Guest Post: Mrs Ferguson

One of the things I look forward to, aside from coffee and new bedsheets, would be e-mails. One in particular is Mrs Ferguson's. I remember that picture of a Carrot Bundt Cake, I was charmed. Her unique photography style leaves you wanting more and turns you into a stalker. Her creativity keeps you at your toes, reminding you of human evolution. Please take a look at her Gotye Duck (I want this as a hairpin and possibly everything else around me). 

Unfortunately, that's not all there is to Mrs F. Talent is but only a small part of her you're going to adore. With Mrs F, subjects range from Sherlock Holmes to the extinction of ants. Describing her as "Interesting" is an understatement. A ball of wit, no, a gem of inspiration.

Keeping her all to myself is anything but selfish. However, for the greater good of the world, I shall introduce her to you. Please do visit her blog here. 

Hello there. My name is Diana and I run the blog Mrs Ferguson. I love everything crafty and sweet and funny. I live in Budapest, Hungary and I'm the proud owner of two adorable adopted animals, Theodore the ginger cat and Macesz the derpest dog ever. I started the blog because I was inspired by all those amazing things I saw on Pinterest and such, and wanted to be part of this family. I know I'm a very small fish - which I told Jesi when she asked me to do this guest post, but she wanted to do it anyway -, but I've had some amazing experiences already, and even if for nothing else, but getting to know this lovely, crazy duck-hating lady was well worth it.

Oh, and I AM the cheekiest monkey of all.

J: So, why "Mrs Ferguson"? Can't believe I've never asked this.

D: I'd like to think it's kind of a homage to Craig Ferguson and Stephen Fry rather than just plain stalking. :) I love their wit and intelligence. And I adore the fact that though highly sophisticated and smart, they still find fart jokes funny.The short answer would be: I have a creepy old man crush on Craig Ferguson. Plus Fluffy the Unicorn was already taken.

J: We all have got one of those (Hugh Laurie here). Speaking of which, if you end up a big shot hollywood photographer, what would you work on?

D: I don't know if anyone ever did something like this, but I would really like to see a campaign featuring celebrities without any enhancement. No make-up, no hair extensions, no photoshop, in a simple white tshirt and jeans. I love spontaneous photos and minimalistic style, too. And animals. 

J: This is actually an awesome idea, but scary...

D: Can you imagine Lady Gaga in jeans, chucks and a white tank top with her natural hair in a ponytail? Such a perverted image.

J: (Laughs) Imaging Desperate Housewives crew and Sex and the city ladies.

J: How did you recognize your talent in crafting and photographing?

D: You're just too nice, people will be dissapointed if they come to check out my blog. :D I don't know, there hasn't really been a big milestone or anything. I've always loved photography, I used to waste a lot of rolls of film when I was little running around our garden taking pictures of snails on the concrete. Plus my paternal grandfather who died long before I was born was also a big photography aficionado so I inherited many photos and old cameras from him. Maybe not having a chance to actually know him made me interested in the things he liked. He was crafty, too. And I always loved the little craft projects in kindergarten and elementary. 

J: What about baking?

D: For the baking... I guess loving to eat up all things sweet gave me a big push. :) But I think for me it started the other way around. First I got interested in food photography which led me to the preparing part. Plus the cooking channel.

J: Yes! The cooking channels, your other creepy crush for Jamie Oliver.

D: Come on! He's awesome! And those baby blue eyes..

J: (Laughs) I prefer green after all.. What about your humour and wit?

D: For the humour...I guess I was just born this way.:D I remember when I was about 12 or so I used the watch a taped show on VHS of a Hungarian late comedian, GÈza Hofi, almost every afternoon after school. He was intelligent, wise and piss-your-pants funny. 

J: I was watching Mr. men everyday.. Do you ever get in trouble with that humour?

D: Hmm... I won't say trouble, but sometimes after I say something sarcastic and people don't get it I just end up looking like an idiot. 

J: I feel your pain.. I feel you... sobs* It gets lonely when they don't get your jokes.. Whats your inspiration?

D: Everything. A photograph. A song. A good movie or a TV show. Nature. The Internet. A crack in the pavement. Anything. 

J: Such an artist... I would love to see through your eyes just for one day... 

Guest Post: Chic & Gorgeous Treats

Disclaimer: All Pictures and recipes in this post are by Joanna from Chic Gorgeous.

