My June Birch Box

A while ago I stumbled across the monthly Birch Box subscriptions and signed up to receive my little beauty finds in the mail. What the heck... for $10 a month including shipping, I thought I'd try it out!

Well, here it finally is, my June Birch Box content! It arrived safely at my house about two weeks ago, and I even had time to grab my camera and take pictures of everything as I was opening the box. I already loved the bright pink box in the mail :)

Vor einer Weile bin ich auf die monatliche Beauty Abo von Birch Box aufmerksam geworden und habe es einfach mal bestellt. Für $10 pro Monat (inkl Porto) kann's doch nicht schaden, oder nicht?

Und jetzt kann ich Euch endlich mal zeigen, was in meiner Juni Birch Box drin war! Sie ist vor ca. 2 Wochen heil bei mir zu Hause angekommen und ich hatte sogar Zeit meine Kamera zu schnappen und beim öffnen Fotos zu machen. Die schöne Box in knallpink gefiel mir auf Anhieb :)

BTW you won't see many beauty posts from me here! At least I can't envision myself doing a lot of that, but you never know what will float my boat in the future :) It might be hair coloring products as my grey hairs have been sprouting all of a sudden and they are REALLY visible when you have black hair! That's so sad :(

Uebrigens werdet Ihr hier wohl nicht so viele Posts über Pflegeprodukte, Make Up usw von mir sehen. Auf jeden Fall kann ich mir das nicht vorstellen, aber wer weiss was mich so in der Zukunft bewegen wird, nicht wahr? :) Vielleicht sollte ich lieber über Haarfarben aus der Tube berichten, da ich ganz plötzlich immer mehr graue Haare auf meinem Schopf finde. Und bei meinen schwarzen Haaren, sieht man sie leider SEHR deutlich! Wie traurig :(

Everything about the packaging was already cute and pretty, including the plain brown Kraft Paper box with the pink logo.

Die Verpackung war echt niedlich, zuerst alles in knallpink und dann hält man so eine schöne Naturfarbene Box mit dem pinken Logo in der Hand.

I was trying to get a peak online to see what June's content would be about, but I couldn't find anything. Or maybe I was the only one who couldn't find it? June apparently appealed to the Jet Setter Girl's heart.

Ich wollte unbedingt wissen was denn ich denn in der Juni Box erhalten wuerde, aber online ist da nichts zu finden. Oder vielleicht war ich die einzige, die nichts finden konnte? Auf jeden Fall war Juni fuer die Reisenden unter uns gedacht.

So here were my June items:

Hier sind also meine Juni Schaetze:

Juliette has a gun not a perfume

$85 for 50 ml

I'm a little weird when it comes to my perfumes... I really don't like too many scents and often don't wear any at all. I love very light, fresh, citrussy kind of scents, such as Happy from Clinique. So I didn't like this one. I drive my friends nuts when I tell them that their perfume, lotion, scented hand sanitizer, etc. stinks :) Really, stinky scents give me a major headache! Something I inherited from my mom. I used to think she was crazy and OMG now I am that crazy lady! At least I'm honest right? :))  Loved the packaging though.

Ich bin schon ein wenig eigen wenn es um Perfuems geht... ich mag wirklich nur wenige und benutzte ganz oft gar nichts. Wenn, dann liebe ich ganz leichte, frische und zitronenartige Parfuems so wie Happy von Clinique. Dieses Parfuem mochte ich leider gar nicht. Ich nerve meine Freunde immer wenn ich ihnen sage, dass ihr Parfuem, Handcreme, etc. total uebel riecht :) Ich kann ja nichts dafuer dass ich von einigen Geruechen richtig Kopfschmerzen kriege! Leider etwas, dass ich wohl von meiner Mami geerbt habe. Ich habe frueher immer gedacht sie waere verrueckt aber Oh Gott nun bin ICH diese verrueckte Frau! Wenigstens bin ich ehrlich, oder nicht? :)) Aber sehr huebsch verpackt war die Parfuemprobe schon!

CleanWell Hand Sanitizing Wipes... 

$3.98 for 10 wipes... honestly I don't think I'd spent $4 on wipes even though they smell like Sage, if I can get them for much less. Or just use hand sanitizing gel. Would you?

Diese Wipes sind etwas zu teuer fuer mich. Diese Tuecher riechen zwar schoen nach Salbei aber fuer nur 10 Tuecher fast $4 ausgeben wenn man andere viel billiger kriegt? Nee, das ich kann ich mir nicht vorstellen. Wuerdet Ihr so viel ausgeben?

Stila One Step Bronze

$36 for 1 fl oz

Now this one I am excited to try. I haven't yet since I'm still happy with my Clinique tinted SPF. I have very oily skin though and this is supposed to help control some of that shine. Sign me up for shine control!!

Still expensive though, no?

Hier endlich etwas, worauf ich mich freue es mal auszuprobieren. Hab ich leider noch nicht, da ich im Moment etwas von Clinique benutze und es noch nicht alle ist. Ich habe allerdings ziemlich oelige Haut und dieses Produkt soll damit helfen.

Trotzdem etwas teuer, oder nicht?

Tili Bags Small Collection

$8.49 for 12 quart size bags.

I will definitely use this, as I have to travel to Cleveland in 2 weeks. It's to stash your liquids when traveling by air so that you have a cute and pretty bag instead of the ziplock freeze bag that everyone else uses.

"Free" - ok, but would I spend almost $9 to stash my tiny little liquid containers in a trendy bag?

What can I say... I'm cheap!! :)

Also ich werde diese Tuete garantiert benutzen, denn ich muss in 2 Wochen nach Cleveland fliegen. Diese sollen die kleinen Tuetchen ersetzen die man nun braucht, wenn man Fluessigkeiten mit auf den Flieger nehmen moechte. Weil es "umsonst" ist - klaro benutze ich es, aber fuer nur 12 Tuetchen fast $10 auszugeben, nur damit man eine huebsche Tuete hat?
Nennt mich ruhig geizig, aber nee das wuerde ich nie machen!! :)

theBalm Cosmetics Staniac

$17 for 0.3 fl oz

This is supposed to be a lipstick and blush in one. Don't be afraid of that bright color, at first I thought I would never ever try this one on my cheek, but it's actually not as bright as it looks. You actually just get a beautiful stain on your lips, not too dark, not too soft. I still have to use a lipgloss over it as my lips are dry, but maybe you are one of those lucky people with magically non dry lips. (I'm jealous)

Dieses schoene Teilchen soll gleichzeitig als Lippenstift und Rouge dienen. Keine Angst vor der Farbe, die wirklich sehr knallig aussieht. Aber aufgetragen ist sie wirklich sehr schoen und matt und ueberhaupt nicht kraeftig. Auf meinen Lippen brauche ich darueber noch einen Lipgloss, da ich wirklich trockene Lippen habe. Vielleicht seid Ihr ja eine von den gluecklichen Menschen, die keine trockenen Lippen haben!

So what is my conclusion? For now I am sticking with my subscription, my July box should actually ship very soon. We'll see what the next few months bring :) So far I can tell you it was fun opening the cute little box and seeing what's inside! If I liked a product, I can actually order it from the Birchbox website with free shipping during the box month, so that's a nice benefit.

Fazit? Ich bleibe erstmal bei der Abo dabei. Meine Juli Box sollte bald unterwegs sein, also schaue ich erstmal was ich in den naechsten Monaten vorfinden werde. Im Moment macht es jedenfalls noch Spass die schoene Box aufzumachen und sich ueberraschen zu lassen und dann auszuprobieren! Wenn mir dann ein Produkt gut gefaellt, kann ich es auf der Birchbox Seite versandkostenlos bestellen, das ists natuerlich schoen.

With love,

Phanit

Cherry blossoms...

Unfortunately we don't have cherry blossom trees in Florida. One of these days I will travel to Washington D.C. and look at all those beautiful cherry blossoms and take a ton of pictures. I just love how pink and white and lush and sweet and soft and... aaahhh I can't stop! 

May was always a special month growing up in Hamburg, Germany because of the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival. It's been celebrated annually since 1968. There are over 5,000 cherry blossom trees planted by Japanese companies all over Hamburg: the Alsterpark, Alsterkrugchaussee, Kennedy Bridge and Altona. They are breathtakingly beautiful when they start blooming in May, aren't they?  Each year, the beautiful firewors were our personal highlight of the festival. If we didn't attend in person, we would always stand on our balcony in Eppendorf and watch and admire the fireworks from there. Pretty convenient too, if you ask me :)

Leider gibt es bei uns in Florida gar keine Kirschblüten. Irgendwann mal werde ich garantiert die lange Reise nach Washington D.C. antreten und die wunderschönen Kirschbäume dort bestaunen und unendlich viele Fotos schiessen. Ich finde ja dass die Kirschblüten sooo schön sind, so schön pink und weiss, voll und luftig, suess und weich und.... ahhhhh ich kann gar nicht mehr aufhören! 

Der Mai war fuer uns in Hamburg immer ein ganz besonderer Monat, denn es wurde das Kirschbluetenfest gefeiert. Schon seit 1968 findet dieses Fest jährlich statt. Ueber 5000 Kirschbäume sind im Alsterpark, auf der Alsterkrugchaussee und der Kennedybruecke sowie am Altoner Balkon von japanischen Firmen gepflanzt worden und sind einfach atemberaubend wenn sie im Mai dann aufblühen. Und der Highlight des Festes war für uns immer das Feuerwerk. Entweder waren wir vor Ort dabei oder konnten uns in Eppendorf einfach auf dem Balkon stellen und das Feuerwerk von dort aus bewundern.  

A good friend of mine gave me this beautiful tea for my birthday this year. I typically don't call tea beautiful, but this is truly something you don't see very often... Cherry Blossom Tea.

Eine liebe Freundin hat mir diesen wunderschönen Tee letztens zum Geburtstag geschenkt. Normalerweise sage ich ja selten dass Tee schön ist, aber so etwas sieht man ja nun wirklich nicht alle Tage... Kirschblütentee. 

Isn't this absolutely beautiful?

Ist das nicht absolut schön?

Found at a local Asian Grocery Store in comes in a little glass jar like this.

Den kann man bei uns im Asiatischen Laden finden.

I think it's almost too beautiful to drink. That's why I haven't tried it yet :) But it smelled lovely. I think I might try a cup tomorrow! It's just been a little warm recently. 

Ich finde eigentlich dass er fast schon zu schön zum trinken ist, also habe ich ihn noch gar nicht probiert. Gut gerochen hat es allerdings schon mal. Vielleicht versuche ich es ja morgen! Aber in letzter Zeit war es wirklich schon zu heiss dafür. 

So how about Italy and Spain being in the European Championship finals... :(

That was a hard game to watch, and once again seeing Germany miss the title. 


But I am happy for my sister... she is celebrating in Rome right now. With her damn Italian boyfriend. Just kidding :)

Can I just say that I am so looking forward to this weekend and next week? With July 4th being on a Wednesday, I decided to take Thursday and Friday off too. Oh how I just LOVE short workweeks. I think I'm at least 100% more productive and motivated when I know I only have to be in the office for two days :)

Tja, das war's dann wohl für uns... Italien und Spanien sind im EM Finale :(

Das war ganz schön schwierig mit anzusehen... und schon wieder geht der Titel an jemand anderes. 

Na ja, ich freu mich für meine Schwester, die feiert gerade in Rom. Mit ihrem verdammten italienischen Freund. Ach ich mach doch nur Spass :)

Mensch freu ich mich auf dieses Wochenende und die nächste Woche! Independence Day ist am Mittwoch und so habe ich beschlossen mir auch Donnerstag und Freitag freizunehmen. Oh ja... in Deutschland wären das wohl gesetzliche Feiertage, aber nicht bei uns im Amiland! Ahh wie ich kurze Arbeitswochen liebe! Ich glaube ich bin dann mindestens doppelt so produktiv wie sonst und auch viiiel motivierter wenn ich nur zwei Tage in der Firma verbringen muss :)

Remember all the flooding from Tropical Storm Debby?

Well today was a new beginning. Sunny sunshiny day, blue sky, no cloud to be seen at all! No wind, no breeze. It's almost like mother nature playing tricks on us.

Koennt Ihr Euch noch an Tropical Storm Debby erinnern?

Heute war wie ein neuer Anfang. Sonnigster Tag überhaupt, strahlendblauer Himmel, keine Wolken zu  sehen, kein Wind nicht mal ein Lüftchen. Als ob uns die Natur nur einen kleinen Streich spielen wollte.

I hope you will enjoy your weekend!

With love,

Phanit

Waiting for my birch box

So can I just tell you that I'm excited??

Do you know what a Birch Box is? I heard about this just recently, thought about it for a while, and then decided to just go ahead and sign up and see if I will get an invitation. Within one day of signing up, I received my invitation email, and so I am now ready to receive my monthly birch box through the mail. I know I know, it's been around since last year and I just discovered it now, but I barely ever know what's going on in the world around me with a full time job, a toddler and a hubby who has been on business trips over 50% of the time. Then Nick Jr without commercials is typically on TV so I don't see any ads for hip and hot stuff. (We have recently expanded to the Disney Channel)

If I didn't have my iPad I would never be able to catch up on any shows! The ABC Player app and Netflix are my best friends! And I wasn't reading any cool blogs and hadn't discovered Pinterest so I was clueless! 

I'm typically not someone to spend a whole lot of money on expensive cosmetics, skincare, etc. I just recently moved from mostly L'Oreal, Maybelline & Co to Clinique since I just love love love their cosmetics and skincare. And Happy.

Here is what you will get with your Birch Box subscriptions -  for $10 a month, you receive a pink box in the mail filled with about 4 - 6 samples. The samples are supposed to be generously sized and match a "beauty profile" that you fill out so you can receive items that you like and are configured for your type. If you like the samples, you can either fill out a postcard that comes with the box to order the full size version of any sample in your box or go online and order through the website. You also earn reward points each month you spend money - either by continuing your monthly subscription or buying products. You can use those points for the purchase of any product.

I figured I could give it a try and see if there are any products that will win me over with their charm. I like the fact that you can cancel your subscription any time, and shipping is free!

(Click on the picture for link to www.birchbox.com)

(images from www.birchbox.com)

Have you heard of Birchbox? Are you signed up for it or anything similar?

So now the waiting begins :)

And once I am done with my big presentation tomorrow, I will be able to sit back and relax for a little bit!

With love,

Phanit

Mother's Day Flowers

These flowers are still from Mother's Day, sent from my lovely mother in law :)

Das sind noch meine Blumen vom Muttertag, die meine liebe Schwiegermama mir geschickt hat :)

We didn't do anything special, went out in the morning to look at more homes from a different builder, then spent the rest at home, relaxing, playing in the backyard with lots of WATER (Julian just loves getting in and out of the baby pool, splashing water - mostly on us - and helping to water the lawn), and finished the day by grilling steaks for dinner. And my wonderful hubby got me a new camera - the Canon EOS Rebel T3!! Yay!! He said he got an amazing deal and couldn't say no, so I certainly won't say no :) Now I just have to spend some time getting to know the camera... and one of these days I would love to take a class! I'm more of a hands on learner, so if you show me, I get it much quicker than trying to read a manul.

Wir haben nichts besonderes getan; morgens haben wir uns noch ein paar weitere Haeuser angeguckt und der Rest des Tages wurde zu Hause verbracht. Wir haben gefaulenzt und viel Zeit im Garten mit viel WASSER verbracht (Julian liebt es einfach in seinen Babypool rein- und rauszugehen, und -vor allem uns- nasszuspritzen und den Rasen zu waessern :). Abends haben wir noch schoen Steaks gegrillt, lecker! Mein liebster Hubby hat mir zum Muttertag eine neue Kamera geschenkt... die Canon EOS Rebel T3! Er meinte er habe so ein tolles Schnaeppchen ergattern koennen, da konnte er nicht nein sagen. Na dann, ich werd dann auch nicht nein sagen :) Nun muss ich lernen, mit der neuen Kamera umzugehen... und eines Tages moechte ich am liebsten einen kleinen Kurs belegen. Ich lerne viel besser wenn mir was gezeigt wir, da steig ich viel schneller durch als wenn ich  mir etwas durchlesen muss.

I hope you enjoyed your mother's day as well... whether you're a mom yourself, or you were able to spend the day with your own mom! I'm always a little sad that I can't spend the day with my mom, who's all the way in Thailand... I just know that I love and appreciate her so much, I couldn't have asked for a better mom <3

Ich hoffe ihr hattet ebenfalls einen schoenen Muttertag verbracht, ob Ihr nun selber Mamis seid oder den Tag mit Eurer Mama verbringen konntet! Ich bin immer ein wenig traurig, dass ich den Tag nicht mit meiner Mami verbringen kann, die in Thailand wohnt. Ich weiss nur, dass ich sie unheimlich lieb habe und sie so sehr zu schaetzen weiss, ich haette mir keine bessere Mami wuenschen koennen <3

Polka dots and flowers

There is hardly anything better than polka dots and freshly picked flowers!

At least when they are this cute! I was browsing Amazon (again! I just love Amazon, and can spent too much time browsing and... that "Buy with 1 Click" button is just way too dangerous) and found this adorable pink and white polka dot coffee mug. I had to have it. And it finally arrived in the mail yesterday (I also love 2 day free shipping on Amazon Prime). The mug is a sturdy porcelain mug and the cover is this soft rubbery thing. It was kinda of hard to put on at first, but I got the hang of it eventually. I like the fact that I can just take the rubbery thing off, and use the mug at home - you can't even tell it's a to-go mug! And when I'm ready to leave, I just slip on the rubbery cover and I'm all set!

Es gibt nichts schoeneres als Polka dots und Blumen!

Wenigstens nicht, wenn sie so niedlich sind wie hier! Ich war auf Amazon unterwegs (schon wieder! Hach ich liebe Amazon einfach und verschwende viel zu viel Zeit auf der Site... und das "Mit einem Klick" Button - oehm, wie nennt sich das auf Amazon.de? - ist viel zu gefaehrlich) und habe diese wunderschoene To-Go Tasse in rosa mit weissen Punkten gefunden. Gestern wurde sie endlich geliefert (ich liebe uebrigens auch 2 Day Free Shipping mit Amazon Prime). Die Tasse ist aus festem Porzellan und der Deckel ist so ein weiches Gummiteil. Anfangs war es etwas schwierig den Deckel raufzutun, aber dann hab ich's doch geschafft. Und nun mag ich es total, das ich die Tasse auch ohne Deckel wunderbar zu Hause benutzen kann - man sieht ueberhaupt nicht, dass es eine To-Go Tasse ist! Und wenn ich raus muss, kommt der Deckel schwupps rauf und ich kann los!

We were taking a stroll around the neighborhood and sat by the pond. Julian was so excited to see these little flowers everywhere and picked me a whole bunch. My very first bunch of flowers he picked me :) I love them!

Wir waren letztens spazieren und waren am Teich. Julian hat sich so sehr gefreut die ganzen Bluemchen zu sehen und hat gleich welche fuer mich gepflueckt. Das hier ist der allererste Blumenstrauss den er selbst gepflueckt hat :) Ich find ihn toll!

Ok, I was lying, there are things much better than polka dots and flowers...

Na ok, ich hab gelogen, es gibt doch Schoeneres auf dieser Welt als Polka dots und Blumen...

XOXO

Phanit

Little shopping trip

These are pictures from last weekend. Hubby was out of town, so Julian and I went out on a little shopping trip. I love discount places like Burlington Coat Factory, Ross, Bealls, TJMaxx, and Home Goods. You never know what you will find, and the deals are almost always great!

Isn't this heart shaped pasta cute?? Julian loved eating it :)

Diese Fotos sind noch von letzter Woche. Hubby war auf Geschäftsreise also waren Julian und ich einkaufen. Ich liebe diese Discount Läden wie Burlington Coat Factory, Ross, Bealls, TJMaxx, und Home Golds. Was weiss nie was für Schnäppchen man findet, und die Preise sind fast immer super!

Sind dieses Herzförmigen Nudeln nicht allerliebst?? Julian hat sie auf jeden Fall gerne gegessen :)

I spilled chocolate milk on my wallet the week prior and I just fell in love with this cute little thing.

Letzte Woche habe ich Kakao über mein Portemonnaie verschüttet und ich habe mich in dieses süße Teilchen verliebt. 

You can never have too many cute note books. At least not in my world. I am a desperate collector of little notebooks or diaries. I will never have enough time to fill all of them out! But I can't resist buying them! Especially when they are this cute, and only cost $3.99.

Man kann nie genug bezaubernde kleine Notizbücher haben. Auf jeden Fall ist das so in meiner Welt. Ich bin leidenschaftliche Sammlerin all niedlicher Notizbücher und Tagebücher. Ich werde niemals im Leben genug Zeit haben, um sie alle zu benutzen! Aber bei einem Schnapppreis von $3.99 konnte ich nicht nein sagen.

And cute earrings for $2.99.

Und tolle Ohrringe fuer $2.99.

I also scored this little Farberware knife with cutting board. I just love the turquoise!

Das kleine Messer von Farberware zusammen mit Schneidebrett habe ich auch ergattert. Ich liebe das Türkis!

Julian had the heart shaped paste for lunch, and some of my rice vermicelli with soy sauce. I made stir fried chicken livers and  gizzards in a Thai garlic sauce over a bed of thin rice vermicelli. I know, some of you think "Ewwww!" but growing up in a Thai household, I have been eating these since I was a little girl. And I just love them! 

Julian hat die herzfoermigen Nudeln zu Mittag gekriegt, und hat ein wenig von meinen Reisnudeln mit Sojasauce vertilgt. Ich hatte Hühnerleber mit "gizzards" (mir fällt im Moment das deutsche Worte nicht ein und ich bin zu faul es zu googeln) in thailändischer Knoblauchsauce über dünnen Reisnudeln. Ja ja, einige von Euch denken nun sicher "Igitt!" aber da ich in einem thailändischen Haushalt aufgewachsen bin, gehören Leber und andere Innereien schon seit Kindertagen mit auf den Tisch. Und ich liebe sie einfach!

We had a Dulce de Leche cupcake from Moreno Bakery for dessert... simply delicious!

Zum Nachtisch gab es einen Dulce de Leche Cupcake von der Moreno Bakery... superlecker!

Laptop lunchboxes

I was browsing my Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine on my iPad app Monday night and stumbled across this little feature about a dad who packs his son's lunch every day and writes about it on his blog Lunchboxblues.

How cute is that??

Underneath was a link for another website Laptop Lunches, so I had to check that out as well.

Oh so many cute options!!! And I have been trying to pack my own lunch more often, it's cheaper and healthier as well.

I quickly googled and found a coupon code for the site (use WASTEFREE for 10% off) and orderd this cute little combination, which was already reduced.

I can't wait to get my new laptop lunchbox system in the mail!

The macarons are ready for presentation...

Ahhh don't you love my beautiful iPhone pictures??? :)))

One of these days I will have to use our Canon Rebel again... I just don't bring it out often enough, and am too lazy to upload the pictures afterwards.

Ever since I have my iPad I barely ever open my Powerbook, but one of these days I will have better pictures on this blog.

So here are my macarons... assembled and ready to eat!

I filled more than half with the white chocolate ganache, which turned out beautifully.

Julian was allowed to lick the whisk and was so proud!!

I was too busy filling the macarons and didn't take a picture of him licking the whisks clean :))

The rest I filled with strawberry preserve... I was planning on raspberry as I thought I had some, but nope...

only strawberry.

After sitting in the fridge for one night (filled... so the 2nd night in the fridge) they came out tasting amazing!!

Even my friend Tanja, who came in from Germany last night said they taste just like the ones she gets

when she is in Switzerland :)

Macarons!

Ahhh yes.... macarons!

I have gotten into the macaron fever as well.

They are just simply too pretty, so delicious and the endless possibilities of tasty combinations.

And they are so expensive to buy!!

Plus hard to come by in Tampa Bay.

A few weeks ago I bought a macaron cook book, and made sure I had all the ingredients.

Tonight was the night to try out my very first batch of macarons.

My first step was last night, when I separated 4 egg whites to age them in the fridge for 24 hours.

Then started following the directions.

Which in hindsight I have to say it was a little chaotic, but only because I didn't lay out everything I had prior to make sure it was right there, as the book suggests.

No, since I don't like to plan and rather be spontaenous, I just decided I'll do this, only had the foresight to age the eggs and that was it.

So I was running around like crazy trying to find my almond meal, my powdered egg whites and could not find the piping tips I just recently bought!!!!

I did have bags, just wasn't able to use a piping tip... I just cut a hole in the pastry bag and did without.

Which is probably one of the reasons why my macarons were so oddly formed :)

I have never used a pastry bag before!

And remembering some old tips I read years ago, I just used plastic food storage bags, the ones without the ziplock, so I wouldn't have to spend so much money on pastry bags.

