fancy two

And I'm off....

2012-01-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

go metro

2012-01-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

We are now in the habit of a train ride to the pizza shop on the weekend and drug friends along this time. I love that public transportation is so easy within Pasadena.
I am really trying to take advantage of that more often this year.

sleepy

2012-01-17T12:21:00.000-08:00

Its a bit gloomy and cold here this week. feeling sleepy today, good thing Intelligentsia is just around the corner.

Andy sent this photo of he and Nevin, remembering the sweet, sleepy (and sleepless days) of newborns.

announcing Nevin Glenn

2012-01-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our adorable new nephew:
Nevin Glenn

Born on January 7th, 7 lbs 4 oz. & 19 3/4 inches

Congratulations Andy & Melissa!!

We couldn't be happier for you guys!

quickie knits

2012-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

I've been having fun knitting some quick & simple projects for the girls.
I tend to like instant gratification with knitting projects, so these made me happy. Plus as soon as these two hear I am making something for them, they wanted it yesterday. Hmm.... sounds just like the studio execs.

First, some handwarmers, pink and purple of course.
as this is the only palette acceptable to these little ladies currently.

(I know I need to weave that string in)

Then a very easy capelet by Karen at Knit 1 LA

I think Ill use the leftover to add a pink stripe to the adult version I am making for myself in orange. Then we can be matchy matchy.

Camille didnt want one of these (it doesn't fit into her uniform), so I only had to make one.

She only wears a pink shirt and black and white stripe pants.

Seriously, this is ALL she will wear.

I guess she is a minimalist when it comes to fashion, just like Daddy.

All Rosey

2012-01-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!
Our favorite part of ringing in the new year, as always, the tournament of roses parade. I love living in Pasadena at this time of year, the parade generates so much excitement & energy around town.
From our new house we had an awesome view of the stealth bomber overhead, and a 5 block walk to a very clear street view. woo hoo.
I dont know why I get so giddy about these things, but year after year I still do.

After the parade we took the girls on their first train ride for pizza in old town, figuring the parking would be nuts. Happy Hour, 82 degrees....What an awesome day.

happy new year!

2012-01-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

May the year ahead be prosperous and bright.

the stocking!

2011-12-09T20:53:00.001-08:00

I am so excited, I recently stumbled on a vintage christmas stocking pattern that my grandmother Ruth use to knit for everyone in the family.
(The pattern can be found for free here )
My grandmother was & is one of my biggest idols, so carrying on one
of her projects or traditions brings me a lot of joy.

My nephew is due to arrive just after Christmas and I figure if I start it for him now, at the ~~snails pace~~ rate I knit, it will be ready just before Christmas next year.

The girls seem to equally share my enthusiasm for new projects, they have taken to ball winding and also now pretend to knit. Which is pretty darn cute ...as long as they are using scrap yarn.

Evelyn takes winding very seriously and delivers excellent balls.

Camille, well, not so much.... I had to cut the yarn twice to get it untangled.....but she really loves the process so what can a mama do?

wish me luck! happy holiday knitting

art class

2011-11-19T21:52:00.001-08:00

The girls and I went to our first art class together at this great place nearby called Make Space Art.

For our first lesson we started off slowly with dot painting, once this was mastered we moved on to more complex sculptural turkeys, mixed with hand stamping, and for the finale....crazy puppets!

The teacher ( & owner) Sara was super sweet and so great with the girls.

We all loved it so I am pretty sure this will become a regular adventure.

all the ladies in the house...

2011-11-18T22:11:00.000-08:00

Kim sent along this picture from their visit last month, I thought it was sweet so had to share.

Maple Buttermilk Pie

2011-11-16T11:37:00.001-08:00

Maple Buttermilk Pie

courtesy of the New School of Cooking

1 (9 inch) blind baked pie shell

(using basic pate brisee recipe)

2 cups well shaken buttermilk
2/3 cup grade B maple syrup
6 Large egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

accompaniment
lightly sweetened whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325 F
Put pie shell (in pie plate) in a shallow baking pan.

Whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl until just combined and pour three fourths of custard into shell. Carefully put the pan in the middle of oven and pour in remaining custard with a cup.

Bake until just set in center (about 55 minutes) then transfer pie to a rack to cool slightly.
Serve warm or room temp.

Enjoy!

2011-11-15T12:10:00.001-08:00

Wow, I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving! Where did this year go?
As always this time of year I get excited to bake. So thought it would be time for me to finally take the pie class I missed from the baking series
at the New School of Cooking .
It was a nice refresher and I always learn wonderful tips there.
I made Pumkin with a ginger crumble on top.
The others we learned were: Apple, sour cream apple, pear, maple buttermilk & pecan.

I think my favorite was a dried apricot, which sounds strange but taste a bit like minced meat (without the meat) Close second favorite was the maple buttermilk. Funny because those were the two that sounded the least tasty to me. I am going to try them out again for Thanksgiving.

In other exciting news, JB built me a raised garden bed!!
I cant even begin to explain how excited I am to garden again.

We planted winter crops, (for California) Brussel Sprouts, Lettuce, Daikon Radish, Purple & Red heriloom carrots, beets and left a spot for either Kale or Cabbage.

