Dollop Book of Frosting.... and dogs.

Two good friends had birthdays this weekend and I wanted to get them something special. I have been shopping local for birthdays and this time I found a gift that is unique and "local". Heather Saffer who once owned the Penfield Dollop Cupcakes, and winner of Cupcake Wars, wrote a frosting cookbook "The Dollop Book of Frosting". It's packed full of creative, delicious looking recipes for frosting.

Heather has a super cute pup named Donald that she adopted from Rochester Animal Services. She posts adorable pictures of Donald on her Instagram feed and blog. Donald's Happy Tails story is even featured in the Verona Street Animal Society newsletter! It got me thinking. Pups and sweet tooth cookbooks go hand in hand (in my mind).

After I gave my friends, Nancy and Tina, each their cookbook, I asked them to take a picture of it with their pooches. Here is Ace and The Dollop Book of Frosting.

Ziva and the Dollop Book of Frosting.

Oscar, Hugo and the Dollop Book of Frosting.

I haven't even made a recipe from the book yet, and I am enamoured. I like to flip through the pages like a magazine, admire the photos, think about which recipes I will make and how I will enjoy the frosting.

With the holidays coming up "The Dollop Book of Frosting" would make a great gift. Especially paired with a cute spatula or whisk! I love gift themes!

I start a cutting garden - sort of

I have had it in my mind for some time now that I needed a cutting garden. A cutting garden is a spot where you grow flowers expressly for the purpose of cutting them for flower arrangements inside.

(images from Country Living & www.thegardenersworkshop.com)

I love having flowers in the house and once vowed for year to always have an arrangement at all times. In the interest of not breaking the bank and also enjoying something I grew myself, a cutting garden seemed like the perfect plan.

There is even a book The Cutting Garden all about the topic.

This spring, I finally had Aaron talked into it. He dug up a corner of the yard along our path and we planted some seeds and some small plants. I know what you are thinking. That does not look anything like the cutting gardens I have linked to.

Well, it's a start. I am hoping it fills in a bit more next year and I already have plans to add to it. Baby steps.

Of the few flowers I did get they were beauts.

Love the color!

There were so few flowers I felt really guilty cutting them off for an arrangement and leaving the corner bare. So I only cut one and boy I think it looks great. (Garden book in the background for inspiration!)

Birthday Week

I got some pretty sweet Birthday Week gifts from Aaron this week!

A foodie graphic novel!

An apron for morning juicing.

Very excited for this! I love learning new things! Aaron got one too so we can take it together! I am a lucky gal!

Jane Austen Marvel Comic Books

i was at the comic book store with my friends Aprille and Joel when I found Jane Austen Marvel comics! I got all five issues of Sense and Sensibility. I love that Marvel did this.

There is also Pride and Prejudice and Emma. So cool!

Chick 'n' Pug

We don't have kids but sometimes a children's book comes along that we just have to have. Chick 'n' Pug falls in that category.

The pug illustrations are spot on.

Mr.Snuggles in the book looks jsut like another pug we know. A pug that has cottage cheese on his chin. Hah!

Ljc's Holiday Gift Guide - Music, Movie & Reading

Here are some suggestions for a media themed Valentine's Day gift!

There aren't many albums where I like every song, but Florence and the Machine's Lungs is one.

Young Victoria is an excellent love story for Valentines. The costumes! *sigh*

This is a great book for a Valentine's gift not just because it has cute short stories from real life NY Times food writer Amanda Hesser but it has recipes from Amanda that you can try out yourself!

Big winner via Martha

I was a big winner on Twitter! I entered the @CraftsDept #MarthaBlogger Sweeps and won this Martha Stewart sewing book!

It will be put to good use!

I also entered the @dailywag #marthablogger sweeps and won a box of goodies for Oscar!

Oscar was beside himself with his good fortune. Aren't the colors nice? Now he can nom nom in style!

More Julie and Julia

I went to see Julie and Julia a couple weeks ago with my peeps. I loved it. I almost yelled when Amander Hesser (NY Times food writer and author of Cooking for Mr. Latte see blog post here) appeared on screen as herself! I also think you could create a drinking game where you take a drink every time butter appears or is mentioned.

After the movie I started reading the book Julie and Julia. I know some people thought Julia's story in the movie was great but felt Julie's was weak, but I loved the Julie storyline too... because she is a blogger. I could relate to so much of her storyline. The book Julie & Julia definitely has less of Julia in it so I got My Life in France to read alongside.

I really meant to look for a used version of Julia Chlld's infamous cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but everyone must have been thinking the same thing as me because I couldn't find it in the used bookstores. So I had to get a new version with the little movie ad wrap. Oh well!

One of these days I will make something tasty from it!

Julie & Julia

I can't wait to see Julie & Julia! I picked up the book to read in the meantime...

Reading about eating

It all started with this book, "Cooking for Mr. Latte". I read an article by NY Tmes food writer Amanda Hesser about how she prepared meals for flying and it was enough to make me get this book. (I'm not sure why there are two different book covers out there) I like to read about her cooking adventures and run ins with foodies, of which have convinced me I am not a true foodie. There are some hard core foodies out there. The book is a collection of stories around food and cooking during the time she met her boyfriend Mr. Latte. Each story is accompanied by recipes of the food mentioned.

