happy happy new year!

photo via ffffound (for some strange reason i didn't note the photo taker. if you know who created this one, please let me know).

wishing you a safe, celebration-filled new years eve to you all! i am so grateful for all the gifts life has presented this year--the amazing ones for sure, and even the white-elephant-ish-not-so-sure-what-to-do-with type. thanks, hindsight, i have learned so much. next year will be awesome, i can feel it... XO

super mini road trip

images taken in los gatos, ca. along the bike trail.

already back from the bay area. saturday & monday offered the best driving weather i can remember. i want to go back to santa barbara in a few weekends to take pictures of the rolling hills, all alive with green & orange. i swear i've never seen them look so lovely.

happy holidays

i'm expecting lots of family, laughs, good food, and coziness in the coming days. hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with family & friends. bring it on, 2010!

tiny magic

*family visits
*brunch at larkin's (you must!)
*afternoon delight on the mt.
*little terrier dogs, everywhere
*2-day work week
*bourbon & hot cider

vintage holiday cards

i really love these vintage 1950's-1960's holiday cards by late textile designer Walter Erhard. they are available for purchase, here. perhaps you can request a speedy delivery.

bow down to greatness

"Tom Killion was born and raised in Mill Valley, California, on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais. The rugged scenery of Marin County and Northern California inspired him from an early age to create landscape prints using linoleum and wood. He is influenced by the Japanese artists, Hokusai and Hiroshige, and using Japanese carving tools, he creates wood and linoleum block prints of landscape images he has first sketched on site...".

i am excited and a little nervous to hear Tom speak. i can't wait to see his work in person. for more information about his process and to see his work, go here.

morning walk

i love breezy days up on the "mt." they allow for the most clear and expansive views. we might take the metro into little tokyo this afternoon. and, i'm excited to show you all the printing i've been doing lately.

it's been 4 months

a few of our favorite elopement images via the magnificent Terry Way

nick & i eloped 4 months ago today. i am the luckiest girl. a special thanks to our amazing photographer, Terry, for capturing our family on this unforgettable day on Ribera Rd. beach in Carmel, Ca. we are especially grateful for his spectacular images of our baby girl, Geeg. revisit our adventures into married life and our honeymoon throughout the southwest, here.

i heart you

have a lovely day.

pretty baby

pretty baby, you look so heavenly
a neo-nebular from under the sun
eyes that tell me incense & peppermints
your looks are larger than life, long love innocence

lyrics to Pretty Baby, Blondie, 1978

Behold the Day: The Color Block Prints of Frances Gearhart

Still Water, 1930.


Oregon Coast, 1930.

November Textures, 1930.

Mt. Hood, 1929.

images via Frances Gearhart
exhibit continues through January 31, 2010 at the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

happy halloween!

Brock Davis

(click the image for a lil surprise!)
bottoms up! will your weekend entail some interesting adventures?

early riser

saturday

7:00 am: woke to the sound of lovely owl hoots.

7:04 am: opened eyes to see orange and yellow swirls of magic in the sky.

7:05 am: slipped moccasins on feet, grabbed camera, walked outside to see beauty.

i'll keep you warm

i love our giant yard this time of year. everything is green & perky & wonderful smells are everywhere. this mushroom family was hiding in one of nick's bonsai pots and we almost missed it. it's the small, amazing things that matter...

also, some exciting (for nick) and creepy (for me) news: a trap door spider wandered into our house and found itself on our carpet near the kitchen. nick let him out with the help of a pint glass and some newspaper. i'm hoping he found his way down the hill, into the more expansive part of our property.

new bag

be-lated birthday purchase from anthropologie. thanks, les, for being the most supportive shopping-partner-in-crime, ever!

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

yosemite in the beginning. this female traveler visited the park in 1902. photo via PBS


hello, El Capitan (Yosemite)!


the 1.5 mile tunnel at Zion was created in the 1920's.


Redwood National Forest. yes, the forest actually meets the beach. i know, i know, it's unbelievable.


pathway to Humboldt State University. the base of this bridge is a fallen redwood tree.

i am completely enamored with Ken Burns' series The National Parks: America's Best Idea. the history of the parks is so rich, i really had no idea how many people had visions-of-greatness which helped steamroll their creation or how many hurdles had to be jumped in order for precious land to be secured. it all kind of makes me wish i was a park ranger (trust me, with a sewing machine, and a good pair of fabric-only shears, i could re-work those ranger digs). if you haven't already taken the time to watch, you should. and then, quickly, take a trip to the park that speaks to you with the loudest voice!

nick, chelsea & i had the most amazing adventures this summer as we embarked on our journey into married life (okay, that part was just me & nick) and honeymooned through several national parks in the southwest. but, to be completely honest, we love the Redwood's best! when i stepped into the redwood forest for the first time, i knew that i needed to experience THAT life above anything else and, somehow, i knew my life would be richer as a result. i had no idea i would be so touched...

dear joanna...

i'm still reflecting on your performance, the most amazing live show i've ever experienced. thank you for your gifts.

forever,
inspired

pretty in pink 2/life cycle

hooray, it's officially fall. in order to properly welcome my favorite season, i have to give a BIG THANKS to all of summer's loveliness which helped bring us these beautiful roses...

it's so hard to say good bye

last week, nick & i had to euthanize our precious chelsea. we are devastated & heartbroken, but it helps to trust that we gave her the best life ever. for now, i'll spare you all the details. but, if you don't mind, i'll continue to post photos of her/us, as i see fit...

just a baby girl in this photo, chelsea a.k.a. "geeg," "le stinque," and "pookie face," was all ears, literally!

new mexico version 2.0

homemade stuffed pasilla peppers. filling: seasoned ground turkey, tomato infused wild rice, mexican style mozzarella. and a simple spinach and red onion salad with easy lemon, thyme and olive oil dressing.


maybe i should start a food-only blog...

if i had magic hands... pt. 3

if i had magic hands, i'd turn this image taken from space via the hubble...


...into this head-to-to Louis Vuitton fall '09 RTW ensemble.

images via the Washington Post & Style.com

figs

new figs on the 60 year old fig tree.


just a wee-lil guy.


fig eat'n season has begun!


with so many figs, literally 50 in one picking, we decided to create a new dinner recipe i like to call "figgy pork." originally, we wanted to use country style pork ribs given their nicely proportioned meat-to-fat ratio (please don't get grossed out, the fat renders off, it's drained, and you're left with the most succulent pork E.V.E.R). with no country ribs in sight, we opted for pork shoulder. it's not as fatty, but equally tender if you let is stew long enough. nick browned the pork, drained the excess fat, added 30 figs, chili flake, garlic, onions, and chicken stock, and placed in the oven for over 2 hours. it turned out magnificently--the perfect blend of sweet & savory.

Blood Simple

we just saw Blood Simple, the Coen brothers' directorial debut. creepy, confusing, and sooo good! the wardrobe/costume dept. gets a "special mention" because if i could time travel back to 1984, i would rock any of Frances McDormand's outfits in a heartbeat.


at this point, the suspense was at its height. go here to see the 2 minute trailer.

work station

image via apartment therapy

i love the use of this otherwise hard to use space. i would house my jewelry tools, beads, chain, & fabric in the boxes, use the sturdy planks as my work station, and display my pieces on the empty wall to the right.

the station fire

on sunday we could see the flames on the mountain range about 8 miles from our home. it was surreal. although we no longer see the flames (the fire is still burning out of control), we are left with tons of smoke and ash. in all this chaos and loss comes the sun, peaking through, to prove there's hope...