Happy Halloween!

From me & my doggie Tiffi, and our fabulous pill-box hats

S is for Stitch Rock!

Once again designed by Diana was at Stitch Rock in Delray Beach, FL. I can't say enough good things about this show. It's definitely my favorite show of the year!

I was really bummed this year cause I didn't make it in the initial cut of vendors for Stitch Rock. But I got an email a few weeks ago, that there was a space available for me because of a cancellation. I was so ecstatic, you have no idea. So I got the sweatshop working in full effect and sewed my butt off. (Muchisimas gracias a Abuela por toda la ayuda con los delantares pequenos!-Tons of thanks to Abuela for her help with the half aprons!)

I had an upstairs booth this year, so I thought I wouldn't do as well as last year, but boy was I wrong. We had tons of customers come by. The new booth setup and concentration on my retro-inspired aprons really made a difference I think. This year I wanted people to be able to walk into the booth and shop like they were in a tiny boutique. So I set up my table along one side and the clothes rack in the back corner. This way the customers can walk right in, take a look, chat a little, and even try on their aprons without being in the way of the traffic in the aisles. I have to say that I do love this set up and will definitely be using it more often. I also got a new mannequin that is awesome to use for the shows. Thanks again to Mimi for the mannequin. I love the professional look it gave the booth. This mannequin still is not named, so if anyone has any great name ideas for her, just leave a comment.

There was a line around the block before the show opened. And that line lasted til about 2 hours into the show. People love their Stitch Rock! The need for handmade goodies is definitely apparent here in South Florida. The other vendors were all awesome too. Tons of cool items and handmade goodies you can't find anywhere else. If you want to shop some of the best crafters and indie goodies in South Florida, Stitch Rock is the place to go. It may sound a bit far for us Miami-ans, but the hour drive into adorable downtown Delray Beach is so worth it. (Plus, there was barely any traffic!) And check out the vendor list on their website to order some of the goodies from my fellow Stitch Rockers.

This year poet, Renda Writer, performed some of his poetry during the show. It was cool to have a performance going on. And as you can see from the picture, the shopping was still in full effect!

Also this year, I submitted one of my Retro D Aprons to be in the Stitch Rock fashion show. It was so awesome to see my work out there on the stage. The only thing that sucked is that my pictures of the fashion show came out terribly. But at least the aprons got tons of exposure.

As always Mom was there as my trusty assistant. And she even brought some of her crafts too. Moms handmade scarves were a hit, even her in warm South Florida. People just couldn't resist the cool textures and awesome colors of them.

Thanks to all the customers that bought some designed by Diana goodies. We sold a little bit of everything, bags, wallets, pouches, aprons and scarves. I'm so happy to know a lot of designed by Diana goodies have great new homes.

And a great big thanks to Amanda for once again putting on a great show. Having been to a few other shows throughout the year, I always compared them to Stitch Rock, and the well-organized, well-run show that Amanda puts on every year. Keep it up Amanda!! And see you there next year.

R is for Remastered and Rockband too

At last the day has arrived. 9.9.09! Yeah it's cool cause it's all nines, but that't not why I'm so excited. Today is what I have dubbed Beatles Day! The Beatles are exploding all over again today for a new generation to get to know and love them.

A lot of the hype has been about the new Beatles Rockband coming out. And let me tell you, from what I've seen of it, it looks awesome. The limited edition set comes with Beatles style drum set and guitar. And you can also now do three-part harmony just like the Fab Four. Unfortunately I don't have a gaming system, but I can't wait to play it with someone who does!

Also coming out today is the newly remastered Beatles catalog. The new Beatles remastered set has every album the Beatles released (in mono and stereo) plus the singles, a new DVD and tons of new Beatles pics. I can't wait to hear these songs that have been remastered from the original tapes.

Now I've read a lot about these releases, and seen those that rebuff the Beatles. But just a little history to put them in perspective. They are the first boy band. You see the girls that screamed about the New Kids on the Block, N*Sync or the Jonas Brothers? Those girls are just copying what our mothers did for the Beatles. Ever hear feedback on a rock song? Yup, The Beatles did it first. They combined world music instruments (the sitar) into their pop songs before anyone else did it.

And you've probably heard more Beatles songs than you even realize. "Hey Jude," "Hello, Goodbye," "Yesterday," "All You Need Is Love," "Can't Buy Me Love," they are all iconic rock songs made by this one band. There are so many more that are recognizable I can't even list them all.

