A Novel Romance 2010

More to come... but I have to go to bed... I'm pooped. :)

Head pieces, belt: Twigs & Honey
Models: Sarah Clements, Kathleen, Linda, and more names to come
Dresses: The English Dept.
Location: Ace Hotel
Flowers: Ink & Peat

The better half wearing a Pinkham Millinery custom fedora.
View more in my Flick folder HERE.

Look forward to Custo Barcelona F/W 2010 Collection

We can hardly wait to see the Custo Barcelona Fall/Winter 2010 Collection – especially after last season. Lucky for us – one of the design duos, Custo Dalmau shared some thoughts (and sketches!) of what is to come this season.

Cupcake Mag: It has been quite some time since the first printed t-shirts by Custo Barcelona - what is the secret to your brand's success?

Constantly re-thinking the creative process to produce designs that are new, exciting and representative of the Custo Barcelona DNA.

What was your inspiration for the collection this season?

Inspiration came from the beauty of precious gems and jewels.

Can you describe the collection in a few words?

Chic, sensual and adventurous.

Is Barcelona still your favorite city to live?

Yes. Barcelona has the energy and excitement that keeps the company growing.

What is the next big step for Custo Barcelona?

We are launching our children’s line for FW 2010/11, which is a big step for the brand. It is called CUSTO GROWING, and is a huge endeavor for Custo Barcelona, especially when other brands are downsizing. Like the adult line, GROWING features fun, flirty and colorful prints for girls and boys. There will be skirts, pants, jackets and t-shirts available.

Stay tuned for full coverage on the show in February!

A Pretty Boat House

Look at this pretty Boat House....so lovely and inviting. What a perfect spot for a Summer Holiday.


Image 1 & 2 - Mike Newling

Big Blog Candy Winner!!!!!!!!

Ok ladies, I have gone through, eliminated all double posts, and discounted posts after 11:59 pm last night. And I have a winner!!! Are you excited??!! I sure am!! Ok, here we go....from Random.org, here's what came up....


True Random Number ServiceRandom Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

96
Timestamp: 2010-01-31 20:27:42 UTC


Ok....now to go count! LOL! I'll be right back.....

Drum roll please....... THE WINNER IS........

Pam L!!!!


Pam L. said...
400 Followers! amazing. I am thrilled with my 66!LOL! I can't even imagine that many! Congrats.That tells me that you are already giving to your readers by posting your wonderful cards and projects. Thanks for sharing your talent and sweet personality with us!It's so generous of you to offer all of these wonderful crafting goodies!
Hugs,
Pam

January 11, 2010 4:34 PM

CONGRATS PAM!!!! Please email me your address so I can get all your goodies out to you. Also, please go over to The Cutting Cafe' and pick out which stamp set you would like to have, and then go to Peggy Loves Vintage and pick out your three sets of cut outs that you would like, and let me know!

A huge thank you to everyone that played along. Thank you so much for all your kind words and support! You are appreciated more than you will EVER know!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!! Big hugs!

the Vessel. by lois

the Vessel. by lois is a collection by designer and model Lois Samuels that consists of garments for women, that draw inspiration from traditional menswear as well as the uniform.

The debut presentation for Spring/Summer 2010 was featured in WWD, The New York Times, Essence and Italian Vogue amongst others. The Collection will be presented during New York’s Fall/Winter 2010 Fashion Week on Wednesday, February 10^th 2010 in Chelsea with collaborations and sponsors such as Timex Watches, Colasuonno Designs (Jewelry), Young Blood Cosmetics, Cutler Salon.The collection is a blend that creates a clothing that is absolutely comfortable and undeniably feminine.

What others are saying about the Vessel.

“...Lois Samuels is banking on basic, comfortable, classic pieces - with simple silhouettes such as overalls and shift dresses which smack of nineties minimalism...” - WWD 9/10/09

“Jamaican-born former model Lois Samuels put an English accent on her menswear and uniform inspirations, creating a prim, tailored collection with an emphasis on the jumpsuit”. - WWD 9/10/09

“Drawing inspiration from traditional menswear, the Vessel by lois is for the woman, who appreciates understated sophistication”. - Essence Magazine

“A sophisticated dialogue of menswear inspired garments, very proper in a way- that grown women would wear, not just willowy Gossip Girl types.” - Lyra Magazine

About Lois: With a love for fashion and design from her early years. Lois entered the world of fashion as a model and travelled the fashion capitals working for designers as Lacroix, Miyake, Rucci and Givenchy. Her fashion education came through these amazing experiences and through her search for clothing that collaborated with her spirit and identity. Her first Collection presented a clean, simple and basic slate which she believes is the foundation of what fashion should represent - A reserved, comfortable and graceful look for any woman.

