Eye Candy : Simplistic Avengers

Back from the not-so-dead to show you all an awesome set of fan-made posters for the upcoming awesome that is the Avengers. I'm not quite sure where they're from or who designed them, but I am definitely sure that they make me even more excited for this movie.

(If you know who the artist is let me know so I can give credit where credit's due. Thx.)

Eye Candy : Kelly Reemsten

I recently stumbled across this piece by Kelly Reemsten and instantly fell in love. Vintage flavored dresses and power tools? It's me in a nutshell! Make sure to check out Kelly's site to see more of this great series.

Wishlist: All I Want for Christmas

via Sycamore Street Press

There's absolutely nothing like the holidays to me. The chilly weather, the clothes, the family get-togethers. Hot chocolate, delicious food, and wrapping presents (you can bet your bottom that all my corners are sharp). Since Christmas season is right around the corner, I had a little fun putting together a wishlist. A few of these have already been deemed "Presents to Myself," a few are pies-in-the-sky, and a most are the little things that have made their way onto my bookmarks. Enjoy!

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs - Classic Q Hillier Bag (Nordstrom, $398)  // 2. Restricted - Journey Boots (Piperlime, $90) // 3. Held Dear Ring (Anthropologie, $58) // 4. Hive and Honey - Leaf Cluster Pendant Necklace (Piperlime, $24) // 5. Tinley Road - Zip Moto Leather Jacket (Piperlime, $198) // 6. Marc by Marc Jacobs - Snow Bunting Stud Earring (Piperlime, $48) // 7. Apple - iPhone 4** // 8. Fei - Refined Cord Shirtdress (Anthropologie, $128) // 9. The Grand Tour Loop (Anthropologie, $58) *

** Present to myself! So excited :)
* I'd also like the weather to be able to wear this for the rest of the year. Hear that You? Send us some cold!

Project : Tin-O-Lanterns

I'm loving this project from the Martha Stewart Crafts Department. Great Halloween look without the mess that regular Jack-O-Lantern cause (both at creation and at demise). All you need is a few cans, a hammer, an awl, and paint.


From MarthaStewart.com:
Create a new Halloween tradition by punching robotlike faces into cans. Add votive candles, and the heads come to life. Place in window, or stack as a centerpiece. Begin by cleaning empty coffee or soup cans and removing labels. Fill can with water, and freeze. Steady frozen can on a bag of rice, and punch holes with an awl and hammer. Defrost and dry. Paint exterior with oil-based enamel; if holes get blocked, poke with a toothpick.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. What better way to donate some money to a good cause than a pink KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer? KitchenAid makes a $50 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for every stand purchased. I can't live without ours and it's one of the top things on my list of small appliances to purchase when I move out. So click away and purchase one! And ladies, remember to take your ladybit check-ups seriously, especially if you've got a history of cancer in your family. Stay healthy everyone!

Wishlist: Fall

Though the temperatures are nowhere near dropping here in Florida, I'm still looking forward to chilly days filled with boots, knits, and orange cranberry scones. Yum.

Hound & Fox Coat ($348) - Essie Polish in Wicked ($8) - Cable Over the Knee Socks ($14)
Safekeeping Necklace ($198) - Owl Stud Earrings ($67) - Ledger Boots ($170)
Cranberry Orange Scone ($4)

Eye Candy : Amy Atlas Events

I'm absolutely in love with these images from Amy Atlas Events in New York. The color, arrangements, everything. So beautifully done it looks like something that belongs in the world of Pushing Daisies. 

Here's a little snippet from her website, AmyAtlas.com:

Desserts bring back many sweet memories for Amy so it is no surprise that she would specialize in her signature dessert tables. Amy’s fondest sweet memory from childhood is of sitting in her grandmother’s sunny kitchen on a spring afternoon, watching her pull homemade rocky road cake out of the oven. While waiting to lick the bowl, Grandma would let Amy drizzle caramel icing all over the cake. To this day the smell of rich, melted caramel still reminds Amy of that wonderful spring afternoon, when it felt like the world belonged to just the two of them and the essence of happiness was warm rocky road cake.

All photos copyright Amy Atlas Events 

Food : Chocolate Chip Cookies

What better way to spend a Sunday that baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch? That's just what I did this morning with my brother's girlfriend. I'm a veteran baker in the cookie realm (well over a decade already) so I can almost bake these with my eyes closed*. This is one recipe I won't be sharing (sorry!) but here are a few tips on getting delicious cookies from any recipe you choose.

• Use Your Ears: When creaming sugar and butter make sure to work it until the sugar's mostly dissolved. You'll know you're there when you can't hear the scraping of the sugar against the bowl.
• No Such Thing As Enough Chocolate: 'Nuff said. (Though don't go crazy exaggerated, make sure there's still more batter than chips!)
• Raw is Good: Bring the cookies out when they're not quite done if you like your cookies slightly chewy. The heat left over in the cookie and from the pan will cook it the rest of the way.

*This would be a stupid move. Cookie sheets get hot. I'm not liable if you think this would be a bright idea.

Recipes : Makin' Whoopie

I just bought the book Whoopie Pies. I'm ridiculously excited to get it, maybe a little too excited. I've never made whoopie pies before, and the thought of pillowy chocolate cake with slightly sticky marshmallow filling is making my mouth water. Yum.

Doesn't this make you want to bake?

[image via arnold inuyaki]

Eye Candy : Ray Caesar

Bringing you all something a little different today. A friend brought these to my attention and I thought I'd share. Ray Caesar's art is equal parts whimsical and weird, which makes it all sorts of awesome in my book.

A little about the artist, from The Art & Pop Culture Encyclopedia:

Ray Caesar (b. October 26, 1958) is a visual surreal artist and digital painter residing in Toronto, Canada. He has exhibited at the Mondo Bizarro art gallery in Italy.

Graduating from the Ontario College of Art & Design, Caesar went on to work in the Art and Photography department of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he has documented various child inflictions in sketches. This gruesome experience has enabled Caesar to create surreal landscapes and models with very detailed photographic textures. Caesar uses 3D modeling software, Maya with figures and environments built out of Nonuniform rational B-spline surfaces.

[all images are property of Ray Caesar]