2011 Resolutions - Part 3

Part 3 - its the last one i promise

11.  have more museum dates....whether its with dave or friends and family.  you would think having an Art History Minor would mean you went to museums all the time...but it doesnt.  i miss going and staring at the art...looking at brushstrokes...texture..smelling the varnish.

12.  finally purchase a good record player so that dave and i can listen to the vinyl we have been collecting.

13.  getting involved in a good Bible study (other than Sunday sermon) and building a good solid Christian foundation for our marrige

14. grow my cake business...Little Green Box Shoppe.  the past few months have been really busy for me....constant bookings...bigger and better cakes.  i feel very blessed that i am getting good business.  many people have been asking me when im going to open an actual shop and make this my full-time gig....i wish i could say soon, but the honest truth is that it wont be for a few years.  with the economy the way it is and where im at in my life....the time is just not right to do it now.  so for now i will continue to research and get everything ready for when i can make that leap....and continue making badass cakes....of course!!

15.  blog more. i started this blog because i was so inspired by reading other blogs and wanted to return the favor to anyone who would read mine.  eventually i would love to have a billion followers and sponsors and all the bells a whistles....but for now i will try and be better at posting stuff for my faithful 11 followers....thanks for reading y'all...it really makes my day when i see that people have looked at my blog!

most of the photos are from weheartit.com 2 of them are my own (the obvious ones)

*bring it on 2011*

2011 Resolutions - Part 2

Part 2

6.  take more pictures.  my ultimate goal is to buy a nice camera (dslr) and lenses...but for now i need to take more pictures with my little point and shoot.

 7.  start playing my violin again....well relearning how to play my violin....its been a while

8.  build forts with blankets and chairs and relax.  i tend to let myself get to busy...borderline workaholic.  i need to make time to take it easy....snuggle with my dave...or read a book, etc

 9.  help dave research and start a music education program/charity for kids.  music is super important to dave and myself and is a great tool to educate and keep kids engaged in somthing positive.....we want to be apart of that

10.  change up my hairs.  my hair style hasent changed in i dont know how long..years.  i dont mean chop it all off....just something different. 

thats all for Part 2....i will post up the last of my goals tomorrow

stay tuned!

 all photos are from weheartit.com



2011 Resolutions - Part 1

over the next couple of days i will be posting my goals for 2011

here goes PART 1:

1. even though i know i am beautiful just the way i am....i need to shed some poundage.  mainly just to be healthy....but also because i dont want to be a chubby bride (lame i know but its true)

2.  plan my wedding and get married to my bestfriend....te amo dave

3.  finish the paintings i have started and maybe do a few new ones.  ive been sewing, knitting, and embroidering all this year and havent really done any painting or drawing...i miss it.

4.  go on a few roadtrips/adventures with friends and family

5. learn to play the ukulele with dave.  he just bought one and now ive got the bug....it would be fun to play little ukulele duets with him.  (how cute is zooey dechanel...she is fab)

stay tuned....more 2011 goals to come!
all photos are from weheartit.com



merry christmas...wow its been a while

sorry y'all....its been a while since i last posted.  thats what the holidays to do ya....makes you forget everything.  this Christmas was pretty quiet.  we didnt do a lot of gift giving because of money....we are trying to save for the wedding and other big stuff coming up so gifts were very minimal.  dave and i went to my moms house for Christmas breakfast/Sis' birthday celebration and then headed over to his family's house to hang out. 

Christmas night we were once again invited to play Christmas Bingo with a close friend's family.  apparently Dave and I are really lucky at Bingo (there really isnt a way to cheat)....the past 3 years in a row we've won multiple times.  This year wasnt any different.....I won twice, Dave won twice, and we both threw a couple games because we felt bad cause we kept winning.  whenever you win a game you get to pick a "bingo present" (everyone brings a couple bingo presents) out of a pile and its fun to unwrap the mystery present....usually fun gag gifts.  this year i brought BaconPop (bacon flavored popcorn which im embarrassed to say is really yummy).  Dave won a candle and a giant...i mean giant zippo lighter.  i wont a plug-in scent warmer from yankee candle and handmade pillow.  always a good time.  dave had family come in to visit from Mexico...we had fun hanging out with cousins.  we had Christmas dinner with  his family on Sunday afternoon/evening.  All in all a good low key Christmas. 

