organizing such a fun, tasty event!
Justcook NYC: in which he made THREE kinds of cookies, oh my
The Diva That Ate New York: with a video!
Sweets by Sillianah: she even volunteered for the event
One Tough Cookie: my award for best presentation with her cookie TREE
Healthy Green Kitchen: mmm iced ginger bars...
Abby Dodge: sooo sorry I didn't grab a piece of her caramel
macadamia coconut shortbread before they all got snapped up
Open Mouth Insert Cookie: an amazing picture summary of the assortment

Impress Me

2011-11-13T02:02:00.001-05:00

Who hearts lettepress? On Saturday my friend Suzanne and I took an introductory class at Studio on the Square with Mindy Belloff of Intima Press.

What is it about letterpress?

One classmate said it was "delicious", another that in a world of flat screens and flat pages, it's nice to be able to feel something tactile and real.

OK, that second person was me, but still...

in just a few hours Mindy taught us about the history of the art and the incredible amount of detail and attention involved in setting type.

I always love seeing the tools behind the craftsmanship.

It was a little scary working the huge press, but Suzanne did a great job!

We definitely want to go back to get more practice and learn more.

But we were very happy with our first efforts!

You can go to Mindy's blog to see how how she recreated the Declaration of Independence -- all set by hand!

Fun with Fruit

2011-11-09T13:32:00.001-05:00

Happy November! I've been so inspired by lots of fall fruits and events lately, everyone is as busy as little bees....I really enjoyed Pie Party Live hosted by Jackie & Ken -- great job, guys! I even won a copy of the Sarabeth's Bakery Cookbook, hurray!!

I'd been meaning to make a pie (or 2!) but being sick for the whole month of October threw a wrench into my plans. Eventually I got back to canning with some black grapes and red plums from a recipe in Canning for a New Generation.

Love how the kitchen smells when fruit is simmering...

Winnie suggested a way to use up a bunch of kumquats:

candy them with cinnamon sticks and star anise, yum.

I also love her post because she rounds up some great DIY gifts.

One of my favorite things about canning is that it makes such nice, little presents.

Back to the grape plum filling: got this Wilton pie press at Sur La Table

and (I admit) used store bought pie dough to save some time -- NOT as good I agree, but infinitely faster.

And pretty quickly we had a bunch of hand pies!

They were best right out of the oven of course.

But I had to wrap up a few

for little breakfast presents the next day.

More canning adventures soon, I'm having so much fun!

Helping the Little Guys

2011-10-20T23:05:00.001-04:00

[picture by Charlie from Skeinz]

Casually scanning Twitter the other day I saw a tweet by Brett Bara with a link to this article about the plight of penguins who survived an oil spill in New Zealand.

[photo by Toby Zerna/Newspix/Rex USA seen on abc NEWS]

Even though I don't know much about that part of the world (aside from Flight of the Conchords) I found this especially touching: Skeinz yarn store was calling for knitters to make jumpers to warm the penguins before and after rescue workers cleaned them, and to protect them from preening their oil-soaked feathers and being poisoned. What a great way to use crafty skills!

[photo from Adorablog]

A similar request 10 years ago from the Tasmanian Conservation Trust for 100 jumpers resulted in over 15,000, and now already Skeinz has reported on their blog they've received enough to reach "critical mass"! Here's video news proof with cleaned up penguins swimming happily. But if you've already finished a jumper, or just want to try your hand at creating penguin clothes, you can still use this pattern and send to Skeinz for the Wildlife Rescue Team to keep on hand if needed.

So hooray for penguins and for all the knitting and cleaning hands that helped them out. I'll leave you with my amigurumi penguin: I crocheted him for Christmas 2009 from a Lion Brand Yarn pattern and I love him so.

For further reading on penguins and crafting doing good:

Dyan deNapoli, "The Penguin Lady" has a lot more to say about the conservation and rescue efforts.
Book: Knitting for Good! A Guide to Creating Personal, Social and Political Change Stitch by Stitch by Betsy Greer, read more about her on her Craftivism blog.
Book & EVENT!: Craft Activism People, Ideas and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Join In by Joan Tapper and Gale Zucker. Read more about them on their Blog and even MEET them in person for a signing at Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC next Monday, October 24th 2011 at 6:00 p.m. (RSVP required).
and of course Many MANY more pics of penguins in sweaters as Googled by Gothamist

Vanilla Peach Lemon Abundance

2011-10-03T23:03:00.000-04:00

My 4th canning venture went pretty well. Justin was away, so Kate came over for Chinese food, wine and to keep me company in the kitchen.

Peeling peaches was easier than I expected, just a little boiling water bath, then a plunge into ice water and....

gasp! Naked peaches! They kind of looked like big egg yolks.

Pitting them went well too, I guess they were just ripe enough.

Kate and I chatted and caught up while we sterilized the jars

and filled them up with the sliced peaches. I loved the laughter in the kitchen as we looked at our old high school yearbook -- we've known each other since kindergarten after all!

Then just a little piece of vanilla bean in each jar, processing in the boiling water and the vanilla permeated the syrup quite nicely. Mila observed and supervised of course.

Next up, zesting some lemons

and thus, yup, you guessed it: naked lemons! And lots of butter and some sugar.

For a quick dessert from Canning for a New Generation, I broiled some of the vanilla peaches with some whipped cream and demerara sugar.

Kate even brought birthday presents! Lovely hand-painted tiles for JOY, HOPE, LOVE and WISH with pink wine and a hand-stamped and punched card. She knows how much I love the thoughtfulness of handmade gifts, especially when they're pink!

And Justin got home safely from his trip to Seattle, bringing back this beautiful Curtis Steiner necklace of black garnet, copper and mother of pearl. Such good taste he has...

We've built up quite a canned collection: there's the raspberry jam from a previous post, but the strawberry and sour cherry preserves are long gone. So I thought we'd be all set and stocked up for the coming autumn...

and then this morning my genius pastry chef friend Eric gave me some of his grape jam, still warm from the kitchen.

Such good, seasonal fun, can't wait for my next canning project!

Last Slice of Summer

2011-09-22T09:34:00.007-04:00

Today's the last day of summer and I hope everyone had a great season. It's strangely grey outside in NYC but I'm thinking back over the last few months and these Citrus Coasters I made from the Purl bee.

Here's the process going backwards.
I still want to make them in all of the summery colors.

So simple and so cheerful.

I have the pink grapefruit at work to brighten my desk.

It was finished in the car

on the way to Philly for a weekend getaway.

It was easier to do the pinning at home first

and most of the cutting too.

The spring felt bundle from Purl Soho has all these great colors.

Thanks, summer...

I think I'm ready to welcome autumn tomorrow.

Craftiness at its Finest

2011-09-15T18:19:00.002-04:00

[from Pursuitist]

Happy NYC Fashion Week!

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending a gallery reception at the

Hermès boutique on Madison Avenue showcasing photographs by

Koto Bolofo.

[from Wallpaper*]

A fashion photographer originally from South Africa, he is the first to gain access to the famous and historically secretive Hermès workshops where the beautiful leather, silk and other objects are hand-crafted. Over seven years he documented and compiled his work into La Maison, a collection of 11 volumes: Horses, Saddles, Kelly Bag, Clothes, Perfume, Bugatti Veyron, Gardens, Special Orders, Silk, John Lobb and Collection Émile Hermès.

