Happy Easter

Buttons the Bunny joins me in wishing you a Happy Easter.  Buttons can be found here.  His ears look particularly delectable.  :)

Creative Flavor Combination in a Chocolate Bar

Anyone else looking for a unique way to usher in the New Year? I know most think of champagne, but what about the age old chocolate bar? Except, this one isn't too old in its ingredients.

This Christopher Michael chocolate bar contains 41% Venezuelan milk chocolate, bacon, sea salt and popping candy (pop rocks), so it's bound to contain unique flavors.

I just think it sounds like it has potential in an off kilter type of way. Bacon, sea salt and chocolate sound great. I'm wondering what the pop rocks add to it?

And I know it has won awards at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon.

What I like about this combination is that is creative and has flavors I really enjoy. My hat is always off to folks who seek new twists to a traditional subject. I'd say this exemplifies it.

Anyone brave enough to try it? Here is where you can find it. It retails for $7.

See you tomorrow...http://www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com

Always on Sundae

I think I must have been daydreaming about mint chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top when I made this girl bead.

I do that a lot. Well, not only daydream about sweet stuff, but make beads that aren't planned, but just so you know, they show up on my mandrel. My hands aren't really possessed, but I start making something and then take a sharp right turn into something else.

My Sundae gal, has a chocolate chip skirt, a mint top with chocolate dripping down, whipped cream and of course the prerequisite cherry on top. Her bracelet and hair decoration are made of cherries too. I'd love to have something healthy and say they're organic, but honestly, I think they're more of the out of the jar variety. Too red to be real, wouldn't you say?

So my question for today is...do you pre-plan your beads? (honestly, I do plan plenty of mine), or do you wing it? Tell me a little about your process. I think we'd all learn from it.

And once Etsy is up and running again, I'll be listing my Mint Sundae girl at http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com. I think they're currently down for repairs. Hmmm, that will teach me to write my blogs at the crack of dawn.

See you tomorrow!

Cheaper by the Bakers Dozen Cupcake Glass Beads

I had an inquiry from an online bakery specializing in cupcakes. We discussed a wholesale price for cupcakes.

Now I know that a lot of artists don't do wholesale, but I have a different opinion. If the details are spelled out carefully and agreed upon, then it can be a win/win situation.

But back to cupcakes. Part of the fun for me, was trying to figure out what types of cupcakes to offer. I reviewed her website, and then thought about what would I want to make multiples of at the price we agreed upon. (and decided that I was pretty open as long as the cupcake wasn't too detailed)

Here are four samples of the many that I came up with. I first made a list of what colors cake bases might be. Then I went to frosting colors and then I have a separate column for decorations. By writing out my ideas, it's easier to make an assortment, once I get to the torch, than having to think them up as I go. I'm a list person through and through.

Do you sell wholesale? And if so, do you have any pointers for our readers? And of course the other thing I want to know is...what's your favorite type of cupcake? I think mine would be rum cake with pineapple frosting and lots of coconut sprinkles, I've never seen one, but it sounds good.

See you tomorrow!

Happy Fat Tuesday ~ It's Mardi Gras and Time to Party!

Happy Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras to you. It's the last day to let your hair down, dance and just over do it.

I'm afraid that Phoebe here has been going over the top for a while now and is still debating what to give up for Lent. Oily fish, chocolate, and males are all on her list of potential items.

I have cautioned Phoebe to not indulge in too many drinks tonight and by all means, put some more clothes on. I have heard that some gals will do crazy things just for beads.

Being a bead already, I am hopeful that Phoebe will keep her top on and just let the good times roll.

For you fashionistas out there, Phoebe is wearing an Italian "string-er" bikini and Italian glass shoes too.

Ice Cream In Cold Weather- Here's a Tutorial on How To Make Your Own

To me, it's never the wrong time of the year for ice cream, no matter how cold outside it is.

I thought I'd tell you how to make your own ice cream cone, so when the warm weather hits, you can have plenty on hand.

1. Using dark ivory, make a small cone.  I use my torch mounted marver to roll it out.

2. Using the ice cream color of your choice, start adding glass to the top of the cone shape and once you have the top section full enough, gently melt it so it becomes rounded and smooth.

Hint: be sure to rotate your mandrel so the glass can flow into place,  I often have my mandrel upside down, so the glass flows next to the mandrel and rounds out on the very top.

3. Now you're ready to add your "drips".  At the bottom edge of the "ice cream scoop",  I make "V" shapes with more glass.  I also take the end of my rod and drag it farther down, if I need to.

Melt slightly so it's smooth.

4. With a razor or the sharp edge of your Stump Shaper, carve a circle around the original scoop, so it shows well.  That also pushes glass in each direction and enhances your drips.

5. With your razor,  gently heat one area at a time on the cone and make your diagonal slashes.  I do one direction first and then the other direction afterwards.

6. Using a red of your choice, you can add the cherry on top.

7.  Voila!  A calorie free ice cream cone ready for you.

If you want to purchase a ready made ice cream cone, click here.  And don't forget, I'd be happy to make one in your favorite flavors...just ask me.

And if you haven't joined in yet, check out my One World, One Heart post below.  The details to win Scoot the Valentine Pup are in it.  This goes through February 12th.

See you tomorrow.

Photo Tip: Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!

I wanted to show you the difference in a slight change in my chocolate cake bead photo editing that I did this weekend. I think it makes a positive change and wanted to share it with you.

The lower photo shows how the photo was originally edited. I used the aluminum take out lid that I wrote about in an earlier blog. I used my Photoshop Elements 4.0. Please note, I am far from being an expert in this and seem to bobble along and get by.

I posted that bottom photo as my chocolate cake's first shot in my etsy listing. And then looked at it and wondered what would happen if I tried putting a white background behind it instead.

So I tried the magic wand tool with it. Which is often how I remove the background and after clicking a few times, was able to remove the pinkish background. I noticed that I still had the reflection from the aluminum, which was the part I really liked on it. So voila. I went to "edit" and "fill selection" and chose "white." It turned out like this top photo and I really prefer it.

Do you have any little photo tricks that you wouldn't mind sharing? Please let us know.

And until then, enjoy the chocolate layer cake a la mode with dripping vanilla ice cream. Yum.

Just for fun, here is a recipe for a delicious double chocolate layer cake from one of my favorite recipe sources, epicurious.com.