Virginia Johnson

Virginia Johnson's scarves and shawls are always floating around in blog land, but what I really enjoyed this slide show of her process from Toronto Life. Click here to check it out.  She has a blog too!

About Page

I just added an about me page to my blog.  I've been wanting to create one for a while now to give you a better idea of who I am and what this blog is about.  Click here to read. Let me know what you think!

Renegade LA

 Saturday was the perfect day for Renegade.  The weather wasn't hot like I expected it to be, but instead it was sunny with a nice breeze.  It was my first time going to the Cornfields, and I am so glad they chose this as the location! Parking was a breeze and it wasn't hard to navigate like last year's location.  I got to focus on all the amazing things being sold instead of trying to figure out where I was in the building! 
Anyway, there were a ton of amazing vendors but I only got a few little things. 

Sandwich wrapper from Chez Sucre Chez

Chef pencil set from Paper Pastries (for the bf, since he is a chef)

A birthday card from The Social Type

There were lots of lovely things that caught my eye, but what I really wanted was this necklace by Erica Weiner.  Unfortunately it was this or the facial I had already scheduled for myself on Monday.  My birthday is coming up soon though...hmm...

Gratitude - July 26

+ my first ripe tomato!  Small but packed with flavor.
+ Renegade LA this past weekend (pictures to come)
+ amazingly delicious lunch at Gjelina... so good.
+ belgian waffle with powdered sugar and nutella. perhaps too much of a good thing
+ registering for a jewelry making class this fall!
+ playing with fiber reactive dyes... lots of ideas in the works
+ birthday party with lots of great homemade food like Thai curry, Peruvian aji de gallina (that my boyfriend made!) and Korean japchae, to name a few

(I ate a lot of great food this past week....)

Odd and Ends

(photo from Levi's Pioneer Sessions)

Just a few odds and ends:

+ After I posted the She & Him cover of Fools Rush In, Mallory suggested I try listening to the other songs from Levi's Pioneer Sessions.  I'm so glad I did!  The songs are great and all free to download from their website.  I'm really enjoying It's a Shame by Raphael Saadiq.  Which reminds me of one of the perks of where I work--occasionally meeting celebrities, Raphael Saadiq included.  I think it's pretty telling of someone's character how they treat a retail worker, and he was very friendly and easy going while I helped him with an order. 

+ Speaking of the small perks of my job, I met someone that became famous through Youtube (calling him a youtube star sounds kind of funny), Kevjumba.  I used to watch his videos all the time and had a little crush on him (even though he's a bit younger than me).  Ok, saying I met him is giving myself too much credit.  He asked me a simple question and I pretty much acted like a star struck fool!  By far the most embarrassing way I've acted in front of someone famous.  Oh well!

+ If you look to the right column on my blog, you'll noticed I recently added a twitter account! Please feel free to add me if you wish :) 

+ Here's a great article on whether a veggie burger or steak is more environmentally friendly.  I have been vegetarian on and off (admittedly, more off than on), but what's more important to me isn't cutting all animal products out of my diet, but making sure that how and what I eat is sustainable. (via greenLAgirl)

+ This weekend I'm going to Renegade Craft Fair!  Although it'll be outside in the sweltering heat, I'm excited to see all the things I've been ogling over the internet in person.   Is anyone else going?

+ Lastly, here's a nice article to read about gratitude (via Gala Darling)

What are your plans for the weekend? Other than renegade, I have my day job, working on my stationery, and a birthday party pot luck on Sunday.  I'm planning on bringing a pasta salad with lots of basil from our garden as well as making some mint lemonade. But my goal for the weekend is to actual document it all and take lots of photos!

Bicycle Accessories

(photos from their respective sources. washi tape from pugly pixel)

Here's a roundup of some bicycle accessories I've had my eye on.  It came together quite easily as I've been dreaming of owning a bike for a while now!  The majority of them are from small or independent businesses, too.

Clockwise from top left: nutcase helmet, brooks basket, baggu backpack, death and texas handlebar bag, cupcake bell, keds, monogrammed bicycle grips.

Gratitude - July 19

(taken with my iphone)

+ hiking a trail I haven't used since high school (above)

+ girl talk over sushi, coffee and tea, then beer, when everything closed on us and we had no choice but to go home!

+ doing lots of research over the perfect bicycle and accessories

+ Tony's Italian Deli

+ diced pickles from Tony's, seriously the best pickles I've ever had

+ stationery progress! (slowly but surely)

+ reading an amazing book 
+ making my own version of Chipotle's burrito bowl and having it all week (so simple and delicious)

Hope this past week was good to all of you.  This week I am looking forward to Renegade Craft Fair!  Is anyone else going?

My Future Bicycle?

I've been dreaming of owning a bicycle for quite a while now.  Years, probably, when gorgeous girls on bicycles started popping up on The Sartorialist and photos reblogged Copenhagen Cycle Chic showed up everywhere.  I imagined myself riding to the farmer's market, holding everything in panniers hanging from the rear rack with fresh flowers in my basket. I dreamed of riding along with friends for a bite to eat. But most importantly, I envisioned myself car free!
Romantic visions aside, I knew I wanted a dutch/vintage style bicycle but had no idea how much they cost or where I could find one.  The only type of bicycles I thought were available to me were mountain bikes and cruisers.  Thankfully riding bicycles has gotten more popular in the US, whether for style or environmental reasons, and more options have become available.  After extensive googling, I've come up with some promising prospects.

Linus Dutchi 3-Speed

Raleigh Roadster

Flying Pigeon (photo from joe-bike)

Batavus Old Dutch

I'm hoping to check out Flying Pigeon LA  in the next few days.  I'll let you know how my search goes!  Next up, a post on all the accessories I'd love to deck my future bicycle in.  (photos from their respective sources)

Garden Progress

My tomatoes!  Aren't they so cute?!  It's so much fun watching them grow day by day.  I only have one tomato that's bigger than the one's shown above, but it's in a hard spot to take a photo of.  Can't wait until they're ready for eating!  My basil, mint, and newly acquired cilantro are all thriving as well. 

Here's a photo of the view outside my balcony.  The mountains are so pretty, but unfortunately the smog gets in the way!

Do any of you have a garden going this summer?  What kind of plants are you growing?  I wish I added some zucchini as well!

Gratitude - July 12

+ hanging art work (above)
+ working mornings!
+ this song... on repeat all weekend long
+ starting on my quilt
+ whole living magazine
+ reform school and intelligentsia coffee
+ 8 tomatoes on my plant!

Fools Rush In

Love her voice.  (via Design Is Mine)

Trying to be happy a lot of the time

Isn't this print by Sarah McNeil one of the most darling things you've ever seen? Every bit of it makes me feel so happy.  I've had my eye on several pieces in her etsy shop, especially those porcelain brooches!  I can't decide between the owl or squirrel. (photo credit: Sarah McNeil)

[links: blog, shop, flickr]

Goodbye, Fish

This morning I found one of my fishes... certainly not alive.  It's not the one pictured above, I don't have any photos of him (her?).  I'm not quite sure why but I am rather affected by his/her death.  I never even gave him a name.  Maybe it's the circumstances in which he passed (far too gruesome to post here).  Whatever the case is, RIP little fishie.  Thank you for eating up all the algae and keeping the tank clean. 

Gratitude - July 5

+ Saturday farmer's market
+ another barbeque with the family
+ girls night out, and making it out to the Valley for the first time and not getting lost!
+ green tea boba and long afternoon chats
+ three delicious pizzas in the span of 1 week
+ fred 62's bossa nova waffle (waffle + dulce de leche + ice cream + whipped cream)
+ being inspired by my amazing friends
+ um... solitaire on my iphone?!  best thing ever.

Lemon Bars

Yesterday I tried out a lemon bar recipe from a recent Donna Hay issue.  I had all the ingredients at home so I thought, why not?  It's my first time making lemon bars (excluding the boxed kind), and they taste great!  I also made batch of heart shaped one from a silicone mold, but this is the only one that came out looking good.  Now I'm wondering what recipe I should try out next.  Perhaps something savory, all these sweets have an awful lot of sugar...