portraits

Recently a few friends asked me to take portraits, I thought I would post a few that I like.

busy little bee

In the last 6 weeks, I have shipped out about 175 neckties/bow ties and done flowers for 11 weddings plus a few events. It has been downright nuts. I took on a part-time assistant to help with all of the sewing and she completely saved me. Yesterday I shipped out the last of the orders, and tomorrow I leave for a much needed (and totally deserved!) vacation in Italy. I spent most of 2000 living with a family in Genoa and among other things, I will be going to visit them. Little Paolo who was born while I was there is now an adolescent kid and the sisters are in college. I have spent a lot of time in the last few weeks remembering my life during that time and I am really curious to see how it feels to return.
You can bet I will be sharing lots of photos from the trip and I know I owe you some postings as blogging seems to be the first thing to drop when life gets hectic. Until then, arrivederci!

appetizing

Posting this photo on facebook gave me more "likes" than just about anything I've ever done, so I figured it best to give you the recipe. It's barely even a recipe, more like a list of ingredients that you stack on top of each other, broil up for a bit and then eat -preferably alongside a perfect Sapphire Gin and Fever Tree tonic like I did.

Roasted Butternut Crostini
1 french baguette, sliced thinly
2 cups cubed butternut squash, save the rest of the squash for soup
2 t olive oil
1 c  ricotta (go for the good stuff if you have access to fresh ricotta)
10 fresh sage leaves
2 t butter
2 oz manchego cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Place the butternut squash on a cookie sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 min, or until soft and beginning to brown. Meanwhile, put 2 t butter into a saute pan and heat over low. Spread the melted butter evenly in the pan and place the sage leaves in it. When they begin to brown, use tongs and flip each one over. Cook for another minute and place on a plate to cool. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 t salt and 1/4 pepper and the ricotta and spread about a tablespoon onto each slice of bread. Top with a singe cube of squash, a tiny slice of manchego and just a hint of sage. Place all the slices onto your cookie sheet and put under the broiler to melt the cheese. Keep an eye on it, it only take a minute!

Not a squash fan? Try it with sliced pear.

tie in action

A dear friend who I also work for was married in June. Her wedding was featured on 100 Layer Cake today showing the amazing photography of Joel Flory. It was an absolute stunning wedding and not just because I had a lot to do with the execution. Images here feature Seth's ties, but follow the link to see so much more.

fall/winter collection

new shoes

decompressing

After a summer that erred on the side of too crazy and too busy I have had 2 whole days in a row to sew and cook and then sew more. Lots of big things are happening (like leaving my job after 7 years) that have left me feeling overwhelmed both with excitement and anxiety. I have a few weeks to fill my largest ever (by a lot!) order but I was pulled into the kitchen this afternoon by a real need to cook. It's a place where I feel comfortable and calm. Thankfully we are smack in the middle of tomato season here so pasta with heirloom tomatoes and basil was an obvious dinner. I also made a zucchini and chickpea salad with harissa yogurt dressing that I want to experiment a bit more with before sharing the recipe. I realize I have neglected you all in the last few months and I am sincerely planning to be back here more often with recipes and photos to share. I'll also let you in on what's happening to me on the job front, but frankly I am too tired for it right now.