a new year from susie bauer on Vimeo.

Here’s a little video we made to celebrate the new year and show off some of our newest designs. The song is called “All Smiles” by Jess Penner. Catchy, isn’t it?

Enjoy!

-Susie & Heidi

Once again we’ve been busy designing new goodies! This is the time of the year when we release new designs. We have a whole round of wholesale shows that we participate in during the months of January & February where we will debut these new product designs to store buyers.  You are getting a little sneak peek in advance!

We designed a group of mugs and jotter pads that feature our happy version on the signs of the zodiac. We used really fresh, happy colors and highlighted only the best traits of each of the signs. These will be really fun gifts, don’t you think? A favorite is the design for Gemini that incorporates a pair Siamese twin cats.

See the whole collection here.

-Susie & Heidi

illustration by rock scissor paper

When I am out and about, doing errands, driving from one place to the next, I will catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. Often it is a surprising splash of color: in the back alley, on the trash heap, just around a corner. I’ve been known to stop in my tracks, walk backwards, or turn the car around to take a second look. I’m never sorry that I’ve taken the detour. It’s amazing to think of all of the beautiful compositions that we miss when we are too busy or too much in our heads to see the world.

all photographs by Susie Bauer

Enjoy!

-Susie

Perhaps the thing I most look forward to during the holidays is Cookiepalooza.  It’s a night in December where Susie and I get together with two of our other sisters, Caitlin and Nono, to bake cookies.  There’s always a lot of discussion leading up to the “event” about what cookies will make the roster that year.

In past years I’ve emailed each of my sisters a ballot with all of the cookie choices I was considering, but this year I decided to create a Pinterest board with all of my “cookie contenders”. (For those of you who don’t know what Pinterest is, it’s a way to visually bookmark things of interest onto a virtual pin board.  It’s also a black hole of visual goodness!)

It was a great way for me to bookmark cookie recipes as I came across them on blogs and websites and it was fun for my sisters to check in every couple of days to see what had been added.

We started the night out with this:

And ended up with this:

We made A LOT of cookies!  Our sister Caitlin is a senior at UCLA and had a lot of starving college kids to share cookies with!  The final menu was:

- Rosemary Butter Cookies

- Pretzel Shortbread Bars

- Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies

- Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies

- Jam Filled Bowties

- Chewy Chocolate Gingerbead

- Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

- Iced Sugar Cookies

Now to start planning next year!

- Heidi

Who says coasters are only for putting a beverage on?  We’ve been having fun using coasters in creative ways, like using them to create a big Christmas wreath like the one in the picture above. We created this using coasters all in a red and white motif.

It’s easy to do.  Just cut a donut shape out of a piece of foam core or sturdy cardboard.  Using hot glue, arrange the coasters in a circle and glue down.  Keep adding more and more coasters, overlapping the previous ones until the wreath is the size that you want.

Here it is on the wall at the Unique Los Angeles shopping event we particpated in last weekend:

On the wall, you might also notice some peppermint candy decorations.  We made those for the show as well, using a big puff of tissue paper behind a coaster to create a three dimensional candy.  Once we saw them up on the wall, we thought it would be really cute to wrap cookies up that way.  And you know what? It is!

All you need is a peppermint swirl coaster, cellophane, baker’s twine and some cookies and you’ve got a super cute holiday treat!

- Heidi

This Christmas, Mr. J and I gave some homemade food gifts. Earlier in the year we had taken a canning class together that was really inspiring. We’ve been really into canning ever since then, especially since we have such a prolific backyard garden. It’s such a great way to preserve the very best flavors of the season and we wanted to share some of that with our friends.

I made some tags to decorate label the jars with but felt like they needed a little something extra.

I’m somewhat limited in the craft supplies that I keep at home; why have them at home when we have oodles of them at our studio? In digging around for something to use, I came across a box filled with cupcake liners. Tons and tons of cupcake liners.

(photo above from LayerCakeShop.com. They have a great selection of cupcake liners)

I realized that if I flattened out a mini cupcake liner, it is the exact size as the lid of the canning jar. Instant lid decoration!

I love finding multiple uses for things you have on hand!  They added just the right amount of pizazz to our jars!

- Heidi

I am absolutely giddy over this print I purchased on Etsy from British artist, Lizzy Stewart.

It seems that lately, I am constantly seeking those moments of quiet, not only in everyday life but in my head and in my heart.  Every time I look at this print on my wall, I feel peaceful.

I think it particularly speaks to me because it makes me think of hiking, which is such a source of pleasure and calm for me. I like to say that starting my day in nature calms the voices in my head. Don’t take that the wrong way.  I’m not a nutjob! It’s just the chatter in my head of to-do lists and tasks and worries….the daily things that often keep me from finding the calm I desire and connecting with the moment that I am in.

How can you feel stressed out when you start your day out with views like this?

- Heidi

The holiday season can really make you feel like there is just not enough time in the day. This is especially true if you plan on making things yourself such as homemade gifts, cookies, etc. The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas just slip by as you try to check off all of those elusive things on your to-do list.

