minerva orduno design and such

Food Creations...

2010-04-06T12:39:00.004-07:00

Halibut tartar with pickled yellow and red heirloom carrots, dressed in banyuls and ice wine vinegars, Queen Creek Company olive oil, micro arugula, pistachio dust and cold pressed pumpkin oil.

Halibut ceviche with caponata, blood orange supremes, cucumber and mizuna.

Sigh...

2009-08-03T13:02:00.003-07:00

I have become a sigher. Big deep, unabashed sighs. There is no hiding these sighs. And honestly, I couldn't be more irritated about them.

I am not by nature a sigher. I didn't think I was at least. Lately it has been difficult to control said sighing, although from today on I will be making a more concentrated effort in stopping them.

The sighs aren't because I'm sad or depressed or anything like that. They're more out of being tired. There's things around me I can't control, and that makes me tired. So I sigh.

This will need to stop.

Today...

2009-07-22T16:16:00.004-07:00

Today I am tired and cranky. Not sure exactly why so tired and cranky. I've not exercised since Sunday, so that might explain the tired. But oh, just so tired. Fighting the urge to put my head on my desk and go to sleep tired.

I'm trying to think of things to perk me up, things I've been forgetting about, like the photos in my digital camera I've been meaning to download, the 8 or so rolls of film I've been meaning to have developed. There's sewing to be done, knitting to make feel less abandoned, and some banana muffins that were promised to the coworkers, as a way for me to get out of something. I can't remember what now.

Oh look at that, I do feel a little perked up!

Banana Muffins

2009-06-23T09:36:00.007-07:00

Lately whenever I buy bananas I only eat a few as they are and hide the rest with the purpose of banana bread making. I almost feel inclined to put a note on them saying 'Touch me and die!' But that's a bit over the top, no?

The changes to the original recipe are for the following reasons: first, I refuse to buy brown sugar anymore, as within a week it will turn into a giant solid rock of sugar, and as much as I love getting the hammer out for my jewelry work, it just does not bring me the same enjoyment in baking. Second, the mixing process involved too many bowls. I am lazy, and if I only have to wash one big bowl, so much the better. Third, no vanilla in the original recipe, if I use it whenever I make a banana milkshake, why not on the bread. Fourth, the loaf takes way too long too bake, the house gets hot, and it is already over 100 degrees outside. I am not keeping my oven on for that long, and I really just don't have that kind of patience.

Banana Muffins - makes about 16 cupcake sized muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 cup raw sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 medium size bananas, very ripe
Chocolate chips, dried cranberries or nuts to taste (about 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup all together)

With paddle attachment on the mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the bananas in chunks and mix again until blended with the butter. Add in beaten eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda, and slowly add in the flour while mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips, cranberries, etc.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (if using cupcake size mold, times will vary with other sizes).

Smitten Kitchen's berry buttermilk cake

2009-06-22T09:46:00.004-07:00

I am a huge fan of Smitten Kitchen. Such pretty photographs, such great looking and easy recipes, but I had not make one of them until this weekend, but as I am genetically incapable of following a recipe to the letter, behold, Strawberry Buttermilk Cake, taken from the original recipe, Raspberry Buttermilk Cake.

The cake is just fantastic. Moist, but not too heavy in the tummy, with just a hint of sweetness, making it a wonderful grown up dessert.

My only real contribution to the recipe was the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

3/4 cup of butter at room temperature

1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Approximately 1/2 cup of strawberry pure*

Beat butter, salt and vanilla, and slowly add in sugar. After all the sugar has been incorporated slowly add in the strawberry pure. Mix until desired smoothness.

VERY IMPORTANT: Do not do what I did. Strain the pure first and remove all the liquid, otherwise you will end with a very tasty, but very odd looking strawberry-butter soup.

More table love...

2009-06-18T13:17:00.004-07:00

Available at Factory 20, $635.

Table love...

2009-06-17T15:22:00.004-07:00

I love this table more than any other piece of furniture I have ever seen. Owned by Stefano Tonchi, as seen on The Selby.

Graphic Purchases...

2009-06-16T14:46:00.010-07:00

Two new additions to the growing collection of yet to be framed or hung prints and photographs:

Sub(tract) housing by Ann Arbor, Michigan based Sloeginfizz, $22.00.

Paris Paper Cut Map, by UK based Famille Summerbelle, $60.

The decidedly architectural bent of these prints comes at a very odd time. More on that later. Maybe...

MICE show!

2009-06-01T10:28:00.003-07:00

I am very happy to have been invited to participate in the MICE show by the very awesome Chicalookate this year. I usually visit the family in Michigan a few times a year, so why not time the trip so I could participate at a great craft show?

Come check me out this Sunday, the 7th of June at the Kerrytown Market in Ann Arbor.. I will have yarn, knits and jewelry for sale. Alas, no spinning wheel this time, as I'm not sure it would survive the plane trip very well.

Blue sky...

2009-05-29T09:08:00.004-07:00

Just a friendly reminder to look up once in a while...

Tomatoes!

2009-05-26T08:12:00.004-07:00

I'm trying to spend less time doing just LEED this and LEED that all day. Unfortunately with the test coming up I spent a lot of this weekend at just that, but I also tried to spend some time doing the 'grow tomatoes grow!' dance. Those two beauties above will be picked today, sliced up, sprinkled with salt and served with some queso fresco (a soft, salty and very tasty Mexican cheese).

Herman here met his fate about a week ago. He probably could have used another day or so on the vine, but I just couldn't help it. He was just so red and shiny and plump looking. He is remembered fondly.

I've always had a thing for tomatoes. As a kid I used to steal tomatoes from the fridge and hide behind the curtains, with them, some salt, and much away. No idea why I felt the need to hide, and 'steal' them. I'm sure my Mom just found that amusing.

Hello my life...

2009-05-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

I had missed you! It had just been so long! I almost don't know what to do with myself with all this free time!

Well, no, not really. I don't actually have free time. I go a little nutty with too much free time. My bouncy happiness just comes from being done with my torturous public policy class. I was done with the class over a week ago, but honestly, it took a good 4 or 5 days for my brain to recover from the constant pain of reading page after page of public opinion analysis, turning people into numbers, controlling for cultural differences in polls, etc... Calling it painful is just too kind.

After all those readings there were 3 weeks of me constantly babbling about the United States Green Building Council (USGBC for short), their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and just how ineffective it can be in developing truly sustainable buildings. Anyone that gave me more than 5 seconds of their time got an earful of this. For three weeks. Constant babbling. Let me tell you I was delightful company during this time. I wouldn't have carried on a conversation with myself.

Unfortunately I can't even say that I am terribly happy with the paper I did. I got a very good grade, specially considering that the professor had told me at that point I did not belong in the political science school (no, really? sheesh), and I was dead certain he would just roll his eyes at whatever I turned in and give it a big fat F. The topic of the paper was entirely different from what I originally meant to write about, i.e. how the LEED requirements are about 75% of the time already common building practices and are really not very stringent. But after a brief presentation of that topic to the class, and looks of utter confusion from the professor and the class members, I had to change it. I wrote instead on how the very open membership of the USGBC allows for special interest groups to sway the policy design of LEED. Fascinating stuff. Really. If you are having trouble sleeping, let me know, this will knock you right now.

*sigh*

I did learn one thing. It is awfully hard to explain LEED to non-building development people. And this is not because we are all oh-so-smart. There are some technical barriers to it which make it difficult to understand it. Hell, I don't understand all the calculations needed for the energy performance requirements, but that's electrical engineer territory. The difficult part I think is the fact that it is an all encompassing kind of policy, code, whatever you want to call it. It's not just about green products, but green performance. Well, its supposed to be, but you can have a LEED Silver certified building that actually has worse energy performance than a 'conventional' building.

Oh lord, here I go again. But unfortunately I still can't get the whole USGBC and LEED thing out of my head as I am currently studying to finally take the test. I first meant to do that back in oh, 2001. I don't get sidetracked or anything.

On to more fun things!

Go check out The 3/50 Project. It's sad that we need to be reminded about the benefits of locally owned shops, but we do. So go! Visit your local shops! Say hello! Tell them you like them! Buy something, even if its small!

And for old-timey style, and PVC free products check out Ancient Industries. I love them.

She is a hungry girl

2009-04-27T08:44:00.003-07:00

My still rather wee Pinguicula 'Gina.' Some of her original petals didn't fare the transplant well, but she is growing rapidly, and loving the little bugs some of my other house plants are attracting.

Why use insecticides if nature has a passive solution for everything already?

Purchased at Cascade Carnivores.

Herman the Tomato...

2009-04-12T17:47:00.004-07:00

Herman the Tomato at the end of week 1 of his life. He has nearly doubled in size and lost most of fuzz.

And the lovely zucchini blossom, which I am also cheering on to grow and be tasty!

First tomato baby!

2009-04-06T12:14:00.003-07:00

How cute is this fuzzy little guy? He is just about a quarter of an inch, and oh that sweet little fuzz covering him! I can't wait for him to get all plump and red so I can sink my teeth into him.

I am wondering if I should name him so I can cherish him even more until he is all ready to be gobbled up.

If this post makes no sense, please forgive me. I am on day two of a migrane from the 9th circle of hell, with an ice bag strapped to my head.

Where GuestBook Arizona 2009 feature!

2009-04-01T22:05:00.004-07:00

Today was a mainly boring and just blah kind of day, up until I got an email that contained this, from the editor in chief for the particular publication named in the title of this post:

What's your mailing address? I would love to send you a copy of WhereGuestBook Arizona, wherein some of your jewelry is pictured and your name is prominently dropped!

The next 10 minutes were spent doing a very very happy dance in my chair, while I'm sure people at work wondered why exactly I did said happy dance.

I've kind of known that I would be included in this book for a few months, but I didn't want to say anything as I was afraid of jinxing myself. As soon as I do get the book in my hands I will post images.

Otherwise, back to me doing a happy dance!

Flor Carpet Tiles, Interrupted

2009-03-20T19:53:00.003-07:00

I've been a fan of Flor carpet tiles basically since they've been on the market. Carpet tiles have been around for quite some time, but Interface to bring them to the residential market, and pretty them up from the drab and muddy browns typically used in office spaces.

I think the Flor product is fantastic in many ways. They're fun, flexible, come in a huge range of textures and colors. And for a moment I did think that as I am planning on replacing my horrible and worn out carpet for some hard surface flooring later this year I might finally get a chance to use them in my own house.

But, as my natural tendency is to be suspicious of anything that sounds too good to be true, I had to go and look a little deeper than the surface.

I was really excited about the Shaggy Sheep line when I first flipped through the new catalog today. Shaggy undyed wool squares! How fun is that?

But then I saw You Only Live Twice, an outdoor suitable tile, made out of 100% vinyl. And I think, wait a minute? Interface uses vinyl? The scourge of the earth? The bane of my existence? The only chemical compound that sends me into 10 minute rants?

Let me explain why this is so surprising to me.

Interface has a long history of advertising their environmental stewardship, mainly through having a high recycled content in their material, low VOCs, as well as their 'take back' program. The modular carpet tiles are touted as being more environmental as they can be packed up and taken to a new home.

Anyway, back to the minor aneurysm I just had. The Flor FAQ page clearly states the composition of the two types of backing used for the carpet tiles.

Type 1: named Graphlar, a bitumen composite. Bitumen is petroleum based and contains heavy metals.

