islands are great

like most people, i have a list of places i would like to see before i pass on. my list contains mostly islands:

japan

new zealand

ireland

madagascar

redwood forest in california

sweden

holland

i've been to both holland and the redwood forests, but at such a young age and for so little time that i would like to revisit them.

well, i've decided that my main goal for this year is to go to japan in the fall. i'm learning survival japanese on my ipod, figuring out the rail systems, making lists of things to take, editing said list, turning my wardrobe into a minimalist masterpiece so as to save room in small suitcase, purchasing a small suitcase, renewing passport, searching out hostels to stay at, researching places to go while in tokyo and kyoto, walking to get in shape, and suppressing my obsessive tendencies so that i can last the 8.5 months until i depart.

i'm going by myself and i'm thrilled to be doing it! i can sink myself into the culture as much as i want, practice my japanese without embarrassment and see beautiful places at my own pace; all without someone else to please or be considerate of.

i would like to visit a few places in particular while i'm there:

kyoto costume institute

linnet store

kokedera moss temple

nishijin textile center

takashimaya department store

honkenishio yatsuhashi

toji temple

adashino nembutsuji temple

kaikai kiki gallery

if there are any suggestions you may have for someplace to see while i'm in kyoto or tokyo, or any helpful ideas on things i absolutely must bring, please leave a comment! thanks!

interview

i've been so preoccupied with planning something for later in the year, that i haven't paid much attention to my online life; but things have been happening even with my absence. i received a wonderful etsy convo from april marie mai of a thoughtful life, requesting an interview with me. the questions were definitely thoughtful ones and hopefully i answered them well. this is my first interview with another blogger and can be read over here.

something's growing in here

well, maybe not. several weeks ago i tried my hand at growing a moss terrarium. it looked lovely for several days; then just kind of, well, died. i do tend to be that person that can't even keep a rock plant alive. weirdly enough though, i do really well with orchids.

while browsing @home yesterday i came across these little planters (they're around 1" deep x 3" long x 1-1.5" wide). there were three left, so i took them all home. remember, i have this fascination with all things miniature.

at first i was just going to uproot another patch of moss from outside and try my luck again at growing something. but when i woke up this morning i received a stroke of inspiration from an interview featured on etsy; i would needle felt some moss for my new planter!

digging into my box of felt, finding the right colors, grabbing my felting needles, i was glad of my crafting material hoarding ways; i didn't need to get in the car and drive an hour away to see my vision to fruition.

i started with a rich chocolate brown for the soil, mixed a lime green with a softer green for the moss, and felted them to fit into the planter, avoiding my fingers as much as possible. when it was done to my satisfaction, i took a regular needle and some thread to make the little spikes. i accented my first one with vintage stamens that i had also picked up. eh, voila! a non dyeing plant that i can put anywhere!

first look

when i read that narin creative were making new hands for the narae, i was really excited. one of the most interesting things about this doll is the ability to change expressions by just changing the faceplate; to further an emotion it would be lovely to be able to change the hands. other than the face, the hands are easily the most expressive part of us.

upon opening the package and laying the hands out, a mental image instantly came to mind. i haven't any plans to replicate this in real life, so yay for photoshop

if it moves is it still illustration?

cartoons are delightful! just because one is an adult, i don't see why one can't continue watching cartoons. they are created by adults aren't they? see, my point exactly.

one of my recent favorites is the marvelous misadventures of flapjack. what is it about this spiffy show that tugs at my heart strings? besides the incredible texture, amazing color choices, delicate linework and awesome animation, the storyline is quite humorous, the characters are fleshed out and the voice acting is well matched.

and because of the great thing that is the internet, i can watch it whenever i want!

finding that perfect coat

living in the south, especially in savannah, you wouldn't think finding a coat would be much of a priority. and for the most part, it isn't. never is it cold enough to actually wear one; with the exception of one or two days a year when it would be nice, but not necessary.