this week at work is pretty quiet to....i guess people took the whole week off.  i found out yesterday that i got a promotion....yea...finally.  i am now a senior records anyalyst.  cant wait to see what my pay adjustment will be....im thankful for anything right now....every little bit helps. 

i also am booked for two cakes this week.  one of them, completed last night, is for a 30 somthing doctor.  the girl who ordered it had no ideas on how to have it decorated so i just came up with something.....that im pretty please with.  what do you think?

i think it turned out ok.  it says man cake.....right?  i have to deliver it tonight....fingers crossed the client will be happy with it.  i have another cake on the books for the end of the week.  the client wants the cake to look like a "Bugatti" car.  i had never heard of this car till i had to look it up to see if i could even do what the client was asking for.  ill post pics when im done....please say a prayer for me....it will be a tough one.

what a short....but full weekend

this weekend i had a cake order for a new client (one who will bring me a lot more business).  the cake requested was a "Gucci duffle bag with money coming out of it."  its kind of an odd order....especially since it was for a man's birthday celebration.  but i decided its better not to ask.  so thats what the majority of saturday was.....making cake look like Gucci.  here is a pic of the bag that the client sent me.....

and this is what i was able to come up with:

the lighting in my kitchen makes the pictures look really yellow (not helped by my vintage "harvest gold" countertops).....but i think i did a good job.  i only painted a few Gucci logos....i did them by hand and there was no way i was going to paint hundreds of them.  it was strawberry flavored cake with big chunks of strawberry pieces baked in, filled with my famous sweet cream icing.

also this weekend....i picked up my custom mucho mucho bueno bueno key necklace.  i believe last week...or maybe the week before Brandi posted on her blog that she was taking custom key necklace orders for the holidays.  i already have, and love, my anchor key necklace from her.....so i jumped at the chance to get mine and my fiance's name on a key. 

dave and i stoped by Brandi's salon on saturday (yea for being close and not paying shipping!) to pick it up....and its awesome!!  Thanks so much Brandi !!!

im so happy she was able to do the tree design.  maybe, after we are married, when we add kids to our little family we can add more keys to our family tree! Brandi....don't stop making keys

thats all i got for now.  ill be back later with xmas wishlist and other fun things!

cake orders from last week

this past week i did an order of custom cupcakes with hand painted "diva toppers" with piped "24s."  they were vanilla cupcakes topped with strawberry preserves, fresh strawberries and white chocolate sweet cream frosting. 

i also had a baby shower cake for a sweet friend of mine, erica.  she is doing an orange nursery theme for her lil boy....and she also has a love for owls.  so i based the cake on the invitation which had a mama and baby owl on it and very simple/angular trees.  it was dark chocolate cake with raspberry and chocolate filling.  

i think they turned out pretty good and my customers were pretty happy....so i declare them a success.  what do you think?

xoxo

-erin

invitation love

i am absolutely in LOVE with Rifle Paper Co. (Anna Bond) and her beautiful custom wedding invitations.  unfortunetly, i could never afford her custom invitation suites but man they are so lovely and very fitting to my personality.  i mean just look.....

there are more wonderful pictures of her custom work on her website if you want to check out more from Rifle Paper Co.  She also makes beautiful birthday invitations, greeting and special occation cards. 

since our budget would never allow such pretties....and i have pretty good artistic talent i might try and make an invitation suite inspired by this wonderful artist.....not copy....but inspired by.  i like the very simplistic and unique style.....very charming.  ill show you sketches when i have time to get some ideas together. 

xoxo

-erin

o yea....IM ENGAGED!!

last wednesday night (the night before thanksgiving) dave proposed! 

we have been together for 2.5 years and were best friends for 3+ years before that....so if you look at the big picture its not at all surprising that we are getting married.  i, however, was surprised on the timing.  he had been telling me for some time that we/he wasn't ready yet...which i can respect.  but it was a lie. 

how it went down:

we had been planning for about a week or so to go have a nice romantic date night at "our" restaurant (Mango Tree Thai Bistro)....but for some reason we could not go.  so instead we went to a nice place by my house called Canyon Cafe.  The weather was nice so we sat outside and enjoyed a great meal.  afterwards we went and got some tea at the Starbucks and went back to my house.  the plan, or so i thought, was to hang out on the patio.  dave was going to study for an upcoming certification test and i was going to crochet granny squares for an afghan, but instead we ended up chatting about us and what we want our future to be like.  i got up to get something to drink from the kitchen and when i sat back down he pulled a little wooden box out of nowhere....opened it and asked me to marry him.  after i caught my breath i of course said YES and then cried at him for alittle while....what can i say im a total cream puff.

