hmmm

So we might be going to Los Angeles until Christmas. WHAT? yeah, that's what i said. no, jan. please don't take me to LA. please don't place me near the beach. don't make me wake up each day to gorgeous weather. didn't i tell you i hate the garment district and those rows of knock off handbags? i just won't have it! (feet stomping)

: the final answer will be decided in the next few days, hopefully!:

(this will happen if ball state lets jan get credits for this work experience towards graduation. we'll come back to indiana for a semester to watch the man graduate, and head back to work! ps my husband is super talented!)

{image of my potentially horrible life}

print-astic

I love this print on yoo-ii's etsy shop, especially the use of white ink on the tan paper contrasted against the red. So pretty, and only $20.

panini press for sale

We got a plug-in press from my cousin that we love because of it's portability. This All Clad press came with our set of pans. We can't return it because it's a gift, but it retails for about $120 w/the pan and the red apron that comes w/it. So, the next option is to sell. We're asking $50, plus $15/20 shipping. No blogging requests = ebay. Homemade panini's are amazingly perfect, and there are an unlimited amount of good combos.

This two-piece panini press includes a thick, nonstick anodized aluminum pan that provides even heat retention and a heavy-duty press with a loop handle that provides added pressure on top, giving the tops of your sandwiches deep-grooved markings. In addition to grilling panini, this press is also ideal for grilling meats, veggies and fish. The nonstick grill cleans easily.
Material: Anodized aluminum exterior Size: 2-pc.
Origin: USA Cleaning & Care: Handwashing recommended
Warranty: Lifetime Weight: 9-lbs.
Length: 8-in. Width: 10-in.

the prophet

Gordon B. Hinckley passed away last night. He was the prophet of our church and was a dear man. Always good natured, and brought a lot of laughs while being incredibly humble and faithful. I know he was anxious to join his wife, and I was glad to hear he was surrounded by family.

new work for jan!

We have both felt very blessed this week. Jan will begin an internship with Brave New Foundation next week that will merge into work this summer, and a continued internship through the fall. He will get a lot of hands on experience filming and producing and we are excited to see how it all pans out. He will work from home during the school year, and in LA this summer. Friends in Cali, you will now get to see more of us!

new work for me!

I'm officially approved to create 2 sets of window illustrations for Crocker Galleria in San Francisco!! On days like today, I love freelance! I designed some windows there a few years back and they are still up, but they have said 'changes coming soon' for much too long, with no changes. I suggested creating those while at my corporate job, so I didn't get paid any extra at the time, but it was a great experience and opened me up to future work. Since that time, I designed the illustrations below for the Beacon, a retail strip across from SBC park where they are up on 17 large windows. I haven't seen the final product yet, but will in March when I am home. This is a side of design that I've tapped into that I love. The creativity, the production, and seeing my artwork where people pass daily!

{crocker galleria}

{2 designs that alternated}

{this space was targeted specifically for a restaurant}

lemony flutter

My mom is not usually known to discover hip new products before me, but when our package arrived w/goodies for Christmas and this was one of them, I was more than impressed. She found it at the store on a high recommendation from a friend. Utah and now Indiana wreck havoc on my skin during the winter. Dry, cracked, hands and elbows, bad cuticles, etc. Lemony Flutter helps it all while lightly smelling of fresh lemons. You barely use any which means it will last at least 3 winters, and is made up of lemon infusion, shea butter, avocados and mangos. It brings a little summer to those drab winter days.

floating shelf

This is a cute idea for small apartments, when you want to create an entryway of sorts, but it's too narrow or small to add a small table. You could put some fresh flowers on the shelf and drop off your keys and mail. I like the mirror idea but would choose a different one. It could even work in a bedroom, add a vintage glass with your makeup brushes and get ready for the day.

