the first dozen + the first giveaway! (closed)

the first dozen

Hi friends! These donuts are pretty impressive if I do say so myself. So impressive that I contacted Wilton, the company who makes the donut pans I use, to see if they would like to collaborate me on a publication of some sort. I had high hopes. I am loving using these one-use-kitchen-gadgets in as many ways as we can come up with.

I had met with my friend Bridget from Chronicle Books for different book and brochure ideas to approach Wilton with, and consulted with my Girl Crush creative group before I sent the email. Unfortunately, Wilton gets emails from people looking for the same sort of thing all the time, and they weren't looking to work with me in that way. I've got a long way to go before I reach 101 uses for the donut pans, so I am still hopeful something more might come of this. They are so fun and pretty and I know I'm selling pans from all the feedback I'm getting. So, fingers crossed. I might even do it myself, using Blurb or some other online book maker. We shall see.

Wilton did do something very cool, however. They graciously sent me eight more pans to work with! I barely have room for all of these pans now, but it's great, because the edible and inedible projects should not be made in the same pans, and now I've got enough pans to last me quite a while.

Eight new donut pans, rush job!

And they did another really cool thing. They offered me giveaways! This is really exciting. Today is the first giveaway, in honor of the first dozen projects we've completed.

A set of Wilton donut pans can be yours, shipped directly from Wilton. And this one is super easy. All you need to do is tell me you would like a set, and I'll randomly choose someone this weekend. I'd love to hear if you've been following along or if there is a particular project (you can see the first twelve HERE) you'd like to try first, or if you've got a tip on how I might get these ideas published, but that is not required. Just let me know you'd like a set! We'll do the address thing after you've won. I will collect comments until noon on Sunday, August 26th, at which time the contest will close.

Here's the fine print, from Wilton:

Contest is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States of America, Washington, D.C. (excluding US territories and possessions) or Canada (excluding Quebec), who are are eighteen (18) years of age or older. Void where prohibited by law.

Good luck! And if you don't win, don't worry, I have four more sets to giveaway in the future. And thank you so much for reading. It means a lot to me! I have a new donut pan idea post coming up tomorrow, a really great idea Stella had, so stay tuned!

apples

Today is the last official day of Stella's summer vacation. I could write about how this feels ad infinitum, especially typing this while listening to a moody Flaming Lips song, but I feel like I've already made it clear here just how much this time together means to me. I can't help it. There is something so final about the end of this summer. It's the last time I'll be spending day after unfettered day with a two and a six year old. I've been getting a panicky feeling in my chest the last few weeks whenever I've thought about this day. I probably need to snap out of it. It feels so heavy, though.

We spend two back-to-back days at a pool this week. One was just Stella and I for seven hours on a lovely ladies' date. We had breakfast and brainstormed donut pan ideas and birthday party plans, and then swimming. It was wonderful. 

That particular day we picked up our weekly veggie box, then David from his very late train ride home, and didn't open the box until the next morning. That's when I found these apples. I haven't seen an apple in that box for months. And there was no more corn. Undeniably, fall is on the way.

Where are all these feelings of finality coming from? They make me worried. My mother has told me many times that the best time of her life was when my brother and I were little. The way I feel now, I can believe it. 

I told Stella the other day that we were going to make a pact to keep this summer going. Our warm weather starts soon. There's no reason we can't swim on the weekends and do the rest of the things we wanted to do on our "Summer Fun 2012" to-do list. There is so much fundraising, so much community building when school starts, it's hard not to get sucked in. But we don't have to go all in, at least not right away.

mark your calendars

Friends! I'm signed up to perform my Frida Kahlo burlesque act two times this October, so take note. At Bombshell Betty's Halloween show at the Elbo Room on October 9th, and again for my debut act with Red Hots Burlesque at El Rio on October 24th. If you live in San Francisco and you haven't seen this act before, I would love it if you came out! Halloween/Day of the Dead is the only time of year I do this act, so catch it while you can. It always means the world to me when there are folks I know in the audience! And, Mexican blanket tap pants. Are they not incredible? They can go on, but they may or may not come off. They are a size 8, I'm a size 12. I've got two months. Lay your bets.

I'll also be performing a new duet with the wise-beyond-her-years Miss If-N-Whendy. This lady is half my age and twice as smart (and three times as hot), and I'm so excited to start working on our Betelgeuse act together. It's going to be so fun! We will perform that at the Bombshell Betty Halloween show on the 9th. Two acts that night, friends. I'm talking to you. Yes, you.