But the most delightful part is the "making of" video. Think of all those husbands, puttering around in their garages. Sometimes they come up with something.
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I find this more amusing than my kids do
7 years ago
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Best. Christmas. Ever.
Both of my babies, together for Christmas in the Dollhouse. Lina, all the way from France. Ali, down from Canadia.
Bliss!Friday, December 9, 2011
Vashon Island Studio Tour: Fire-Fiber-Flower
Okay, I admit I didn't get very far. In fact, I only got to one studio. This weekend I'll hit a few more.
I got stuck admiring the Fire component (Shannon Buckner) and the Flower section (Mike Urban) and completely missed the Fiber (Green Hatter - my apologies!)
Shannon is a badass blacksmith/artist/designer that creates these wonderful Art Nouveau influenced pieces. I want them all. I am particularly happy about the ball bearings she has married to the tops of some of the wires.
Mike was a photographer for 20 years for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Now he creates these wonderful flowers that I am completely smitten with. I also want all of these. Permanent flowers. The best part about them is that he takes glass I have walked by in any number of second hand stores and creates something I totally crave.BUT.
He also makes upcycled dinosaurs. More badassed-ness. Check out his website for much better photos than I took.
A tree even joined the festivities - trees with weird stuff on them are always a source of surprise for a girl from Kansas. Lichens are my new favorites.
Waiting for the ferry I noticed that my favorite stand of madrone (aka madrona) is now sporting some festive red berries in addition to the tawny red bark. The bark color reminds me of the color of the earth in Oklahoma and Uganda.
I scored a front row seat on the ferry back.
Another peek of Mt. Rainier while driving off the ferry.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Anthropocene Era?
I'm absolutely crazy passionate about maps. Love 'em. LOVE THEM. I don't know if it's because I spent a lot of time as a child looking at the National Geographic Magazine (boobies!!) and always got excited when one of them came with a map. I would unfold it, smooth it out, locate north, and start on my journey. I was always interested in looking at the waterways and mountains because you could see how cities came to be built, located at a nexus of potential transportation or stopped by some geographic obstruction.
And of course Saul Steinberg made me laugh out loud at his accurate portrayal of East Coasters:
How about this gorgeous (but sobering) animation from Globaia:
<p>Anthropocene Mapping from Globaïa on Vimeo.</p>
And from the so-on-point xkcd:
Wait a minute. What? "Bikini baristas arrested for allegedly exposing themselves for tips"
Seriously.
I don't know if this is a PNW thing, a West Coast thing, or just a Washington thing. Ali was ~ erm ~ exposed to this last summer when he unknowingly rolled up to a drive through coffee joint and found himself being asked for $3.95 by a buxom girl in a skimpy bikini top. He didn't mention anything about tipping.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
bags!
oh, and my little plant in the back that so surprised me with its abundant flowers and overall heart shape.l, m
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Cauliflower. Who knew?
Honestly, if I make this again, I don't think I'd even bother with all the stuff listed. Just roast the damn thing in olive oil and salt and pepper and be done with it. I kept snacking on the roasted cauliflower and hardly had any left over to do all the fussy stuff with.
Still tasty though.
Changes I made: Halved the quantity. Substituted Craisins for golden raisins. Left out the chicken broth and vinegar, substituted a splash of rose wine instead. Forgot to put in the parsley.
From Epicurious:
Crispy Cauliflower with Capers, Raisins, and Breadcrumbs Bon Appétit | November 2011
by Susan Spungen
The secret behind this Sicilian-inspired dish: crunchy homemade breadcrumbs. To make your own, let cubes of ciabatta or another white bread dry out, then buzz them into coarse crumbs in a food processor.
Yield: Makes 8-10 servings
ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into 2" florets
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, soaked, rinsed, patted dry
3/4 cup fresh coarse breadcrumbs
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower florets with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl; season mixture with salt and pepper. Divide cauliflower mixture between 2 large rimmed baking sheets, spreading out in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until cauliflower is golden and crispy, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Cauliflower can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Reheat before using.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over medium- low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 5-6 minutes. Add capers and cook until they start to pop, about 3 minutes longer. Add breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Cook, stirring often, until breadcrumbs are golden, 2-3 minutes; transfer breadcrumb mixture to a plate and set aside.
Add chicken broth and anchovy paste (if using) to same saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add golden raisins and white wine vinegar and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. DO AHEAD: Breadcrumb and raisin mixtures can be made 2 hours ahead. Rewarm raisin mixture before continuing.
Transfer warm cauliflower to a serving bowl. Scatter raisin mixture over, then toss to distribute evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cauliflower with breadcrumb mixture and parsley.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
It's all Charles and Ray Eames' fault
I'm not going to write a treatise about Charles and Ray Eames.
When I was young, I played with the cards:
In architectural school I adored the house they designed, the modularity of it. Looking at it now, it's hard to fathom what a game changer this design was. It was designed in 1945 by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen, and ... "The design used pre-fabricated materials ordered from catalogues, a continuation of the idea of mass-production." .... Let me just say it again: DESIGNED IN 1945. Designers have been drawing on this aesthetic now for FIFTY SIX YEARS.
Later, as an architect, I was able to get the legendary lounge chair and ottoman (can you say "trade discount"?) for Pops to sit in at home. He was fortunate to get one of the last production runs that used Brazilian rosewood as the external "skin" of the molded plywood shell. This was in an earlier time of blissful ecological ignorance when it wasn't understood that the Brazilian rainforests were being raped and pillaged. But I digress.
Oh, and from 1968, the Powers of Ten.
In 1998, "Powers of Ten" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It completely blew my mind when I saw it the first time. Still does.
Here's a short film that Charles and Ray Eames did for the Polaroid Company, for the SX70 camera.
Complex technology, simply explained. When I watched this, I thought about the excitement surrounding the new inventions and ideas that infused the world at that time. Think about all the technologies that came together in this one potent little box: (from the film, at about 8:17)
"...they are coordinates, parts of a single strategy working together to protect and fulfill the original hope. This invention is finally a system, call it a system of novelties.... in the end it links the inventors, the engineers, the workers, the distributors into one chain of craftsmanship. The user is the final link. The device helps to meet the universal need to do things well."
What has happened to this spirit of innovation? This pride in craftsmanship? This feeling of continuity linking design to execution? Thoughtful design? Good writing? "..the universal need to do things well..." ?
Sometimes I despair.
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