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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Coffee Cups and Mugs...







These are some of the orders for etched glass I have been working on. The first photo is an order I did for my husband's friend. They are the round coffee mugs, which is one of the two most popular glasses I sell. They are etched with the names Tim, Sherry and Jewell.

The next two photos are of an order I did for Isabel, a buyer from my etsy shop. She ordered these for her co-workers, as a going away gift. The square coffee mugs are the other most popular mugs I have in my shop.

The last photo is also another etsy order. This one I was so happy with, it was for Susan, a customer from Florida. She and a group of her friends are getting together for a girl's getaway- and that is what is etched on the mugs. Their names on one side and the place they are going and the year. I was particularly happy with this order. In part, because they look nice, and also because I have always wanted to take a girl's getaway with my own friends. How fun would that be?!

You can find my etsy shop here:     http://www.etsy.com/people/dreamingbythesea

Christmas is not that far away so if you have anyone in mind that would enjoy etched glasses, mugs, plates or bowls, be sure to place your order soon! I am having a special, I will give a 10% discount to a customer who refers someone, until September 25th.

Have a great day!!!

Antoinette


Monday, August 22, 2011

Dominic's 1st Birthday!! No Cake Misadventures Here!!!

chocolate covered Oreos

chocolate anchors
chocolate sailboats, anchors and mermaid


nautical sugar cookies

beginning to decorate the cake

I really did do all of this!!!

tried to make a chain for the anchor

playing on the "beach"


"Aerial" view of the ocean/beach scene

The paper sailboat.

Dominic's banner

Dominic was so excited!!!

My boys!!! Sebastian and Alex helping Alex with his first taste of cake...

Some of you may remember the cake misadventures back in March. Well, I decided that I will continue making cakes but only for my kids. Dominic's 1st birthday was no exception. I decided that instead of trying to grill burgers and hot dogs and all of that, that we would have pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce, salad and garlic bread (of course with homemade garlic spread!). I used what I believe is a family recipe from an old friend for that huge pot of sauce- it called for mild Italian sausage and pepperoni. No ground beef in this one. It was delicious- and nothing was left (which almost made me sad, I kind of hoped there would be leftovers we could eat the next day!) So for the cake adventure...I made this cake using a recipe/idea from Martha Stewart website under Sailboat Birthday cake. Mine was a little different though. I made lemon cake instead of chocolate with whipped cream icing. To the whipped cream (made using heavy cream and sugar) I added some key lime juice and white chocolate. I used food coloring to make it the color "of the ocean", and a little bit I left white so I could make the waves. My friend Stephanie made the lighthouse for me, and I made the sailboat (also found the template for that on the Martha Stewart page with the sailboat cake), the tiny starfish, the silhouettes of the little kid playing, the umbrella and out of chocolate I made the anchors. My husband crushed baking chocolate to resemble rocks at the base of the lighthouse, and my son Alex crushed pecan sandies to resemble the sand. We also made some chocolate covered Oreo cookies and some sugar cookies in different shapes that my friend Stephanie made as well. The main decoration I used was the banner that Stephanie at Parker's Prints made for me a while back. You can see the banner, along with the other one she made for me here: http://parkersprints.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-new-designs.html I am SO PROUD of how the cake turned out, and while it may not be Cake Boss or Amazing Cakes material, it doesn't matter to me. One day my boys will look back and be able to say "my mom made cakes just for us" and know that I did it with all the love in the world. Oh yeah, and it tasted pretty darn good if you ask me.
Last thought: Dominic has been watching me decorate the cake that morning so when we put the cake in front of him that afternoon, he had the biggest smile on his face. I am so happy we were able to get his reaction on camera. He didn't attack the cake and get it all over him- his big brothers put a little in his mouth and that is how he got blue icing on himself. He ate a little bit, but not enough to make him sick of course!


The party was a success, with lots of family and a few friends and one very happy baby.
Almost forgot! These were his invitations! I used coasters from Papetrey Ink and put magnets on the back after I stamped them. Stamps were by Papertrey Ink and Stampin' Up.
My sisters, Paola, Gabriela, my brother, Gianfranco and me with Luciano, Liam and Dominic. Of course, I look like the mom of the group!!! There are 5 more grandchildren, and hopefully one day soon we can have everyone in one place at one time.
Dominic, Liam and Luciano
On a side note, the very next day, which was the day of Dominic's actual birthday, he and I flew to Las Vegas to visit my brother and sisters. The flight was great and the flight attendant even got everyone on the plane to sing him Happy Birthday. It was the first time in years that my sisters, brother and I had all been together in one place at the same time. The last photo is of Dominic and the two youngest members of our family, Liam and Luciano.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Dear Photograph- What A Cool Site!!

I am not exactly sure how I found this website, but it is BY FAR one of the coolest. EVER. It is called Dear Photograph, and here is the description from the main page: take a picture of a picture from the past in the present. Easy enough! One of my very favorite ones is this one: http://dearphotograph.com/post/6958037321/dear-photograph-thank-you-for-everything-we and here is my attempt at one of my own: 

I printed the picture on a little printer that apparently needed new ink cartridges. In it, my mother is holding Dominic when he was maybe 1 week old. He turned 1 July 18th!! 

In any case, you should check out Dear Photograph. If anything, it makes you want to go back in time, look at old photos. Love it!!!