Driving around DTLA in the Arts District the other day I had to stop and jump out of the car. I really love street art. I've painted before, but only on small size canvases. I think the idea of having a HUGE canvas and freedom to scrawl, create, imagine anything you want is pretty awesome. Here's one of the murals I saw and just loved.
Mindless Monday
So the other day I had a moment. I'll call it a flash of insanity, cause that's how I felt. I couldn't get centered, my mind and emotions were all over the place. When I get like that, I just need to get out of the house, do something anything, exercise, shop (SB would prefer I steer clear of this option), go to a museum, a cafe....anything.
Ironically, I also get super productive when I get these moments of insanity. This particular day, I got a package packed....thank you UPS lady for being so kind to me, seriously she made it all better. Got the package sent out, I restocked my stamps, and mailed a bunch of letters out. Made a stop at the homeopathic store for something to center me, had another great conversation with a super nice lady, just talking helped.
Then I made my way to Thyme Cafe. Love this place, it's about the only nice place on this particular street in Santa Monica. The baked goods here are just the best. I've tried a quite a few things. I really love the pecan, apricot, coconut scone. But the gruyere bacon croissant is so good. It sounds rich, but it's actually really light and very flavorful. A few days later I went back and ended up talking to the GM. She was fantastic, told me about all the great things they make in-house, which is 95% of all the baked goods. Only the breads are made outside, and that's only because they don't have the room for the equipment to make them in-house. She invited me and my friends to a wine tasting they are doing with one of the wine distributors. I so wish that I could make it, but I have two other events that day.
All this to say, sometimes it just takes people being kind and conversational. I will remember this and give back, even if I have not idea how it affects the person. I always say "just be nice."
Mindless Monday
Well its 2014 and already 6 days into January. Seriously can time slow down just a tad. We're at the top of the calendar and moving our way through some adventures.
First on my list is getting healthy...eating well. This is hard, because I really don't love veggies, I like them alright, but not love. However, I've learned if you mix some veggies in a smoothie with almond milk, peanut butter and some fruit, I'm all in. To all you Bloody Mary peeps, drinking your veggies with alcohol doesn't count. This shake recipe picture above is from Felicia at A Simply Raw Life. I guarantee you will like this, try it here. Plus Felicia is just adorable, a great mom, that makes some amazing raw, vegan treats, so that's another bonus to trying this smoothie.
Next up is a little story told to me last night while I patiently waited for Downton Abbey to come on. 9PM PST is too late to start this program on Sunday. I was all ready for bed, barely made it till 11PM. We'll have to dish about that later.
Here's the story, it relates, seriously to getting healthy. So last night my friend tells me her Lulu Lemon story. I know where this is going from the start. Yes she needs good workout pants, she goes to Nordstrom's, "cause if all else fails Nordstroms will have what you want" her motto.
She's contemplating an $80 purchase of workout pants when her 14 year old tells her, "if your going to spend that much on workout pants, then you should get Lulu Lemon's". My very fashionable friend has no idea what Lulu Lemon's are. Of course she doesn't, even though she was the first friend I had who owned a Louis Vuitton bag but didn't know that Marc Jacob's, whose purses she loved, was the designer of LV at the time.
Her daughter proceeds to tell her all about Lulu Lemon's pants. The ply, the stretch etc.. She's looking at her and wondering how in the world she knows this much about this brand. Hello to us 40, aaaahem, year olds that have teenagers, this is the Chemin de Fer, Dolphin shorts, Van's or OP brands of our generation (can you tell by the brands, the era and the geographic area of where I grew up - right on the edge of Dogtown).
Apparently Lulu Lemon's is what everyone wear's in school right now. So not only does she buy herself a pair of workout pants, but she convinces her daughter, who squirrels her well-earned money away, that she should use what she has left over for her first Lulu Lemon purchase. She does and proceeds to wear those yoga pants multiple times the next week. This moves her to ask for another pair. Well, she'll have to save for those.
What does she do, you ask? She's goes to the attic and pulls out all her American Doll stuff and decides to sell it. She calls her mom's friends for Ebay advice on how to auction these off. Another mom ends up buying the whole lot for her granddaughter and BAMMM, my girl has herself another pair of Lulu Lemon's.