We have been very interested in planting edibles everywhere we can.

I found two great books on edibles that I am loving. First by Yvette who I know from germinators (garden group).

Second is the classic Sunset book, which is always a fabulous resource.

Next up on our list: chickens!

Happy Tuesday

2011-11-08T12:01:00.001-08:00

from your style guru princess Evie.....

Camille's first haircut

2011-11-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

So, finally at 2 and 3/4 Camille got her first haircut!
With that curly hair it didn't quite seem necessary prior, but she did enjoy the process.
Well.....mostly I think she enjoyed the lollipop.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

This was the first year that the girls (sort of) understood Halloween so it was very fun.
Plus Grandma and auntie Kim were visiting which made it even more special.
They sure took to the trick-or-treating fast. What? They put REAL candy in our bags??
Whoa! pretty amazing.

Endless Summer

2011-10-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

We are still having beautiful summer weather here.
We took advantage and got in some final time with the sprinkler.
I love Southern California....

quarrier diner

2011-10-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

So excited to learn that one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston, the Quarrier Diner, has been restored. I'll be heading straight there next time I go home.

go speed racer

2011-09-27T14:57:00.001-07:00

Quick Camille...put another quarter in, they're gaining on us!

moving

2011-08-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

We have been moving over the last couple of weeks.

The chaos & intensity of moving with two year old twins in summer heat is way more than I imagined.

But at least the girls make us laugh in the process.

scorcher

2011-08-29T11:38:00.001-07:00

Its hot hot hot in Los Angeles right now.

We can barely keep our sippy cups cool!

vegan donuts

2011-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

In this weeks episode our t.v. show features a donut cart.

In two days we developed a fictitious vegan donut company, built packaging, rigged a truck and even made a neon sign. The speed things move in Hollywood always amazes me.

I am pretty happy with the little guy though, even though I had to whip him out in no time.

I've got dibs on the neon sign for my kitchen once the shoot is over.

pictures courtesy NBC - Universal

like father like daughter

2011-08-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Evie seems destined for photography, she obsesses about cameras and taking pictures, looking at pictures. Daddy's girl...

music in the park

2011-07-25T09:51:00.001-07:00

We had a super nice Sunday evening, the summer free concert series in the park is going on through July. So nice to take a picnic and enjoy some family time.

All's quiet on the western front

2011-07-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

(Evie and I made a photo booth series at dinner and these were her "cheese" faces)

(yes...that's ketchup on her chin)

So the whole carpocalypse/carmageddon thing seems to be a bit of a bust. We do love our drama here in Los Angeles. Oddly enough there seems to be a nice quiet feeling about town this weekend.

Mom and Bill arrived this afternoon and we all went for dinner at

Slaw Dogs.

An awesome fancy little hot dog joint on Lake. It is super kid friendly as well as delicious.

Being a native West Virginian, I do love slaw on my (veggie) dogs.

Bill had a regular slaw dog, the girls had mac and cheese + bacon dog, and mom and I had roasted pineapple with cilantro slaw dogs. Yum!

how I feel today...

2011-07-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

horrible bosses

2011-07-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

I worked on this one last summer and have to say this script was very funny. Haven't seen it yet, but I hear it is a good one.

Check out the trailer here

freezer pops!

2011-07-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

It has been super hot here in Southern California and I have been making ice pops as afternoon treats for the girls. (I have very fond memories of devouring countless homemade jello pops from my nana's freezer.) They seem totally content with only frozen juice, which works well in a pinch, but is obviously cheating, so I am now trying for more interesting recipes.

I found a couple of great cookbooks at the library and am having fun with new recipes.

I made classic fudge out of this book last week and it was a huge hit.

a happy 4th!

2011-07-05T05:25:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July is hands down my favorite holiday.

I love everything about it, the festivities, the fireworks, the summer heat & most of all the excuse to buy a special red, white and blue outfit, host a themed party and bake classic desserts.

I didn't bake much this year, and no big party, but it was still a great day.

I made my first batch of ice cream, goat cheese with roasted cherry. Yum! It was surprisingly easy and a big success with the tasters. I am very motivated to try more now. I think it is going to be hard to ever have store bought again that is for sure.

This was the first year the girls were old enough to enjoy a little bit of the festivity.

We took them to the parade in the morning. South Pasadena has a great little parade.

The thing I love about living in South Pasadena is that while you are adjacent to a mega city, it still feels very small town. Our parade is emblematic of this. It is adorable, complete with scout troops, a couple of bands, and practically everyone in the city marching in it. ( Including our friends Ernie and Nancy with Gabriella's pre-school).

In the end we kind of ruined things by taking them to the fireworks, which was past their bedtime and scared the daylights out of them. We had to quickly exit after two fireworks with three babies clinging for dear life to their parents (Bruno was super scared too) Maybe in two more years they will be ready for that. But as Camille dozed off she said, "mommy tomorrow are we going to go to fourth of july? " I think she loved it too which melts my heart.

go tigers!

go Ernie & Nancy!