[from Wallpaper*]

Thirty-three images will be on display at The Gallery at Hermès this month and I found some others online. I was struck by this image of waxed thread:

[from New York Magazine]

A rolling tool is used for imprinting the leather:

[from New York Magazine]

So many dyes:

The Gallery at Hermès

691 Madison Avenue, NYC, Fourth Floor

Monday through Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Now through Friday, September 30th 2011

After the Storm: Sunshine & Macaroons!

2011-08-30T17:09:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a good, safe weekend since Hurricane Irene's visit. I headed out of town for a few days, but am back in NYC and the sun is shining on a beautiful, cool day. And even better about today: Ladurée has opened on Madison Avenue at last!

I saw the mention in the Times today and trotted up to Madison & 71st in these 5" heels. I reported on Twitter that they were 4", but then came back and measured, yikes!

We make macaroons here in the kitchen at the catering company I work for too. We start with almond flour.

And the pastry chef won't let me give away the recipe, but eventually you get a batter.

That is whipped up until it's light and fluffy.

And piped out and baked.

We pipe a lot of them!

Seriously, a lot...

There was a line of course at Ladurée, but I stuck it out.

And after some time I was in!

The shop is gorgeous: the soft colors, flowers, candles...

jams...

chocolates...

pretty boxes and ribbons...

ice creams and sorbets...

and of course, the macaroons!

Go visit soon, it's a very pretty, tasty trip:

Ladurée

864 Madison Avenue at 71st Street

open Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m., Saturday at 9:30 a.m.,

closes at 6:00 p.m. every day except Sunday

Happiness Today, Such Happiness

2011-08-24T12:15:00.008-04:00

[Cappuccino from Little Bird Coffee House, San Francisco]

[petals on my desk]

[calligraphy by Ellen Weldon Design]

Kinda Speechless

2011-08-23T19:25:00.002-04:00

It takes a lot for me to stop talking, but this birthday cake by Cheryl Kleinman from Betty Bakery took my breath away and was an absolutely perfect guest at my party! I'm so grateful to the family and friends who came out to celebrate and I tried not to get too teary-eyed. It all started with this invite from Paperless Post, love this site...

Of course the theme was pink & purple:

and Betty Bakery also made these yummy cupcakes that Rachael brought. The pink ones were strawberry frosted!

There was an abundance of cheese, mmm....one of my favorite foods ever...and lovely duck sausage, pate and rillettes from New Amsterdam Market. This was only one of the cheese tables!

Gotta have some nice drinks, including a magnum of Veuve Clicquot yellow label Champagne I got as a gift in 2007 and never seemed to get around to opening, lovely local wine and a strawberry sangria that Jenny made.

I attempted a little speech but didn't get too far. It was just enough to have everyone there with me for the day, eating and happy. There was much Bonchon Korean fried chicken, pajeon (pancakes), mandu (dumplings), kimchi coleslaw, eggplant parmesan made by my Mom, a strawberry jello mold made by my Aunt Liz (a family favorite), curry rice with chicken made by Ray, california rolls and spam sushi made by Tomoko, dumplings brought by Louise, a gorgeous plum tart made by Eunice and luscious enchiladas made by Eric.

How I didn't get pics of all of this astounds me, but I guess I was running around a bit in my sparkly heels and pink crown.

And there were party favors! Stamped paper fans from an idea by Martha Stewart (and the fans were just $1.00 from Pearl River Mart).

Pretty cards, including a few cats of course:

Colorful flowers from Eliot and Robert:

And presents!

Lexi made this ceramic tile: ahhh she knows of my affection for precious, little sheep.

I used Paperless Post again for the Thank You cards. My friend actually thought this was my handwriting -- I WISH I could write this neatly, but I'm definitely not known for that. Thanks especially to my setup & cleanup crews, great job, guys!

Today a UPS surprise arrived! Girly fun by Nars from Niki of B3: Beauty by Brennan.

And finally a BLOG surprise! I noticed more than a usual number of hits yesterday and found out that Teri & Jenny from spoon fork bacon had added me to their "blogs we love" page. So exciting! Thanks so much, ladies, the feeling is mutual!

Just another lunch (Thai) and 2 more dinners out (Italian, then Korean BBQ) to finish off this super fun week....really: BEST birthday in years.

Bday week fun (& more jam)

2011-08-19T11:57:00.000-04:00

[from tarot.com]

Yep, been a great week so far. Even my cat is being nice to me and that's a new development. And it just keeps on going...

Not Just Any Day

2011-08-16T12:16:00.002-04:00

"It's your day. You get a day. Not a week."

-- Miranda in Sex & the City

So said Miranda to Charlotte about her wedding day. Well, I'm not getting married, but it's my birthday tomorrow so I heart this week and am taking my time celebrating: kicked it off last night with a rooftop pizza and wine picnic with a friend and moving on to dinners, drinks, lunches, even a special breakfast, Korean skin scrub at Juvenex, mani pedi, PARKED! Food Truck Festival and throwing myself a party. Would love to add in the beach and raspberry picking, but that's all very weather-dependent. Thanks to all the friends for the invites out, you're making my heart swell with happiness. I say this is going to be a good year. Cheers!

Sing To Me

2011-08-10T02:09:00.003-04:00

It's somewhat random post time: I'm thoughtful today, grateful, happy. It's been a good day. I had some potentially very good news, personally and professionally at about the same time. But I also have some friends who are going through some extremely difficult times, unspeakably sad things that no one should have to go through. And they introduced me to some music that is helping me a lot this week, so here are some videos to ponder. Nice beach scenes too. Can you believe summer is almost over?...

Tori Amos: Taxi Ride

("we've all been pushed too far, i guess on days like this

you know who your friends are")

The Young and Famous: Young Blood

("we're only young and naive still, we require certain skills.

the mood it changes like the wind, hard to control when it begins.

the bittersweet between my teeth, trying to find the in-betweens.

fall back in love eventually.")

Band of Horses: Funeral

("to know you is hard")

Yellowcard: Sing to Me

[no video here, just the song, but the lyrics mean a lot to me right now]

("look at me and listen close so i can tell you how i feel before i go.

just a year, it's not much time for me to show you i am proud

that you are mine.

i wish i had known the future in my heart was just about to start.

say tomorrow, i can follow you there...
i will hear you, always near you...

every lock on every door, i put them there to try to hide you from the world. and you kicked, you screamed, you never understood

you're everything to me...

no looking back when i am gone, follow your heart it's never wrong...

out of time, all out of fight, you're the only thing in life that i got right")

Assorted Happy Things

2011-08-03T01:06:00.015-04:00

"Happiness is an attitude.

We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.

The amount of work is the same." -- RL Bond

Happy August!

There's my bookshelf where I keep my little treasures including these souvenirs from my Paris trip: a print of a painted letter by Édouard Manet to Isabelle Lemonnier from the special exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay, the snow globe I had to smuggle into the airport (seriously, did YOU know they were illegal in your carry-on?) and wooden spools with silk from the 1900s I bought at the lovely Parisian flea market we visited. I'm searching for happiness now and I've heard the theories about finding it already there inside of you, but in the meantime here are some things that have made me smile recently. Fortunately for me, it's a long list.

This is my favorite sculpture in the entire world: La Valse (The Waltz) by Camille Claudel in the Musée Rodin in Paris. Camille was Auguste Rodin's much younger student, muse and then mistress. When he left her she eventually destroyed many of her works and years later died alone in a psychiatric hospital. A tragic story, but such a beautiful piece, I really feel the tenderness in the pose. I found the replica below on Amazon and even though I prefer the more rustic quality of the original I want to keep this near because to me it captures what love should feel like.

And Suzanne sent me an inspiration for what love should be.

