Nie Nie Day auction results

Congratulations anonymous, you've won the baked goods, and Bri and Adam, you've won the shoes! Please don't forget to send me the receipts and your addresses.

Thanks!

Demelza Hill: RugBag

While I was checking out the Snap and Dine I noticed her RugBag, which is also pretty nifty. In her own words:

Rugbag is a 2 in 1 picnic rug and bag uses simple folds and fastening to create a new functional option for people who enjoy eating outdoors. The shoulder bag has a large amount of space to transport your picnic in which unzips into a spacious rug. The waterproof underside of the rug also doubles as a wipe clean inner surface to the bag for food and liquids.

Now, I don't know how much room there is for food, but it looks perfect for slipping in a couple of snap and dine sets and it looks like it would hold enough food for two. The wipe clean surface is a definite bonus, as I assume it also acts as something of a tarp between you and the grass. I do hate sitting in the damp.

Demelza Hill: Snap and Dine

Luke pointed me in the direction of Demelza Hill's Snap and Dine which I have to say is absolutely fantastic and are they for sale? I love the molded detail, I love the fact that it is for multiple courses, and I love the model airplane part concept. And I love how you can put it in your picnic basket and not worry about losing a fork.

Her description of the product is as follows:

Snap and Dine is a single use three-course table setting that integrates disposable cutlery with traditional silverware. The portable lunch setting expands the possibilities of eating outdoors in style whilst reinforcing the correct use of cutlery, which has been lost over time. This is achieved through the decorative qualities and formal setting which both are a visual reference to fine dinning. This product is fun and interactive whilst raising the standards of current eating on the go habits.

Now honestly, who wouldn't want this? If only it were made in bamboo...

Nie Nie Day Silent Auction: Baked Goods

I am offering one batch of baked goods from the list below:



Chocolate chip cookies

Oatmeal cookies

Lelong Lemon bars

Paley Pecan bars

Butterscotch ginger cookies

Black-bottom cupcakes

Black and white cupcakes

Or anything else listed on this blog that can be mailed.

These will be shipping from Manhattan, so if you live here feel free to choose anything you like. The farther away you live, the sturdier the better.

How to Bid: Leave a comment in the comment section below with your bid amount. Bid increments must be no less than $1.00. Auction will close Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 10pm Eastern Standard Time. The winner will submit payment to the Stephanie Nielson Fund Paypal Account and send the receipt to me to receive their prize.

Nie Nie Day Silent Auction: Delman shoes

I am donating one pair of Delman Bruna mary janes in a lovely shade of mandarin orange. They are brand new, never worn, in the box and with the dust bag.

Size 8
Heel: approximately 2 1/4"
Patent leather uppers, leather soles
Value: $275




How to Bid: Leave a comment in the comment section below with your bid amount. Bid increments must be no less than $1.00. Auction will close Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 10pm Eastern Standard Time. The winner will submit payment to the Stephanie Nielson Fund Paypal Account and send the receipt to me to receive their prize.

Nie Nie Day

If you haven't yet heard, today is Nie Nie Day. Stephanie and Christian Nielson were in a horrific plane accident a couple of weeks ago. Stephanie has third-degree burns over 80% of her body and Christian has them over 30% of his body. They are in for a very long and incredibly expensive recovery, so Design Mom has declared today Nie Nie day to help raise funds, and there are silent auctions going on all over the internet, including right here. Design Mom has a full list of the auctions, which I highly recommend checking out, there are lots of super fabulous things!

They're not kidding

photo courtesy of www.mickeyxtreme.com

So I was piddling around on msn the other day and they had a little story on non-traditional wedding sites and what should I see, but that you can have your wedding at Disneyland! No kidding. This is just the sort of thing I've jokingly planned out for friends for years, but this one is real. As in people do this all the time. It kind of blows my mind, but to each her own.
Anyway, my curiosity was piqued; I simply had to know what this entailed.

Sure, you can get married at one of their two hotels, but why do that when you can take Cinderella's carriage to the Sleeping Beauty Castle and then have your reception in Fantasyland?

image courtesy of bridalwave.tv

They have a couple of different wedding packages with lots of variables. According to the sample budgets, the weddings range from 15,000-45,000 and include such services as flower arranging, disc jockeying, wine service, full dinner, valet parking, and on, and on. Did I mention the strolling violinist?

image courtesy of cakella.com

But seriously, my favorite part is that there is a designer who works with Disney to create bridal gowns inspired by each of the Disney Princesses. Fortunately, the interpretations aren't too literal.

image courtesy of bridalwave.tv, designs by Kirstie Kelly

Pretty amazing, no? While you couldn't pay me enough to have my own wedding there, I totally want to go to one to see what it is really like. Any takers?

Chimney charcoal starters

Over the past couple of years I have been surprised to learn how many people have never used a chimney charcoal starter whatsit. We didn't have a fancy propane grill growing up, we didn't even have lighter fluid. We had a chimney, and it worked just fine. Seeing as almost nobody else I know has even seen one of these before, I thought I'd post a link to an ehow tutorial. Really, everybody should know how to use one of these.

Sky High

After reading SmittenKitchen's glowing recommendation (I seriously want some of that cake she made), I had to check out Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman. I'd love to go through the book and make every single cake, but I can't imagine the havoc that would wreak on my waistline (and my wallet), so I'll just have to patiently wait for appropriate occasions.

Shut. Up.

Image of Julia Child from npr.org

Julia Child worked for the OSS during WWII, apparently one of her tasks was to help create a shark repellent so the poor things would stop bumping into our bombs under water. Read more about it here.