What's YOUR indispensable baking tool?...Works For Me Wednesday

Today's Works For Me Wednesday is a backwards edition. This means I get to ask you a question!

What is your indispensable, essential, can't-do-without baking tool?

I thought about this question for quite some time. First, I thought this:Photobucket

Then, my silicone spatulas...

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But when it comes down to it, I would never make cookies without this:Photobucket
Parchment Paper! I have gone to the grocery store at 10pm sent my husband to the grocery store at 10pm on a parchment run in a cookie making emergency.

So, go ahead and tell me...what's your can't-live-without baking tool?

Be sure to click over to We Are THAT Family for more WFMW (backwards) tips and come back later this week for a yummy giveaway!!! :) YAY!

Pretty Packages

I've mentioned before that I am a complete sucker for packaging, especially when it comes to making wine selections, but it certainly holds true for food items, ok, pretty much all items, as well. Present me with a product that has a lovely package design, and I will likely want to purchase it.

As I said yesterday, Louise Fili's website is full of beautiful work, and what follows are some of my favorite pieces from their packaging portfolio.







Wedding dream team collaboration :: Photo shoot

Whew! Yesterday was fantastic! I had a great time collaborating with some of my favorites (the best!) in the Portland wedding arena for a gorgeous photo shoot.


Dress extraordinaire, Elizabeth Dye
Photographer, Lisa Warninger
Stylist, Chelsea Fuss (of frolic!)
Accessories, Twigs & Honey (yours truly)
Model, Anna Adams
Location, Ace Hotel

These are just some of my photos... but more beautiful photos by Lisa should be coming in a few weeks.


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More photos to come!
Thank you Elizabeth, Chelsea, Lisa, Anna, and Jaime!! I had a wonderful time!
Visit my Flickr photosream for more photos... HERE.

snap and chat with Wendy Joblon



Trish and I headed out to South Dartmouth last week to visit the ultra fab Wendy... wedding planner, small business owner, mother of two, wife of one... and over all very cool lady. We always love to photograph a wedding when Wendy has had a hand in the planning. She has the best taste!


In addition to being a planner- Wendy opened this adorable store Folia in South Dartmouth that carries custom invitations and all things monogrammed (gifts, personalized stationary etc.)

Isn't it adorable? I want to live here.



... and the inside too...




Wendy has been in this space for a year. She's open from 10-3 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday.
In the summer she'll be open until 4pm.



Why add invitations to an already successful planning business? "Wedding invites and planning go hand in hand because there is a theme to it. Many people start with the invitation. It's nice to have that input."



Here she is! Wendy is about to be on the other side of a wedding .... her son is getting married over Labor Day weekend in Colorado. Wendy says she does not want to be in charge of anything!!! She just want to go and have a great time- oh, and wear a gorgeous dress of course...The wedding is planned for 450 guests, and there will be 28 people in the wedding party- wow!
Wendy is so respected in our business. Whenever her name comes up in conversation- it's always a compliment about her great style or just how nice of a person she is. I was curious about how she started her business...
Turns out Wendy went to BU to become a teacher-she made it through but decided it just wasn't for her. She said it was so hard that she lost 25lbs the first year! Maybe I should take up teaching?...
Next, she became the catering secretary and coordinator at the Sheraton Tara in Raynham, but left to move to Dartmouth and get married. Next for Wendy... to baby boys that kept he buys for a while until she started to get a little cabin feverish at home.
She ended up getting a job selling boxes... "I didn't know anything about boxes but boy could I sell them!" No surprises here... Wendy is a knock out, I am sure those companies she was selling boxes too would have bought anything she came in with.
One day when she was getting a manicure, her manicurist asked if she could help her plan her daughter's Batmitzvah. Wendy accepted. She also worked for several years at Hawthorne CC booking, coordinating, and overseeing all things wedding.
Then she decided, "Hey- I should start my own business, and that was 14 year ago!"



Wendy is modeling some of the adorable things she carries in the store, like this terry cloth wrap, with monogram of course. How cute would this be as gift for bridesmaids?



We are suckers for personalized stationary too.


If you need invitations or a fun gift, a trip to South Dartmouth is so worth it, it's the cutest little village with good places for lunch. Also, because Wendy is a wedding planner too she often doles out a little free advice to her customers!


Wendy, it's always so nice to see you- thanks for the snap and chat. We'll be back in for some stationary!
You can contact Wendy through her website: www.wendyjoblon.com
Folia is located at 354 Elm Street in South Dartmouth

Typophilia

There has been a bit of buzz around the blogosphere regarding the new website for Louise Fili Ltd., a firm specializing in the design of restaurant identity and food packaging, and for very good reason-- the website is chock-full of the creative work of this talented firm.

I fell especially hard for this logo for Rusk Renovations, Inc.; the vintage-feeling ruler and typography completely did me in.


I also am head over heels for what looks to have been an amazing issue of the Italian magazine, Un Sedicesimo. The issue was devoted to the Italian and French script typefaces from Louise Fili and Steven Heller's collections, and it looks like it would provide endless inspiration.






Finally, I adore this image from Louise Fili's sneak peek on Design*Sponge. The vintage tin is gorgeous, and I love that it is used to display some of the matchbooks and business cards from restaurants for which they have designed logos.


Stay tuned for more from this accomplished firm, as tomorrow I will be sharing some of my favorite packaging work from their portfolio.

A new favorite piece :: just listed in my Etsy shop!

This morning, I was reading one of my new favorite blogs, 100 Layer Cake, and I came across one of my favorite wedding inspiration boards ever... and what are the beginnings of possibly a favorite wedding dress too! I was instantly inspired:




The inspiration board was made by the talented Jenna for her upcoming wedding and the dress will be made by her sister, Sarah, of hello, handmade (board and sketch credits go to Jenna and Sarah).
I love Marie Antoinette fashion and have been inspired before. Also, you know that show stopper hat I made for the Novel Romance bridal show last month? It is featured top right of this blog in the logo photographed by the fabulous Lisa Warninger (whom you already know and if you don't... you need to know of!). I received so many inquiries about that hat (expect to see more of that hat in the future)! BUT... that hat took forever to make. I think I was up until 4am hand sewing it together... so naturally, I have to price it accordingly. Anyhow, with this new inspiration and with current interest in the hat, I've decided to make more for the fashionably adventurous bride (yay, right??). Here is the newest of a whole new line I'd like to build on that is much more friendly on the wallet:




This piece is completely hand sewn and features something new and something old... lots of luxurious silk, lace, just the right amount of sparkle and a pretty ostrich plume (I'm on an ostrich kick as of late - expect to see much more ostrich!). In my SHOP right now. Enjoy!

Basket Case

Here is another cookie cutter that I bought ages ago and am just getting around to using....an Easter basket!

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I wasn't sure about the "grass" when I was decorating them, but now that they are finished, I'm glad I added it.

easter baskets resized



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I like them mixed in with the Easter chicks. :)

To make the basket cookies:


easter basket sketch

{isn't this cookie "sketch" cool?!?}

  • Using a #2 tip, outline the bow in pale yellow (Spectrum Lemon Yellow).
  • With a #3 tip, outline the basket in purple (AmeriColor Violet).
  • Still using the #3 tip, make the basket handles, pulsing the icing bag as you run it along the cookie to make bumps.
  • With a #2 tip, outline the eggs...one each in pink (AmeriColor Soft Pink), blue (Spectrum Sky Blue), and yellow.
  • Thin all of the icing with water until it is the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp dishtowel.
  • Before using each color, run a rubber spatula through the icing to break any large bubbles. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.
  • Fill in the basket in purple; use a toothpick to guide the icing to the edges.
  • Fill in the bow and one egg in yellow.
  • Fill in the blue and pink eggs.
  • Let dry at least one hour.
  • With a #2 tip, add the detailing to the basket.
  • With a #2 tip, add the detailing to the bow.
  • Using a #1 tip, pipe Easter grass along the edge of the basket in light green (AmeriColor Leaf Green).

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Looking for more Easter cookie ideas? Check out these posts:


My husband Jim jumped up from the computer last night and said "Trishy, come see this photo, you have to put this on your blog, this is what you are always talking about!".


The caption on this photo reads as follows: CFA volunteer David Nicholls escaped his Narbethong home with only his wedding album.


I felt such a swell of emotion, this is the only posession he saved from his home, aside from people my photos are the only thing I would try to save if my home was on fire. What else is there to say?

Photo by Norman Oorloff

You can see more photos and read more about what is happening here:
Victoria's killer fires NEWS.com.au

Just listed a couple new pieces in the Etsy shop...

Some lovely and flirty new pieces for my shop today...



Easter Chick Flicks . . .

Easter chick cookie flicks, that is!

I bought this little chick cookie cutter last year and have been waiting months to try it!

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They are really simple to make, just outline, fill and coat with sanding sugar the next day. I added a little eye after sanding.

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I made up several of these and some Easter baskets for the winner of the We Are THAT Family cookie giveaway....New Momma. I think any "new momma" needs a little hit of sugar, don't you?!?

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I'll have more on the Easter basket cookies in a day or two. In the meantime, enjoy the chick flicks...and maybe one of these other Easter-inspired posts:

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