Paper Pie

Two For Tuesday

We were out and about at the antique market yesterday. What can I say? It is just one of my favorite things to do. Especially now as we are prepping the nursery. What fun! I just love the look, texture and implied history in old objects. Objects that have had a previous life. I also like natural materials rather than plastic, and a lot of baby stuff is made out of plastic. Yesterday, what started as an innocent trip to go out and find a couple of shelves, book ends and other assorted cuteness, turned into a retail blitz that lasted straight through the evening and even included dinner out. We started out here, and found a few things, but overall that place was a bit overwhelming. Then we went to Stars in Hermosa Beach and I found all kinds of great things including the shelf and little miss bookend above. After that, I decided that we really needed to get a rug for the nursery to soften and warm things up a bit.

So I heard that there were some nice, soft shaggy options at Target right now, and we headed over there. This rug is pretty nice quality for the price and I have to say, a lot better than what was available at Ikea. The cashier scolded us at length for buying a white rug when we were about to have a baby. I'm sure she probably has a point, but it was the one that I liked best. Plus, it's not like we are choosing between a college fund or a rug. It was pretty cheap. There you go; all that you ever wanted to know about the nursery-rug-buying process.

I've got some more goodies from yesterday to show you, so I will share those with you as they are put into effect here in the studio/nursery. Now, I need to start thinking about dinner. I am always amazed at how quickly that time of day rolls around. There are a lot of variables to consider when thinking up dinner; what do I feel like eating, what does Ryan feel like eating, what do we have, what is quick, what is healthy, what is tasty, etc. I love this cookbook that I bought a few months back and I love the idea and philosophy of a whole foods diet, it just takes more time, ya know? It's totally worth it though, I know that. Especially after all of that ice-cream last week!

Liz & Kalli Food #6

Liz * Summer Rolls
Ryan has been shooting a commercial all week and his presence has been very rare around these parts. Our conversation the last several days has amounted to him saying "I love you." as he headed out the door at 6 am and me saying "How was your day?" when he would fall into bed exhausted at around 11 pm every evening. He wrapped yesterday, so today we decided to have a great summer meal out in the backyard. It was the first time we had dinner out there this season, just the two of us. I am so embarrassed to admit that, because we are extremely fortunate to have a backyard in this sprawling city. We really need to use it more. This morning we got up and headed to Whole Foods for some pre-skewered kebabs and the ingredients for summer rolls and peanut sauce. In the July/August issue of Everyday Food there is a little how to for summer rolls. We choose the shrimp and mint combination and we weren't sorry, let me tell ya. They were delicious! And there are plenty left for tomorrow. I also made the creamy peanut dipping sauce from the same article, and though I thought it came out a bit thin, the taste was all there. Here is the recipe for both as they appear in Everyday Food:

Shrimp & Mint Summer Rolls
Makes 8

4 ounce package vermicelli rice noodles
8-inch spring-roll wrappers
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked, then halved lengthwise
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 medium carrot cut into matchsticks (1 1/2 cups)
1 bunch chives

1. Pour boiling water over vermicelli rice noodles and soak 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. Divide into 8 equal portions. Fill a wide, shallow bowl with cool water. Working with one spring roll wrapper at a time, soak until pliable, 20 seconds. Transfer to a flat surface and smooth.

2. Place a layer of shrimp, mint, and carrot on bottom third of wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Top with a portion of noodles and another layer of shrimp, mint and carrot.

3. Fold bottom of wrapper tightly over fillings.

4. Roll over once, tuck in sides, and finish rolling. If desired, add 3 fresh chives and continue rolling to enclose them. Transfer roll to a plate and cover with a slightly damp paper towel. Repeat to make 8 summer rolls. Serve immediately or refrigerate, up to 2 hours.

Creamy Peanut Dipping Sauce
Makes 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

In a medium bowl whisk together peanut butter and water until smooth. Whisk in lime juice, soy sauce, and sugar. Sprinkle peanuts over sauce just before serving.


