before I leave...

So M and I area flying out to D.C. tonight on a red-eye flight. Yesterday I had some free time so I got to do a lot of sewing. I have really been into sewing lately. I'm sure knitting will take over again when the cooler weather hits, but for now it's all about the sewing.

Yesterday I made a little bag (rats! I forgot to photograph it. Photo to come) which went pretty smoothly.

Still high on that achievement I decided to make a shirt. And I really wanted to be able to take it with me for my trip. I've been enjoying the lattice-type details I've seen in a few shirts and I had a mind to make one of my own.

I sketched. The sleeves actually got nixed.


I sewed.


I tried it on. Meh. The neckline bunches up.

And it seems that my mirror is dirty. That's what those spots are. They're on the mirror, not on my shirt.

And I've learned that it's not easy to take self-portraits without a remote release.

And also? (whisper) my bed's not made.

M and I are going to see H in D.C. and then head over to Pennsylvania to meet up with babies and friends and a wedding party. I'm a little worried about the heat, but I'm looking forward to a change of scenery. More on Monday!

from last weekend

I never can seem to post my weekend happenings on Monday. Mondays I am welcoming the work week with full force (ha). By Tuesday I can get around to talking about my weekends. Although, truth to tell, my weekends are generally pretty tame.

But this past weekend m and I did something exciting! We met up with my baby brother Daehee!
I seem to be grimacing in pain in this photo, but I assure you I was thrilled to see Daehee and I think the feeling was mutual. He must be stooped over to hug me because he doesn't look as tall in this photo as he does in life.

We met up at the Galleria in Sherman Oaks to see Batman The Dark Knight. The movie was okay. Lots of fun explosions (de riguer in my summer blockbuster screenings), really solid performance (and interpretation of the Joker) by Heath Ledger and I really like the Batman franchise generally speaking. But it was a bit of a mess as far as plot was concerned. And way too freaking long. But Daehee gave it his thumbs up and it was fun to hang out with the little one.

striped ice cream dress

When I was a little girl. I read this book called Striped Ice Cream. It was about a little girl who lived in (I think) New York with her mom and sisters and brother. For her birthday all she wanted was a new dress. But her family was poor and there was no way as the middle child would she ever get a brand new dress. So instead, she asked her mom if she could have her all time favorite striped ice cream for her birthday instead of a cake. Wow were they poor because even that request drew apprehension from her hard working mom (dad bailed out on them years ago if memory of this book serves correctly). So the little girl had to settle for being excused from chores for the day.


You know, writing up this little book report makes me think that the story sounds kind of depressing. But it actually wasn't. I mean, they were poor and they struggled and they were always wanting. But I have fond memories of that book. The little girl (I wish I could remember her name) and her siblings made the best of their situation. They had lots of innocent summertime fun. They looked for ways to earn a little extra money so they could buy popsicles from the ice cream truck, or pay for a Sunday matinee. The illustrations were great too if memory serves correctly. Kind of like a little novel for young-young adults with a few illustrations thrown in a la Roald Dahl's books.

I don't want to give anything away in terms of the book, but the little girl does indeed get a new dress (her mom and older sisters sneak in the sewing while she's asleep or out playing) AND she gets striped ice cream for her birthday. And the bonus? Her dress is striped pink and cream and brown just like STRIPED ICE CREAM. Sorry about the caps. That's in the book too.

I've been working on this dress for a few weeks now. Sneaking in a little sewing in between work and dinner and chores. It's been a bit of an obsession. It's my first time following a pattern and it was hard. Pattern makers seem to leave out lots of details. And their illustrations aren't terribly illustrating. But the challenge I think came more from my ignorance. Sorry pattern makers, I'll cut you some slack.

The first article of clothing I ever sewed for myself (like really sewed with a sewing machine, not fiddling around with hand sewing) was a skirt that I still have. I broke all the sewing rules cause I didn't know them. Amazingly the skirt is still in one sewn piece and still wearable. The second article of clothing I ever sewed was a dress that I wore to jenn's wedding. I look back at it now and am amazed at how bad it looks. Oh the sewing mistakes. But again, no pattern, no rules, guerilla sewing if you will.

Don't get me wrong, there are mistakes aplenty in this dress. But they are more or less hidden and don't detract from the shape or drape of the dress so I'm going to live with them. I only had two yards of fabric so I used up nearly every little scrap. Boy was that a close one. I should explain that the pattern I used (Vogue 8468) was just the starting point as I ended up ripping out the neck to widen it - it was too close, I kept gagging, shortening the hem considerably, and employing unorthodox methods for sewing up the arm...um... openings. I added the peter pan collar based on a tutorial I found online. All in all, I'm pooped and my dress looks little like the one the pattern intended.

I intend to wear this dress to a wedding in Pennsylvania next weekend. Most likely I will not be eating striped ice cream with it.

amazing.

Now, does she look like she's laughing? Or about to cry? I just can't decide. Amazing, I tell ya. On so many levels.

Put this in the same category as that fascinating marital rating scale. Wonder how many demerits one would get for not "store-testing" for fresh coffee. Sheesh. Luckily my husband doesn't even drink coffee.

Found this on Flickr.

my sidekick

She just likes to be at my side.

posters

So many posters, so little wall space...

If I had as much space as I pleased, I would purchase these posters from the Keep Calm Gallery (and many others from many other places).

Get Lost from graphic designer Douglas Wilson. He screened these onto old maps.


Also from Douglas Wilson:

I admire his work muchly.

PS. Check out his photographs if you have a spare moment. Very nice.

From London based artist Hazell Nicholls:

I think it was originally intended to be an advert for English biscuits of the same name. Very clever. And I like the phrase.

Also from Hazell Nicholls:

Like the nice modernists, I have an affinity for nice designers so this phrase appeals to me.

And lastly from Lucas & Hayley, the two who run the Keep Calm Gallery:

Why yes, it certainly does.

kenny

M and I saw a great movie on Sunday. It was so good I need to write about it and encourage all of you to go out and see it right away.



It's an Australian mockumentary about a everyday guy named Kenny who manages portable toilets for large outdoor events. Yes there is toilet humour and a few scenes that might make you squeamish (though the filmmakers did a fine job of just hinting at something without actually showing it). But the real gem of this movie hasn't got anything to do with the toilets or the poo (I can't help but call it that now, as Kenny so matter-of-factly does himself). The real gem is the character Kenny as portrayed by actor Shane Jacobson.

Kenny is so earnest and down to Earth. You'll love how he doesn't take himself too seriously. You'll feel for him as he deals with a bad day at the office and cheer when he finally gets his day. He's a good dad, a good employee and an all around good guy which normally doesn't make for terribly interesting film viewing, but somehow this guy pulls it off. And then some. You leave the movie feeling great and as M commented wishing "there were more people like Kenny roaming God's great Earth to make it a better place."

Seriously. Go see it. You won't regret it.

PS. We saw this at an arthouse theatre. I have a feeling that it might be a bit hard to find in local theatres. But I promise it will be worth the drive to an out of way arthouse theatre if that's the only location that screens it.

post-it note poetry

of a sort...

I find these Spanish language (with subtitles) micro poems charming! Click on the image to go to their site with the video. And their illustrations are great too. I'll have to give a shout out to H to check these out as she is an infrequent visitor to my blog.

(I tried to upload the video via blogger but it's taking so freaking long I am just about ready to give up.)

fleet foxes

What a lovely little animation I just caught via CGART.


White Winter Hymnal from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

I love that all their little sweaters are a bit frayed. And the song is nice. I'll have to give it another listen to catch the full impact of the lyrics.

time waster, but in the best way

I think I may have emailed or blogged this before, if so let's revisit the genius that is wordle. Input a bunch of text (your favorite Shakespearean sonnet? song lyrics? movie quotes? inspirational messages? you can also paste in the URL of your favorite site) hit go and end up with word art. The typography nerd in me is so jazzed.

Here, song lyrics from Al Green's Let's Stay Together admittedly edited to produce the following results (the faq will give you some tips on that):


There's color options too, but I prefer the graphic quality of these in black and white.


Also reminds me of those fabulous city neighborhood posters by Ork that are making the rounds of all the design blogs.

I enjoyed this so much, I did three different ones in three different fonts. Oh yeah, they have a bunch of fonts to choose from as well.

Found out about this from Gregory at Apartment Therapy LA.

simple tomato sauce

Last night's supper consisted of store bought tortellini with a simple tomato sauce and prosciutto wrapped figs stuffed with goat cheese.

The sauce is my go to for quick, easy and tasty results. I learned it from an italian geologist who happened to be in my home one Thanksgiving many moons ago. She had snuck over a hunk of "really good mozzerella" on the plane ride over to the states which she used for the sauce (forgoing what was available in my fridge) because she said she couldn't find any of the good stuff in the states. She did, however, approve of my dried pasta selection which she said was a good brand (Trader Joe's penne for like 68 cents, right? in case you were wondering).

For last night's dinner, I sort of poached the tortellini's in the sauce as it was simmering down instead of cooking the pastas separately in boiling water. It's the kind you buy in packages in the refridgerated section of supermarkets. I don't think it matters much which brand, but I did choose the one with porcini mushrooms and cheese filling.

I was supposd to steam some brocoli too, but I completely forgot about them until dinner was well over.

And because the main dish was so quick, I whipped up these rather obsene looking guys to accompany our meal. I'd meant to make them last week but M wasn't feeling well and proscuitto wrapped anything with goat cheese is probably better enjoyed when you're not down with a bug. Unfortunately the figs weren't as juicy honey sweet as they've been in the past, but we still enjoyed this dish which I have been dreaming of making all winter and spring waiting till figs were in season again.


Giovanna's Simple Tomato Sauce
1-2 crushed garlic cloves (I like it more garlicky so I go for 2 cloves)
drizzle of olive oil
3 medium sized tomatoes chopped up (nice and ripe any kind will do)
1 teaspoon of dried basil or 3-4 leaves of fresh basil chopped up
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 - 1/2 of a ball of fresh mozzerella cut into cubes to help melt down easier (optional)
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

In a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat sautee crushed garlic in olive oil until garlic is tender and aromatic. Add crushed red pepper flakes at the same time if you like your sauce to have a little extra kick. It's nice to let the pepper flakes soften in the oil and mingle with the garlic.

Add chopped tomatoes and turn flame down to med/medium low and cover saucepan allowing tomatoes to break down and juice up. When there's a good amount of juice add dried basil. Add cheese and stir to incorporate and encourage melting.

Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes allowing tomatoes to completely break down and dried basil to relax and its flavor to marry with the sauce. The cheese should be nice and gooey by now.

If using fresh basil add at the end just before serving mixing well so that the heat of the sauce wilts the basil. Salt and pepper just before serving.

With last night's meal, I added the package tortellinis just after I added the cheese and covered to let the heat and juices poach the dumplings. I turned off the heat after the tomatoes had completely broken down and left the pan covered on the burner as I finished up with the other dishes and set the table.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce.


Prosciutto Wrapped Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese
I think I saw this first in Martha Stewart's Living a few years ago and I'm sure it can be found elsewheres, but this is my (by no means definitive) way of making them. They are so good M and I gobble them up like there is no tomorrow.

1 dozen figs (approximately. I bought mine from Whole Foods and the basket had about a dozen)
1/4 lb of prosciutto from the cold cuts counter (this is of course tastier, but last night I used package prosciutto which also works)
1/2 log of goat cheese kept refridgerated until needed
spray cooking oil or olive oil with brush

Prepare a baking sheet with spray cooking oil like Pam or brush with olive oil and set aside. Preheat broiler.

