Shopping Slump + Coupon Code = Weekly Round-Up

I am a good half- Hebe. And I shop for a living. So why is seasonal shopping so hard this year? Barely made it through Hanukkah with the "Let's just exchange one big gift this year" shtick (the iPhone 4 rocks, btw!), but Christmas is looming. Everyone seems to be scaling back, which is fine by me. There is little I need or want.

So while my decorations are up and home- made lemoncello is ready to distribute to friends, I still have a lot of present buying to do. From online stores that will deliver quickly. Of course, lots of purchases are arriving via Etsy, in clever packaging and with thoughtful notes. This makes me strive to avoid big- box stores as much as possible - I'd rather support handmade and vintage sellers.

Are you suffering from a holiday shopping slump too?

Maybe this will help:

This weekend only (starting, um, now) use coupon code "15offyay" in any of my three stores (retrotrend, RetroHommeVintage and ObjectRetro) for an additional 15% off.

Many items are already 20%- 25% off for the holiday season, so this is an added "Thank you!" bonus for my loyal blog followers (that's you, guys!), Facebook fans and Twitter followers.

I've used the Etsy on Sale API a few times to create sales and love the results. So it was thrilling to receive an e-mail from one of their founders, letting me know I'd been featured on their blog. That creamy canvas speedy bag? Right here.  Thanks for the feature!

Well, it's 5:08 pm here, which means my work day is over and cocktail hour has started without me. Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S.- If the sugar cookies turn out okay this weekend- there will be photos galore to share!

Cookies!

I can cook. Rather well. Without recipes. A little of this, a little of that, some spices, some butter, some wine. Veg and sauces, breakfast and soups, one hell of a garlic brisket. Mashed potatoes? Lumpy and garlicy with skins left on and dairy quantites you only dream about. My palate veers towards unami. And spice. And stinky cheeses.

Cookbooks are read for enjoyment or to check a cooking time.

Baking is a different story. There is little room for creativity in the kitchen when baking. Which is why I normally don't bake. And since it has been hotter than the hinges in the DC Metro area (really not liking the new DMV name being used), I have shelved my desire for cookies until just the other night.

"Why not buy cookies?" Because I have found and slightly modified an easy recipe that makes the best cookies. Ever. Friends and family agree. And have suggested the recipe get entered in a cookie baking contest.

You'll need:

1/4 lb butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp vanilla

1- 1/8 cups of flour

3/4 tsp of amazing salt (I'm partial to Frech gray sea salt but others do work well)

1/2 tsp of baking soda

6 oz (approx. 1 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks or bars- if you chop by hand, you get a wonderful texture

The grunt work:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheets. (Or cheat and use silicone mats on air-bake sheets. This is highly recommended.) Using the whisk attachment on a stand (or hand) mixer, cream the butter and slowly add the two sugars, blend until light and smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla, mix well. Mix remaining dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) together and add to batter. Add chocolate. Spoon teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets at least 1 inch apart. Bake 9 minutes.

You are so close to chocolatey, gooey, crsipy, chewy, salty amazingness! Let them cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a cooling rack or wax paper spread out on stone counters.

Place on a 1920s creamware oval platter with lots of crazing and chipped edges.

Select a few choice victims. Cold milk optional.

I'll leave you alone for a few minutes.

Because it is Treasury Tuesday and I actually baked, today's curation showcases kitsch in the kitchen. Not a cookie but still worth a peek.

Putting the Kitsch in Kitchen by retrotrend