mizutamago

nesting

new bed linen, isn't that plush heart cute? It's the creation of my friend Wendy of
i heart guts . The adorable print above the bed is Marieke's of Treats and Treasures
Hi Marieke! I owe you an e-mail.

mmmmm coconut frosting on chocolate cake

w.i.p.

this little guy will be joined by 7 other plushies and will be headed for a shop in Venice, CA.

my very first order from an actual shop! I really need to buckle down and get to work, I've been the mayor of excuses-ville lately.
the heat (or trying to stay cool) have been hindering my productivity. My goal is to have them completed by next week.

San Francisco was amazing, great friends, great eats and beautiful sites.

The best souvenier I brought back home with me, my take on
an appetizer we tried at the wonderful Universal Cafe. Baslsamic reduction drizzled over heirloom tomatoes, fried egg and bacon..yum!
If you're in the Bay Area and haven't tried the Universal Cafe yet, you must!!!!

Have a fantastic week!!!

gingham = summer

I'm really happy with how my smock turned out, it was a lot of fun to make too.

I slightly altered this  Built By Wendy pattern Simplicity 3964.
I just never get sick of puff sleeves.

some new muslin curtains to keep the heat out

mmmmmm.

happy easter evereyone!!

my new easter bling (it's really long)

catching up

I've been keepin busy lately

Here's another pillow for the good ole Petrie.
(pillow is linen with felt and wool cut outs)

The coffee table needed a face lift, so I painted it white (lots and lots of coats, it took me  weeks!)

We took 2 trips to Mammoth in the past 3 weeks.

celebrated Keith's birthday

watched this little guy,do this kinda thing....

when life gives you limes

I love these thrifted needle point birds I found last week. I gave the frames a fresh coat of white paint

key limes made a rare appearance at the store yesterday, so I decided to make a key lime cheese cake  .
If you're in the mood for tart, yet rich and sweet decliciousness, I highly recommend this recipe.

here's a little sneaky peak at some of the projects I've been working on for various swaps.
hope everyone is having a lovely week!

this is what I've been up to

there's this amazing little thrift store around the corner from my house.
I found this funny little mirror there.

Its above a red dresser than I'm planning on sprucing up and painting white too.

I found a total cheater way to make Palmiers via Ina Garten. Super easy and delicious...the best part is that you can bake just the amount you feel like snacking on, so they're always fresh from le oven.

i heart mexico. about 24 of us trecked down to Esteban Cantu, where we rented a couple of beach houses...um beach houses, 'nuff said.

candy colors

inspired shoes designed by Manolo Blahnik for Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.

I love this image, it reminds me of Wayne Theibaud's beautifully crafted sweets.
You can view the trailer here , I've said this before, her choice of New Order for this trailer is so genius....
Go Sofia! Go!

cupcakes from Holland

well, not exactly straight from Holland.

I could not resist these silver beadies I saw at the Albert Hein last November while Keith and I were on holiday in Amsterdam.
Here I go again, talking about my childhood...but I swear that there is a huge gap in the existence of these magical silver sugary beads in my life. They were on cakes, cookies and gingerbread houses all through my pre-pubescent days, and then poof they disappeared, I think I remember hearing something about the FDA not being so fond of them because some of the ingredients were toxic-ish...heh
'Til this day, they're a rare find out here in So. Cal, so I just had to get these little "pillen gemengd"

Oh, and how could I say no the the pretty Droste Lady?

This is a basic chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

I sort of fudged the recipe I found on Epicurious , I didn't add food coloring, I added 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to the dry ingredients and used plain milk with  a bit of lemon (since I had no buttermilk). AND, instead of making a paste out of the Cocoa I just added it to the dry ingredients, oh and I added twice the amount of cocoa. Sheesh, I guess I fudged the recipe quite a bit!

The cake turned out quite fluffy and moist.

The frosting was made with about 1/2 a stick of butter, 1 - 8oz. Cream Cheese package (both at room temperature) about 1 1/2 cups of powerdered sugar (or maybe a bit more :P) and some Bourbon Vanilla Extract from Trader Joe's

I believe in the power of soup

there's nothing fun or cute about catching a cold...it happens to the best of us.
I'm a soup whore, so I'll find any old excuse to consume it and feeling under the weather seemed like the perfect reason. I've heard that chicken soup does wonders for white blood cells and ehem, thinning out mucous. It's true...

If traditional chicken soup is defined by the broth extracted by said chicken, then this is your traditional chicken soup. Except for the part where I got greedy and added all of my favorite things to it.
I guess it's sort of a Latin/Asian hybrid...it's got roasted corn, cilantro, red pepper flakes, a dash of tapatio, chicken breast pieces, garlic, chopped tomatoes, chives and the strange but extremely satisfying addition of a perfectly poached egg!

Perhaps a coincidence, but I'm feeling much better, can I get an Amen for da soup!