Calorie Free Breakfast

If you didn't know by NOW that i'm a sucker for anything food related, craft or not, then seriously, go back and read a few posts!! :D



So, I couldn't NOT blog about this as i hopped upon the front page of Etsy right now. So cute and funny!! I love it! Shebbo Design has some other fun, and funky pieces as well. Go check them out! :D

Food and Me are Good Friends.

It's AMAZING how scared...okay fine...intimidated Riley was in the kitchen just a couple months ago. Now, it's as though he's turned pro. Reading and following whole recipes, and coming up with these amazing meals, all himself. I find it rather impressive. Above are a few photos of the food greatness i've been partaking in.

Lucky Me!!

Miniatures To Make Even Your Barbie Jealous

I LOVE miniatures of all kinds. You must be used to this by now, and i LOVE food of all kind. {Again, used to it!} So, of course, i had to talk about these ardorable livelike jewelry items. Monica from Mini Mania finds fun miniatures and makes them into jewelry. Cute as a button, aren't they?



How long have you been crafting?

- Other than the typical arts and crafts in school, I've been crafting for a couple of years now. I never thought of myself as crafty or particularly creative, but the more I get into it, the more the ideas flow and it's so much fun! It helps that I am a jewelry person and I love all different kinds of jewelry.



Did you always craft in this genre?

- I started off working with polymer clay, but I eventually decided that I didn't want to work with it as a full-time business. I still work with clay as a hobby though, and I sometimes incorporate it into the kind of jewelry I make today.



Who or what inspires you?

- Besides my love for jewelry, which I've had since I was a kid, I am also attracted to miniatures, sweets, and all things that are cute, bright, cheerful, and happy! These are some of the things that inspire me and that I try to incorporate into the jewelry I make.



What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

- The challenges I've found while trying to turn my craft into a business is pricing my items and dealing with the accounting side. I'd rather make my jewelry, than worry about the numbers part!! I've also never been very good at math so I find this part difficult. Thankfully with the help of spreadsheets and trying to stay organized, things are a bit easier now! :)



PS. I'm originally from the Philippines but have lived in quite a few different countries for most of my life. I'm a TCK (third culture kid!) :)



Head over to her Etsy shop to see more of her adorable work! Just make sure you eat before you do. :)

I can tell you about NC in 6 images...

I returned home from North Carolina a couple of days ago, and it has been quite hard to adjust back to reality after being in a fantasy world [ie: vacation] for 13 days. My trip was definitely an interesting adventure. It was nice to get away, and i enjoyed seeing my friends. I had the best travel buddy, successfully learned how to use the NC bus and train system, and ate and drank a large abyss of wonderful goodies.



Tree.

I believe one of the biggest differences between Florida and North Carolina are the trees. NC had the most amazing trees. There was such a variety, some flowering, some waiting patiently for spring time. This tree captivated me. This tree was found on a nature hike Mel, Camilo and I took in Charlotte.



Jump.

I love this picture. I think it's one of my favorites. This image defines why my friends are so much fun.



Cupcake.

Polka Dot Bakery had THE cutest ad in this local women's newspaper. Just based on the ad alone, i was determined to visit. I was slightly disapointed in the decor of this small, somewhat hidden bakery, but honestly, you MUST visit Polka Dot if your ever in town. The cupcakes were exquisite. Very flavorful. Great presentation. Highly recommended!



Friendship.

I have an obsession with houses. Doll Houses. Cottages. I love any home in a sweet spring time color. Honestly, one of my life's goals is to find and buy the perfect "doll house". There were many in NC that came close. This house was definitely a favorite, plus it had a ledge outside it which was perfect for taking timed images. This was my favorite pose when i was in middle school. Quality pose eh?



Church.

I really wanted to take touristy images, but there weren't really any touristy places in Charlotte. There were dozens of beautiful churches though. I wanted to take pictures in front of them waving and such, but they were just to terrible. I like this perspective of the church much better.



Pizza.

