baby boom!

Perhaps it is the economic recession or perhaps it is coincidence but these days it seems just about everyone is expecting a baby. My in-laws are awaiting the arrival of miss Eva and my work friend is awaiting the arrival of mr. Oliver.  I wonder if during this economic strife, couples tend to worry less about material objects and objectives and spend more time living life and along with that comes making babies. Whatever it is, I'm happy to shop for baby gifts and anxiously wait to see what these lil' beans will look like, sound like and grow up to be. New friends, are coming my way. 

happy hour magic: long vodka

In San Francisco there is a bar with...a lone palm right smack in front of the place. The name of such place is of course, the Lone Palm. The bar is somewhat hidden between the crowded, hip spot that is the Mission District (valencia corridor to be exact) and Noe Valley. On 22nd st. you will find this place and if you're cool enough and have lived in the area this is where you tend to go. For happy hour, ringing in the New Year (as I have in the past) and to unwind from the bustling hood. The place is dark, cozy and they play silent films, generally the bartenders play awesome music and the drinks (they specialize in cocktails) are amazing. A rather pretty, rather charming gal by the name of Isla makes these funny drinks called "Long Vodkas" she swears they are popular in London where she began bartending(she's originally from scotland, just thought I'd throw that in!). Anyhow, these long drinks are just that, long, refreshing, and go down easy without being overly sweet or sugary. As myself and my counterpart always ask "what's in this Isla?" and "tell me more" the darling Isla wrote her secret down on a piece of paper. Yay! long vodka city here I come. Okay, I just finished my first one and contemplating my second as it was a hard days work of mowing my backyard lawn, crafting, cleaning, and lounging in the sun.

Here's a recipe for:

Isla's Long Vodka

-a tall glass full of ice

-2 oz. of vodka

-splash of rose's cordial

-a few spalshes of bitters

-1 oz. soda water

-1 oz. sprite (is used my own ginger lemonade/2 oz. and skipped both the soda water and sprite)

-lemon and lime (optional)

hooray, it's friday!

poster by farouche

photo by thenewclotheshorse

With the sun being out and the warmth of the weather I couldn't be happier...and it's friday! So go on and be happy for no good reason, I say. I'll be mowing my lawn, drinking ginger lemonade and enjoying the sunshine.

p.s. I do believe spring is officially here.

flower power!

Spring is most definitely in the air and around the corner! It's made it's presence in our back yard and I was instantly pinched by this with bright, beautiful flowers. Full blooms in yellow, orange, magenta, and pale white/blush tones, which I clipped at the stem to bring the spring spirit indoors. I can only imagine what the fashion and interior design world have in store for us all with beautiful floral and botanical inspired prints and such for us to adorn our lives with. I should get my super bright sneakers out to play...a bad shoe purchase that I'll share later. Hey, who can blame a girl for loving a pair of sneakers in bright yellow with Liberty fabric (in bright floral hues)? A lethal combo indeed. Yay for spring fever!

luck o' the irish.

May you find a four leaf clover and a hefty pot of gold. Wish I was in County Cork Ireland, taking in all the beauty this gorgeously green and hilly land has to offer. Of course I would join the rest with a few pints of beer, some irish car bombs and all the irish ways!

meet: blossom dearie, cult chanteuse.

get dearie's style on modcloth

piano inspirations on apartment therapy

I betcha you've never heard of Blossom Dearie. But if by chance you have and are a big fan, well congrats to you as you a very "hep" to the jive! Recently I came across this wonderful voice that was new to me as it was distinctly different, much like other jazzy-cabaret sounds but nonetheless, different. The melody was upbeat andfabulous, and the voice was incredibly girlish and it seemed too silly to be serious, which for me is completely perfect.

Blossom dearie, the jazz pixie with the little-girl voice, perfectly retro spectacles, buttoned up-sharp collar shirt wearin', wonderful piano playin' lady was the cabaret and nightclub sensation of the 50's and 60's. In 1952 she formed a vocal group, the Blue Stars of Paris and years later she moved to New York City to pursue a music career and began to sing in groups such as the Blue Flames (with theWoody Herman Orchestra) and the Blue Reys(with Alvino Rey's band) before starting her solo career. At this point she was walking among giants of that time, big names like Ella Fitzgerald, and Peggy Lee among other female jazz singers in the spotlight. But Blossom was the first to fuse cabaret and jazz together, she had a very independent spirit, kittenish voice, a singer/songwriter and managed to have her own record company which she named Daffodil Records. Among all the tremendously cool and whimsy work, Blossom's voice appeared in Schoolhouse Rock!(you know, the very cool children's educational series that makes you sing and learn?)her voice appeared in "Mother Necessity","Figure Eight"(one of my favorites) and "Unpack Your Adjectives". Her style was minimal and precise, fitting her voice just right, and leaving you feeling bouncy after listening. Since discovering Blossom Dearie I've been diving into her music trying to find everything she recorded or worked on and also being inspired by her style and ways. I've been searching for a piano for my house ever since my Blossom discovery. Because hittin' the piano keys is ever so uplifting, whether you're an experienced pianist or you know enough on the piano to make you feel that bepop thing Miss Dearie knew so well. Plus, I think we can all agree that a piano makes a fine accessory in any home, big or small.