it was magical....i loves him so much!

so needless to say my blog may have quite a bit of wedding stuff...plans...inspiration...etc on it for the next year.  i will make an effort not to completely make this a wedding blog...because i still like my crafty stuff, but prepare yourself. 

xoxo

-erin

its good to be reminded from time to time...

i complain every once in a while about not having enough money or not having the nicest things, but i try and remind myself that i am truely blessed to be where i am and have what little i do have. 

we are coming up on Thanksgiving.  what are you thankful for?

xoxo

-erin

meet my new winter coat

this is a totally not going to be an interesting post but i wanted to share because im excited about it.  last weekend old navy was having a big coat sale and i scored myself a beautiful white wool duster/trench peacoat. 

isnt it lovely?  plus who could complain about getting a $90 coat for $45? no one thats who.  on top of all of that it fits like a dream.  usually i find coats that fit ok....the arms are usually too short or wonky in the chest and shoulders....but not this time.  the cut is perfect.  i also bought a white knit beanie to wear with it.  i wish i had bought the red fedora i found last year...it would look awesome with this coat.

now if it would just get cold outside.  the high today in Houston 75....thats with no sun.  the high for tomorrow.....85.  eww.....just plain wrong for mid November. 

whats your winter wardrobe looking like? anything fun?

xoxo

-erin

tombstones, owls and a belly

it occured to me that ive done a few cakes in the past couple of weeks and i hadnt showed ya'll yet....sorry about that.  about a week or so ago (halloween) i made a birthday cake for the lovely miss. shelby, a halloween baby.  she requested a halloween themed birthday cake for her costume party.  so i decided to make a tombstone and grave cake.  i think it turned out pretty cool....she loved it!

the cake was a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, then coated in oreo cookie "dirt."  the tombstone was a giant rice crispy/crunch berries treat, that i carved to look like a tombstone, and then covered in a marbled fondant.  and of course,you cant have a grave cake with out a skeleton hand coming out.....shelby totally dug it....she was comparing her hand to it to see if it was accurate....so funny.

next up was my good friend erica's family baby shower cake/cupcakes.  they wanted a smallish preggy belly cake and cupcakes with an owl theme.  so this is what i came up with.

Mocha cake with sweet cream filling
Photo courtesy of Sara Van Buskirk

gumpaste tulips turned into owls (hey you gotta make due with what you got sometimes)



Gumpaste owls and leaves, hand piped with royal icing
Photo courtesy of Sara Van Buskirk

 

I think everything turned out ok....what do you think? ive been pretty busy with cakes recently, which from a business standpoint is great, but at the same time I have a full time job in addition to my cakes and its tiring.  I love making cakes...each cake is unique and different and presents new challenges.....which is one of the main reasons i am drawn to do them.  if you haven't checked out my website already i would love to have you visit http://www.littlegreenboxshoppe.com/ or click on the portfolio tab at the top. If you live in the Houston area and are interested give me a call!

xoxo

-e

10 things about me

 1. i am a Harry Potter nut....no really.  i cant even count how many times ive read, listened, and watched the books/movies.  im totally geeking out over HP7P1 movie....less than 20 days!!

2. i heart yarn, knitting, crocheting and yarnbombing....what can i say...i got it from my momma

3.  i make custom cakes and cupcakes....visit my website at http://www.littlegreenboxshoppe.com/



4. i collect tin lunchboxes....i have around 100 now...give or take a few

5. i love feathers and all things native american....my fam has indian blood somewhere down the line.  but i mainly just find it very beautiful and natural

6. i was a hippie in a previous life....i dont really believe in that sort of thing....i just really love the mellow/natural/flowy style

7.  i heart tattoos...it was always a dream of mine to be a tattoo artist....maybe one of these days

8.  ive collected hello kitty my whole life....i cant help it she is too dang cute.  i dont have nearly as much stuff as some people ive seen on the internet.....i limit myself to a few things here and there.

9. i dont like donuts....i know thats weird...but i just cant eat them

10. i have the most amazing boyfriend....whom i loves very much

thats all for now.  i will from time to time post other "10 things about me" episodes. all photos, except dave's, are from weheartit.com 

xoxo

-erin