I'm so excited about my latest custom mug design. This order came from Monica of Sugar Stitches as a Mother's Day gift for her future mother-in-law, Amy.
Amy is a baking phenomenon who also happens to do triathlons.
I'll be adding this new design to Etsy this week.
Amy, I hope you liked your mug.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Hope you're being extra kind to your mamas today. They did give birth to you, after all.
Earlier this week, kathyphantastic and Objects of Confection were invited to be part of the Tribeza magazine Mother's Day Shop Hop Event by Eliza Page Jewelry and Accessories! A few stores in Austin's 2nd Street District stayed open late for shoppers to pamper their mamas with spa treatments, makeovers, and of course, yummy treats.
Honored to be part of the event, I whipped up some "Mom" and "Love" lettered cake pops in girly pink and red for shoppers to munch on. Objects of Confection served several platters of cake balls in their signature red velvet, lemon, and Italian creme.
Lil Phan and I didn't get our mom treats this year. She's over cake pops and was never really into them to begin with. (I know!) Mommy Phan emailed us just before midnight, telling me and lil Phan that she'd already opened her gift and loved it. Opening Mother's Day presents before Mother's Day...isn't that cheating?
What'd you get your mom? Was it something sweet that rhymes with bake mops?
This Saturday, May 12th, we're doing our 3rd Austin Flea at the highball. This is the Mother's Day Austin Flea, and you'll be able to buy some hand-lettered and illustrated ceramics from kathyphantastic and pretty fabulous hair accessories for mom.
Last December was our first Flea and my first in-person craft show. I was nervous. Was it going to go well? Was I going to go home with a car full of (my own) handpainted ceramics?
I was glad my friend Lauren from DottiePop was there to keep me company as was Santa Mario.
Here's an excellent picture that show how we coincidentally both wore black and white stripes.
A few friends stopped by to check out the booth and show, and I found myself noting many locally-made crafts I wanted for myself, including rings by Kelly Stiles, ceramics by Dim and Sum, and jam by Confituras. Objects of Confection had a batch of homemade chocolate dipped graham crackers. I snagged a few.
Joanna from Keep Austin Stylish stopped by to pick up her The East Side Mug she won from a giveaway on the kathyphantastic Facebook page. She shared her favorite mustache with us:
Yep. That's a winner.
A few people inquired about the custom pet mugs.
So I did go home with ceramics in my car, but far fewer than I started with. Success!
kathyphantastic and Objects of Confection were recently commissioned for a cake ball wedding cake topper (and subsequent wedding cake - the ceramic wedding cake is just for show)
The cake ball bride and groom turned out so cute, we've decided to add them to our wedding dessert offerings.
We'll customize the wedding dress and suit or tux to match the bride and groom. Pearls, rhinestones, fascinators, bow ties, boutonnières, we'll make it happen.
And if the sweet couple would like to be joined by a pet or three, we'll do that, too. We could even add a zoo.
Here's the newly-hitched husband and wife with their little cake ball pug.
We're happy to work with brides-to-be and grooms-to-be.
We'd love to make some more groom toppers.
cake toppers and styling by kathyphantastic
cake balls by Objects of Confection
photos by Aimee Wenske
Say hello to the flapper mug.
She's new to the kathyphantastic Etsy shop.
This mug and her mustachioed friend will also be available at the Mother's Day Austin Flea next Saturday, May 12 at The Highball.
I think they're perfect for coffee after a late night of Prohibition-era cocktails at the East Side Show Room.
Flapper Mug, kathyphantastic Etsy shop, $22
Mustache Mug, kathyphantastic Etsy shop, $22
Red feather hair accessory, DottiePop
Photos by Aimee Wenske
Styling by Kathy Phan
I'm not sure what I love more: the bow or the silver toe. What do you think?
Vince Camuto Spicer Sandals, Nordstrom, $97.95
kathyphantastic and DottiePop will be sharing our third Austin Flea booth May 12th, at The Highball.
I'll be selling items currently listed in the kathyphantastic Etsy store - mostly hand-lettered ceramics and a few new items if things go my way early May.
