work!

My little helper.

new from the heated

We've just launched two new designs! My friend Nicole Martin is an amazing artist so The Heated asked her to come up with some designs. Party Bird is adorable, an instant hit. And while Ratbird may seem a bit strange, it's based on a mostly true story that happened during our fight against the mice. Ratbird is being printed in a new color- graphite.

flowers

Dahlias are my absolute favorite flower, and they can't really be grown year round. During their season (late summer/early fall) I try to see and buy as many as possible. I kind of skimmed the farmer's market today, but this amazing bunch came home with me. I set up a photo shoot on the deck to take shots for Etsy, and these got taken by accident too.

art project

The girls had so much fun playing with their masks that I actually lost track of time and put them down for naps late. That never happens.

This is a very simple project. I used: free printable masks from the internet, some markers, scissors, hole punch, tape and ribbon. I let them color first since the little ones go out of the lines so much. Alli cut hers out with the exception of the eye holes. I placed tape over the ribbon holes to prevent tearing then punched them out and tied a length of ribbon in each one. The twins thought wearing masks was hilarious, and Alli totally got into her character as a cat.

cranberry beans

dessert

Was anyone else totally inspired to cook after reading this month's Bon Appetit? We went for dinner at our friend's house last night and I brought dessert; poached figs and maple mascarpone served on shortcakes. The recipe calls for buttermilk ice cream which sounds delicious, but I don't have an ice cream maker. Cowgirl Creamery makes mascarpone straight from heaven, so really the ice cream wasn't missed at all.

pickle this!

"It's like a dill pickle seduced a sweet pickle and they made love on the grass next to a lake and then they made a baby and it was born on a dewy dawn in spring."



By far the nicest thing ever said about my homemade pickles.

early morning flowers

I did the flowers for Coco500 before work yesterday. It's a dark shot, but I liked the very fall feeling of the arrangement; branches, mums, rosehips and pin cushion protea in bright green and an orangey-red.

farmer's market

Yesterday morning I woke up to thunder and lightning, which is unusual in San Francisco. A gigantic clap around 8:15 had me thinking I's skip the market, but I ended up right by the Berkeley market later in the day. That weather inspired me to buy fall feeling food; Russian potatoes, butternut squash, the first apples and a bag of mixed beets and carrots.

For dinner, I roasted the carrots, beets, onion and a delicata squash from my mom's place and served them with orrechiette and lots of parmigiana. It was completely satisfying.

visiting mom

"The site was a hot springs retreat center in the past, operating as "Howard Hot Springs" until 1974. The existing lodge, sixty-five small cottages, and large bathing facilities are being rebuilt with the help of an expert team of green architects and builders to create an experiential learning environment, ecovillage and intentional retreat that models sustainable practices and consciousness, including extensive permaculture gardens and an intentional design that invites residents and visitors to live consciously in each moment."


Right now, it's 318 acres of land with a lot of funky buildings waiting to be torn down. But a garden was planted by my mom to feed the groups of people who come and work on the project. To me, visiting Avalon for the first time felt a lot like going to the camp in Dirty Dancing, only forgotten and in total disrepair. It's kind of spooky to imagine all of the people who have been there since the 1880's when it first opened, but it's also exciting to see the potential.

produce

I have some really fascinating images from my recent trip to visit my mom. She is the caretaker for a 100+ year old natural hot springs resort. It was abandoned for years, and now is undergoing a much needed face lift. But I left my camera (and my pillow) there, so I can't share them just yet. What I do have is a few shots of the produce I harvested taken on my cell phone. More about the story of Avalon soon...

etsy finds

Some things I'm loving right now. All available on Etsy.

Tangerine Pencil Case by alliebeans $17

Spike Earrings by gypsystudio $36


Organic T-short - Woodland Cottage Design by maryink $28


Bubble Pattern 03 - in Beet by InvitaPaperStudio $9 (set of 6)

Birch Top by LittleHouses $80


Structured Mini by IndependentReign $23


Oak Keyholder by TinySparksDesign $35


Solid Oak Jewelry Box JMCraftworks $45


Small Storage Basket by meganauman $180

this week

Thought I'd share with you a few images from my week.


I'm making two quilts for Rose and Radish from the Tandem series. All I have left to finish this one is the biding. Contact the shop if you are interested in buying.



I'm looking for a new place to hang the apple print that I bought at the De Young Museum a few years ago. In the meantime, I'm enjoying its temporary home on my dresser. Also enjoying this amazing hydrangea blossom that I have had for 3 (!) weeks.

Cristina whittled this whale in her wood working class for our yet to be conceived child. It is beyond cute.

canning colors

I cleaned out the cupboard where I keep all of the canned goods over the weekend and was struck by the gorgeous colors. Don't you agree they are just so appetizing?

(From l to r) pickled cucumbers, apricot jam, plum jam, white nectarine jam

(from l to r) peaches, apricot jam, plum jam, pickled cucumbers, ketchup