[print from Vintage Art Posters]

Here's a glimpse of the Patisserie Pain de Sucre on rue Rambuteau, now my favorite bakery ever. From the tart with the tiny fraises des bois, the millefeuille, sables, crystallized cilantro and more, we loved everything we tried and went back several times.

More incredible sweets at Ladurée, which gets my award for best packaging ever. So lovely and so many things to choose from that I'm thrilled that the 1st US location is opening in NYC on Madison Avenue. Does anyone know if the doors are open yet? Let me know and I'll meet you there immediately.

For my Mom's birthday I brought her some hydrangeas in variegated blues (her favorite color) and a chocolate cake with homemade strawberry jam and cream cheese frosting.

Mila, oh, Mila...she's pretty, but feisty. I think we're still getting to understand each other, but here was a precious, calm moment.

Tiger, one of the resident cats at the flower market on 28th Street cracked me up with his size and general Garfield-esque demeanor:

and I laughed even harder when I saw this picture of his summer makeover on the Facebook page of G. Page Flowers.

[photo by G. Page Flowers]

There were plenty of sour cherries at the Fulton Stall Market one pretty Sunday morning

for my Sour Cherry Preserves from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff.

And I got some tasty pickled strawberries from Anarchy in a Jar at the Smorgasburg the same week my friend Eric brought me Raspberry Red Chile Jam from Heidi's Raspberry Farm in New Mexico. Yum yum...

And even more yumminess! Thomas Haas chocolates from Vancouver from Louise. What great, tasty friends!

And Louise wasn't done, she surprised me one sad day with pretty perfume samples from Bond no. 9, don't they look like little candies?

I love giving presents and it's time to return the favors, so I bought a little kit of Meri Meri baking gift labels from The Brooklyn Kitchen. Don't worry, Eric, I didn't head there without you, they just had a small booth at the Smorgasburg, but not enough canning supplies, so we have to head to the real store soon.

And here's the beginnings of a surprise present: a beautiful Liberty of London craft kit from Purl Soho...oh what will it be...?

I kinda liked the shout-out I did for my July birthday post, so I just want to say thanks to friends who've reminded me to feel extra special lately when I've needed it. So, hugs to Rachael, Louise, Eric, Aimee, Suzanne, Lee, Seth, Jenny, Meredith, Liz (x 2!), Kerry, and I'm so excited about new friends too! Vivian, Lisa, Carol (& Carole!), Donna, Stacey & Bill, so nice to meet you all and looking forward to next time. Most of all, thanks to my Mom for her HOURS of listening to me, supporting me and even staying with me for the past two days, you're amazing and I love you.

July Babies

2011-07-15T22:56:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of me with my Mom whose birthday was this Wednesday, July 13. So tonight I'm baking a cake for her party and just thinking about some stuff that came up this week.

My friend Aimee and I were philosophizing today about The Secret Language of Birthdays, horoscopes, relationships and compatibility. Very interesting stuff...just read some details on my sign and found a lot of it surprisingly accurate, hmmm...

After a friend posted this video on Facebook, everyone I've shown it to is having baby lust. It's hard to believe that something could be this adorable.

And being one who usually can tear up at commercials this one for Google Chrome definitely got me.

So, happy birthdays to Mom, John, Lexi, Justin, Jason, Sam, Chris, Mike, Jeremy, Liz, Jennifer, Ellaine, Maria, Peter, Stevie, Eric and many many more!

Parisian Plans

2011-07-01T04:19:00.003-04:00

[letterpress print by sycamorestreetpress]

I'm packing for a trip to Paris, my 1st one ever. I've been wanting to go since I started taking French when I was 11, too bad I haven't kept it up since then. Still, I'm looking forward to fitting in as much sightseeing and EATING as humanly possible. Here's my wish-list, we'll see how it goes...

- Arc de Triomphe
- Avenue Montaigne
- Batignolles Market
- Boulevard Haussmann
- Champs-Élysées
- Chartres Cathedral
- Chateaubriand Restaurant
- Chez Josephine Dumonet Restaurant
- Fauchon
- Galeries Lafayette
- Gérard Mulot
- île de la Cité Marché aux Fleurs
- Jardin des Tuileries
- Jardin du Luxembourg
- Jean-Paul Hevin Chocolatier
- L'os a Moelle Restaurant
- La Regalade Restaurant
- La Seine
- La Tour Eiffel
- La Vallee Village
- Ladurée
- Le Comptoir Restaurant
- Le Pont des Arts
- Le Porc Noir de Bigorre
- Lenôtre
- Les Deux Magots
- Les Fables de la Fontaine Restaurant
- Les Halles
- Maison Berthillon
- Montmarte
- Musée d'Orsay
- Notre Dame
- Palais de Tokyo
- Palais Royal
- Parc des Buttes Chaumont
- Passage Vivienne
- Poilâne Boulangerie
- Raspail Market
- Richard Lenoir Market
- Rodin Museum
- Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore
- Rue du Four
- Sacre Coeur
- Saint Germain des Pres
- Shakespeare and Company Bookshop
- Spring Restaurant
- Stohrer
- Versailles

Korean BBQ Break

2011-06-29T17:35:00.000-04:00

I have 3 beautiful words for you: Korean Barbecue Buffet. I want to share more about my trip to Bermuda but here's a little side post about my Monday excursion with the lovely Liz of Liz King Events.

When I saw this post from Serious Eats I just had to grab someone and go, and Liz was kind enough to pick me up and drive us out to Flushing, Queens.

To start, the side dishes were many and many were tasty. Even the bok choy, which is usually something I don't like, had some nice seasoning and I grabbed some jap chae (thin glass noodles with vegetables), mandu (dumplings) and scallion pancakes.

But...it's really all about the meat here, such a great bargain! My dear vegetarian friends, please look away (sorry, Angela...)

Now let's grab some galbi (ribs) and go!!

Liz was our bbq chef since I have so little cooking skill, and she did a great job.

The waitress came over and snipped the pieces apart neatly with scissors.

And then it was browning away as we started in on the accompaniments.

We realized part way through that we were filling up on, well, fillers, when the galbi was the star of the show!

You wrap it in lettuce leaves with sweet bean paste, or spicy chili paste, whole garlic cloves, sliced chilies and scallions to your taste. And it was seriously tasty. We'll be back!

Vacation Days continue in Bermuda

2011-06-26T22:55:00.001-04:00

Just got back from a week-long cruise to Bermuda. It was pretty, warm and fun: here's the white lava cocktail I sipped as the ship left the harbor.

There were gorgeous sunsets to watch as they slid into evening.

Dinners to get dressed up for:

and oh, so much food.

Excursions to the Royal Naval Dockyard

and St. George

where we couldn't believe how blue the water was

and we made a few new friends.

If you like pink as I've mentioned I do more than a few times before, this is the place for you, especially in the town of Hamilton:

so many pretty houses (in other colors too).

We took a sunset glass bottom boat to see the coral, fish and a shipwreck below.

And went to Horseshoe Bay

probably the most beautiful (and pink!) beach I've ever seen

where we climbed up a cliff to look around for miles

and the water was still clear.

Although this is NOT the way that I came down again.

It was a lovely trip, more pics to come!

Vacation Day 1: Blogger Meetup!

2011-06-19T12:34:00.000-04:00

Heading out the door, but writing a few quick e-mails before shutting my phone off for a week and having limited internet access -- yikes! But I had to do a quick post about the awesome blogger meet-up yesterday in McCarren Park. I felt met Helen from Helen Hearts, yay! First though, I did some morning baking.

