Miniature Cupcakes Project

I just finished my miniature cupcakes! ....Yaaaay!!!

I made both 1:12 and 1:6 scale.

I really wanted to concentrate on the 1:6 scale because I have a Pullip doll coming early next year. It's my first Pullip and I'm sooo excited.

More pics on my Flickr account.

I Eat Cookies ...in Winnipeg

Anyone from the Peg City?

Watch out for the official launch of I Eat Cookies on Dec. 13, 2009. Lips are sealed until that date.

Drop by Park Theatre 7pm on Dec. 1st, there will be handing out of ads.

Yummy Ornaments

We Filipinos are suckers for the Yuletide Season. As soon as it hits the "-BER" months in the calendar, we start celebrating Christmas. And it ends in January, after the day of the Three Kings! :)

Check out these yummy ornaments. These will add sweetness to your Christmas tree ....but are also great to sweeten your homes even if it's not Christmas! :)

Available on Etsy!

Miniature Cupcakes (Work In Progress)

If it's not that obvious ...yes, I'm obsessed with cupcakes. I'm currently working on miniature cupcakes both in 1:12 and 1:6 scale.

Here are some work-in-progress pics. I haven't iced them yet, though. I'm waiting for some miniatures plates that I ordered online. It's been over three weeks now since I purchased those plates, and I haven't received them yet. I'm crossing my fingers that they're just delayed (...super delayed) and not lost! :p

1:6 scale W.I.P.

1:6 scale W.I.P.

1:12 scale W.I.P

bottom diameter: 5mm top diameter: 7mm height: approx 4mm - 5mm

1:12 scale W.I.P

bottom diameter: 5mm top diameter: 7mm height: approx 4mm - 5mm

More Cupcakes...Faux, That Is! :p

New faux cupcakes are up on my Etsy shop ....including Butterscotch, Salted Caramel, Rocky Road, Strawberry Cheesecake, a whole bunch of Sprinkles and some Christmas ornaments and many more.

Most of these are just limited in stocks, so do check 'em out! :)

Let's Help the Victims of Ondoy (Ketsana)

...we were flooded inside the house, too. But only up to our ankles. It was nothing compared to our neighboring areas of Cainta, Marikina and other areas of Pasig City. Their houses were sunk in flood waters. Cars were piled up like that of a junk shop. People were lost, washed away by the strong current...and a lot died.

Let's help these areas recover from this tragedy.

How to help the victims of tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana)

Ways to donate to the Philippine National Red Cross via the PNRC web site

DSWD donations drop-off points

1. National Resource Operations Center, Chapel Road, Pasay City
Contact: Mrs. Francon Favian

2. Quezon City Area Disaster Resource Operations Monitoring and Info Center (DROMIC) DSWD Central Office
Contact Rey Martija or Imee Rose Castillo, Tel Nos. 951-7119, 951-2435 or Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera Tel No. 0918-934-5625

3. Manila Area (DSWD-NCR)
San Rafael corner Legarda Streets, Quiapo, Manila
Contact: Dir. Thelsa P. Biolna, Dir. Delia Bauan Tel Nos. 734-8622, 734-8642

Manuel L. Quezon's blog: How to help (original on Quezon.ph | Tumblr.com mirror link)

Google Docs: Rescue InfoHub Central | List of Places where to donate (check out one nearest your area, or add a donation center that is not on the list)

Another list of where to donate goods via Bury Me In This Dress blog

Google Maps: Ondoy situation map for Metro Manila, by KaninLamig

Sahana FOSS Disaster Management System http://sahana.kahelos.org/

ABS-CBN HOTLINE
416-36-41

SAGIP KAPAMILYA
413-2667 / 416-0387
No 13 Examiner Street, Quezon City, Look for Ms Girlie Aragon

Bank: Banco de Oro, Mother Ignacia branch
Acct name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.
Acct no.: 5630020111

ABS-CBN Foundation Inc for overseas donation: 1-800-527-2820 or www.abs-cbnfoundation.com

Routing code for international cash donations
BNORPHMM ABS-CBN Branch

In kind donation:

Drop off sites are at 13 Examiner Street or at Scout Bayona in front of Rembrandt Hotel.

ABS-CBN Foundation US Office Toll-Free 1-800-527-2820

Negros Navigation

from Mr. Edmund Gawchua, Manager

Negros Navigation is now accepting the transfer of relief goods from Mindanao to Manila for free for aid to victims of Ondoy.

Donations can be sent to Negros Navigation stations and offices nationwide.

McDonald NCR outlets accepts donations too.

Victory churches is also accepting donations please check for more details.

Blog Filler: Chowder - "I Believe You Can Cook"

I just finished and shipped a bulk order, redesigned my blog, and thinking of some new craft projects to do. Other than those things, I have nothing else to talk about...

