Birthday Party

It's very special persons birthday, actually should say was. Though I'm a day late I hope she knows I'm always wishing her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. This is what I managed to get together for her so I hope she's not peeping cause it doesn't get mailed out till Tuesday! I made this tote bag embellished with her initial. I found a pillowcase while thrifting a while ago and felt like I couldn't live without the fabrics print. I'm glad I picked it up cause it's turned into a lovely tote bag.

Usually I stop by the Chinese Super Market when I know someones birthday is coming up. I wander the candy isle cause they always have the neatest packaging; bright colors, cute cartoons and always extra tiny. I picked up packages of 'smarties' in strawberry flavor, rice candy(?) and tea bombs.

I also included in the parcel those caramels I was bragging about a couple posts previous, a book of Sudoku puzzles, tied up pretty in the box is a chocolate Buddha truffle that would love to show a detail of but the lady at Dutch Girl Chocolates went through all the trouble of wrapping it up pretty that I don't dare peek, a book on Buddhas and a found Tony Robbins tape. Please don't get me wrong, this present receiver is in no need of motivation but she has been teased about being the female equivalent of Tony Robbins.

Enjoy Chris and Happy Birthday!

COOKIES

A co-worker and I are both leaving our posts this week, today being her last day and tomorrow mine so I thought a friendly way to say goodbye would be with a batch of cookies. I choose to make thumbprint cookies(sometimes called bird nest cookies) cause of their buttery goodness and the flavour combinations are endless which makes it easy to please the picky-est of eaters.
This batch combos:
TOP-Orange Marmalade rolled in Pistachios & topped with Milk Chocolate (1/2 tsp Cardamom mixed into dough)
MIDDLE-Wild Blueberry Jam rolled in ground Granola with White Chocolate & a Pecan
BOTTOM-Strawberry Jam rolled in chopped Hazelnut finished by Dark Chocolate atop (1 tbsp Dark Cocoa added to dough)
Combos of the future:
Chili & Dark Chocolate
Lime & Pumpkin Seeds
Green Tea & Lavender
Mint & Coconut

Here's the recipe if anyone is interested:
THUMB PRINT COOKIES
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
2/3 c. brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
t2 c. flour

Cream first four ingredients. Add flavorings. Work in dry ingredients. Add nuts. Form into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Make thumb print in each cookie top and bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. When cool fill print with jam.
This recipe yields about 36 cookies. I divide the batter into thirds to easily mix and match ingredients.
The recipe is really easy to put together, it's the decorating that takes little patience. Toast nuts prior to getting ready. Then let them cool while your mixing together the batter. They should be cool after you've whipped up the batter,then throw them into your blender till it runs smooth. I usually pull them out after 18 minutes of baking and add the jam filling and cover with chocolate. Throw them back into the oven for another 4 minutes, or until you notice the chocolate melting, and top it off with a nut.

Farmers Market Wednesday

Another adventure at the local Farmers Market held a little more than ten blocks from my house. I try to make it every Wednesday that it's held. Today seen the end of the fresh peaches and the cherries are now done and the blueberries look to be heading that way but on the bright side strawberries are just coming in as well as gala apples AND the most beautiful tomatoes. I picked up some concord grapes from a farmer from the Okanogan Valley. Some aforementioned tomatoes and zucchinis that I'm hoping to make muffins out of.

I can't leave this post without mentioning Bad Girl Chocolates. Kelly Boyd, sole owner and chocolate connoisseur, makes the most lovely chocolate truffles you could ever dream up. She has a both set up every Wednesday and brings a handful of goodies. Take a gander at her website to see all the unique flavors she carries: badgirlchocolates.com. Every week she also surprises us with a truffle of the week an this weeks flavour drew some funny faces; tobacco truffle. She also makes old fashioned chewy caramels that I can't leave without a handful of.

And there was unicyclers...

Portfolio Page

Here's the link to all my recent projects: http://lapetiteportfolio.blogspot.com/

My Portfolio Needs Your Gentle Critiques...

I've been working on my portfolio for a couple of years now. Unfortunately some of my older works have been left at my old home and been given away as gifts so I've been scraping together what I do have handy. I'm really considering submitting a portfolio to the Nova Scotia School of Art & Design and would love some input. Title suggestions? Favorites and less than favorites? Quality of which the piece was photographed? Any comments would be more than appreciated.Check back often cause I'm just getting started and still have a couple projects to photograph and include. I need to limit my submission to twelve pieces and I'm slowly picking the ones that are worthy...

