Many Pretty Things

I have a new obsession.

Rachel over at One Pretty Thing was kind enough to include my calendar on her weekend roundup.

She has also introduced me to countless other blogs that I've spent all day looking at. Head over there to check out all the handmade and DIY goodness.

Mushroom Cards

New in the shop! Cute mushroom cards.

It's Cookie Time

My darling 8 year old niece called last night and had a lengthy pitch prepared just for me. It was entitled "How to convince my dieting aunt to buy more than one box of Girl Scout cookies". She started out with her sweet little voice telling me that she was calling to see if I'd like to buy cookies from her. She had me at hello. If that was not bad enough, she went on to describe, in details, each cookie from Thin Mints to Tagalongs. She was killing me. Literally. Who could resist an 8 year old trying to pronounce Dulce de Leche and Trefoils. Seriously... I don't know if I could correctly pronounce Trefoils.

Okay, so the point is, I bought 3 boxes and was told I'd have to wait until late February or early March for the cookies. I got one box of Shortbread, one Samoa, and one Dulce de Leche.


If I decide not to inhale the entire box of Samoas, I will definitely be making this dessert. Be still my heart. Late February or early March cannot come fast enough.

Thank Heaven for Little Girl(Scout)s Samoa Cheese Tart

1 box Samoa cookies

3 tbsp. butter, melted

1 8-ounce package cold cream cheese

1 8-ounce container cold mascarpone

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups dulce de leche, divided

1 cup flaked coconut

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

..
Process the cookies into crumbs in the food processor. If you don't have a food processor, put them in a plastic zipper bag and beat the hell out of them until they turn into crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the butter in a bowl. Press the crumbs into a 9 or 10 inch tart pan, preferably one with a removable bottom. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

..
In another bowl, combine the cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar and dulce de leche. Beat on medium speed until well-blended, about 2 minutes. Pour filling into tart shell and chill for at least 2 hours.

..
Meanwhile, toast the coconut by heating it in a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat, tossing it often so it doesn't burn. When the coconut is golden brown remove from heat and set aside to cool.

..
When tart is thoroughly chilled, spread the remaining cup of dulce de leche over the filling, gently spreading it to cover. Be careful not to mush the filling. Spread the toasted coconut over the dulce de leche and drizzle with the melted chocolate.

Circa 1985. Yours truly as a Brownie. Do they still have Brownies or is everyone a Girl Scout?
Recipe and photos of dessert via Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Poladroid for Windows

I first heard about Poladroid a few months ago, but only the Mac version was available for download. But I checked back today and they've got the Windows version ready too. I immediately downloaded it and have already been testing out the software with some of my favorite photos.

To download it for yourself click here.

Poster Children : Free Downloads

ReadyMade asks five artists to reimagine the populist poster art of the first Great Depression. Click each poster to take you to the PDF download.

by Christoph Niemann
“Even though you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, a good cover makes a good book more interesting. I think art in a society often works similarly. I like all of the original posters, but one of them—’Fantastic and Abstract Art’—I find remarkably weird.”

by Nick Dewar
“I hope that America is entering a post-’greed is good’ period. I can’t think of a single step that would change the nature of our society more than everyone abandoning their automobiles and cycling instead. There would be less dependence on oil, obesity levels would drop dramatically, and reflective bike clips would replace fancy ladies’ purses as the current must-have fashion accessory.”
by Christopher Silas Neal
“Solving the world’s energy and food problems would do a great deal to strengthen the global economy, prevent disease, and reverse the effects of climate change. The original Victory Garden program was designed to ease pressure on the public agricultural supply and support the war effort by encouraging families to grow their own food. I wanted to expand this idea to the broader concept of buying and eating local food.”

by Open
“Since the WPA was about helping people understand concepts that can help make life better, we took a different approach to war and defense. Communicating with an open mind is the first step toward understanding and avoiding conflict. The ‘know other people’ caption refers to the ‘know other lands’ phrase on some of the original posters.”

by Mike Perry
“I really responded to the original WPA phrase ‘let it grow’—it seemed much bigger. I wanted to make something that lifted spirits. It seems like the program should have never stopped. I know so many brilliant artists who could have used some government funding even while the economy was booming.”

via Ready Made Magazine

2009 Calendar : Free Download

Just in time for the New Year...a free downloadable 2009 calendar.

Print on 8.5 x 11 paper (I recommend a heavy stock) and cut to size. When finished, calendar will measure 4.25 x 11 and use 6 sheets of paper.

Please print as many as you'd like, but do not sell this product.
Download January and February here

Download March and April here

Download May and June here

Download July and August here

Download September and October here

Download November and December here

A Great Monday Night

Seeing an early movie complete with a small and buttery popcorn.

After movie drinks...a martini (or two)

Spending time with friends.

My 3 friends are hiding from me...one of them not very well.