happy thanksgiving!

julia rothman wallpaper

I love these new wallpaper designs from Julia Rothman (what don't I like from Julia? Nothing, is the answer to that) exclusively through Hygge & West, a new Danish-inspired online shop.



Click here to view all of Julia's wallpaper.

enamored with: brussels sprouts

They're not everyones favorite, but I love me some brussels sprouts. They are also my contribution to Thanksgiving this year. I've made this recipe a couple times now, and it's both easy and delicious.

Caramelized Maple Brussels Sprouts

Serves 6

The sweetness of the maple syrup beautifully complements the robust flavor of the Brussels sprouts. Finish the dish with just enough vinegar to balance the flavors.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons canola oil

Sea salt and pepper

5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and softened

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons cider or champagne vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and remove outer leaves. Slice through the core, to make 4 or 5 slices per sprout. In a large skillet, preferably nonstick, heat oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, brown sugar and syrup, and stir-fry over moderately high heat until the sprouts are crisp-tender and sauce is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir in cider vinegar to taste. Serve immediately.

Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Feb 2007. Click here for full article.

burgers

I've always loved this cable car sign (on geary).

on my way to work

he & she

I came home last night to find this pen and ink sketch on the kitchen table. I realize that this might embarrass the artist but it's too fantastic not to be shared with the world. I'm still not quite sure what the numbers mean, but I have noticed that this illustrator likes to title and number his work on occasion.

A detail of my favorite part (and to be fair, I do have an unproportionally large head).

the small stakes

Show posters by Jason Munn of The Small Stakes opened at the Curiosity Shoppe last night. Jason Munn is an Oakland based illustrator and designer who is getting some serious hipster cred as the favorite designer of indie rock bands. I am a big fan of his graphic minimalist style - some of my favorites from the show are below:



Posters are silkscreened , and available for sale at the Shoppe for $35.00.

Curiosity Shoppe
855 Valencia (at 19th)
closed Mondays

persimmons

Jeff and I started getting the farm box a few weeks ago and have been loving it. It's our own version of Iron Chef - the challenge of figuring out how to use everything in the box by the end of the week. This week we received two persimmons and a recipe for persimmon bread. I can't say that I loved how it came out, but it's fun to try new recipes.


To learn more about Community Supported Agriculture, please click here.

50 books/50 covers

50 Books/50 Covers is a juried exhibit of the 50 best-designed books and 50 best-designed book covers of 2007 (currently on view through November 21st at Chronicle Books).

Although I didn't quite agree with all of the selections, there were a number that really stood out to me, including Men of Letters and People of Substance, which includes illustrations of such men and people made entirely of different letters of the same typeface.



Another one of my favorite books was The Country Cooking of France, a stunning cookbook shot by one of my favorite photographers, France Ruffenach.

As for the covers, I loved this cartoon strip cover of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (sorry, I can't find a link to this version).

...as well as a number of the other selections:




These charming a little peace cookbook samplers from the Junior League of Houston also caught my eye:


50 Books/50 Covers
until November 21, 2008
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street
San Francisco

not quitting my day job, or attempting to learn calligraphy in one night

My first calligraphy class was a minor disappointment, albeit a lovely experience; I just thought I would be better at it. This is a trap that a fair amount of creative people fall into - because you are good at one craft does not necessarily mean that you will be good at another (for example, knitting does not equal ceramics). I'm not a good drawer, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that I'm not good at calligraphy. To be fair, Michele (our extraordinary patient instructor) has been doing this for over twenty years.

Some of her beautiful work:


Supplies:

Like everything else, the key is to practice. I'm not posting my worksheet (it really sucked) - Mary and Anna's came out a lot better:

calligraphy

I'm taking my first ever calligraphy class tonight - exciting! I've always wanted to learn, so hopefully I'll pick it up right away and be fantastic at it (or at least not be so terrible that it's just plain laughable).

Images from the very talented Betsy Dunlap.

old time-y photos

In the never ending world of new and somewhat useless online applications I came across this one that claims "photos like over 100 to 150 years old".

For example, this photo:

becomes this photo:


Want to try it yourself? Click here.

Via Swissmiss.

chores, part II

Remember that tea towel post? Here is a sentiment that I can really get behind:

I love you because you cook me dinner.


From Gilah Press (thanks Carly!).

knitting: tapestry?

I can't remember where I found this in the blogworld, but I am always looking for new and interesting things to knit, as it seems a little silly to make something that I could just as easily buy for a fraction of the cost of making it myself. I like the idea of knitting as art, and this concept would easily work for a blanket misgauged, or perhaps a circa-2003 poncho that was really cool at the time of completion (I swear!).

enamored with: kichten chairs, final chapter!

Could it really be that easy? The saga of my search for kitchen chairs has now spanned four blog posts and at least six months. I popped into The Apartment on a whim today while visiting some Mission thrift stores and there they were.

The total was $170 something, and besides a couple of scratches in the paint, they are near perfect (well, close enough for me).

I'm thrilled.

The Apartment
3469 18th Street (at Valencia)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 255-1100
no website, closed Tuesdays

sf: academy of sciences, part II

Jeff and I sucked it up and paid full price for the newly reopened Academy of Sciences, after getting denied the first time I tried to visit. With the exception of the massive crowds, it was totally worth it.
The building is truly spectacular (designed by Renzo Piano) with it's living roof:

..exceptional use of glass and light:

... and thoughtful details:

The aquarium was pretty amazing as well:



I also really appreciated the updated African Hall, one of the few holdovers from the pre-renovation academy. Look how close I got to these zebras!

Okay, they're not real.

Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive
Golden Gate Park
M-Sa 9:30 to 5
Su 11 to 5

handmade hellos

I'm part of a book! Handmade Hellos is a DIY contemporary card making book edited by Hello!Lucky and published by Chronicle Books. I've never had my name in a book before, so it's pretty exciting. It was a great project, and I am super pleased with how the it came out. Here are some of the projects:



For more information, and to purchase click here.