Monthly Archives: October 2012

Happy Halloween!

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Caramel apples are one of those classic Halloween treats that remind us of childhood Halloween parties with homemade costumes and bobbing for apples. They also happen to be one of Sugar’s favorite treats. We thought it would be fun to make a batch and hand them out to friends for Halloween. After reading a few different recipes it didn’t seem as daunting to make as we had originally thought. For this batch we decided to use a Martha Stewart recipe, which uses just a few ingredients and takes only about 30 minutes to make. For toppings we used Martha’s suggestions and used sea salt and nuts as decorative toppings. The trickiest part of making these was the sea salt! We received a nice chunk of sea salt from a friend and had to bang the trash out of it in order to get little pieces to use. It was definitely a site to see. We are pretty sure there is a better way to do this but this was our solution as novice bakers, ha!

We collected some twigs from outside, grabbed some ribbon, and made cute tags with fun sayings playing with the word boo (a notable favorite was “you are my boo-thang”). They came out great and they were a hit with the friends! Check em out!

Ta da!

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Living the Dream Greek Style

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Mykonos

Greek Island hopping was a wonderful place to start our 6-week adventure. After a very busy summer with many life-changing events happening (graduation, jobs ending, both of us moving, close friends moving out of town, etc) it was nice to get away and do nothing but relax for 2 glorious weeks! Greece was dreamy, it felt like one of those warm dreams that you don’t want to wake up from. Everything was so relaxing and refreshing.  Nature’s beauty literally at our fingertips… from the private beach cove that we sailed to by a pirate ship to sipping champagne while looking out at the night views of Santorini that sparkled in the moonlight.

The postcards you have seen are REAL! No photo enhancements, really…every island looked like a painting…it truly is that beautiful! The blue domed white buildings, cliff side towns, gorgeous red and black beaches, stunning sunsets, and delicious food (we probably consumed a pound of tzatziki a day but who is counting). There was so much to enjoy in Greece….here are some highlights:

1.     Raw Beauty! There is nothing more rejuvenating than be exposed to raw beauty. Taking in the views of gorgeous beaches and dipping in the refreshing sea is life-changing. It brings you back to life and removes the everyday troubles. It frees you to relax and savor what nature has to offer. Each island offered something a little different, in Mykonos & Ios we enjoyed white sand beaches but in Santorini we experienced our first red sand beach and lounged at a black sand beach.

Kalafati Beach, Mykonos

Dipping our toes in the crisp Aegean sea

2.     Vacation conversations! You know those conversations on vacation where you can just let loose and open up about your dreams and get real.   We Sipped champagne cocktails at Franco’s Bar in Santorini while looking out to the moonlit sea and had a deep conversation. We shared our hopes and aspirations for the future, laughed loudly, cried (not shocking), and reflected on what has led us to where we are currently. These are times that we cherish and hold deep in our hearts.

Ready for a night out!

Windy day hair!

Franco’s

3.   Magical Sunsets! Seeing one of the most beautiful sunsets in Oia, Santorini. We are suckers for a gorgeous sunset and this one did not disappoint. It was nice to sit back, have a glass of wine, and take in the beauty. As the sun was setting a pirate-looking ship sailed in the background to complete the already picturesque scene.

Sunset with ships passing in Oia, Santorini

Oia, Santorini

4.     History! Visiting ancients sites such as the Parthenon in Athens and Akrotiri in Santorini just opens the mind. To see history up close and personal is such a cool experience. You read about stuff in books but to stand in front of the Parthenon and looking into the Theatre of Dionyisos (the birthplace of Greek Tragedy)…all you can say is wow, just wow!

The Erechtheum

Theatre of Dionyisos

Temple of Zeus

Parthenon

the beginning

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about GINGER:  A true red-head from the Mid now living on the West Coast. I have been referred to as a pistol and a wild stallion on more than one occasion, so it must be true. I like freedom, so don’t put me in a box. I love random sayings like “waste not, want not” & ”you only live once”…and probably use them too often. I was born to party and forced to work. But if I must work, I want to work hard, have fun, and have no drama – well only the good kind. I just want it all. I love to cheers to anything and everything. And of course I love adventure. And I am more ready than ever for the next adventure life has for me!

about SUGAR: A native Californian who has a thirst for adventure. I love to laugh, embrace life fully, and go after what I want with a tenacity like no other. I am a sucker for quotes. I find joy in seeing the people around me thrive and embrace their talents. I often imagine life erupting into a musical at any moment (but don’t ask me to sing!)! I love to stop and smell the roses. I love celebrating all the things in life and do it in style. I am ready to start a new style of “work” and cannot wait for what is next!

about how GINGER & SUGAR came together:

It all started on a park bench in a little beach town. We found ourselves in Santa Cruz, CA, far from where we thought we would end up (Ginger: Chicago & Sugar: Hawaii). A quick meeting on a park bench turned into the beginning of Ginger &Sugar working together and eventually a united determination to make our dreams come true. The start of a friendship with dreams to one day start a business together.

We both found ourselves at the same less than ideal company in a town that is definitely a place of its own, wondering what was next. Sugar left and after a phone call one afternoon to meet her on a bench to discuss a job opportunity at her new company, Ginger followed.

Here we realized our working compatibility and that we shared a common trait: passion. Passion to do things well and let no one get in the way. It was here that we were pushed and pruned, where we learned hard lessons, and became aware of our capabilities. We had found an innovative environment that endorsed growing and that we did. We thrived and worked hard and had fun together. But like all things in life, change is inevitable and the company changed. With this change we were pulled in different directions – Ginger and Sugar learning life lessons. Ginger stayed at the company as it ever-changed and Sugar went back to school.

We had always remembered our little corner where we worked on the same team listening to no diggity cranking out work without a hiccup. We had talked about doing a biz together with our strong-willed tenacity combined- it had to come to fruition, someday but when and how!?! Like life does in it’s crazy and unpredictable way, we both found ourselves in a position where we could leave our current jobs, go to Europe for inspiration, and yes begin the adventure of starting a candy/party business together: Ginger and Sugar!

I hope as you follow us you enjoy the journey with us as we pursue our dreams…