Poor & Pretty » cupcakes

American & Pumpkin Pie cupcake soaps in the shop

Sami — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:29:58 +0000

Just in time for Fall, I’ve added two yummy pie-scented cupcake soaps to the Poor & Pretty shop: American Pie & Pumpkin Pie. The scents are very realistic, so please don’t eat them :)

Is there anything more American than apple pie? Well, probably, as apple pie dates back before the European colonization of America, but still. This cupcake soap is spot-on — slightly tart and sweet cinnamon, apples, sugar and that delicious pie crust, warm from the oven. Topped with blue and red jojoba beads.

My friend Jordan’s favorite, pumpkin pie is a signature fall dessert. Sweet cream pumpkin paired with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, ginger and rounded out with buttery vanilla. Hurry, before Jordan buys them all! <3

Note: As of right now, these are only listed in the Big Cartel shop, not on Etsy.

Vegan cupcakes take over my tummy

Sami — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:52:28 +0000

Mish and I have been dying to try out recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero for a very long time, and we finally did on Friday. Because neither of us had ever made vegan cupcakes before, and Mish has never made cupcakes from scratch, we decided to go with a simpler recipe: Simple Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes. For the frosting, we made a Chocolate Ganache using the recipe from the book and adding a little bit of our own invention. Here’s the result:

These were the most moist cupcakes I’ve ever had! I’m guessing that’s a result of using agave syrup in lieu of sugar and eggs/milk. I mean… wow. I’m not vegan {though I may be slowly heading that way, if it weren’t for bacon…}, but I have a feeling I’ll be making many more vegan cupcakes.

Psst: check out author Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s website, The Post Punk Kitchen, for more unbelievably delicious vegan recipes. :)

Saturday Stroll in Glastonbury

Sami — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 23:33:03 +0000

Today was a good day. I didn’t sleep in as late as I would have liked, but I got a lot done for the brochure I’m making for the Poor & Pretty Bath Sweets line. When Stan rolled out of bed, I made us a scrumptious breakfast of whole wheat french toast, eggs, and bacon, which we munched on happily while we watched gophers play in our backyard. Did I mention I love our apartment?

After filling up our bellies, we took a stroll in downtown Glastonbury and checked out some neat local businesses. Stan made friends with the resident Corgi at Emmy Lou’s, a very quaint shop with lots of beautiful home decor and handmade accessories.

Oh, and we just happened to stop in at Sugarbelle for some cupcakes…

…Yeah, I didn’t fool you. That was probably the main reason we went to Glastonbury ;) I picked up an Almond Raspberry, Chocolate Raspberry {I was in a raspberry mood}, and Lemon. I’ve only eaten the chocolate raspberry so far. It was super moist and the Swiss meringue buttercream frosting was amazing, but I didn’t get much of a chocolate taste from the cake itself. On the plus side, that means it wasn’t overpoweringly chocolatey, which happens often with chocolate cakes, I find.

Hope your Saturday was wonderful, too!

Birthday Party Sneak Preview

Sami — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:04:17 +0000

With all of the craziness that is May {birthdays, graduations, weddings, Memorial Day…}, I’m not having a big birthday bash until this coming Saturday. Though I’ve done pretty small celebrations for the past couple of years, my mom wanted to throw me an immortal-themed murder mystery party. So, this Saturday, a few friends and I will be dressing up as faeries, wizards, vampires, werewolves, or watchers {think Giles from Buffy, only more stylish}, and trying to solve a murder while also trying to keep our own secrets safe. Scandalous!

I, of course, chose a faerie character — the water faerie, Nineve. I found the perfect dress at Uptown Consignment, and Stan paid for half as part of my birthday present. My mom and I have been busy planning fun menu items {like salsa = “blood & guts” for vampires} and testing recipes {like this one for raspberry lemon cupcakes}, and I’ve been coming up with great DIY ideas for decorations and costume components, like the tissue paper pom-poms I created using this tutorial, and the candles Stan and I made together. I can’t wait until Saturday!

Friday Faves 1.28.11: The Apartment

Sami — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:13:09 +0000

Stan and I are very, very excited to have our first apartment all to ourselves! While we’re still in the organization process, here are a few of my favorite things about our new place:

My Jones Soda & candle rainbow is definitely my favorite piece of the new apartment. I thrive in an environment with lots of color. Color makes me happy, motivated, and inspired, and I like the harmony of rainbows. In case your interested in making this yourself, it’s just water with food coloring inside of the Jones bottles.

Here’s my work space. See? Lots of color! Also, lots of fragrance oils and cupcake soaps. Of course, my office would not be complete without my Harry Potter collection and the wand my fellow HP-obsessed friend Ray whittled for me.

Above are my favorite things found in the kitchen {okay, other than cooking/baking supplies!}. My new colorful apron with red heart pockets is so adorable. I got it at Target for only $10! The picture of cupcakes makes me smile every time I look at the fridge. I love the strawberry magnet my boss gave me, too {it was on top of a washcloth folded into the shape of a cupcake}. <3

I also love hearts! The heart mirror I bought from Ikea for around $8 and I’ve got a few heart necklaces as well. I’m not a fan of jewelry boxes because everything gets all jangled and tangled up, so I hang my necklaces on the wall with pushpins. I totally stole this from my friend Jordan, who’s been doing this for years. Smart cookie.