weekend... in waiting

Okay, not quite yet. I haven't reached the overly anxious state, but I'm starting to wonder when it's going to happen.

This weekend, we enjoyed







Valentine's brunch at Gjelina. Delicious and much less stressful than dinner out.




Little tokens of affection.




More projects... I realized that while using our stroller as a bassinet is both space saving and economical, we don't have a sheet. Which seems important for leaking diapers and things. And Bugaboo, which makes every single accessory on the planet including a coffee cup holder, doesn't make one. So I made a simple pillowcase-style sheet for ours. I'm sure it will work just fine.




And a looong hike in Temescal Canyon (as part of my "let's get labor started sooner than later" program), followed by a trip to the Getty Villa. By then I was mostly interested in the herb garden and lunch.



Though I did get a kick out of a distinguished set of older gentlemen making their way through the Men in Antiquity exhibit.



And now, here I am. Not at the Getty anymore, but you know, waiting. And also trying to enjoy the time I have before everything changes.

early morning walk with my camera

One of the few benefits to being woken v. early for no apparent reason by the chickens in your backyard is you have a lot more time in the morning to putter about before you have to leave for work. And when I say few benefits, I actually mean ONLY benefit.

The chickens are not being looked upon favorably at the moment.

But I did take a nice walk through my funky little neighborhood, enjoying the changing light of early fall mornings. It's still hot, but the light changes even when the temperature stays summery.

And before I forget, I made this last night (with a few substitutions due to ingredients on hand) and it was delicious. Make it, if you know what's good for you.



Strawflowers I've been drying to use for an undecided project.



scabiosa pods left over from our wedding.



Our neighborhood has a system of little alleys that run behind some of the houses and one in particular has been an urban farm plot, probably since the 40's when our neighborhood was built. It's a real victory garden! It's also fairly neglected these days, but still one of my favorite places to walk.



asian squash vines peek over fences.



fence. I love grey.



see, I live in a city! we have graffiti!



tangle.



tiny spider thread.



workbench. people are very into DIY home projects in our neighborhood.



particularly pretty flower.



Those fig trees I mentioned yesterday. I only took what would fit in my coffee cup. Must return with a bag.

i sewed

And I swear it might have been the most satisfying thing I've done in a long while. My friend Deja and I took a class at The Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica (right behind the Peets on Main Street) and it was so fun.

Adding to the list of things I need...



New sewing machine that does fancy stitches with the twist of a knob. I'm pretty sure I was more excited about our test stitches than the final product.



I made a pillow. Wheeeeee! I think I will make pillows for everyone for Christmas this year. Forget about jam and other canned goodies. 2009 is the year of the pillow. Unless I learn to make something else in the next few months.

Also, even if you are a proficient seamstress, they give classes in every sort of craft you can imagine. And they have a great little supply shop that sells all sorts of essentials and really cute fabric.



I even bought a few pieces. For "research" as I'm calling it. Poor Brock. He is such a good sport.

a sitting room...

full of sunshine and succulents. Wouldn't you die to have one?



From Melanie's dear friend Kate's house (her mom's house actually), an insanely beautiful, special, walk-around-with-jaw-on-the-floor type of California craftsman in Hollywood.

This sunroom used to be a porch on the second floor but some time in it's history, was enclosed and turned in a perfect home for books and plants and afternoon readers.

I wish I had a better picture, but alas...

kogi

Friday night, just finished dinner with friends at AK on Abbot Kinney and there, parked in front of the Brig, glowing like a beacon of the promised land, is Kogi. JUST finished dinner, as in stepping out of the restaurant and into line behind a taco truck. We had no choice.

For non-LA residents, Kogi is a Korean taco truck that roams the streets of LA declaring its whereabouts though it's Twitter feed. Which means these tacos can be elusive, especially if you're not on Twitter. Delicious culinary delights I say, that as it turns out are perfectly sized for a post dinner snack. Spicy kimchi topped dessert, if you will.

If you live here, you need to eat these.

(bottom pic from Kogi)

new flowers from hoot & heart

If anyone out there is looking for an LA florist, you should definitely talk to Hoot & Heart. Something about opening a flower shop that sounds so romantic and fun and idyllic. Like you'd never get tired of going to work because it would be just about the same as skipping through a meadow on your way to a picnic every day. I'm sure this is how florists would describe their jobs as well.