One thing many people end up not making enough time for (and thus, don’t enjoy) is sitting down to write and address holiday cards. Each day you mean to do it, but then it just gets passed over for more pressing items on your list.

This year we would like you to join us, Thursday, Nov 24-Sunday, Nov 27, for what we are calling “Holiday Card Writing Weekend”.  We think that Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to write your holiday cards. Like anything, you have to plan time for it and make it important enough that you commit to doing it. Writing cards shouldn’t be a chore! What this activity really is about is making quiet time in your life to connect with friends and family. If you think of it as a chore, it will be.

Together, let’s revive the holiday tradition of sending cards out of love not obligation!

Here’s what you need to do….

1) Think about when you can carve out an hour on this long weekend. Maybe as your pies are in the oven, or when the rest of the family is watching football, or early on Sunday morning as the whole house is asleep. Even if you are traveling this weekend, there is no reason why you can’t bring this small project along with you. Mark it on your calendar!

2) Buy your cards in advance. You don’t want to have to shop for these on Black Friday! Don’t be over ambitious with tons of cards. Maybe just pick 10 people you would really like to send a greeting to this year.

3) Pick out some nice stamps. You can do this online in advance from the post office or maybe buy a selection of vintage stamps (from somewhere like etsy) to use if you really want to get creative. Stamps are like jewelry for the envelope, so pick something you like!

4) Clear off a table or your desk to write your cards. Make yourself comfortable. You can’t do this properly from the coffee table!

5) Use a nice pen. Nothing is better than that feeling of the ink rolling out smoothly on the paper. Your handwriting will improve automatically!

6) Make yourself a nice cup of tea, coffee or hot cocoa to enjoy while you are writing. A toasty beverage will not only put you in the holiday spirit but will make you feel a little bit pampered too.

7) If holiday music is your thing, crank up the tunes! We’ve got the new She & Him holiday album in heavy rotation here at the studio and it instantly puts us in the holiday spirit.

8) Write something from the heart in the card. All it needs is just a sentence or two, but something more than your name and a generic holiday greeting. This has been a difficult year for many people in our lives and a thoughtful message will mean the world to them (and to you!)

9) When you are done and your cards are addressed and stamped, we highly recommend you put on a coat and take a little walk down to the corner to drop these in a mailbox. It will be the perfect end to the time you’ve set aside for yourself!

Just one more thing…Cherish the cards YOU receive. Make sure to verbally thank people for sending you a card when you speak to them during the holidays. Let them know that YOU appreciate the time and effort it takes to send cards and that you loved receiving it! So many people we talk to think that no one cares about the cards they send anymore. They are wrong!

We hope that you will join us in writing your holiday cards Thanksgiving Weekend!

-Susie & Heidi

This time of year, Susie and I have been know to “run errands” some afternoons.  This is code for “we’re going out for a slice of Harvest Pie”.  It’s a scrumptious concoction served a local chain bakery restaurant that is near our studio.  We look forward to it’s arrival each year as a reminder that the holidays are approaching.

Since homemade is usually always better, I decided to try my hand at creating my own version of this pie. It’s a layer of traditional pumpkin pie, followed by a layer of pumpkin mousse and topped with mounds of whipped cream. What could be tastier right?

We might have to drive a little further to “run errands”, but the pie (and the coffee) are usually much better at my house!

Pumpkin Cream Pie

• Pie dough enough for 1 deep dish 9″ pie

• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie dough to about 1/8-inch thick and form a 16-inch circle. Fit circle into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, leaving approximately a 1-inch overhang. Crimp edges of pie decoratively. (I used strips of dough to form a ribbon edge effect)

Cut a circle of parchment and fit into pie shell.  Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is lightly golden, about 15 minutes.  Remove pie weights and parchment and continue baking for about 15 minutes more, until crust is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

While the crust is cooling, whisk pumpkin, sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, eggs, evaporated milk, and cloves in a large bowl.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Put pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the pumpkin mixture into the cooled crust. Bake until the center is almost set, about 50 minutes. Let cool in pie dish on a wire rack and then transfer to the refrigerator.  Let cool for approximately 4 hours.

While the pie is cooling, prepare the pumpkin cream. In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over 3 tablespoons of water. Let the gelatin soften for about 5 minutes.  Over very low heat, stir gelatin until it dissolves. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. While beating, add the cooled gelatin in a steady stream and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

In a food processor, process pumpkin puree, cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream.

Spoon the filling on top of the chilled pumpkin pie layer in your pie dish. Use a spatula to smooth the top. Chill in refrigerator.

Repeat the process with the gelatin.  In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over 3 tablespoons of water. Let the gelatin soften for about 5 minutes.  Over very low heat, stir gelatin until it dissolves. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the 1 1/2 cups heavy cream together with the confectioner’s sugar until soft peaks form. While beating, add the cooled gelatin in a steady stream and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Decoratively spoon the whipped cream on top of the chilled pumpkin cream layer. You can also spoon the whipped cream into a piping bag and decorate the top of the pie as shown.

Chill the completed pie for an additional 3 hours before serving. Serve chilled.

Pie will keep for several days, covered in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

- Heidi