JB is in a sling, broken elbow from a bike accident, a car cut him off. He is was in a lot of pain but was a super good sport about indulging me in for my favorite day of the year.

running around

2011-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

C & E running with their best friend Bruno

Denyse Schmidt weekend

2011-06-27T15:08:00.001-07:00

image courtesy of Alissa Haight Carlton

On Friday evening I attended the incredibly inspiring artist talk that Denyse Schmidt gave to our Quilt Guild. It was so wonderful to hear the entire story, history and processes behind her work.

Sunday I attended her advanced workshop, which was held at Sew Modern.

It was a really wonderful class and a great follow up for me.

When I took the beginning improv. workshop years ago, I didn't even know how to quilt, so it was wonderful to be able to truly apply what she was teaching.

I feel completely reinvigorated about quilting after the class.

It was JB's birthday and he was sweet enough to watch the girls while I attended in the afternoon, so I worked on a new quilt for him.

Here are the blocks in progress:

Lots more images of our fun workshop here

Denyse Schmidt LA artist talk

2011-06-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Denyse Schmidt is coming to town this Friday and giving an artist talk at Art Center.

I am really excited to attend, she is such a huge inspiration.

It is hosted by the LA Modern Quilt Guild & open to the public ($5 non-members) if anyone wants to head to Pasadena Friday night.

ice cream you scream....

2011-06-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

After purchasing this incredibly inspiring book by Jenni Britton Bauer, I am now determined to make homemade ice cream for the fourth of July. I'm thinkin' strawberry buttermilk & lemon blueberry sound festive. Today I purchased the ice cream maker (it just so happened that William Sonoma has a fabulous special going on) I have made a pact with my friend Gwen to complete this challenge together. We are even going in on an order of push pop supplies. Oh, I certainly do love summer treats. stay tuned!

the joys of Summer...

2011-06-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

weakness

2011-06-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

I was in Traders this weekend (as I am most days as the mom of twins with ravaging appetites...who knew little girls could eat so much?) I found these two little numbers on the "new item" shelf. Of course, I could not resist as they got me on every shopping weakness I have, great packaging, something sweet, dark chocolate with interesting additions. After we devoured the first two bars, I headed back for another round today. Got to love Trader Joes.

Mornings

2011-05-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

may

2011-05-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well, its the end of May and once again I haven't been very good about posting.

We have had a great month. Starting with a visit from Dad and Pat

Then a visit from Julianna

Bruno's Birthday party

and in general more fun than usual as I am still enjoying a hiatus from movie land.

Jb was in Berlin for two weeks so it was really great that I had the time off during that.

Hope you are all gearing up for a fun Memorial Day. I cannot believe Summer is almost here. Wow, where did the year go?

Easter vacation

2011-05-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter weekend visiting family in Florida.

The trip was so much fun, complete with Beach dinners and Easter Egg hunts.
We had a fabulous time with family and the girls got to meet their cousins on JB's side for the first time.

The Easter Egg hunt was especially sweet because the three older girls Annie, Emma & Josie,

each assigned themselves to a baby and helped them with their first egg hunt.

We ended our last day with a nice brunch and violin performance by grandma J, which was lovely in every sense of the word.

The most surprising thing to us was how well the girls travelled, they seemed to adapt quite well to the hotel, napped and slept great. Or maybe they were just having too much fun as well.

Fork!

2011-05-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

fork (aka fort)

/fôrk/

this is how Evelyn pronounces it, with an emphasis on the o (so its more like Fooork).

For Mother's Day Jillian and I had a little picnic while the babies played Fort.

I remember this being the best game to play ever, apparently this is still true.

All the while Camille was chanting "happy moders day, happy moders day, happy grandmommys moders day....) Afterward Bruno helped clean up the kitchen while Camille supervised.

baby shower crafting

2011-04-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the honor of co-hosting a shower for my friend Terri, who is adopting a gorgeous baby boy from Ethiopia. I love party planning and this one was especially fun. We had a small ladies only brunch at Shannon's beautiful house in the Silver Lake hills.

We decided on a little happy cloud for the theme, since the shower was in April and the little guy's birthday is in May along with his arrival home with Terri & Michael.

April shower bring May flowers....

To go along with our theme, I sewed a fun little cloud for the door. Evelyn caught sight of it as I was heading out and I could barely wrestle it from her. She loves it, even named it "cloudy", I had to promise to return it to her after the shower so now I need to sew another one for Terri.

We also made little gift bags filled with fair trade chocolate and Ethiopian coffee. I used a fabric that Terri is using in the nursery by Michael Miller, which is also a favorite of mine.

There were so many touching gifts, but I would say the winner went to Shannon's daughters who sewed a little Elephant and drew very special cards for the little guy.

Mullet averted

2011-04-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

(Camille: What are you doing to my sister?)

So, Evie had her first haircut today.

For some reason it was really really really hard for me to attempt to cut her hair.

Even though she has been sporting quite the Mullet these days.

Part of the reason is that I am absolutely petrified of cutting hair. I have no skill whatsoever in any thing remotely sculptural, so cutting hair is simply out of the question. And I just didn't trust JB to do it. (sorry babe)

So finally JB said enough is enough with the mullet and that he was taking her in next time he went to the salon. Gabriella at Mission 1011 was kind enough to help us.