Slit all figs on the plump rounded end making an X that runs halfway down the body of the fig.

Remove goat cheese from the fridge and slice off approximately 1 teaspoon and stuff the figs through the slits. You can push the fig closed so that it retains it figgy shape better. The firm goat cheese will help it stay together.

Wrap each stuffed fig with the prosciutto and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Broil until the prosciutto is crispy and turn to evenly crisp the other side. A little of the goat cheese melts out. That's okay. Serve hot.

I wanted to get all fancy and tie each bundle with some left-over chives that I have in my fridge and don't know what to do with, but I forgot that too.

summer nights

When we cleaned up around the house a few weekends ago, we cleared out our deck and found that there was a lot of space (previously cluttered over with our crap) for us to hang out in.

Thank goodness we did this as it's the only area in our home where we can go to escape the heat. That was a nice way to spend our Friday night.
urban. feet.

The cats love when we hang out on the deck. They join us and loll around.
the two headed beast plots his next move

turning on his invisibility cloak

trying to put M under his power.

Suffice it to say, I used this as an opportunity to practice some shots with long shutter exposures (did I say that right?). Look! I can even get a decent photo of the moon with my little apparatus.
goodnight moon

more reading

The good news is that I have been reading more. Joining that book club was a great idea. I like being exposed to a bunch of new stuff. And since I'm done with my book for the club well before the deadline, I'm itching to keep reading while I wait to hear what the next book will be. I've made good use of my library card getting new stuff for me to read.

So far, nothing I've read (from the book club or my own findings) have made me lose myself in that way that a really really good book will grab you and make you stop everything else in your life forsaking sleep, meals, bathroom breaks and work to finish another chapter (or let's be honest: finish the book). But that's okay. It's still been a fun ride.

Some of my thoughts about the books I've read:
American Gods by Neil Gaiman was okay. Just so-so. I liked Anansi Boys better and don't really believe that you needed to read the former before the latter as many fans have insisted you do probably because this was the order the writer wrote them in. I did it backwards and it was just fine. I'd be willing to give a few more of his books a shot since they are so well regarded by people whose opinions I respect, but I'm not feeling terribly optimistic since American Gods was a bit of a let down. It was easy to read and more or less entertaining, but sort of all over the place and so ultimately not satisfying.

Last month's selection for my book club was Petropolis by Anya Ulinich.
It was funny and interesting if a bit dark. Sort of reminded me of something Todd Solondz might adapt for one of his films (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness, Palindromes) if he were to get into the business of adaptations instead of coming up with his own material. Perhaps a bit too dark at times for me to be able to really get into it? I don't know. It didn't resonate with me, though I did feel sympathetic towards the main character and worried about what would happen to her next.

I keep catching Pride and Prejudice on t.v. over the last few weeks. The Keira Knightly one. Sheesh. I have to take back every not-so-nice thing I've ever said about her. She's wonderful in this. I'm not a huge fan of the costumey movies (there are some really good ones that I've enjoyed terribly in the past but lately if it's a costumey period piece, I'm probably not likely to go see it. maybe there aren't enough explosions in them.) So anyways Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightly and that dreamy Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy, I just can't get enough of it. I keep seeing bits of the movie and never the whole thing. I suppose I could fix that and just get the DVD. But anyways, it's been on my mind so I decided to pick up the book and give ole Jane Austin a shot. It was great! Very funny. And lots of ideas that feel more contemporary and progressive to me about women and their status and marriage. I was surprised by that. I'm going to have a Pride and Prejudice screening marathon next Friday with Janet. She's going to help me bake 5 cakes for a wedding that I got roped into baking for. And while we're waiting for each cake to bake, we're going to watch the Keira Knightly version and also the BBC one that I keep hearing so much about. Now I'll finally get to see the movie in its entirety. Twice. I'm stoked!

And since I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice so much, I decided to give Emma a shot. I'm about a third into it. I haven't really sat and given myself over to the book on a long afternoon read or anything like that. It's good but I'm not as won over with it as I was with Pride and Prejudice. Emma and her dear old dad are just a bit much. Sometimes a bit annoying, but that's rather judgemental of me. I blame myself for not really giving the book a proper go. Maybe over the weekend.

Hm.. I really thought I'd read more than three books since my last book post, but I guess I haven't. Maybe I'm forgetting the others.

magic of olive oil

I found these wooden beauties at the thrift store the other day.

I should have taken "before" shots of the scuffed condition they were in. It only makes the results of the olive oil polish that much cooler. Believe it. Olive oil.

M and I spent most of last Saturday cleaning the kitchen to scrub off grime and create more open spaces.

Then, I put all my tchotchkes on the newly cleared countertop.

she wants to help me brainstorm

my muse as I sketch and brainstorm

as if I needed another reason to move to France

today's story on All Things Considered...

Allons-y!

The part that really bugs? Hearing how the US comes in last rated among industrialized nations at preventing avoidable deaths.

I'm getting off my soapbox and going to prep some vegetables for dinner now.

catching up

My goodness! Am I really behind two weeks? Well let's get this catching up started.

Two weekends ago, M and I were catching up with jenn and her friend Heidi who were in town for a work conference. We met them in Seal Beach lured by promises of a brunch place that makes french toast out of cinnamon rolls. We were not disappointed:


Heidi and jenn did it right by ordering their cinnamon roll french toast with a helping of fresh fruit . Mine just came with a scoop of butter. Oh yeah. I need butter on top of this batter laden baked bread - sprinkled with powdered sugar no less. With a helping of syrup too.


M opted for a mysterious dish called a "Pancake Sandwich" (the quotes are so legit here because it was an alleged "pancake sandwich" which we soon found to be an inaccurate description). Also with a scoop of butter, I'm now noticing.


It seems that he got over his disappointment of the "sandwich" that wasn't.


After brunch we parted ways with Heidi and kidnapped jenn for a long walk (nearly 7 miles from my reckoning and the help of google maps) to downtown Long Beach. There were all sorts of goings on along the beach. A gathering of pirates big and small, kite flyers and locals enjoying a day at the beach. I enjoyed their mod lifeguard huts.


In downtown I also enjoyed this chips and salsa joint with striped bricks. I've been enjoying red and white stripes lately.


When we walked back towards our car (another 7 miles or so in the opposite direction) we settled down at a nearby coffeeshop for more serious matters. The Adventure Bunny was scheduled for a quick out-patient procedure on his foot. Bernard the Canard looked on providing moral support.


I couldn't photograph the procedure as my hands were full, but I'm sure jenn will have some pics over on her blog. I did however capture the patient and his wrangler reunited after the procedure.


AB enjoying his rest and his still unwrapped sugar free carrot-pop.

The procedure has been proclaimed a success. As was our visit with our dear friend jenn. Come back and visit again soon, jenn! Bring NIL with you!! Let's hang out at that Lord of the Rings screening marathon in Pasadena (scroll all the way the bottom)!

2.5

I love 2.5D graphics. The best example of such a thing is this familiar opening credits sequence which mixes 2.5D with some archive footage of live film. It's really cool.



Here's another example which I found out about this morning via CGART. I can't imbed this one, I'm afraid, so you'll just have to click on the image to go to the video.

toile

I love this contemporary interpretation of toile.

from Flavor Paper.

There was also a designer featured in Domino some months ago who renovated her guest house and papered parts of it with some yellow toile that she designed herself. I wish I had saved the image somewhere because it was fabulous. Yellow background, black and white line art featuring what first appeared to be traditional toile motifs (sheppherdesses with their crooked canes, etc) but on closer look they were images of more contemporary african american images; little girls playing double dutch, getting their hair braided. Good stuff.