Who is this Ed Hardy anyways?

Trendsetters started carrying licensed Ed Hardy merchandise a little under a year ago, and this brand has proven to be a huge success. Indeed, Ed Hardy imagery has become a phenomenon over the last decade, first appearing on the clothing of celebrities and later appearing on everything from cell phones to glassware to clocks and more. This week, we’re doing a neat little sale on all of our Ed Hardy merchandise at www.trendsettersthestore.com.

For those of you not familiar with the man dubbed the “godfather of modern tattoo”, read on…

A Southern California native born in 1945, Hardy revived a childhood determination to become a tattoo artist and underwent a tattoo apprenticeship while simultaneously receiving a B.F.A. degree in printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1967. Tattooing professionally since then, he developed the fine art potential of the medium with emphasis on its Asian heritage. In 1973 he lived in Japan, studying with a traditional tattoo master – the first non-Asian to gain access to that world. He resumed these studies in Japan throughout the 1980s. Since 1974 he pioneered the emphasis on unique tattoo commissions at his San Francisco studio.

In 1982 he and his wife, Francesca Passalacqua, formed Hardy Marks Publications and have written, edited and published over twenty-five books on alternative art. They moved their primary household to Honolulu in 1986, where Hardy resumed painting, drawing, and printmaking. He maintains the studio Tattoo City in San Francisco, with younger artists continuing to evolve and carry on his unique work format. Hardy’s primarily focus is on creating and exhibiting works in more traditional mediums, including porcelain painting. He began developing this body of work in 2006 in a traditional Japanese setting.

In addition to showing his own works, Hardy has curated a number of exhibitions for both galleries and nonprofit spaces and frequently lectures at museums and universities. His work has appeared in numerous periodicals, books, and films internationally. In 2000, he was appointed by Oakland mayor Jerry Brown to that city’s Cultural Arts Commission, and awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the San Francisco Art Institute. In 2004 “Ed Hardy”, a major fashion line featuring his artwork, was launched internationally. Hardy and his wife now divide their time between Honolulu and the San Francisco Bay area.

For more information on Don Ed Hardy and his art, we recommend http://www.hardymarks.com

Summer is here... and it’s time for barbeque & BEER!

Bread and butter, Joanie and Chachi, peas and carrots… and barbeque and beer. Some things just go well together, especially when one of those things is beer. Well… unless the other thing is a firearm… or a bad breakup… or a massive inferiority complex…

Anyways, let’s move on. Beer goes well with barbeques, and that’s indisputable. Have you ever tried barbequing WITH beer? Our latest party tip gives you ideas on how to do just that. So here’s a few beer-induced barbequing recipes to get you started. And if you’ve already created some of your own beer-barbeque-deliciousness, please feel free to share YOUR recipes.

P.S. In honor of beer – that summer staple – Trendsetters is doing a week-long special on beer brand products. 15% OFF selected items from Brooklyn Brewery, Coors light, Corona, Guinness, Lone Star, Miller, Old Milwaukee, Old Style, Olympia, Pearl, Piels, Rainier, Red Stripe, Schaefer, Schlitz, Schmidt, and Stroh’s! Sale ends Tuesday. www.trendsettersthestore.com

BBQ Beer Can Chicken

-from Cajun Chef Ryan http://cajunchefryan.rymocs.com/blog2/recipes/bbq-beer-chicken/

Why? Because the beer adds moisture in addition to flavor during the slow grill roasting process. The larger 18 to 24 ounce tall beer cans work better for standing up the bird in all its glory!

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken (4 to 5 pounds)

3 tablespoons Finger Lickin Rub¹

1 can (18-24 ounces) beer

1. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the chicken. Remove the package of giblets, and set aside for another use. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the body and neck cavities, the rub another 1 tablespoon all over the skin of the bird. If you wish, rub another 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture between the flesh and the skin. Cover and refrigerate the chicken while you preheat the grill.

2. Set the drip pan in the center of the grill, between the mounds of coals. Place the food on the grate over the drip pan, and cover the grill. You’ll need to add about 10 to 12 fresh briquettes to each side after an hour of cooking. If you want to add a smoke flavor, add 1 to 2 cups of presoaked wood chips, or 2 to 4 chunks, to the coals just before you start to cook, and again whenever you replenish the coals. Set up the grill for indirect grilling* placing a drip pan in the center. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high; then, when smoke appears, lower the heat to medium.

