Monday, January 31, 2011

More cake wrappers

Good day family and friends,

Well as usual I did not find the time to post a new wrapper every day like I wanted to.  I have to leave for work in  a few minutes, so this post will be shorter, but I wanted to post a new wrapper.  Here ya go.


Monday, January 24, 2011

More cupcakes

Greetings friends and family,

Well, I am finally able to add to this blog.  We just finished inventory at my day job and I haven't had time to do anything creative.  I have finally finished my cupcake wrappers.  I was going to post all 50 pics, but I figured everyone would stop following me if I made you scroll through all 50.  So, I figured if I did one per day it would also make me keep updating more than I do.  I am also going to start selling my sugar flowers.  They are made out of sugar gum paste basically like a Necco wafer.  I have to ship a couple to test before I can start listing them on my website so see about breakage as they are fairly fragile.   I also do sell my cupcaks in the local area for only $2.50 each.  Flavors include chocolate, vanilla, champagne cake with raspberry filling. carrot, red velvet or chocolate peanut butter.  Irrisistable with a little sugar rose on top or what have you.  Great for weddings, children's parties or a great thank you for that business partner.  The wrappers are 20.00 for a dozen and can be customized for your colors.  Ok, here goes the first pics of the sugar flowers and liners.




Happy baking
Never let go of your dream
A dream is a wish your heart makes and mine is full.

Friday, January 21, 2011

cupcake wrappers, cupcake wrappers

Greetings friends,

Well we have had a busy week.  Mom has been sick with a bout of minnears disease and she is down for the count.  She had her cataracts done which was a success so far but this disease is taking its toll.

On a happier note, I am making steady progress with my entire collection of cupcake wrappers.  I am halfway through the entire 50 wrappers for the collection.  I  have the day off with no big plans (shocker) and the kids have no school so I should be able to finish the rest of them since I have a new blade for my machine.  All I have to do next is embelish the ones I want to and then pictures, post them on my etsy site and blog and wait for the orders to pour in (again, wishful thinking).  I also found a new site for anyone who has not heard of it, it is Martha Stewart Dreamers into Doing.  This looks like an amazing site and I just joined it last night.  Check it out if you have never heard of it.

I am still trying to decide who to spotlight next for the family and friends spotlight.  I will post it tomorrow, so check back.  Here are some new product spotlights.

Handpainted little wooden bench



Small wooden bench handpainted with roses galore. This will fit a little teddy bear or that beloved childhood doll. This sweet bench measures 13" high x 12 1/2" wide x 8 inches deep.








Wooden courting bench




Wooden little rocking chair



Small wooden rocker handpainted with roses galore. This will fit a little teddy bear or that beloved childhood doll. This sweet rocker measures 12" high x 6" wide x 8 inches deep. All handmade in oak.

Monday, January 10, 2011

The chill of creativity

Greetings friends.  Well, I haven't kept up on my blog every day, but I am now gearing up for at least twice a week.  I have been busy working on some new crafts and cookies.  I got a cricut machine for Christmas and have discovered a cartridge for cupcake wrappers.  I love the look of them and am having a blast making them.  I am going to be selling them for 12.00 per dozen and I also have toppers that are a dozen for 6.00.  I can make them coordinating to any colors you need.  If you live in the Bradenton/Sarasota area I can also make you the cupcakes.  Someday I hope to open a bakery but have to wait until kids are out of school and the economy gets a bit better.  My flavors are a white champagne cake with raspberry filling, chocolate cake with Bavarian cream filling, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting or red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

I also made some Tarelles cookies.  I have a cake boss cookbook with some old Italian recipes.  So I decided to tackle the first recipe in the book and it was the Tarelles cookies.  Unfortunately they called for pastry flour but it has to be ordered on the Internet.  No problem.   So i got the flour in yesterday and made the cookies today.  They came out pretty good, but they were really great after I added the lemon glaze and some sprinkles to them.  I am going to sell them for 6.00 per bag.  There are approximately 2 dozen in each bag and they make a great gift.  They ship well, so you can purchase them and I will send them to you.  Here are some pics of the new products.  Make sure you scroll down to the family/friends profile to see who I have chosen this week.  You will be pleasantly inspired.


Tarelles cookies










Family/friends spotlight


The Leary's




The Leary's are a special family.  The woman in the picture is my cousin, Kerry Ann.  The man is her husband Jay and the beautiful little girl is Molly.  We lovingly call her Molly Moo.  Molly was born on May 4, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts.  She was born with a heart defect and heterotaxy syndrome.  That is when her inside organs are in a different position than they should be to explain it simply.  She has been such a courageous little girl and has faced more obstacles than any one does in their entire life.  She has had several open heart surgeries and has had to have a feeding tube placed and she now has a tracheotomy with a ventilator.  She finally got to go home after 8 long months but had to be recently hospitalized again with a stomach bug and dehydration.
But everyone forgets everything when she smiles and lights up the whole room.  Her parents have been extraordinarily strong right beside her every step of the way, but that is what makes exceptional parents when you have such a sick child.  You drop everything in your life to keep your little girl as healthy and happy that's possible.  When life gets you down, just remember Molly and any insignificant problems will seem petty compared to what this family has had to go through.  I will try to keep updates on this blog periodically.  


