Installment #3: Jules is the park

It may be weird that we're living in Los Angeles, but Jules is taking it in stride... 

What a guy!! 

Home, Sweet Home!

Just caught this piece about my neighborhood in Brooklyn, recently featured in the NY Times... 

Man, I miss New York. 

: (

Best bakery around.
Sadly, it is pronounced "Baak-er-i", which makes you want to
punch yourself in the face when you talk about it. 

Installment #2: Jules On The Move!

World's Cutest baby, out for a stroll in foreign lands... 

Yow-zah!

Things are getting top secret around here.

I pretty much can't tell you anything about what I've been doing for the last week, nor can I tell you what I'm going to be doing in the coming weeks. I'm locked-down over here.

Don't ask-- it's a secret! 

However, I figure that I should still try to maintain the blog while I'm in the witness-protection-program (No! I'm not really in the witness protection program!) My plan is to bribe my readers with something simple, yet compelling. Baby-bribery. Which translates to me posting new photographs of my unbelievably gorgeous baby as often as possible, because babies are usually more entertaining than D-I-Y projects, and certain to be a heck of a lot cuter. : )

Keep on checking back to see more photos of Jules, and to find out more about my top-secret-endeavor, if and when I can ever tell you more!

But don't ask-- it's a secret! : ) 

Check it out: Cool and cute.

Just saw this great piece about an installation artist/birdhouse builder who is sneakily placing birdhouses around New York City, Los Angeles, and Mexico City. Check out the article directly on the NY Times website. These little bird houses are so cool-- they're like guerilla-miniature-art installations/graffiti/social commentary. Now I've got to keep my eyes open in New York for them... And resist the temptation to bring home a little art for myself. : )

Very cool. 

A new spin on kale salad...

I happen to be surrounded by kale fanatics. Julia is insane for kale, and Emily pretty much lives exclusively on the stuff. Don't get me wrong-- I like that dark green, leafy superfood plenty-- but those ladies LOVE it with a love that I usually reserve for people and pets.

I just tried out this new recipe with Julia, and we were both equally impressed. And Julia's no easy sell, so that must mean it's really good. I've edited this recipe slightly from the original, as I'm not crazy about raisins and didn't have any handy, but if you like them, suit yourself and head over to Smitten Kitchen to see the recipe in its entirety.

Kale salad, photo stolen from Smitten Kitchen. 

Kale Salad with Pecorino & Walnuts (but most importantly panko flakes!)

1/2 cup (105 grams or 3 3/4 ounces) walnut halves or pieces

1/4 cup panko (15 grams or 1/2 ounce) or slightly coarse homemade breadcrumbs (from a thin slice of hearty bread)
1 tiny clove garlic, minced or pressed
Coarse or kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch (about 14 ounces or 400 grams) tuscan kale (also known as black or lacinato kale; this is the thinner, flatter leaf variety), washed and patted dry
2 ounces (55 grams) pecorino cheese, grated or ground in a food processor, which makes it delightfully rubbly (1/2 cup total)
Juice of half a lemon
Freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste

Prepare walnuts: Heat oven to 350. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, tossing once. Let cool and coarsely chop.

Prepare crumbs: Toast bread crumbs, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet together with a pinch of salt until golden. Set aside.

Prepare kale: Trim heavy stems off kale and remove ribs. I always find removing the ribs annoying with a knife, because the leaves want to roll in on the knife and make it hard to get a clean cut. Instead, I’ve taken to tearing the ribs off with my fingers, which is much easier for me. Stack sections of leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut them into very thin ribbons crosswise.

Assemble salad: Put kale in a large bowl. Add pecorino and walnuts, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice and toss until all the kale ribbons are coated. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the raisins, if needed. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, if you can, as it helps the ingredients come together. Just before serving, toss with breadcrumbs and, if needed, a final 1 teaspoon drizzle of olive oil.

Talk about an easy dinner for two. 

Delish! And a superfood! 

Loving this. Next project-- once I've finished current project.

I think I'm obsessed with triptychs.

The first triptych I was totally smitten with was one I saw in the Mitchell Gold showroom. Upon further investigation, it turns out it was actually made by the people at Natural Curiosities Art House. For a mere $3,740.00, that alligator could have been mine. Which is to say, that alligator was never going to be mine. : )

Admit it, though! That's a fine looking gator! 99" wide including the frame. How COMPLETELY awesome would that be above my couch in Brooklyn?

SO COMPLETELY AWESOME IS THE CORRECT ANSWER. 

Alas, it was not to be, and I've been keeping my eyes peeled for other potential triptychs ever since. So needless to say, I was pleased to bump into this beauty of a triptych while perusing the internet for something else entirely...

Albeit, the rug is a little ghastly, but LOOK AT THAT HORSE! 

Try not to hold the rug against the horse. It's not the horse's fault that it's hanging in that room. God-- that rug is hard to look beyond though. Yikes. 

