Cat in the Small Blue House

Just wanted to share a little glimpse of my new life here in Nashville so far!

I live in a little blue house on a hill! There is a park next door and we scored  a porch and a deck in the back! I can’t wait to grow tomatoes and set up my bookmaking studio and to have a place where I can work on teaching myself cake decorating.

This is the view from our house that I mentioned in this post. It’s so neat to see the skyline from our house and to feel super secluded at the same time.

And here is Olive— belly up and passed out from all the stress of moving! How stinkin’ cute is she?! It’s so fun to watch her perch on the back deck and listen to the birds.

And this is how we celebrated finally getting moved in: chips, salsa, and Margaronas! A ridiculous drink for one seriously ridiculous month. We have done so much and still have mile long to-do lists but luckily most of the hard work is done besides finding a few more furniture pieces. My inspiration is finally starting to outweigh the stress— don’t you love it when that happens?!

Sketchbook Sunday #2

On my last birthday, I made a “Two for Two Dozen” list: a little directory of 24 goals to accomplish while I am 24. One desire of mine was to keep a journal again— it’s something I have done on and off since I was a little girl. I realized when I made the list in January that it had been nearly four months since I had done any kind of free writing / journaling / sketching / record keeping and I decided that I wanted to remedy that immediately.

Since I make books, I simply grabbed a discarded journal I had made for a mock up back in college and started sketching. I say discarded because although I love it, it is not a high quality book that I feel is good or interesting enough to let someone else have. When I make books for others, I create them with intent from start to finish for the person in mind. Since this one would never be given away, I decided to fill it myself instead of letting it collect dust on a shelf.

Although I spend a lot of time working with my hands, it felt incredible to use them for sketching again. We spend so much time typing instead of writing these days: papers, text messages, emails, tweets, status updates, even simply using touch screens at the grocery stores creates such a void between humans and the written word.

My writing used to be so crisp and interesting, especially when I studied interior design and literally practiced hand lettering for hours a week. It was such a disappointment to barely even have the ability to scratch out half decent letters on any page (not to mention I practically lost all ability to even draw anything above a second grade level again!).

So even though I am so so happy to be sketching again, I have added another personal goal for myself: I want to make it a point to write / sketch / letter / doodle every single day. Now that I am working towards having a real studio to create in, it would be nice if I could actually create something visually pleasing when I sit down inspired to make something.

I shared the inside of this sketchbook for the first time here and I have since decided to make Sketchbook Sunday a regular feature here on Kitty Cat Stevens. As embarrassing as some of the pages are/will be, I hope to chronicle my progress and maybe even inspire someone else to start doing what they love along the way!

Is there anything you used to love doing that you’re itching to pick up again? Or just something general you want to work towards getting better at? Sometimes I really feel there might be some truth to the phrase, If you don’t use it, you lose it.

Home Is Where Your Cat Is

I am pretty sure everything that has happened in the last week doesn’t even mathematically fit into 7 days! Besides not having internet, I changed jobs, stayed on a friend’s couch for three days while rental house hunting, watched my partner graduate and start a big boy job (so proud!), moved into a new house in a new city, made 1400 cupcakes in one day, lost my cat for 30 hours, and got so so sick and wiped out from it all.

I’m still a little out of sorts— my head is pretty stuffy, I’m queasy a lot, and I feel like I could literally sleep for days! But the good thing is that I am adjusting to it all and Nashville is finally starting to feel real instead of like a huge dreamy blur.

As I settle in a little more, the best part of every morning has been getting to see my cat, Olive again. Since I graduated a year ago, I have been pretty nomadic which means my cat was living with a friend for a long time. Now that I have a house again, I finally feel like things are getting back to normal. Olive is here, I have a real kitchen, I can bike to work in just ten minutes, I will have a studio to create in again soon— things are finally starting to calm down some and feel promising once more. It’s all so exciting and I’ve said it before but I will always say it again: home is where your cat is.

Holy Fondant, Batman!

Here’s a little glimpse of the work I have been doing with gum paste and fondant recently. I learned to make a rose, cala lily, leaves, and a simple bow! I also made a carnation, but it’s not pictured since it turned out so poorly/unfinished. I wish I could show more, but my lessons got cut short because of all the sudden madness involved with getting our new jobs and house hunting. BUT— I already found some options in Nashville for cake decorating lessons and classes so I am stoked to keep sharing all the neat things I learn!

Have you ever tried working with gum paste or fondant? These pieces actually photographed really well but I still just see a lot of imperfections when I look at them! It’s so hard not to judge too harshly so I just keep reminding myself that they were all first tries— I can’t wait until everything is out of boxes and I have a kitchen again so I can keep practicing!

My (Possibly) Lucky Sweater

I’m not a superstitious person. I’m generally not even a little stitious (ba-dum-chee!) but I can’t help to think that this sweet Old Navy cardigan I thrifted is some sort of good-fortune magnet. Evidence: I’ve worn it to the last three interviews I’ve had and subsequently landed each job— the most recent being offered to me within the first ten minutes of meeting my (now) new boss! 

So by now you’re probably asking:

“Don’t you think hard work and experience is what gets you a job?” or

“Wait— don’t you already have a job that you love?” or even

“Why is this your third job in eight months?”

To which I would reply:

No. Absolutely not. It is completely reasonable to empower inanimate objects with magic instead of taking credit for your hard work, dedication, and talent. Or

Yes, I do have a job that I love— which is what has inspired me to accept a job I think I will love even more! Or

Because a girl’s gotta live! Duh! Or, more honestly, because I finally decided to pursue what I love full time!

So here’s the details: In a whirlwind of fate, I discovered the Nashville branch of the bakery I work for was hiring. So although I LOVE my current job, I decided to at least entertain the idea of applying/interviewing. (I mean, after my love affair with the city, how could I not?) I put in my resume and everything else is kind of a blur. I talked to my boss about transferring and although she would be sad to see me go, she was extremely helpful and let me know I had her support.

purse: Mom’s from the 90′s 

A few days after that I got a call to setup an interview for the next day. After talking to the manager in person for ten minutes, he offered me a full-time baking position on the spot! I tried not to squeal with delight as I penciled my start date into the calendar, but I am sure I was still beaming from the inside out!

The next day, my partner got offered the job he had been waiting to hear back from. So in one week’s time, my entire world got turned upside down and all our plans went out the window! Now we are furiously trying to tie-up all the loose ends here before we can make our much anticipated move to Music City. 

locket: vintage / gift from my mom 

Even though all of this has been a stressful process the last few weeks, at times I can’t help but think about how lucky I am. But just stating that makes me so upset because it really does negate all of the effort I have put into actively pursuing my dreams. Landing this job was not something that just fell into my lap— it was a conscious decision. I decided I wanted to work at a bakery. I sought out and learned the necessary skills to get an entry level position. I continually asked for feedback and criticism from my boss and coworkers. And then I decided to pursue an opportunity for vocational, personal, and financial growth.

shirt: thrifted / belt: kohl’s / corduroys: GAP / wedges: Ciao Bella from DSW

 Although it can be nice to think that luck has something to do with success, I know this outfit probably only went so far as to influence my confidence when I interviewed. Even if it’s cheesy, the quote “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it” really applies to my life lately. I’m really excited to see what the future holds and I’m ready to own my accomplishments. I’ll just save my “luck” so I can test it on something just as crazy— like the lottery!

Behind the Scenes : How to Make A Mean Dirt Cupcake

For an aspiring baker, not much is worse than throwing out 22 cupcakes. Unless those cupcakes are evidence of your greatest baking fail to date, in which case you immediately delete all photos and evidence you ever made them and then try not to publicly mourn all the beautiful wrappers you wasted. End. Of. Story.

Or, you suck it up and decide to share your great big, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad experience with the world  your blog followers. I mean, your life isn’t all sunshine and unicorns, now is it? Well neither is mine.

So let’s talk about last night. It started out so perfect: recipe in hand (or more accurately: recipe pulled up in an email I had sent to myself weeks ago), ingredients all in a row, spirits high, and Fleetwood Mac playing. Little did I know, I was ready for what would later become known as The Battle of the Red Velvet Cake.
But I didn’t know of the impending doom, so I was excited. I was even extra excited to use the vintage geese measuring cups my mom gave me. Look how cute they are all in a row, ready to help out! I can hardly stand it!
And then things only got better. I finally used the beautiful ceramic juicer I bought while I was in Gatlinburg last summer. Ahh yes: supporting handmade goods, overcoming my grudge against Red Velvet cake— things were going well!
And then I did something I never do: I followed a recipe exactly how it was written. I was attempting to make a Red Velvet Cake. But not just any Red Velvet Cake. I was not interested in a bland, toxic red excuse to eat cream cheese frosting. I wanted a vegan version of the historic cake I had come across in my research: rich brown sugar, a delicate crumb, and naturally red with a cooked flour frosting. So when it called for beets, I didn’t blink an eye.

I opened those babies up and was immediately mesmerized by the magenta goodness. “This might actually work,” I thought to myself. But having never eaten a beet before, I eagerly took a huge whiff of the can to see what I was getting into. Although it smelled like damp earth after a heavy rain, I didn’t blink an eye. I mean, I routinely made brownies from a can of black beans, how much worse could these beets be? 

So I threw them in the food processor and watched as they spun into a glorious red puree. I carefully added all the ingredients. I even sifted the dry into the wet to get my beautiful batter. Only thing to do now was a taste test! One lick of that spoon and my heart sank. But I didn’t give up! So what if it was a little tangy? That’s why most recipes called for buttermilk, vinegar, or lemon juice. It’s not like it’s supposed to be chocolate cake! I convinced myself it was supposed to be like that. Oh and the obvious dirt aftertaste? That would cook out. It. Totally. Would. So I baked them up, peering through the oven window to make sure they were rising. And boy, how the smell fooled me! Over the next 20 minutes my apartment was transformed into a small town cupcake shop! I was filled with hope when the timer went off. And I was so proud of those puffy, naturally red little cakes. I put in the second batch while the first cooled. As soon as it they were in the oven I reached for my masterpiece, pulled back the wrapper, and took a huge bite.

And as soon as it hit my tongue I spit it right back out. Right. In. The. Trash. How could something even taste SO BAD? How could something I made taste so bad? I had insulted myself. Oh, it was awful. It was like a moist, fluffy mudpie made with lemon juice instead of water. It was worse than the time one of the baker’s at work left the sugar out of the pumpkin cupcakes. It was simply embarrassing.

I wanted to give up. I gagged every time I looked into the kitchen at those sad, sad cakes staring back at me. If I didn’t have a special order of Red Velvet Cupcakes coming up in April for a friend’s mom’s birthday, then I probably would give up. But I have two cans of beets left, a few new recipes, more tips from various cake forums, and a huge grudge against Red Velvet Cake that I’m trying to fight. I just hope it’s enough to get me through the next month.