happy pancake day!

Last Friday was Pancake Day. Food holidays have always been my favorite to celebrate and Pancake Day was a new accidental discovery, and it got me thinking, what if there were a whole meal made of pancakes? So I invited a few people over and I made a bunch of different savory pancakes of which I took zero photographs (sorry I was too busy eating them) but I also wanted to make dessert. And I found this was the perfect occasion to make a crepe cake, which I have been longing for an excuse to create for probably years now, ever since I saw a picture in Martha Stewart magazine. 

It was actually a fairly simply, though time consuming process. I made a monster batch of crepe batter, then I hung out in my kitchen with all the windows open while I made 30 crepes, trying to keep them all equal size and thickness or as close as possible. There was conflict over doing a fruit filling or some sort of chocolate so I did both. I had fresh strawberries and whipped cream as well as a dark chocolate sauce. To assemble, I placed one crepe on the cake stand, spread a layer of chocolate sauce, added another crepe, layer of whipped cream with strawberries and repeat. I listed to a few hours of radio and when I started to get concerned about the cake being so tall it might fall over, I stopped and put it in the fridge to chill and set, as instructed. 

And here it is in all it's many layered glory. This combination was very tasty, and has opened the pandora's box that is this new format. I think this would be wonderful with some sort of citrus cream, nutella or even a more savory version with pesto and roast vegetables. So many possibilities. A word of warning however, it is a very delicate process to slice and then transfer said slice to a plate safely. Just saying that structural integrity with this cake was.... thin. Enjoy!

working outside

I actually tried working outside a bit this weekend, I was feeling cooped up being inside at my desk all the time and also wanted to get some fresh air/new ideas/interact with people, so I took a long walk to Dolores Park and then set up my blanket and worked in the sunshine until I ran out of sunscreen and water. The 'bon' floral doodle was one of the things I ended up coming up with. If this is what fall is going to be like, well I'm okay with that.

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things I have been wearing

I really need to finish and then photograph some of the projects I both working on and or have recently finished. Until then, an always ongoing project is my ridiculous wardrobe. I know I should wear solids and basics like a normal person but I've never seen a quirky print that I didn't love. Most recent addition is the llamas shirt bottom right. Love it.

moving the couch, and then moving everything else!

This is what my living room looked like last it was seen around these parts. The layout has pretty much been the same since I first painted and moved in real furniture. However, it was starting to feel a little stagnant and honestly I'd never really been too keen on this version, but ever time I thought about rearranging I was stumped on how, due to the extra large size of the couch and the difficulties of having so many doorways to work around.

Then, when my mom was in town last weekend after we spent the weekend in Lake Tahoe visiting my brother, and I asked if she wanted to help me come up with a different arrangement, well we were shoving couches around pretty soon after that. 

The first thing she suggested was moving the couch area over to the window seat. It turns out that this was the key to making this odd and door-heavy space work, since everyone always gravitates towards sitting on the window seat (it's excellent for people watching) it was only right that the rest of the seating should be there as well. At first I was skeptical about the large couch being out in the room like that, but it ended up working out great. 

Sitting in the window seat you can see the front door, as well as the little dining 'nook' of sorts we created in the left corner, and then the record table was moved to the right, leaving the large mirror unblocked by the couch (again, surprisingly I like this a lot better than I thought I would) and the space in the middle is much more clear and open making walking through this room more comfortable while also providing some excellent dance space should it be needed (it is!)

The giant heart pinata (previously hanging above my bed) has been a nice backdrop behind the record player and that corner has seemed much lighter now that the dark wood corner bookcase has migrated elsewhere (more on that soon). Other furniture to be appropriated from elsewhere includes the gold spray painted trunk from my studio and the tall tree branch table which used to be a plant stand and is now serving as an excellent side table. At my last dinner party a few people remarked on the lack of places to put drinks while at the couch so I sought to remedy that in this new configuration.

I plan on doing some smaller color updates over the next few weeks, switching out pillows and such, though I am also thinking of re-painting the hanging lights and doing some artwork rearranging as well. But for now, and for a total of zero dollars, this update has been working great. It is wonderful when something as simple as moving around furniture can make such a difference. I've found myself sitting on the couch just to read through my mail or work on the first cup of tea for the morning because the light and the view is so wonderful. So a big thank you to my mom, who is always unafraid to move the couch!

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when the universe redirects you through the paint aisle....

Sometimes you just have to listen to what the universe is telling. And when you get herded through the paint aisle at the hardware store (I was just there for a light bulb) and there's a crazy sale that just might mean you should go for it. I've been dreaming about and lusting over rich velvety black walled spaces forever but never went for it because there wasn't a right space. But when I saw that paint sale I knew just what to do.
And in one night, for under ten bucks, my pink princessy closet (which I had been feeling a bit tired of) went from this:



to this! I used chalkboard paint in classic black (not intending to draw on the walls per say but it has the most excellent coverage) and it only took two coats both of which dried remarkably fast (about a hour!) I haven't had a chalkboard wall since I was fourteen so it's amusing to see how different this iteration is may years later. I can't wait to put everything back into the space, it's like a glamorous jewel box in there now, and it turns out pretty much everything looks lux against this backdrop.

Lake Tahoe eye candy

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in the studio

This is what the big wall in my studio looks like right now. I like to hang things up as I'm working, so that I can see my progress and whatnot. Of course in this case it has begun encroaching on the photo strips to the right but it seemed it just couldn't be wrangled.

Not 100% sure what this series is due to become, though I've loosely been calling it "collections" if that makes any sense. It is fun to focus on drawing something in a group. Also very much enjoying the pen and ink illustrations because now I'm to the extra fun part where I get to work into my very one custom coloring book! Or at least that's what it feels like to me. Here's a few bits of some of the pieces. 

productivity sometimes equals less photos

Since I have been busy and getting lots of work done these last few weeks, it means that there have been a lot less small side projects and also a lot less photographing of projects to share. Thus less things to look at here. This small peek below is all that I can show right now, a tease until some further choices are made and the design or designs go forward.

Other than that, there has been a bit more birthday celebration and some fun outfits inspired by back to school (just because I'm not headed back to school, per say, doesn't mean I can't dress/pack my lunch/ bring an apple as if I am) so here's a bit of all that.

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party dresses

I always loved 50's prom dresses. the ruffles and all that tulle. But whenever I found them in vintage shops they were usually teeny tiny and or expensive and or falling apart. And I wanted to wear them. So that wouldn't really work for me. Then one day I decided to jump in and get the amazing hot pink three-D floral fabric I had been coveting at Fabric outlet for going on a year, and just make one myself.

And it was tedious, and involved an insane amount of pins and a total of three zipper installations and so many spools of thread. But in the end I was left with a pretty satisfactory garment (I even made it as separates so that it would be more versatile, though honestly who am I kidding, how wearable is a skirt that looks like a cupcake...don't answer that) that fit and was so SO pink!

Of course I'm not sure I'll get a ton of wear out of it, but regardless, it's a very fun thing to have and I look forward to my next opportunity to whip it out (also it's an excellent twirl-er!)

birthday waffles

Because it was by birthday yesterday I decided to do something special for breakfast. I thought it would be fun and different to add some color to my traditional weekend waffles, so I divided up my batch of batter and added a little bit of food coloring to each to brighten things up.

Of course, when they had all come out of the waffle iron unscathed and wonderfully colorful I couldn't resist taking a bunch of photos before I started eating. It was a wonderfully rainbow breakfast, looked neat and tasted excellent!