Stay tuned for our coverage on the show to come in February.

Ask the Snappers!

We want to hear from you! Are you an aspiring photographer who has stumbled across our blog? Maybe you are an established photographer who feels a little shy or weird about contacting us? Maybe you just like taking and looking at nice photos? If you have a question about how we do what we do, we want to answer it in our upcoming series of blog posts called "Ask the Snappers".

So ask away! Leave your question in comments or email Mariah at mariah@snapri.com

Happy Snapping!

Flavor-of-the-Month . . . Amaretto Madeleines

Welcome to Flavor-of-the-Month, boozy edition!

My favorite drink in the whole wide world is an Amaretto Sour. Even though I'm too lazy to make them very often, I try to keep a bottle of Amaretto in the house at all times, just in case. So, when contemplating Boozy Edition, it was calling to me.

Take a look at this Amaretto I found. Read the label...


"Made by infusion of...cookies!!!" Now, this is my kind of liqueur!

Madeleines are, to me, like a combination of cookie and cake...how can that be wrong? And did anyone else read the Madeleine books growing up? I loved those books and making these made me think of...

"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines,
lived twelve little girls in two straight lines..."

Amaretto Madeleines with Amaretto-Vanilla Bean Glaze
(makes 22 madeleines)

10 TBSP unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2/3 c sugar
1/2 salt
3 eggs, room temp.
2 tsp Amaretto
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 c flour, sifted

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Simmer gently until the butter deepens slightly and there are small flecks of brown in the butter, about 5 minutes.

{Browning butter always makes me nervous!}

Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Beat the sugar, salt and eggs several minutes until they are light yellow and thickened. Stir in the Amaretto and vanilla bean paste.

Gently fold in the flour and butter in 3 additions each, alternating between the two. Refrigerate the batter for 45 minutes.


Preheat the oven to 375. Brush the madeleine pan with melted butter.

Fill the pans with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough per cookie. Bake 12 minutes until the edges are light brown.

Let cool in the pan 5 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

If making these in 2 batches, let the pan cool completely. Wipe out the cookie molds and re-coat with melted butter.


Amaretto-Vanilla Bean Glaze

1 & 1/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
3 TBSP whole milk (or whatever you have on hand, lower fat will make a thinner glaze)
2 TBSP Amaretto
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Whisk to combine all of the ingredients.

Place the madeleines on a cooling rack placed on a cookie sheet. (This will catch the glaze and make for easier clean-up.)


Spoon glaze over the cooled cookies.

Flavor-of-the-Month February will be CHOCOLATE!!! Oh, I can't wait!!!

♥Reminder: when linking up, please link to your blog post only...not your blog's main page. These links will be removed. If you're not sure how to do that, click here.♥

Want to check out our past FOTM's? Click here! It's a great way to find new blogs to love!

Link away! (Linky will close the evening of February 3rd to discourage spammers.)

Peggy Loves Vintage contest!

Have you been wanting to try some images from Peggy Loves Vintage?? Well, nows your chance to win some free images! Just visit Peggy's blog and get the free image of this beautiful vintage heart (make sure you click on the heart first before you save it so you get it at full size). Then make a project with it and post a link on Peggy's blog (or email her a pic) before February 12th, and you could win 2 sets of cutouts from Peggy's store!! Fun stuff!!!! So hurry on over there and get your free image, and I can't wait to see what you come up with!


I printed the image out twice, once on kraft paper for the dark background, and once on white Bazzill so I could have the brighter pink heart in the center. I cut out the brighter pink heart, stamped it, and then popped it up from the background image after using a little chalk ink around the edges. It's also for sale in my etsy shop. Link is on my side bar.

Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon!! Hugs!!

recipe:
image - Peggy Loves Vintage
paper - DP - Fancy Pants Letters of Love; kraft paper, Bazzill cardstock
tools: heart Nestabilities, Bow Easy
Misc: pink rhinestones, silk ribbon, charm, machine stitching, stickles, dimensional tape

Snap! Rewind...Photodates

Remember how it felt on our first photodate? Just you guys.... and your own personal snapgirl! It's so fun getting to know you before the wedding. Here's the "Best of" in our photodate category.