Popovers really DO pop up! Had them with some of my strawberry jam.

And made some jam-filled cookies from a recipe by Mrs. Fields for the picnic.

Helen and I also made some new friends! The Delightful Dozen hosted and I'm so happy I met Yanil from thenewyorkerstyle (check out her handmade jewelry!), the totally stylishly fabulous Monroe from Fashion Steele NYC (love her twirling in her latest post) and the totally fun Nicole from Black Shoes Diary (she had the most adorable shoes on that she got for FREE! And thanks to whoever made the spectacular spiked punch...

The girls took me vintage shopping at beacon's closet, which I have NEVER done before and I can't believe how fun it was!

Got some dresses from Calvin Klein, J. Crew and Kimchi Blue for such great prices. Uh oh, I may have found a new obsession...too bad this cute, pink wall sconce in the dressing room wasn't for sale.

Also loved these colorful chairs lining Bedford Avenue. Helen said they're all over Paris too, so can't wait to see them in person very soon.

We also passed the biggest Scrabble game. Too bad I am so so bad at Scrabble.

Well, my posts never end up short or quick, but there you go. And to my new friend who I sent a link to today, hope you visit soon!

Change of Scene

2011-06-17T19:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a wallop of a spring! Busy all around, lots of changes, yadda yadda yadda...so it's time to get out of here for a while, see some new things and make some new memories.

I heard about this NYC & Philly blogger meetup organized by Delightful Dozen from the always fabulous Helen Zuo of Helen Hearts. We've been bloggy pals for a while so I'm SO excited to meet her in person and trek over to Brooklyn together. Fingers crossed for a dry day with rapid transportation...a LOT of fingers crossed...

Then on Father's Day I'm hitting the high seas for a cruise...

to Bermuda! It'll be my 2nd time there and is well-deserved vaca time for my sister who just took her 8-hour medical boards exam: so proud of her and can't wait to chill together.

Then even tho I'll be back at work for a few days, I'll start out next month with a plane ride to...

Paris! It'll be my first time to Europe so I've been trying to brush up on my French but it's been a looong time since high school. I'm absolutely in love with the colorful Parisian art print collections from little brown pen and can't wait to go find some beautiful things to see and taste.

Hope you're all traveling somewhere fun this summer, or having a lovely staycation as Time Out New York recommends this week. Either way, relax, enjoy and take yourself on a little date like Helen did in her sweet encouragement post. We could all use more time for quiet self reflection. And yea, that's another shoutout for ya, Helen, see u tomorrow!

Credits:

[kitten in car pic from 123RF Stock Photos]

[Hello Kitty suitcase pic from Amazon]

[pic of rare Barbie Cruise Boat from AmericanListed.com]

[pink beach pic from arirang (Korea International Broadcasting Foundation)]

[Pretty in Pink plane pic from Kidsonroll.com]

[PARIS IN PINK photo collage by little brown pen]

Jammin'

2011-06-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

OMG, I made jam! after I went strawberry picking last weekend.

Cutting them up probably took longer than anything else.

And since I closed a sweet deal at work this week I bought myself a present I've been craving for a long time: a cassis Le Creuset 3.5 quart French oven.

It helped that Broadway Panhandler was having a great sale: I even got a free bakeware set with purchase!

Next: supplies! A lid lifter and jar lifter while I was at Broadway Panhandler, Ball jars and a funnel at Walmart (they have a whole canning section!) and Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff.

I really like this book: beautiful pictures, tasty-looking recipes and a soothing (and encouraging!) writing style. So, away we go...boiling the jars...

starting to cook down the berries, adding sugar and watching it all meld together.

And finally filling the jars and processing them for a few minutes in the boiling water to create a seal.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be and way more fun. Maybe I shouldn't of started at 10 p.m., but I still had a good time (even tho I didn't go to sleep until 2:30 a.m. on a Monday).

Sheep & Strawberries

2011-06-10T16:44:00.000-04:00

When my parents sent me pics of their trip to Valley Shepherd Creamery I liked them so much that they offered to take me too. So I went to see the farm with 600 - 700 ewes who are bred with only 30 - 40 rams. Interesting...they also have alpacas, goats, a horse and....

baby lambs!

In their Sheep Shop they sell many, many things made from sheep's milk and wool

including of course their cheeses.

I also bought some glow-in-the-dark sparkly sheep along with yogurt, gelato and butter.

Next it was on to Alstede Farms for pick-your-own strawberries.

We picked about 12.7 pounds from the fields, so next post will be about my adventure canning my first batch of strawberry jam!

My New Tattoo: New Year's Resolution #8 of 11

2011-06-06T01:35:00.000-04:00

I made 11 New Year's Resolutions for 2011 and now I've competed #8: got my 3rd tattoo last week, a phoenix on my outer left ankle. A recommendation from handmade Quade led me to Joey Wilson of Hand of Glory and his sister shop The End is Near in Park Slope, Brooklyn. They do custom, exclusive tattoos and piercings and Joey was super patient in collaborating on the design.

This is my 2nd tattoo in Korean: it's pronounced "na - mahn" and means "just me".

The 1st tattoo is a purple tulip from quite a long time ago. Why did I not have the artist sketch it before he inked it into my back? The follies of youth, I suppose. But it's a part of me, as is everyone's past.

And I'd post a pic of my belly piercing, but well, summer's here and it's time to do a few more crunches first before I leave for vacation...

A Week of Foodie-ness

2011-05-30T01:07:00.001-04:00

Some people object to the term "foodie", but how else can I explain my obsession that has led me to start cooking and baking again? That's a mesclun salad with blackberries, raspberries and fingerling potatoes with lemon sesame soy dressing.

More berries for triple berry muffins and Lemon Berry Pitcher Punch from 101 Sangrias & Pitcher Drinks by Kim Haasarud of Liquid Architecture.

Food Bloggers: I commend your ability to take gorgeous shots while you're in the middle of everything: I'm either too messy, or forget, so here's a Chocolate Carmalua cake from a recipe by Mrs. Fields cooling by the window, but without the caramel sauce.

I finally found the cord to my rice cooker and made some Korean namool: sesame seasoned spinach, shiitakes and zucchini.

Koru Kate and I had a lovely dinner by the water at Trinity in Hoboken: here's the chicken pot pie and a Panda's Dream cocktail.

Louise and I had a WONDERFUL dinner at Kin Shop with a delicious menu by Chef Harold Dieterie: my fave was the Warm Sliced Snap Peas with Diver Sea Scallops, Crispy Shallots, Pea Greens & Toasted Coconut. We also had Aquatic Vegetables, Fried Pork & Crispy Oyster Salad, Stir Fried Rice Flakes with Rock Shrimp, Massaman Braised Goat, fabulous cocktails made with house-infused ginger mekhong, guava nectar, thai basil and rum, and tasty Galangal Ice Cream and Calamansi Sorbet...amazing...

Next day I prepped for a lunch for my aunt and her husband. You can see Mila being very helpful in the background.

No time to iron the tablecloth!

We started with tomato, basil and mozzarella with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I tried my hand at some huge scallops from The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook. No pic here of the smoked chili cream, but it was quite tasty.

And we finished with Lepore's Home Made Chocolates.

Since I was being a hostess I didn't make it to my parents' trip to Valley Shepherd Creamery but my Dad sent me some pics of baby sheep, alpacas...

and some very nice looking wool. I want to go back and take one of their cheesemaking classes!

At the end of the day there were some leftovers for me.