RECYCLE

This is a little project I had completed a while ago. A church around the corner from me were doing renovations and trying to rid all their 'junk' and included in their pile was an old window pane. Please don't ask what urge came over me to pick it up and take it home but that's exactly what I did. Hiding in the corner for a couple days while I was contemplating what to do with it I came across some old black and white photos acquired from my grandma and nanny last summer. I've always loved the classic aspects of black and white photos. Wanting to make sure I framed them so they were truly appreciated I couldn't think of any other solution than in the rustic window frame. Make sure to thoroughly clean the glass, add photo corners and, the step I misstepped, use a ruler to make sure they line up properly. Atop the picture frame are little knick knacks I've collected. I was so jazzed to find that rabbit cake mold today. I collect brass baking molds but today I couldn't resist the bunny even though he's tin.
This frame hangs in my kitchen that has a black and white motif so it's a nice compliment to a rather boring wall. Had more black and whites that weren't quite 3' by 3' but I still wanted to showcase them cause they make me smile. Still throwing around ideas but the quick solution while I think of something more clever or stumble across another window pane needing a home was to cut pieces of card stock and more sticky photo corners. The first photo next to the door hinge is my great great grandmother!

I actually seen a similar design in Blueprint Magazine. After flattering myself for thinking of the idea prior I was in awe of all the inspiring design images and ideas in Martha Stewart's new magazine targeted for the 20s & 30s crowd. Though some of the products are above and beyond my price budget it's great to use as a reference guide. Check out their blog: http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/blueprint/

Dinner of the Vegan Gods

I have to admit that I was a bit peckish after arriving home from work and had a faint desire to just whip together peanut butter and banana sandwich but my need to use up the veggies spilling from my fridge made me rethink tonights supper. As you can see my presentation skills are still lacking but it tasted yummy and that's what matters most. I frequent the farmers market and grab whatever looks freshest or recommended by the farmer him/herself. This past week I came home with bundles of Swiss chard, both yellow and green zucchinis and the worlds yummiest cherry tomatoes. I always try to grab some sort of vegetable I've never tried so this weeks challenge was summer squash.Though they look very similar to zucchinis the taste difference is huge. Squash tends to be a bit sweeter with less of a crunch. Being Sunday and having an extra hour or two to myself I decided to go a little mad in the kitchen.I roasted that aforementioned. Threw together some sweet potato fries with chili and lime to boot. I still haven't perfected the temperature and roasting time so I dare not share my recipe quite yet. Eggplants were grilled, couscous was made and onions and garlic were roasted. Please don't mistake me for a glutton. This veggie party was wrapped in my fridge and will be used throughout the week for different styles of wraps for my lunches. But tonight I enjoyed my newly revived veggies with some wild rice and salsa, cause salsa is needed in any situation. All topped off with a square of tofu which I mistakenly overcooked.

I also picked up the spice cardamom at the suggestion of the pastry chef at my work. This is the same women who informedme of the cook shop on the west end of town that sells discounted henkel knifes so in my books she can do no wrong. Cardamom is a spice used primaraly in Indian sweets and teas like chia. Cultivated from a bush of the ginger familyit has sweet undertones. It's also one of the most expensive spice by weight, second to saffron. The Baker as I have so kindly dubbed her suggested using it with grilled peaches. Any guesses as to what tommorows desert will be?

Treasure Hunting

So these, my friends are my thrifty finds of the week. I was doing some back to school shopping and had to venture way out to the West wend of town which I don't usually get to. Along the way I discovered this lovely thrift store run for the SPCA. While I was pursuing the aisles the shop keeper informed us the everything in the store was $2. Me and fellow hunters went into a fit of fury, rummaging every nook and cranny. I picked up the loveliest suede vest only to be told that the $2 bonanza excluded suede's and leather, that what I picked out was actually $15 and though it was hard to part with that pretty moss green masterpiece I knew I had too. But don't be mistaken, I didn't leave empty handed. I walked out with a pretty jewelry box, a couple tapes including an old Pretenders cassette, vintage pipe tips for cake decorating, a silk scarf and a jackpot of a suitcase. I love the floral design that plays around the exterior and the rustic colors. Plus it still had its adorable luggage tag intact. I'm actually thinking of sewing up some detachable storage pieces with scrap fabric and Velcro and use it as my new toolkit to hull around all my school supplies.

Lunch of the Living Dead

So today I rolled out of bed to accomplish my Saturday morning ritual. Coffee, morning paper(the extra fun weekend addition) and a muffin. Most weekends the coffee part becomes a plural. I have to admit while trying to conquer the rather tricky Sudoku I was a little down at the fact that I had to work today. Not that I don't enjoy working but the fact that I was going to miss the ZOMBIE WALK. Lucky for me the gathering area for the living dead was just outside my work and I made sure to arrange my lunch break around the time. I let my lovely co-worker go ahead of me and mid-break she comes in to work to inform me that they've already gathered and left. I was crushed. But lucky for me some Zombies came into grab a bite to eat and it softened the blow. They were even nice enough to pose for a picture and get a little into character.
I rented the documentary "Who the #*$! is Jackson Pollack?" all about a female truck driver who bought a $5 oil painting at a flea market only to later discover that it's an original Pollack painting worth roughly 2 million dollars. Popcorn is popping.