The Parlor on Camelback Road and 19th Street is a superb example of Mid-Century Modern Yumminess. (Not to mention the food is great to~You must order the roasted olives.) It was originally a hair salon, which the restaurant owners took to heart when remodeling to accommodate their pizza parlor. They preserved the shell of the building not to mention reused and repurposed many of the building materials. Reclaimed wood, fixtures, and tables along with the beauticians’ chairs as bar stools give the restaurant an atmosphere found nowhere else in the city.

We are proud to announce our association with the very yummy Julia Baker Confections. Aside from enjoying some of the world’s best chocolate we will be illustrating, designing, and marketing for this elite brand. Our first project is illustrating labels for a new line of bars. We can hardly wait to get started!

We’re in!

We just got word that our pastry designs are accepted into the 1000 Ideas for Decorating Cakes, Cupcakes & Cookies. Publication is expected to be November 2010. (Ahh… I love the sound of that… 2010.)

Cyndi and I decided to take an unorthodox path to cake decorating. Our initial concept was to design “cake furniture,” which led us in the inevitable direction of  Mid-Century Modern. (We live in Phoenix, remember.) Then we pushed that one step further to “Hollywood producer’s house in the 1950s.”

The result you can see in the photos below. The marshmallow sofa and mushroom table are actual names of furniture designed in the 50s. Cyndi gets all the credit for the shag rug and “Princess” the poodle. She has mad skills with the pastry bag.

Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books is an international publisher of books for creative professionals and enthusiasts—crafters, artisans, epicures, and designers. Quarry books provides practical general reference in categories such as artisan crafts, home style, pet care, and hobbies. Quarry’s sophisticated books are defined by their exquisite full-color photography and illustration and their informative text.

Merry Christmas! While our friends in the northern regions of the country are enjoying a white Christmas, here in Phoenix the sun is shining on the green grass. It’s odd, even still, to have a Christmas without snow. I remember the years as a child when snow fell on December 25th and how that felt extra special, like God was delivering one more gift.

Speaking of gifts, 2009 was a great gift. Amid the turmoil in the news and on Wall Street, our little world has been blessed. We had an unusually slow business year which turned into an explosively creative period of time. We focused on things we love to do in our spare time. As a result we honed our talents and created some truly spectacular things.

We went at huge canvases with exuberance and paint; we used our artistic skills and love for contrast to design garden landscapes; and the most significant development was our foray into creative writing. Now we can look back on 2009 and see our accomplishments. The paintings are hanging in a show at the University of Arizona, we developed a website/blog dedicated to gardening with xeriscape plants in the Phoenix area (www.xeriscape-today.com), and the creative writing has lead to my first novel. If 2009 was any different, we would not have been able to include these things in our lives. And we are thankful.

Now, as we look forward to 2010, we come into the new decade with a fresh outlook on what lies ahead. And as the sun shines on this Christmas Eve, we are thankful for these gifts and another great year.