So of course, then I was on the hunt to track down that triptych... and what do you freaking know? It TOO is made by the people at Natural Curiosities! Do they have the monopoly on framing three-parts of an animal or what? Son of a gun! 

While bemoaning to John about yet another triptych-that-got-away, he suggested something brilliant. (Clearly, he's the brains of this outfit.) He suggested that I just buy a wide print or painting, and then cut it into three parts to frame. Given that both of my top contenders cost over $3,000.00, I've got some serious wiggle room to find a wide print and still save a small fortune. 

I was even thinking I could start with a jankity vintage world map and chop that into three parts. Or maybe an old advertisement print? Now the wheels are churning... 

Another possibility-- I found this totally destroyed 13-Star Flag, literally in a pile in a field, up near our country house. What if I cut that into three parts and framed that? It would be a fusion of two loves! Jasper Johns and triptychs! 

My flag...

Jasper's flag

What is the law on cutting up a really old flag that someone else has already left for dead in a field? Still illegal? 

Motivated by further discussion!

After blogging about my evil plot to get my mother to make Julian those incredible Serena & Lily drapes, I got totally motivated to get the ball rolling. Maybe it's a huge overstatement that I'm getting the ball rolling. Basically I'm finding the drapes and tracking down the tassel trim, and then I'm having it all shipped directly to my mom.

I kind of suck. 

Good thing my mother is willing to put that aside for the time being, in the name of beautiful drapery!

I hunted around on Target, JC Penney, and IKEA, and found the best match for the drapes on the IKEA website. These bad boys are $25.00 for TWO PANELS, and I think they're perfect. They're white, they've got a rod-pocket, and they're 98" long, which is just what I need. But most importantly, they're $25.00 FOR A PAIR. That is sooooo much cheaper than the $200.00 per pair I would be paying at Serena & Lily.

Then I went on the prowl for the tassel trim. Mummy said the tricky part would be finding the right color, because tassel trim tends to be sold in more muted, muddy colors. I foolishly thought that my extraordinary skills searching the internet would make it easier for me to find beautiful, bright tassels in no time-- but after an hour of hunting online, I'd only turned up a couple of possibilities, none of which were perfect. I thought I'd nailed it on Etsy, but it turns out they were literally selling ONE yard of tassel trim. Not by the yard. Actually ONE YARD. Not very helpful...

Waiting to hear back on pricing for this fancy-shmancy trim from Samuel & Sons.
Betting it is way out of my range...

Love this. Très Martha Stewart, but I'm worried it lacks the POP that I love in the Serena & Lily drapes.
It's a good deal and there's LOTS of it!

Possible contender from JoAnn Fabrics

A gamble I've already bid on from Ebay. Cross your fingers I win,
and then cross them again that it is actually what I wanted... 

Assuming I need a little more than 2.5 yards per panel, (let's round up) and say that's 6 yards per window, we're looking at $25.00 for the White IKEA Drapes + the cost of the tassel trim.

It should be easy to keep it cheaper than the Serena & Lily version, but if I end up spending $100.00 on trim, it might be cheaper, but that doesn't make it cheap. 

I guess we'll have to see what happens with my ebay bid. $20.00 for trim seems like an ideal investment.

: )

Easiest thing I've ever baked?

I just whipped up this crumble over the weekend-- pretty sure it was literally the easiest thing I've ever baked. This recipe gives new meaning to "just-whipping-something-up". Truly a "put-it-in-the-pan-and-bake" number, with no additional fuss. Not exactly glamorous, but well received regardless. Not to brag, but we used apples and rhubarb from our very own backyard, which felt pretty awesome. 

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

Directions

• In a bowl, combine the rhubarb, apples, egg, sugar, syrup, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 4-6 servings.

So easy. Great reviews! Give it a shot...

Confession: It was a trap.

Okay. I confess. I used my blog for evil.

When I saw the unbelievably cute tassel curtains from Serena & Lily that I blogged about last week, my first thought was, "Those are so cute", followed closely by, "Holy cow. $98.00 per panel. I could probably make those", followed closely by, "But it would almost certainly be miserable and likely make me cry. Maybe I could bait Mummy into making them?"

So-- like the evil D-I-Y-er that I am, I blogged about them.

I knew that if I blogged about them, that she would read the blog, see the curtains, and think, "We can make those." I set this trap because my mother is considerably more skilled on the sewing machine than I am.

My sewing endeavors tend to involve tears. They usually end in success, but first, they involve tears. And a good amount of swearing. Hard to believe, I know, but true story.

Literally 15 minutes after I posted the blog, I received this email:

Pretty sure this is an appropriate time for the phrase, "Hook! Line! And Sinker!" 

Now I just have to track down some basic white drapes and the right color tassel trim, and we're in business. 

It is so awesome to have a mother who is skilled at sewing AND a willing participant in home renovation projects! Score.