Cupcake Cravings

As I was putting together my grocery list for the week I got to thinking about baking a cake. And as I was pondering about the perfect cake to bake (I’m keen on trying my hand at a Japanese sponge soon – love the texture), I got distracted by photos of cupcakes and then by illustrations of cupcakes and so on (I do get distracted easily).

I  tried to focus on my grocery list again but then kept wanting to add things like buttercream and bicarbonate of soda to it – which means that some sort of cupcakery must soon occur or else.

I have now put aside the grocery list in order to concentrate on cupcakes and try to get my mental list of desirables down to a maximum of three to try. To assist in this endeavor I have turned to the Restless Chipotle, who, aside from telling you to ‘channel your inner tart’ has also compiled a list tantalizingly titled ‘50 Best Cupcake Recipes on the Internet‘. But there is a lot more out there : The Good Food Channel has its top 10, Panlasang Pinoy has its 23 of the Best Cupcake Recipes on the Internet and the trusty Guardian has 3 great ones to offer.

So I’m off now to go in search of the perfect for me cupcake from amongst them. If you have a contender do let me know – and I’ll keep you posted on what occurs on this end!

Wisława Szymborska, 1923-2012

On the second day of February this year, the world lost a beautiful voice. View with a Grain of Sand: Selected Poems (1995) was the book that brought me to her doorstep, and there I stayed. In fact, just the week prior to her passing I had finally received from Amazon nonrequired reading (2002) which I had been hankering after for ages. I feel sad looking at it now and haven’t had the heart to crack it open yet. In the meanwhile, I’d like to share one of my favourite poems from her 1995 colection – I hope it gives you as much pleasure as it did me.

Stylized Swirls by Si

The wonderful work of Si Scott has been around on the interweb for a while, yet every time I come across one of his pieces I am completely bowled over. You’d think swirls would feel done to death, but a swirl in Si’s hand is the stuff of magic.  Do click through and check out his extensive portfolio.

 

Illustration Inspiration

I am loving the work of illustrator Nidhi Chanani, a freelance artist and illustrator currently residing in San Francisco. Born in Calcutta and raised in suburban California, she creates the sweetest illustrations. I think I have an especially soft corner for them since a number feature a brown girl with a ginger headed boy! Now just replace a couple of cute little kitties with a fluffy little Westie and ta dah!

Do click through the illustration below and wander around her lovely website – don’t miss the portfolio!

Watercolor Inspiration

 

I love Yan Nascimbene’s beautiful watercolour illustrations. My mad love for watercolours aside, his work has a striking simplicity about it and rarely fails to strike a poignant note.

A prolific and much respected illustrator, Nascimbene’s illustrations have appeared in  Time, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, the New Yorker, Boston Globe, Toronto Life, Scientific American, Atlantic Monthly, Hemispheres, and more. Do check out his website portfolio.

A Disney Do-Over

What would your favourite Disney Princesses look like if they were a bit more fleshed out? I’ve come across this lovely collection by Jirka Väätäinen, a Finnish graphic design student based in Bournemouth, UK a few times via Twitter and Facebook, and thought I’d share it here for any of you who may have missed it. Click through the picture to check out the whole collection and the rest of the artist’s portfolio.

Christmas Tree

It had to be done. When you wake up to big ol’ fluffy flakes of snow cascading down over the back garden, you must acknowledge the magic of the season. So here is a Christmas tree with some of the best presents ever! Of course such presents bring with them much joy and excitement as well as unavoidable ‘accidents’, hence the little widdle 🙂

Season’s greetings everyone!

Lahore

 

Somehow I don’t think this’ll be the only post with this title. I do miss the homeworld.

Sunny Umbrelly!

So much depends upon the weather.

But something sunny, someone funny, can always make it seem a bit brighter.

 

Looking Up

How fantastic was Pixar’s ‘Up’? Even my man, with not one romantic bone in his gruff body, was unable to resist acknowledging its awesomeness. Apparently some folks in Utah found it so fantastic they built a replica of the house where Carl and Ellie lived. According to the Guardian piece, “It was built by designer Adam Bangerter and features every possible detail from the movie, including a blue kitchen complete with retro fridge, microwave and oven.” Fun!

The adorable Lisa and Geoff from Sacramento had the pleasure of having a super-cute photoshoot for their anniversary there and you can see their photos by clicking through on the photo above. It’ll make you smile.