And my aunt brought me some pink pasta and a pink spatula she won at a raffle for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Wonder what I'll make with these...we'll see.

A Little Origami

2011-05-21T10:52:00.000-04:00

My friend Tomoko brought me a fabulous gift from her last visit to Japan: a generous package of beautiful origami paper.

I love the colors and wish you could feel the textures.

There are even a few prints of little bunnies!

There's a section on origami in the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Crafts. Did you make these little fortune tellers when you were little? The pattern for the box is on her website

along with instructions for a quick placecard holder.

I can't imagine folding 1,000 paper cranes for a wedding despite the lovely symbolism. Tomoko says in Japan they send them to someone who needs some cheering up. Mila was skeptical:

but then curious

but leaned in for a little kiss anyway.

And I hung a few cranes on some quince branches for good luck I guess.

And then yesterday the porter at our kitchen made this elephant out of paper and masking tape!

And I saw this video of an elephant who speaks Korean. Fun stuff, have a good day!

Jar of Hearts

2011-05-20T09:05:00.001-04:00

I was so touched when I heard this song covered on the Glee prom episode so I looked up the original by Christina Perri. She says of the guy she wrote it about that "My heart wanted to see him, but my head knew better".
- My friend Bernice says that you can get so lost in a relationship that it's like when you're trying to open a jar and forget which way makes it tighter and which way loosens it.
- Henry's Mom says that love is being able to fall in and out and back in love with someone over time.
- Ellaine says that closure comes at different times in different forms.
- And my horoscope yesterday said that life is full of compromises and in order to be who you want to be you may need to give something up, but to remember that what you're giving up is something you once wanted very much, so choose carefully.
- So, that's just some stuff I'm thinking about today, the day before everyone is predicting that the world will end.

Back to School

2011-05-16T00:34:00.000-04:00

It's my biggest arrangement yet! Had a fabulous time on Saturday in flower school with Remco van Vliet and Cas Trap, the floral designers from Van Vliet & Trap. I wanted to bring the team some treats, so I made some lemon poppy mini muffins.

And wrapped them in a fat quarter of fabric called Boys will be Boys by David Walker.

The staff brought in loads of branches for everyone in the class to use.

Beautiful azalea, crab apple, lilac, scotch broom and snowballs

and they kindly helped us cut the fat branches: they made it look so easy!

It reminded me that so many jobs can be surprisingly physical.

Remco shared tips from his many years of creating designs for events, weddings and for every Monday in the Great Hall of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

where he stands on a painter's ladder to make the huge arrangements there.

So of course his demonstration arrangment was gorgeous.

I was struggling a bit and he showed me how to hold the clippers (I got the purple ones! although though I was holding them upside down).

And the class buzzed happily creating their own arrangements.

Here's mine!

Remco says that each arrangement showed its creator's personality.

Somehow I got it home.

And the lilacs smell really wonderful here.

Today I pared the piece down a little to weed out some branches that didn't make it

and put some lilacs in the bedroom

and made room in the kitchen for baking a few cookies.

Cupcakes, Doughnuts & Love

2011-05-09T01:10:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! I haven't gone to sleep yet, so it still counts. It's been a while since a crazy catch-up post and there's a lotta love here. The 2nd Avenue Deli spells it out in salmon where I took my Mom last year and she wanted to go back today, so love also means pastrami sandwiches and potato pancakes.

I also put some love into the 192 (yep, that's 16-dozen) strawberry lemonade cupcakes I made for the Vicious & Virtuous 2nd Annual Bake-Off Beat-Down to benefit Autism Speaks organized by CupcakeHussy.

This recipe by Annie's Eats was popular when I made 48 and this time the judges from SweeteryNYC, Paper Magazine and Dessert Buzz NYC awarded them "best unusual ingredient" for the edible flowers and....

Best in Show! And I was very happy with my attire for the event, a special apron by Jessie Steele, so freakin' cute.

There were also edible flowers at a dinner for Cartier by Chef Sam Talbot: they topped yummy, little lemon soufflés.

I loved the day I had with wedding planner Kate Sullivan, who I've known since kindergarten and new friends event planner Tammy Golson and photographer Angela Gaspar: girly, event chat with jap chae, okonomiyaki, ramen and bibimbap. Big thanks to Kerry from handmade Quade for bringing us together, can't wait for our next outing!

We also trekked out to The Brooklyn Lyceum's spring craft market and to the Smith Street Paper Source: "paper heaven!" sighed Kate.

I put my purchases to use for a congratulatory card

which went with a Lemon Infused Lemon Glazed Lemon Cake from Jon at Victory or Death in the Kitchen. I added yet more strawberries since I'm on that kick these days and there was a yummy lemon syrup, which you brush on after baking and before pouring on the lemon glaze.

The Hester Street Fair opened yesterday and I met Angela and wore shorts for the first time this year. The weather was so gorgeous I just wanted to stay outside all day. Awesome coffee from Wonder City Coffee & Donut Bar. I somehow resisted their donut holes with caramel sauce, but that will need to be remedied soon.

We saw adorable, little drawstring bags with felt appliqué by The Honey Pie Tree.

and had some spinach & ricotta and saffron & mozzarella arancini from Arancini Brothers...mmm...yes, more fried food in my life...bliss.

Sometime I have to go here when I'm on my way home so I can carefully buy a terrarium from Casa Helecho because aside from being beautiful I think echivaria and cacti are the only things I can keep alive, Mila excepted.

We snagged rose petal donuts at Doughnut Plant -- they're only made for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day -- wow, even MORE edible flowers!

And it was a great day just for lying around in the park.

But back to Mother's Day: how did I forget to take pictures of the gifts I picked up at the Spring Handmade Cavalcade from hycCreative and Wish By Felicity? Too eager to get wrapping I guess. Well, here's a pic from Felicity of a necklace similar to the one I bought my Mom, whose favorite color is blue.

[photo by Wish By Felicity]

Another perfect spring day: we went trolling through The Antiques Garage on 25th Street

and yes, over to the 2nd NYC Doughnut Plant location (hehe....more donuts in my life...) This one is much bigger than the Lower East Side location, but not as large as the one I visited in the Myeongdong region of Seoul, South Korea. Love these pillows on the wall on 23rd Street though.

Over in Madison Square Park I saw something that stopped me in my tracks: "Echo" by Jaume Plensa.

The artist says “Many times we talk and talk, but we are not sure if we are talking with our own words or repeating just messages that are in the air. My intention is to offer something so beautiful that people have an immediate reaction, so that they think, ‘What’s happening?’ And then maybe they can listen a little bit to themselves.”

This was my reaction to the piece exactly and I listened to myself quietly for a moment, then the sounds of the city came back and I looked around me at what's really important. Love you, Mom, Dad & Emily.

(Another) Surprisingly Flowery Monday

2011-05-02T15:38:00.001-04:00

Happy May! Just a quick, little post today since I got surprised with another flower job this morning, yay! I had a little more notice than last time...

Tools ready, go!

I had a few hours to figure things out, but it was for very VIP clients, including one of the foremost exclusive event designers in the business, no pressure...

It turned out to be a fun morning and the arrangements were ready just in time.

Two small and one large.

And a little bit left over to brighten my desk.

Easter Wrapup

2011-04-30T00:20:00.003-04:00

It's already been almost a week since Easter so I figure it's time for a recap. I made this basket from Martha Stewart's instructions for a pussy willow nest and then bent some stems into a handle and added a flower arrangement

made up of lilac

lily of the valley

and hellebores.

