Little Octopi

Cupcake Time

2010-03-29T11:19:00.003-05:00

The word "cupcake," in my mind, means happiness. In most cases happiness is captured in a small tasty treat. When you apply that word with anything else, usually whatever it goes with will end up bringing happiness.

I have been seeing the wine line "Cupcake" at Publix for many trips. I finally purchased a Riesling and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both are very tasty. The design labels are great. They are very thought out. The label is now in my collection with strongarm. I'd bring a bottle to a nice dinner party. Great for $10.

If you live in Atlanta, you have to go to West Egg and get a nice Coke-A-Cola cupcake. So good! I don't know how they do it, but it is worth a try. If you're having a bad day, get one of these. Trust me, it's that magical to melt the day off. It's almost as good as a nice bubble bath.

Tea & pastries were the great first love, forget peanut butter and jelly. It was only time that they would make silicone tea cups to bake whatever cupcake recipe you might have. Perfect for tea time. It doesn't matter if you're having tea with your closest friends or with your daughter's doll friends. This will help make the good memories come. :)

Enjoy.

Cupcake Vineyard | West Egg | Tea cupcakes

I'm tricking you, Monday.

2010-03-29T09:59:00.009-05:00

Found a way to trick a Monday! Every Monday try do something unrelated to your normal routine. Go get breakfast with a friend, take a walk before work, or maybe do something crafty. Anything to get the feel of Monday out of your head. That way you can start fresh. The fresher you feel, the shorter the week will be........maybe.

paper please

2010-03-29T09:22:00.006-05:00

There are three stalls at my work, for the women's bathroom. I'm a selective dumper, and enjoy the second stall. It has the perfect light, and I'm figuring no one uses it too much. I've noticed that a lot of people like the third stall, since it's the biggest, and it's in the corner.

However, someone is spoiling my bathroom breaks. The nerve! The culprit takes the toilet paper out of the 2nd stall, but never replaces it. What's up with that? Who does that? We have a cupboard in the bathroom full of toilet paper. What's the big idea of taking the toilet paper out? This hasn't happened just once, but almost every time I go in there. It's that ridiculous. Okay, so I might sound like a very strange gal, but wouldn't that bother you? It's one break that isn't timed and no one can really tell you that you can't take it. I kinda enjoy it, but I don't enjoy noticing in the middle that I have nothing to sanitize myself with. Ugh. How sad.

So, as the crazy person that I am, I have been taking notes. I sit right in front of the ladies room, and have been noticing who goes in and out. So, I have narrowed it down to two people. One, the newest sales girl. She's hilarious and nice. If it's her, I'm sure she has made up a weird game in her head. I can't hold a grudge. The second is the lady next door to my office. The strange News Editor that listens to her messages on speaker phone and walks like a stampede of elephants (I'm amazed since she probably only weighs about 125lbs). IF it's her...then let the war begin.

to be continued...

West Burger to East Burger

2010-03-15T15:29:00.006-05:00

I've been on a Gourmet Hamburger kick lately. My bf and I usually try to make Bison or Veal burgers on the weekends. If we're too lazy, we'll walk up the road to Fuze Burger (a tasty atlanta joint). Last week, we went to LA to visit my cute sister. She and her husband took us to Umami Burger. It's one of the tastiest places in the world. I got the truffle burger. I think white truffle oil is probably one of the best flavors in the world (try frying fries in it and tell me I'm wrong). And this burger was ooozing it! It had truffle cheese and the burger itself was juicy! If you go to LA, please...for the LOVE of god!!! TRY Umami Burger!

If you're in Atlanta, skip the High Pricey Flip Burger, and go to Fuze Burger. It's not as fancy, but the food is still great. They have a kobe burger that is half the price of Flip. I like the Malay Burger. It's not Umami, but it's, in my opinion, way better than flip. Although...flip has some great over priced milk shakes. Krispy Kreme shake? Who thinks of these things?!

Cream Cheese Heaven

2010-03-15T15:12:00.005-05:00

I work for a weekly paper; therefore, are press days can be pretty tough. I work 9:30AM to whenever we finish. This could mean 7PM to 2AM. It can be so draining, and people tend to get a bit grumpy. SOO my secret weapon is tasty treats. Sometimes I can be pretty tired on Wednesday, so I'll make these cookies. They only take about 25 to 30 minutes to make.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup all purpose white flour, sifted
½ cup coarsley choopped pecans (or any nut you like)
½ tsp. baking powder

Instructions:
-Heat oven to 350 degrees
-Cream butter & Sugar
-Add Cream Cheese, flour & baking powder.
-Fold in pecans
-place cookies on a baking sheet and put in oven (8 to 10 min)
-Lightly brown on edges (they're suppose to be soft)

GOOEY

2010-03-15T14:53:00.005-05:00

I recently got this recipe from, of course, Smitten Kitchen. It's great! I don't think I can call my cake St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. I didn't have corn syrup. I freaked out for a few minutes and realized I did have some form of syrup, Maple syrup. I thought it came out pretty well. It wasn't as gooey as I thought it'd be. I've never had this cake before, and didn't know what to expect. I'm thinking since the name is "Gooey," the maple syrup didn't help the gooey-ness. So my cake is probably not a traditional Goeey Butter Cake. It was still great though!

Get Recipe here: St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

Light It UP!

2010-02-23T18:09:00.004-05:00

I can't get enough of the Industrial & School House Lights. I want someone to go around to every house and install them for the masses to enjoy. If anyone knows a place to get cheaper lights like these, please share. :)

Sumner Pendant $254. Burnside Pendant $114. Mariner's Globe Pendant $398 Photographer Lamp $295.00.

My Color For Spring

2010-02-23T16:09:00.008-05:00

Peaches, light yellows, vibrant greens tend to be spring colors. The Sea Foam is mine. Every spring I get excited about seeing this color. I guess you can wear it any other time, but I feel like it fits more in the spring and summer. It looks so good with white and cream.

Ruffle Cardigan $88. Berry Ring $32. Owl Ear Rings $12. Sun Glasses $89.95. Hair Clips $9. Egg Print $19.95. Graphic Tee $25.

PIE!!!!

2010-02-01T10:26:00.003-05:00

peach and crème fraîche pie!! Man...so good. I'm kinda scared to make dough. It seems like a lot of work. I'm sure it's worth it, but I'm not that brave. I did the recipe but used a pre-made pie crust. The ingredients were so good, you can't tell that the crust was not up to par. With that said, it was really easy to make. Took about an hour and a half to make? maybe less. It was really tasty hot, but I'm sure it would be amazing cold too.

The recipe here: Smitten Kitchen

cookin' machine.

2010-01-28T00:07:00.005-05:00

photos from smitten kitchen

Tonight I made some tasty yummies. Thank you Smitten Kitchen. I baked cookies and pancakes, but these aren't your ordinary tasties. Oh no. Key Lime Melt Aways & Sour Cream PANCAKES!!!! muhahahaha! Oh and I made a blackberry syrup for the pancakes. It was a goodnight. Next time I will share the nom nom's.

Blackberry Syrup Recipe:
* 2 cups blackberries
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup water

Preparation

Bring berries, sugar, and water to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until fruit is soft, about 30 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing gently on and then discarding solids. Serve syrup at room temperature.

OY...Hummus

2010-01-17T21:51:00.009-05:00

We had a hummus disaster yesterday. Dan made a promising hummus with my new FOOD PROCESSOR!! Very excited about that, but sadly the hummus didn't turn out too well. We got dried garbanzo beans, and soaked them over night; However, you should cook the beans before you grind them up with the rest of the ingredients. We did not. So it really really did taste raw. Not a good taste.

here's the recipe we were trying: Click Here. Hopefully...we can make a better batch.

ginga-in-my-belly....

