5.30.2012

IN SEARCH OF: The Perfect Shade of Red

You know that illusive thing, the perfect red lipstick? It took a while but I have found it!
Yes, it was a journey which began with research...lots and lots of research, continued with trying on many (very wrong) shades and ended with this perfect red.



What do you think? Would you dare to wear this bright shade? I admit, at first I was a little self conscious, but I gave it a few days, got the thumbs up from my girlfriend and now I'm diggin it. What's your favorite shade of red these days?


5.29.2012

SNAPSHOT: My Memorial Day Weekend



I had a lovely Memorial Day weekend spent seeing new artvisiting new placeseating great foodrelaxing with friends, and discovering the perfect red lipstick (more on that in the next post)!
Hope you had a great one too.

5.23.2012

NEW WORK: Custom Bags for a friend.

This week my friend Katie called with a custom order. She wanted two bags for two dear friends. I was thrilled! Custom work is one of my favorite parts of what I do. I enjoy finding out details about what people are like, what's their style and lifestyle.


Katie was so excited when she saw the bags I had created for her. She went with the first and last one in the photos above. I hope the girls who get these bags love them as much as I loved making them!
I have to admit I am sad to see the apple green one with the tan leather go. I was secretly hoping to keep it for myself... shhhhh. Which is your favorite??

5.18.2012

IN CONSTRUCTION: Trillium Brewing Company

(before)
Trillium Brewing Company is a project dear to my heart! My good friends JC and Esther are building a brewery in the Fort Point Channel and I'm the lucky girl who got to design it.
It started back in...well, when did it start? Let's just say the design process started a while back. After months of work and waiting, we are in the midst of construction! It's exciting to see what started on paper take shape in the real world.
(during)


It's happening! The sidewalk is poured, the glass is in and the ipe wood wall is halfway up. I am loving the way it looks. It's happening fast, so check back for more progress photos soon. There is signage and lighting and a lovely bench/planter on the way!

5.16.2012

New Work: Summer Collection 2012

After a break from bag making, I'm back in the studio working on the Summer Collection 2012! It's Black, White, and Red all over! And for the first time I'm working with pattern!!! Here is a peak...

They will be in the shop soon...but first a photo shoot is in the works.

5.14.2012

Site Visit: DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

It took years, but circumstances have finally led me to visit the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.  The day was cloudy and stormy; the landscape green, lush and vibrant. And the art? It sat still and silent in stark contrast to it's surroundings.
As I walked the grounds of the DeCordova I encountered sculpture after sculpture. Each thoughtfully placed in the site to enhance the visitor's experience of the artist's intention. The clouds rolled by above us, but as evident in the images above, they only intensified the experience.
I later met my group of twelve students who's project this semester is sited at the Sculpture Park. We explored together and discussed the principles of integrating sculpture and landscape. They seemed engaged and excited about the project to follow.
As I drove out of the museum that afternoon, I felt unsettled. I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was about this place that felt strange. Perhaps it was the impending storm or maybe the sense that these faces, creatures, slabs of steel were watching me and each person that had been there before and recording time. In their stillness they seemed to be keeping track.
It felt like a little piece of me remained there that day. Perhaps I should return...I think I'll wait for a sunny day.

5.09.2012

Vacation Photos: Napa Valley Part 2

By 8:00 am the Napa Valley sun is shining warm and the air is still damp from the coolness of the night. It is my favorite time.
We started our second day of the Napa Vacation with breakfast al fresco. There was yogurt and fruit, and if you have never had avocado in your yogurt, try it! It's a revelation. We had goat's milk and a glass of bubbly brought at Shramsberg the day before. The morning was warm and perfect.