i tell myself this, but there remains a yearning. to have a coat one could wear forever, a coat where one could have an adventure in. there's this thinking that goes on in my head that sounds like a plan; obtain coat, move to the north, start to live the life you want, find your happiness. you know, a starting plan, a goal. if i could create a coat from wishes these would be ones i thought first of:living in the south, especially in savannah, you wouldn't think finding a coat would be much of a priority. and for the most part, it isn't. never is it cold enough to actually wear one; with the exception of one or two days a year when it would be nice, but not necessary.

i tell myself this, but there remains a yearning. to have a coat one could wear forever, a coat where one could have an adventure in. there's this thinking that goes on in my head that sounds like a plan; obtain coat, move to the north, start to live the life you want, find your happiness. you know, a starting plan, a goal. if i could create a coat from wishes these would be ones i thought first of:

photos from the sartorialist.

orange fruit goodness

as i wandered around the grocery store the other day i came across a yellow bag filled with dried golden berries. i clutched at it eagerly and threw it into my basket. i love these little tart berries; never mind that they're packed with bioflavinoids and are from the land of the incas. i was introduced to them in the chocolate aisle (yes they have aisles with just chocolate, box after intoxicating box, filled with a variety of bars for every craving). they were a little box of yummy dark chocolate covered berries neighboring the box of dark chocolate covered guava i had been reaching for. i've never looked back, but those little boxes get pricey.

so, today i had the brainstorm of making my own chocolate coated golden berries. i started by melting a dark chocolate bar in a double boiler and dipping the berries in the melted goodness. as each one was covered i placed them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. when all of them were done (about 30 count) i put the whole sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes to solidify. when time was up, into a lidded container they went for easy snacking reach in the refrigerator. it could have been less than 25 at this point, but i'm not keeping record. what's great about this combination for snacking is that there are amazing health benefits to each; golden berries are really nutritious, rich in vitamin p and each contain about 15% protein, dark chocolate in moderation is full of antioxidants and is heart healthy by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. also, they're a wonderful emotional pick-me-up when one feels the dark clouds of melancholia closing in.

another yummy fruit that i added to my cart was kumquats, which they happened to be stocking as i was browsing the fresh fruit aisle. this is definitely one weird fruit; the skin is sweet and the insides are sour, so you eat the whole thing (like a grape). when one has so many, what is there to do but bake something with them? one of my favorite recipes for kumquats are scones. you can use just a couple (for a pleasant light flavor) or a whole bunch (intense, with a piece of fruit in each bite). needless to say, but i lean towards the second option.

kumquat scones

1 cup pastry flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces

3-7 thinly sliced kumquats, skin only

1 egg or energy egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg

1/2 cup almond milk

preheat oven to 400 degrees

in a bowl combine dry ingredients. using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until small. stir in fruit. add egg and milk and mix until moistened. transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface. if dough is too sticky knead in a little bit of flour until a less sticky mass is made. knead 10-12 strokes. mould into a flattened circle about 1.5" deep, cut into eight wedges. place each wedge about 1" apart on a parchment covered baking sheet. sprinkle sugar on top of each and bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown and a knife comes out clean. (sometimes it takes 20-30 minutes if there is a lot of juice in the kumquats, just keep checking every 5 minutes after the first 15 minutes.) let cool on rack. for an extra fancy treat, serve with devonshire cream and fresh blueberries or raspberries.

seeing an oft disliked color differently

there are a lot of superstitions regarding the new year and one in particular comes to mind; what you're doing on the first day of the year is a premonition of the coming 365 days. so i decided to get to work on a new cushion instead of lazing about mindlessly watching the tv and playing games on the computer.

while taking a workshop at my alma mater this last spring i was rummaging about in the scrap bins looking for some lovely bits of discarded fabric when lo and behold i came across two narrow pieces of a fantastic vibrant silk pattern. i looked deeper, but couldn't find anymore.

i've been keeping the two pieces but didn't have anything quite like it in my collection until i bought some liberty tana lawn. one of the prints that caught my eye had similar colors to the silk strips, so yesterday i finally put everything together and created a long narrow cushion mirroring the horizontal patchwork center.

i have to say that this one is a bit of a departure for me, what with the darker hues and use of black. but i rather like the vibrancy of the composition.