They all smelled so amazing together.

The basket actually took quite a while!

After starting with some older pussy willow branches that I tried soaking to soften them, I got some new ones instead and they were much easier. Just a few little touchups...

and it was finally done.

There were some little pieces for leftovers, which I always love

and a little arrangement for another room.

Then time to use these candies, stickers and confetti

for another Martha Stewart project:

crepe paper carrots. And an egg-shaped strawberry lemonade cake with JELL-O beans.

Such different size strawberries!

Confession: there was a cake toppling on the way to the party, but my Mom's Easter bread stayed intact until after the egg hunt

but Mila slept through dinner.

Night and Day

2011-04-28T14:42:00.001-04:00

Night and day

you are the one

only you

beneath the moon or under the sun

whether near to me or far

it's no matter where you are

I think of you day and night, night and day

why is it so that this longing for you follows where ever I go

in the roaring traffics boom, in the silence of my lonely room

I think of you

night and day, day and night

and this torment won't be through

Hop To It!

2011-04-22T13:45:00.006-04:00

I am waaaay too hopped up on Easter ideas and Cadbury Eggs to focus today (sorry for the bad pun, but I was up til 2 a.m. last night wrapping these crepe paper carrots from Martha Stewart -- they all have treats inside!) I've got about 48 hours before my family's Easter celebration so I'll be a busy bunny. Here's a round-up of only some of the amazing things I've seen on the web today,

wish I had time for them all!

[by Ali-Bee's Bake Shop, seen on The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle

from a Facebook post by Glorious Treats]

-- phew, just want everyone to have credit!

Gorgeous upon gorgeous egg cookies from Alison of Ali-Bee's Bake Shop: these are all done BY HAND with a pastry bag and brush embroidery. No stencil, no cookie press, just sunning. My fave is the flowered one in the middle on the right, wow.

[by Stephaine Jessica Lau on All About Ami seen on Craftzine

from a tweet by Whip Up retweeted by The Long Thread]

-- really I just love how ideas are passed along

I so heart the expression on the faces of these amigurumi bunnies and the fabric that lines their ears. It's been a while since I did any crocheting, hmmm, maybe it's time to dig into the yarn stash.

[by Stitch Craft Creations seen on Pure Joy Events]

I haven't tried felting before, but this makes me want to! I love the colors and the little chick peeping out. Cute egg crate too.

[from Southern Living also seen on Pure Joy Events]

I think these beautiful eggs are just the right shade and the speckles are very pretty. Last year I dyed my eggs a little too dark since I went out to take a walk while they were in their little bath.
Ah well, it was a really pretty day.

[by Nikki, In Stitches on the Pure Joy Events roundup]
Nikki says these are simple, but I'm so impressed. Need a lotta patience here, but they're very interesting.

Hey, did you know you can print out this "Kawaii Easter Kit" from Creative Mamma for free?! I already printed her Spring To Do List and even though I haven't crossed everything off, it's too adorable to take down from my cork board.

[from Martha Stewart Living]
And I started this Martha Stewart pussy willow nest last night, but the stems I had are a little dry since I got them a while ago.
Have to find some that are more bendy.

Phew, ok, I think that's enough just for now. Gotta get some lunch and finish the work day so I can power through tonight: floral arrangements, strawberry frosted egg cake (like the award-winning cupcakes!), cookies, jell-o eggs, etc. etc...
and maybe some laundry too...it's been a while.

Happy Easter prepping!

What Would You Do?

2011-04-20T14:14:00.000-04:00

This pic is kinda pretty, kinda scary. It's a lovely cherry tree on my walk to work that I've been watching bloom lately. Wish we had some sunshine to help it along, but it's been kinda grey in NYC this week. I want to get out to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden soon to see the trees at their peak, but for now here's a great time lapse video.

Speaking of kinda scary, this isn't really a craft post, but my subconscious crafted it last night: had a dream that the world was ending. People were scrambling and panicking and running around.

A lot of movies deal with this: The Road, Cloverfield, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, Deep Impact...I could go on and on since someone very special to me is constantly fascinated by this. I've never understood why, this would mean I would never see him again.

But back to the dream: I was desperate to find my sister, searching everywhere, asking if anyone had seen her. Finally upon finding her I couldn't convince her to join a group of us in our spaceship (weird, I know) and when she finally agreed to come with us I wept with relief. Then someone found out the world was ending in 50 days. When he told us the mood instantly shifted. It was sad but beautiful in a way, kinda like the picture of this tree. Instead of simply surviving we started thinking of reminiscing, reflecting and making the most of the time we had left. So, my question to you is, if you had 50 days left on this earth:

- where would you go?
- what would you bring with you to spend that time with?
- what would you do?

Hopefully we won't need to make these choices anytime soon (2012, anyone...?) but it's definitely changing what I'm thinking about and how I'm spending my time today. Have a good one, be safe.

Cheers to the Experts

2011-04-13T23:13:00.001-04:00

I've been known to dabble in baking and flower arranging, like this white lilac and parrot tulip arrangement I sent to a friend for her new job but...I had a few cool chances recently to see the work of real professionals.

I was so excited to visit the kitchen and showroom of Ron Ben-Israel: the premier cake designer. Ron was away at the time, but we got a wonderful tour from Rebecca Taylor, whose official title is "operations, etc." I love that since it describes my job as well!

This cake for Swarovski is covered in real crystals: even the flowers are wearing them.

And what an adorable workspace

I could've spent all day here in this sunny room buzzing with creativity

amongst the rows and rows of sugar flowers

including Ron's signature red roses, amazing.

Next up, the Macy's Flower Show.

One of the windows had a Paris theme.

And we were wondering how these ranunculus withstood the sun for weeks. Maybe they were replaced every so often? I bought a plant last week and it already seems to be drooping. That's why I like cut flowers, my thumb is so far from green it isn't even funny.

The store was really decked out

and everyone was buzzing around excitedly like little honeybees.

There were even flower poodles!

Wish it could be like this all the time.

A Surprisingly Flowery Monday

2011-04-04T14:43:00.003-04:00

Ah, the 1st Monday in April...started out cloudy, but now the sun is bright and shining and my office window is open...it all started out so calmly.

Scooped up some freesia from my favorite flower stand on the way to work.

Got some coffee in the kitchen where Michel, the pastry chef was creating roses.

Out of ~~phyllo~~ pie dough! (postscript: the phyllo unfortunately didn't work out, so pie dough was used instead :-)

Then I was asked to make a few arrangements for a tasting with __famous Museum X___, so I jumped at the chance of course.

And got 3 arrangements done in record time

to set on the dining table

which the account exec liked so much that he asked for another for the coffee table...and after a bit of rushing....

finished just before the clients arrived. We started with a greenmarket salad with edible flowers:

pansies, broccoli flowers, nasturtiums, sweet peas and arugula flowers.

And ended with pear, lemon and raspberry macaroons on a tray decorated with ranunculus.

I made sure to leave some flowers for my friend Liz's desk.

And we have plenty in the walk-in-fridge for another day's adventures...

48 Cupcakes Later

2011-04-03T17:18:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I made 48 cupcakes and somehow still had frosting left over!

For the first 24, I saw mention of Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes on The Cupcake Blog

which led to a post from Michelle Falletti at It's the Little Things in Life

and to the recipe at Annie's Eats.

The frosting was by Annie and the cake adapted from a recipe by Williams-Sonoma.

I didn't have time to make the lemonade syrup, which was ok because once I snuck a taste I found that the little cakes were so moist already.