Amanda mentions Julia Child frequently which led me to to this book Julie and Julia based on the blog called The Julie/Julia Project. Julie Powell started the blog as a record of her plan to set her life right by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".

The hardcover is called "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen" and the soft cover is named "Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously". Again I am baffled as to why this is but I digress.

Julie Powell's book has been combined with Julia Child's book "My Life in France" to create the movie Julie and Julia.

The movie chronicles both Julie's endevours (played by Amy Adams) and the life of Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep). I can attest that reading about food and watching movies about food can make you very hungry. I am looking forward to this movie though, because as my mom says, "Meryl never disapoints".

The Host

I finished Breaking Dawn on my flight to China so now I am reading Stephanie Myer's The Host. Very different but okay. So far I haven't figured out what makes it an adult book and the Twilight Series young adult.

I also heard that the first twelve chapters of midnight sun were leaked online. I felt really bad for Stephanie about that but was also thrilled when she posted them to her site also so I could read them somewhat guilt free. . It's Twilight told from Edward's perspective.

Breaking Dawn goodies

Goodies from the Breaking Dawn party.

Breaking Dawn

Got my copy of Breaking Dawn at midnight. I was 16th in line! I gotta make this one last. Can't stay up all night reading. This book has to last a flight to Beijing on Wednesday!

Twilight series

A little more on my new Twilight addiction. I picked up "New Moon" Thursday night and finished it this morning.

Grabbed "Eclipse" while waiting in line at Wegmans knowing I would need it next.

I've decided we are going to the midnight book party on August 1st to get a copy of "Breaking Dawn".

I had to rush out and get a copy of Entertainment Weekly because Edward and Bella from the upcoming Twilight movie were on the cover.

Can't wait til December 12 when the movie is released.

I gave Twiight to Aaron to read which has been kind of annoying as he is snickering and guffawing his way through. "...his ocher eyes scorching... Bah hah hah!" I have had to threaten to take the book away from him on several occasions.

Here are two thoughts I had. If you haven't read the first two books yet, stop here... spoilers ahead.

#1 Bella is so set on becoming a vampire. But hasn't it occured to her that if she does, some of Edward's attraction to her may be diminished? The scent of her blood that is so appealing to him will be gone once she is a vampire right? I am just guessing here.

#2 More of a rant than a question... she doesn't want to marry Edward? Is she INSANE?! Geez.

Man. I am so addicted.

It's weird how sometimes I notice certain things popping up everywhere. (ew bad pun)

A few weeks ago I went to see a pop up book exhibit at RIT with Aprille and her husband. It was so cool, there were giant examples of the different sorts of techniques.

Soon after I saw a commercial for Lexus where the car is in a pop up book. Then I saw another commercial for TGI Fridays with a pop up menu. Recently Fergie came out with a video where she is inside a pop up book.

But the best one.... my favorite show... Pushing Daisies had an episode where they suspected a pop up book author of murder. Some of his books were "The Pop Up Book of Sports Related Deaths" and "Pop Up Pin Up". I love that show.

Weeks after everyone else got their Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I finally have mine.

I bought my first Harry Potter in London and all my copies after that were the British versions. So even for the last installment, I held back from going out at midnight to get a US copy. Aaron had a hook up for the edition I wanted and he got it today.

It's going to be hard to get stuff done now.

Now it must be obvious that I am pretty busy most of the time. And when you are busy all the time, things fall through the cracks. 

I was reading through the sessions that are going to be at BlogHer and I noticed that Kathy Cano Murillo was going to be there. Then it hit me. Over a year ago Crafty Chica sent me a copy of her book Art de la Soul so I could read it and blog about what I thought. Ewwww yeah... never got around to that. Goodness knows what happened... but how horrible that I forgot. 

Anywhooo, I did read it and it is awesome. I even made my friend Kenn from Mexico City read it and he oohed and ahhed over it. It made me want to do some sort of crafts that reflect my half Korean heritage. It's hard not to get excited over her vibrant and colorful craft ideas. 

Now that I am on a roll... here is a shout out to Threadbared. I read Mary's blog for quite awhile and she sent me a copy of her book when it came out too. It is hilarious and now I can't throw out any of the old knitting and sewing magazines I have sitting around.

There... I feel so much better now.

I am looking forward to going to Sit & Knit this week. Between traveling and concerts I haven't been in awhile.

Since Aaron usually comes with me I like to encourage him to do something crafty too. He did make a stupid sock creature a bit ago. 

I think he should try knitting too. And I saw just the book for him. Men Who Knit & the Dogs Who Love Them. Could that be anymore perfect? I totally think he and Oscar need matchy matchy knitted sweaters!

I picked up the book I keep seeing everywhere, Simple Sewing. There are some really nice projects inside.

I need to keep my eye out for cute fabrics.

It starts with one and the next thing you know you find yourself dragging your friends into toy stores everywhere. It is so hard to resist these little figures. I just got two new Kid Robot Dunnys and a Tokidoki Cactus Friend.

So I may not be bringing home many plastic bags, but now all the plastic is in the form of vinyl toys. At least they don't get thrown out.

I take some comfort in knowing I am not the only one... I found three books on the subject at Amazon.

I Am Plastic: The Designer Toy Explosion
Vinyl Will Kill: An Inside Look At The Designer Toy Phenomenon
Full Vinyl: The Subversive Art of Designer Toys