Jo from Chic & Gorgeous Treats is here for our very first guest post! 

One of the first blogs I followed when I started blogging was Chic & Gorgeous Treats. After I found her Amanda's Pink Rainbow Cake, it was a one-sided admiration. And her recent Earl Grey ice Cream post changed this admiration to jealousy. Thus, the post was dedicated to me (coughs*).

Through our exchange of emails where I feel like the pauper and she's the queen, we realized our equal love for baking. We talked about food for hours and after several rounds of begging, I was promised 100 Jo-baked-cookies each month for immunity fees. Please do visit her site for some awesomeness!

Hi there fellow Pencil & Skirt peeps! Gosh, I am lost for words at the moment..LOL. That's usually not the case as Jes and my other friends can assure you that I am a chatty person in life. Right now, I suddenly feel like a sense of pressure on my shoulders. That's maybe because I am trying to win some hearts here too.. [I'm only joking!] I think it's best I share with you how I feel, since it's only appropriate, you know just like the Oscars? To be honest, I am thrilled and feel really honoured that Jes asked me to guest blog for her. Plus I am No# 1..yeayy!!! Not to mention she "loves" my treats over at my blog [You do right Jes?..coughs]. So that says a lot and sure got to mean something right? I have to say after getting to know her, I felt like I found another fellow new buddy. We both are so deeply passionate about baking that it isn't funny one bit. Who knows? We might collaborate and work on bigger projects one day. To kick start the guest posting on her blog, I have decided to make a simple decadent light and healthy treat. Perfect to kick off those hot sunny days and quench the thirst. Hope that you will enjoy it as I much I did preparing these Raspberry Lemonade Yogurt pops for you. If only I could hand out to you all for samplling.. I would ;). ENJOY and do pop over to Chic & Gorgeous Treats to give me a holler. Cheers~

Me: How did you realize your love for baking?

Jo: This is a good question. When I was back in high-school, we had Home Economics as one of our subjects. We had to cook and of course baking was involved. I can still remember that very day. We attempted to bake Chocolate Cake. Guess what, my baking failed. The cake came out hard as rock. 

(nods) I feel you, sista'. My first cake was used as punishment "if you lose the game, you have to eat".

I will let you in on a secret. "We actually used instant cake mix". Now, not sure where it went wrong, but I swore then that I will never bake again. 

Kind of like the time I swore "I will never eat m&ms again". 

So how'd you start baking again.

It started maybe around 4 years ago, when I used to throw my friends parties and had cookout sessions. 

I always love to end the meal with something sweet and delectable. That's when I started to get my hands dirty and give it another shot in baking. Of course there were flops, but somehow I persevered and continue to experiment. The more I practice, the better I became in a way.

(relieved) I'd thought God was unfair and made you a genius.

So here I am, obsessed with making sweet treats, and continue to strive to do better. 

What's your goal?

My aim is to become a pro in cake decorating and continue to make really good old classic cakes. Hopefully that dream will come true.
Talking about Classics, what's your most unbelievable fetish when it comes to baking?

I am not sure if I have a fetish in baking. Does making anything pink counts? Or any sweet pastel colour counts? I suppose in terms of fetish in baking, I really love the colour PINK, shabby chic, and glamorous designs. To be honest, I am pretty anal (laughs at word "anal"), I like to have everything I make in perfection.. So I tend to dream of designs, which I never seem to follow anyways as it tends to be dependent on how I feel that day.(laughs)

Ah yes, the good old mister-mood. 

What would you hate to happen whilst baking?

The thing I fear most, is when the cake falls apart while transferring from the cooling rack to a cake base. 

(shudders) We all hate that..

Maybe I am not gentle enough.. or maybe because the cake was too moist.. Also the humidity that constantly ruins the frosting. It just makes it harder to pipe designs on our cake. Which means I will have to constantly work with the air-condition on in order to bring down the level of humidity.

Precisely! Thank you, Asia!
Okay, lastly, how do you deal with harsh criticisms, if you have any.

I think everyone will have their own opinions. So the best is just learn to let go and take it with a pinch of salt. I am no saint and it isn't always easy to just laugh it off. But it's part of our life growth. However, I stay by this motto as much I can "If you have nothing nice to say, best to hold in peace"

That's what a saint will say, Jo. For me, its "Let me at em, just let me at em!"