Why Consign?

Because we’re broke, but we still like to keep up with the latest fashions, consignment shops are the best place to find really great clothing and accessories at prices we can afford. Being a consignor {bringing your clothes into consignment shops to sell them and make a percentage of the money} is a good way to make a few dollars, and selling and buying pre-loved clothing is also super sustainable, because you’re essentially recycling clothes rather than participating in a demand to create new clothes. More on this in the future.

Why Peonies?

Because it carries designer labels like BCBG, Chanel, Gucci, Isaac Mizrahi, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang {the list goes on and on!}, Peonies is the perfect place for girls like us {i.e., chicks on a budget} to stay in style without breaking our banks. Also, we just love Pam & Laurel, and their sense of design. As Mish says in the video, Peonies {named after Pam and Laurel’s favorite flower} looks nothing like your traditional consignment shop. “Most consignment shops visually assault you with clothing,” said Pam, and she’s right. But the first things we noticed at Peonies were the soft lights and pastel colors, the antique mirrors, rustic doors and furniture, and the beautiful faux flowers bursting from all corners of the store. It reminded us of a garden… a garden of peonies!

“We’re not most consignment shops,” continued Pam. “We think of ourselves as a high end boutique, and most of our clothing and accessories originate from high end boutiques. As such, we needed to bring design and order to the store. We’ve organized everything by article type then color, like many women organize their closet. We did this so that when you walk in, you feel a sense of place right away.” We think they were incredibly successful.

Another thing that makes Peonies so unique is their social outreach. They are one of very, very few consignment shops that delivers weekly e-mails {“what’s in store for you”} with photos of their latest consigns {they call them “blooms”}. You can subscribe to their weekly updates here. Additionally, you can become a fan of Peonies on Facebook or follow them on twitter.

We couldn’t resist going home with a few items, especially with their Winter clearance going on {tons of brand name clothing marked down to $5, $10, and $15!!! More on that here}:

P.S. If you’re curious about One Pearl, the jewelry company/charity organization Mish mentioned in the video, check out their website for more info and for gorgeous jewelry with a purpose. {We plan on writing more about One Pearl, too}

Suzi, who has been making kickass cakes for quite some time now, has begun to consider starting her own side-business making cakes and cupcakes for weddings, birthdays, and other sorts of parties. She jokes about the idea, but she already has a name picked out: Suzicakes! Aww :)

“I think I really got into making extravagant cakes when I had Scarlett,” Suzi says. Scarlett is the cutest, silliest, smartest kid we know and has been deliciously spoiled with wicked cool cakes for almost all of her seven birthdays. For her 6th birthday, Scarlett had a Shark Attack! cake {above} because she loves sharks {and yes, that shark really is eating Barbie!}. Last year, she had a haunted birthday theme with a haunted house cake {right}.

Aaanyway, back to the penguins! We can’t divulge the secret recipe, as it is copyrighted to the authors of Hello Cupcake, but here are some process shots:

A tip that wasn’t in the book: Suzi recommends cutting the tops off of the cupcakes that you make the penguins on so that you have a flat surface to work with.

Okay, we admit it, Suzi did most of the work, but only because she has much more experience making desserts that are both aesthetically and tastefully pleasing!

One thing we did do ourselves was shape the penguin feet. We are super proud of them. :)

Our icebergs are suffering from the effects of global warming, so they’re a bit droopy, but otherwise everything came out wonderful! We love love love Suzi and her goddess-like baking skills. If you ever want a really rad cake made, we know who to contact, but if you feel like trying out some of these cool cupcakes yourself, we highly highly suggest Hello Cupcake, which you can find in every major bookstore and online. Happy baking! <3