Needless to say, I was raised in a Beatles household. When my parents got married they each had the album (on vinyl) of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. My brothers are musicians and love The Beatles and I do too. So go out there if you haven't already and listen to those lads from Liverpool. Listen to rock n' roll history being made!

P.S. My fave Beatles albums are Revolver and Rubber Soul. My fave songs are "Blackbird" and "In My Life." Let me know what your favorite Beatles songs and albums are!

Q is for Questions

The frequently asked kind, or FAQs, as they call them. So I figured I'd give you the FAQs of designed by Diana.

Who makes all of this stuff?
I do! Which is why it's called designed by Diana. It's me and my little hands that do it all. It's guaranteed that Diana made the item you are purchasing!

How did you learn to sew?
I get this one a LOT. Now I don't think I actually technically even really sat down and was taught to sew. I just did it. I guess I have to chock it up to genetics and family history. I always saw grandma sewing, so I just picked it up and started. I haven't looked back since.

I love this wallet (pouch, apron etc.), can I get it in another pattern/color?
Of course you can. Just message or email me with the color or pattern that you'd like and I'll be happy to make a custom one for you.

How long will my custom order take to be completed?
Depending on the size and complexity of the item and the other orders that I already have, your order should take about two weeks. This time may be a bit longer around the holidays though.

I don't have PayPal, can I still order from your online store?
Definitely. I also accept Money Orders. And you can also pay via credit card without having a PayPal account. Don't log in on the right hand side of the page, instead follow the insructions on the left and your credit card will be processed without the hassle of setting up an account.

I ordered an item online, how long will it take to ship?
All of the items in my online store are already made and should ship in 2-4 days after your payment clears.

Those are the most frequently asked questions for designed by Diana. If you have any other questions, just let me know and I'll answer them as soon as I can.

P is for Pasteles

Back to the ABCs. Here is the P entry, Puerto Rican pasteles!

My great-grandmother was from Puerto Rico and many other family members came from the island too. Pasteles are kind of like tamales, but not... LOL Making pasteles is a day-long event. It's always a party since so many hands are needed in the kitchen. This time I took lots pics to show off one of the many DIY events my family loves. (You can click on any of the pics to get a bigger view.) So here for everyone to see, is how to make Puerto Rican pasteles. (NOTE: Like any other family recipe, this will vary, but this is the way we make em.)

First you need to make the "masa" (the outside of the pasteles). For the masa, you need green bananas. I verified with Mom and what you need are regular run of the mill bananas, not plantains, not manzanos (the little bananas), but plain old bananas, but t
hey must be green. You'll also need a malanga (a root vegetable, and I have no idea what it is called in English).

Here's a malanga--a HUGE one!

First off, you peel the bananas and the malanga. Malanga is peeled much like a potato is. I'm sure you could use a vegetable peeler to do it, but in this respect you gotta keep it old school. And the rumour is that my great grandmother forbade anyone from using a peeler to peel potatoes or anything else, so a knife and some elbow grease is the way to get it done.

Peeling old school style

Then get out the cuisinart or food processor whatever you call it. Put on the grating blade and grate the bananas and the malanga. Now back in the day I remember seeing them use hand graters to make the masa. It took so long and there wer so many grated fingers and busted knuckles. Now everyone has their food processor, which I only ever see used for pasteles making. Technology does have its perks! It's such a faster process.

My grandma's coveted food processor

The masa mush

The masa now looks like grey mush. Not too appetizing. But of course, it's not done yet. You have to add some annatto oil. Annatto is a seed that gives off color and some flavor too. Just steep the annatto in some oil until the oil is a deep gold/orange color. Then just add some oil to the masa until you get the desired color. It should look orangey-yellow, like this:

Now you have the outside of your pasteles, but you need something to fill them with. You can fill them with pretty much anything, but traditionall we use pork. And hey you can never have enough pork. So here goes the filling. You get a big hunk of pork and cut it into little cubes. Kinda like competition chili, no ground meat, only cubed.

My aunts chopping up the pork

Now the meat is cooked before it's put in the pasteles, and it's seasoned deliciously. First you start with a "sofrito." A sofrito is the way most latin dishes are started. You saute onions, garlic, and some peppers in some oil until they are tender, but have no color. Just the smell of a sofrito cooking up is enough to make you hungry!

the sofrito

We happened to have some "oregano criollo" from the yard that day. I'm thinking it's just some version of country-type oregano, but don't quote me on that. So it got chopped up and added into the sofrito too.

the "oregano criollo"

Then the meat was added in. It was cooked along with some tomato sauce, and I bet even a little bit of the achiote oil from earlier.

cooking up the filling

Here's the meat all done. Now, of course, we had to taste test, cause you don't want bland meat going into your pasteles. Luckily, we made a little extra and sampled it on some Cuban bread.

mmm...

