Sparkly Party Nails

How much do I love this sparkly nail polish by Deborah Lippmann? A lot. It is the perfect girlie party polish. Who wouldn't feel festive when sporting this delightful concoction on her nails? It is hard to resist shiny things, especially as the holidays approach. I am also loving the latest sparkly OPI Muppet collection. Who can argue with the styling sensibilities of the Muppets? Miss Piggy is the ultimate style icon and Fozzie bear was wearing cool hats long before the hipsters appropriated them. One thing is certain, there will be sparkly nails in my future. The holidays are coming and I feel the need for glitter!

Craft Show Good Cheer

We are past the midway point of The One of a Kind Show and things are chugging along splendidly. My booth neighbours are great and luckily I can't hear the continuous loop of Christmas music too clearly from where I am. Not that there is anything wrong with Christmas music. I am, in fact, feeling rather festive but ten days of the same music over and over again can make a girl feel like a bit of a Grinch!

The best thing about these shows is meeting the people who love our aprons. It is always fun to hear people giggling at the sayings and hearing their stories. The other day I had a grandmother, mother and daughter visit my booth. They were all absolutely adorable. Last year the grandma received a Domistyle apron and this year she was buying one for her daughter and granddaughter. I love that three generations of women will be cooking and wearing their aprons together! It is amazing how many people make this show an annual event to have quality time together. I met a mother and daughter who have been coming to the show every year for twenty years. A new mom came solo to treat herself to some quiet wandering time. You can't help but pick up on the good energy at this show. It is easy to feel like I am in a cocoon when doing the crafting and business side of things, but meeting and interacting with the people who actually appreciate the work makes it all worthwhile and so much fun.

If you are planning a trip to the show be sure to drop by, we are at booth R-44 and would love to meet you!

Meeting a Real Baking Beauty

Our Domistyle customers are the sweetest!

I met a lovely Baking Beauty the first day of the One of a Kind Show. She bought an apron for herself, explaining that it was going to be her Christmas gift from her husband.

Our sweet baking beauty revealed that her specialty is coffee cake. She said that it's super easy and a surefire hit every time. I love coffee cake but have never been successful in making one. She said she'd send me the recipe, along with her no fail apple crumble recipe, as soon as she got home. Sure enough, I received the recipes, along with a report that her husband was very impressed with the thoughtful gift he had "selected" for her.

My volunteer booth buddy baked the cake the same evening and raved about how delicious it was. Hopefully she is going to come by and bring me a piece!

Here are the recipes:

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp orange rind (I usually don't add this)

Topping
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I am not a fan of nuts so I usually opt out)
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. butter softened

Preheat the oven to 350F. For the topping, mix together all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. For the cake, mix together sugar, butter, eggs and sour cream until smooth. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda together and add the orange rind. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the sour cream mixture. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into an 8 inch spring-form cake pan and then sprinkle about 1/3 to 1/2 of the topping mixture on top. Add the rest of the batter and smooth over your topping. Sprinkle on the rest of the topping and bake for 30-45 minutes until the center is dry.

And the apple crisp
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
4 apples
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Peel and chop apples and mix with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Mix together the remaining ingredients and crumble over apple mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

Could our customers be any sweeter? I think not! Thank you lovely real life Baking Beauty Sarah!

Men's Aprons Are a Hit!

Our men's aprons are fresh off the grill and they are a hit! Customers have been telling us that they have wanted men's aprons for a while now. We've heard your call and we have obeyed. Our funky designs come in black or brown and feature a wider cut with longer ties to fit the most strapping of manly men. They made their debut at the Circle Craft Christmas Market in Vancouver and we almost sold out. So far the feedback at The One of a Kind has been great. People giggle at Grill God and Will Cook for Beer (a manly take on our women's Will Cook for Shoes apron). No one has balked at my wrapping the men's aprons in hot pink tissue paper. Obviously these are men who can rock an apron, see pink tissue and still feel macho! Grrrowl! If you are looking for a gift for your kitchen god come on down and grab one! We're here until December 4th.

First Thing on my Christmas Wishlist

Good heavens! I saw this magical scarf and my heart stopped beating for a second. How have I never heard of Snoozer Loser before? Their scraves are really speaking to me. I love the antique scissors scarf, which would keep me inspired when working on new apron designs and feeling all crafty. It's important to dress the part! Above all though, the unicorn scarf stopped me in my tracks. Every young girl went through a unicorn phase didn't she? They were so beautiful and mystical and romantic. Sigh. Maybe some of us never outgrew the unicorn phase. Maybe some of us need to revisit it by having a gorgeous cozy unicorn scarf wrapped around our necks. Just saying...

Egg Press Sample Sale

Stop the presses! Egg Press, creators of delightful and witty cards are having an online sample sale until December 2nd. Their card seconds will be sold for $10 for bundles of ten, just in time for the holidays. I have ordered their cards before and love them. I am particularly fond of the Big Foot"you're out of sight" card and their Loch Ness "you're unbelievable" card. I am hoping that their lumberjack (who bears a close resemblance to a hipster) card will be on sale.

I believe that you can never have enough cards on hand. Some unenlightened individuals may call me a card slut. I prefer to call myself organized and prepared.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Thanks Chatelaine! I expect that this recipe I tore out from Chatelaine magazine is going to keep me fueled and healthy for the upcoming One of a Kind Craft Show. I love quinoa, it is chock full of protein and I need something that will be easy to pack and nibble on to keep myself fortified during the long hours at my booth.

Quinoa-Tabbouleh Salad
Bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil in a small pot. Rinse 1 cup of quinoa with cold water then add to the boiling water with a pinch of salt. Simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes.

Dice 1/4 English cucumber and 1 green pepper. Thinly slice 5 green onions and chop a bunch of parsley. Whisk 1/2 cup olive oil with a 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp chili powder.

Add the hot quinoa to the oil mixture and toss, then let cool. When cool, toss with the vegetables and parsley, refrigerate for 1 hour.

Healthy craft show snack here I come!

Yoga Bitch

There is a new book out by Huffington Post contributor Suzanne Morrrison called Yoga Bitch. It is described as a Bridget Jones style, funny and and entertaining journey as she tries to figure out her life while practicing yoga. As a yoga loving gal will I be charmed or annoyed? That is the question.

Free Owl Download

So adorable! I saw these precious free printables on How About Orange and almost started squealing on the spot! I love owls, whoo doesn't (Get it?). What a fantastic idea for a 2012 calendar. I think I will also make some gift tags for Christmas. How adorable would they be tied to a little bag of baked goods? Whoo could resist?

Tasty Thai Soup

I am happy to be back home in my own cozy bed after a long tour of show duty. It was great being in L.A. and Vancouver, I met some delightful people, the shows were a lot of fun but I am pooped! I think I am also coming off an extended sugar high. My daily diet mainly consisted of cookies and chocolate, standard show fare, but I am starting to realize that a girl can't live on cookies alone. As I noshed on sweets in my booth I started to dream of green veggies, hearty soups, and platters of real food that would be chock full of nutrition.

As a result I am beyond excited to be eating a pail of this heavenly Thai soup I found here. It was easy to make and has all the spicy goodness I was dreaming of when I was in my sugar haze. Soothing soupy paradise!

Easy Thai Soup:

In a soup pot heat 1 tbsp oil, add 1 chopped onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, and stir till it is soft. Midway add 1 tsp chopped ginger and stir some more. Add 1-3 tsp red curry paste (I added 3 tsp and lordy! it was hot, maybe tone it down a bit with 2 tsp). Add 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth, half a can of coconut milk, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp turmeric, and 1 tbsp soy sauce.

Bring it to a boil and add some chopped veggies. I had carrots, celery and broccoli but you can use whatever you have. You can also add tofu or noodles if you want to make the soup heartier.

Let it simmer until the vegetables are soft, then stir in the juice of a lime.

It was so yummy and delicious. Just what the doctor ordered for a gal who has been overdosing on sugar!

Bustin' the Yoga Moves

I saw this amazing clip of acrobatic wonderment on Black Eiffel this morning and was blown away. The guy is a flexible dancing pretzel. Looks like he may have invented a new move, the lotus pump. Awesome!

Scarf Tying Demystified

I love scarves but somehow the art of tying them remains a mystery to me. I can do a simple drape and that is about it. Well no longer! I found this amazing public service video on how to wear a scarf on Creature Comforts and I am so excited to be a scarf wearing girlie about town. It's not just for French women and cooler than cool urban chicks anymore. Hurray!