Ridge Vineyards was our first stop for the day. We drove into the hills and were thrilled to discover the trellised porch where we had our tasting. The view is spectacular here and the breeze cool and relaxing. One of the most surprising things I discovered after many trips to Napa is how incredibly "non-touristy" it is. Of course, we all hear it's a tourist trap, and with 4.5 million people visiting each year, you can understand where that comes from. My experience however, is the complete opposite. Maybe it's a matter of choosing the right spots and time of year to plan your trip.
It can get overwhelming. There are so many vineyards to see and wine to taste. So, I thought I'd share a few tips I've gathered for a great "non-tourist" trap 3 days in Napa:
1. Try to arrive as early in the day as possible. This means leaving Boston at a ridiculously early hour of the morning, but it's worth it. Driving into Napa at night when your tired is no fun.
2. Rent a house with a kitchen. The farmer's markets in California are always stocked with amazing produce you don't want to miss. Restaurants in Napa are expensive, so this will not only be a great treat but will save you a lot of money.
3. Pick ONE vineyard you really like and want to visit on each day. They should be in different areas. Schedule that visit and then explore small unknown vineyards that surround it.
4. Limit yourself to 3 per day! Ya, did I just write that? It can get overwhelming and I find that my taste buds are shot after three.
5. Dine out at least once at an amazing restaurant! A few of our favorites; Mustards, Farmstead, Ubuntu, Solbar, JoLe.
Finally, and most importantly, go with someone (or a group) who likes wine...and have fun!
We are clearly having a great time in the photos above at Ridge Vineyards. And it's no surprise, the wines here are incredible! Ridge wines are available in New England so next time you are at your local liquor store grab one...any one, they are all amazing. You won't regret it.
The last two vineyards where great unexpected stops. Mazzocco Vineyard and Winery is renowned for its Zinfandel. The wine did not disappoint and with SEVEN different zins to taste, we were glad we went. And then there was Mauritson. That's us sitting outside the tasting room after a lovely couple of hours with Ken. He was the guy who did our tasting and told the most entertaining stories about the vineyard. See what I mean about "non-touristy"? You just have to get off the main drag and explore a bit. There are hundreds of tiny, family owned vineyards that no one talks about. Those are the ones you leave remembering.

5.08.2012

Vacation Photos: Napa Valley


Two weeks of vacation is a marvelous thing!  While Charles' held down the fort back in Boston, we headed to Jamaica where days were spent on a beautiful beach, reading books and letting our winter parked skin soak up the 85 degree moist air. We headed back to Boston, there was a day to play with Penny, and repack, and we were off to Napa Valley for the second half of the trip. This part of the vacation was all about wine and food! Yippee!
We arrived at our cottage in the outskirts of Calistoga and were instantly in love. We lounged on the stone walled yard, sipped our LMR Cabernet Sauvignon bought at the vineyard that morning and watched the sunset.  
The next day, after a delicious breakfast prepared by my amazing boyfriend (more on him later) we had a date with sparkling wine!
At Schramsberg we explored the underground caves and sampled lovely sparkling wine by candlelight. Our guide provided the perfect balance between education and entertainment. She told the story of the long history of this winery, one of the first three established in the valley. But, she kept things light and fun, as it should be when drinking bubbly.
Larkmead Vineyards was our next stop. This is our absolute favorite place. Their wines are unmatched and the tasting room and gardens are incredibly peaceful. We were met with two red rocking chairs set in the garden just for us. 
So, you may have spotted the guy in the photo above in previous posts. That's Patrick, my partner in crime. He has such a great smile, doesn't he?! He introduced me to Larkmead Vineyards back when he lived in Sacramento. Our love of Napa Valley started when we were dating long distance and would take trips down to Napa together. It doesn't get better than that! I think I'll keep him around for a while.
Ok, back to our trip...


Next stop was Sterling Vineyards. This is a pretty fancy place. We rode a gondola up to the top of the hill and arrived at a stark modernist building. The bell towers seemed like very, very distant cousins to those at Ronchamp. We sipped wine on outdoor deck overlooking the valley.

The sun began to set and we returned to our little cottage to make dinner, relax and enjoy our view from the top of the hill. It was a perfect day.

P.S. Stay tuned for lots more photos of the rest our trip! 


5.01.2012

On a Rainy Day

Penny and I put on our Hunter boots and headed out into the rain for our wet morning walk. After that we decided that we had so much energy for all the wiggling we had to do to get the rain off that we would run around the house with Kat. After all of our fun breaking things, we decided to settle down and bake Mini-Muffins! Really they are cupcakes, but its 10am ..so we will just say they are muffins!!


Kat checking my work.




Kat batting the egg.


Place ingredients into mixing bowl and then Mix at low speed.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into muffin cup and bake at 350 for 12 min.


Frost & Garnish with Expresso Bean.




Perfect with a cappuccino in the morning!! enjoy.










Recipe: Chocolate Cinnamon Mini Cupcake Batter
1/2 Sugar 
1/4 cup Cinnamon sugar butter spread
1/4 cup butter milk
1 Godiva chocolate square
1 all-natural egg
1 cup wheat flour
1teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup boiling water

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