I feel like I need to insert the Doors song L.A. Woman here... a 2 year old getting her first hair cut at Ernie's fancy salon. Only in L.A. no?

hiatus

2011-04-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the hiatus here, I just finished a bit of a long run on three film projects, and have been taking some time away from the computer the last few weeks.

We have been enjoying a bit of precious family time. We took a trip to Palm Springs, then had a nice visit from Mom and Bill, fun times at the farmers market....all the stuff that makes me very happy and glad for a little break from work. I never know how long my breaks will last so am trying to enjoy it this time. (rather than engage in the general nervous jitters it typically gives me)

What is better than ice cream bars on a hot day?

Camille dropped her ice cream, so Evie was sweet to share.

Lounging together....

happy Monday!

2011-03-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely weekend of birthday parties and visiting with friends.
The girls are starting to enjoy "dressing up" for special occasions which is pretty cute.

I am working away on our Modern Quilt Guild "solids" challenge and making a quilt for my brother Andy. Im not sure Fern is going to let me send this one away.

We were given a dusty solids charm pack from Robert Kaufmann to make a quilt of our choosing. I am excited to see what everyone comes up with this Thursday at our meeting.

It has been a real challenge for me to come up with the right design, I just kept cutting and cutting....finally I think I am happy with the result. I hope he likes it!

views from the backlot

2011-03-04T15:31:00.001-08:00

Wonder if/when this spot will be filled again.....

crockett

2011-03-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

Exciting news, I just found out Don Johnson is starring in the pilot I am working on "A Mann's World". He was of course a teenage crush of mine. I wonder if I will ever cease to see him as Crockett on Miami Vice?

LAMQG quilt guild retreat

2011-03-01T16:14:00.001-08:00

Organized Chaos!
Originally uploaded by seventeen and em

I spent the past weekend with my dear friends from the LA modern quilt guild. We had a sewing retreat at Lake Arrowhead and it was loads of fun.
Not only did I get a weekend away, but I got to sew the entire weekend and hang out a group of fabulous ladies whom I adore.
We were lucky to drive up just before the major snow fall, we got 18 inches of snow which made our giant lodge room's fireplace even cozier.

JB spent the weekend with the girls, who apparently didn't know I was gone because they had too much fun with Daddy.

project bags - taught by Jamie

Nicole helping to dig out my car

The view outside of our cabin - morning after the big snowfall

And here are the babies at home, enjoying Daddy, even though he dresses them funny....

fancy nails

2011-02-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

We spotted this fabulous window display at "Fancy Nails" today on the way to lunch... I had to share.

birthday crafting

2011-02-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

I managed to finish a little quilt I started some time ago, (sort of) in time for the girls birthday. I started this one for someone else, then decided it wasn't right. I was going to scrap it but C & E seemed to take to my partially complete top, so I decided to finish it for them. I used a mix of Kaffe Fasset prints & polka dots with a super bright Anna Maria Horner print on the back. The colors work well for a toddler play mat I think.

Here they are this morning putting it to immediate use.

They seem to really love it which makes my heart melt a bit.

and now they are two!

2011-01-30T20:31:00.001-08:00

I can't believe our little buggers are two now! Yikes time flies.

We had a lovely little family celebration at "Noni And Papa's" house.

Evie didn't want her cupcake, so Camille at her portion and proceeded to go wild from the sugar rush. She did a strange but hilarious little cheering routine in the park on the way to the car.

I wish I had more pictures, I was busy enjoying my mimosas and didn't take enough.

Sunday morning

2011-01-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

Nothin like good ol diner food for that post birthday party Hangover.

(we didnt really have hangovers but it sounded good didnt it?)

Sew Modern!

2011-01-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Lauren is opening a fabulous new store : Sew Modern a fabric & sewing shop geared toward the modern seamstress & quilter.

I was fortunate enough to design her logo & help with overall branding of the store.

We just installed the window graphics, the final touches are coming along and she will open doors this Tuesday.

Im so excited for Lauren, this has been a long time dream for her and now it is coming to fruition. The store looks beautiful & I cant wait to go shopping!

Weekend Sewing with Heather Ross & Anna Maria Horner

2011-01-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of finally attending one of Heather Ross's workshops. It is something I have dreamt of doing for years, but due to various circumstances, was never able. So FINALLY, FINALLY I made it and it was incredible.

I spent the weekend getting to know a group of truly amazing women. I learned so much about sewing, garment construction & design. Palm Springs weather was perfect and the ACE was a fun venue.

To top it off the guest instructor was the über talented Anna Maria Horner, who I adore. It was an amazing treat to meet her in person.

Heather was just as I expected; brilliant, unbelievably kind, a very gracious host and an amazing story teller. Both she and Anna Maria had us all laughing the entire weekend.

I didn't get as much sewn as I thought, but it was fine. I found that I had sensory overload, what with being exposed to so much creative energy & greatness. But my goal wasn't to complete projects, moreover enjoy the time & experience of it all. Which I did.

Monday Monday....

2011-01-17T12:13:00.001-08:00

This picture in emblematic of how my Monday has gotten started.

Chaos ensues in movie land today. Which I am not allowed to talk about here.

That said....

