Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone a safe and merry holiday season. We are thankful for our wonderful and successful first year. Thank you to everyone who supports Perfect Dressipe. We could not do it without you! Come visit us next year.

Beautiful Packaging

I cannot stop looking at this packaging for Blossa årgångsglögg, a Nordic vintage mulled wine. It is by BVD, a design and branding studio out of Stockholm. Absolutely stunning. They have also designed some of the Absolut bottles...what fun!

Very inventive jewelry

How cool is this jewelry made from colored pencils by Maria Cristina Bellucci out of Rome, Italy. I love the colors, shapes and the simple organic nature of them all. I especially love these rings and bracelet but I think you need to email her to purchase your own.

Amazing Pouf!

Check out these awesome poufs made by Christien Meindertsma. Called the Urchin Pouf and made with extra-large needles, these things looks so comfortable.

I would love to find a pattern so I could make my own but you can purchase yours in a variety of colors by contacting Thomas Eyck.

Baby Blanket

I made a cute baby blanket for my fiance's brother's baby Sean Scott. They live in London, so we had to ship the blanket there. Sean is so cute and he seems comfy on his new blankie!

I can't wait to meet little Sean in July for my wedding in Glasgow. He will be so big by then!

Melissa

I won a contest on 100 Layer Cake blog!

I entered a contest on the wedding blog 100 Layer Cake and I won!

You can check it out here under contest winners:
http://100layercake.com/blog/archives/3975


I wrote:

"My fiance is Scottish and I am American…
We are getting married at the House for an Art Lover in Glasgow July 1, 2010. I am whimsical and he is more streamlined. I would love to incorporate the tradition of the tartan plaids (since he will be wearing a kilt) and my whimsical nature. I have red flowery shoes and a classic twenties dress already picked out! We are both architects and love art and would love our personalities to be reflected. so i think the theme would be ” A Twist on T(art)an and Tulle”

I’m excited! They put an inspiration board and color palette together for me and it will be posted in January.

I will let you know when its posted!

Melissa

Baby Shower Fun!

Gina and I hosted a fun baby shower for our friends the Rosso's this weekend. We made all the food and desserts and even had a fun 80's punch! All of the food had food labels that matched the invite. A Perfect Dressipe bunting flag adorned the wall.

I made a cute baby bag for them as a gift. The Amy Butler fabric is bright and cheery and looks more like a purse than a baby bag!

Can't wait to see the little bundle of joy soon!

Melissa

Selina Rose

Selina Rose is an award winning textile designer who uses cutting-edge technology to create intricately cut felt homewares and interior surfaces. Her broad range of products include rugs, acoustic wall panels, window treatments, room dividers, table runners, lighting, upholstery and more. I first learned about Selina Rose on decor8 blog.

Here are a few more images of her beautiful designs.

Sorry, just one more... I can't get enough!

Amazing!!!

How amazing does this tart look?!? Oh, how I cannot wait to try and make this. Spotted on Lottie + Doof (which is my new favorite cooking related blog) this Chocolate Caramel Tart looks to die for.

The recipe is as follows but for more pics and a little more background check out the original post linked above.

Chocolate Caramel Tart (adapted from Claudia Fleming > Marlow & Sons > Saveur)

For the Chocolate Tart Dough

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

For the Caramel Filling

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons crème fraîche

For the Chocolate Ganache

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 1/2 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Make the tart dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Sift in flour and cocoa powder, and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and form it into a disk; wrap well. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 325° F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the tart dough into a large circle 3/16 inch thick. Transfer the tart dough to a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press into pan. If it falls apart at all just push it back together in the pan. Chill the tart shell in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Prick the shell all over with a fork. Line with parchment paper filled with pie weights or dried beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, and bake until the pastry looks dry and set, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. (The tart shell can be made 8 hours ahead.)

Make the filling: Place 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan. Add sugar and corn syrup, and cook mixture over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it becomes a dark-amber caramel (I removed it when it was sort of a medium amber since I knew it would continue to cook off heat), about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and carefully (the mixture will bubble up) and slowly add the heavy cream followed by the butter and crème fraîche. Stir until smooth. (The caramel can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container.) Pour the caramel into the cooled tart shell and allow to set, first at room temperature and then in the regrigerator.

Make the ganache glaze: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and let stand for 2 minutes, then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour the ganazhe over the tart. Refrigerate until set.

Remove the tart from the refridgerator 5-10 minutes before you are ready to serve it. Cut the tart into slices and sprinkle each with Fleur de Sel.

New PHX DIY member!

We have added another radical artisan to the PHX DIY group...Cherry Bombin Wear! She makes everything from recycled bicycle tubes. I just love this custom messenger bag above, I must have my own someday.

Martha Stewart Gift Guide

Martha asked some of her favorite bloggers to create a gift guide. There are some really great options. My favorites are below.







Lauren Lombardi Jewelry
Small Wooden Radio
Mango Medium Radio
Vintage Bingo Sketchbook
Teapots and Jugs Towel
Linda & Harriett 2010 Calendar
Ruler Bracelet

One more piggy bank

Who doesn't 1. love piggy banks, and 2. love the chalkboard craze. This lovely little product combines both and it is quite fabulous. By Ladies and Gentlemen out of Seattle, this ceramic pig has a chalkboard coating. Perfect for Christmas or any little ones on the way!

New shoe obsessions

I have a pair of TOMS and they are super comfortable but I saw these ones and fell in love. How perfect are they for winter! The Cordones are wool or canvas uppers, arch support, great colors, laces, rubber sole...I must have a pair but I cannot decide which one. Hmmmm.


For something a little more fancy I spotted these fabulous Black Magic Heels at Anthropologie. They look so sassy and comfortable. Too bad they are running a little low on sizes, otherwise I would be very tempted.

My Gocco!

I ordered a Gocco Printer, a Japanese screenprinter that utilizes thermal heat to make the screens, and last night I finally got to try it. I decided to make Christmas cards as my first project and it was so much fun!


First I created my master with the lighthouse which is way easier than any other screenprinting method I have tried (except for the Yudo...any thoughts on that?) I am just so sad that they are discontinuing the Gocco....I guess I better start buying supplies.




After exposing, I selected my inks (brown, red and silver...very holiday-ish) and started applying to the screen. The instructions said to apply the Riso ink-blocking foam to the screen to prevent mixing but I didn't have any sooo I created my own by buying the $0.99 sheets of sticky foam at Michael's. It worked perfectly!



Then I selected my paper and placed it on the sticky pad, which is genius because then your paper never slips around and you get perfect placement. I tried red, white, off-white, green and then a recycled chipboard-ish color. The chipboard one was my favorite.


Press down and ta-da! It took me a few to get the right pressure down but then I was a printing machine. I probably printed over 50 cards last night.



I love how they turned out. I have to now go buy envelopes and write them all. I love my Gocco and it was well worth the purchase, I just wish they would not stop making them. What have you made with your Gocco?

Holiday Cards

How about a little holiday graphic love!? How adorable and awesome are these letterpress bow cards by Pie Bird Press (they have an adorable website). I absolutely LOVE them and they make me so happy. They have a lot of other great stuff too in their Etsy shop so go check it out.

Design*sponge $100 gift guide

Here are my favorite pieces from the $100 gift guide. Some of the pieces I have been eying forever. You can see their full list here.









Wood LED Flashlight
Wire 9-Cube Event
French Country Chlakboard
Quote Bookends
Orange Toolbox
Wood Wall Art
Wood Candle Holders
Olive Wood Pendant Lamp