Then frosting, topping with fresh strawberries and some lemon sugar (just granulated sugar with lemon zest that I keep in the fridge for things just like this).

And then time to pack them all up in my handy new cupcake holder, which can transport (and display) 2 dozen cupcakes!

And took them to my friend Shawn's Chili-Cook-Off where they won the blue ribbon for Best Side Dish, yay!

The next day I wanted to use up the yummy frosting and speed things along a bit, so I used Duncan Hines Strawberry Supreme Moist Deluxe mix to make 24 more cupcakes.

The mix was so, so pink!

So of course, the finished cakes were too. And that was 48 cupcakes...and still frosting left over! I took to eating it not-so-covertly with a spoon every once in a while right from the fridge and kept coming back for more...

And Mila was "helpful" as usual. But what's not to love about leftover frosting? Everyone could use a little more sweetness in their lives.

Test Drive for Teeny Tiny Feet

2011-03-21T23:27:00.000-04:00

A few weeks before my friend Allison's due date I took More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson for a book test drive: could these little baby socks really take only the suggested 3 hours a pair? Not counting the 12 minutes it took to find the right size needles in my stash, this 1st pic below was taken at 7:30 p.m.

Next by 7:45 p.m.

Then a break to answer some work e-mails that popped up and grab a snack. By 8:13 p.m. there were 2" and the leg section was done.

I turned the heel flap the wrong way and had to take a few rows out, then look up the SSK (slip-slip-knit) stitch,

and how to pick up stitches along an edge

since it's been a while since I knit my last little baby project.

Once the heel was done it was on to the toe.

And by 10:11 p.m. finishing off.

And voila! One done by 10:38 p.m. So, already that's almost 3 hours (with various interruptions) and the 2nd one took about that long too: twice the quoted time, but I need to brush up on my speed.

In any case, I liked this sweet card to go with it.

And always love gift wrapping, especially for something so very small and soft. It's nice to use a strand of the yarn for a preview of what's inside.

There are lots more projects in the book I want to try too: soft baskets (2 - 4 hours), spiral seat cushions (6 hours), socks (more than 8 hours) and more...maybe my time ratio will be a little better next time.

Joining up: For Japan with Love

2011-03-17T15:07:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been blogging for a while, but tomorrow I'm joining up with For Japan with Love's Bloggers Day of Silence. Please donate at Shelter Box USA if you can. It seems so little to do for all those who have suffered and lost so much, but over $15,000 has been raised so far and the number keeps climbing. Be safe today and hold your loved ones tight.

Big Hair for the Big Event

2011-03-01T18:31:00.001-05:00

Happy National Craft Month! Here's a postscript to my last post about the big birthday party: got these pics from the hairstylists today and they're way better than my cellphone shots.

The talented (and patient!) team from Julien Farel worked their genius on 14 ladies and 89 guys, including a few on-site haircuts!

Rachael and I were playing the part and standing up straight for the photos. I feel like I could've gone to the Oscars with this updo!

At the end of the night I counted 34 bobby pins: haven't had that many in there since my ballet recitals.

On a random note: this amigurumi penguin I made in 2009 reminds of my current Droid Pro distraction: Angry Birds! I think this little guy would do a good job on those piggies.

And finally I have full wireless computer & internet access, including LogMeIn to access my whole work computer from home. Now I'm not tech-savvy at all, but to me this is incredible! Can't wait to revisit all of your sites again and see what you've been up to. Thank you, Supersum Technology Group, this will change my life!

A Big One

2011-02-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

This Saturday I worked on the grandest birthday party I've done so far -- only a few hundred guests, but a grand space with a lot of build-out, beautiful food, special wines, dozens of waitstaff and a slew of custom flatware, linens, trays, etc....so I started with powering up on Korean buffet at Woorijip -- always reliable for a quick, cheap, yummy stop.

Then on to the setup! The first crew had started the night before, but by the time I came there were 7 hours to go.

The staff all had their hair, makeup, nails and wardrobe done -- including me!

Rachael organized all of the suits, overcoats, ties, dresses, stockings, sparkly flats and pretty, pink jeweled headbands.

When we posed with this huge bottle of wine the sommeliers reminded us not to knock over the pricey bottles behind it.

There were towers of plateau de fruits de mer, a.k.a. lobster tails, shrimp and oysters on the half shell.

And plenty of lovely Champagne.

Including a few jeroboams (that's 5 liters!)

It was great to see the client's happy face as rang in his 70th year dancing the night away with his friends and family. Sunday was recovery day with a breakfast of Lauren Chattman's Sticky Toffee Banana Pudding from the new issue of Bon Appétit, yum...seriously, make this now, it was incredibly easy and so delicious.

And the recharge continued with a California burger with bacon, sprouts, avocado and swiss. This is the 2nd time I've been to this restaurant and the person who sat down next to me ordered the same thing. It definitely required a nice, long walk afterwards but it was a pretty nice, sort of warm day for a change.

Phew...busy weekend, but I have a day off today, so time to relax.

Create Dreams Be You

2011-02-26T10:16:00.000-05:00

Saw this at Forever 21 and thought for a little shirt, it spoke volumes...Create: your life is waiting, Dreams: make them come true, Be: who you are, You: can make a difference.

That paired with my horoscope today and I think I'm finally getting it: If you're struggling with the question of where to go from here, you may feel you're at a turning point, and that some big decision is necessary. You've tried different ideas for getting ahead, but you may still be perplexed about what direction to take. You won't have to make that choice, Leo, because the meaning of your life is becoming clearer. No matter how much you wrestle with your choices, you'll find that a choice is being made for you. Soon, you'll clearly see where to go next. Good fortune is unfolding, and you'll be directed toward it if you don't get too caught up in finding an alternate route.

And lastly, a recent fortune cookie: There are times when silence speaks the loudest.

All very contradictory perhaps, but to me it makes sense. And today I'm working at definitely one of the grandest birthday parties ever and will get to meet the incredible cake genius Sylvia Weinstock! So, I'm ready: bring it.

Now finalllly to the winner of the 100th post giveaway: Ashley from Domestic Fashionista! I love her posts about all the beautiful things she makes, cookes and bakes for her home and husband and she gives fabulous parties too! She even hosted an online Valentine's Day Link Up Party so check out all the participants' awesome creations. Thanks for entering, Ashley, you inspire me!

Now on to the birthday party...!

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2011-02-23T22:03:00.001-05:00

Been sooo m.i.a....still need to blog about the giveaway winner but Fashion Week struck and I've been without a work computer, learning to use my new phone and set up wifi at home to get back into the world. I know, excuses, excuses, no one wants to hear them, but here's a bit of what I've been up to lately.

And I have to share this video that someone amazing sent me today because the blog cracks me up and now there's a book -- very crafty indeed -- what a lot of work it takes! But it just makes me smile.

So back to the world now, shortly...

Last Weekend I Gave You My Heart

2011-02-14T00:49:00.001-05:00

Last Valentine's Day was pretty different in lots of ways. Not making pretty pink soap this year, but been busy spreading the love. A wise blogger advised me to not make my posts too long, but, well, consider this warning now! It all started last weekend.

[copyright Amy Mitten]

After I made Rachael early morning brownies for her birthday we went out to support Emergency Service for the release of their very 1st music video: Feel Your Love.

Then it was time to get cooking for my Aunt Liz's birthday. I posted a prep shot here cause I was overwhelmed by all the ingredients, but I was getting help from Bon Appetit, Ina, Giada and Peggy Fallon.

First I ironed a heart onto my apron with double-sided fusible.