Type 2: named GlasBac, a vinyl composite made with up to 40% post-consumer recycled content, though it is not necessarily stated if the vinyl part of the composite is the recycled part.

Neither one of these materials are necessarily 'environmentally friendly.' They may also not bee the worst thing out there, but just because you are doing less bad, it does not mean that you are doing good.

And don't get me wrong. Not every product made by Interface and Flor is bad. In the world of carpet they are probably one of the best. But again, less bad is not good.

Last night's class...

2009-03-18T09:15:00.003-07:00

I doodled: little bits for jewelry design, cubes in perspective, a modern little house with a green roof. I read somewhere that doodling while in class or in a meeting can actually keep your brain focused so I tried it out. Seemed to keep me a little bit more awake, but no less frustrated. More on that later.

I thought about how the professor irons, as his dress shirt's sleeves had that oft-pressed perfect dry-cleaned and steam pressed crease in them.

I pondered just why exactly AIR QUOTES are so damn contagious within small groups.

And I tried very hard to not pound my head against the desk in front of my classmates and the professor as we discussed the failure of the US government to enact wide-ranching health care reform. The structure of the government was discussed, the intent of the Founding Fathers in setting up such a government being to avoid oppressive or wide-ranging action by any one group. Yet I find it hard to believe that thinkers of the Enlightenment would oppose assuring the physical health of this country.

But for the most part I started thinking of how the US seems to have anthropologically speaking, removed itself from the rest of humanity. The statistical probability of any one species having as huge of an influence as the human race has are not in our favor. Cooperation within the species for its own survival was necessary. Yet in this country, due to the prevailing culture of pulling one self up by the boot-straps, anything that even remotely hints of collective action, cooperation, socialism, is seen as innately wrong.

Next class, I will try to doodle more.

Solar Lights...

2009-03-16T22:17:00.003-07:00

My relationship with Ikea is an unsteady one. While I think some of the tableware and the metal bed frames are fantastic, I feel many of their products leave something to be desired. I was however very excited to hear about their solar lights a while back. I love the idea of a solar table lamp, and these brightly-colored numbers would be an lovely addition to a kid's room, and an easy into photovoltaics.

For a more grown up version check out Smart Solar's BBQ LED Aluminum Solar Light. Available at Targer for $39.99.

Taking my own advice...

2009-03-16T13:35:00.002-07:00

I'm not much for advice getting and giving. The getting part mainly because I am terrible at following anyone's advice, and the giving because I get a wee bit irritated when people don't follow my advice when they ask for it. But as it turns out I don't follow my own advice. So I can't really blame anyone else for not following it, can I?

About a year after moving to Arizona I started getting terrible allergies. Horrible head-crushing, eye-watering, nose-burning allergies. This after many years of living in the pollen cloud that is Michigan. I tried every type of allergy medication I could get my hands on, and nothing worked, beyond making me either cracked out, or very very sleepy.

Someone I worked with at the time told me to try having local honey on a regular basis. If it is the local pollen it kind of makes sense that eating the local honey would make things better. Kind of makes sense I said. Anyway, I tried it, and it does actually work. Since I started putting massive amounts of locally produced honey, usually specifically raw honey, in my tea I got a lot better about my allergies. No more head-crushing, eye-watering, nose-burning allergies.

Until recently, when I got too lazy to go to the farmer's market and get some of the wonderful golden miracle food that is honey. Instead I just got whatever kind of honey I could find at the grocery store; which, while still somewhat tasty (although overly sweet and not as pure in flavor as a raw honey) will do when my epic laziness sets in. And the allergies came back. Obviously, not all honey is the same, not just in taste which depends upon the types of flowers bees get pollen for, but the process used to extract the honey makes a big difference in color, texture, and any form of anti-allergy properties honey may have.

A week or two after I started eating local honey again the allergies went away.

And I could be completely off my rocker. This is entirely possible and I will be the first one to say so. But eating raw and local honey has helped me quite a bit. It might be the raw part more than the local part that helps, but I would just as rather cover both.

Find local honey in your area by using the Honey Locator.

My Dad's Ceviche

2009-03-09T18:53:00.003-07:00

My Dad loves ceviche, to the point of salivating when he thinks about it. I've started to salivate at the thought of ceviche as well. Tasty lemony chunks of fish with cilantro, tomato and and oh. So tasty. And while I had made it on my own before, making it with my Dad this weekend, it was just so much better.

Ceviche

Serves about 6 to 8

2 pounds of sweet and meaty white fish, such as cod, tilapia or bass.
1/2 purple onion
Many many key limes, about 1/2 pound or more
One large bunch of cilantro
About 4 or 5 roma tomatoes
1/2 a cucumber
Sea salt to taste (for the love of god use good briney sea salt)
1 or 2 serrano peppers
1/2 cup of Clamato juice
1 Tablespoon (or more to taste) hot sauce (I recommend Salsa Huichol or Cholula)

Chop the fish to about 1/2" pieces. Anything smaller than that and it will somewhat dissolve in the lime juice. Wash and drain the fish. Place in a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with key lime juice. I do have to emphasize that it takes a lot of juice. Buy a citrus squeezer. You will hate making the ceviche otherwise.

Marinate the fish in the lime juice for 1 hour at room temperature if you're in a bit of a hurry, or for about 3 hours in the fridge if you are not.

In the meantime finely chop the onion and cilantro. Seed and finely chop the serrano pepper. Roughly chop the tomatoes and cucumber. The total volume of the chopped veggies should be about the same of the fish. But everything is up to personal taste. I'm not a huge fan of onions, so I normally but back on those.

To fish is done when the lime juice starts to turn milky in color and the fish is no longer transparent. By this time the fish should be firm, white in color, and tasting of limey goodness. Drain most of the lime juice from the fish. With a plastic or wooden spoon mix in the veggies, the Clamato juice, hot sauce, and sea salt.

Allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

Serve on tostadas, a nice cold beer, and enjoy.

Good news!

2009-03-05T16:50:00.001-07:00

Occasionally life throws something just purely good and happy at you. And I am really just so pleased to take it.

A friend pointed out to me this wonderful article in which Bunky Boutique and yours trully get a great mention. And while Rachel and Jim at Bunky are pretty used to that positive media coverage (and very well deserved it is, as it is just a wonderful shop), I am not at all. And I can tell you, I was beaming for the rest of the day.

Table scape...

2009-03-03T08:24:00.004-07:00

I am really not much of a 'have people over for drinks' type, so I never really think much about table design and such.

But this adorable photo by Tina Rupp makes me want to have the girls over for a good gossip session and a champagne brunch.

A Turkish inspired dinner...

2009-03-01T20:16:00.005-07:00

I absolutely loved my visit to Istanbul 2 years ago. I will be the first one to admit I ate like a little piggy while I was there. And I was able to feed my crab obsession while I was there. Always a good time for me. So today, having found some nice looking Alaskan King Crab clusters at the local Safeway, well I had to have some Turkish food to go with them.

Zucchini fritters with dill:

1 1/3 pounds zucchini
1/4 to 1/3 cup of yellow onion, very finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped
4 ounces crumbled feta
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tablespoons rice flour
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
Olive oil

Coarsely grate the zucchini. Lightly salt and place in a colander, or bundle up in cheese cloth. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can, and allow to drain for an hour or so in the refrigerator. Make sure they are as dry as possible before mixing in the onion, garlic, feta, hears and the eggs. Sift in the flours, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat some of the olive oil till sizzling. Drop tablespoons of the mixture and flatten. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes each side. Serve hot, although I have to say they are pretty tasty cold as well. Serve with Cacik if desired.

Cacik (essentially tzatziki)

1 garlic clove
1 pound Greek style yogurt
2 Lebanese or Persian cucumbers
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon dried mint
lemon juice
sea salt

A neat trick I learned from watching Jacques Pepin's show when dealing with a garlic cloves: crush the heck out of it before attempting to chop it. Another neat trick learned from Turquoise: A chef's travels in Turkey, sprinkle a teaspoon of sea salt over it, to absorb the garlic juice as you crush and then finely chop it.

Seed and grate the cucumbers coarsely. If you can't find Lebanese or Persian cucumbers use 1 regular cucumber. Squeeze the cucumbers to drain any fluid. Mix the cucumbers, chopped garlic, yogurt and herbs in a glass bowl. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste and chill.

A note on the onions and garlic. I am not a huge onion fan, and since they tend to be so annoyingly variable from one to another, well I went very light on them this time. I also have massive acid reflux problems, so anything with too many onions or garlic makes my stomach do several back flips before deciding to just die for the night.

As for the crab legs, I just briefly warm them up in the microwave with a wet paper towel over them for about 3 to 4 minutes, serve with melted butter, lemon wedges and a glass of some tasty white wine, et viola! A perfect dinner.

If only the cheesecake I made this evening were ready to eat. *sigh*

Based on recipes found in Tourquoise: A chef's travels in Turkey.

The End of the Affair...

2009-02-28T19:43:00.005-07:00

For many many years I have had a passionate love affair with Borders Books. We have been attentive to each other, both very loving, although Border's has always been very demanding of my money, we were both happy in the relationship.

However, despite this long and fruitful affair, I am afraid the relationship has become incredibly sour. There has been a steady decline in our affair, with each visit less and less, well, satisfying. I sulk in silence every time I cannot find what I am looking for, but am smacked in the face with giant displays of The Da Vinci Code, Twilight, or whatever other quasi-literary best seller is currently hot.

I hate to say it but I think I must end my relationship with Borders. There are no more knitting books, yet 20 books about Tiger Woods and his zen of golf. Try to find something in the philosophy section, but you have to push aside perverts to cheap to buy their own copy of the Kama Sutra.

And while I do love fancy coffee drinks as much as the next caffeine addict, if you insist upon having a coffee shop within your premises, please, please teach those behind the counters to not make the milk steamers scream in so much pain. They have done nothing to endure such torture.

*sigh*

Sorry Borders. I have tried to stay loyal. But as you have devoted more and more of your attention to your fancy journals and other overpriced paper products, and less and less to actual literature and worthwhile books I find myself less interested in you.

My dear Borders, I hope you find someone else to take my place.

A Teddy sneak peek.

2009-02-26T22:18:00.004-07:00

I'm not entirely sure about this little guy. He is loosely based on my dear Teddy I've had with me, well, always. I think I still need to work on the proportions a bit. He is supposed to be an old fashioned teddy, but he seems not round and cuddly enough.

From the sketch posted previously. More to come.

My most misspelled words...

2009-02-23T14:48:00.005-07:00

I've had to do a lot of writing lately for my class (not all of it very good, and most of it as far as I can tell fairly frustrating to the Professor and I have a HUGE tendancy towards run on sentences and going off topic rather than just analyzing things in the compare and contrast method he seems to want, or trying to turn people into numbers like a good little policy wonk).

*AHEM* I don't get off topic at all, do I?

In all this writing for my class and the previously consistent writing I used to do for this blog I've noticed many words I consistently misspell, even though in theory I am perfectly aware of their correct spelling.

Recipe. My #1 misspelled word. I always feel that it should be recepie.
Government and Environment. I think this is just a finger movement above keyboard error. But as these two words are coming up oh about a million times in what I've been writing I'm slightly ruffled about my constant error.
Definitely. I spell this wrong all the time! For some reason I just cannot remember how the hell this is spelled. My brain just has this giant blind spot when it comes to DEFINITELY.

Yeah, my brain is dumb.

Sneak peek

2009-02-22T19:50:00.005-07:00

Soon my pretties, soon.

Will you be my fan?

2009-02-22T19:32:00.002-07:00

Oh will you pretty please be my fan on Facebook?

The best part it, all I ask for is one little click.

Time...

2009-02-17T16:00:00.003-07:00

I keep thinking that if I knew how much time I am to have with my life I woud be better able to figure out what I really want to do with it. If I could know that from this day forward, I am to have 30, 40, 50 or however many years left I could somehow work out a plan that would cover everything I want to do.

For example, lets say, spend the next five years working in architecture. Then I could go back to school, get a PhD, learn russian and japanese, work as a mind-warping professor for about 10 years. Spend a year or two just traveling and eating my way around the world. Go to culinary school, spend about 5 years being an awesome chef.

Stuff like that.

Why can't we have one of those little pop up timers like a turkey, so we could know when we are almost done?

I am a bad blogger...

2009-02-03T11:30:00.003-07:00

I have been just absolutely terrible about posting for the last month. Between being sick for basically ever (although now it's just a nagging cold/cough, rather than the rib cracking cough and icky nose goo, pretty picture, ain't it?), and taking a class at Arizona State University that is making me feel rather dumb, well, I've been busy.

*sigh* even writing this blog post is taking me forever, as my attention span has become that of a gnat. Oh! something shinny!

Anyway, my life has become even more of that constant struggle to find time for the things I have to do (like go to my day job) and the things I want to do (pretty much everything else). The pile of books to be read is only getting bigger, the list of knits to be made is also ever expanding, and I've done NO NEW jewelry designs!

I have however expanded my knowledge of environmental politics, and now obscure public policy issues, thanks to a winter course at ASU, and the one I am currently taking. The environmental politics was honestly more entertainment than learning opportunity, mainly due to it being an online course, and exposing me fully to the terrible writing styles of college students.

The course I am currently taking, being an advanced graduate course, is as mentioned before making me feel dumb. Real dumb. This is really because I am neither a political jock, or a policy wonk, the two types of people normally engaged in the rather boring poll taking, lets turn people into numbers and statistics world of public policy. But as I am trying to develop a basis of work/ideas/writing that will hopefully develop into an application for a post-graduate program if the higher education system doesn't completely tank due to lack of funding, well, I thought I would dive into the world of public policy and test out the waters.

And so far, god I hate statistics, differentials, and I really refuse to believe that people are so one dimensional as to be turned into a figure on a chart.

*sigh*

Maybe I should just stick to architecture school. Hell, I do wear lots of black and dark framed glasses.

A note to TV chefs...

2009-01-21T12:19:00.003-07:00

Using a spoon to taste something is completely normal and acceptable. Using said spoon once and then sticking it back into food is not. Are your TV kitchens so completely understaffed that you lack in an unpaid intern runt to wash said double-dipped spoon for you?

And while on the subject of sticking things into food, please keep your fingers out it. Yes Nigella, I am talking to you. Yes we know, you are a sexy Food Goddess, we should all bow down and working your real food fed sexy Food Goddess curves. We get it. Stop putting your fingers in your mouth while on TV.

Thanks.

Tummy friendly pancakes...

2009-01-18T16:38:00.004-07:00

I love pancakes. Really love pancakes. But my acid reflux suffering tummy doesn't always. The heavyness of the dough and maple syrup tends to feel like a brick in my stomach. A brick that sits there for hours and tortures me with hellish heartburn.

Because of this I had avoided them for a while, until I decided to do some recipe searching and tweaking and make some lighter, fluffy pancakes, and in the process, to eliminate the need to cover them in overly sweet sticky syrup.

Sour cream pancakes:

2 tablespoon butter
1 cup flour
3 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest.

Melt the butter and allow to cool. Mix together eggs and sour cream until well blended. Add milk, vanilla, lemon zest and the cooled butter. Sift in the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended.

Makes about 9 good size pancakes, about 5-6 inches.

A note about this batter: As the batter is a bit more custard like than regular pancake butter it doesn't bubble as cooking in the same way. You have to go by smell, or by peaking at the underside to know when to turn.

I happened to find some gorgeous blueberries at the store the day before, so I made a simple topping with just a bit of butter and sugar, as well as added them to the pancakes while cooking.

Topped them with a bit of powdered sugar for a bit of sweetness.

And voila. Perfect, tasty, fluffy simple pancakes. And no heartburn to boot!

Blogging break...

2009-01-14T16:21:00.002-07:00

This blogging break has been brought to you by the massive cold currently infecting my sinuses. Once the sneezing, nose blowing, and now also coughing have subsided I will continue to bother the 3 or 4 people that read my blog with my random ramblings.

garance doré, la femme française...

2009-01-09T11:01:00.005-07:00

A popular blog making the rounds right now is garance doré, a self-titled Parisian street style blog from a beautifully talented fashion illustrator.

While my current obsessions are right now firmly centered in the Russian and British cultures, I've always had a great love for the snooty, je ne sais quoi, and as the man that should be my husband, Eddie Izzard puts it, they're just so 'f***ing French.'

I love the food, the clothes, the make up, the lingerie, the food!, the crazy Godard films...

Madmoiselle Doré's blog is a lovely compilation of crème de la crème de las femmes Parisiennes; casually chic, effortlessly put together, and exhibiting the philosophy which Doré expresses:

La femme française ne prend pas de résolutions. La femme française est. Le présent est sa seule religion.

The french woman does not do resolutions. The french woman is. The present is her only religion.

Graphic lovelies...

2009-01-07T14:45:00.005-07:00

I've been busy with what is turning out to be a horribly dissapointing college class, so unfortunately I've not had much time to blog, or knit, or make jewelry, or do much else (although I did make some tasty Amish Friendship Bread the other night).

So I though I would post on some lovely graphic prints I've seen lately:

Funny Bird from ModernPOP.

Barcelona Chair Notebook from Annacote.

And a dream for fans of mid-century design, The Modern Design Deck poster from pleasebestill.

Environmental Concers

2009-01-04T19:09:00.004-07:00

I'm currently taking a course on the Environment and World Politics at Arizona State University, and while the online format is being a huge pain in my arse, some of the reading are very interesting, although I'm not sure I need to read 25 pages stating over and over that minority races withing the US and the global poor are more exposed to environmental injustice than their western and white counterparts. Something a little bit more concise for fairly well known information would have been a bit better.

Anyway, I felt the need to post one of the writing assignments here, just to share.

Topic: Is sustainable development compatible with human welfare?

To assume that the welfare of us human beings is not interconnected to the stability of the environment that surrounds we would be to deny that the air we breathe, the food we eat, the fibers that clothe us come from this very ecosystem.

As sentient beings we should be capable to assess and foresee the damage we cause to the ecosystem and change our behavior. Instead, we continue to carry out environmental and life threatening actions.

Consider the current practices in food production and the following facts become evident:

· More than half of the nitrogen-based fertilizer produced since it’s development in 1913 has been utilized since 1985, with cropland now covering 24% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface (Living, 11).
· Ecosystem services, including fresh water and clean air, are in rapid and significant decline, with only food production benefiting from human intervention (Ecosystems, 6)

Additionally, global demand for food is estimated to rise by 70-80% in the next 50 years (Ecosystems, 4), with worldwide population estimated to increase by 2.5 billion, reaching 9.2 billions, within the same time span, particularly in poorer, less developed regions (UN, 5).

If current trends in utilization of fertilizers that damage waterways, conversion of forests, grassland and wetlands into cropland not just for food but also for fuel production (Rosenthal), as well as for feed for livestock, damage to the ecosystem may exceed it’s environmental limit. While some notable individuals have made the argument for the elimination of meat from our diets due to high levels of methane produces by cattle (most notable Peter Singer and Jim Mason in The Way We Eat) we have to ask ourselves if vegetarianism based on highly polluting fertilizers, over taxation of land and water resources, and land conversion is an any more responsible choice.

Works Cited

Living Beyond Our Means: Natural Assets and Human Well-being (Pre-Printer Draft). Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, March 2005.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Opportunities and Challenges for Business and Industry. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Washington D.C: Island Press, 2005.

Rosenthal, Elisabeth. “Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat.” New York Times Online 8 Feb. 2008.

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. ‘World Population Prospects, The 2006 Revision.’ United Nations. New York, 2007.

Making deals with myself...

2009-01-02T11:28:00.003-07:00

I'm in the middle of a purging and re-assesment process. This isn't a New Year's Resolutions thing, rather an ongoing process I've been in for the better part of the year. I am the first one to admit that this last year has had a natural-and-nuclear-disasters-combined quality to it. So in the process I've started taking a better look at my actions, my obsessions and well, everything.

I know myself well enough to know that I work best in a reward system. We all do. You get A accomplished so you can have B. So as I asses my behaviour I make deals with my self. And honestly, a lot of this has to do with my shopping habits. I am not a huge clothes buyer, so thats not much of a problem. I actually really dislike clothes shopping, but shoes and bags, oh thats is occasionally a problem.

Here are some of the deals that I am making with myself:

Books. I have a lot of books, 25% of which I've not read yet. I have several cookbooks I've never even cracked open, knitting books I've knit nothing out of. The deal is that these books are either used, or gotten rid of. And no more buying new books (the horror!) until these are used or sold. Also no more buying new books just because the empty spots on my shelves freak me out.

Yarn and fabric. Another one for use it or loose it and no more new things for quite some time. I've been doing really well on this, only buying more supplies when I have a specific project in mind.

Purses. Do I need yet another red purse? Do I really need a Kate Spade red tweed and black leather purse that I've had for about 4 years but only used about twice just because its a Kate Spade and I bought it because it was brand new with tags and at a mega discount? No, not really. Anyone need a mint condition Kate Spade at a mega discount? Although I am still open to the possibility of the perfect vintage black purse, if I can find it for $10 or less anyway.

Overall, as I write this, it turns out I just need less stuff. A lot less stuff. And I need to learn to not replace the old stuff I don't need with new stuff I don't need. I need to break the cycle of stuff getting.

No more stuff.

Tights are not pants!

2008-12-31T11:26:00.007-07:00

Repeat after me:

Tights are not pants. Tights are not pants. Tights are not pants.

Tights are not pants!

Thanks.

Photo courtesy of Urban Outfitters. For your own health, stay away.

Ex Libris Stamp

2008-12-31T09:31:00.003-07:00

I'm a book whore, and throughout all my book whore years I've lost many books from lending them out and them unfortunately never finding their way home again.

Which is why I just ordered an Ex Libris stamp from AsspocketProductions. I've been recently rereading the A Series of Unfortunate Events (in between trying to finish Jared Diamond's Collapse, brilliant ideas, but terrible mind numbing writing style), and I love how the books all have an Ex Libris (literal translation 'from books') plate on the inside cover.

The Lemony Snicket books are by the way fantastic reading, written in a way to help young readers develop a more extensive vocabulary, but they are also full of literary references: J.D. Salinger, Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Poe, Dante, Virginia Woolf, etc. Just whatever you do, don't watch the absolutely terrible movie made out of the first few books.

But from now on, after I receive my stamp, every book I own will be marked as belonging to by wee library, there as a guilty reminder to any borrower to take the book back to it's rightful home.

Sheep & Goatskins...

2008-12-30T13:50:00.003-07:00

Organically tanned sheep and goat skins for adult and babies to enjoy. Apparently when used as a baby blanket they are very soothing, and as other security blankets do, give them a sence of place.

Certified organic tanning using Mimosa extract from Organic Sheepskins in Herefordshire.

Yet another reason for me to crave cold weather living sometimes.

Good Things In England...

2008-12-28T20:12:00.006-07:00

Yet another addition to the cookbook pile, though this is part cookbook addiction, part Anglomania feeding.

In this beautiful reprint by the ladies of Persephone Books are included recipes for roast mutton, girdle scones, and I now even have a recipe for haggis, should I ever be inclined to make it.

Purchased from the wonderful Ancient Industries. I hope their search for the whereabouts of the nightcap go well.

Knitting confession

2008-12-27T20:33:00.003-07:00

I have to admit, I don't actually know how to switch to a new color in a knit. Not being a huge fan of knitting hats ans sweaters and such I've not really felt the need to learn. But I'm knitting a beanie for someone right now, and I felt the need to put in a blue stripe, and then realized that duurhh, I didn't really know how to do it, and amazingly enough, Stitch n' Bitch was of no help, as the instructions to do it were a bit not to my understanding.

Next time I see my Knitting Jedi Master (aka Mindy) I will have to have her teach me. Or if I ever decide to go to one of those knitting groups at the local yarn shop I will have to ask there; though I'm afraid its going to be a bunch evil old ladies giving me the stink eye.

San Diego

2008-12-27T10:08:00.005-07:00

I found Petco Park to be a really good example of an urban sports field, incorporating an existing building, linking to a hotel via a foot bridge, and having one side open to a public park, with some seats and a sand pit shown in the third photo apparently being free general admission.

For the most part it was very cloudy and rainy while I was there, so not great photo taking weather, and of course I forgot my digital camera at the hotel one day, so I have to wait till I get photos of the Salk developed, and hope I've figured out how to work my Seagull camera properly now (I can now load the film in less than 1 minute!).

I do have to say that I was kind of disappointed in the food in San Diego in general. I was really excited to eat at The Linkery, and while the food was good, there was nothing really exceptional about it; the local farm to table ingredients were no fresher than at any other restaurant, the hipster waitress' holier than thou attitude was annoying, but the beer selection was excellent. Score one point there. I think my expectations of the place were just too high, having read some rave reviews about it, and also having read about just how different they are for their no tipping policy, only to find that a flat 18% service fee is added to every bill. I'm not entirely sure just how different from a tip that is.

Attitude aside, really, there was nothing remarkable about The Linkery. The preparation of the foods was for the most part extremely simple, and given the same ingredients almost anyone could make the same meals. I was tempted to order the tamales, but being a tamale maker myself I have a hard time ordering at restaurants and not being disappointed.

Anyway, I can't say the restaurant was terrible. It wasn't. It just reminded me of going to see Sin City after months and months of hearing about just HOW GREAT IT WAS!!! and having your expectations built up so much that no matter how great it was, it would just never live up to it. Overall, the restaurant is worth the visit, but it isn't the transcendental food experience I was hoping for.

The Sofia Hotel however was great, with small comfortable rooms, and a neat little restaurant downstairs, Currant, with a waitress that believes that the normal serving of Glenfiddich is a 4 ounce glass filled to the brim. The massive Sofia breakfast is worth every penny.

Domestic confesions...

2008-12-21T20:18:00.009-07:00

To a certain degree I feel that as career-oriented female that whenever I confess my enjoyment of cooking and ironing, people actually hear "I like to eat fresh babies for breakfast." The puzzled look reaction tends to come particularly from other females, specially those of about my age.

I'm not sure if it's changing hormones, advancing age, or a shift if priorities, but I am slowly becoming more and more domestic. I've honestly always known how to cook and sew and such, but before they were things I would fall back on whenever I had free time, or needed the comfort of home cooked food. Now those things, and many other domestic arts/habits/behaviours are daily occurrences and sometimes needs.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a Martha Stewart neat freak. I am a messy person by nature and tend to work well in an environment of organized chaos. There is very much a method to the madness of my surroundings.

My Mom is the uber organized Martha type, although she might refuse to feed me next time I visit if she gets wind of this comparison (but to prove my Martha-comparison point, upon having mailed her a MSLiving clipping on radish mice, fully knowing her love of radishes, she promptly made them, added black peppercorns as eyes, and declared hers better that Martha's, echoing Martha's oft said "Well I do it THIS WAY' directed towards her guests).

I've often admired all the things my Mom would do for us, like making radish roses when simple slices would do (even though I actually don't eat radishes); beautifully decorated birthday cakes; frilly dresses for special occasions, or just because, as what is the point of being a girl if you can't wear a frilly dress with shinny black patent leather shoes? (I believe I've mentioned the pretty dresses she made before, but I am just too lazy to search my own blog).

The Mother has a hilarious story of making my sister a dress to mark her one month birthday out of one of my Dad's pretties dress shirts, as he kept forgetting to accompany her to the fabric store.

So what I'm getting at is this: I enjoy being domestic. Yes to a certain need I have the need for the career thing, and the intellectual pursuits, and the need to go back to school and get yet another degree that will therefore make me completely useless at an architectural office and I will then become a University rat in tweed jackets with suede patches (or is that only for male profs?). But sometimes, for some reason, engaging myself in a simple domestic task is hugely enjoyable, and more rewarding than any of the above occupations.

As I mentioned before, many women near my own age (29 by the way), are largely lacking in any domestic skills, although I've noticed this is not true in foreign women. I do wonder if perhaps the sexual revolution and women's lib movement has gone so far to make women ashamed/disgruntled/repelled by domesticity. I have so many times heard women say they don't know how to cook, express anger at having to do laundry, wash the dishes, etc. Now don't get me wrong (again) I find a lack of domestic skills in men hugely unappealing, just as women lacking in basic knowledge of what to do with a hammer is unappealing.

I understand at at the end of a long work day, after having spent many hours dealing with short deadlines, computer issues, office politics, egoes and such, the last thing anyone wants to do is cook a meal, wash the dishes, iron, or whatever else may need to be done. But getting home and maybe doing one of those things (preferably cooking a tasty meal) is for me an easy way to just relax, get the head to quiet down a bit, and forget about the previous hours of my day.

Jane Brocket is someone who writes beautifully about The Gentle Art of Domesticity, although my impresison of her is only from her blog (the book is in my ever expanding reading list). I did read in several reviews of above mentioned book that it is more a personal journal, explaining her love of domesticity as a reason for her abandoning her accademic pursuits. But for someone of her aesthetic talents, who can blame her? I wish that someday I may have the guts (and financial security) to make the same decision.

By the way, the photo at the top of the post is of my new serger, which I am looking forward to spending many hours of domestic bliss with.

Favorite Blog: my book covers

2008-12-20T20:37:00.003-07:00

From the same lovely lady as Ancient Industries,

my book covers.

Vintage style covers, classic books.

Etsy Friend: Chicalookate

2008-12-19T09:15:00.005-07:00

I’ve mentioned Chicalookate before, but I don’t think I’ve pointed out just how talented this girl is. It’s not often I absolutely love a photographer’s work, but with Kate’s work I always either laugh, feel sad, admire her patience and ability to find strange and beautiful things in the every day landscape, and want to high five her for understanding that film is the best photographic medium. I'm sorry, I still just can't accept digital, mostly I think because I can't justify spending the money required to get a REALLY good DSLR.

But the best thing about Kate’s work is really just how much her sense of humor comes through, and I believe this is what is getting her some very well deserved attention (even if the reporter didn’t bother to mention her name, but she is the one selling at Liberty Street Video).

Visit Kate's fantastic photographs, self-made coasters, and record bowls and record cover notebooks at http://www.chicalookate.etsy.com/.

10 things, the last part

2008-12-15T14:37:00.002-07:00

10. What could have been, what could be.

This one took me a bit to want to write about, mostly out of trying to avoid to sounding like a complete and total obsessive compulsive nut. And I’m not sure I can explain this properly at all, but I’m trying. Our lives are shaped by the choices that we make; hundreds of different choices each week, millions in one lifetime. Any one of those choices can redirect our lives in a completely different direction. Not every choice, but many of them.

So every once in a while it is interesting to think back on those more significant choices, and play out what my life would have been like had I made a different choice. Each one of those choices creates an imaginary parallel life from the point of that decision, which for some reason or another I feel the need to play out as far as I can (see, I sound crazy).

And the thing is none of these alternate lives are ever any better than what my life has actually been like, or currently is.

The funny thing about unreal conditional futures is that you can start them up at any time. You decide you don’t like them, no big deal. Change them. Start them over.

10 things, part 4

2008-12-11T21:40:00.003-07:00

6. Dogs. Yes, its really easy to just say that dogs are cute and fun. But its the things that make them cute and fun that make me love them and almost need to have them around. Romping through a room in search of the favorite toy. Massive after nap stretches, because looking cute while sleeping is hard work. Being super excited as seeing someone come into the room, even if they've only been gone for 5 minutes. Its a kind of honesty that most people never have and should try to learn from.

7. Caffeine. I'm 10% water, 90% caffeine. Anyone that tries to cram as much into their day as I do kind of needs it. Coffee, the occasional very minty green tea. All with a lot of honey.

8. Food. This could somewhat be covered by the previous post on salt and honey. But my love for food also comes from the process of making food, and I've come to believe that it is only through taking the time to cook and prepare food carefully that one can get a full appreciation of it. I've lost a lot of my previous "Oh no I don't want to try that!' feelings, not that I've ever been really timid towards food. I'm willing to try anything really, although there are times I may not ask what it is I'm eating.

We all know that food is not just about subsistence, but we all seem to forget this when it comes time for a meal we all seem to forget to allow time for it comfortably, to run off the television, to focus on just food?

9. Getting out. I'm not talking about getting out to the bar, or to shop or anything like that. I grew up moving a few times, and traveling a lot, which I know is where my love of food and the built environment come from. Had it not been for getting taken out of my original environment I would be an entirely different person, and I am thankful for all the experiences I had growing up due to my travels, and to all the things I see and learn now when I venture away from home.

Etsy Find: Vintage color pencils

2008-12-11T11:27:00.002-07:00

Vintage Color Pencils, found at Abigail Vintage. Were it not for my poor neglected Prismacolor pencils, these would be mine now.

Two cookbooks...

2008-12-10T19:48:00.004-07:00

One of them, The French Laundry Cookbook, I had been lusting afterwards for several months now, as it is a much easier alternative to the daily phone calls and several hundreds of dollars required to have a meal at The French Laundry. I have to admit the book is sitting still wrapped in its cellophane, being neglected for the second book I purchased tonight.

The second is a fortunate Border's find, Turquoise: A chef's travels in Turkey. With an eye catching cover, and the prospect of delicious Turkish food I had to snap it up. As soon as I sat down for dinner at True Food Kitchen in central Phoenix I had to dive in. Part cookbook and part travel and photo journal, it is captivating, and beautiful, including both Ottoman and Anatolian recipes, although admittedly not 100% authentic recipes, being rather interpretations by the authors of the food tasted while traveling through Turkey.

I'm very much looking forward to cooking some of the same things I tasted during my own visit to Istanbul.

Balloons, Bosporus, north of Istanbul, Asian side.

But not to completely dismiss The French Laundry, as it is a restaurant I would give several body parts to be able to vist, read about the experience of eating there at No salad as a meal, one of my favorite blogs.

Just purchased...

2008-12-10T14:06:00.004-07:00

From the lovely shop of Accessoire.

I can't wait for it to get here.

10 things, part 3

2008-12-10T09:43:00.005-07:00

4. Silence. Being a dedicated multitasker with a full time job, a jewelry design thing that I would like to have as a full time job, and more hobbies than I have time and space for, the ol’ noggin tends to get a bit crowded, noisy and tired sometimes. It seems like chatty brains are the curse of the modern 24 hour-a-day information access lifestyle.

While I am a huge proponent for the exchange of information everyone reaches a point in their day when it is enough, and things have to be switched off. I’m probably one of those people that feels like they are out of their time, like I should have been born at a different time and different place. Belle Époque Europe perhaps; the height of Imperial Russia. Who knows. Of course it’s very easy to study those periods now and think about how it must have been so idyllic, romantic, peaceful, etc. When in reality sanitation standards were probably horrific, charcoal soot and horse excrement was everywhere, and I’m sure urban dwellers at the time also thought of their environment as being too noisy.

But, oh, the lack of cell phones, television, the internet!

Just thinking about that makes my internal volume go down a few levels.

5. Continuous learning. Sometimes I feel like I hoard books just out of my pack-rat tendencies. But I honestly do really enjoy reading constantly, but also learning. For the last few years I’ve been trying to become more a Jack of all trades (should be Jane, shouldn’t it?). Having spent several years in training for my chosen profession, and focusing solely on that, and feeling like architects are smart people only when they can talk about architecture. We make terrible social company when not with architects. Even I find continuous architectural chatter boring and unpleasant.

This just wasn’t acceptable to me as a way to lead the rest of my life, and I never intentionally set out to become a specialist in one field, while remaining completely ignorant of the rest of the world. So yes, I am still very much in the world of architecture, though its qualities change a lot once you get out of school and out into practice. But architecture is something I do, not everything I am.

To fight this I have an ever expanding list of reading, as mentioned in #1, and an also ever expanding things to do and learn. Yes, I learn a lot from books, but I learn more from just doing. I need to learn how to crochet, to speak Russian, German, Japanese, and fix my French. Polishing up the Spanish wouldn’t hurt. I want to learn to cook perfect French food. How to ride a horse at a full gallop without fearing for my life.

The list keeps going. And hopefully, all the learning and keeping the brain active will keep me from drooling on myself in my old age. I drool enough as it is now.

10 things, part 2

2008-12-09T09:55:00.007-07:00

3. Color. When I was a wee child I would refer to my birthday parties after the fact not by the number of years they marked, but by the color the dress I wore. My mom would make my sister and I wonderfully elaborate frilly dresses for our birthdays and other special occasions. I had a pink birthday, and a lilac birthday, and so on.

Children have a fearless sence of color, mixing hues that most adults would never even consider as complimentary to each other.

Bless Crayola, and for the grownups Prismacolor for providing us with such a range of colors to play with.

Someday I will take out my massive box of Primsacolor pencils again. Someday.

I did grow up liking rather girlish colors, having had a pink bedroom for some time (after my mom decided to stop torturing me with an all white house), but during my teenage years moving into a room painted in four different shades of a cool grey, to a house I painted in vibrant shades of chartruse, two shades red, purple, orange, and two shades of blue.

It is a LOT of color, but by working with colors with similar chroma (or relative strenght or weakness), and using the chartruse as an accect in a windowless stairwell all the colors work rather well together.

My color combinations are not for the faint of heart though, and even for me did take some getting used to. My mom has told me repeatedly that she thinks I'm color blind (my dad is), but I suppose I would rather just give someone a color overload induced headache than live in a bland beige and white world.

I am now working on re-painting my house, as I do feel the need for a change, and while it will be mostly white, I will be damned if I live in an all white house again, its just too 'Welcome to your padded cell' for me.

10 things, part 1

2008-12-08T09:49:00.009-07:00

I've hit an all time high anti-Christmas sentiment this year. I've not been all 'YAY Christmas!!!' for quite some time, and honestly, Christmas of last year was quite possibly the worst one I will ever have, so now I'm rather 'MEH' about the whole thing. Too much stress, too much money spent, just too much.

And besides, my heathen tendencies just don't still well with Christmas, although I did offer to go to midnight mass this year with a Catholic friend, as I have never attended one of those, and I still rather enjoy the pomp and circumstance of the Catholic Church.

Anyway, the point is, the whole Christmas thing is just not something that makes me happy and I would rather just stop pretending to acknowledge it. So in between dwelling on the unhappy Christmas feeling, I've also thought about what it is that makes me happy, none of the things I thought of really have anything to do with money or expecting gifts from those I know.

10 Things that make me happy, and don't like to do without:

1. A never ending reading list. There is something about having a reading list so long that I know full well it will never end that gives me an indescribably happy feeling. The prospect of learning new things, inhabiting a new fictional reality, or revisiting an old favorite, which always results in previously unnoticed wonderful bits of the story.

Reading seems to give my life a sense of continuity that might otherwise be lacking. I remember my life better by the books I've read, than by dates and places.

2. Salt & Honey. For some reason last night while walking the dog I started thinking of an old folk tale I remember reading a long time ago, in which an old king asks his three daughters how much they love him. The two eldest daughters answered that they loved him more (and the answers vary depending on the source) than various luxuries and riches. The third and youngest daughter simply answered that she loved him more than salt. Hearing this he became very angry and drove his daughter away. Feeling that he should be worth more than salt, he banned it from his household, a decision he later regretted as he tasted the blandness of his food.

I love the very simple way the folk tale shows how every one has just one essential thing in their life, without which it has no flavour or meaning. However, if I were to interpret this in a more literal way, the two things I could not do without in my food are salt and honey.

Unfortunately the widely available forms of these products are diluted and processed to the point of loosing their true flavours and characteristics derived from their sources. Salt and honey are just two such examples, but the same can said of coffee, wine, oil, cheese, etc. I am currently enjoying a lovely raw Arizona honey purchased at the farmer's market this weekend. Because of the dry heat of Arizona, this is a lower moisture content honey with a rich buttery flavour never found in the overly sweet commercial honeys.

By the way, honey in coffee may be the best sweetener for it, as it cuts the acid in the coffee, which is perfect for those of us that suffer from major heartburn problems.

I guess the point of this is that we have to eat, but as Hugh Jackman's character said in Kate & Leopold, we need to "understand that life is not solely composed of tasks, but tastes."

Read about the health benefits of honey here, and salt here.

More ramblings about my 10 things soon to come.

Knits Gift Guide

2008-12-05T08:51:00.009-07:00

To go along with the previous yarn and fiber gift guide, I thought I would look around for some lovely, and mostly lacy hand knits.

Meringue Scarf in a cotton-rayon blend by TickledPinkKnits, custom knit in your choice of colors, $68.

Romantic leg warmers in merino wool by Corpseknit, $65. These lovelies are loomed using a mechanical vintage knitting machine.

Ondulato neck warmer in 80% merino and 20% dralon by the lovely Silvia66, $76. This is one talented lady who's shop always leaves me with a smile.

Joy Fingerless Mitts in wool and glass beads by CozyColeman, $45.

I wish I could put more knits up there, but for the most part, it is really hard to find good quality hand knits. It's probably the huge amount of time required to knit anything; it makes the knitter not want to part with the finished result.

Butterfly Earrings

2008-12-03T22:29:00.006-07:00

New earring design. I'm not sure if these will ever make it to the online shop or not. For now they are currently at Bunky Boutique in Phoenix, and Bella Boutique in Anchorage.

I'll also have some at the show I'm doing this Friday, which I'm actually getting pretty excited about, as I've heard nothing but good things about last year's show.

Time for bed and a few pages of big ol' Russian history book. My manias for Russia and Great Britain are currently duking it out. Lets see who wins.

What I want for Christmas

2008-12-02T16:16:00.004-07:00

A deerskin from Papa Stour, as seen on one of my new favorite blogs, Ancient Industries. Visit Megan Wilson's lovely shop here.

Perfect strangers...

2008-12-02T14:26:00.004-07:00

Once in a while the words of a virtual stranger will be the nicest thing one can hear. Somehow people that we don’t really know are just so much more honest than friends and family ever are.

This message from a new Facebook contact made me do a happy dance on my chair today:

I love your passion for your art and the way

you've translated the architect's perspective into

a tangible, personal scale of jewelry...

And for today's total dork confession, yes, I did use to watch Perfect Strangers with my mom. I was very young, it was funny at the time, and he had stuffed sheep. And who doesn't love that?

Yarn and Fiber Gift Guide

2008-12-01T12:35:00.012-07:00

I'm not always very smart. Case in point: I knit, I complain about not having time to knit, but then I will find myself vegetating in front of the TV catching up on Buffy episodes or whatever, and NOT knitting at the same time. Same thing goes for spinning. I always seem to forget that my poor wheel has been sitting all lonely and rejected for months now.

And for being a dedicated multitasker, this is just not acceptable.

So in an effort to get more knitting and spinning done, a Yarn and Fiber gift guide!

From NoTwoSnowflakes, 800 yards of beautiful hand dyed 3-ply silk lace weight yarn to feed the lace addiction.

4.2 ounces of hand dyed merino spinning fiber from FreckleFaceFibers, who plays with color wonderfully.

4 ounces of merino, colonial and bamboo roving in a beautiful berry red from Cjkopeccreations. I've purchased fiber from her before, and it has always been of the best quality. Great color, very clean and just great to spin.

A collaborative effort. Spun by Lilcoley and dyed by Squoosh. 373 yards of lace weight 2 ply tussah silk.

5 ounces of local and recycled wool batts from Blondechicken. I love the concept of knowing the sheep your wool comes from.

245 yards of handpainted and handspun British Bluefaced Leicester wool from Alltheprettyfibers, whose shop is full of yarn I would love to add to my stash.

On being online, part 2...

2008-11-27T12:41:00.004-07:00

There were a couple of places I forgot to mention on the last post.

Indiepublic. The only problem I have with this site is that it is very much limited to the handcraft/handmade community, with very few outsiders looking to actually shop.
Ravelry. This is mostly just for fun, and to track some of my knitting, which honestly, doesn't move very quickly. But it is a great resource to check how much yarn I'll need for a certain project right before heading out to the yarn shop from the office.

I'm slowly working on updating the LinkedIn profile, and I've now been added to the Hand Made Product Directory, somewhere in page 7 or 8. Fun.

On being online...

2008-11-25T19:36:00.005-07:00

I really spend an awful lot of time online now days. Just way, way too much. Most of it is time I would rather sleep, or knit, or make jewelry, or do whatever. But as an indie designer who can't afford a PR person I have to get my presence out there. I've written a bit about this before, but after a text message interchange with AnniePants of the lovely Bella Boutique in Anchorage, AK, I've decided to compile a list of all the places where I am trying to create an online presence.

This is the list of my online profiles/pages so far:

The new shop.
Flickr. Its an oldie but a goodie.
Twitter. I mostly use twitter for random thought spillage rather than as a promotional tool per se, and I do quite honestly get irritated with people that do nothing but promote with it. Occasionally I will post on there when there is a blog update, and have also posted any promotional code I might be running, but thats about it.
Facebook. I was traumatized by MySpace years ago, and it tooke me some time to get around to warm up to Facebook, but now that I'm on it, I do appreceate the lower amount of leaze on it.
Stylehive. I signed up to stylehive a long time ago, but never really used it much, since it was a lot less user friendly in the beggining. And now, it really is just a new crack with its massive database of all things fashion and design.
Trunkt. I only heard about this from Nea Wear about a week or two ago, and absoluetely love it. Intended both as a site for artists and designers and for those looking to purchase wholesale, the site allows for both free and paid portfolios. At a very reasonable $99 for a year price, it is something to consider for next year.
The ol' blog is listed Technorati, which honestly, considering the huge number of listings there might lead nowhere, but hey, its free.
I've just submitted my listing to the Hand Made Product Shopping Directory but considering the rather large size of the jewelry section, I am not really expecting much from it.
Etsy. The etsy shop is still there, despite my not updating it anymore. I am going to let the item listings expire for 2 reasons. Jewelry is just increadibly hard to sell there, and in a Google search of my name it is the first thing to show. I really just don't find this ideal.
LinkedIn. I have just started this, and mainly to try to widen the type of audience I might reach.

That is it for now. I know there are a million more places where to register online, but I've been writing this post for about 2 hours now, so time to quit.

Girly dressing...

2008-11-25T09:41:00.007-07:00

I find it failry funny that after many years of trying to come off as being as non girly as possible, I've finally decided to just let it go, and embrace the full on ruffly and poofy gloriousness of dressing like a girl.

Pants are no fun really, and even mailmen like to wear kilts. I actually pretty much stopped wearing pants when I moved to Arizona from Michigan, where it was all I wore thanks to the cold, wet and icy weather, and the falling on the street on my bum from the cold, wet and icy weather. I suppose modesty is a very girly thing.

But lately, I'm not just satisfied with wearing normal skirts and calling it a day. I want big poofy wearing a 60 yard petticoat underneath skirts. 4" heels with pretty patterned tights. Ruffled sweaters like the one pictured here from Kim Hargreaves new knitting book, Thrown Together. The knits and photography in the book are just amazing, having that very English countryside air to them, as if everyone is ready to come in for a cup of tea after a good muddy walk through the woods.

So adding another project to the list, probably after I make the muslin petticoat I'm planning. It's not like I would just buy one. Sheesh.

Oh, and if anyone knows where I can find ruffled underwear, let me know. Who doesn't love a good ol' ruffle bun?

Newsletter!

2008-11-24T15:13:00.003-07:00

I'm going to attempt to do a newsletter, nothing too fancy or too often. Probably once a month, or once every other month.

I am lazy.

So if you would like to receive my updates to your mailbox, sign up to your right at the side bar.

Design*Sponge Biz Ladies

2008-11-24T10:13:00.004-07:00

As I am now a design blog whore I have become deeply addicted to Design*Sponge. Guest blog posts, DIY section, interior design as well as home goods, it is hours o' fun.

BUT, they also have an oh so handy Biz Ladies section, with helpful hints to getting your business rocking. Some of the advice, such as the 5 super simple steps to selling online are great for begginers, and Public Relations for the Independent Designer are some of the most straightforward tips I've heard for getting some press, aside from having a well connected friend already working in the magazine biz.

Hopefully in the next few months I can spend some time working on getting the work out there a bit more.

Man crochet...

2008-11-20T16:47:00.002-07:00

Saw this in the Ravelry forums and just had to repost.

Who said that the fiber arts were not for men?

Smells like Detroit...

2008-11-19T12:32:00.004-07:00

Detroit doesn’t smell the way it used to. There used to be an industrial, almost metallic, smell to the city. The smoke cloud emanating from the River Rouge Plant would settle over the city in the evenings, producing a pink night time glow throughout southwestern Detroit and into downtown. It’s a smell that brings back cold winter nights at techno clubs, and a pair of super comfy shiny purple sneakers I used to wear everywhere that my mother hated. Ah, to be 19 again. Actually, no, I don’t think anyone could pay me enough to be 19 again, although I was thinner back then, so maybe I just want that back.

So the smell of Detroit is different, but almost everything else is the same. There’s a few more hotels in town, like the renovated Book Cadillac Hotel, a gorgeous neo-classical 1924 building which sat abandoned for 24 years, as well as the new hotel towers for the casinos. Unfortunately I didn't actually stop by the Book Cadillac, since it was cold. Very cold, very wet and very very windy. Blow you a couple of feet over from your previous spot kind of windy. And after risking life and limb through the drenched deserted streets of downtown to finally make it into the Guardian Building, Kate and I decided to just find something warm and dry to do.

I've also decided that I will just have to risk the oppresive summer huminidy sometime, since this whole going to Detroit in the fall and winter and trying to take pictures thing is just not working. It always rains when I go. I did take some photos of the inside of the Guardian Building with the new Seagull, but I'm not sure how well they will turn out. It was my first time using it, and I'm just not sure the 120mm format is the best for interior architecture shots.

The funny thing about visiting Detroit is that I always hope the city will be better. I think that there will be more renovated buildings, less trees tenaciously growing out of roof tops and walls in alleyways, less emptyness in the streets. But unfortunately it doesn't change.

Oh well.

I think I like Detroit just fine the way it is now anyway.

Made in Detroit

2008-11-11T14:54:00.006-07:00

I’ve been feeling kind of tired and just very ‘uuuugggggghhhh’ lately for several reasons; the never ending political psychobabble in every single form of media; my continued stomach difficulties; the complete and total lack of movement in my jewelry line at almost all its points of sale; blah blah blah…

Ugh.

But I do have a nice 4 day trip to Michigan to look forward to, and all the fun that offers. In my list to do this time are the following:

Eating lots of Mommy food. She usually asks what is in my request list. This trip it is Mexican chicken soup and flan. She makes the best flan. I need to remember to actually write down her recipe this time. I’m not even going to bother with the chicken soup one, as I can’t make chicken stock to save my life.

More food eating, stomach troubles be damned. The Detroit area has some of the best middle eastern food in the country, as well as finger licking good Coney dogs. That will definitely give me some heartburn to regret later, but nothing tops that tasty balance of hot dog, chili, mustard, cheese and onions. Top it of with a Vernon’s at one of Lafayette Coney’s tables and you have a nearly perfect meal. And I can't forget the Washtena Dairy donuts.

A photo safari through Detroit with Chicalookate. We can hopefully blow through town without the need of bail out money for trespassing into private property to get a good shot. And I desperately need to get around to using my shiny new Seagull camera.

Shopping for a Made in Detroit key chain. I feel like I'm getting to old for the logo t-shirts and such, but I have been a big fan of the company for ages, one of the reasons being that I’ve been influenced creatively quite a bit by the city of Detroit. My philosophy of design really comes from the state of the city. It was once one of the most beautiful cities in the country yet has changed into an imploding post-industrial inescapable black hole. The sheer number of gorgeous, intricate neo-classical buildings currently sitting empty and gutted in that town is staggering. There is however a great deal of pride in the locals in their town, and I do love Detroit quite a bit, which I’ve gotten a lot of flack about from several people I know, but hey, everyone has their issues.

Also hitting a few of the boutiques listed here, specially Harp's Lingerie, as the Phoenix area has absolutely no good lingerie stores, and no, Victoria's Secret does NOT count.

And of course, beer drinking with friends. Always good.

I'm hoping that all of this carousing around will help me feel better overall, and get me out of the uuuuggggghh feeling, and ready to do some jewelry work againl.

Coffee induced musings...

2008-11-04T11:45:00.005-07:00

I had told myself that I was going to fore go coffee for a few days not just to detox from caffeine, which I like to do every once in a while, but also in an attempt to get my stomach to behave itself and stop being such an acid reflux drama queen. But there’s the whole Starbucks free coffee with an ‘I voted’ sticker thing, and there being a Starbuck’s about 100 yards from my office and needing a small fresh air break, I borrowed someone’s sticker and went and got a cuppa’.

Now too things I need to clarify. I’m not crazy about Starbucks coffee in general. Its always way too hot, and way too acidic, and I usually only wander over there when I need an office break. Second point, its not that I’m lazy and don’t vote, I’m just not a citizen of the US. I will be applying for my citizenship finally this year. I can’t say that this decision has been driven by any of the hooha of this presidential campaign and election. I’ve found the whole thing rather off putting actually. I have always thought that if I decide to have a kid I would become a citizen and begin to vote then, but the whole kid thing is not happening any time soon. What might happen, if the university admission gods decide to smile down upon me, is me entering a post-grad program. It would make a huge difference as to the amount of funding I could get while in a PhD program if I am a citizen. So, superficial reason that it may be it is the real one, and yes, I will vote for every election once I become a citizen.

The funny thing is that I am eligible to vote in Mexico, the country of my citizenship and birth. I would feel highly hypocritical voting there, since I’ve not lived in Mexico since 1989, having left at the ripe old age of 9. I love where I come from, the food, the vibrant colors used in traditional costumes and architecture, the food, the hardworking and independent attitude of the majority of the people, the stamp left on the country by previous civilizations that occupied it, and the food. Love the food, and the candy. A visit to Mexico City is any street food lover’s dream.

What I’ve not been so fond of is the ever increasing cases of kidnapping and drug related violence in Mexico. Seeing this story of a kidnapped child being murdered with an acid injection to the heart on the CNN ticker this morning was particularly upsetting. On a visit to Mexico City and surrounding cities the summer of 2005 I found the city to be relatively safe, but as an outsider it is easy to avoid the more impoverished areas outside of the city core. Its easy to think the best of a place as a visitor and an outsider, which essentially I am, having lived elsewhere for as long as I have.

Drug related violence in Mexico has been present for some years now, but it has now even spread into areas previously considered safe. All year long I've been waiting for the weather to cool off again so I could make a visit to Hermosillo, my home town. My family and I used to make the drive from Hermosillo to Nogales, in the American side, about 3 or 4 times a year to visit my Grandmother.

For some reason I've been melancholy lately, and have wanted to repeat things from the past, such as this drive. It would be like re-reading a favorite book, one of my favorite things to do. But I feel like its just not possible to make that trip without risking not only a certain degree of safely, but also without risking the memory of those childhood drives; the were times of feeling safe, and happy, of eagerly looking out for the next familiar landmark on the road.

I would like to say that the government is failing the people of Mexico in not providing enough protection from all of this. But really, I think its the people that are failing each other. There seems to be no feeling of responsability to each other to create a peaceful and safe environment for all. And isn't that what citizenship is? Feeling like you have a responsability to your country and your fellow citizens to do what is best? To not grant safe harbor to those who would injure others?

But I really don't know what to think, other than feeling somewhat dissapointed in the country of my birth.

Tangled web...

2008-11-03T12:39:00.004-07:00

If my computer were cooperating right now I would post a screen shot of the changes I made to the shop over the weekend, but instead, this just kind of adds fuel to the anti-computer and anti-Internet fire. I unfortunately spend too much time at the computer, at work and at home, but oh well. Less time spent sleeping I guess.

So! Visual changes to the shop:

I cleaned up the overall appearance and changed the banner image on top. I'm not sure if I want to keep the little 'modern feminine unique' tags up there, or if I just want the right hand corner to just be blank.
Added a Shop Policies page. Always nice to let people know how you deal with their info, payment and such.

