Phoenix Comicon 2010 JFashion Trunk Show

I will have a post and pictures from the fashion show up soon! It was a bit hectic, but we did it and we made the most of it. In the very least it was a great learning experience and gave me lots of things to improve upon for future fashion shows!

Thanks to everyone who came to the show and a big "Hello!" to all of my fellow designers/friends that I met at PCC!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Phoenix Comicon 2010

If you're wondering why I haven't updated in a little while, it's because Gothcupcake will be at the Pheonix Comicon May 27th-30th! I won't have an exhibitor's table this time around, but I will be showing off Gothcupcake clothing designs for the JFashion Trunk Show on Saturday the 29th from 3 to 5:30pm! Come to the show to see Japanese Street Fashions exclusively from local designers and have the opportunity to purchase a few items from the designers after the show!

I joined in last minute and my friend Nic is lending me a few of her friends to model at the show as well as collaborating on some ensembles! I will be modeling as well as showing off my designs and maybe even taking part in a little Q&A! My photographer will be there to shoot pictures during the event, feel free to stop by and take a picture with me! Come join in the fun and see Gothcupcake's first ever fashion show this coming weekend!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

What's in a name?

So, in my retail experience I've noticed that people from different parts of the country (and world!) have different names for the above shopping necessity. Where are you from and what do you call it?!

Margarita Cupcake Recipe!

I know what you're thinking "Finally!" I got this recipe from the awesome cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.
Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
• 1 cup soy milk or rice milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons tequila (100% agave, no worm!)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 tablespoon soy milk or rice milk
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon tequila (since I made these for work, I omitted the tequila)
• tiniest drop of green food color you can manage (optional)
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• generous pinch to 1/8 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt (optional)

Cupcake Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, beat together lime juice, zest, soy milk , canola oil, tequila, vanilla and sugar. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until batter is smooth.
3. Fill liners three-quarters of the way full and bake 20 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean.
4. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting; allowing cupcakes to set for an hour or two helps the flavor to develop fully.

Frosting Directions:

1. Blend margarine with a fork until soft and fluffy, then stir in soy milk, lime juice, tequila, and food coloring if using (the effect is just to give the icing a very pale green tint, even lighter than "mint" green).
   
2. Sift in 2 cups confectioners' sugar and blend (if you have an electric mixer, using it on low speed helps), until creamy and smooth.
3. If frosting is a little too liquidy for your taste, sift in the remaining confectioners' sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until a thick but spreadable consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to use.
   

To Assemble:

1. Spread icing on cupcakes, spreading all the way to the edges, then roll just the outer edges of cupcake in sugar crystals or sprinkle them on the edges by hand.
2. I topped mine with gummy worms as a joke since bad (and non-vegan) tequila sometimes has a worm in the bottom of the bottle! Surfsweets makes vegan-friendly gummies that would be perfect for this :D

It works best if you have large grain sugar, but I just had the regular stuff, and the frosting absorbed most of it :P The frosting also thickens up to create a nice glaze. The only complaint I got about these cupcakes was that they needed more tequila!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Cotton Candy Necklace!

New model and new cotton candy necklace posted on Etsy!
Thanks to PinkiePie! of PinkiePieXO on etsy for modeling!

Super sweet necklace looks good enough to eat!

I have some spookiness on the way too don't worry! It's not all frosting and sprinkles! :D And I still have to post that margarita cupcake recipe...

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Soups On!

One of my favorite movies is Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands. There is a scene where they are grilling shish-kebab on Edward's scissors instead of on skewers and the father says "Soups on!" when they kabobs are fully cooked. Edward looks at him confusedly and says, with a mouth full of food, "I thought this was shish-kebab?"


Anywho, I made kebabs for dinner last night and I know I've done well with dinner when my boyfriend takes out his camera to take a picture of it before we eat :P Here are the shots I took before digging in so that I could share with you guys!

The kebabs featured seitan, zucchini, tomatoes and red bell pepper (stuff we had around the house!) and I put a few cloves of garlic on my bf's. Ideally I would have served these with rice, but we're out so I made red potato wedges instead :P

I marinated the seitan and veggies in a blend of Bragg's Amino Acids, liquid smoke, vegan Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, hot sauce, agave nectar, and spices! I skewered everything and then put it on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and baked it all in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 F. Turning every 5 minutes and brushing on more marinade :) I might try kebabs with marinated tofu sometime too. These were tasty!

I hope you're all having a great week, I'm finishing up a few more pieces to post in the Etsy shop and have embarked on a super sekret project! I'll keep you updated ^_^

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Margarita Cupcakes, Zombies and Tees Oh My!

For Cinco de Mayo, I baked Margarita cupcakes to bring with me to work! A yummy blend of cake, lime, and a bit of tequila for one unique dessert experience! Recipe coming soon!


I also had fun with my new sticker maker Friday, despite my trip to the dentist and made some pretty sweet stickers featuring the beautifully decaying Zöe Zombie! To kick things off I gave a few away to some lucky tweeters on twitter and now they are available in the Etsy shop!

Speaking of listing new items, this Gothcupcake Goth Girl tee was just listed today in sizes S to XL! Hand screen printed by yours truly it's a comfy tee more on the sprinkly side.

Call me jelly cuz I'm on a roll! More new items, news, pictures and recipes coming your way!

Stay Tuned and Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Horror Clips!

Just listed on Etsy! Bride of Frankenstein Horror Hair Clips! Sparkly white iridescent lightning bolts that resemble the iconic Bride of Frankenstein hair! I'm so excited about these that I need to make myself a pair! You can get yours by clicking here.

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Marshmallow Bows!

Just posted two new hair bows to the Etsy shop! The pink one is the Sparkly Marshmallow Bow and the black one is the Evil Marshmallow Bow! Unique because they're like little plushies for your hair, but the pleather gives it a little bit of an edge.

A big thank you to the super cute and super sweet TwinkieChan for modeling them for me!

More new stuff is on the way to the shop finally, so stay tuned!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Chocolate+PeanutButter+Cupcake= Love

I made vegan chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting last week and forgot to share pictures! It's been a long time since I've baked, and I really need to do it again! My next day off might have to be a spooky cupcake day :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake