Exploring the locale..

In our Downtown Los Angeles neighborhood, the local watering hole is Villains Tavern-- a Barbary Coast-styled bar with excellent house-made cocktails and a nice selection of beers on tap. In these surprisingly chilly winter months, I've been warming my hands with The Day of The Dead, a cocktail served hot and made with fresh pressed apple juice (yes, they press the apples at the bar), bourbon, Apple Jack and bitters. But mostly, I love Villains for the decor and the amazing staff. Across the board, it's all very photogenic.

Cup of the Day: Tea & Tulips

Tulips in December? Yeah, I wasn't so sure either. But they're holding up nicely, and they sure are pretty.

Etsy Wishlist :: Laser-cut wood jewelry

As the daughter of a woodworker, I've always appreciated interesting uses for this natural material. I've consistently amazed with what can be done with laser cutting and delicate veneers. Here, I've gathered a few of my favorite laser cut pieces from Etsy.com.



Vintage Camera Necklace by VectorCloud




Ampersand Chandelier by Indie Laser




Laser Cut Bunny by AthinaLarios




Keyhole Pendant by SuperVery




Birds and Branches Bamboo Clock by DecoyLabs




Flossy the Unicorn by SugarCookie




Tree Friends Mobile by PetitCollage




Teacup Brooch by WhiteSquare




I <3 Iowa Necklace by truche

Minor Thread Around the World

Sometimes, little bits of info filter in from around the world, that just make my day. A couple of days ago, I got notice that a German arts and design blog had featured one of my Etsy.com items! Totally in German, but thanks to Google Translator, I more or less understood what was being said. As an old-school fan of badges made from recycled paper ephemera, I was flattered to have my badges grouped with other amazing examples!

Even if you don't read German, do check out the post, here: lieblings.weerke.

Mythical Places : New York

David and I recently took our first-ever trip to New York City. It was even more amazing than I had expected, and while we saw and did a million amazing things, there were so many things that we didn't get around to, didn't have time for or simply forgot to do.



My list of 5 things, for the next time we're in town:

1. Take photobooth pictures in the lobby of the Ace Hotel in Manhattan
2. Pizza at Lombardi's
3. Have a hot dog from a hot dog cart
4. Have soft serve from a soft serve truck
5. Visit the High Line park

Till next time, New York!

Photo shoot outtake :: vint.etsy.com

Product photography is always fun, and I love styling with simple, organic elements. Here's a sweet photo that I snapped for my vintage Etsy shop, vint.etsy.com. The lovely little airplant came from Pigeon Toe Ceramics out of Portland, Ore.

Sweet things.

I've been making a lot of lavender sachets, lately.. using this amazing organic lavender from Mountain Rose Herbs. Vintage fabrics, new fabrics, recycled fabric.. and a few with these sweet little puffy hearts -- filled with organic bamboo fiber. Fun!


Available in the Minor Thread shop..

Window shopping: Vintage Goods on Etsy

Pretty much daily, I'm scouring Etsy.com for delightful vintage goodies. Not just because I'm checking out the competition but because, well, there's so much good stuff!

Here's a quick selection of what I like, this week...



Retro Aluminum Kitchen Storage Set from polkadotHOME




Mid Century Storefront Deco Letter from MonkiVintage




Orange Teardrop Shakers from Hindsvik




Industrial Magazine Rack, Mid-Century Modern from RollingHillsVintage




Yellow Poppy Mikasa Salad Plates -- Set of 4 from RushofWing




eureka - CA wood block letterpress letters from cottagefarm


Now, excuse me while I go about my day, and try really hard not to buy everything on this list!

While you wait.

South Central, Los Angeles, California.

Event :: Heath Wedding Lounge

On a recent Sunday afternoon, the boy and I wandered down to Heath Ceramics' Los Angeles outpost to check out some great food, drink and other goodies at the Heath Wedding Lounge. No one over here is making wedding plans, but that didn't mean we couldn't check out samples of all the elements to a great party. With wine from Domaine LA, food from Heirloom LA, desserts from Cake Moneky and lots of other goodies. I fell totally in love with Cake Monkey's roasted apple tarts, and the lovely, lacey table setting on the patio by Gilly, using all-white flowers, Weck glass jars and carafes and, of course, amazing Heath Ceramics tableware.

See the full set of photos from the event over at my Flickr photostream.

Kitchen theme: yellow.

I've always been notorious for my love of color in the kitchen-- I think I am influenced by my father's obsessive purchasing of second-hand Pyrex bowls in bright solid colors. I know I am certainly influenced by what we'll call his "collecting spirit" -- otherwise known as the pack-rat gene that flows from the Wright side of the family.

Over the years I've added an array of Fiestaware to the four-color starter set I was given at the age of 18. I've had red tea kettles, turquoise tea kettles, and a line up of bright vintage mugs and tea cups. But more and more, I find myself falling into one, main accent color: yellow.

Why yellow? I wish I could say. I would have never called it a 'favorite' color, but I seem to be drawn to it more and more. The yellow vintage 3-tier kitchen cart and yellow vintage Cosco stool? I saw them on the side of the street and make an extremely quick U-turn. Vintage yellow Mikasa dishes designed by Ben Seilbel? Totally irresistible. Yellow vintage Bauer Pottery flower pots found in a friend's grandmother's garage? Mine. And it's all just fallen into place from there.

Maybe yellow is the ugly duckling of colors. Maybe it's the golden glory of a bygone era-- my childhood was also full of that classic 70's color-scheme: brown, orange, yellow and avocado green. But I've come to appreciate it for what it is: a welcome splash of brightness.

That said, here's out latest addition... The Livestrong tea kettle from Chantal. It was an investment, but I expect it to last for years.

Here are some other lovely yellow goodies I've scouted from Etsy... enjoy!


Yellow and White Cathrineholm Lotus Pot


Vintage Letter C is for Canvas {and also 'Charlie'}


hand built porcelain jug


50s YELLOW Kitchen CANISTERS


vintage flour sifters


Vintage American Family Scale - yellow - 25lbs


Cast Iron Skillet - Lemon Yellow Enamelware


Let The Sun Shine In - screenprinted poster

On the fence...

Snapped while wandering around Silverlake in Los Angeles, a couple weeks back. Simple, rustic and charming.

Good design.

Just a little pause to appreciate some good design.
What makes it good? It's simple, too the point and clean. No frills, no excess text. But at the same time, it's not as plain as you think: It's just a little offset. The center, after all, can be so boring. Well done.

Blueberry pie for breakfast?

A simple joy in summer: tasty pies made from amazing fruit. Even better? Not having to stress over the perfect pie dough (my father is much better at it, anyhow...) As a special treat this week, David picked up a blueberry pie for us from Urth Cafe, and man was it delicious! Who says you can't have pie for breakfast?

secret muffins

I did an awful lot of baking this weekend-- cupcakes, muffins and two types of cookies. Add that to a fresh batch of lemonade with basil-infused simple syrup and a little Saturday-night get-together, I'm chalking this past weekend up as a pretty productive one.

A highlight of my three-day weekend was a trip with David to Culver City's Surfas, part restaurant-supply store and part gourmet grocer. I could easily fill up cart after cart here with goodies to outfit my dream semi-commercial gourmet kitchen! Half-sheet roll pans, baking cups, gel food colorings, bar supplies, perfect iced-tea pitchers and delightful baking supplies: you shall be mine! Someday..

Until that day, we're making do with what we have, using what's currently available in the kitchen, and keeping myself entertained with little things- like sneaking leftover chocolate Easter eggs into batches of banana muffins.. Can you say 'yum?'

up in smoke...

there was a devastating fire in a warehouse building across the street from our loft in downtown los angeles, last night.

this is what greeted us as we made our way home just after midnight. blogdowntown.com has some amazing shots of the aftermath (we saw this sight leaving for work this morning, but i wasn't able to grab any shots. the building is now boarded up.)

see more of my rooftop-view photos.

iDaft

Now, this is the most fun I've had all day, but I've had a pretty boring day. Nonetheless, if what you really need right now is a good excuse to have a midnight dance party, then please make your way to the Daft Punk Console. You can be your own Kanye West (or Daft Punk, for that matter) and remix the classic sound drops from Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."

Now that is a good use of your time on the internet!

what i'll miss :: peet's coffee

I know, I know: Peet's Coffee & Tea is no longer a Bay Area exclusive. You can find little outposts of this local legend all over the West Coast now, and thank goodness for that. The decades-old company has always had a great emphasis on quality over quantity, and their growth has been slow. But within the Berkeley/Oakland area, you're always within a mile or two of a Peet's, which makes easy work of satisfying that craving for an iced latte and a tasty, chewy vegan ginger cookie.

what i'll miss...

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my entire life, the thought of living somewhere so different from the little chunk of Northern California that I know and love seems really intimidating. How will I find my way around? Where will my favorite meals come from? What charming local secrets will I discover before anyone else? What will I miss?

There are many, many answers to that last question. As I prepare to embrace a new chapter in my life, I want to chronicle those things... I hope you enjoy a little peek into what makes the Bay Area 'home' to me.

raspberry-yogurt cake

I had the urge to bake last week, and I finally found the time to follow through. I baked up this delicious raspberry-yogurt cake from a 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine (recipe available here.) There are a couple of culinary curveballs in this recipe, so be sure to follow it to the letter. Just as suggested, I have found that a fair-sized slice of cake is great compliment to my evening tea, or as a morning, er, snack. (They keep telling me that cake isn't breakfast. However, I'm not too inclined to believe that!)