They did a beautiful job with our wedding... which I will post soon, I promise.

heath LA opening... muy tarde

Sooo, I keep forgetting to post this! But I'm going to anyway, even though it's old news because the store is great and ceramics are greater and the opening was really fun.



I went with my friend Deja, who is an interior designer for Marmol-Radziner here in LA. (She slipped me the invite because Heath is one of their partners). Isn't she cute?

Highlights

They have a whole inspiration board wall showing their process and colors and such. I heart things like this:



Commune (insanely awesome design company whose houses are some of the coolest interiors I've ever seen) did the store, and released a limited edition set of linens for the opening. They were beeeeauuutiful. and I was all set on buying the charcol table cloth, until I read the price tag. yikes.



Plus, they have their whole line showcased which is quite obviously the most beautiful thing in the entire universe in it's timeless simplicity.



I was literally walking around going, "Have it. Have it. Want it. Need it. Have it...." I felt like I was at the opening of an artist I reallllllly like. And collect. And John C. Reilly was there. Which was cool because I LOVE him. It was also kind of funny. You go to a Shepard Fairey opening, you get Adrian Grenier. You go to the Heath opening, you get John C. Reily. Makes sense.

And possibly the neatest thing was, look:



Skinny Laminx at Heath! I love Heather's work. And I love how Heath supports independent artisans in their shop. Those cutting boards are beautiful as are the salad tongs from Jonathan's Spoons. Both of which I MAY or MAY NOT have. Yes, I registered for the entire Heath catalog.

Anyway, the new store is beautiful. And now we don't have to go ALL the way to Sausalito for factory seconds.

(excuse iPhone photo graininess, please)

urban craft center in santa monica

I stopped at Peets on my way in to work this morning and was AGAIN reminded of this super neat little addition to Santa Monica: the Urban Craft Center. I can't wait to really check it out... as in, go inside instead of taking creepy stalker-like iPhone pictures through the glass.





Being that one of my 2009 resolutions is "remember how to sew," I think I'll need to investigate their classes. I mean, I at some point did know how to sew, but I don't do it enough and the whole bobbin thing just mystifies me for some inexplicable reason. But I do have a sewing machine, so I am fully committed dusting it off this year.

It looks like their schedule comes out this week. yay.

prettiest flowers for an as of yet to be determined event

So since the wedding has passed, i'm going to need to come up with an event that is important enough to rationalize employing Dandelion Ranch. Their work is so rad.







seed pods. love seed pods and persimmons and asparagus fern and succulents all together in one pretty vintage vessel. I'm trying to weasel my way into future sister-in-law Melanie's (now referring to her as FSIL Melanie) appointment with them. Maybe I can hire them for floral decors for my make believe backyard banjo party in the summer?

Images from Dandelion Ranch, (cutest name, BTW). Found via Daily Candy.

banjo jam at the hollywood farmers market

WELL, we didn't come close to doing all the things i claimed we were going to this weekend... I mean, obviously. but who cares, right? I don't.

Instead we did things like go, for the first time in the 7 years that I've lived in LA, to the Sunday Hollywood Farmer's Market. Just the musicians alone made it worth the trip. That and the salted carmel ice cream.





I <3 this trio. They were so into their music, so soulful with their banjo and fiddling and old-timey music. I need to invent an excuse to have a party, next summer, in our backyard... so they can come play.

This is why you travel. Because then you come home and you look at your own city like a visitor and you again appreciate all the beautiful moments it has to offer. Plus for a thoroughly contented west-sider, going to Hollywood IS like traveling. We don't get out much.

Heath LA opens this weekend

I'm nearly as excited about this as I was about our wedding. Okay, maybe not THAT excited. But I'm pretty delirious with anticipation. Whhhhyyyy do I love housewares so much??? It's like coffee. My life would probably be a lot better if I didn't drink it, but it's sooooo good and warm and thoroughly essential to the very core of my being.







(pictures from Heath, invite from my friend Deja who works as an interior designer for one of Heath's partners, Marmol Radziner. Thanks Dej!)

Also this weekend, we are getting our Christmas tree, going to this, making our Thank You cards (yay - projects!), and continuing to dig ourselves out from under the wedding debris that is still covering our house (and our life) with a light to medium dusting of supplies, boxes, projects, and other ephemera.

Yay, weekend.