Image courtesy of Bluelines, Blueprint's online magazine. Directions on how to make found here.

ohhh

For years in college, I admired Rodney Smith. I wanted to shoot with him, shoot like him, be a groupie, anything. He was/is unstoppable in his creativity and attention to detail. I always assumed his life must be so fun, his work exciting everyday. I even called. But I was graduating early, they would only accept interns through the school, and a certain professor I knew would not give me the opportunity unless I stayed an entire year longer in school. That wasn't an option financially, so it didn't happen. It's not too late, and I just saw that you can take a workshop for a weekend w/him for a mere $2,600. Well, maybe someday. His images are like fine art with a fashion twist, and he has shot for huge fashion empires because of this. Tasteful, luring, and bold. I can't get enough.

love this

We picked up this mandoline about a month ago from Williams-Sonoma w/giftcard $ leftover from the wedding. (it's not online) I think it was around $25/30. We analyzed all the options, and chose this because it's compact, affordable, the ceramic blade never needs sharpening, and i love yellow. I admit I haven't tried it yet, but Jan has used it at least twice and loves it. It slices potatoes with amazing speed, and they come out super thin. Perfect for breakfast, or our winter dinner stews.

Here are the stats from the manufacturer:
This mandoline slicer produces twice the slice in half the time, thanks to the double-edged blade. Safe—no blades to switch out. Use the corner notches secure the slicer on top of bowls. Included handguard holds food securely and protects fingers. Blade: advanced ceramic. Handguard: ABS plastic. Handle: ABS resin. Dishwasher safe. Made in Japan.

no knead bread

One of my resolutions this year is to master the art of bread making. I've seen this post quite a few times on the kitchen section of apartment therapy. No knead bread. That title in itself just screams less work and more eating. I'm going to give it a try this weekend. I love a good french bread, soft in the inside and crunchy on top. Print the recipe and grab yourself a dutch oven to bake it in. To quote AT: "Also, the technique for baking (a covered pot) gives a delicate, crackly crust that shatters with each bite." Sounds perfect.

gala

I'm starting to do research for the photography classes I'm going to be teaching up here at a local art store in February. I love these images from Gala Collette and think I will incorporate a self portrait assignment into the course in March when the weather is a little better. I'm going to be doing the assignments along w/the class to help w/the critiques so I'm trying to find ones I would love to do as well!

happy birthday jan

this last weekend we celebrated jan's birthday. we're on a budget, but we did manage to have some fun. i suprised him with a big breakfast with strawberry-orange muffins (delish!) and w/family help, we got him signed up for a 2 day bowl carving class at a nearby woodcraft store. we went to dinner at ivanhoes - a famous diner about 25 min's north of us. if you check out the recipe section you can view their endless selection. 100 different flavors of shakes, and 100 different sundaes. Pretty amazing.

recipe: Serve warm with Strawberry Jam.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups halved strawberries
3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender, and process just until blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pan immediately.

cig

I remember finding Cig Harvey's site back in college. This is some of her more current work. There are so many things I love about her photography. I could see myself shooting work like this, simple, creative, thought provoking. I would just need to find myself a local model since Alicia, Michelle, Joy and Eunnie are all far away now.

dwell studio

Starting at the end of January, Dwell is launching a line at Target. Their baby line will launch this month, and their home line in February. Dwell is one of those brands that only works as a splurge or something you just love to look at but will rarely be able justify. That's why Target is so great. They work with high end designers to bring a little bit of style to the masses. Their prices are very reasonable as well. Placemats will be $4/each, queen duvets $80, & pillows $20/each. I especially love the duvet cover with yellow trim.