Kalli * Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Since it's starting to get hot outside, hot coffee seems gross so I'm back to making Vietnamese iced coffee (well, this is the more traditional way, with a prettier presentation BUT that method uses hot coffee which will melt your ice, and you need individual cup coffee presses.) To prepare, I brew a few cups of extra strong black coffee the night before, cool it down and store extra in the fridge. Then in the morning I mix some of the concentrated coffee with a couple tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk, over ice.

TIP - mix the condensed milk into the coffee BEFORE pouring over ice. I spaced and did it wrong in these photos.

Oh, Kalli. How I long for the days when I will be able to wholeheartedly embrace caffeine again. This looks fantastic, and oddly refreshing.

Sewing Nook Saturday

See the new home I found for my samples of Sugar Pop? There is so much going on in the studio these days that I had to get creative with my space planning. This is my little sewing nook that now lives in the walk in closet across from Baby Girl's clothes and on the other side of the doorway from her changing table. Now I feel the need to paint the inside of the closet. Is that just crazy? Well, at least I have all of that space to hang some inspiration! See how we are all just nestled together in here like the best of friends? She will be surrounded by fabric and art and sewing machines from the very beginning so maybe the craft bug will bite her early. Or maybe not. Maybe she'll think it is all just a bunch of malarkey and study the solar system or trees or creative writing, that would be cool too! So the studio/nursery organization is humming right along. I'll keep ya posted.

Oh! I also wanted to tell you that I set up a Sugar Pop group on Flickr for all of your fabulous creations you'll be making this fall. I know it's kinda early, but like a true girl scout, I like to be prepared. I've even got the badge up in the right hand column over there. And don't forget the WonderFluff group, keep adding those photos! I love to see what you make! While I was poking around in the land of Flickr groups today, I found this one, isn't it great? Oh and this is one of my all-time faves. You gotta love Flickr, I can get sucked in over there for hours sometimes. Happy Weekend!

Thank You For Indulging Me...

you are all so very sweet!

I am truly grateful for all of the excitement and kindness that you've shared with me for the new line. So, a true and genuine thank you from me to you. I can't begin to imagine how fun it will be to see my designs in action as all of you wonderfully talented crafters have at it! Bliss-o-rama!

Rosie has given me a shout out over at The Fabric Shopper, so please stop by and visit her.

I have to get to sewing now...and chomping on those ice-cream cones.

Sweet News

My Sugar Pop collection of fabrics has been picked up by Moda and will be available in stores this December! Since we are just starting summer, I thought I'd serve up some ice-cream cones to celebrate.

There is no way for me to tell you how thrilled or excited I am about this opportunity. I have been working on this for a while now behind the scenes, keeping quiet. Now, that it is here and in my hands it seems like a dream! Imagine my delight, ripping open the boxes of yardage. It was Christmas morning for me. I love every little bit of it, every pattern, every color. I am truly honored to be part of the Moda family. They have been such a joy to work with!
  Here are the bright, candy-coated warms. You will recognize the patterns here, but I've played a lot with color, scale and orientation. So this collection is quite different from what is currently available in the WonderFluff shop. It is so thrilling to see them all stacked up like this, just ripe with infinite possibility.
So it is definitely shaping up to be a busy summer around here. Fabric and babies! Oh my, is there anything better, really? I am beyond grateful and completely realize what a privilege it is to be both a designer and a parent. Those two roles being very similar in many ways. Look at me, pretending like I know a thing about parenthood. I will though, so soon.

Sugar Pop stems from my love for all things confectionery. I love the vibrant, clear colors inspired by the rich treats of the ice cream parlor and candy store. At the same time, I love to mix in deeper more sophisticated tones as well to create unexpected color combinations. There is a little something for everyone here with bold, punchy florals and mod nature motifs to dots and other geos in a variety of scales and composition.
   You should know that I have hundreds of millions of ideas for these lovelies. More ideas than I will ever have the time to work up and realize, but you can bet that I will keep you up to date about all of my plans for them. I've already designed a quilt that I will be busy sewing very soon. Thank you to all of the nice people out there that have bought my fabrics at WonderFluff and have sent me such nice comments. I feel really lucky to get to design fabric and I hope that you love the line just as every bit as I do.

My, oh my, it has been awfully sweet around here lately, hasn't it? Now that I've finished my photo shoot, I think I need to head to the store and get some ice cream to fill those cones! Happy Wednesday!

Making Room

Slowly but surely we are making progress on Baby Girl's spot in the house. She will be sharing my studio space with me and we have completely rearranged everything since I did this. Although, she is not the only one that I am making room for in the studio. There is another arrival coming very very soon.

Her crib is assembled. Her bunting from the shower is hung. And the most adorable mobile ever made is dangling in anticipation. I have grandiose plans to make some bedding for the crib in a few fabrics from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley collection. Actually, I have many grandiose plans and I'll update you as I make progress. I need to hurry! Do you know today is exactly one month from my due date?

All of her itty bitty clothes are hanging in her closet. Her socks folded, her hats stacked neatly waiting to welcome her home. Her changing table is in front of the window so she can have a look out while we are dealing with her business. Do you remember what used to be in front of the window?

Yep, it was my sewing machine, which has now moved into the closet. I miss the view, but I must say, it's quite cozy in there. I'll show you that on a different day, I promise. So do you have any guesses about the other arrival that I am expecting? Any ideas about why the studio/nursery needs to get organized and why I need to find new space in here? Stay tuned for some very big news!

Liz & Kalli Food #5

Liz * Banana Bread
This Liz & Kalli Food post is coming to you a day early, well at this point it's more like a few hours early. I made my Great Grandmother's Banana Bread for our dear friends, Josh and Audrey. They celebrated 11 years of marriage yesterday! This recipe has been in the family for generations and my mom makes it every year at Christmastime. There is no other food or baked good that smells more delicious than when this banana bread is in the oven. It reminds me of home, and being warm and cozy, and my mom and Christmas, all good things indeed!
Kalli * Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad
I didn't end up with time to cook for this last one, but I bought premade apricot chicken salad from Trader Joe's that I wanted to recommend. I don't normally like fruit alongside meat of any kind, but the apricot balanced the chicken and celery really well. This was very good on chewy wheat bread.

Yum! This looks so delicious! I don't think I have ever seen this particular salad at TJs. Lunch is my least favorite meal and I am always looking for new ideas. Thank you!

Flea Market Finds

Before Ryan and I went to the Arboretum on Sunday, we stopped in early at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. It is quite the event and Ryan and I have found plenty of goodies there over the years. Vendors and shoppers come from all over to buy and sell, and I have more than once seen crews from the HGTV shows filming there. Because of its popularity, good deals are a little more elusive at this FM than others in the area. That being said, the place is abundant with eye candy and a really fun way to spend a Sunday morning. I am generally more curious and wander-y than Ryan, he is more business when he is there. He'll be about 25 paces in front of me before he realizes that I am fondling some vintage tea towels or ogling some amazing clown sculpture. Ryan is always on the search for a Sea Captain painting. He saw one there a while back and didn't buy it and he has been living in regret ever since. The yarn art piece above is just up my alley though we let this one go. As are these bright vintage prints.

The place is so full of amazing things that I sometimes get overwhelmed to the point of paralysis. Meaning, I love everything so much that I end up buying nothing. I simply can not decide. Another phenomenon of the giant flea market is searching for something very specific and not being able to find it to save your life. You can guarantee that when you go back next month, the place will be flooded with that one item. This has happened to us on many occasion. For instance, before we were married we circled the whole place upside down and backwards looking for a bird cage so that our guests could put cards in it at our wedding. No luck, nothing, nada. Every time I have been back there since, the place is teeming with bird cages. It should actually be called The Rose Bowl Flea Market and Bird Cage Emporium. This time we were there looking for things like a rocking chair, storage solutions, a smaller more kid friendly coffee table, and I wanted to find a cutesy vintage-y shelf for the nursery. We did not find any of those items to suit our fancy. However, we did by a few old and well worn Little Golden Books.

Treehouse Collective had a booth there too and we found this adorable jumper from the 50s in size 18 months. I love this color green and Baby Scott does not have a whole lot of it in her closet yet. Here it is! Their prices were much lower at the FM than on their site, so I guess there are good deals to be found after all!

Liz & Kalli Food #4

Liz * Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cupcakes! