In between days

Cute Smile, originally uploaded by bluelunarrose.

Hello! Hope you're all swell, we're doing some shop rearranging today, wish us luck! X

She talks to rainbows

We've got some great new goodies in the shop today! As well as a heap of new beautiful Rachel Carley pieces, we have a brand spanking new range of cross stitch kits Stitch'd Ink! These super cool kits are made by City Down who hails as the NZ Cupcake Queen, this lovely lady has her fingers in many cupcakes- she is a graphic designing, cupcake baking, cross stitch making prodigy! She's also the creator of the cupcake project which has been getting some well deserved press lately including Frankie & Sunday magazine.

I like making cupcakes too, yes I certainly do! Although I'm no Queen, I'm more of a cupcake Lady... Oh no wait, there's one of those already! She had the stall next to us at Craft 2.0... Um maybe I could be the Duchess of cupcakes. That'll do.

Speaking of cupcakes I would like to share this fabulous recipe which I have adapted from vegweb.


Spiced Pumpkin & Sultana Cupcakes

(These are so easy & so vegan!) Makes about 24.

3 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar (I always use raw)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of Cinnamon
2 teaspoons of nutmeg
1 & 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (I use cider vinegar)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup of sultanas

For the pumpkin-
1 & 1/2 cups of chopped pumpkin
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cook pumpkin in a small pot with 1 cup of water, sugar, nutmeg & Cinnamon until mushy, drain & mash until smooth. Mix dry ingredients first. Once the mixture is even, mix in wet ingredients & pumpkin. Continue mixing until you obtain an even batter (no lumps). Stir through sultanas. Pour into cupcake tins (with pretty papers of course!) and bake for approximately 40 minutes until golden. Top with frosting/ icing sugar.

I make frosting by whisking together vegetable margarine (about half a cup), icing sugar, & vanilla with a splash of soy milk for creaminess. I'm not sure of the measurements but the key is to keep adding icing sugar until the mixture is quite stiff & doesn't separate if left for a little while.

Nom nom! X

birds and the bees

Thought I'd share some pictures of the shop today... Enjoy!
(& yes we are definitely obsessed with birds & I can't see an end in sight.)
X

Huddle Formation

It's cold & wet & horrible in every way here right now. Which means there is only one thing to do... you guessed it, Romy & I (the shop girls) have been having a giggle with photobooth.




I hope it's not quite as horrid where you are & that you have power. I can't imagine what I would do without the Internet on a day like this. X

Sad eyes...

One of my favorite labels- (which sadly is no longer available in New Zealand) Built By Wendy, is having a sale. 50% off most of their spring collection. It's all so perfect, I'll have one of each please! And yes, they do ship to NZ... *sigh* Anyone want to time share one of these dresses? X

You light up my life

As well as crafting & selling (& dancing) me & Liv (& her man friend Richard) got up to something else last weekend- We visited the infamous Brooklyn Galleria.

I was telling Liv all about this amazing lamp I had seen there but was now gone as we were walking up & whaddaya know it was still there!

It's a gorgeous piece of craft in the best possible sense! For two reasons-
1. It now lives with me, thanks very much to lovely Liv, who even bargained it down &
2. It is made entirely out of Popsicle sticks.



Whoa! I know, it's pretty amazing. X

(Oh & I apologise for not using an eco bulb, but I already had this one, to not use it would be wasteful, right?)

Oh yoko

So Craft 2.0 was super fantastic! Sue does such an amazing job of rallying all these talented people & getting the crowds along. Thanks Sue!

Me & Liv had fun looking at babies & admiring all the beautiful things, not to mention minding our stall. Over all it was a success! I've uploaded a bunch of photos to our flickr, here's some of my faves...