...so just watch Chowder singing! hehe! ....even if I didnt understand a word! On the wings of an eagle! =D

Wonderful Surprises From a Wonderful Friend

Selling on Etsy did not just earned me extra cash, but I did get a lot of friends, too! Though miles away from me they do keep in touch, sending me their well wishes through emails and convos.

One of them is Marie Christine from France. She's been a good friend ever since our first Etsy transaction. She even surprised me one day, when I got this lovely cookbook from France in the mail.

And last Thursday, I received yet a nother surprise from her! My son and I were very thrilled when we got the package. It felt like Christmas opening the package....just loads of goodies inside. French biscuits, trinkets, postcards and whole lot more! I will definitely cherish all these wonderful items!

Thank you, Marie Christine...you definitely made my day! :)

Appreciation Photos

It's been raining really hard for the past couple of weeks now. I believe that's what caused some interruptions on my internet connection. I failed to check my emails because I didn't have any internet connection the whole day yesterday. But today, the sun is back and so is my internet. And I'm very happy to receive some beautiful and lovely photos via email.

Marie Christine, a wonderful customer of mine from France, sent me a bunch of photos. Some of these photos are pictures of her garden. It's so beautiful it reminded of "The Secret Garden." How I wish I could smell those flowers and just run around the green grass barefooted! :) (click on the image to enlarge)


Along with her garden photos, she also also sent me photos of her table setting where she used the faux cupcakes I custom made for her. She setup a dinner outside on her terrace. She prepared her table, placing each faux cupcake near each plates. And using them as place card holders. (click on the images to enlarge)

(NOTE: all images used with permission of Marie Christine Estepa)

I'm so happy she was able to use them. And don't they look pretty? Even the cards she used are pretty...heck, her whole table setting is PRETTY! Yes, I love those plates and hand painted glasses, too...so chic! :)

Thanks again to Marie Christine for these lovely photos! :)

Those lovely cards Marie Christine used were handmade by Seasonal Delights. You may purchase her cards and tags (...and even have them custom made) at her Etsy shop.

Etsy Buy Handmade jarS

3 Parcels in Week!

I've been doing some shopping online for some craft materials. And this week I have already received three parcels. Yay!

I have purchased a few new scents to incorporate on my faux cupcakes. These scents are raspberry, caramel, butterscotch, chocolate and cookies n cream. I only put vanilla scent on my Cookies n' Cream faux cupcake. So now that I have the real scent, my Cookies n' Cream faux cupcake will even smell more delish!

I purchased these fragrance oils from The Soap Farm. I am really happy with this purchase. It arrived really fast and well packaged. Miss Grace (whom I believe is the owner) is very easy to communicate with via text messaging. I will definitely buy again from her.

The Soap Farm makes delicious soaps. Not only these soap smells yummy, but also good for your skin. Visit the The Soap Farm for more pics of their delicious looking soaps!

(^Photo from The Soap Farm)

Another one I got from the mail is this small pack of micro beads I bought from eBay (I don't want to rub it in, but yes, eBay! This is before my eBay incident! harr harr!). I don't know why I bought this item, but I'm sure I'll put it to good use. I thought maybe I can use it as sprinkles on my faux cupcakes! :)


And just this afternoon, I went out despite the heavy rain to pickup a parcel at the post office. It's the package of La Doll clays I bought from Japan. I will use it to create and sculpt different embellishements for my faux cupcakes...sort of my fake fondant! Hehe! But I will also use it in creating different crafts as well.


Before, I use Creative Paperclay in creating my faux cupcake decorations/embellishments such as my fake Oreo cookies, wafers, and flowers. I really love using this paperclay, I can say nothing bad about the quality. But then I can only purchase them in the U.S. or Canada, which makes it a bit expensive for me. And not only that the shipping cost is also too costly, it takes a while for me to receive it.


And now that I can purchase La Doll in Japan, I don't need to worry about the costly shipping. And since it's within the Asian Region, I can get it faster than purchasing from the States or Canada.

All these craft materials that I just bought will surely keep me busy for a while! :)

Our Stolen Photos Completely Removed on this eBay Shop! Yay!

As I checked this eBay shop just moments ago, all the stolen photos of faux cupcakes were completely removed. I believed that the original owners have taken action, reporting this violation as well.

I find it weird (and funny, and irritating!) that this seller, after removing my photos, would still have the guts to continue to use other people's photos. Are not my "friendly" messages (which they ignored) and my eBay report serve enough warning to them?...that they MUST remove all photos they stole from other people! And that they should NEVER use other people's images and claim as their own! I can't believe that they have to wait for the other original owners to take action, before removing all the rest of stolen images.

Anyways, all is good now! Our photos were completely removed. I hope all the remaining images left there are their own property.

Thanks so much to those who contacted the other owners.

**If you wish to purchase faux cupcakes, please purchase directly from the original sellers/makers. There are a lot of faux cupcake sellers/makers you can find on Etsy. Please purchase from us there.

Update on My Stolen Photos on eBay

The two eBay (auction) listing that used my faux cupcake photos ended yesterday and today. However, the items can still be viewed and my other fear is that this particular eBay seller may re-list them again.

Despite the couple of "friendly" messages I sent them, they refused to reply and take the images off their shop. I decided to report them to eBay since they decline to cooperate in removing my photos.

I reported the seller to eBay this morning, informing and directing them to my Etsy shop and Flickr account where they can find my original images uploaded. I'm very happy that eBay takes urgent action regarding such matter. This afternoon, I checked the eBay shop of this seller and I'm glad that my photos (and the listings where my photos were used) were completely removed.

However, this seller is still selling faux cupcakes using other people's photos. They did not remove those images. According to eBay, they cannot do anything about it unless the original owners will report it to them.

I'm still trying to find out who the other owners are so I can contact them and inform them about unauthorized use of their images.

Please check this eBy shop! And if you recognize any faux cupcakes or other items, or if you know the original owners of the images used in this shop, please kindly inform them!

An eBay Seller is Using my Photos without Permission

I developed this habit of googling "faux cupcakes" just to see if my name would come up, or to see if there are people who blogs about my creation. I'm happy about the fact that there are a few who were nice enough to feature my creations on their blogs.

But just moments ago, after googling the words "faux cupcakes", I found this particular link

***FAUX CUPCAKES UNUSUAL AND UNIQUE PLACE SETTINGS*** on eBay ...

And for some unknown reason, my finger just clicked on it. And to my horror, there I saw the photo on my faux cupcake creations. This eBay seller stole my photo and using it as their own. I did not gave permission to use of this photo.

Those faux cupcakes were from the first faux cupcake batch I've made. I made them as samples for my customers who were looking for wedding favors. And those plates are still sitting on my moms cabinet! See my original images here!

And that's not the only photo this eBay Seller stole. Here's another one stolen from me, my faux cupcake ornaments....which this seller would like to call **VANILLA SCENTED FAUX CUPCAKE FAB GIFT OR FAVOUR**

View my original ornament images here.

I reckoned these photos were snatched from my Etsy shop, my Flickr account or on other people's blog which featured these items. I don't really mind people using my images for blogging purposes. In fact I appreciate it. But to steal them, claim and use as their own...I'd like to call that hitting below the belt.

I already contacted this seller reagrding this matter, but I'm still waiting for their reply. If they don't wish to reply, I expect them to remove not just my photos but all the other stolen photos as well....otherwise I'll report them directly to EBay.

There are other faux cupcakes being sold by this seller, on which the images they used are not their own. Please pay this eBay seller a visit, browse through their shop and if you recognize any images or know the original owner...please, please contact them about this atrocity.

Macaron Chaos

I have recently been obsessed with French macarons....like the same obssession I have with cupcakes. They're all mesmerizing to look at, and anyone can never contain themselves to devour one.

We don't have Ladurée or Pierre Hermé here in the Philippines. But I got my first taste of French macaron from Bizu Patisserie.


French macarons are very different from the macaroons that my mother loves to make, which uses desicated coconut as the main ingredient. And it is spelled with a single "o". French macarons uses "tant pour tant", or the combination of almond powder and powdered sugar, folded in whipped egg whites or what we know as "meringue". It is then baked until the "foot" comes out. Foot, you ask? Yes, a French macaron is not a French macaron without it's famous feet...it's a cracky ringlet surrounding the sides. I found this photo of the anatomy of a French macaron from Serious Eats:


Anyways, this post is about my chaotic trials of making these French delicacy. I've had about 4 tries so far...and I'm getting there! Yay me! :)

I've read tons of recipe and instructions on baking French Macaroons. And boy, how I thought it was as easy as 1, 2, and 3!


One of my Etsy customer (and friend!) Marie Christine, was sweet enough to send me a cookbook of French biscuits, with a macaron recipe in it. The whole book is in written French though, but it's not so hard to understand because there's a step by step pictures in it...and not to forget about Babel Fish online to help with the translation.




There are two ways to make French macarons, one is to use Italian meringue which requires boiling of sugar before adding to the whipped egg. The second one is using dry sugar on the whipped egg.

On all of my 4 trials, I used the "dry" way, because boiling of sugar needs to be precise and I don't have a candy thermometer for that. But I've read that using the "boiled" technique makes the meringue more stable than just using dry sugar.

1st Try: "Humidity" is the culprit?!

My first try making French macaron is a complete disaster. I swear I followed the instructions exactly and weighed each ingredients exactly...heck, I even used a digital scale! Folded the dry ingredients on the whipped egg until it can fall off down the spatula like a continuous ribbon. Piped it on parchment paper. Set it aside for 15 minutes. Baked it at 190C. And voila! It came out flat, no foot and became even flatter as it cooled. And not to mention it got stuck on the parchment paper. And it's funny that I blamed it on the "humidity". Some people here in the Philippines (and some others from Singapore) who also tried and failed, blamed it on the "humidity". So yeah, I thought "humidity" is the culprit.



2nd Try: I apologize to "humidity"...sorry! :P

Since I thought that "humidity" is to blame for my first failure. I brought all the ingredients and tools (except for the oven, hehe!) up in my air-conditioned room. (and this actually enraged my mother! LOL!) I mixed and prepared everything in my air-conditioned room. Set it aside, this time for 30 minutes. Brought them back in the kitchen to bake again at 190C...this time it's no longer flat, but alas, still no foot. So, I guess the "humidity" is NOT to blame this time! :P



3rd Try: The wonderful Silpat...and Calphalon!

I've got an email from my French friend and she said that I should let it stand or set aside for 1 hour ... not 15 minutes, not 30 minutes, but 1 hour. And that it's better if I use a Silpat.

A Silpat is a French brand of silicone baking mat you put on top of your baking pan/sheet. It helps even out the heat and it's non-stick.

I couldn't find a Silpat here in Manila so I settled for another brand that I found, Calphalon...it's not cheap! :P And guess what? After purchasing Calphalon, I passed by this shop that sells Silpat! And it's 600pesos cheaper than Calphalon, and also comes in different sizes. I still bought one, though!

So, on my third try, no more air-conditioned room just plain old kitchen...I either under whipped the meringue, or over folded the ingredients and the meringue, making everything a bit runny. (And I accidentally put a lot red food coloring! :p)
But I still continued and piped it on the silicone mats I bought. Let it stand for 1 hour. And then baked it on 180C. The recipe said to bake it for only 8-10 minutes, but it had passed already and I'm still not seeing any foot. So I baked it for another 10 minutes. And at long last, there I saw the glorious feet ...and I jumped for joy! Woot! Woot!

But my joy ended after I took it out of the oven. The outer shell cracked, the inside is wet and soggy, and all of it got stuck on both the Silpat and Calphalon ....non-stick, huh? blah!




4th Try: Never Say Die!

I still have some almonds left from my third trial so I might as well give it another shot. I'm getting there, I saw already them macaron feet!

This time though, I tried David Lebovitz recipe of chocolate French Macaron. And this time I didn't fold the ingredients into a "continuous ribbon, runny consistency." I just made sure that it is smooth, folded well so that no egg whites is showing. Piped it on the silicone mats, and let stand for 1 hour. Baked it a 180C for 18-20 minutes.

I made an experiment with this trial. I took out the upper rackof the oven, and placed my Silpat (with the piped macaron meringue) directly on top of it (no baking pan/sheet), then placed back in the oven.

In the middle rack, I place the baking pan/sheet. On top of that baking pan/sheet is the other silicone mat with the piped macaron meringue.

At 180C, after 8-10 minutes the feet already showed on the macarons at the top rack. On the middle rack, however, there's barely any feet and started to crack. I let them stayed in the oven for 10 more minutes.

(^Macarons baked on middle rack at 180C: cracked and no feet.)

After that I took them out and let cool a bit. The macarons seemed to be stuck on the silicone mats.

(^Macarons stuck on Calphalon and Silpat.)

So I poped them right back in the oven for another 15 minutes at 170C. Took them out of the oven and let cool completely. Now it's easier to lift them off the silicone mat, although some still sticks a little specially on the middle part.

(^Macarons baked on a Silpat on the top oven rack.)

I filled them with chocolate ganache. And, tadah!....My "I-almost-got-it-right" French macaron! :)


The outer shell looks perfect and smooth. The feet is there (yay, me!) even though it's not that high or evident. The outside is crunchy and the inside is soft and chewy, almost-meringue like texture.


Making French macaron is not so easy at all. For those who got them right on the first try, are either geniuses or just plain lucky. The temperature and baking time alone may vary depending on the size of the macaron. And not all ovens are created the same. I only have a small oven and it's nothing like those industrial ovens that professional bakers use. I guess, if one should fail the first time, they should try again with a different temperature or baking time until they get it right.

I'm quite happy with my last try. But I will definitely try making these macarons again until I get it perfect and right!...Never say die! Tomorrow is another day! =D

Here is a link of Macaron recipes from Tartlette (that I also have yet to try out!):
http://tartelette.blogspot.com/search/label/macarons