12.19.2010

Early Christmas spirit

Today was probably the most productive day I've had in, well, like ever. My mom came over for the day and we ended up going to the grocery store, building nine (yes nine) terrariums, making a yule log cake and then going to a Christmas party. Pretty productive, if I say so myself.

The recipe for the yule log was pretty simple. You can really use any sort of box recipe (if you're really short on time, Bob's Red Mill makes amazing cake mixes), or you can pull together a nice standard family cake recipe. I made a lovely gluten free white cake. The most important thing involves having a cake sheet pan, some good wax paper and some shortening. Then you just need to make sure the cake has ample time to cool, some delicious filling and yummy topping (I used homemade whip cream and pudding for my topping and filling). It also helps to have someone helping you that knows what they are doing if it is your first roll cake experience. Luckily this wasn't my mom's first time. I hope your experience turns out as delightful as mine. Enjoy!

12.10.2010

Norwegian Christmas

Again I cannot stop talking about this area of the globe, but its just so gorgeous and so simple. I just adore how understated clean pieces of nature are inspiration, in many cases, the material for making a home and with plenty of breathing space! I recently stumbled across Kjerstis Lykke. I love this blog, especially how it shows a home during Christmas. The lack of red and green is so refreshing and so relaxing. Did you notice the advent calendar!?! *gasp*. Gorgeous and so simple it makes me sick.



Susanna Bauer

If you took two of my favorites, that being: 1) natural items such as stones, twigs, leaves and 2) warm fuzzy, crocheted and knitted things and put them together you'd have Susanna Bauer's work. I feel akin to the pieces I've seen so far, and it touches me on a very personal level by using such elemental objects as an exercise in the process of construction. And lets face it, these are just lovely and interesting to look at.

12.09.2010

Holiday Wish List

Well, I've had a horribly stressful day, so looking at pretty, consumerist things is probably one way to feel slightly better, and less likely like I want to jump out the window (yes I know its all so expected). The downside to working with a NFP is, most of the time, the stress does not equate to the money you are making. Pretty much you MUST love your job, other wise you're fucked, and won't find any other point to what you are doing (excuse my French, it's been a long day). I will say, I am one of those people who happens to love working with a NFP, however today sort of pushed me in the direction of "why the hell am I here," even if it was briefly. Is it weird that I feel like I need another vacation so soon? I think at least I need to start taking lunch and refuse to stay at my desk ... but I just really hate working until 6 or 7 pm because I took an hour lunch ... and unfortunately many of our meetings are right around the time we should be eating. Anyway, you've heard me vent and digress enough.

Dreaming about lovely things for Christmas might make up for part of today, and really this all very selfish, but my brain is in complete id-shutdown-survival-only-about-me-mode so whatever, I promise I'll make up for it later.

1. Pipe Match Strike from Jonathan Adler. 2. Diana Mini Petite Noire. 3. Ceramic Owls from West Elm (3 would do nicely). 4. Rachel Comey Sazerac Boots from Need Supply. 5. Duluth Pack Canvas Backpack from Kaufmann Mercantile. 6. Ellery Chair from West Elm (I've mentioned this before). 7. Double Headed Jaguar Ring from Rabid Fox (also mentioned before). 8. Butter of London Nail Polish in Artful Dodger, Rosie Lee and Chimney Sweep.

12.03.2010

Why yellow makes me happy

Georg Baselitz's Woman of Dresden – Karla.

I ♥ Europe: Italy

I was able to put together more Diptych selects from the Italy trip, but I have to say they don't necessarily sum up this country. I don't think I've ever had such a mixture of emotions to a place: positive and negative all hitting me at the same time in this weird wave that could only be described as reacting.

In the cities I generally became highly agitated by the layers and people that each place revealed. I've never been a very publicly aggressive person, but I discovered very quickly I needed to take control of myself and do a complete reversal on my normal habits in order to survive. I think the most difficult part for me was the lack of order, specifically when it came to standing in lines. I had this innocent notion that people just automatically stay in their spot when in a line, and that social etiquette would frown upon cutting in front of someone else. Ah, how innocence is so quickly slapped in the face with the sulfur scent of Italian reality.



I was strangely depressed by the Colosseum. I was in love with what the Galleria Borghese offered and gave me (I wanted to touch the Bernini sculptures so bad). Standing on top Duomo in Milan was an experience that would be hard to top. Pisa was, in all honesty, a joke to me. The Vatican was bigger and more grand than I could have imagined. This mingled with the feeling that these famous sites so many people flocked to, were a strange kitsch-version of themselves—their purpose, to provide a trophy to hang on one's wall with a plaque reading, "I was there."

I ♥ Picasso's parody

I don't think you can really in all seriousness be a well adjusted person without being able to critically look at yourself and laugh. Case in point, SOIL in Pioneer Square is doing a fantastic show that parodies and mocks SAM and Picasso. I just adore how clever it all is. It's highly flattering to be mocked in such a way, and they really didn't too bad of a job replicating the Picasso campaign (although I did cringe at some of the letter spacing and kerning). SOIL took SAM's overtly serious nature and corporate qualms and sent them running down the hall with a pair of scissors. ♥ Props.

12.02.2010

Oh my Cavalier, how I love you.

I've been wanting to do a post on Julianna Swaney's work for awhile now. I pretty much just adore her style. Her illustrations have this edge to it that says I'm delicate, I'm intricate and I'll behave for you ... but you probably shouldn't turn your back on me. She has a shop full of lovely things, called Oh My Cavalier! in case you, as I do, cannot live without some form of her work.


12.01.2010

New post at the Selby

The Selby posted something this morning just in time for my green-thumb-csa desires and to pull me out of my doomsday sadness streak. Annie Novak at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, New York. If you're feeling blue from all this winter weather and icky grocery store food, I insist you view these immediately.