Then tackled Broccoli Rabe with Pignoli: Giada's recipe called for raisins, but I found a dried cranberry cherry mix instead.

And browned onions for Peggy Fallon's Caramelized Onion Dip.

Trying to slice carrots into a "medium dice" for The Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Stew with Parsley Biscuits wasn't as hard as finding frozen baby onions (had to go to 3 stores).

And I used to have a rolling pin or 2, but couldn't find either one, so used a bottle to roll out the biscuits, probably like my Italian grandmother used to do.

I tried to stay organized.

And Mila tried helping, but...

I had to frost the cake myself too.

Everything seemed to take forever, but at last it was all done, including Giada's Lemon Spaghetti, and my Mom brought Ina's Roasted Winter Vegetables.

And still there was more to do: valentines for Etsy's Share Your Love.

and for family and friends

all sealed with love.

Then today on to a Valentine's Eve Menu from Martha Stewart and James Villas.

Had to use the 5 major V-day Food Groups: bacon, butter, cheese, chocolate and cream!

And made Swiss Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Gruyere Cheese from The Bacon Cookbook. Seriously, is there a title that can make you happier than that?

And Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes.

Good thing I got some movies to watch too.

I'm overdue for drawing the winner for my 100th Post Giveaway, thanks to everyone for entering and Happy Valentine's Day!

Swooning for Spring

2011-02-10T12:03:00.000-05:00

I have to say I'm in love...with flowers...last spring as everything was blooming I felt like I was waking up and opening my eyes after a very long snooze, looking around in amazement at all the beautiful things around me.

And the flower market is bursting with flowers for Valentine's Day this week.

So many amazing colors and textures, I'm dying!

Wouldn't you love to receive these from your sweetie for Valentine's (or just any) day?

Ranunculus are gorgeous, but very delicate, just about paper thin.

Such soft, blushing colors, sigh....

And some that are more bold.

Piles and piles everywhere at G. Page!

A friend asked me today about purple flowers, and I got to show him the pic I just took of some purple roses.

Sweet peas are oh so fragrant.

And so many kinds of tulips, look at these frilly edges.

Lilac is out already in white and purple, but not yet with the full, amazing scent they'll have later in the season.

I think this is flowering kale?

And I learned today that this is helleborus.

So here's today's haul: peach Juliet roses from David Austin, green and pink parrot tulips, white hydrangea, calla lilies and ranunculus.

I'm hoping for spring to come soon, but in the meantime, check out G. Page's Facebook page to see a new flower every day!

Share Your (card-making) Love

2011-02-07T10:53:00.002-05:00

After surviving cooking and baking for my 1st party since 2007 I had one more good deed to do. Please join Etsy's Special Delivery project and make some valentines for City-Meals-on-Wheels!

You have one more day to join up: cards must be received by this Wednesday, so that means they must be mailed by tomorrow.

You can also join the Flickr group here.

And for more cards, there's one more week to join my 100th Post Giveaway.

Have a lovely Valentine's Day Prep week!

Let's Get this Party Started!

2011-02-05T18:44:00.000-05:00

Ahhh....I am solely responsible for turning all of these ingredients into a lovely multi-course meal for 7 people tomorrow! Those who know me have been very amused by my attempts at cooking, so we'll see what happens.

Maybe Mila will help when she wakes up. Happy Birthday, Aunt Liz, love you and see you tomorrow!

Bunny, Bear, Brownies and a Special Project

2011-02-03T23:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the Bunny and Melinda the Build-A-Bear is all dressed up to celebrate with this little rabbit from Pearl River.

And with Belly, my friend Rachael's bunny: here she is after feasting on the holiday card I gave her this year. She was too cute for us to be upset about it!

And speaking of Rachael I made her some birthday brownies this morning at 6:45 a.m.! If you know me you know I'm not into mornings, so now you know how much I like Rachael. My thoughtful friend Jenny had ordered me a subscription to Bon Appétit and on the cover this month:

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts from the amazing Alice Medrich. Her newest book has the best title ever: Chewy Gooey Crisp Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies. So, I got prepped cause I love my 10-piece glass bowl set from Williams-Sonoma for my mise-en-place.

You start by melting the butter and then watching it foam until it starts to brown.

and when you mix in some wet and dry ingredients it starts bubbling quite a bit -- kinda scary! Then it's looking like regular brownie mix.

And adding eggs makes it all silky.

Mila was very curious about the whole process, but then waited patiently while they baked in the oven.

And I wish I'd gotten a better picture, but we were trying to surprise Rachael in the sunny conference room -- what a nice, warm day it was today for a change!

I have another birthday to get ready for this week with another Alice Medrich recipe, so more on that soon. In the meantime, I found out about this awesome project from Claire at blah to TADA!. Etsy is sponsoring another year of their Special Delivery "craftivism": Share Your Love 2011.

You can make greeting cards to be distributed by Citymeals-on-Wheels for Valentine's Day. I love this idea and bought some supplies today. And I love the knit heart on Etsy's link since I made some last year.

You have less than a week to join in -- cards must arrive at Etsy HQ in Brooklyn by February 9th (next Wednesday). Happy card making and Valentine's-prepping!

100th Post Giveaway! (& my newest follower)

2011-02-01T23:36:00.000-05:00

This is my 100th Post on Craftiness NOW!

To celebrate I'm doing my 2nd giveaway: 12 greeting cards of all seasons made with Martha Stewart craft punches

in hearts, flowers, leaves and snowflakes.

My 1st giveaway was knit sushi for kitties, and speaking of kitties...meet Mila!

She's now the official blog mascot. Strangely enough I just redecorated my bedroom in grey and then she came along and matches it quite well.

But back to the giveaway: the 3 heart cards say:

1) happy valentine's day (inside: to my one and only)

2) you & me (inside: meant to be)

3) love to love you

The 3 snowflake cards say:

1) happy holidays

2) merry christmas to you

3) happy first snow to you (inside: and many more)

And...oh...uh oh, kitten card bowling, excuse me a minute...

Apparently if she's the center of attention she'll allow the photo session to continue.

Although she's thinking about knocking them all over again...I think...

Ahem...anyway, the 3 flower cards say:

1) miss you

2) happy birthday (inside: to you!)

3) happy day to you (inside: from me)

And the 3 leaf cards say:

1) i'm falling in love (inside: with you)

2) give thanks (inside: today & always)

3) thank you (inside: for all that you do)

And each card is stamped on the back with my new logo!

Don't eat it, Mila...

OK, there's a better shot -- the stamp is from RubberStamps.net, highly recommended!

After the busy photo shoot she fell asleep, so now I can explain the giveaway:

1 entry will be given for each of the following:

- leave a comment with a favorite or unusual holiday you celebrate

- leave a (separate) comment with a crafty event coming up

- leave a(nother) comment with a great craft supply source

- be a blog follower

- follow me on Twitter

- like the Craftiness NOW Facebook page

The winner will be chosen at midnight

on Monday, February 14th, Valentine's Day!

Good luck and thanks for making Mila feel at home here :-)

Lightening Up Winter

2011-01-30T18:20:00.001-05:00

It's been a chilly weekend, we're digging out from all the snow and waiting for more this week. So, I made some of Bakerella's lemon bars to cheer me up, adding some toasted pinenuts. The snow isn't all bad though, actually one very early morning it was quite pretty.

It was hard to see what was in the frame since I was just using my Blackberry camera, but I like this last snowy pic, it feels meaningful to me at this point.

And I received some really pretty orange and yellow roses today, so that made me happy too.