Heath LA + seasonal beauties

So I was innocently stalking my, I mean OUR, registry a few afternoons ago and there on Heath's homepage was just one teeny new thing... under Sausalito (the original and thus far only store) was another city! Mine. I feel like I've just won the lottery. Next thing you know, they'll be putting in a Ferry Building in my neighborhood. (I can wait until 2010, it's fine). Hee hee.



(accidental obama plug, but how f*ing great is that?)

Factory seconds at any moment. It's like the design gods came down to earth and validated LA. I am such a nerd.

Also. The new seasonal collection is out. It's pretty rad.

my dress at Alix & Kelly (who I also love)

The dress fits. And I love it. Want to see?



The flower for my hair. Alix & Kelly happened to have the perfect one at their studio. Plus they are adding a few feathers for me. They are the best. (And my grandma's ring that I'm wearing for the wedding.)




Kelly pinning the hem of my dress. (Yes, the women who own the line are actually Alix and Kelly and they are so awesome).




And my shoes with the raggedy pinned hem of the dress.


My mom took all the photos, nice job Mom!

Anyone in LA looking for a beautiful, simple, classy gown I can't say enough times that you should make an appointment with these two women! They are so nice, so thoughtful, so creative... and it feels so great to be wearing a dress made by their little company instead of by a corporate wedding giant. Their studio is downtown in the fashion district (next to the Cooper Building so if you time your appointment right you can hit the sample sales afterwards) and it's low key and full of light and just my style.

And they have v. cute bridesmaid dresses. In like every color you can imagine.

alixkelly.com

go, now, quickly!

summer salads for dinner

While the official, official start of summer is still 2 days away, I say let's buck the calendar and call it here... as of yesterday. The Wednesday farmer's market at opening yesterday morning was literally bustling with the warm summer energy of people ready for long days, heirloom tomatoes, obscure berries, and generally cool food. If you're not familiar with the Santa Monica Wednesday market, it's practically a living legend. Chefs from all over southern California descend on the 4 blocks lined with farmer stalls to fill their cold rooms with local produce to last the week. And lucky for me, our office moved 1 block from the market back in January so now I get to join the early risers with my reusable baggu bags (which are awesome, you should get some, they fit in your purse!), for first pick of the week's haul. I seriously NEVER get tired of it. Though returning to the office, with produce coming out my ears is admittedly less than ideal. Really I want to come home and play with my food.

Anyway. Summer. It is here and it inspired my salads last night. Both would be excellent staples for backyard dinners and BBQ potlucks.

Cucumber salad with yogurt and dill (for 2)
*This was directly stolen/inspired by a salad served for the post-wedding brunch at Farm255 in Athens last sunday.

a mix of 5 organic cucumbers - i used japanese (from fairview gardens at the market) and pickling (from my yard)
super thinly sliced red onion about the size of a lemon
dill
greek style yogurt
sea salt
pepper
lime

Using a mandolin (or if you don't have one, a sharp knife) thinly slice cukes into rounds. don't go for paper thin. you want them to stay crisp in the dressing. Do the same for the onion. If you're using a young onion, you will need more since the flavor is milder. For a normal red onion, use less. Though the amount really depends on taste.

Combine with dill in a large bowl for mixing. On the side, mix 1/2 c yogurt (i think you could use sour cream too, which might have been what they did at the restaurant since theirs was ultimately creamier) with a lil' bit of olive oil, juice from a lime, salt, and pepper. Dump onto cukes. Mix. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted heirloom potato salad for summer
*This one I made up on the fly so amounts are kind of loose. Go by feel.

mixed bag of baby potatoes (purple, red, yellow) Washed and par-boiled, to speed the roasting.
1 cloved smashed garlic
olive oil
s & p

Halve potatoes. Toss with olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. (Reserve dirty bowl for tossing the whole salad). Roast on a foil lined cookie sheet at 400 for ~20 mins. But check on them often since they are little and partially cooked already.

green beans
baby tomatoes
basil
salt and pepper

Trim and blanch green beans 1 minute. Make sure to have your ice bath ready so they stay crunchy in the final salad. Cut into halves or thirds so the beans are slightly larger than bite size. Halve the tomatoes. Thinly slice the basil.

Toss everything (in the original bowl you tossed the potatoes so you get any leftover garlic and olive oil) together with a little salt and pepper and maybe a touch more olive oil to taste.



YUM. I was licking my plate.