summer delights

huge, organic, beefsteak tomatoes grown in our backyard.  home grown tomatoes are hands down the best:  sweet, super juicy, and just a slight bit tangy.  we used ours to make a chunky, uncooked pasta sauce (and added spicy olives and arugula), and gazpacho.

i can't believe summer is almost over...

Yard Sale

yesterday, the fabulous Toni Walker of fair season hosted Yard Sale at Space 15 Twenty in Hollywood -- and i was selected to participate with my reduction linocuts.  great people, great energy, and Chaka Khan on the turntable.  norm was there, too, and although i didn't snap any photos of him meeting and greeting the passers by, i can assure you that he won the hearts of hundreds!

we found a shady spot right next to Umami Burger.  btw -- their truffle fries are to die for!

a little tidbit.

the foliage creeping up the brick wall only added to my set up.

Trinidad

seagulls.

more banana slugs than i can remember.  this one was hanging around the area where people washed their dishes.

waiting.

gorgeous fog.

taking a break.

i'm standing in our camp site while taking this photo.

norm is only 14 pounds so blankets and a warm bed were necessities.



every year we look forward to our summer camping trip that always takes place in Trinidad, Ca.  camping for us is simple:  tent, a few chairs, good books and fashion magazines, and a fully stocked cooler with local specialties including Humboldt Fog cheese and Brio bread.  we took long walks along the beach and through the tiny town of Big Lagoon, relaxed and enjoyed the unusual-for-this-time-of-year sunshine.

North Coast beauty

every summer we spend a few weeks exploring California's north coast, and inevitably end up in the Redwood forests of Humboldt.  this year was no exception.  we drove up Hwy 1 past San Francisco and took a short detour to Sebastopol in order to visit a dear friend.  on night 3 of our excursion we landed in Ft. Bragg and stayed at the Beachcomber Motel.  all of these photos were taken while walking the path between the hotel and the cliffs. 

smelling the crisp late afternoon air, and letting the sun warm his face.

norm was so curious.  of course he spotted the gophers and wild rabbits hiding in the brush.

the misty afternoon, somehow, produced a gorgeous sunset. 

*** sorry for the lack of words on the previous post.  i was/am still trying to figure out how to use this version of blogger***

Ribera Rd. Beach

Saturday, June 25th, join me...

...HERE! i've been, ever so kindly, asked to participate in NativeLA's art-fashion-handmade-flea market this Saturday, June 25th, taking place in lovely Downtown Los Angeles. linocut reduction prints, letterpressed cards & cheeky statements, food trucks, wine, cupcakes, and ... ME! so come on over and say hello.

to Japan, with love...

hello, darling... fancy script, printed with the softest pink.


double hearts to demonstrate solidarity.


hand wrapped with beautiful images from catalougues which otherwise would have been thrown away.

we are all connected, so let's DO SOMETHING!!
5-hand-set, hand-pulled letterpress "Hello, darling..." cards, printed on luxurious Fabriano Mediovalis stationary. cutest hand-set hearts on the accompanying envelopes. i will be donating 25% from the sale of these cards to the Red Cross in order to help aid the relief efforts in Japan. i will do the same for my hand-carved, hand-pulled "feather" print. my etsy shop will be updated with the news, tonight.

xo

sunday's sour cream pancakes = greatest breakfast of all time

this weekend, we were expecting epic amounts of rainfall from what was touted as the "storm of the year." in preparation for staying in for hours on end, i meal planned accordingly, paying special attention to sunday's breakfast. nick & i love eggs of all kinds: poached, scrambled with loads of veggies, fried in bacon grease (okay, i know that one sounds awful, but we only indulge once in a while, and we're sure to drain the excess dripping fat prior to consuming.), but i wanted to make something relatively egg free, new to us & delicious. enter: sour cream pancakes & sour cream maple sauce. you can find the recipe here. they couldn't have been easier to whip up. light & fluffy due to the sour cream, and with only 1 Tbsp. sugar in the entire batch, not at all sweet. i added approximately 1 tsp. of almond extract to the batter for an extra special kick. also pictured: homemade brown sugar & loads of cracked pepper bacon. easy, too! sprinkle with both just prior to placing in the oven. voila!


i'm proclaming this the "greatest breakfast of all time."

get shorty

Pen Pal

Mars

oh, Rach... you do it to me every time!

...SNEEK PEEK... new 3 block reduction print...

my dears, this is a little glimpse of my new reduction print. IT'S FINISHED! phew, i've been working on it for 10 months. more details, soon...

tea towels

the towels were tightly packaged & secured with rough twine.


individual wrappers identifying each towel, along with the artists name. genius!


"triangles" limited edition


"outer space" limited edition

yesterday i received a little package from one of my favorite etsy shops. inside were two gorgeous tea towels, made from fair trade, 100% organic cotton, holding the printed images of two different illustrations by artist Leah Duncan. because i am so picky, i have been looking for new kitchen towels forever ((i know, christina, they're TOWELS)), and i must say, i am beyond thrilled with these. if you haven't checked out her shop before, please do. so many lovely things -- i want them all!

RIP Trish Keenan of Broadcast

"my feet are dancing can you see them?"

chair fantasy (pt. 1)

i am obsessed with chairs. i wish we had the space in our teeny-tiny home to house this one. the mustard-y leather & dainty yet sturdy wooden legs would be even more perfect once distressed.

cacti & hypertufa

our neighbors left this cute box of cacti from Sebastopol on their steps with a sign that read "free."


this one has the tiniest fuzzy dots all over.


homemade hypertufa pots.** the beauty of the material is that it's flexible, can be molded into a wide range of shapes, takes color well, and once dried, its surface can be left bumpy or sanded smooth. i love its rustic look.


project complete.

**nick made all of these!

fancy popcorn

the dry kernels were easily pulled off the cob & into a large soup pot.


i melted lightly salted butter with red chili flakes, fresh thyme, black pepper & salt.


once the corn was popped, i drizzled the kernels with the melted butter concoction, and added grated parmesano reggiano to taste.

also, i am dying to have popcorn drizzled with truffle oil. have you EVER?! talk about fancy.

>> 2010 >>> 2011 >>>>

thank you for stopping by in 2010, you have made me want to become a better journalist. 2011, i'm ready for you to bring it!!

this year will include:
. our first full year with norm chompsky, "gopher killer"
. getting better at photography
. our second year of marriage!!
. serious food adventures
. only fancy wine
. better linocuts
. oldest friends
. new friends
. PIES!
. trust
. risk

photo source