Birthday Whimsy

My gosh, so long since I've posted!
Well, thanks to Ben, I have my laptop back and repaired.
Actually, it's better than that--he replaced the laptop he gave me with a newer model.
I feel like I've been reunited with a fond friend, and it's true.
Initially I was a bit disappointed that my first laptop was gone, because I'm just not good with change.
I never will be good with change.
I was just laughing with a co-worker today about how she initially returned the coin counter we were given, insisting we were just fine with counting by hand, thank you very much.
Geez, what were we thinking?!
But I'm glad I'm not the only one who accepts change kicking and screaming.
(lol, change and coins...pun not intended)

But I digress.
I have a lot of catching up to do here!
Let's start with a belated birthday gift that I received over the weekend.
Three of my friends and I got together on Sunday for the first time all year (how did the time zoom by?).
My friend Tracie handed me a gift bag which held a rectangle wrapped in tissue.
I opened it to find a Willy Wonka chocolate bar, its label saying it may possibly hold a golden ticket.

Tracie sort-of nonchalantly said, "see if you won".
I opened up the candy (yummy, by the way), and look what Tracie had done:
Eek! $50 gift card!
(she sliced the back open, inserted the card, and carefully re-sealed)
I absolutely LOVE whimsical, creative ideas like this.
How fun!

To add fun to my friend Jen's 7-year-old daughter's birthday, I decided to make some cupcakes that looked like her.

The recipe made a dozen, but, um, one disappeared for a quality control check ;).

The blonde hair is made with vanilla chocolate wafers, just like the cupcakes I made for my friend debs last year, only these were less sophisticated.
I think they're fine for a little girl though, and Callie seemed to like them.

I pride myself in baking from scratch.
This time I chose a recipe from Cooks Illustrated Magazine for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting.
Very good.

Piggy Cupcakes

Every year for my friend Tracie's birthday, I bake a cake.
Usually I make German Chocolate (her favorite), but sometimes I try new things.
This year, I made Pig Cupcakes in Power Puff Girl cupcake liners.
You see, Tracie is a black belt, and she teaches
self-defense for women and children.
In fact, she just appeared on an episode of Dr. Phil, showing kids what to do in case someone tries to grab them.
I couldn't be more proud.

Anyway, I found the recipe for these on an episode of The Neely's on The Food Network.

The cupcakes are red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

I used sour watermelon candies for the ears.
The recipe says to use licorice for the eyes, but I just used black decorating gel.
The snout is a half marshmallow topped with two brown M&Ms.

Girly Cupcakes

For debs' party, I knew right away that I was going to bake cupcakes instead of a cake.
I bought a Wilton cupcake tower (I have to say I am disappointed in it. It's so...small. Costco has a different type that I may try for the future).

Anyway, to go along with the theme of the party and everyone looking like debs, I decided the cupcakes should look like debs too.

There were a few options, like using a cake decorating tip to do frosting hair (the tip where the frosting comes out like spaghetti),
or I could snip some pieces of fruit roll-up or something.
Instead, I decided to use the idea of piping chocolate onto waxed paper, as seen in the book Hello, Cupcake!, by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson (a great book for decorating ideas).
Debs has dark hair underneath, and very light blonde on top, so (using a ziploc bag) I first piped milk chocolate on the area that would be close to the face, then I used white chocolate for the majority of the rest.

I let the hair chill a few minutes, until it was firm enough to peel off the waxed paper, then the hair was placed atop the frosted cupcakes.
I used a cream cheese frosting that was tinted a very pale pink for skin color, made by adding a small amount of Wilton red paste color.

For the cupcakes themselves, I decided on chocolate banana (debs favorite coffee flavor).
I was going to make the devil's food cupcake recipe by America's Test Kitchen, and I so wish now that I had followed through on that.
A day before the party, I was running so short of cash and time, I (and I'm mortified to say this) ended up using a boxed mix and adding mashed banana to it.
It was horrible.
I always bake from scratch, but I was really down to the wire on the last few dollars, so I tried to save a few bucks.
I won't do that again.
But I digress.

I used piping gel for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
I also mounded up frosting to give the noses heighth.
The plan was to roll fondant balls in iridescent powder and make pearl necklaces, but I ran out of time.
Later, I saw that King Arthur Flour sells sugar pearls, so I may use those for something in the future.
So, I was at a client's house the day of the party, and it was the last day of a week long dog-sitting job.
I baked the cupcakes the night before, in some amazing black and white polka dot liners that I bought through the A Cupcakery.

Debs likes black and white polka dots, so that was also a theme that was going on: I ordered both 11 and 16-inch balloons on eBay (some black with white dots, some white with black dots), and had them filled with helium the day of the party at a local party store.
Most of my gifts were placed in polka dot gift bags, and/or tied with polka dot ribbons.
It was perfect that debs showed to the party dressed in a black and white dress.
Not polka dots, but black and white.
Two of the gifts she was given were $50 gift certificates to the Black and White Store.

But back to the baking.
The night before the party, I also made the cookie dough, and left it to chill in the refrig.
I finished at 2am, then set my alarm for 7.
I had to wash the sheets, pack my car, sweep the floor, clean the counters...AND finish all the decorating before my client's came home at 3pm.
I was expected at the restaurant at 6:15pm.
Busy day.

In the morning, I started cutting out the cookie dough in star shapes, and baking the cookies on lollipop sticks.
I needed to make more dough (I made 20 magic wands).
They turned out great.
As I was baking cookies, I was also decorating cupcakes.
At 2pm (seven hours later), I was STILL decorating cupcakes, and had to make a mad dash to sweep and pack up my bags.

When my clients arrived at 3pm, all my clothing and all of debs' boxes filled with gifts were sitting on the livingroom floor.
Cake batter was on the handle of the refrigerator door.
Cookies were now cooled, but were all along the kitchen counter on paper towels.
The sheets were washed, but the bed was not made.
The dishwasher hadn't yet been emptied.
Where did all the time go?

Sadly, my client was not amused.
Most clients would have been understanding with my not being finished (shoot, most house-sitters don't wash the sheets, or any of that).
This client, however, is a bit OCD with the cleaning.
I offered to finish up, but she said she'd do it, then gave me a cold silent treatment.
Lovely.

In the tense environment, I hurriedly packed up my car, but I had so much stuff that it took an hour.
And it was soooo incredibly hot that day!
I was miserable.
I finally threw off my heels and opted for sandals until I got to the restaurant later that night.

The cupcake faces were all slightly different, and really quite adorable.
All were chilling nicely in the refrigerator, so I took them out and placed them in an awesome Snapware three-tier carrier that my friend Jen loaned to me for the occasion.I have got to get one of those.
Their website only shows two-tier carriers now, so I don't know if the product has been discontinued.
I hope not.

I wish I could go back in time and take a photo of the decorating, but I was so rushed and stressed and needing to escape that tension, that I didn't get one.

Um, remember how I said it was hot?
Well, at the same time the A/C in my car is going out.
During the drive from my client's house to Tracie's (so I could frost the magic wand cookies) all the decorated faces that took me so many hours to create...
they melted.
Melted off.

Sigh...

What to do?
All we could do was make jokes about aging.

Here's one that is partially complete, so you can get the idea of what they looked like originally

(flickr sizes these poorly, so you have to click on the images to enlarge)

Debs in the middle, with several of the guests holding their debs fans.
It was later in the evening, so some people had left, and most had removed their costumes.


Tracie has more photos to send me, so I'll post more later.

I'm Back!

Whew, sorry for the big gap in posting.
I've been spending most of my time organizing a surprise birthday party for my friend debs.
It's really great when friends read my blog and are my Facebook buddies, but the sucky part is I can't share with you the things I make, or my ideas...
because they'll be seen by the intended recipients.

Anyway, I'm going to draw this post out several days because there is lots and lots to share about this party, and I really hope it inspires you to do something fun for someone you love.

First off, this was a biiiig birthday.
The dreaded big 5-oh.
Debs said she didn't want a party, she just wanted to leave the country (she and her husband and kids are on a cruise, where debs and Bill will renew their wedding vows after 20 years) and stick her head in the sand.

Okay, so I figured half a century doesn't come along every frickin' day, and I opted not to listen to her.
In order not to piss her off though, I figured I'd make the party as wacky and weird as possible, that way she'd hopefully spend most of the night giggling.
And that's exactly what happened.

