3.31.2008
colour lovers
bart forwarded colourlovers to me about 30 minutes ago & i've got a profile up already. this is a place to create, share & search for colors, color palettes & patterns. i love the site; it is easy to use & search. an aspect that i really enjoy is when creating a new color or a color palette you can upload links & images that inspired the creation. here is my take on the kiwi restaurant in la paz.
3.28.2008
hollywood regency
i've seen this term around - hollywood regency - but i let it slip past me. up until wednesday i let it be seen, but never registered. up until wednesday i had not heard of the parker palm springs. this leads to fantasizing about sun, living in southern california, having bold wallpaper & wearing a bathing suit with a flowy white robe all day, every day.
hatch has a great post on decorating titled hollywood regency 101 that you must read if you are interested in the style. it's funny to look back at my apartment inspiration folder & see how much of it is in this style.
3.26.2008
worm meet robin
it's always fun at my 8-5er when i get to work on one of our quarterly postcards. my director brought the concept to me & let me go to town. i had a lot of fun doing photo tracing & vector work - not to mention picking the colors. i would make the greens a little less muted next time, but i love the fresh feeling of the pink-oranges with the warm grays.
happy spring everyone!
etsy wednesday
i love these sweet flower pins by creme-tangerine. the pins are made from layers of hand-cut & singed fabric, embellished with seed beads & finished with a simple pin on the back. most pins are 1.5" to 2.5" & cost $10-$20 for a set.
all freckles
a lack of posts huh? i'd say so.
bart & i just got back from our 8 day trip to el pescadero, in the baja. it was a fantastic trip, 80 degrees & 100% sun, it was much needed & deserved. i'd recommend it to anyone; sierra de la costa was the perfect casita, just 100 yards from the beach & run by great people. we spent most of our time sitting on the beach & swimming in the ocean at our beach & los cerritos; we did make our way to la paz for the day, eat lots of tacos at barajas tacos & drink a lot of tecate & tequila.
on a color & design note - i was amazed by the natural & man made color palettes of the baja. la paz was filled with burnt corals, seafoam greens & off white. i also liked the greens, warm greys & bursts of red found on our drive through the desert. i am hoping to do some color schemes from my trip - keep your eyes peeled.
more pics
3.13.2008
red velvet cupcakes & more
i made my 2008 to do list about 2.5 months ago & i am off to a good start; i like lists, i like making them & crossing things off of them. so far i've attacked cleaning out my walk-in closet, going somewhere warm for my birthday (leaving for the baja on monday) & here is my experience with making red velvet cake.
my first shot was about a month ago. the cupcakes & frosting turned out yummy - but it made a ton. the red velvet was very moist & flavorful & the frosting was super rich (i ate many spoonfuls).
recipe found on the food network:
cupcakes
15.5 ounces all-purpose flour
1.25 teaspoons baking soda
1.25 teaspoons salt
1.25 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 cups vegetable oil
13 ounces granulated sugar
1.25 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
4 tablespoons red food coloring
1.25 teaspoons vinegar (white or apple cider)
1.25 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup water
mix flour, baking soda, salt & cocoa in bowl & set aside. in a mixer add the oil, sugar & buttermilk, mix until combined. next add the eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla & water, mix well. slowly add dry ingredients to the mixer, just until combined; do not over mix. bake the cupcakes for 20 - 30 minutes at 350 F.
cream cheese frosting
1.5 pounds cream cheese, room temp
1 pound butter, room temp
2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
mix cream cheese & butter until creamed. gradually add the powdered sugar & finish with adding the vanilla after all combined. this makes a lot of frosting; i recommend cutting the recipe in half or being prepared to freeze it.
here is another red velvet recipe that i used for the most recent batch. i liked these just as well & they are a lot simpler to make. i found this recipe on the recipe slanger.
cupcakes
1 box white cake mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1.5 cups water, room temp
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon red food coloring
start by mixing the cake mix & cocoa, set aside. blend water, vegetable oil, eggs & food coloring in mixer. add the dry ingredients & mix on a medium speed for 2 minutes. bake for 22 - 25 minutes at 350 F.
i used the same cream cheese recipe from before, this one simply used a little bit of milk in addition to the other ingredients.
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in addition to red velvet cupcakes i made a couple other items last weekend: chocolate covered red vines & buttermilk cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.
i wasn't a fan of the buttermilk cupcakes, but the frosting was to die for. i used the basic cream cheese frosting recipe, but added 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice & 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. it was a perfect pucker. mmmmmmm.
for the red vines i began by melting white chocolate morsels over boiling water, stirring often. once it was completely melted i dipped in red vines to cover about 4 inches of them. i placed them on wax paper covered cookie sheets, poured on the sprinkles & popped them in the freezer for 15 minutes. they are a sugar overload & i might add a little milk to thin out the chocolate the next time.
3.12.2008
etsy wednesday
i recently found the store of picciolo. she is a london-based graphic designer by day & artist by night. i like her stuff because it is all so clean, yet detailed & playful. the store features key chains, fabric art & hanging decorations. her work ranges from $8 - $48.
cork coasters & trivets
i just saw these on the design*sponge; they had a diy contest & this was one of the finalists. #18 by abigail, that's all they give us.
i've been a keeper of corks ever since i was a bartender back in michigan. i've also been wondering what to do with the latest collection & here i go. the corks were sliced into about 1/4" discs & then stitched together with 2-3 stitches. this should be a quick, fun project!
3.05.2008
etsy wednesday
3.03.2008
high-waisted, button-front skirt
i saw this skirt by house of spy in lucky magazine a couple of months ago & was determined that i could make it myself. after a few sketches & planning out what my simplified skirt required, i headed to the fabric store, not sure of what i wanted. i stumbled upon some blue/grey stretchy canvas that resembled dickies material. i knew it would work.
i created a rough outline (pattern) based on my earlier sketches, drew it in chalk on the fabric & began cutting. i only cut out the basic shapes, leaving a lot of extra fabric at the top of the pieces because i hadn't figured out how the draw string or waistband was going to work. i was hoping that all of the details would come together after i was able to hold the basic shape to my body (i need a dress form, but think i would be frightened by it). i was happy to find out that they would. the adjustments go like this:
- 2" waistband with a split in the back
- 2.5" hem at bottom of the skirt
- two darts on back of skirt, each 4" from back seam
- 3 buttons down the front of the skirt (i am going to add some hiding snaps too)
- 2 darts on front of skirt, each 2.5" from the button panel
- faux draw string attached 2" from each end on the inside of the skirt, come to the front through buttonholes & tie
more detailed pics