Simple Vanilla Cupcakes

Tonight was a first of many cupcake experiments to come over the next several months! To begin the grand cupcake experiment I started with a simple recipe from miss Martha Stewart for Vanilla Cupcakes.






The recipe was very simple to make, even without having an electric mixer. They came out golden and bouncy to the touch, however far too moist in the centre. Next time I will use less milk (and possibly a 2% instead of skim), and one or two less eggs. They smell and taste delicious, though slightly egg-y, and I plan to frost them tomorrow afternoon with a store-bought white icing before dipping the tops in blue sanding sugar, almost identical to this one on Bake It Pretty: Blue Sanding Sugar on Bake It Pretty

I'm hoping to make Caramel cupcakes with Anna later this week... trying to think of a good seasonal icing to accompany them, possibly something maple or pumpkin or chocolate... stay tuned!

Beautiful Things

I havent been inspired to post much lately, until this week... I have come across some of the most beautiful event decor on other blogs who I follow that made me swoon!!! I am feeling the need to share them.... I'll post them one at a time to keep things interesting...


This event incorporates some of my faaavourite things about event decor: nautical colors, modern white animal statuettes, detailed charger plates, candleabras used creatively... and the crown details are so unique.


Credits: Lollipop Events & Designs, Paula Luna of Luna Photo, 

Rachel

The newest board in the series of "my friend's wedding inspirations"...... a tribute to Miss Rachel.

Musings of a Manager

I have not been able to post about the Tea Party event yet, as I do not have all of the photos I need to do so!
In the meantime, to fill the silence here I want to share with you this inspiring thought written by my former event planning teacher/mentor, Corwin. He just wrote and published an eBook, and here he talks about it. I wont pretend to know what that is exactly, but it sounds cool! I guess I'm just more into what he has to say:

Ever had the awkward feeling that you’re standing on stage, wearing nothing but black socks? Well over these past few days I’ve lived on a stage of sorts. Last week saw the launch of the first collaborative eBook on Craft & Vision and, sure enough, it was mine. Not only am I the first non-duChemin to put it out there, but I’m also the first non-photographer to do so (that’s where the naked part comes in—the socks are just a bonus). I wrote Growing the VisionMonger in hopes of providing a helping hand to weekend warriors and pros alike, but there was a lesson in that eBook for me too: move quickly on a good idea, regardless of the risk.

That’s what I’ve learned from being around [my assistant] David; when a good idea comes along, he jumps all over it. As his manager, I’m privy to David’s schedule (his tasks, his clients, his whims and stressors) and I see all that he has on his plate. What always stands out to me is how he’s always looking for a big idea and how prepared he is to make it a reality. When he gets inspired, he moves fast. Take, for example, this whole Vision thing. When hiking with him this past August, David says to me, “Hey, I’m thinking of writing an eBook, what do you think?” We chatted about it for a few minutes, as we scrambled through a gully, and that was that. Well, within a few days, wham-o! eBook out the door (and 4 more followed shortly thereafter).

So what’s his secret? Well, seeing how he’s out of the country and less able to defend himself, let me tell you. David makes small, attainable goals and then works very hard to complete them. Those initial steps happen within a day, if not within an hour. And, when inspired, he tells people about it. He doesn’t sit on a good idea; he shares it. This gives him enough feedback to make the tweaks and changes he needs to feel confident about moving forward. He also gains the support of those his trusts and enjoys working with.

So what about your ideas? Which ones have been percolating for far too long? Which ones do you want to make a move on and see become a reality? Why not take a risk, jump up on stage, and put some action to your inspiration? I would, however, recommend keeping your clothes on.

Growing The VisionMonger is available, with all the Craft & Vision titles, for only $5 from CraftAndVision.com

Holiday Recap

Christmastime is my favourite time of year... especially because of the decorating that happens. All of a sudden, people everywhere are decorating their homes, putting up Christmas lights, stores are decorated, even city streets. I love seeing the same joyful theme everywhere I go that time of year. This holiday season, being in a new apartment I had endlesss fun decorating and planning.

For Christmas cards, I collected mismatched vintage cards from different thrift shops at the beginning of the season... some had vintage script font for the inside message, some were textured, some had printed envelopes... Too bad I couldnt find vintage stamps to complete the look fromt the inside out.

This is what our Christmas tree looked like! The tree is a hand-me-down 1 ft. tall tree with ornaments stuck to it... this year I added a bunch of tiny birds that I found at the thrift shop. I plan to use these birds in plenty of decor activities this year..!!

Yesterday I took down all of our Christmas decorations to make way for the fabulous decor of a tea party I hosted... it was lovely. I am excited to soon be sharing those photos!

Eggplant

Each week I try to cook with a new ingredient that I haven't used before in my home cooking: this week's was Eggplant. I was inspired by this recipe for Eggplant Parmesan (there's a photo there, too), so make it, i did! I skipped out on the mozza and used double parmesan on top, tho. It turned out quite nice!!! I love eggplant, so I really enjoyed this dish.

I heated up some more tonight for dinner, and this time put it on rice.. it was much better this way! Next time I make it while entertaining I think I will serve them together. (I'll admit the cheese+rice combo was a little weird... maybe serve it with pasta? And chopped eggplant? who knows...:)

I'll post a photo of mine next week, along with a few more pictures of the last little while in my life. This blog is lacking real life photos, hey?

For Someone Special

She knows who she is.

Enjoy... :)

Credits: Once Wed (2)

Credits: Once Wed (2)