I was able to get messages out to a few of her old friends and to her sisters via Facebook.
I also contacted a few people from her job.
I enlisted my friend Tracie, debs' husband Bill, and debs' two sisters to help me plan.
At first it was really frustrating, because I worked and worked on trying to figure out a venue, and nothing was falling into place.
A lot of fun events were mid-week, for some reason.
With debs working full-time, and one sister in Los Angeles, that wasn't going to work.

Should we go to a place like Dave & Busters or Boomers, where we could take photobooth pics and play Skee Ball?
Debs loves playing Skee Ball when we go to the fair every year.

No, something didn't feel right about that choice.

I found a Beatles cover band playing in a local casino (debs loves The Beatles) but Tracie was out of town that night, and her kids couldn't be in the concert area as it was 21 and up.
Ditto The Stagehouse to see The Disco Pimps (a band that plays disco tunes), or The Shout House (a dueling piano bar).
Aaarrgghhh.

The old movie Funny Face was playing in Balboa Park (Audrey Hepburn is a debs fave), so I thought we could picnic then see the movie.
Sadly, the Museum of Photographic Arts no longer has their vintage photobooths, but I still thought the location had potential.
But it was on a Thursday night, and the other party planners thought we needed an environment where we could talk and mingle (not sit quietly and watch a movie).

I loved the idea of going to The Murder Mystery Cafe, because I knew the characters would include debs in the plot.
The other party planners didn't think she'd like that.
But then her (younger) sisters thought we should rent a Hummer limo and bar/photobooth hop.
Uh...no. Back in the day, maybe, but today "we old".
We're too tired to hop, lol.

I LOVED the idea of seeing Richard Cheese, but he was appearing on a weeknight also, and it was too soon to get the party organized.
If you haven't heard of Richard Cheese, he sings current songs in lounge version.
He's so wonderfully wacky.
Check out this video.
By the time I even found out he was going to be at House of Blues, most of the event was sold out.
Had he played here late August, that would have been perfect.
Sigh, I really hope he doesn't retire as he is threatening to do, because I really do hope to see him live one day.

Anyway, after I came up with 30 options and they all had something wrong with them, everyone was getting a little stressed that it was down to the wire and we had better decide.
Wanting to help, Bill and her sisters chose a local restaurant, but I decided no, it couldn't be a "normal" location--it had to be a place where we could show up in costume and the waiters would play along.

We opted for a mostly gay bar/restaurant in Hillcrest called Baja Betty's, chosen especially for the personality of the waiters.
It was the perfect place.
You see, sixteen people showed to the party, and we all showed up dressed like debs.
Her sisters snuck into her closet and wore two of her old 80's outfits, and wigs in "news bobs" (debs used to be a television reporter and anchor).
Her daughter wore one of debs' old pageant gowns (debs was Miss Pacific Beach in the Fairest of the Fair pageant, the year Tracie was crowned Fairest of the Fair, then later Miss San Diego).

Her daughter also had on a brassy 70's-style wig with banana curls at the sides.

Really, what could be more perfect?!!

Her husband wore a strand of pearls and a hideous curly blond wig with a little bow at one side.
I wore a platinum wig and kitty ears, with pearls and ribbons hanging down.
I walked into the restaurant, and no one even blinked.
Perfect.

So along with wacky, we focused on the positive--the theme was wishes, hopes, dreams.
Debs used to give seminars for Barbara Sher's inspirational book, Wishcraft, so in essence it was a Wishcraft party.
Barbara Sher even sent an autographed copy of her newest book.

I made up favors for everyone in little metal buckets from Ikea--filled with pads of paper for bucket lists, a mini Skee Ball game, and a glittery pencil for the ladies/a disposable fountain pen for the guys.

I also made star-shaped sugar cookies with royal icing and edible glitter on a stick (magic wand cookies), so everyone got one of those also.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about the gifts in buckets that we gave to the birthday girl.

Fun=cramming four girls into a photobooth

Giggling, making memories...
these old-style analog photobooths are the best part of the fair.

Fair fun

I still don't have a digital camera, so I use a disposable camera and have the film developed.
My last roll of film had tons of fun pics of the fair, but something happened at processing and the roll was blank.
Such a bummer.