{as seen on apartment therapy}

these really do work

I picked up a set of 50 space saving hangers w/my 20% discount coupon last week and they are awesome. They really do condense your clothes into 1/3 of the space. I chose tan because the black seemed way too dark. Once we get another set of these, I'll be able to fit all of our clothes into the closet and take down the metal rack that's been taking up space. All the coupons say one per store visit, but the nice lady there told me you can bring in as many coupons as you have products that you are buying, and the coupons never expire (regardless of what it says). This was very annoying because we registered for our wedding here (and c&b), and nobody ever told us this. Consequently, I threw about 4 old coupons out 2 weeks ago. So keep those coupons. And if you don't need them, mail them to me!

oh my

i LOVE sweet potatoes and this recipe for Miso Soup with Sweet Potatoe dumplings looks delish!! i am going to try to hunt these ing.'s down for this weekend...

i'll report back as to how it turns out.

corn chowder

I made this a few weeks ago and it was pretty awesome. The only changes I made was to use 1% milk and I added 4-5 pieces of turkey bacon (diced) which really added some good flavor. It's a little spicy, creamy, smoky and crunchy. All the elements for a healthy warm winter soup.

Quick Chicken-Corn Chowder from Cooking Light
: 2 tablespoons butter
: 1/4 cup chopped onion
: 1/4 cup chopped celery
: 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
: 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
: 3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
: 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breast halves)
: 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 3 ears)
: 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
: 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
: 1/8 teaspoon salt
: 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and jalapeño; cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 5 minutes). Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

my tribute to summit

this is officially my second to last week with Summit. i've worked here for the last year and a half 3 days/week and it's more than time to venture into working for myself again. i need more creativity, want more photography, and i'm over the 1 1/2 hr long drives to work since we've been married. booo. my nerdo corporate photo will be replaced with another girl's, and i will move on in attempts of creating my own mini empire.

i got engaged working here, and then married. sung karaoke at christmas parties and danced till the music was shut down. i've baked quite a few goods for birthdays, co-hosted deck parties, and made some good friends and contacts. i've figured out to get most places in this city, and learned all the shortcuts to avoid bad traffic.

the good news for today, is that although it's pouring, it's around 65 today. 65 in indiana in january. it's amazing how good it feels when it's over 30.

this is great!

My cousin alerted me to http://www.floorplanner.com/. (thanks jenny) I spent some time last night mocking up how our place will look once I'm all done in the next month or so. 60% of this is accurate, and 80% is furniture we already own. We bought some, inherited some and made some. We just need to readjust and move things around to better maximize our space. I tried to be fairly accurate, but there are somethings that need to be noted. Our countertops are red (hard to match things w/), but we have a rad warm white vintage gas stove. The floors are a prettier dark brown. Not all the colors are accurate. This plan doesn't show our closet because it's just a closet.
I am on the hunt for:
short dressers to go on either side of our bed (going to an antique mart tonight)
white shelves w/hidden hardware to go into the kitchen/office/fam rm (prob. ikea)
kitchen cart/island for behind the table (to replace the short current cheapo shelf)

We are going to make/build:
a bench for under the window in the fam rm - storage under, seating on top
curtains for the fam rm

Once this is done, I will take photos and show you all how much cuter it looks in person. I really feel the need to do the best I can w/each space I live in. And since we are renewing our contract for another year, I need to step it up. I really like how our office feels and is separate from the rest of the place, but not divided. The ceilings are high it's easy to clean. I rearranged everything quite a few times before this one just worked. Yes, if you are wondering, I am a virgo.

did i mention it was 6 degree's this morning?

this is how i felt. it's supposed to be a high of 12 today and should drop back down to 6/7 tonight. don't be jealous!

happy new year!

with the new year comes resolutions. i make them every year and usually hit about 80%. now that i'm married, they'll adjust for some of the goals for us to do together. here's what i have so far:

: take guitar lessons
: organize the apt better (specifically the closet & fam rm)
: visit national parks/lakes, etc in our area
: take jan to yosemite
: launch modele
: take a cake decorating class
: teach photography classes
: learn to make whole wheat bread
: run at least a 5k
: stay at a bed & breakfast
: learn to sew better
: ride our bikes more this spring/summer (we went about once/wk in the fall)

anyone else have any good ones?

(image courtesy of martha's flowers)