We had a lovely & perfectly warm weekend, it was 80! I love Southern California winters. It feels like paradise outside right now. I'd much rather be playing on slides with my babies.

fooey.

Adventures in Baking : take that Cinnabon!

2011-01-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

This week in cooking class we worked on layered doughs as well as Brioche. We started to roll out croissaints and puff pastry, which will be continued next week. I cannot believe how much work (and butter!) goes into Croissants and puff pastry. Yikes! With the work load as well as scary caloric intake, Im not sure I would be willing to make them again from scratch, but it is fun to learn the techniques.

But on to the more important thing: Cinnamon Rolls.

I love gooey bread, and I cannot tell you how hard it was for me not to gobble up the entire platter. They are delicious straight out of the oven, and very simple to make.

With left over brioche dough, we also fried up more yummy donuts.

This class is clearly not good for dieting.

tote

2011-01-11T05:05:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this tote bag design by my friend Amanda at Modern Marigold.

She makes fabulous things with vintage sheets.

out and about

2011-01-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

We dressed the girls up and headed over to Culver City to see Paul's new opening this weekend.

A beautiful retrospective of Steve Fitch's work 1970-2010. It was great to see Paul, and catch up briefly. We don't get out as often as we used to. (obviously)

Check out the show if you are in town.

In other news....Camille decided the climb out of the crib and bumped her head on the way down, thus the bandaid (and stitches! ouch!!) My poor baby girl.

new years in Pasadena

2011-01-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Rose Parade is one of my favorite things about living in Pasadena.

I love the festivity of it, and the excitement it brings to town. I am pretty much of a complete dork about the whole thing, I rush outside at 8am to see the stealth bomber fly over, then watch the whole thing on TV. JB and I use to have a tradition of going to see the floats line up on Orange Grove at midnight the night before, which was really neat. Those days are out for a while so we opted to go see them after the parade this year.

It turned out to be kind of a nightmare with our gigantic Bob Stroller in a sea of what seemed to be 50,000 + other people that had the same bright idea.

We were able to get close to a few and then left to go play at the park nearby.

I think we will stick to the tube for the next few years.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T13:31:00.000-08:00

wishing you a very happy and prosperous 2011

resolving

2010-12-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

I love listing out resolutions at this time of year.

Thought I would upload a printable list in case you like to do the same.

Click image to enlarge, then Save and Print.

opt out!

2010-12-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

I despise junk mail and have worked really really hard to get the ridiculous waste to stop coming to our house.

It took about a year of calling every unwanted catalogue and or credit card application that would arrive in our mail box. I would pile them up during the week, then every saturday jump on the phone to call them and have my name taken off the list. We are now junk mail free.

Fortunately for everyone else, now there are simple phone numbers and web addresses you can call to get off of these mailing lists. I thought I would post them here in case anyone was interested in making your mailbox greener for the new year.

Credit Card opt out (for 5 years) 1-888-567-8688

Telemarketing : do not Call registry: https://www.donotcall.gov/

Direct Mail Marketing : www.dmachoice.org

illustrated

2010-12-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Several people have been asking who illustrated the family portrait for our holiday card.

The answer is the fabulous Nan Lawson. I was tipped off by Jamie and quickly jumped in to order our portrait in time for the holidays. I love Nan's work and it was a joy to work with her.

You can see more of her work at http://nanlawson.com/

or order your own custom portrait here.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Our Warmest Holiday Wishes!

adventures in baking - part 3

2010-12-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

I am behind on these posts. So here are three weeks of backlog....

.................................................................................................................

BREAD

This week we baked Bread! Yum. We made a basic rustic loaf (pictured), as well as a rosemary olive bread. It was surprisingly easy and all of this makes me realize how silly it is to buy these items from the store.

.................................................................................................................

WHITE CAKE & BUTTERCREAM:

The week previous was Buttercream frosting with a delicious white cake. I learned to cream the butter with the flour, which is a revolutionary way to block gluten from forming, resulting in an amazingly fluffy and delicious cake. The buttercream was also incredibly delicious, most likely because we put an entire pound of butter in it! I guess that is what made it so delicious.

Sadly my ability to frost was not so amazing. I think I had the saddest cake in class. This sort of perfection is just not in me. Maybe with practice, but I doubt it.

.................................................................................................................

CANDY:

Finally, in time for the holidays, we learned Candy making. Now this was truly the easiest of all the baking I have learned. All you really need is a candy thermometer and some sugar and / or chocolate for some delicious treats. We made caramels, fudge, peanut brittle and marshmallows.

I am really excited to learn all of these techniques and have to find time to put them to use.

Work is still going going going for me so sadly no one is getting the Christmas candy I had hoped to make. Think it is OK to give New Years candy?

"oh the weather outside is frightful...."

2010-12-19T20:53:00.001-08:00

Well, sort of. My east coast friends and family will laugh. But we are having our first big "winter storm". Which means lots and lots of rain and slightly cold (60's). Its the only thing close to winter that we get here in Southern California. But to tell you the truth, I really love it. Apparently so do my little water babies.

Cheesy

2010-12-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

OK, so I probably can't tell you how excited I was to learn that the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills opened a sister store just 1/2 mile from my office in Pasadena.