Here are some pics courtesy of my friends debs and Tracie:


Tracie wanted to win a pig, but didn't.
Janice did win one though!

Photobooth Fun

Squeezing four people into a photobooth can be interesting



We had sooo much fun at the San Diego County Fair last night.
As usual, we ate our way through.
At least one of us had: artichoke sandwich, Tasty Chips, onion rings, chili cheese fries, red velvet cupcake, sliced green apple with caramel and nuts, iced coffee with chocolate, and....
chocolate-covered bacon (very good!).

We played Skee ball, and considered the Zipper, but we just aren't as young as we once were.
We used to love the Midway with its lights and excitement, and we used to love visiting the barnyard animals, but now we're just happy to spend time together.
We cruised the vendors and bought goodies, we laughed, we talked...
It was enough.

We'll return another day with our families to view exhibits (I love the wood, the photography, and the garden show).
We'll opt for more fun food, because that is part of the Fair's charm.
I want Indian Fry bread, roasted corn on the cob, and funnel cake.

The Fair is an annual tradition for us that holds quality moments and sentimental magic.

A beauty at only 15!

I am soooo proud of my friend debs' daughter for getting signed with a local modeling agency.

I am thrilled for her too, hoping she has some amazing experiences.

Photobooth Friday

(click on image to enlarge. Icon over flickr image, 'all sizes' will enlarger further)

Christmas gift from my friend Tracie to three of us (the group was originally six, now four).
We've been friends since the early 80's, and take photobooth pics at the fair every year, so there are MANY strips after all this time.
This is sort-of a showcase over all those years.

I will replace the large photo in the center though--not very flattering.
But this is a fun idea.

Tracie modge-podged copies on the frame, then sealed it.
In two places, she embellished with rhinestones.
I'm particularly fond of the photo on the upper left, where we're so young!

I wonder why Thanksgiving doesn't have a song?

I adore the illustration on this vintage Thanksgiving postcard.
The colors are muted and the image beautifully rendered.
The woman seems confident and lovely.
It is dated 1913, and is postally used, a note from Lula to her cousin Ella, announcing she'll be coming home for the holiday.

Thanksgiving used to be my least favorite holiday.
Note the past tense.
This year I will be driving up to Hollywood again, to have dinner with my friend Melinda.
Melinda, along with her family, has generously offered to share her favorite holiday with me.
Her gesture is so very welcoming, and her enthusiasm contagious.

I will be making cranberry cake.

Cupcake, anyone?

"I made them myself"

My friend debs as a dead (retro) housewife.
That apron (Anthropolgie) is to die for (pun intended).

Every year her office has a costume contest, and whoever wins gets a day off with pay.
She won a couple of years ago when she was Tippi Hedron from the movie, The Birds.
She had fake birds attached to wires around her head, and a soundtrack of cawing.

God I love Halloween.

I was driving today, and an old witch crossed the street in front of my car.
A Mexican lady (an employee at the thriftstore I couldn't help stopping into) was dressed in Chinese attire.
At the tool shop, I asked for help from a Roman in a toga.

It's so much fun.

No parties for me today.
Not even any handing out of candy.
I was painting, and prepping for a forecast of rain.
All of my stuff is sitting outside, so I bought tarps and bungee cords and attempted to cover and strap.
When it has been 90 degrees forever, it's hard to believe rain is expected.
I am so looking forward to finishing this room.

Video Sunday: Drake's Wish

My friend debs has a 17 year old son with cancer.
He composes music, and was having trouble with writing (pain in his arm and hand).
Several doctors blew it off as growing pains until debs finally insisted on further testing.
That's when they discovered a tumor wrapped around the nerves in his neck.
Several specialists were required during surgery to ensure there was no nerve damage, but this required fusing some of the vertebrae in his spine, and left him without upper body strength.

To make a long story short, in this last year, rather than sitting around bitching and whining, this family has embraced the positive.
They have, literally, taken the reins of life and enjoyed the ride.
Granted, one can't gloss over the details.
Of course there have been difficulties, such as debs' daughter experiencing panic attacks, and debs basically checking out emotionally at her job.