missing: sleep!

poster by ashleyg

Eeek! Lack of sleep made a zombie out of me throughout the day. Perhaps it was the time change, drinking coffee in the evening, bizarre dreams(better off not sharing!), the dog and cats running through the house during sleeping hours, or the fact that I had worn myself too thin with projects throughout the day. Whatever it was I had a teeny amount of sleep, far from my usual long stretch of sleep time that often surpasses the recommended amount. I woke up feeling very awkward, disconnected yet full of stumbling, uncoordinated energy, and so I had a few cups of coffee and off I went. Only to find myself crashing severely shortly thereafter. No computer access throughout the day, plus the sleepy state of affairs kept me away from posting anything, not that I had a single clear idea on my mind except coming home and catching some good zzz's.

meet: blossom dearie, cult chanteuse.

get dearie's style on modcloth

piano photos on apartment therapy

I betcha you've never heard of Blossom Dearie. But if by chance you have and are a big fan, well congrats to you as you a very "hep" to the jive! Recently I came across this wonderful voice that was new to me as it was distinctly different, much like other jazzy-cabaret sounds but nonetheless, different. The melody was upbeat and fabulous, the voice was incredibly girlish and it seemed too silly to be serious, which for me is completely perfect.

Blossom dearie, the jazz pixie with the little-girl voice, perfectly retro spectacles, buttoned up-sharp collar shirt wearin', wonderful piano playin' lady was the cabaret and nightclub sensation of the 50's and 60's. In 1952 she formed a vocal group, the Blue Stars of Paris and years later she moved to New York City to pursue a music career and began to sing in groups such as the Blue Flames (with the Woody Herman Orchestra) and the Blue Reys(with Alvino Rey's band) before starting her solo career. At this point she was walking among giants of that time, big names like Ella Fitzgerald, and Peggy Lee among other female jazz singers in the spotlight. But Blossom was the first to fuse cabaret and jazz together, she had a very independent spirit, kittenish voice, a singer/songwriter and managed to have her own record company which she named Daffodil Records. Among all the tremendously cool and whimsy work, Blossom's voice appeared in Schoolhouse Rock!(you know, the very cool children's educational series that makes you sing and learn?)her voice appeared in "Mother Necessity","Figure Eight"(one of my favorites) and "Unpack Your Adjectives". Her style was minimal and precise, fitting her voice just right, and leaving you feeling bouncy after listening. Since discovering Blossom Dearie I've been diving into her music trying to find everything she recorded or worked on and also being inspired by her style and ways. I've been searching for a piano for my house ever since my Blossom discovery. Because hittin' the piano keys is ever so uplifting, whether you're an experienced pianist or you know enough on the piano to make you feel that bepop thing Miss Dearie knew so well. Plus, I think we can all agree that a piano makes a fine accessory in any home, big or small.

hooray, it's friday!

It's friday. It's cold and raining but my spirits are up thanks to some good company, exciting home improvement projects, and a couple of drinks. Wish I could transport myself and the house to a much warmer, sunnier place. Much like birds do, their flocks take off when the weather and conditions are full of gloom and have nothing to offer. To be like a bird and fly...oh, what a feeling that would be! Have a great weekend whoever you are, avian lover or not and may you find the release you are looking for. For now I stay where I am and keep warm with my internal "contour feathers" as I'm missing the necessary "flight feathers" that help me take off (it's all bird talk).

happy hour magic: classic margarita

Hip, hip, hooray! Right about now and with the weather acting up, it's happy hour time. We're painting a few rooms this evening and working on some home projects and shall I repeat myself, the weather is straight up nasty. So, with a drink in one hand and a paint brush in the other I tackle this evening with a warm, slightly intoxicated smile.

All I have this evening are two words...classic margarita! Here is the recipe for this timeless elixir (timeless in my opinion):

classic margarita with salted agave rim

-1 1/2 oz 100% agave tequila
-1 oz lime juice
-1/2 oz Cointreau
-agave syrup
-kosher salt

1.Squeeze about a Tablespoon of agave on a small plate.

2.Place a tablespoon or two of salt on another plate. Dip the rim of a glass in the agave (then dip your finger in the syrup and lick it...totally optional), then quickly dip it into the salt.

3.Combine tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake, shake, shake for 10 seconds.