We tend to fair more with the French in terms of cheese consumption in our household, so I am sure to need a frequent shopper card.

JB and I stopped by during our lunch break today to stock up on a cheese course for the weekend. The staff was amazingly helpful,the store is beautiful and surprisingly reasonably priced. I highly recommend stopping by if you live nearby. Yum!

Holiday fun with Grandma & Grandad

2010-12-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

Mom was visiting last week, the girls are growing very attached to Grandma. It was wonderful to have her here. Bill came over the weekend and taught them to sing Jingle Bells It sounds something like "Dinkle Baws", pretty cute! He also took them to see Santa (but he was scary so no pictures) We had an awesome visit and as always were sad to see them go. I didnt take enough pictures, but here are a few.

Its still warm enough for ice cream at Busters (sorry east coasters)

We just did a little tree this year, but they loved it all the same.

This is Camille playing peekaboo at Cal Tech.

She likes to run from post to post and "surprise" you.

new print

2010-11-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

I love Christopher Bettig's work.

He just sent an announcement of his new print work and I couldn't resist this one.

That little guy reminds me of my little emotional toddlers.

One second crying, one second laughing. But always wanting to be carried.

His shop is right here if you want to check out his other amazing prints and goods.

knitting: hats

2010-11-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

We had a small drive to Palm Springs over the holiday, so I took advantage of JB driving and knit up a new hat for the girls. I wanted to do a test run before making two and have decided that this pattern might be better for us in a worsted weight yarn. Im not crazy about the bulkiness. I also didn't decrease it properly because I wanted to use only one ball of yarn. Perhaps that is the problem, its not as long and pointy as it should be.

The pattern is from "more last minute knitted gifts" which is a fabulous book with loads of inspiring patterns. I love all of Joelle Hoverson's books. In fact the "kim's hats" from the first book are one of my favorites to knit.

Here is Camille in a lovely little hat that Lily knit for her, I much prefer the look of it for toddlers, its from the Debbie Bliss Baby Knits book.

I find hats to be pretty addictive because they knit up so quickly. I tend to lack patience for long term knitting projects, or perhaps I just lack time. My grandmother was an amazing knitter. I hope some day I can achieve her level of perfection with the craft. Guess it depends on how many road trips we take, and how much JB is willing to drive.

superstar

2010-11-28T15:54:00.001-08:00

ladies who lunch

2010-11-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

acrobat

2010-11-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

I guess we need to confirgure the toddler beds.....

happy Friday!

2010-11-19T16:17:00.000-08:00

I love this photo of JB & the beer coozy he found in Virginia Beach.

Cheers!

lovelies

2010-11-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

Blanca Gomez

hollie chastain

Jennifer Davis

I accidentally stumbled on an art poster website and found these lovely prints.

I especially love the bicycle print by Blaca Gomez. Im a big fan of affordable art posters.

There are lots more to be found here

adventures in baking - part 2

2010-11-16T22:48:00.001-08:00

Thats right, those are homemade chocolate eclairs, donuts and a chocolate soufflé. I made them all from scratch & in one evening! I still can't believe it.

Today's baking lesson was the continuation of Eggs, and leavening. Thus the soufflé.

I'll admit, I was fairly intimidated going into it, but the truth is it was all fairly easy.

The best part is the feast of goodies at the end of class - and the excuse to try them ALL. Yum!

I also learned that I cannot use my melmac mixing bowls, so now must be on the hunt for a new vintage pyrex set. oh darn.

adventures in baking - part 1

2010-11-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to say that I have enrolled in a professional baking course.

There is a school on the west side called "The New School of Cooking" that offers classes one night a week for 10 weeks. It has been on my "todo" list for a very long time and last month I finally signed up. (thanks tax return!)

We have had two classes thus far, the first on Quick Breads, the second on Custards & puddings. (yum! my favorite) I think the most exciting part has been learning an understanding of the chemistry of baking.

For self imposed homework this week, or what I will call " my adventures in baking" I made two quick breads ( the girls love muffins as a snack on their morning walks and it sure seems silly to buy pre-made when they are so simple to make from scratch).

The first was a banana bread from the Joy of Cooking. This is typically a no fail recipe for me, but it was late and I decided to try and fold the bananas with the kitchen aid. Thus producing way too much gluten. This bread was tough and ended up thrown to the birds and squirells on the walk. The girls would not have it, as if to say "yuck Mama!"

The second was a delicious pumkin bread recipe that my friend Gwen gave me. I was careful not to over mix, and it turned out beautifully. I am told that this is a happy accident recipe. When preparing the first time, she added a whole can of pumpkin puree rather than the 1/2 cup the original recipe calls for. The result is a delicious, moist bread that you will not be able to stop eating.

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it: Bon Appétit! & thanks Gwen!

.5 cup unsalted butter (room temp)/this is 1 stick

1 cup sugar

2 eggs (room temp)...I put cold eggs in hot tap water for about 5 minutes before I mix them

1 t. vanilla

1.5 cups flour

1 t. baking soda

.5 t. salt

1 can pumpkin puree (15oz can)

.5 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 t. cinnamon (ground)

1 t. nutmeg (ground)

.5 t. cloves (ground)

.25 t. ginger (ground)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan with butter (I use the paper that wrapped the butter).

Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer. Beat until well incorporated. It should be pretty pale in color. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Add vanilla. Sift all your dry ingredients together. Add to the butter & sugar mixture until JUST incorporated. Add your pumpkin and sour cream until just incorporated. **After flour gets added, you want to mix as little as possible so that you don't end up with gluten.

Pour into the pan (makes 1 loaf) and bake for 55-60 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).

I love garage sales

2010-11-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

My grandfather loved (I mean really loved) bargains, he was an avid garage sale hunter, and use to take me to them all the time as a kid. As a result, I love them now too. We usually run into one or two on Saturday morning walks and I can never resist stopping. This week I totally scored , we got 3 sock monkeys and a huge bag of baby leggo blocks for $5! The two colorful kitties are "designer" sock monkeys by blah blah that retail for over forty dollars a piece. We "gave them a bath" (AKA threw them in the washing machine on hot) and they look quite fetching. The girls have taken to them dearly, but keep calling them monkeys. I think they might love sock monkeys almost as much as I do. I've never met one I didn't like.

Party Girls

2010-11-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

Lilianna (our friends' little girl) turned 2 last weekend, and celebrated with a princess party.

We put on our best party dresses and headed over.

(Im still trying to tame the hair)

"hmm..Im not sure these shoes match my dress"

what more could one hope for, Cinderella.....

juice boxes....

a play house and lollipops!

oh my!

Due Date

2010-11-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

Due Date hits theaters today. I spent the better part of last fall working on this film.

It was the same crew as Hangover, which made it fun to work on.

I think I made about 2000 signs for this movie. The majority of the main sets needing graphics were all built from scratch. For example the rental car lot was an empty parking garage roof, the border crossing was an empty bridge. ( I made 160 signs alone for the border crossing scene, not including the vehicle skins), and the airport was an empty abandoned convention center.

Everyone always asks what exactly I do for movies, it is a bit hard to explain because it is mostly items that you wouldn't notice. Well, if I am doing my job well, you shouldn't notice the signs I make, they should look real, like what exists in the real world. Examples for this film, I designed all of the road signs you see, all of the main background signs, rental car company, airline branding, airport signage. Police and airport badges, police vehicles. It goes on and on. It is actually a lot of fun working on movies, even though the pace is extremely fast. I feel pretty fortunate to have landed this gig.

I missed the cast and crew screening, but I hear it is a fun film to watch.

Here is the trailer.

See you at the movies!

Trick or Treat

2010-11-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

(LA lady: venti ice water - hold the lemon)

I'll admit that I am typically not that keen on dressing up for Halloween. I love to dress up the girls, but for me... not so much.

So I struggled a bit with the concept of what to wear to the costume parties we were invited to on Halloween. The girls are still too young to really know what is going on, so they were easy.

Dad brought two sweet tutu ensembles when he visited last spring. A lovely lady that works for him sewed them for our girls. That was a score! Not only are they adorable but this meant less sewing for me. All I had to do was embellish the onesies a bit with petals, and make some matching headbands. I found the ballerina tights on sale for $2 (also a score).

I decided a dress in Halloween print could suffice as a costume, and that way I could wear it outside of the holiday. I found the awesome Kokka Echino spiderweb print. The little butterflies remind me of Vera prints, and it was not as goth of a look as other Halloween prints I found. I made the dress using the Kwik Sew pattern 3521. It is an easy pattern and the vintage styling and fit is flattering. I have made two of these so far and love both dresses. I think it is a pattern that I will make over and over again.

So there you have it. My first Halloween costume sewing. Im sure next year it will be all princesses, more satin and less tule. But for now, I got off easy. Treats, no tricks.

weekend bliss

2010-10-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

We were in Palm Springs for some glorious weather and weekend fun last weekend.

Toni was there as well, so we had a great visit together.

Aren't these Kumquat dresses the cutest things ever. I wish Angelyn would make one in my size! Maybe I will have to get some fabric from her and attempt to sew in jersey. Sadly I am guessing that would probably turn out to be a mess. One can dream.

another addition to the embarrassment archives

2010-10-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

This one goes into Evies files.

When posing for the photo, I said " Don't pick your nose!" so she stuck both fingers in her nose, then giggled! I'm in for it, no?

I was trying to capture some cute images for Project Linus, this is one of the sweet quilts we received in the NICU when the girls were born. I don't think they would appreciate this particular shot so much. As Winnie the Pooh would say... Oh Bother!

sunny california

2010-10-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Just cruisin'.....

Yum, cereal!

2010-10-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

I can use this when she gets married, right?

and the winner is....

2010-10-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to pick two winners since I promised at least a 25% chance.

So here they are:

Nicole

and....

Lily

Congrats ladies! I'll be sending them your way soon.

Sewing: green baggies & giveaway

2010-10-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing a lot of these little reusable non-plastic ziploc baggies lately. They come in super handy in the diaper bag for crackers, or snacks. I love them for several reasons: 1) they are way prettier than plastic, 2) obviously much safer to hand over to a toddler in the car, 3) machine washable 4) a great way to use up fabric scraps. I have found that our plastic and general consumption of non reusable items has skyrockets since having children, so anything I can do to strike that is awesome.