Drake's cancer is in remission now, and hopefully the future will be bright.
Ironically, this tragedy has brought some amazing experiences to this family--moments they will all cherish forever.
For example, Make a Wish granted Drake his wish--a trip to London to attend a Parkour school.
Parkour is sort-of an urban obstacle course.
A challenge to body and spirit.
It is the notion of getting from one point to another by crawling over and upon anything in between, such as buildings.

Drake's Wish:

Pig Noses

Photo Friday is about an hour and a half early this week.

This is a pic from my friend debs' wedding.

A group of elegantly dressed bridesmaids, donning pig noses.
(no, we did not walk down the aisle like that)
You'll have to click on the photo to enlarge it--flickr doesn't size horizontals well.

I am on the very left, then Tomi Jo, Janice (in gold because she sang at the wedding), and the maid of honor was Tracie.
Our hair is back in ponytails fastened with velvet bows.
We wore velvet gloves, satin skirts, and carried red tulips with shimmering leaves brushed with gold leaf.

The bride and groom were married in front of a Christmas tree at the historic US Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego.
Favors on the tables were little presents--black and white boxes of chocolate truffles.

Debs is traveling in Europe right now with her son, so I couldn't ask her to remind me of the year she married, but I'll take a guess and say it was December 1987.

The bride and groom honeymooned in Europe (debs loves Europe), and waltzed in Vienna on New Years Eve.
Ah....so romantic.

Wow, more than 20 years ago.
Time just zooms by...

Photo Friday

One of the frames from several photobooth strips my friends and I took at the San Diego County Fair last month.
Photobooth pics are our annual tradition.

Photo Friday

(click on image to enlarge)
EEK...
did I really wear that????
Spandex daisy leggings with MATCHING EARRINGS!!
oversized shirt
Fanny pack
braces on my teeth
weird curls in my bangs
Good Lord...
With debs, Tomi Jo, and Tracie at the Del Mar Fair, 1991

Never tear up your photos--you never know how much laughter they'll bring later.
Or how often you'll say "wow...I looked pretty good there!" (uh...not this time, lol)

Ooh la la

My friends Scott and Jen took me to my first wine-tasting for a belated birthday present.
Scott is quite the connoisseur, and I get delightful perks when I go over to their house for dinner.
He's always bringing out a couple of reds--last time we even started with a sparkling wine in a beautiful apricot shade.
Jen is an amazing cook--she can decipher every nuance of a dish ("I taste white pepper").
She took a sip and detected raspberry and oak.
Okaaay.
I'm not there yet.

I asked Scott if he would be so kind as to start teaching me about wine.
It's such a huge, complicated subject.
I started reading Educating Peter (sort-of a Wine 101) but wine is something one really needs to see, smell, and taste.

They took me to lunch at the WineSeller & Brasserie--a good choice for my first experience in that it was informal.
I didn't have to worry about swirling and sniffing correctly, if you know what I mean.
Wouldn't want to make a fool of myself.

Lunch was lovely.
We started out with asparagus soup with wild mushrooms and chantilly creme, big hunks of rustic bread, and an appetizer plate with roasted eggplant, green olive tapenade, and a marinated goat cheese.
Scott had beef (was it the rib eye? I'm not sure. I'm not much of a beef eater).
Jen chose Duck Confit, and I had the ravioli with ricotta, truffle, and artichokes.
We split the sampler of three desserts--carmelized banana cannoli, Vahlrona hazelnut torte, and creme brulee.
Scott also ordered a flourless chocolate cake with Grand Marnier that we shared.
French Press all around.
Ah, it's so nice being treated to the good life on occasion.

Along with our meal, we each were given six tastings of various Syrah.
We got a sheet of descriptions, and tried to match the glass to the descriptions.
Descriptions were wild adjectives--scent of blueberry pie, cherry cola....hint of chocolate.
Um, I didn't really get that.
I got every match wrong.
That's okay.
Nothing quite like quality time spent with good friends.
That's always the right thing.

Speaking of, that same week three other friends treated me to a Parisian-style bistro.
Coffee and about three hours conversation--it doesn't get much better than that.
Well, it does when chocolate is involved


My friend Tracie gave me a gift card in a unique package--a pig-shaped container made from a water bottle!

Who said crafts are for kids?

Photo Friday

A nameless person shot this photo, probably on a 110 camera, with my friend Sue and me off in one corner.

We were 18 and on our first big adventure...a long drive to Long Beach and a boat ride to Catalina Island.