2010-01-17T21:03:00.005-05:00

muahahahaha! I just had a tasty, tasty drink. It involved Ginger liquor, Gin, lime juice and ginger beer. We had a bit of a time trying to find the Ginger Liquor, but apparently Canton is the most popular. I had to go to a fancy liquor store in Midtown called Mac's. You can get the Recipe here: Gin & Ginger

Dan Approved. :)

Dog For Rent

2010-01-15T13:24:00.004-05:00

Oh to own a cute little hoverdog, aka a Corgi. but but...what's this? I could rent one?? I made the joke today, of wanting to rent a dog for the park. Then it hit me! I bet the exists...and it does...FLEXPETZ. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I can understand people missing a pooch now-and-then, but you don't get completely attached to it. Plus, do you have different dogs every time you rent? I'm not sure. It's a cute concept, but it kinda takes the joy out of owning an animal. However, at least you don't have to clean up after it all the time, and take it to the vet. That's kinda nice. ha.

FLexpetz

A Gentlemen's Tea Time

2010-01-13T21:57:00.021-05:00

Please Mind the horrible screen shot. eek.

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite films was "Little Women." You know, the 90's version with Winona Ryder. I can't forget the part where they dressed up in men's clothing and acted out parts of Jo's plays. Ever since, I thought it'd be fun to dress up in Victorian Gentlemen's Clothing and have tea time. Tea Time! with scones and cucumber sandwiches! nom nom nom. Since we're Gentlemen, top hats and monocles would be a must.

To Get Started, we must have TEA! Here are a few of my favorites! Honey would be great with all of them.

It wouldn't be tea time without a nice tea set. I saw this at Anthropologie, and keep drooling over it. So pretty.

And You might need a tea cup. Yep, that might be a good idea as well. Another find from anthropologie.

In order to have tea time, you need some yummy snacks. Here are a few I like. Such as SCONES! I found an amazing recipe (thanks to Smitten Kitchen).nom nom...scones Also, tasty chocolate earl grey macaroons Gourmet mag. recipe. Oh and Cucumber sandwiches! Cucumber yumminess.

Okay, now for the Dapper, Victorian Gentlemen part!

mustaches. Jacket with Tails. Cane. Monocle. Top Hat.

Enjoy!

I fell in love....

2010-01-13T21:44:00.008-05:00

Since the cold has been horrible, all I want to do is sit at home in my bed streaming netflix movies. Tonight was one of those nights. I was planning on drinking a whole bottle of cheap wine with my lentil soup (after I already had wendys). Yes, I know...very lame, I know.

On my journey of finding gross wine, I stumbled upon this awesome label design. I had to buy this wine, and I didn't drink all of it. I had one cup and was satisfied. It did the job of breaking the day off me, and then fell to a nice sleep.

Back to the label...OMG, look at it!! Since my lastname is Armstrong, the word "strong-arm" is a big part of me. I had a good friend in college stamp "Strong Arm" as my nickname for 2 years. I saw the name first, then the handwritten type. Oh man, Oh man...and the illustrations.

It has that "Where the wild things are" feel to it. A kid like art, on an adult drink. Priceless. Here's more about the artist and the wine: Strong Arms

List of DIY's I need to get into....for realz.

2010-01-13T21:08:00.009-05:00

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. I feel like you're just setting yourself up for failure, However; I do believe in goals. My goal this year is to do more crafts. I'm not going to give myself a deadline, just ideas of what I'd like to do. I found some projects that I'd love to learn to do.

1. Potato Printing: Project 1

2. Oragami Tulip Bouquet Project 2

3. Decal Mugs Project 3

4. Bath Bomb Project 4

5. Super Soft Rug Project 5

6. Designing Greeting Cards

Mark me up, Denmark!

2010-01-05T10:01:00.004-05:00

Grain Edit, did a story on this beautifully designed 1962 Denmark Christmas Seals designed by Erik Petersen. Each Stamp is an "old trade." I would love it if one designer from each state take the idea of this and make it their own for that state. Who knows, it might have been done already.

Article Here: Grain Edit

Wallets.

2009-12-29T15:58:00.005-05:00

I just got an amazing coach purse for Christmas. Believe me, I'm one of those tom girlish gals. I've had the same purse for ages, so it's a bit of freshness. I was putting my wallet in the newness, and noticed they don't match. The wallet is a leather, old fossil mess. It has seen better days. I've been looking at new ones, but can't figure out which one I really want. Why is it, that you always want the most expensive of anything? ha. Help me out you guys. Which one would look nice with a red, leather purse?