I have a bit of a surplus going with these right now, so if you would like a set, leave a comment, I will draw a name on Tuesday and send them along to the winner.

Given the amount of commenting readers I have, you probably have something like a 25-50% chance of winning. haha

October '10 LA MQG Home Goods Swap

2010-10-07T10:06:00.001-07:00

October '10 LA MQG Home Goods Swap
Originally uploaded by seventeen and em

At this month's Modern Quilt Guild meeting we had a scrap swap exchange. This was probably my favorite swap exhange thus far within the Guild. It was so rewarding to make something for someone you know out of little scraps. It allowed for a lot of creativity. The requirements were that you used the scraps provided by your partner and added one additional fabric. I made Jamie an apron using the pattern from the book " I love Patchwork" and an Oven mitt, loosely based on the mitt from the pattern from Lotta Jansdotter 's book " simple sewing". She made me a fabulous patchwork pillow.
Oddly enough we both used linen, or not so oddly because we both love to sew with it.
This meeting was the Guild's one year anniversary, and it was super fun. I just love our Guild. It has been such a wonderful venue and I have met so many creative & fabulous people. I'm looking future years with these gals & guys.

Second String quilt finished....finally!

2010-10-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my second string quilt at our quilt guild weekend sew last week. I started this about a year ago using a stash of Katie Jump rope I purchased at the Denyse Schmidt workshop.Im not quite sure what took me so long. It was just one of those projects that got stashed away.

Originally this was intended to be Evelyn's quilt, since the first little string quilt was for Camille. My assumption when finishing it was that it would end up being claimed by Fern (our cat) I was worried I had procrastinated so long that Evie would be too big for it. But lucky for me, it turns out she loves it. She likes to lay it on the ground every morning, put her toys on it, or read to fern. For such a little quilt it is quite gratifying to have it claimed and put to use so immediately. Its a big encouragement for me to finish other works in progress.

Its Hard to get any work done when this calculator keeps ringing

2010-09-24T16:49:00.001-07:00

happy friday!

these boots were made for walkin....

2010-09-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

yes, its 90 degrees today. No, she wont take them off. Camille prefers her crocs.....

faster

2010-09-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the Faster Trailer, I worked on this film earlier in the year.

Looks like it will release around Thanksgiving.

I was excited to work on this movie because, yes, I admit it, I love the Rock.

I know you secretly love him too no matter what you say.

See you at the movies......

2010-09-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Just a few quick photos of the girls. I will post more tomorrow.

We spent the weekend in Palm Springs and now I am back to a busy day at work.

Finally a shot with both of them smiling!

more big shoes!

hanging with Fern a.k.a. GATA!

little taggers

2010-09-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

The girls had fun marking up the sidewalk with chalk at the park this weekend. Evelyn proceeded to carry her chalk over the entire playground tagging every surface, including the slide... like a little graffiti artist. It was quite amusing. I suppose I should have stopped her, but didn't have the heart to.

shoes!

2010-08-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Is there anything cuter than when a baby tries to walk in grown up shoes?

lovely

2010-08-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

Check out the new animation my dear friend Julianna made for Kate Spade....where she is art directing now.

http://www.katespade.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3679065

summertime....

2010-08-17T17:06:00.001-07:00

makes me smile

daredevil

2010-08-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Evelyn likes to go down the slide on her own these days. I hope she doesnt take up skateboarding like her papa.

today I will....

2010-08-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Stop taking life for granted.

My heart hurts today.
I just found out a close friend I had growing up passed away in a tragic accident.

Helen, you will be missed.

i love our mail lady

2010-08-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

Look what she brought me today....

a copy of the new Amy Butler bag book, ( I've been anxiously awaiting this one)

and a copy of the Oliver + S ice cream social dress pattern.

I can't wait to sew from both of these.

New Tote bag

2010-08-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished the Multi-tasker tote, a pattern by Anna Maria Horner. I loved sewing it, the directions were very thorough making them very easy to follow. I used a Kokka echino print for the exterior and a mod geometric print for the interior. I think this will be one that I make a lot of. Or perhaps I am just looking for excuses to go to the lovely Japanese fabric store in Torrence eveyone in my quilt guild has been raving about.

lets play ball

2010-08-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

(The game is tag the mailbox then run)

(I think Camille looks like she is posing for the WNBA here)

(An example of possible injury prevented by fabulous new plush ball)

At 18 months the girls are starting to feel like real toddlers, they are into everything and so full of energy and life. Here they are playing ball in the morning, our newest ritual. I found these soft soccer balls at IKEA yesterday, I think they are better because inevitably they hit each other in the face with their balls by accident, and with these they just giggle and smile rather than the nasty alternative. Ah....bliss....

tote for Esmerelda

2010-07-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Esmerelda has been helping with the babies during her summer break, which is wonderful.

We decided her payment would be in sewing lessons. Today we made a simple tote bag. We used a pattern from Sew What Bags and she picked her fabrics from my stash, a sweet home dec weight polka dot and a fun Jay McCarroll print for the lining and straps. I think she did a fabulous job for her first sewing project. Cute bag, I think I might make one for myself now.