Now that all the components are ready, it's time to get to the assembly. Now you can do this lots of ways. If you wanna go really old school, you can wrap it up in a banana leaf. The next step up from that is parchment paper and some kitchen twine. I remember seeing them made this way when I was younger, the twine wrapping was always so fascinating, but so confusing. But thanks once again to technology, we use aluminum foil now. Luckily my mom had stumbled upon these already cut sheets of aluminum foil at the dollar store. So we were on our way.

the wrappers

Now you have to prevent the pasteles from sticking to the aluminum foil, so you can use some Pam or other cooking spray. We didn't have any, so we went old school on this. Just a dish with oil. Dip your hand in and spread some oil on the foil. Then plop a spoonful of masa in the middle. Make a well in the center of the masa to hold the meat.

the well in the masa

Then you spoon in some meat. Make sure it's not too much though, you want it to stay on the inside.

spoon in the meat

Then, with your spoon, move some of the masa on the outside of the well over the meat to cover it. You should have a mountain-looking masa pile. It may look weirdly-shaped, but it will all be fixed in the next step.

cover with masa

Now all you have to do is wrap it up. Bring the long sides together, and fold over the foil a few times to seal it. Then fold over the sides a few times too to seal those up. You should be forming a tight rectangle. Try to get all the air out, wrap it up tightly, you don't want a leak.

wrapping the pastel

Ta Da! You now have a pastel! At this point you can cook them up or freeze them for later consumption.

ready to cook or freeze

Now just keep making pasteles til you run out of meat and masa.

pile them up

Now after doing all that work to make them, it's time to eat. To cook your pasteles, boil the for about 20-30 minutes.

boiling them

cooked up and ready to eat

When they are done, the aluminum foil will look burnt, but don't worry. Its supposed to look like that. It's just the aluminum foil that is a bit burnt.

Ideally, you should let your pasteles cool for a bit so they don't stick to the wrapper, but patience was not in high supply that day.

so we got a little overzealous and it stuck a little, but it still tasted good

Everyone dug right in and enjoyed their pasteles. All the hard work of making them, sure is worth it.

lunch is served

Eat it up

The last bite!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my pasteles tutorial and got an idea for something a little different!

RIP Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

I'm at a loss. He was bigger than Elvis. He was the SUPERSTAR to everyone in the world. He was and will always be the King of Pop, and shall never be de-throned.



He was more than R&B, which is what he had been packaged as lately. He always took what was most relevant at the time and combined it with his music. He had Eddie Van Halen playing on Beat It. He also collaborated with Steve Stevens (Billy Idol's guitarist) and even Slash. MJ was rock, pop, hip hop, ballads, he was all.

Dirty Diana:


We'll deeply miss you MJ. But your music will live on forever.

O is for OPEN

The designed by Diana website store is now open for business!

This store will feature web-only exclusives and very limited edition items. So you'll have to check back often to see what is there.

Our first items are a few great customs that I've done for a few people. And now here they are for everyone to enjoy:

Firstly, for all the brides-to-be out there, my "Toss Me" Garter Set. This is a matching set of 2 garters, one to keep and one to toss. They are made of satin and hand embroidered with your monogram. This is a great keepsake for your wedding and even a great gift for any friends that are getting married. This item is custom made when the order is received, so it will take at least 2 weeks before it is ready to ship. We can make it in blue (for your "something blue") or a variety of colors to match your wedding. I first made this garter set for my friend, Erica, who is about to celebrate her first wedding anniversary. They were the perfect addition to her wedding ensemble, and they are sure to be a great addition for anyone.


Next, we have the dbD Lunch Bag. I created this lunch bag for myself. I got so many compliments in the lunchroom at the office, that I took a few orders for more. I'm really proud on the design of this one. It's made in our cool dbD prints and is lined with ripstop nylon for easy cleanup. The bag is also interfaced and lined with insulated batting, so it'll keep your food cold or hot (just not both at the same time!). I made it large enough to hold an entree size tupperware and you'll still have plenty of room for snacks. These lunchboxes are great for kids and adults. This lunchbox can be customized in any of our dbD fabrics, so if you want a custom one, just contact me and I'll get one started for you. Bringing your lunch never looked so cool.


I hope you like the items up on the new website. Some new items are in development and will be coming to the website store soon.