I am laughing out loud at this story. But I'll tell you what, I am going to walk my pudgy self down a few blocks and seriously look at those Lulu Lemon pants to further motivate my road to better health. Enjoy!
2013 Retrospect
This year I feel like I've grown so much, I think the ALT Summit really kicked it off in January. What an inspiring 3 days with such supportive bloggers. I was inspired and it really pushed me this year. I'm excited to go back next month and see where it takes me in 2014. While I am certainly looking forward below are a few of my favorite projects this past year.
Meeting Kei & Molly. Their story and work was really inspiring to pursue what you love.
Hosting our Fall Tasting. This idea was spurred on by a class I took with Bing and AltSummit. It was an online class and well it gave me this idea, which Felicia and Deborah were on board with. I think we'll be doing this again soon.
Part of this was hosting a Coffee Tasting, this was super fun and great working with Stumptown Coffee, I can't wait till the next one.
I finally got to write about some of my Italian adventures from forever ago here.
I loved my weekly visits to the Santa Monica Farmers Market and was inspired to make new things just by what was in season.
Oh and this Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cake....wow I love this cake.
I loved this trip this year to California Lake Country. I am so in for doing this again. Was a beautiful place to visit.
These Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies got a lot of mileage on Pinterest this year.
I had a great time learning to make Candied Orange Peels, I can't wait to try this with a few other citrus fruits.
Seriously I am almost finished with the Cuba tale. This is one of my favorite posts, Cuba a Bittersweet Tale, on this trip, because it was all about my Dad. I still cry when I read it, so does he.
Those are a few of my favorite things from 2013. I'm looking forward to new adventures next year and hope to check off a few things from my goals list. Enjoy!
From Crickets to Goals
Chirp, chirp, chirp....where have I been, I know you've missed me. It's been crickets on this space. Sorry folks, life has been busy and I've been enjoying it. Recharging, brainstorming, trying to get my act together. Is that even possible?
I've been baking lots, walking a little and blogging none. I've been reading all your wonderful blogs and the special things you all have been doing all year long. So inspiring! I've been catching up on movies and books and visiting with friends. It's a good time of year to look back and determine what you want to do moving forward. Reanalyze your goals, make adjustments, set milestones, it's all about the baby steps you take to get you where you want to be.
Things I want to accomplish this next year, and not necessarily in this order.
- Lose the weight I've packed on....SB and I call this PUDGE....the pudge must leave.
- Finish sprucing up this blog space, new logo, new Image (well check that, it's on the About Me page) Pudgy me....redo will be when the Pudge has gone.
- Be completely Debt Free.....I see a moving sale, a gofundme.com a paypal fundraiser for your pal on the near horizon....well maybe not, but we will be debt free....SOON.
- Hire an illustrator for a few personal and business projects.
- Pitch one Big Idea to a publication...I'll go big and then pair down. All they can say is NO!
- Meet my yearly volunteer hourly commitment. I CAN DO IT!!!
- Travel more outside my city limits...oh the Wanderlust is deep within my soul. SB and I gotta get outta town more often.
- Live as simply as possible...no need for STUFF....seriously the STUFF is driving me crazy.
- Host another Tasting Event with my Pals @asimplyrawlife and @mylifeatplaytime. Last one was so fun.
- READ daily....seriously the Boob Tube, Devils Eyeball, whatever you want to call the TV could be OFF more.
Whatever your goals are, it's good to have them in front of you, it's a reminder to keep focused on the big picture and keep present.
Los Angeles Weather
Let me start off by saying I'm not complaining, I'm just saying the weather here is just weird. Last week it rained, then it got cold, like high 30's low 40's, that's cold for us. and then two days later it's 80 degrees. Now there is a storm coming where it's going back down to the 50's. Seriously how am I suppose to dress? I keep moving my summer clothes back to the front of my closet, it's either that or sweat to death in my sweaters.
So what do we do on these HOT days. We go to the beach, the sand ironically is cold, but the air is warm, water cold. So SB surfed, I watched, then we went back and did a walk/run to the Pier. Today I saw the sun rise and set at the beach. Not a bad way to spend the day, all the while putting a full day of work. Life can be enjoyable sometimes.
Shag Geometric Rug
So what's the deal with this rug? I am an avid pinner on Pinterest and follow quite a few design and lifestyle blogs and let's just say this rug has been showing up EVERYWHERE.
Here's a link to West Elms version of the Souk Wool Rug
Another one from Rugs USA that you can see looks beautiful in Bri Emery's living room from Design Love Fest. I admittedly LOVE this room and that tufted turquoise couch....oh I covet.
Here's another incarnation on the Bohemian Tree House blog.
Here it is again featured on a Design Sponge post about a one bedroom apartment and it's decor.
Here's another one from Lilly Bunn's blog
One last one from sf girl by bay's blog
Mind you it looks soft and cozy and brightens up a house with simple design. But its WHITE. I would just walk in the room and that rug would get dirty. For all the hipsters out there, who love to be original....we aren't anymore, I think we can come up with a few more rug choices. Oh did I just classify myself as hipster, I so am not. But I do openly love their design esthetic. Is this just good marketing or what's the deal? What do you think?
Santa Monica Farmers Market
Every Wednesday and Saturday, Santa Monica hosts a farmers market on Arizona Avenue. For the past two days I've been hold up inside, buried in my computer on a project for work. So today it was a MUST that I get out of the house. I got SB to go with me for a walk down to the market. I love doing this on a weekly basis, if I can make it happen. I use to work next door to this and went every Wednesday, sometimes for breakfast and dinner. It's a feast for the eyes, spurs on the creativity for what to make or photograph. Plus you get to sample all the produce.
Usually I walk down here myself and listen to a podcast, like KCRW Good Food, which always gives a break down of whats in season and a little extra from Jonathan Gold, LA Times food writer. Recipes are usually included. Here are a few gems from my iPhone on what we saw and bought today. Enjoy!
Coffee Brewing
Last month I finally got my act together and looked at a few of the monthly newsletters I get and decided to find something that I've wanted to do, but never make the time for.
So l decided to visit Tom's Flagship store in Venice for a free coffee brewing demonstration, brief video of one of the pourings. This was right on the heels of our My Life Simply Sweet event and the maiden voyage of the coffee tasting. So I was super jazzed about what to do next.
Guess what, I was the only one who showed up. Seriously, I got a private brewing session for free. I love this store by the way. A few years ago my manager gifted all of us a gift certificate to Tom's. I love that he always gave a gift that gives back. The flagship store in Venice is cool. It's got a cafe in the front with all their shoes, sunglasses spread on the side and in the back, now they also have there Marketplace merchandise. By the way they make more money on cafe sales then the merchandise, go figure. This store has been set up as a community place so coffee sales are ok with them.
At this location there is outdoor seating in the back, right next to places to try on the shoes. Plus a cool area for your dogs to chill, cause that's how we do in Venice. One afternoon when I went in and walked out back to the patio. It was like things were moving in slo-mo that day. Everyone was super quiet, and seriously looked like they were high. In the middle of that were a few suits, as in men dressed in suits, having a serious meeting, but all whispering. I was thinking what the...is going on. That didn't deter me, actually intrigued me.
So I made sure to show up for the brewing session. Tovara the manager at the store and coffee expert showed 3 ways to brew coffee using a few different pour over methods. I learned so much (rinse the filter, blooming the grounds, and there is an app to help you out so you know how long to bloom and brew). I can't wait to have a demonstration for a few friends. My favorite was the Chemex. For one, the coffee tasted great, and two, the Chemex is super cool and pretty to do the whole process. SB thinks I'm nuts and won't have the patience for it. It's all about the art people. ART!
So tonight is Coffee Tasting at Tom's Flagship store. This time I roped in a few friends to join me. Should be a fun no matter what, time to enjoy.
Organic Nature
One of the joys of always having your smart phone with camera capabilities is you can take quick snapshots of all the things that inspire. Organic, nature, man-made just all the little details. Here's what has inspired me on a lately.
1. Light thru the yellow fall leaves
2. Old window great color palate in the landscape
3. Natural red and green plants
4. Blur on purpose, sunset thru the tower
5, 6, 7. Distressed doors and old handles
Mindless Monday
Mindless Monday brain dump....here we go....Do you feel overwhelmed with cooking strategies for the week? Are you fighting the weather, hot, cold, windy, hot...well that's how it ends up in L.A. It's actually been chilly, which is 60's. Yes we're wimps, but that's chilly for us. We even have the nerve to burn wood in our fireplaces during this type of weather. Plus we had a few days of drizzling rain last week, oh joy oh joy, I just love this weather. Being an Angeleno is so unique.
Personally I felt like I was fighting a cold or something. I just doused myself with Vitamin C, a few Dr. Schultz cold shot remedies....nasty tasting, but good for you. Oh and I just had to have this pomegranate. It was so tasty and worth all the effort to peel and forage for the juicy seeds. Even if my light blue kitchen walls looked like a crime scene, with arterial spatter included, [too much CSI watching that I even know that looks like]. I was lightening quick to get out the step ladder and start washing down those walls. While pomegranates aren't exactly cheap, unless your lucky enough to have a tree in your yard, they are beautiful and delicious. It aches to see tree's in the neighborhood with these fruits bursting with only the birds to enjoy. Nothing against birds, but I would be willing to help my neighbor out. If only they'd let me harvest these red luscious beauties. Over the years, and recently, I've been inspired by a few photographs and pins I've seen using pomegranates. I'm sure you'll enjoy them as well.
My favorite is this one from Romulo Yanes, I still have this issue of Gourmet, I was so moved by this image.
And doesn't this Pavlova just look amazing, dripping with pomegranate seeds.
Or this mango-pomegranate guacamole, we've actually made this before, and it's so flavorful!
Oh and this semi-fredo...wow, gorgeous.
Enjoy your week!
Diana Vreeland
This is a video week for me. Finally catching up on a few things I've been dying to read and watch. Not to mention being slightly distracted by all the JFK conspiracy videos and Slate articles I've read. Fifty years ago today. Still makes you sad to watch that footage, let alone if you were alive when it happened. Heart still goes out to that family, even after all these years.
On another less grim note, I have seen a few people talk about this documentary on Diana Vreeland (pronounced DeeAnna), so I finally queued it up on Netflix and got to watching. This is one of those inspirational people that you hear about for so long, but don't really know much about. Diana was WAY ahead of her time and lived in a world of her own making. She was a the creative force behind Harpers Baazar and the Editor in Chief of Vogue, before the days of Anna Wintour. This is the kind of movie I loved talking about with my friend Efren, we would so dissect every line and there were so many great ones in this documentary. George Plimpton who interviewed her to write her memoirs asks about her childhood.
Diana answers: "Where do I begin? Well the first thing to do, my love, is arrange to be born in Paris after that everything follows quite naturally."
She was fabulous and used words like "Mad about..." before that was even fashionable. It's the stylish way to say "that's Banana's." I so wish I could have met this woman. She inspired a character in Funny Face and I swear Audrey Hepburn stole some of her lines in Charade, not to mention the Devil Wears Prada. If you love fashion and creativity, you have to watch this movie. I am just "mad about it."
Foodies
Foodies Promo from B-Reel on Vimeo.
Not sure how I feel about this film. Granted it's only the trailer and anyone can cut anything to change the intent or meaning. But it's the same film makers that produced Jiro Dreams of Sushi which is supposedly a good thing. Jury is still out on that.
To me my Foodie's definition is not just about appreciating good food. Who doesn't want to experience good food with good friends, great conversation and an amazing local. It is part of the whole experience. Trailer is a bit pretentious and lonely to me. What do you think?
Hostess Gifts
What do you take to the Host when you are invited over for dinner or to a party? With my friends I usually ask what can I bring, as in do you need anything for the meal. And of course I always volunteer to bring dessert. It's important for me to know what your making and I hope the host sticks to their meal plan. i.e. Recently I was told the meal would be Mexican, so I made a Tres Leches cake, when I got there they'd made Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and green beans. In that case an apple or pumpkin pie might have been a better choice.
Ok enough of the pot luck way of bringing a host a gift. Let's talk other types of gifts. In the past I've brought wine and flowers. I know, so not creative. Wine or any kind of liquor is good, since it can be consumed at the event. However flowers, unless they are already cut and in a vase can be a mess. Who, as a host, wants to stop the flow of the party or cooking or whatever to find a vase and trim the stems. So if you go that route, make it pre-cut flowers in a vase or a potted plant.
But how about something different. Maybe a pair of vintage whiskey glasses like 1. Madison Avenue Whiskey Glasses who doesn't want a great glass for the Old Fashioned Cocktail you will consume. For the cook, how about 7. pot holders or 2. tea towels (Kei & Molly of course). Handmade gifts would also be ideal maybe some 6. Coconut Vanilla Body Butter or 4. Rosemary Infused Salt.
I love these 3. Pop-Print Measuring Spoons from Anthropologie, I own them myself and use them all the time, if the host is a baker they'd adore these. Of course anything coffee and I'm all in. Maybe the 8. Chemex this is such a pretty way to make coffee, or if your feeling extra generous the 5. Journeyman Stumptown Coffee Kit.
Whatever you decide to give, always remember "there is more happiness in giving then there is in receiving." So do it out of love and thoughtfulness. Enjoy!
Mindless Monday
Last week in Lalaland was a Fall weather cluster. One day it was 80, the next day it was in the 60's and drizzling. I suppose that's why we live in Los Angeles and not somewhere it's snowing and cold. But call me crazy a little Fall weather would make me super happy! In the meantime I promise I will NOT be jaded by our lovely weather.
Are you overwhelmed by all the Fall ideas out there? I am, between the blogs I follow and the magazines I subscribe to and the catalogs that come in....OVERwhelming. I think I'll curate a list of things I want to try, make, buy, and do!
I hope this week will be productive and inspiring. Count down to Alt Summit is on it's way so lots of planning and creating to come. Enjoy your week!
Kei & Molly Giveaway
Hello Lillian, you won a beautiful tea towel from Kei & Molly Textiles. You have a choice between the bees and the ginko leaves. Email me at tstarponce@gmail.com for your address. And congrats. Enjoy!
Kei & Molly
A few years ago I was introduced to these lovely tea towel designs by Kei & Molly at the Farm Shop and I've started collecting them ever since. I do occasionally use them, but they are so pretty I hate to get them dirty. While visiting New Mexico this last time I had the opportunity to visit and meet Kei Tsuzuki and Molly Leuthi at their studio, Kei is Japanese and Molly is Swiss German. I must add how gracious these women were to let my mom and I visit the studio, watch a printing of two of their designs, ask a lot of questions and do a little shopping.
They opened up this light filled studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2010. Everything they do is very manual, no fancy machines that automatically to do the printing, drawings, mixing of paints or drying of the product.
Their esthetic is simple design. They are obviously inspired by New Mexico with scenes of the Bosque, Red & Green Chili's, and the Big Satellite dishes from Socorro to name a few of my favorites. They also use their own Japanese and Swiss-German backgrounds as an inspiration. Their designs remind me of wood cuts and folk art, both of which they pay tribute to.
Everything is hand drawn and the stencils are printed on acetate sheets, then they use a enlarger in the photo studio to print the designs on nylon screens.
Kei is showing the aluminum frames they had custom made with one of their designs. You'll see below in their inventory of supplies they have a bright beautiful color palate. The best part, if you've ever silk screened in the past, is that all their inks are water based and non-toxic. Yay for the environment. I told them that this was the one thing that made me quit my college silk screening classes, the plastisol nearly killed me in that class.
Every season they introduce a new color, for Fall they were using an Olive ink I hadn't seen yet and making a lovely print of the Bosque, which is indigenous to New Mexico. It's an area alongside the Rio Grande with trails for people, bikes and horse. The Rio Grande is lined with Cottonwood Trees and wetlands for ducks, geese and other wild life. This design reflects them all.
As mentioned before they do everything by hand. Pinning all the flour sack material, they purchase from a distributor in Pakistan, onto the long printing table. Then they unpin them from the table and hang them on the clothes line to dry. After this they send them out to a place that has a drying systems to keep the inks from bleeding.