Come have a discounted mimosa with us. Prices will be ever-so-slightly cheaper - the benefits of shopping kathyphantastic in person. And check the Facebook page for some giveaways leading up to the show.
Austin Flea
May 12, 2012
11 am - 5 pm
The Highball - 1142 South Lamar [map]
I plan on working on a handwritten typography project this summer. These lovely cards (and prints) from Christen Strang of letterhappy are so inspiring and sweet. I might have to snag some for next Valentine's Day or maybe just for a whatever day when I feel like I should tell someone I love them.
Her monogram initial cards are nice, too.
Last weekend, I met up with my friends Sam and Samuel for a brainstorming session to prepare for a big project coming up in the next few months.
Sam is a Sunday regular at Elizabeth Street Cafe - you know, the new fancy Vietnamese bistro not owned by Vietnamese people, and instead owned by the Lambert's of Lamberts (Fancy) BBQ and Perla's fame.
I immediately fell in love with the clean design, bright Vietnamese-inspired color palette, and a French bulldog (I know!) who appeared in the adjacent patio section. We were all in love with the graphics and general design. There was a certain aqua window frame that made my heart skip a beat.
Having been to plenty of Vietnamese restaurants during my childhood and having visited Vietnam twice in my adulthood, it was surreal to be in a space that drew elements from the motherland while being full of non-Vietnamese people. The restaurant used colors remiscent of the less modernized areas of Saigon, but the ambiance was so quiet and clean comparatively. There were no motorbikes, no dust, no impoverished people. A French colonial dream, perhaps?
When it came time to make decisions, I ordered the lemongrass tofu banh mi and a pistachio eclair and nibbled on a few bites of a very tasty mango salad that was brought to Sam on the house. It pays to be a regular and the reward is paid out in shredded mango in a vinagrette with basil and green onion.
My lemongrass tofu banh mi was good. The bread was warm and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside as banh mi should be. I enjoyed the mayo which was blended with chili paste. However, the $7 price tag was high for the food of my peoples. Being from Houston, banh mi are usually $3-5.
Sam ate not one, but two pistachio eclairs and a huge bowl of fried keffir lime fried chicken vermicelli (bun). I wish I would have photographed the bowl in front of her. She could have easily fit inside that bowl. There was much remarking of how good her dish was, but alas she was defeated by it's giant size and had plenty of leftovers that night. Sam had predicted her fate before ordering, telling us the bun portions could feed two.
Samuel and his lady each had the keffir lime fried chicken banh mi and shared the Nutella eclair (which by the way, was very chocolate-y).
Elizabeth Street's French pastries were far better than the majority of the Vietnamese places I've been to growing up. They tasted fresher and they weren't wrapped in plastic. The display near the hostess stand was quite beautiful, more like a dessert table at a wedding than a bakery case. These pastries were also 3-5 times more expensive than what's I'm used to, but I'd say in this case they're worth the splurge. I am a dessert girl, after all. Have you seen the cake pops portion of this blog? ;)
Overall it was a pleasant experience. Good food, great company and ideas. I do wish the banh mi was a little cheaper. I plan on coming back with my fancy camera and trying the veggie pho or mushroom and tofu vermicelli sometime and another dessert or two, of course.
Hey everyone. I hope there's still people out there interested in my sometimes Phantastic life. It's been crazy busy as usual, but some of the busy has been been fun. At the end of February, my friend Hieu celebrated his 30th with what seemed like thirty pounds of meat.
Phuong, Wendy, The Redhead and I stood in line for 3 hours so Hieu could feast on his birthday meat. Funny enough, this is not even close to my first time at Franklin BBQ - it's actually my 4th. You can see the other Franklin post, and yes, I'm still vegetarian.
As others had their fill of BBQ, I had some potato salad, cole slaw, this tiny pie, and a Topo Chico.
There wasn't a moment when everyone didn't have BBQ in their mouth or on their fork. Except for maybe here when Wendy was trying to stab the potato salad
It was kind of intense
Phuong's nails looked fancy even when they were pouring BBQ Sauce.
Most people left with Meat Sweats, but everyone left happy and needing a nap.
