Miss Mouse's Frosty Cake

My sister and I made this cute cake on the request of Miss Mouse.  When asked what cake she wanted for her 2nd birthday she said "Frosty!"....so here is our Frosty Cake!

Cake broom hand-crafted by Cole (mucho appreciation!)

Easter Cake

We are now offering Celebration Cakes at Eve Chocolatier!

Country Living Excursion

Yesterday, while sifting through my collection of decorating magazines, I picked up this month's issue of Country Living and whilst basking in all the beautifully photographed articles I spotted the advertisement about their upcoming Women Entrepreneur event.  They are celebrating women who "bank on their bliss"  (love it!) and featuring leading women entrepreneurs in creative industries.  So, my mom and I will be packing our trunks and hitting the road.  Our little town in Canada is about 5-6 hours from the bright lights of Chicago which means it's a proper road trip.  Anything that is over 3 hours away, requires crossing borders or boarding ferries is thus a proper road trip and in my books requires all the accompaniments of said road trip.  1) picnic snacks that can be nibbled in the car or made into a picnic lunch if a location is spotted  2) custom created road-trip music designed with scenery and destination in mind.  3) pocket camera...something you can take a great picture with but can hold with one hand out of a window.  4) good, old-fashioned road maps...no GPS!  Preferably one that can only by spread out on a car hood the size of a 1950's Cadillac.  5) A good friend!        

Hope you can make it to this event to share and meet with other women who "bank on their bliss" (still love it!).  Hope to see you there!

Pauline

Country Living Women Entrepreneurs Event

...and the winners are!

The finished Chocolate Oscars....

Oscar Beginnings

The beautiful Retro Suites hotel has asked me to create Chocolate "Oscars" for their A Night With Oscar party on Sunday night.  I was unable to find an existing "Oscar" mold to use to make the trophies so I decided to create my own.  I found a company in Ohio, with a charming chap who explained in great detail how to create a mold with his food-grade silicone putty.  Here is the beginnings of my mold creation.  As I am writing this, I am on attempt #3 with little success but I shall continue my trials and will create a golden chocolate trophy....at least that's the idea!

Escape Artist

Yet another dreary winter day in the land of snow and ice.  Don't get me wrong, I love all the seasons and all their differences but sometimes I wish you could speed them up a little.  Well, if you are like me and you are looking for a mini-break and I mean a really, really mini-break.  Check out some of these webcams from some of my favourite places.  Comment on some of your favourite places and if there is a webcam..please, please share!

Florence

Paris

Favourite New Cookbook

If you've ever lacked any desire to visit France, Anne Willan's The Country Cooking of France will surely cure you.  This beautiful hardcover book is as much a cookbook as it is a culinary escape.  The book is well organized into sections of various meats, soups, sauces, breads, vegetables, potatoes and desserts.  Within each chapter there is an accolade section where they pay homage to different French culinary legends as well as a few pages dedicated to local traditions, customs, and other various aspects regarding different regions of France.  It is worth its weight in truffles!

Phaedra's Butterfly Cake

A little girl named Phaedra turned 3 on Valentine's Day.  We made her a pink frosting cake with chocolate butterflies.  Happy Birthday Phaedra!

History's Greatest Love Letters - Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo was a French poet, playwright, novelist, and exponent of the Romantic movement in France.  In 1822, he married his childhood sweetheart Adele Foucher.  

To Adele Foucher (1821) from Victor Hugo

My dearest,

When to souls, which have sought each other for,

however long in the throng, have finally found each other

...a union, fiery and pure as they themselves are...

begins on earth and continues forever in heaven.

This union is love, true love,...

a religion, which deifies the loved one,

whose life comes from devotion and passion, 

and for which the greatest sacrifices are the sweetest delights.

This is the love which you inspire in me...

Your soul is made to love with the purity and passion of angels;

but perhaps it can only love another angel, in which case I must tremble

with apprehension.

Yours forever,

Victor Hugo

Win a Trip to Paris!

I thought I would pass this along to my readers.  Nivea has a contest going on right now until February 17th where you can win a free trip to Paris.  Who doesn't dream of strolling along the river Seine and sipping cafe au lait at Fouquet's.  Here is the link to the Kiss-O-Mate contest site.  Good luck!

Organizing Your Creative Space

I am currently writing today's post, after a one month hiatus, from my small dark office space at my shop. As the fog lifts from the holiday season it usually reveals a clump of clutter that appears to be amassed by little deviant, pranking trolls that seemed to go unnoticed on my payroll. You see, they scamper around at night making little piles of junk in all the little corners of my little office space and then before you know it, I can barely enter unscathed by falling towers of tupperware dishes and large leaning pillars of trade journals. So, for anyone else out there who also has a disturbing infestation of these covert, trash-wielding trolls, I have put together an easy 3-step process to help conquer the clutter and also some inspiration photos to keep you motivated. I will post some before and after pictures of my office space, when I complete the after!

Step 1: Trolls hide in trash and piles of junk. So to completely eradicate them you must go through all your piles and neatly organize everything into easy to access storage. These little creepers love packed closets and drawers so make sure you eliminate any excess.

Step 2: Trolls are ugly and therefore love ugly spaces. Pick out a paint colour and get decorating. Make a beautiful space that you will love and trolls will hate.

Step 3: Trolls only work when you get lazy. So to keep these little devils in the bread lines, tackle one easy 15 minute project every night to stay on top of the clutter.

Pictures: 

1. Wren's Nest Cottage

2. Pottery Barn

3. Heather Bailey Studio

4. The French Inspired Home (Sommer Design)