One the many things that make these two ladies endearing is they LOVE what they are doing. Imagine going to work everyday and loving everything about it. These two met thru their kids and hit it off. They came together to form this company, Kei taught Molly how to silk screen and with both their backgrounds in business and arts they create some amazing designs. The other amazing thing is that they are involved with helping low-income, immigrant women in the Albuquerque area. They provide great training and work for these women. That day the studio artist was Jenny a fellow Cuban, such a coincident. She did all the printing while we talked, it was great to watch her and catch-up on Cuban life.
After all the questions, we got to shopping. I bought a nice blend of tea towels, napkins, aprons and oven mitts. They even started printing scarfs. I am convinced they need to sell these towels at a few places in L.A., They are ready to expand and mostly it's a word of mouth that get's them into places. So start speaking about these ladies. I bought one of the beach scenes designs to shop around in LA and chatted with them about new designs that were uniquely LA from food trucks to flowers and fauna. So we'll see soon what they come up with.
I was drawn to so many of the designs I couldn't help myself, buying a few for friends, me and YOU. My bag was full. So I'm offering to send you one of these lovely tea towels. All you have to do Like my itsweetandsavory and Kei & Molly's Facebook page and leave a comment below. A winner will be picked at random. Ends Wednesday Nov. 13.
Dark Chocolate Cups + Double Chocolate Tartelettes
We've got chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Go to A Simply Raw Life, she has two amazing recipes for these chocolate delicacies. I partook of both during our Fall tasting event. I am really craving these treats right now, they would be SOOOO good with a cup of coffee.
Above image is the Double Chocolate Cookie Dough Tartelettes with Chocolate Frosting. I know I had you at "Cookie Dough." Felicia did an awesome demo at our event of how to make these, super easy and really, really good desserts.
Dark Chocolate Cups with Hemp Seeds I think besides the chocolate I'm kind of addicted to the Hemp seeds, they are really good, nutty and filling. To me the taste like a cross between a sunflower seed and sesame seeds.
Both these amazing chocolate desserts were made possible by products from Artisana Foods, Manitoba Harvest and Navitas Naturals. Thanks to them for providing the goods, we loved them all.
Enjoy these great recipes! #mylifesimplysweet
Proscuitto + Goat Cheese Crostini's
What to make for the Fall tasting event? I had Proscuitto, figs and cheese on my mind, so that's what was up first. I had one request from Deborah "Goat Cheese and Honey things". It's my fall back easy appetizer recipe that I make all the time. I might start doing a twist on it, I saw some good ideas the other day that I'll try to incorporate.
Image above courtesy of Deborah from My Life At Playtime
For these recipe's here's the start:
1. LaBrea Bakery baguette - this is the one I use, it's the perfect texture. If you happen to live in France I'm sure you can find some amazing baguettes. But here in L.A. I found this to be my favorite. Plus it's available in every major grocery store.
2. Slice these bad boys on the diagonal, layer slices on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toast for about 10 minutes on 425 F. I like them crunchy, so I turn them over and toast for another 5 minutes.
Now you can layer just about anything you want on these toasted slices [Crostini]
Proscuitto, Fig Jam, Manchego Cheese Recipe
Ingredients in the order below:
Fig Jam [buy a high quality jam and schmear it on the crostini]
Manchego Cheese [slice thinly, layer over fig jam]
Proscuitto [good quality thinly sliced, tear the pieces into smaller bites. This makes it easier when you take a bite into the bread all the meat doesn't come off at once. ]
Super easy to do and then arrange on a nice serving platter. I choose a big ole slab of cut tree trunk, it just made it festive and Fall.
Goat Cheese & Honey Crostini
Ingredients in the order below:
Goat Cheese [Room temperature, schmear it on each crostini]
Honey [drizzle over goat cheese]
Fresh Rosemary [finely chop]
Toasted Pine Nuts [I buy raw and lightly toast them in a cast iron skillet on the oven top]
Serve on a pretty platter and your all done!!
Coconut Vanilla Body Butters
One of the lovely gifts we sent home with everyone at our event were these Coconut Vanilla Body Butters. Take a look at how easy they are to make on Deborah's blog at My Life at Playtime. #mylifesimplysweet