4.Pour margarita into salt-rimmed glass and...salud amigos y amigas!

kitty cat madness.

Blue, the greatest...most of the time.

a super bad kitty that shouldn't be on top of the fridge!

platter replacement found on replacements LTD

salad bowl sold by compostthis

My cat is officially a jerk. I love the fur ball to the moon and back but this morning Blue really made me re-analyze our relationship, just a bit, I mean I really love the guy. Anyhow, in his crazy monkey-cat world he decided to make the top of our fridge his playground and knocked over some items which were of course vintage and some of my favorites in the kitchen.

Items broken beyond repair include:

-a large dinner platter(vintage and part of a fine china set)

-a heavy glass salad bowl that I adored no matter how much others didn't.

After picking up the mess and taking a few deep breaths I searched on etsy to find similar salad bowls as mine will be missed. To my surprise I found the same exact salad bowl but for a much steeper price, I paid a total of $3.00 at the community thrift store in SF of all places and found it again on etsy for $35.00 plus shipping of course. This salad bowl was produced by Anchor Hocking for Bazooka Bubble gum (weird) as a promotional deal sometime in the mid-1950s, and there were only 960 made. Wonderful, my broken one was part of the 960.... ARGH! The platter I also found by searching Grantham Royal-Doulton (the manufacturer) and I can get another for $139.99, my platter was part of a complete set that cost me $100. Gotta let go! So, farewell my precious, vintage, salad bowl, and platter you were both loved...and Blue is grounded.

kitchen homework!

While visiting my brother-in-law and his wife I discovered a fun little idea from the sis-in-law. Courtney is her name, and while sharing a recipe with me she opened up a binder, the kind you use in school to keep all your homework tidy. She had a ton of printed pages from epicurious, and such online recipe sites. In addition to the printed recipes, she also had handwritten stuff and even tiny little scraps of paper were in the binder. Recipes that were written by strangers at bars, restaurants, and parties all whom had written down cocktail recipes and culinary secrets with the lovely Courtney. Immediately, I thought "what a great idea" keeping a binder where you can organize all your printed or handwritten recipes.

I found a bright colorful binder, added subject dividers for recipe categories, and pasted some weights/measures conversion tables (because I have bad math skills) on the front of a divider page and finally included a plastic binder pocket to store receipts and extras. I keep all of my recipes that I cook with often in the binder and keep it close by, of course I still refer to my recipe books but the binder keeps all the paperwork in one place and out of drawers or the office.

Pretend it's school time and grab these items next time you're shopping for printer paper, pens etc...

-binder of your choice

-subject dividers

-3 ring folder or a binder pocket

Done!

she's so lovely: nicki bluhm

her album cover is gorgeous!

hot momma! love the jeans, body suit, bracelet, and bangs.

she's a california lover, it's true!

dynamic duo and a lovely pair N & T Bluhm

this dress is amazing!

I wanna go wherever she's going!

A very talented and lovely singer/songwriter has been constantly on my mind for some time now. Her name is Nicki Bluhm and even though I first knew of her as Tim Bluhm's girl (now wife), she really holds her own these days, because this girl is on fire with her ever so-lovely presence. Her melodies, and style grab a hold of you in a very charming way. The kind of gal you want to hang out with, raid her closet, go for a hike, have a girls night out, and then watch her play a guitar riff under a california sunset. Her sound is a beautiful mix of americana/folk/blues and some classic pop/rock that you'd hear back in the vinyl era, I hear some Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell in there but with a totally fresh feel to it. I think of Linda Ronstadt and even Cher when I see Nicki, perhaps it's her style and hair but it's definitely her talent.

Her voice is amazing, she's got me singing along every time I hear or see her play, a really wonderful performer. Oh, and she's one tough cookie as her band mates, "The Gramblers" are all boys, some of them members of the band The Mother Hips (including her husband Tim Bluhm), and some contributions from Jackie Greene are in her album. You can download her music on itunes or purchase her album online on her site. Right about now, I'm singing "Toby's song" and then I'll have "I'm your woman" stuck in my head, I cannot wait for her to release a new album and fall in love all over again. Love to love Nicki Bluhm!

the golden hour

The first and last hour of sunlight is known in the photography world as the "golden hour" or sometimes as the "magic hour" in cinematography. The quality of light at this hour produces a certain dreamy effect, lighting is softer more diffused and much warmer. Shadows are longer and the overall feel is captivating. All this illumination that comes from the sky scatters down, and if you're ready with a camera at hand you too can capture and bask in this golden hour.

I found a site that allows you to find the golden hour anywhere in the world you may be, so if perhaps you're not sure or want to set an alarm to tell yourself "hey, go snap some golden hour shots!" you can. Click here to find out the golden hour in your neck of the woods and off you go...chase that sun before it slips away!