3. Pop the tab on the beer can and take a good sip or until it is within an inch of the top. Using a “church key” –style can opener, make 6 or 7 holes in the top of the can. Then spoon the remaining dry rub through the holes into the beer. Holding the chicken upright, with the opening of the body cavity down, insert the beer can into the cavity.

4. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss half the wood chips on the coals. Oil the grill grate. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan. Spread out the legs to form a sort of tripod, to support the bird.

5. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until fall-off-the-bone tender, 2 hours. If using charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side and the remaining wood chips after 1 hour.

6. Using tongs lift the bird to a cutting board or platter, holding the metal spatula underneath the beer can for support. (Have the board or platter right next to the bird to make the move shorter. Be careful not to spill hot beer on yourself.) Let stand for 5 minutes before carving the meat off the upright carcass. (Toss the beer can out along with the carcass.)

Beer BBQ Ribs -from beerbbq.com

BEER BBQ COOKING BROTH
3 Pounds boneless Country Style Pork Ribs
3 oz. Hickory Smoke Flavoring
2 Cups Beer

BEER BBQ SAUCE
8 Cups BBQ sauce
8 Cups Honey Dijon Dressing
6 oz. Beer

Place several layers of aluminum foil or a wire pie rack at the bottom of a large pot.

Layer ribs into pot. Add hickory smoke flavoring and beer. Fill with water to one inch above ribs. Bring to a full rolling boil. Cover. Reduce heat to a simmer, cook 35 to 45 minutes until ribs are fully cooked.

While ribs are simmering, mix together BBQ sauce ingredients. Fully drain water off the ribs. Place ribs in foil lined baking pan. Fully cover ribs with BBQ sauce.

Cover pan with foil. Bake in a pre-heated 275º oven for 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours.

Jalapeno Beer BBQ Sauce -from beerbbq.com

2 green Jalapenos, pith removed, stemmed, seeded and diced
2 Tablespoons Garlic, peeled, mashed and chopped
2/3 cup yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
3 large canned green Chile Peppers, drained
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Dark Beer
1 Cup Tomatoes, peeled, stemmed, cored and seeded, crushed
1 teaspoon dried Oregano, powdered
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
Salt to taste

Sauté jalapenos, garlic, onion and Chile peppers in a medium skillet with the vegetable oil until onions are translucent. pour into blender, add, beer, tomatoes, oregano and cayenne.

Blend until smooth. Use Jalapeno Beer BBQ sauce as a BBQ sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Cheers to Dad!

Show Dad How Much You Care!

Trendsetters has all the necessities for this Father's Day, which is Sunday, June 20th. You have less than a week to decide on that perfect gift! Luckily, we have anything you could possibly want for dad. Below are just a few of our choices. For the rest of the goods, click the picture below!

Global Trend: Exotic, Strange Bars

My very first post on our blog was how to design your own basement bar, using some of our trendiest products. Hopefully, you followed our instructions and your bar turned out fabulous! However, here are some bars that took a wrong turn down Strange Street...What's your favorite?


1. An Underwater Occasion


2. The Skeleton Bar


3. A Dwarf's Delight (Yes, your bartender may or may not tower over the bar itself.)



4. The Tree Bar (Similar to the tree in the Princess Bride)



5. The Ice Bar



6. Stare at Death at the Coffin Bar



7. The Garage Bar


8. Cave Bar



9. Vampire Cafe



10. Church Bar

Martini Recipes to Match Your Taste Buds!

Recipes that will match your taste buds, and keep the flavors running for miles.

Cheers to martinis!

Spicy Jalapeno Martini

Ingredients
12 oz vodka
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, finely sliced
1 inch piece lemongrass
ice
slice of jalapeno, to garnish

Directions

Into a glass jug, combine all ingredients (except the ice).
Cover with plastic wrap/ cling film (ie, Saran, Glad etc) and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to infuse the vodka. Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add infused martini to the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a martini glass and serve with with a slice of jalapeno either on the side of the glass or sitting in the bottom of the glass (where the olive usually is!).

Bitter Balsamic Vinegar Martini

Ingredients
3 shots of your favorite Vodka.
3 ml of good balsamic vinegar (about a dash, experiment to find what is just right for you).
1 large, juicy strawberry.
some orange rind.

Directions
In a bowl or plate, add the balsamic vinegar. We are going to roll the strawberry in this container, so you just need enough room to accomodate the strawberry. Take the strawberry and roll it in the vinegar from the previous step. Try to cover the whole strawberry, then put into frozen glass. Add the Vodka to the chilled martini glass. Squeeze the orange rind on top of the glass so the juice goes into the glass. Rub the rind all around the rim to give it an orange flavour.


Cool Saketini

Ingredients
3/4 oz Sake
3/4 oz Vodka
1/4 oz Gin
1 slice cucumber
ice

Directions
Into a mixing glass filled with ice, pour the Sake, Vodka and Gin. Stir vigorously to ensure the contents are well mixed. Pour and strain into a frosted martini glass. To finish, arrange the cucumber onto the rim of the glass.

Sour Pineapple Martini

Ingredients
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce apple schnapps
1/2 ounce pineapple juice
1 thin apple slice for garnish
Directions
Combine ingredients (except garnish) with cracked ice and shake it up till ice cold. Serve in a martini glass.

Refreshing Watermellon Martini

Ingredients
4 cups watermelon (with the rinds, seeds removed)
1 cup lemon vodka
1/2 cup cointreau or triple sec
2 limes, squeezed
1 cup ice cubes
1 tablespoon sugar (or sugar substitute)
Garnish; pieces of watermelon, lime, sugar cane

Directions
In a blender, combine the watermelon chunks and puree. Remove pureed fruit and pour into a pitcher and keep very cold, even a little frozen to make it icy. Add one cup of watermelon puree, 1/4 cup of lemon vodka, and one tablespoon of cointreau or triple sec to the blender with three ice cubes and blend. Garnish with watermelon chunks, limes and a stick of sugar cane.

Sweet Pecan Pie Martini

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/8 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
For Martini
Ice cubes
2 ounces vodka
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Garnish: On a small plate, stir together corn syrup and the brown sugar. Dip the rims of martini glasses in the mixture, then in the chopped nuts.
Martini: In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine vodka, corn syrup and vanilla. Strain into prepared glasses.

Check out all of our martini necessities at www.trendsettersthestore.com

Getting Married? You Need To See This!

Wedding Don'ts!

What you are about to see may surprise you...but it could save you an embarrassing wedding moment. While searching the web, we have found so many wedding-dont's, that we feel we should pass onto you, before your big day! We want you to be glamorous, beautiful, and trendy! And remember, www.trendsettersthestore.com has gifts from your bachelorette party, to your wedding ceremony!

1. Tacky Wedding Dress

Yes, this was actually previewed on the runway as a wedding dress. Make sure your wedding dress fits your personality, but is not over the top. We want your guests to know there at a wedding, not a bizzare.

2. Weird Wedding Favors

Make sure your wedding favors are something your guests will take home and make use of! A wedding dress candle? Probably going in the trash. We would hate for your guests to throw away your money!


3. A Cake Only You Would Eat

How darling...a decapitated deer figurine on the top of your wedding cake...enough said.

4. Awful Bridesmaid Dresses

I have been a bridesmaid about ten times now, and let me tell you how nice it is when I can actually wear the dress again! A dress like below will most likely land up in the trash with those wedding dress candles.


5. A Wedding Reception You Won't Remember

Sure, have a few drinks at your reception...but remember your not in college, or at a kegger. Time your drinks, have fun, take advantage of the open bar, but be sure you don't get to the point of being wasted.

Celebrate Your Dog!

Today were celebrating your pootch, your dog...man AND woman's best friend!


Recently, we introduced a new product line called Chrome Bones. Although pricey, these luxury leashes, collars, carriers and beds will surely tell your pup that he or she is your best friend. Head over to www.trendsettersthestore.com to check out all of these new products! Also, today ONLY, the Chrome Bones collection is 25% off! We love to save, and we know you do too.