Kate Spade + iPhone

 

Good Morning Granola

When trying to come up with this year's (okay, now last year's)  handmade holiday gift the boys expressed a VERY strong preference for cooking, versus crafting. Cool. In order to guarantee the "handmade"part of the deal, I came up with granola. Easy enough for kids to measure, stir, and add their own creative ingredients (and mine). Two factors came in to play on this recipe...ONE, I wanted a granola that I could eat without feeling guilty. TWO, it absolutely had to be inspired by the granola at my favorite bakery--Bread & Cie.

Martha Stewart FOOD helped with requirement number ONE. As for inspiration from Bread & Cie.? That's where the Corn Pops came in. It's not even that I had this cereal as a kid (I didn't) or that I crave it as an adult (I don't). It's just that Corn Pops bring a bit of whimsy and surprise to an otherwise quiet concoction.

GOOD MORNING GRANOLA makes 8 delicious cups

ingredients 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1 cup toasted wheat gern 1/2 cup flax seed 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds 1/2 cup pepita seeds 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 1/2 cups Corn Pops 1/2 cup dried berries 5 tablespoons robust molasses 3 tablespoons maple syrup 1/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup water

directions 1. Heat oven to 300 degrees with rack in center. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, flax seed, cinnamon, ginger, seeds, and walnuts. In a small bowl, combine molasses, oil, and 1/3 cup water and pour over the oat mixture. Stir well until well coated. Spread evenly in two baking pans

2. Bake, stirring every 20 minutes or so for even cooking until dry and lightly browned--about 45 minutes. Let granola cool to room temperature, add Corn Pops and berries then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

The boys were liberal with the cinnamon, and added dried cranberries. I threw in the pepita seeds for extra nutrients and crunch. We used olive oil instead of the recommended canola oil, and we added maple syrup because we had just watched Elf, and Elf puts maple syrup on everything....

In the end, we thought it was a huge hit. I even used it as a topping with Greek yogurt and our Orange Challah French Toast!

Rx: Jonathan Adler + Starbucks

(True Love)

This gorgeous new ceramic coffee grail dazzled me so much so that I almost, ALMOST missed Starbucks new price increases. Jonathan Adler, master of modern whimsy has designed a perky paisley tumbler just in time for the holly days. As if it weren't enough to be jump started by a grande quad latte each morning, this 16oz. vessel is the perfect antidote for a working girl's maladies.

Oh and about those price jumps...I may need to rethink my daily dosage.

Soundtrack for a Broken Heart

I tend to really like songs about heartbreak. And not because I'm consistently heartbroken, it's just they are SO compelling. There are two right now that I'm SUPER into, which deal with a lot more than a broken heart...Kiss With a Fist by Florence + The Machine, Love the Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna. Okay, Florence is AWESOME! I would rock her outfit, her fire, her 'tude. Love it.

On the serious note of "more than a broken heart," check out  Eve Ensler's "Global movement to end violence against women and girls" VDAY and V Girls ...

Here are some of my choice selections, in no particular order: Heartbreak Warfare, John Mayer Love The Way You Lie, Eminem (feat. Rihanna) Irreplaceable, Beyonce Kiss With a Fist, Florence + The Machine (see above) The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance, Sinead O'Connor Already Gone, Kelly Clarkson Breakin' Up, Riley Kiley Sun Comes up It's Tuesday Morning, The Cowboy Junkies (Really, an optimistic one...) Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis Good Year For The Roses, Elvis Costello Need You Now, Lady Antebellum Every Rose Has It's Thorn, Poison With or Without You, U2

SIDEBAR Love The Way You Lie features  a fine F-Bomb dropped by Eminem, early in the song. This was picked up quite clearly by Beck, as we worked on an art project in my office. Someone was up for testing me...

B: "Hey, he said some bad words" PAUSE "He said fu#kin'." Me: "Yes, he did, so we'll skip to the next song." LONGER PAUSE B: "Because he said 'fu#kin' ?" Me: "Yep."

The Jedi & Dracula

Mother Magpie's

I am super happy for my mom, she is starting her own business called Mother Magpie's--it's a funky mix of her vintage treasures and DIY handiwork. I got the fabulous job of designing her logo, business cards and signage. We did a large rubber stamp that she can use on manila shipping tags, and the next item up for design is a banner.When searching for the perfect shipping tag image I came across this gorgeous site! It's called Olive Manna - Textiles & Paper Goods. I think I'm in love...go check it out yourself.

Potato Print Moustache Swag Bags

Outtakes from The Moustache Bash

As promised I'm sharing some crafty bits for the TFD blog, based on the Moustache Bash bday party we had for Master B and Master M. Fun, easy, kid based projects...POTATO PRINTS! I drew the 'stache with a Sharpie and carved out the design with a paring knife and some linocut tools.

We did an assembly line print job, with each of us in charge of one potato. I had to step in periodically to clean off the globs and trim the corners that got soft with ink. The kids liked to roll new ink on the tray and dip and stamp. We stamped onto white paper sacks from Target, and filled them with goodies for kiddie style swag bags.

The Brother Grim

Last night Beck shared with me a story he is working on at school: SCENE At the dinner table, discussing our respective days...in the most cheerful, one fish two fish wide eyed tone he described the storyline as follows without breath or punctuation:

"So it's a story about two dogs and they are running and running in a race that is taking like two days and they get so so hungry after running and running that the one dog eats the other one."

(Big grin)

The End.

The Moustache Bash

 

Signage & Decor

I tried to keep the costs in check, so I made all the signage from old cardboard and splurged on cool ribbon from Michaels. I painted moustaches and 'sevens' on some old canvas I had lying around, and popped them into quilter's hoops that we bought at the thrift stores.

Mad Props

Upon entering the party, each guest was treated to a "Stylish Mustache". I bought these through Amazon. Unfortunately, the sweaty youngsters wore out the adhesive, so we resorted to an impromptu moustache painting station. It actually worked out even better (Salvador Dali!), though the fuzzy ones did look pretty awesome for a bit (Tom Selleck at age 7! Doesn't get much better.). To create the Moustaches on Sticks we bought brown and black felt and dowels (Michaels) and cut out cool 'staches for props...displayed in a cylinder of black beans. I also made but forgot to photograph some chocolate moustaches with  candy molds I bought online. I'd say less than half survived my candy making (wrong type of chocolate? Uggh!) but those that did, went out the door as party favors. They were each on a lolli stick and wrapped in cellophane with black and white ribbon.

 

Next up, was the Photo Booth! Great for memory making, and fun to do. I took the boys thrift shopping a week or two before to pick out some special props to add to our own dress up stash. We found awesome finds in the early Halloween displays--top hats, bowlers, supersize sunglasses, vintage tennis racquets, and more. Super fun for all, and just wish I could have hung out here the whole time taking pics. I'm still in the process of printing some keepers, and sending out with thank you notes. Another easy activity was the Graffiti Wall--I had the boys help comb through magazines and find pictures of faces (big, full ad type) so that we could add our own moustaches, and whatever else...set out a Jar-o-Sharpies and they had a gas deconstructing the glossy images.

Games

I took images of the boys (used for the invitations) to Costco and blew them up for a little game of "Stick the Moustache on Max & Beck". My cousin Morgan cut out some pretty rad 'staches (note the fumanchu!) to use for this game.  Next we played "Hot Potato Sac" which is a game I found online. It's essentially a pillow case stuffed with dress up clothes, and while kids sit in a big circle, music plays, the sac is fired off from kid to kid. The music stops, and wherever it lands, the kid sticks a hand in and pulls out something to wear. At the end, the kids vote on the silliest dressed player. They had so much fun, they asked to play again. Easy answer? Just let them rock the dress up stuff the rest of the party. For a little more free play we left out a pile of pipe cleaners, a bowl of bubble solution, and some bold chalk for the patio. This was a nice option for some of the younger party peeps. And the girls.

The Party Favor bags featured our moustache potato prints. Each guest got the boys' favorite Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, some type of quirky alien or monster or reptile item (boys), or bubbles or a notebook (girls).

Unfortunately I was so rushed for the party beginning, that this is the only shot I have of the giant chocolate chip cookie. The kids devoured the single cookies from moment one, and frankly there were just crumbs remaining of the giant confection after the last of our neighbors headed out later that night. The most awesome recipe for this? The one with loads of real butter that I followed by heart and did not substitute wheat flour or applesauce, or add flax or yogurt to? A New York Times feature recipe adapted from Jacques Torres. Secret to this? Make the dough. Refrigerate. Let the ingredients soak each other up. Holy Cuss. Delicious. Crazy good. Happy Birthday Boys!

XOXO

Mommy

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Jacques Torres Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content

 Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.

Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Picture Day

I did my best to ensure that my children did not show up looking like total scrubs for Picture Day. My own First Grade picture was god awful. Like I was a hippie child booted from the commune after refusing food and sunlight for months. Truthfully, I think I had been out sick and no one got the notice that it was sparkle and shine time. Sigh. Other than convince Beck that a button up short sleeve shirt should not be worn with ONLY the top button buttoned, and persuading Max to NOT wear a long sleeve T under a short sleeve button up, we were good to go. They even had me put product in their hair. So handsome.

Vision Board

Fueling Creativity

A few months ago I discovered Behance --a website/company devoted to enhancing the world of creative peeps--and now get regular email updates. I first fell in love with the Action Books, perfect for my way of tracking notes in a meeting. Today I took the time to check out the latest news, which led me to The 99%.com. I've already watched the 19 min. special on designer Michael Bierut: 5 Secrets from 86 Notebooks, and there are more on my list.

Today's article is Don't Be Afraid of the S-Word and it was a sharp little nugget about sales and self-promotion. Perfect for us entrepreneurs. Then I discovered this one, RSS Creativity: Routines, Systems, Spontaneity, by Mark McGuinness.

Covering the elements of the creative process, McGuinness breaks it down into the three categories shown here: Routines, Systems, Spontaneity. The author offers us "takeaways" for each category, beginning with

ROUTINES. Starting with the idea that "routine is a key that unlocks creativity," he suggests you  "Notice what time(s) of day you are most alert and creative. Dedicate that time to focused creative work. Use the same tools, in the same surroundings, even the same background music, so that they become triggers for your 'creative zone'."

For SYSTEMS, he writes, "A rock-solid productivity system performs a dual function for your creativity:

(1) It ensures that all ideas and action steps are captured, so that nothing slips through the cracks, in your own work and within your team, and

(2) When you are confident that everything important has been captured, you are free to focus fully on the task in hand."

For SPONTANEITY we begin to understand that our really, hard, nose-to-the-grindstone work should be rewarded with breaks from said routines and  hard work--as it is often during these breaks that we are  free to experience and generate the much desired "a-ha" moment.

How do you stay organized and motivated?

Preppy Love

L-R, T-B

Women's Authentic Original Two-Eye Boat Shoe, Whales by Enormous Champion at Heath Ceramics, Lands' End Canvas, Route 63 Canvas Leather Trim Bucket Bag, J. Crew Vintage Bateau, Kate Spade's Letterpress "Hello" Calling Cards via Crane's, Lacoste Polo Shirtdress, Ray-ban Aviators, Modern Monogram Stationery from Etsy, Mikimoto pearl stud earrings.

Ever since my trip to Boston I've been releasing my inner preppy. I grew up in the Midwest but had a strong sense of the prep aesthetic...mainly because I grew up in (Lake) Minnetonka where all things Muffy and Buffy were worshiped. I had monogram sweaters, Sperry Top-Siders (in both navy and brown), "duck" shoes from L.L.Bean, a "powder jacket", and pink and green Izod t-shirts that I proudly wore with the collar UP. This, and I made braided barettes for a little side income. I experimented in junior high (it was ugly...) and went back to my tried and trues in high school. Only then it was J.Crew and Ralph Lauren, and my uniform consisted of a men's oxford in plaid or chamois, and blue jeans.

My style has thankfully evolved past the full Muffy stage. I'm loving my West Coast punch bright colors and Palm Springs happy tunics with a little NorCal bohemian mixed in. Still though, to this day, I cannot walk by a sailor striped T without stopping. I still wear my Mikimoto pearl studs most days of the week, and I really love a good monogram. Admittedly, I nearly bought myself a new pair of boat shoes on the recent east coast trip. They'd look so cute with my dark blue skinny jeans and...almost. I may settle for the super chic and utilitarian bucket bag from the Lands' End Canvas collection--a special treat, in honor of my new job.

Planning Camp Athena

I've been working on the outline for next weekend's retreat with my gals from the Ax Collective...in the quest for some inspired material I came across fabulous camp crafts via Design*Sponge, which featured Derek and Lauren from The Curiosity Shoppe, one of my favorite online haunts. These images are ALL theirs...and I can't wait to forage some sticks and craft up some God's Eyes. Don't you think the leather wrap lanyards are way cooler than the old hard plastic ones?

Finally, for a bit more substance, I discovered this poem from one of my favorite authors:

For Strong Women

By Marge Piercy

A strong woman is a woman who is straining
A strong woman is a woman standing
on tiptoe and lifting a barbell
while trying to sing "Boris Godunov."
A strong woman is a woman at work
cleaning out the cesspool of the ages,
and while she shovels, she talks about
how she doesn't mind crying, it opens
the ducts of the eyes, and throwing up
develops the stomach muscles, and
she goes on shoveling with tears in her nose.
A strong woman is a woman in whose head
a voice is repeating, I told you so,
ugly, bad girl, bitch, nag, shrill, witch,
ballbuster, nobody will ever love you back,
why aren't you feminine, why aren't
you soft, why aren't you quiet, why aren't you dead?
A strong woman is a woman determined
to do something others are determined
not be done. She is pushing up on the bottom
of a lead coffin lid. She is trying to raise
a manhole cover with her head, she is trying
to butt her way through a steel wall.
Her head hurts. People waiting for the hole
to be made say, hurry, you're so strong.
A strong woman is a woman bleeding
inside. A strong woman is a woman making
herself strong every morning while her teeth
loosen and her back throbs. Every baby,
a tooth, midwives used to say, and now
every battle a scar. A strong woman
is a mass of scar tissue that aches
when it rains and wounds that bleed
when you bump them and memories that get up
in the night and pace in boots to and fro.
A strong woman is a woman who craves love
like oxygen or she turns blue choking.
A strong woman is a woman who loves
strongly and weeps strongly and is strongly
terrified and has strong needs. A strong woman is strong
in words, in action, in connection, in feeling;
she is not strong as a stone but as a wolf
suckling her young. Strength is not in her, but she
enacts it as the wind fills a sail.
What comforts her is others loving
her equally for the strength and for the weakness
from which it issues, lightning from a cloud.
Lightning stuns. In rain, the clouds disperse.
Only water of connection remains,
flowing through us. Strong is what we make
each other. Until we are all strong together,
a strong woman is a woman strongly afraid.

22 Days

I received this gorgeous bouquet yesterday from my future employers...The New Children's Museum. Happy Mother's Day! Can you smell the lilacs from here? The scent fills our home still, and I'm nostalgic for my Midwestern childhood where backyards ran together like wavy green ribbons, rhubarb was foraged for homemade fruit leather and lilac bushes lined the back fence.

Here's to new beginnings...June 1, you're only 22 days away.

PS. Many of you know my favorite floral peeps, but this particular arrangement raised the bar. Well done Flower Child!

It Takes a Village

I woke up this morning to a little handwritten note in orange marker on a scrap of recycled paper, set on top of my iPhone..."Love your Buney. To. From Beck" a few feet away (tripping distance) was a silver cash box with the word"open" written on it (I think I can get it clean). Inside another handwritten message: "I love you so much." with a little butterfly drawing. Yes. These are my riches, my treasures, my currency. Gobs and gobs of love. XOXO.

Getting Ready for Screenprinting at StudioWorks

I can't believe it's been a year since I was last at my first screenprinting workshop at Visual Asylum. I'm back at it again this Friday night for an open studio. Amy said I could use the 4-color press (AWESOME!) and so I busted out my newest design--inspired by the one and only Tim Gunn. I'm obsessed with school craft supplies and I've sketched the Elmer's glue bottle more than once. Practical, chic, fresh, timeless.

Book Studio

This past weekend when the Mister was in Vegas, the boys and I set up a little book making studio in the dining room, and went to work on storyboarding their mini blank board books. I had them sketch out their story ideas with pencil on butcher paper, then use Sharpies and design markers on the final product. Beck made a book about dots, titled "The . Book" it chronicles all the ways you can use dots to draw pictures.

Max had a very detailed plan about what Monsters do...but by the time he got to implementing his design on the actual book, he was over it.

Eat Local, Buy Local, Grow Local

After clearing off my whiteboard and having some fabulous women tour my humble little studio I was reminded of the WPA initiative inspired prints commissioned by ReadyMade. My favorite of this group was by artist Chris Silas Neal, "Eat Local, Buy Local, Grow Local" which  you can download and print via ReadyMade*. I love the colors, the layers, his beautiful typography. More! More! More!

This topic coincides with my current affection for Michael Pollan-- The Ominvore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and his newest publication Food Rules...he writes here on the Huffington Post about eating with common sense.

*download no longer available

Art Between the Hours

I'm in my first group show at Project X Art Gallery in Solana Beach. I accepted the invitation with excitement and trepidation...I've shared my designs with many, but kept my painting close to home. Well, it's a New Year and I'm up for the challenge. Art Between the Hours features some extremely talented artists that are way out of my league. Really, I'm quite fortunate to be included with them. Cheers Ladies! And thanks again Jen, for the invitation... Celebrate with us this Saturday night from 6 - 10 PM at Project X Art Gallery: