Fall Fest in Sister Bay!

The weekend of October 16-18 was special...as it is every year...because Sister Bay where my little shop is located has a huge festival! All the artists line up their booths on Mill Road, right in front of Pipka's, and there's a steady stream of people in the shop all weekend long.

I made a variety of cakes with aspecial Rehrucken pan (see "Pipka's Kitchen" on my website, pipkasofdoorcounty.com), and here are some happy shoppers with my Elves Deanne (right) and Donette (center) by the tableful of cakes and cookies. An hour later, there were nothing but crumbs! (Luckily, I had many more in the freezer.)

By the end of the weekend, we're all tired...even though we've seen old friends and met new ones. Deanne's husband, Ed, always comes by with a special libation known as a Scarlett O'Hara, (he and Deanne mix them here), and we all toast our success and welcome fall in Door County (from left, Debbie, me, Amy, Deanne, Deanne's granddaughter Ashley, Donette, and Marj).

Love, Pipka

Art...in Southern France!

I'm just a few days back from a whirlwind week in Durfort, a village at the southern tip of France. Our group of artists - from all over the U.S. and from the U.K. - stayed in a three-story home called La Cascade that had three-foot-thick stone walls and big, cozy kitchen (where Nesa, our chef, surprised us all at every meal!). Below, the front door of our home for the week...and a photo of the running stream in the backyard. Nesa is holding a homemade bun with some jam. She never planned our meals - she just used whatever fresh foods were at the market that day!

The two leaders of the workshop were Lynne Perrella and Anne Bagby, renowned artists from the United States. We worked every single day except one! We made the most of it, sightseeing in nearby villages such as Revel, where we found bakeries, bookstores, marketplaces, and antique stores.

As always, I took photos of doors and door knockers. This was an especially beautiful one with the elaborate leaded insert and elegant hand. (Click on any of these photos to see them larger on your screen.)

We had several meals in cafes, including our group out for pizza. There are many wonderful appetizers such as these shrimp with oranges, and figs wrapped in bacon. And, of course, the desserts!

We all learned so much in the class. Here are just a couple of the pieces of art...the wide-eyed woman is by Anne, the
circus girl is Jennifer's, and
the woman with the jester-style hat was Sandy's work.

Lynne coached us in one exercise where we made silhouettes that expressed our work, and then we put them on the windows and doors...the woman's face, below, was mine. Lynne said it represented a mountain of ideas with many more ideas below that will come out in the future. I feel that that's true, and whenever I get together with other artists, I'm more inspired than ever.


I'm going to post even more pictures on my Shutterfly page, so if you want to see more of the countryside and my adventure in Southern France, go to my Shutterfly album on Durfort! (give me a couple of days - I have a LOT of photos!)

Of course, I have to end this blog with a picture of a French chat - there were many friendly cats in our little village.

Love,
Pipka

My Turtle Cake Recipe

I must make a dozen cakes a week (my special Scandinavian Almond Cake) for guests who come into the shop, and I recently added a new twist with the Turtle Cake!

Use the standard recipe (click on the "My Turtle Cake Recipe" title to see it), but pour only half the dough in the pan. Then drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the dough, sprinkle mini chocolate chips all around, and add chopped nuts. Pour the rest of the dough on top, and bake as usual. The layer of "turtle" mixture is a surprise that your family and guests will love!

Enjoy,
Pipka

A National Award for Pipka Collectibles!

I'm so pleased to let all my friends and collectors know that the Collectors Information Bureau (CIB) just awarded Prizm/Pipka Collectibles First Place in the Figurines ($100+) category for the 2008 Cold North Santa! CIB is an organization for manufacturers/retailers that tracks dozens of collectibles from many artists - including my designs - and follows the secondary market for pricing. In addition, they give annual awards, and I'm privileged to have won several through the years, including Artist of the Year. And now the Cold North Santa, one of my favorites (I love polar bears) is the newest award winner!

The large Cold North Santa (the one I'm holding in this photo) is Retired, but the 6" Reflections size is still available (click the title at the top of this blog entry see him close up)...we expect to have him in stock this fall, and with this new award for the design, you should pre-order to ensure that you'll be able to get him!

With this award just announced, I know I'll have a nice weekend...I hope you do, too!

Love,
Pipka

15th Anniversary Weekend with Friends!

The 15 years that I've been designing Santas has flown by, and it's amazing how many paintings I've done...Michele at Prizm said there have been nearly 800 different designs with the Pipka Collectibles name. For something that important, we have to celebrate! I invited collectors from all over the country to join me in Door County last weekend, and we enjoyed many different events.

I had a Welcome Party at my house and spent a lot of time cleaning and getting the house decorated JUST RIGHT...after all, two of my houseguests were going to be Santa and Mrs. Claus! Sparkling lights are one of my favorite things, so my friend Bob and I decorated the trees and shrubs outside...then I announced that dinner was ready!
















After dinner, we had a quiz and gave out prizes...did you know that in the early days of the State of Massachusetts, it was illegal to celebrate Christmas?! The early founders felt it should be observed strictly as a somber, religious holiday. I celebrate the religious meaning, but I don't think I would have liked living in Massachusetts - the ban lasted for 22 years!

By the next morning, we found ourselves eating again at the Northport Pier Restaurant, right the tip of the peninsula. Here I am with the Hodels and on the boat tour with Debbie Hortin (our "Titanic" pose!)...
















We all posed for a group shot by the water's edge:




My garden at the shop was the setting for an afternoon Christmas storytelling party with Roy Swanson telling us how he drove the streets of San Francisco every Christmas as Santa...he was the inspiration for this year's "Christmas Eve Drive" figurine. Lloyd Mickalson from our local Storytellers Guild related favorite Christmas stories, and we even had time to tell about our own favorite Christmases. My best memories are of my parents spending so much time putting up a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, and then lighting candles all over the branches. I felt like a princess as I first peeked around the door to see the beautiful tree and its presents!

Last Saturday night, our 15th Anniversary Collectors Dinner brought us all together for...more food! And more stories about the past 15 years and all the visitors to Pipka's whom we love. As you can see, friend Bob helped with MORE lights!

A highlight of the evening was having Santa join us! Santa John Hansen and Mrs. Claus (Barbara) gave out many presents. John is featured on a special Pipka's of Door County ornament. Bill Motzer, another Santa who was on hand for the celebration with his family, is also represented in my work, the "Always Believe" figurine. I think they both embody the joy and spirit of St. Nicholas.


There's just too much more to tell about in a little blog...by the end of the weekend, we were all exhausted but very, very happy.

Love,
Pipka

Christmas in July!

Time has flown with so many summer events at the shop. Christmas in July was great fun, as it always is, and we took pictures of Santa, Mrs. Claus, and my "elves." In the photo are (l. to rt.) Deb, Deanne, me, Cindy, Santa, and Marj. Mrs. Claus was taking the photo.

The day gave us all a chance to do one thing we love (well, TWO things): baking Christmas cookies...and eating them! It was wonderful to see the variety, and most of them were from one of my cookbooks (that have my favorite recipes as well as those from my collectors and friends...you can see those cookbooks by clicking here). Here's one of the tables we set up for the cookies:
The entire Village of Sister Bay joined in the fun this year...more than 30 businesses had special events such as a Krumkake baking demonstration (those are yummy Norwegian waffle cookies), live caroling, free drawings for merchandise and much more. If you're planning a trip to Door County next summer, plan it around July 25 - we'll have such fun!
Love, Pipka

Scandinavian Almond Cake...Delicious Variations!

I'd like to believe that the biggest reason people come to my shop in Door County is to purchase my Santa figurines, but I admit that many people come in for the free cake and coffee! We have delicious coffee - flavored and ground right here in Door County - and I have a wonderful recipe for Scandinavian Almond Cake. I bake about six cakes a week, and our customers love them! Click here to see the original recipe!
www.pipkasofdoorcounty.com/Santa-Ornament-Collectibles/index.phtml?cmd=details&prodID=RehrPan&track=12%4016&catID=16&start=4&fID=0&sort_field

Here are some scrumptious variations on the original recipe: In place of almond extract, add any flavored extract of your choice, such as:

LEMON
- lemon extract and lemon zest
- top warm cake with a lemon glaze (powdered sugar & lemon juice)
- add 1 heaping teaspoon poppy seeds

ORANGE
- orange extract add orange zest
- top warm cake with orange glaze (powdered sugar & orange juice)
- add vanilla extract

* To the cake batter, add any of the following:
- mini-chocolate chips & chopped Door County dried cherries
- finely chopped dried apricots
- toasted & chopped nuts: pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds
- blueberries, fresh or frozen (dust with flour first so they don't stain the batter or sink to the bottom)

* Baked cake fillings - add these to the pan before baking:
- Turtle Cake: Pour half the cake mixture in the pan. Add a layer of caramel ice cream topping and chopped pecans. Top with remaining cake mixture and bake as directed.
- Streusel Cake: Pour half the cake mixture in the plan. Add a streusel mixture of brown sugar, raisins, and nuts. Top with remaining mixture and bake as directed.

* Cake fillings - Cut the cooled cake lengthwise and fill with:
- lemon mousse or lemon curd
- chocolate mousse
- strawberries and pink whipped cream
- Nutella

Simply Elegant!
Cut the basic cake into slices. Top with fresh raspberries, raspberry sauce, and real whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar.

Raspberry Sauce
Cook 1 package of frozen raspberries, 1 cup water, and 1 cup sugar over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon red food coloring, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and cook until thickened. Force mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl to eliminate seeds. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It will get thick but thins out again when reheated.

Enjoy! Eating is one of my great pleasures, and I'm glad to share these ideas with you!

Love,
Pipka