I am sure this will work much nicer with actual piping tips :)

So here is my second tray of piped batter... not too shabby I must admit!

The color scared me a little bit! I did want pink, and used the beautiful Wilton pink gel color but I didn't not expect this very very bright pink! Note to self - use less next time!

I already had a feeling that my batter was too stiff. Whether it was because I overbeat my eggs and they were too stiff, or because I didn't incorporate the dry ingredients enough or my almonds weren't grounded finely enough.

I realized it when I was piping, it did not really look like the pictures and videos I saw on youtube.

It still worked though and the shells looked beautiful, nice dome, no cracking, all even and round...

until I increased the oven temperature as indicated by the book.

Suddenly I had some bubbles rise up in the center, and of course those and a few more cracked.

But some came out really beautifully, completely even and round, glossy and pretty.

Except for my feet. They didn't really want to form!

The picture above shows the true pink color.

Below you see that some shells didn't crack at all.

And some show a little bit of feet.

By the time I was done, it was so late already, and I didn't have the foresight to premake my ganache filling so that the filled sandwiches could rest in the fridge and come together.

From everything I read, the sandwiches will taste better after sitting in the fridge and FILLED after one night.

So we will see :)

Working on white chocolate gananche now...

Owl time!

I really have been missing my crafty activities. Ever since I had Julian I put that on the backburner, and happily so. Nothing makes me more happy than spending time with my baby and watching him grow up!

But now that he is older and has a good sleep schedule, I have been feeling the crafty itch again.

It started with all the cupcakes and muffins I have been baking recently, as well as buying some new items to decorate and package my goodies to give away or just to bring to work.

One of my bad habits is that I get obsessed with something and I just have to have it and need to start working on it.

I have been eyeing handmade fabric dolls for a while. They have been popping up everywhere, or I'm sure they have always been there but I just never paid attention.

Looking at them I thought I can surely make some of these... it doesn't look thaaaat hard!

So I bought some scrap fabric from Joann's and started looking at all kinds of pictures of dolls... until I settled on an owl.

Reason one, owls are just too cute, and reason two they looked pretty easy to make based on the easy round shape.

I got my inspiration from all kinds of images online but didn't download any template.

I just made my own template freehand and started sewing - no particular plans.

(Starting to sound familiar yet?? Yep, I'm not a planner! An idea pops into my head, I google it, and then just go and buy stuff and do!)

I am certain there are much easier and more efficient ways of making a fabric owl doll, but this worked for me for now.

Oh yes, I do have one of those machines called Sewing Machine in the closet.

Tucked away somewhere in our guest bedroom closet.

My inlaws gave it to us years ago... I think it was a Christmas gift? At least 5 years ago if not 6 or 7.

Oh the plans I had with that cute little machine.

But I have to admit it still sits in its original box, unopened!

So all of this is completely done by hand. Which takes longer, but that's ok.

For now.

I will break out the sewing machine soon, because now I have gotten midly obsessed with making my own fabric dolls for Julian :)

They are just so cute and surprisingly uncomplicated.

I would definitely need to research on Youtube how to use a sewing machine to sew on an applique (new word I learned this week).

Maybe I'll attend a sewing class at Joanns? If I can convince a friend to come with me :)

I actually like the homemade, not perfect machine kind of look. It has charm to me :)

I love that my own will be a unique once in a lifetime doll.

I didn't use any template... handdrew the shape of the owl on the fabric directly and got a little smarter already when I drew out the wings and feet on paper first, then cut them out and traced them on the fabric. But I threw those away.

I thought about just leaving the owl like this:

Julian was excited when he saw the owl and immediate asked "Mine????" and gave it a big hug.

But then he asked "Arms? Missing!"

So when I asked him if he wanted arms for his owl, he eagerly responded "Yes". And then daddy taught him that birds have wings, not arms.

After Julian went to bed I worked on attaching wings and little feet, and a heart.

Here is the final outcome!

Julian was very happy when he saw his finished owl!

He clapped his hand, jumped up and down yelling "Yay, yay, yay, my owl!!""

And then he happily said "Wings now? Can fly!"

(This was a 3 day process for me)

Oh the possibilities!

I can make him monsters, an owl family, a rabbit for Easter, an elephant, a tiger, etc.!