Changes that can't be seen:

Adding fun little META tags to the shop to help it show up better with google and other search engines.
Started using tools like Google Analytics to let me have a better handle of how many hits I'm getting (very sad numbers indeed).

I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting about what I did this weekend. But on the new to do list is taking new photos of all the items for sale, as well as making more items for sale.

And the main thing is also that I really just still don't know what I'm doing when it comes to web coding stuff. I'm learning, but ugh, I do feel like I could be spending my time more productively.

And if anyone has contructive comments to make about the shop, please feel free.

Crafeteria!

2008-10-31T09:55:00.006-07:00

I have to say that I am not a big fan at all of doing craft shows. For some reason I find them very stressful and for the most part, I just never do very well. Plus there is the whole thing of me having issues with talking about my work. I’m pretty sure I should just get over that at some point.

But, this year I was asked to do a fairly popular holiday show at frances vintage, located in Central Phoenix. Despite the name, the shop is actually a mix of vintage and new clothing, a huge selection of jewelry, and my favorite part of the shop lots of cards, notebooks, and just cute random items.

The nice thing about doing craft shows is that it does allow to get out the ol' Ashford spinning wheel as a way to lure people in to my table. Although this time I might decide to work on the current knitting project instead.

So I will be there, on December 5th, eager and hoping for a few visitors, and maybe even some sales.

New 'About' page and a giveaway

2008-10-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to writing an 'About' page for my online shop, soon to be followed by a policies page. To be developed this evening, I hope.

I really do have to say, I hate writing about myself. In architecture school you get used to speaking and writing about buildings as if they disassociated from yourself. They ar their own characters, unique and removed from the designer/creator.

It is a very silly thing. I will completely admit that. But it makes it easier to talk about your work with a certain degree of detached confidence. I have a very hard time speaking about my jewelry designes since those are somehow so much more personal. I honestly don't even like wearing my own jewelry. Clearly, I have many many issues.

Back to the 'About' page. I tried hard to sound smart, personal, and mostly really not like a jackass. I think I did ok. But now I'm thinking that it would be nice if there were a photograph on the page, but as I completely detest having photographs taken of me, I have no good ones to post.

So, if anyone actually reads this blog, I would like to ask for a favor. If while looking through my flickr account there is a photo that stands out as being very indicative of me, or my work, or whatever, please make a suggestion for it in the comments section, and a free pair of Copper Rose Earrings for you.

A rant: PVC

2008-10-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

As someone that spent several years of their life in architecture school I have a fairly healthy sense of environmentalism. Not the ‘Recycling is Sexy’ mass produced in a sweatshop in Taiwan, bleached cotton t-shirt trendy kind of environmentalism, rather a realization of the life cycle of things, and of the impact that human beings have on the un-built and built environment.

And for the most part, the way I see it, we’re a self-deceptive bunch.

For the last few years my main pet peeve has been the branding of shoes, clothing and other accessories made of PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) as ‘Animal Friendly’ and ‘Vegan.’ While technically that is correct, it is only correct while looked at through a very narrow field of vision. Here is why:

The production of PVC and other materials in which chlorine is burned releases Dioxin into the environment, a fat soluble chemical confirmed by the EPA and other agencies to cause cancer. While I can’t envision anyone sitting right next to a waste pipe at a PVC manufacturing facility and sucking in their daily ration of dioxin, it does enter into our body by moving up the food chain. The chemical will enter into streams and aquifers, moving into fish and livestock. There is no known safe level of dioxin, but those adjacent to PVC manufacturing facilities are more at risk to developing cancer.

In addition to Dioxins being released into the environment during the production of PVC, they are also released in the event of incineration of the material, which is inevitable, as PVC is not as durable of a material as leather is, specially not when plasticized into a shinny patent leatherette clutch on sale at a mass retailer near you for $14.99 which will last for approximately 3 cocktail parties before suffering from an irreparable tear and ending up in the garbage pile.

So while once can technically say the use of PVC as an alternate to leather can save the life of a cow, well, honestly, it doesn't.

And honestly, the last time I checked, humans are animals too. Shouldn't a material used for our clothing and accessories NOT be harmful for our health to be considered 'vegan'?

I highly recomend the unintentioally funny documentary Blue Vinyl for more information on PVC and its effects on the environment, humans and other animals.

Even more bigcartel love...

2008-10-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

You can put the same item in more than one category without the need for multiple listings. Easy. Oh so easy.

New cuff!

2008-10-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Rose Lace Cuff, a new addition to the Rose Lace Collection. I’m honestly not a huge fan of cuffs for myself, as I have small wrists, which make my hands appear to be even bigger than they really are, and the whole lack of proportion gets thrown even more into focus. But I like them as a design piece, and from the very beginning of working on the Rose Lace Collection I started thinking about incorporating a cuff or bracelet of some kind into the collection.

I spent some time this weekend working on getting new photos for my jewelry so I can have a consistent background for the new shop. I love the green table cloth in this photograph, and as great as silver looks against this color, it is highly inconsistent in photographs, showing up anywhere from a light yellow to this more vibrant shade. All in the same light. I do however very much like the texture the fabric adds to the photograph, and will probably look for something similar in texture, but in a warm shade of grey.

Just Realized...

2008-10-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

I never posted about the Rose Lace Pendant, which is odd since that was the new piece of the Rose Lace Collection.

If I can say so myself, I absolutely love the way this turned out. I've probably mentioned before that I am the biggest wimp about wearing jewelry. If it weighs more than an ounce or two, I just can't wear it for more than an hour or two. I also just can't wear rings, since I'm not only a semi-compulsive hand washer, I get a bit antsy having something on my fingers like that.

But for the most part, with the exception of the Triple Rose Lace Earrings, everything is really light and comfortable to wear.

Anyway, visit the new shop at http://www.minervaorduno.com/.

More bigcartel love...

2008-10-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of other things I like about bigcartel:

No need for a buyer to create an account to buy from you. I know this has bothered possible customers before.

Inventory tracking. You can let customers know exactly how many items you have of each design.

new shop!

2008-10-23T08:51:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty excited about the new online shop, hosted through bigcartel, from Indie Labs.

The site has been around since 2005, just as long as Etsy has, but I actually had not heard about it till a few weeks ago, probably mostly due to the fact that it was originally used as more of a band promo site, rather than for indie shops online. And having no musical talent whatsoever, its no surprise I hadn't heard of it.

Anyway, like I said, despite needed lots of work in the design, I'm pretty jazzed. I started my online shop almost 3 years ago on Etsy, and while in general I have no problem with Etsy, other than perhaps the general jr. high popularity contest of it (and not surprising, I was not really one of the cool kids in jr. high, or high school for that matter), the jewelry category is hugely overbloated, and filled with shall we say, quite a few less than original folks. Fortunately the majority of my work has been knock-off free, which is both good and bad. Good because I do work very hard at coming up with original designs, and bad because I probably don't get noticed enough within Etsy to get knocked off. That's what happens to be for being all 'oh no I'm not into doing group Street Team and drinking the kool-aid.'

Again, anyway; some of the things I am really liking about bigcartel shops:

The ability to choose between two different layouts, change the colors, fonts, and overall appearance of your shop, depending on your HTML and CSS knowledge. Mine is so-so, but I learn quickly.
You can use your own domain name, rather than having a 'yourshop.bigcartel.com' domain. I have a domain set up through Bravenet, which also allows you to mask the real domain, which does lead to the problem of a user being able to send a link to a specific item, but my shop is not big enough like for a product being hard to find.
The shops are liked with your paypal account, which allows you to set up tax and shipping profiles and have them automatically applied to every item you list.
Promo codes. These are limited to just doing a percentage off, rather than free shipping, or gift wrap or whatever, but still fairly useful.

I'm sure there will be other things I like about bigcartel, and maybe some things I will dislike, but it sure beats spending $1k or $2k on a custom website right now.

PS. Use October discount code for 15% off.

Perfect sundays...

2008-10-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

I've decided that from now on until I kick it, Sundays should be filled with nothing more than browsing the newspaper, playing with the pup, getting a bit of sunlight, catching some football (or whatever sport may be in season, but football really is the quintessential Sunday sport), enjoying a couple of beers, and baking.

The baking today was chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. As I wasn't feeling particularly ambitious today, the cake was out of the box. And I really am surprised at how much I love cream cheese frosting, since I tend to find cream cheese pretty disgusting unless it has been baked into a cheese cake, or deep fried in a Las Vegas roll. This particular frosting as 8 oz each of cream cheese and butter at room temperature, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and a little bit of ground nutmeg, to make up for the lack vanilla extract. The frosting is only slightly sweet with this amount of sugar, which is great for me, since due to my constant night-time teeth grinding my gums have become slightly sensitive to overly cold or sweet things, which can lead to excruciating 'aahhh! teeth falling out!!!' feelings. It is not a good thing.

Since it had been horribly hot for so long I had felt no desire to bake whatsoever. But temperatures have finally come down, and its time to start making tasty baked goods. Next week, depending on how ambitious I feel, I might bake this lovely cheesecake.

bathroom remodel

2008-10-11T13:49:00.001-07:00

I think I may be 99.9% done with the demolition of the hallway bathroom now, which feels nice, but I do think I got a little carried away with cutting out drywall. Its very easy to do honestly.

So far the only thing I've had to pay for it getting a plumber in to reroute the air conditioner drain line from the sink to the bathtub. Still meets plumbing code and all that. I did just today realize after living here for 5 years that my bathroom does not meet electrical code, since the plug by the sink is a normal plug, rather than a GFI one (one of the nifty ones with the buttons to keep you from electricuting yourself). I honestly had never noticed before. But I guess it will give my Dad something to do next time he visits as he constantly looks for things to fix around the house.

I'm going for a simple, semi-retro look for the bathroom, keeping an almost all-white scheme, despite the fact that I shudder almost any time I see an all white scheme, but have to think about resale and such, and I don't want to end up a wall tile color that is the next retro avocado green.

Eventually I have to remember to order this sink from Kohler, and if FedEx can ever get around to delivering my faucet, I'll be a very happy girl.

New logo!

2008-10-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

Lace addiction...

2008-10-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have a deep addiction to knitting lace now. It's kind of becoming a sickness, since every new knitting project I start planning out in my head is a lace pattern. I had however enforced a knitting moratorium after finishing my sister's shawl. I started knitting this shawl on my way to her wedding, as something to do on the plane, but after that weekend was over, forget it, I had no interest in touching any form of knitting for some time, specially since I had so completely ignored any jewelry making for so long.

But I'm starting to come back to it now, not only because I like piling up more to dos to my list, but simply because I need something to relax and keep my hands busy while vegging out in front of the tube.

Pattern being used is the half-hexagon Spider's-web shawl, from Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby. If I could only take one book out of my house in case of a fire, I'm pretty sure that would be it. I would sleep with it under my pillow if that weren't kind of uncomfortable.

The yarn is a lovely and soft 75% merino wool and 25% silk blend, which is about as much silk as I'm willing to touch at this point, after the screeming matches I had with that Hand Maiden 100% silk yarn I used for my sister's shawl.

Pffffft to do list...

2008-10-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

I decided to just go PFFFFTTT to the to list tonight. Other than some minor cleaning in preparation to the plumber's visit tomorror morning, I decided that I'm just too plain tired to do anything from the to do list and just relax, and get some of that fluffly merino out.

Let me just say, I was tired before I started spinning, and now I'm even more tired, but at least it's a pleasant kind of tired, except for my right hand, as I seem to have lost my spinning muscle; as well as loosing a bit of 'skill.' I need to remember to make time for spinning, so I do eventually get much better at it. Would be nice to be able to make perfectly even yarn some time, even though people will wax poetic about the uneven quality of handspun and so on. It would still be nice to make even yarn.
Hmmpf.

And now, after an hour of spinning and some Dirty Jobs, time for bed.

Multitasking

2008-10-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

Seeing some beautiful handspun yarn on Etsy reminded me that it has been months since I've touched my spinning wheel. This is just sad. Unfortunately I'm not sure I'll have time to do so for about a month or so.

Right now I'm still trying to get a few more jewelry pieces sent out, so that as soon as I get my new logo done I can make tags and send those out to Bella Boutique out in Anchorage. And I'm remodeling that bathroom, and trying to remodel one other room as well. And trying to have a teeny bit of a life.

There is a Phoenix Oktoberfest festival coming up this Saturday. That comes first.

Feeding the fishies...

2008-10-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

My first trip out as a vicious fish killer was really highly unsuccessful in all respects other than two. There are now several needy fishy families much better off and much chubbier than they used to be. The second thing is that I am now not as completely grossed out by worms as I used to be. I still find them to be creepy and squirmy and gross, BUT in comparison to using raw liver as bait, they are right down delightful.

Aside from creepy crawlers the camping trip was just the right detox of work and technology that I needed. No TV, no cell phone signal, no checking email. It was however really funny to see all the crap that people take camping with them. Rocking chairs, baby swings to hang on trees, every single dish they own, really loud radios, and of course, their complete and total lack of knowing how to behave in public. Friday night included a free show of two rather classy people using well hushed voices to tell each other how much they enjoyed their presence in the camp ground, as a random guy in the background screamed ‘SHUT UP!!!’

Overall Patagonia Lake was lovely, in a valley surrounded by Arizona grasslands, which right now have teeny cute yellow wild flowers, and the occasional cow hanging out. The trip did also allow lots of opportunities for bug watching, which as a city slicker, I always enjoy, as long as there is no bug touching, which did get to be a little bit of a problem while tromping through the woods.

Birthweek continued...

2008-10-02T08:11:00.001-07:00

It's been a few days of technical glitches. First my piggybacked wireless internet decided to no longer work. Then the internet service which I finally decided to sign up for decided to not let me connect to it, and then! I thought I had forgotten my phone at work and couldn't call technical support to help me set it up, since for some reason or another, even though I tend to do just fine with tech stuff, despite not being a tech geek, I can NEVER set up an internet network.

Ever.

However, at 6 am I was woken up by my usual phone alarm going off, meaning that it was in my purse the entire time, and it was just that the SYNC thing in my car was not working properly, failed to connect to the phone last night, and made me be all momenteraly panicky about not having a phone for the evening. At least before I realized that we used to all go around without cellphones all the time, and the sky didn't fall on us. Just like we all used to walk around without Starbucks cups in our hand. Really, we did.

Anyway, tech rambling over.

Birthweek has continued on well, with only two minor glitches; one due to a small interruption to a Cubs game (*shakes fist*), and the other to the fact that 3.5" heels, no matter how pretty and comfortable, will still make my feet go numb.

Aside from that, the birthday dinner was at the very fancy new Japanese restaurant, Roka Akor, which tasty as it is, does have some weird design issues going on, with tables being very very far appart, the ceiling being very high, and not much there to break up the odd proportions of low horizontal surfaces and big vertical space. So tasty but expensive food, slightly uncomfortable space. I would have thought that a restaurant with traditional high end Japanese food would have taken a few more design guidelines from the very carefully proportioned Japanese design style. But like I said, the food was excellent, with roast duck breast, grilled asparagus, and tasty rolls going way beyond your typical california roll.

Now I'm just looking forward to a weekend of camping, trying fishing for the first time, getting someone else to touch the bait worms for me, and finally playing around with my new Seagull camera.

Tonight should be wine and cheese night with a friend at Bomberos in Phoenix, as well as giving the Puppers more big squishes, as it is her 4th birthday today.

Advice...

2008-10-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

When working with a heat gun for some time, don't put the hot tip on top of carpeting, or you will have to put up with the smell of burnt nylon all night. Yep, I'm that smart.

Update...

2008-09-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

The joy of the pre-birthday red velvet cupcake is quickly being followed by the burn of the eternal heartburn. It is just beyond wrong in my opinion that when one is inflicted with acid reflux, which is bad enough on its own, chocolate and cake produce horrible heartburn. Just plain WRONG.

Anyway, I forgot to do an update on the hair pins. The pin did look great on, specially once I set it back a bit futher in my hair, as it did look kind of funny right at the hair line. However, my wire shaping skills leave much to be desired, and I don't normally keep any square wire at home. And even if I did, afore mentioned sad wire shaping skills would just do me no good. I've asked beadgaldesigns to see if she can make some, but while she's working on that, I've had to suck it up and order some from Rio Grande, for the lovely price of $3 each.

Thats quite a price to pay for 4" of bent sterling wire, but oh well.

Birthday week days 1 & 2

2008-09-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am of the school of thought of not just celebrating a birthDAY but more of a birthWEEK. My sister and I started doing this some time ago. For me it's not so much about having lots of parties and fancy places to go to, it's really more just about doing something nice for myself, or taking the time to relax and such.

However, the birthday gifts to self are always my favorite part of birthweek. Yesterday the purchase was a deeply discounted pair of fancy shoes, which will be in self-imposed isolation till the actual birthday.

Today it is a tasty red velvet cupcake with vanilla cupcake and tasty blended vanilla iced latte. I'm convincing myself this year that birthweek calories don't count.

I have however also been busy with more home remodeling stuff, as my guest bathroom gets closer and closer to a complete demolition. The base cabinet, counter, mirror, and about 1/4 of the drywall are all gone, along with the flooring that was taken out the previous week. Last night I may have killed quite a few brain cells as I worked on getting some of the more stubborn pieces of sheet vinyl off with a heat gun. Nothing like heating up a known carcinogenic to make you feel smart. Tonight a few more brain cells are going as I get the last of it off.

And maybe rip out more drywall. I just need to remind myself that demolition is the *ahem* easy part.

Rose Lace Hair Pin

2008-09-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm working on expanding the Rose Lace Collection, and for the most part, I'm making things that I either need or can actually wear.

I am the biggest whimp about wearing jewelry. Anything weighing more than an ounce bothers me, which is why the Rose Lace necklace is so light, and at least one of the earrings are also.

And since I absolutely do not like to use hair products, unless my hair is very short, I've been using a lot of hair clips lately, to keet it out of my eyes. And I'm having a hard time finding any hair clips or pins that are not completely plain, so big that they do not slip out of my really fine hair, or little girlish.

So after experimenting a few times with making the bobby pin out of silver wire (do not try to hammer it flat, it just ends up all wonky), I finally got it, and tada!

I'm test driving this puppy out tonight to a bbq, and if it makes it through the day, new item for the collection.

In love...

2008-09-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

If a civil union were allowed between woman and a website, this would be the one. The Museum of Useful Things has one amazing, useful, and beautiful product after another.

Curly alunimum paperclips from Italy. Retro stainless steel staplers. Folding shopping baskets for Saturday morning farmers markets!

And my favorite. A german needle threader.

*sigh*

Patience Grasshopper...

2008-09-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not a terribly patient person. I never really have been, but I guess I am starting to get a bit better about it with age.

But when it comes to such things as waiting for responses of emails. Such as 'will you carry my jewelry?' emails. Or 'could you write me a letter of recommendation for post-grad school please?' emails.

It's just a lot of waiting for things to happen. I don't normally wait for things to happen. So now I'm all *bounce* and just anxious. So as a de-stressing exercise I will tonight finally get around to organizing that giant pile of magazine cuttings I've been saving for the last year or two.

And pet the pup.

New earrings

2008-09-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with the way this image turned out, or with how to photograph these earrings all together. But I'm very with the way the Rose Lace Collection is going so far.

There are a couple of other designs I intend to add to it, but I think I have to wait till I have the brain power to do so.

Visit their earrings here.

Rose Lace Collection

2008-09-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I feel like the ol' brain turns on and I get a good idea. And after some work at it, I can look at the finished product and get that warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

The design of these came somewhat from the Silver Rose Ring, which in itself came from the copper melty rings. Funny thing is that copper and silver have such a completely different way of melting that I can't make the exact same thing in both metals, with the exception of the silver and copper melted rose earrings. The melting process pretty much only works for both in about that size.

Almost...

2008-09-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Almost ready to post pictures of the new designs.

Almost...

I need to stop having fun and get back to work.

So not good...

2008-09-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm feelling real good about my jewelry making efforts tonight.

Maybe I should just be settle into TV watching for the rest of the night.

New work

2008-09-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping that these guys actually look good once finished and put on chain and all that. I'm really hoping since I'm making quite a few of them for a Fall '08 collection.

It's being a bit hard to make a cohesive collection, since its the first time I'm trying to do that. But right now, I'm willing to give up all my possessions for a lot of silver chain to I can finish up all these little guys. And some of those 3M bristle disks.

Why isn't the jewelry supply place open on Sunday mornings?

*sigh*

excuses...

2008-09-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

I do have to say that one of the reasons I didn't make jewelry for so long was a pretty good one.

I was working pretty much day and night on this lovely shawl here for my sister's wedding day.

So no preassure really.

Considering that I only started knitting about two years ago I'm a very good knitter already. A bit slow sometimes, and I've not yet mastered the art of knitting without looking at all, but I'm getting there. I'm also not at the point where I can knit lace with a very slippery yarn on aluminum needles while watching a foreign movie. But, I'll get there.

All that aside, the shawl did look wonderful when finished. The Hand Maiden yarn really just brings out the simple design of the Syrian pattern from Victorian Knits Today. This book has now become my knitting bible, and I have now moved on to knitting yet another shawl from it, but this time all the pain and suffering will be for myself.

My aunt's and their lace shawl wishlists will have to wait, as I'm not willing to drive myself nuts knitting a shawl every night for one and a half months straight again.

From now on, there is a one year wait on lace shawls.

working..

2008-09-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

This is a terrible photo, but at least I can kind of prove I've been getting some new work done. Slowly but surely.

And while some of the applications I'm doing are new, the work itself is not entirely new, rather more variations on an existing theme. I'm trying to work on a fall line based on the melted rose designs I've been doing for a couple of years now.

Hopefully the reality of these designs will turn out the way the work in my head.

Back from the Dead

2008-09-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time. Long, long time since I've posted anything here, or posted something new to the Etsy store. But the last few months have been a period of getting out, getting to feel better about things and my life, and I finally feel ready to deal with the constant rejection that comes with being an independent designer. Notice that not an ounce of sarcasm has been lost.

But I'm excited about a few things. I have a couple of shows I want to sign up for this fall. I'm making some new designs, and I'm finally getting around to setting up a real work space at home. Hopefully my deep lazyness won't set in before I'm done with that.

In other news, check out the new blog at http://bestofphx.blogspot.com/ for all of my faves in the Phoenix area.