Pizza is one of my favorite foods, but honestly, 80% of pizza places suck. We had pizza three times in NC. Fuel pizza had a really cute atmosphere, but the pizza itself wasn't wonderful. We ate at a yummy pizza place (I'm sorry i can't find the name right now) in South End, close to Uptown Charlotte, and i was quite impressed. On the way back from Asheville Camilo and I stopped at the CUTEST town called Black Mountain. [More about Black Mountain later] and had salad and pizza. It was absolutely delicious. The pizza above is from "My Father's Pizza" place in Black Mountain.

Dinner makes for Happy Bellies.

My friend Riley and I made dinner the other night, well, he watched, and cut onions and i made dinner. I think it turned out REALLY well though. I love that satisfied feeling i get when i eat something wonderful, and that little extra when i know it's healthy too.

To make this brilliant meal;

The beans were soaking over night and then boiled so they were all ready to saute. Saute enough of them to just cover the pan with some Olive Oil until they are brown [this, is the hardest part for me, i am so impatient!]. Then add some onions for flavor. [It doesn't matter if it's red or white].



Just saute up some mushrooms while your boiling broccoli. I like to add loads of garlic, pepper, oregano and pine nuts to mine, and i wait until the mushrooms get just a little brown. [mushrooms i can wait for, maybe because i love them so!] Then i sauted yellow squash and added tomatos just for a few minutes. Now it's healthy and colorful!

Boil pasta in the broccoli water. It saves time and doesn't affect the pasta much. Tonight, i added lemon, fresh Romano cheese i [i mean Riley] shredded, and probably way to much pesto. Pesto, in my opinion goes on EVERYTHING, and in large quantities.



Now serve and your ready to go! The hardest part is not going back for thirds. :)

Enjoy!

Faux Cakes, Faux Calories

When i saw Jenni from Jenni B's shoppe, my 1st two thoughts were "Hey she has my name!" and "Aww cherry cupcakes!!" so why wouldn't those two facts give me enough reason to blog about her? The funny part is that i never realized how large of a fan base Jenni has. Martha Stewart herself asked Jenni to come and show her audience how to make faux treats. Isn't that amazing?



I've been crafting for a long, long time! My mom ran a seasonal craft fair when I was young and she would let my sister and I make crafts to sell. We thought it was a good deal because she would buy the supplies and we'd keep the money! I think my grandma really bought all of our items because she'd feel bad if we didn't sell anything. As far as faux food goes, I've been making it for less than a year.



I get my inspiration from lots of things! I try to get new ideas every day. My mom and I love to look at magazines together and get fun ideas. I've been looking at a lot of cookbooks to find pictures of yummy desserts. I also love shopping and going to craft stores so I just keep and open and creative mind when I'm out and about. My mom also comes up with new and fun ideas once in awhile that she'll share with me.



Selling your products can be so intimidating!! I think because you make them you have a personal attachment to them. And when someone says something critical about something you've made, you definitely take it to heart! After I finished making my first batch of faux chocolate truffles and cream tarts, I thought they were the cutest things in the world! I thought they belonged in every store! I thought up a list of some of my favorite local stores and set out to sell my wares. My mom was even nice enough to come with me for encouragement. We were out all day. And we weren't getting any takers! I was turned down time and time again. But guess what? The last store I went to (as it was closing up) had the nicest owner. She loved it all and bought every sample I had with me and I walked away with a $200 order for more! You never know what's going to happen.




My advice for anyone starting out with new products is to just believe in yourself and what you have to offer others. Make it a great product.

Back in October I had some items listed in my Etsy shop. Nothing fancy and photographs that were, well....lacking. But I thought my products were cute, even though I didn't have any buyers. Then I got an email from a producer of The Martha Stewart Show. I was sooo ecstatic! That was the biggest compliment I could ever receive for my product. She requested that I call her. Two months later I was on the set of the Martha Stewart Show, meeting Martha herself, and showing her how to make my products on LIVE National Television. Wow! I now have my own local crafting show and have been requested to teach some educational classes next Fall.

You really do never know where your path will take you. Carpe Diem (Sieze the Day)! That's my favorite saying right now. Take the gifts your God has blessed you with and use them.





Your are more then welcome to contact Jenni via her Etsy side or her personal website, www.jenniboriginals.com. :)