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Focus on the products

As I sit here thinking about what to post on my blog, (I love that word) I was thinking about what I most want to focus on.  My life in general is not that exciting and I really want to focus this year on creativity.  I hope to return to doing this full time and I have been racking my brain on how to go about it.  I think the most important part of that is networking and marketing.  If I don't set aside some time every day to make something I feel a little off kilter for the whole day.  I have finished reading the cookbook and memoirs of The Cake Boss.  He is the baker on TLC's The Cake Boss.  As I read his book it reminded me alot of the stories that my mother tells us of her Portuguese heritage.  Even though Buddy (The Cake Boss) is Italian it still was very similar to my mother's side of the family.  When I get a new cookbook I always make the first recipe in the book  no matter what it is.  So I start with Tarelles (vanilla cookies).  I had to send away for pastry flour, but as this is a main ingredient in most of the recipes I think this will  come in handy.  When I make them I will  post them to this blog.  Here are some new posts


Vintage inspired bonnets



I love the old fashioned bonnets and when my niece found out she was expecting I went on the hunt for bonnets and found.... none. So, I decided that there was a need for them after speaking with other moms who had the same need. No two bonnets are alike since I get bored making the same ones. some have pearls, some are mostly white, some mostly pink, but all are exquisite as I have been told. The are all made out of batiste and have adjustable backs and luxurious ribbons and bows. They are fully lined in batiste for added comfort. These bonnets will fit babies from newborn all the way up to 18 months and beyond. I hope you will enjoy them for years to come and they can be handed down from generation to generation.






Medical student tshirt


This little design is perfect for your favorite medical student. It is shown stitched on a green shirt, but it is better on a white shirt. Just let me know what size shirt you need and if you would like it personalized. At just 20.00 don't let this one slip away.








Porcelain Heart Plaque




This lovely heart or flower plaque looks just like an expensive Lenox piece, but at only $8.00 anyone can enjoy this dish. 
This hand painted plaque is lovely in that little narrow wall that just needs something. It has assorted beads as the handle and is just the right size. It is handpainted in pink or blue and would make a wonderful shower, housewarming gift or just a token of love. The pictures don't do this one justice. All of my glassware is painted with enamel glass paint, then baked for lasting beauty and everything is fully handwashable. Available in pink or blue or flower shaped with pink roses.



Well, that is about it for now.  I will post tomorrow.  Comment me if you have any questions.  You can also look at many more designs on my website at www.kristykreations.etsy.com

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Mostly spotlights

Well, I don't have much to post today so I am just going to post some products as that was the reason for starting this blog anyway.   I did go to the new Harry Potter movie yesterday.  I thought it was very good except that it left me hanging until the next  one but I had to be warned that this would be the case.  Well, here is the new products.



This hand painted trifle dish is the perfect combination of function and beauty. What a beautiful way to showcase your favorite dessert. Clear glass dish is painted with roses all around the entire bowl. This would make a wonderful shower or housewarming gift. A full 9 inches tall, it is completely hand washable and the paint is baked on for lasting beauty. 

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Lots and lots of bread

Today is New years day and I hope everyone has a great new year.  Today my brother, Russ and his wife Angie came over for dinner.  They spent Christmas in Michigan and so we celebrated Christmas tonight.  I decided to make my own bread and the recipe said it would make 24 rolls.  I must have make the rolls smaller than they were supposed to because it made double that and now we have lots and lots of bread. We set up our Netflix account tonight and I am watching the movie Julie/Julia.  It seems funny to me watching a movie about a woman who started a blog about cooking through Julia Child's cookbook while I have started a blog about crafting and cooking. Oh well, nothing more than that happened today.  Tomorrow working from 11 to 8:30 and then I will post a new blog message.  Scroll down to my new product spotlight for today.


Product spotlight


Handmade Christening dress






If I had to choose but one item I am most proud of, this is it. I have always wanted to make a christening dress, but I wanted to do it so stunningly that people would gasp. This is it. I debuted this at an art show recently and got nothing but ooohs and aaahs. The gown itself is made of the best quality bridal satin I could get my hands on. It is completely lined in batiste for the comfort of the baby. I have trimmed it with exquisite laces and adorned the top of the gown with swarovski crystals for that added bling. The showpiece of the gown is the jacket. It is made with bridal veil material and the back and the bottom of the front is heavily adorned with tiny pearls, sequins and beads and heavily embroidered also. I have also added all sorts of luxurious ribbons, bows, rosettes and pearls. It comes with a handmade satin bonnet that I have added additional beads, ribbons and laces. As if that wasn't enough, I also made satin bloomers that are lined with batiste. It is generously sized for anywhere between a 3 month old to a 9 month old. There is so much to this gown that I can't put in words. If you have any questions about this gown or any of my other products, please feel free to contact me.



Eleanor Saul   born February 7.





My mother, Eleanor, is my best friend.  She has helped me, guided me and loved me more than anyone I know.  She has had a lot of challenges in her life especially now.  She suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and has problems with walking and getting around.  She tries her best but with alot of people with illnesses depression becomes a major issue. She is working through it and I know she will come out of the other side stronger.  Her and my father has come to live with my husband, kids and I and even though this is not an ideal situation for her and my father, it has become the best decision that was made.  It has been a source of joy and immense help to have them here and she loves spending  time with her grandchildren.  On January 11, 2010 she had a hysterectomy and unfortunately due to her diabetes, her wound never closed and she was on a wound vac for 4 months.  This would have brought another woman to her knees, but she persevered and has made a full recovery and is cancer free.  She is of Portuguese descent and is very proud of her heritage.  I love her more than she knows and I cannot envision my life without her.  On January 13th of this year she will have cataract surgery and I know she is nervous but again, I know she will handle that with the strength she has shown with everything else.