Up to Down: 1.|2.| 3.|4.

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

2009-12-28T16:48:00.004-05:00

Somewhere in Atlanta, GA is a wall with my face on it. A name, that will not be mentioned, took the liberty to create this piece. In doing so kinda creeped me out a little. If anyone knows of this, could you please let me know where it might be? OR if I now have a mustache, cause that'd be great.

I'm not knocking the creation, I think it's lovely. The shading and colors are very nice. It takes a lot of practice to make something that big look that good. Although, I don't think my lips are like that. ^_^

Merge of two Amazing Artists-Broken Bells

2009-12-28T16:09:00.003-05:00

Be still my heart! I've just learned that Danger Mouse, the other half of Gnarls Barkley, and James Mercer, front man of The Shins, have merged to form Broken Bells. The single "High Road" is just a sample of how amazing the album will be. I have an immense amount of faith that their album will give lots of people ear candy. The two have worked together on Danger Mouse's album Dark Night of the Soul forming the song "Insane Lullaby."

The album will be available on March 9, 2010. Check out their mp3 at www.brokenbells.com.

individual yumminess

2009-12-28T14:57:00.004-05:00

Sometimes you want something special that is just for you. A personal dish or pie that is small enough to eat in one sitting. I'm a big fan of individual dishes such as personal pies or mini cakes. I've been collecting some recipes from a couple sites and I would love to share with you.

left to right: Mac & Cheese, Individual Grape & Vin Santo Cakes , Zicchini, Lemon & Ricotta Galettes, Personal Pie Molds with how to directions, Baked Eggs, Butter Cakes with Honeyed Pears

Thit kho to (Vietnamese Caramelized Pork)

2009-12-23T11:47:00.004-05:00

OMG! I can't wait to make this! I'm not the best cook, but I feel like I can do this. Although, it's been a hard time for pork belly. Everytime I go to the Publix or Kroger, the belly of the pork has been disappearing. My friend Vinh, has told me asian food is getting very popular to make at home, therefore it's hard to find pork belly. I dunno, about that, but it's true that I never see it. I think you can use any part, but I want to do it how the recipe says. If this sounds good to you, you can check out the recipe here: Ny Times Recipe

Neck, why so naked?

2009-12-23T11:22:00.005-05:00

I love these necklaces!! I just want a whole wall covered with them. I think these would liven up a simple dress, or even a tank top.

Left to Right: peach and cream $14, Indian Aster Necklace - $38, Teal Chiffon Necklace - $40, Allamanda Necklace - $42

Mustache Junky.

2009-12-22T16:55:00.005-05:00

Since I'm a lady, I have a hard time growing facial hair. I'm not really into the whole taking hormones idea. So...the next best thing is to fake it. I'm in love with fake Mustaches. I've found just a few little things out there, but I never knew the mustache craze could be that big.

left to right: Mustache Hanger - $40, Bat Mustache Necklace - $16, Accordion Music Print - $15,Mustache for Pets- $12, Robots in Disguise - $15, Jean-Pierre the Food Critic eats Junk - $16, Pierre, The French Toast necklace - $12, Professor Butter Bean Flies Again - High Quality Print- $25, Mustache Bandaids- $7, Mustache Pencils - $14

We Were Promised Jetpacks

2009-12-22T14:01:00.015-05:00

I'm not Scottish. I live in a city where accents are usually southern. Even fake accents make me happy. When I heard "Silent Little Voices" by We Were Promised Jetpacks, my heart was fluttery. The leadsinger, Adam Thompson, voice is strong and scottishy. The arrangements in the music work very well with the lyrics. I don't get bored where they take me.

"Quiet Little Voices" - We Were Promised Jetpacks

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-21T18:04:00.002-05:00

Finally have the Holiday Spirit. This was going to be a Christmas Card, but the laziness hit me. I still need to wrap presents. Oy...

The Observer.

2009-12-21T16:23:00.009-05:00

Happy Monday! Sometimes you need some eye candy to heal a monday. Liz Barclay, an Athens photographer, awakes objects through her lens. Check out more: Liz.