I've known Sue since the fourth grade.
Her mom was like a second mom for me.
Our friendship has survived despite attending different high schools, then her move out of California when we were juniors.

That was over three decades ago.
I really need to take a trip to Catalina again.
And this time I won't wear a silly hat.

Reconnection...

Last year, as I've written about previously, I reconnected with a dear friend I have known since fourth grade.
We kept in touch through moves to different schools, then different states, but lost contact around 2000 or so.
So reconnecting again, stronger than ever, has been incredible.

Too, I reconnected with three women that I had a falling out with for about a year and a half, but women I have known since the early 1980's.
So again, pieces of my heart healed.

I also reconnected with a co-worker I knew in the late 70's.
That has been interesting, and who knows where it will lead.

But yesterday, I got a letter (a REAL letter, not an online version) from a girl I was best friends with since first grade.
We were so close, that we spent every day after school together, and our fifth grade teacher, Miss Barto, actually took us aside one day and told us we really should expand our social activities at recess instead of just walking around the playground holding hands and talking.
Wow.
I remember thinking, uh...why?

It shows how innocent we were, huh?
We weren't concerned with boys or popularity yet.
We weren't worried about make-up or diets or brand names.
I had never even heard a cuss word at that time.
Are kids today more sophisticated or cheated?

Anyway, Anna's letter is such a fun thing to receive.
Her family moved a couple of years later, and she went to a different junior high school, so we discovered different friends and experiences.
By the time she was 23, she was married with three kids.
I was living at the beach, partying, and dating different guys.
We were on different planets.
So we lost contact.

But the connection, the foundation, we built as kids remains.
I mean, I've never been the kind of person who had acquaintances and called them friends.
My friendships are intense, no holds barred.
They are as close as family.
So hearing from Anna further brings another piece of the puzzle back to my heart.
It's phenomenal.

Photo Friday

(click on image to enlarge)
I spent Christmas with these girls again this year, but this pic is from (I think) 2004.
We've been friends since the early 80's.
They're more family than anything else.

Mosaic for Tracie

I think she liked it!


I started a mosaic project for my friend Tracie a couple of years ago.
I got this idea to do a glass-on-glass using shards of stained glass scrap.
I chose greens and reds because Tracie loves jewel tones, but when I started gluing these...they just seemed over-the-top.
I wanted to start over with amber-colored glass, but I couldn't get the pieces off that I had already glued.
Too, truth be told, amber is something I would like, but the project wasn't for me--it was for Tracie, and she likes the bright colors.

Anyway, initially I was going to use a vase, but I found this pretty clear crystal bowl at the thrift store for only $3 because the rim was chipped.
It seemed the perfect foundation.
So, I started gluing, didn't like what I was seeing...
and it sat in my garage for over two years just gathering dust.

This year, I really needed a birthday present but was limited on funds.
It just made sense to use what I had, so I pulled it out and started gluing again.
Initially, it was just too muchy much, but then it somehow just got better and better.

I grouted it in black to simulate the lead on stained glass, which toned it down beautifully.
I added rectangular black opalescent tiles to the top edge to cover the chips.
I took the irregular, organic glass shapes and arranged them on the bowl using a glue that dries clear so the bowl can be illuminated and the flame will shine through.
But let me tell you, irregular shapes on a curved surface...whew, what a puzzle!

Here's the back:

(click on image to enlarge)

Here's the right side.
I made no attempt to form designs on the whole, though that would have been nice.
I did, however, form a flower on this side since I had these teardrop-shaped pieces.


Left side:


And for the front, I followed a section of the bowl that was frosted, and I attached all sorts of charms that represent Tracie--karate girl (she's a black belt), coffee and wine lover, Viking ship (her husband's heritage), a Greek coin (her dad), US Airways button (she used to work there), cross and sand dollar for her Christianity, swimsuit for her former beauty queen title, her love of baseball, pilgrim pig (joke between us), etc.
My mom's comment to this was "wow, it looks like a real artist made that!". Uh, thanks (I think).

(you can click on the image to zoom the detail)


For her birthday cake I usually make a German Chocolate, but since we combined Christmas with her birthday this year, I thought it more festive to make Red Velvet.

I posted about this before. Recipe here.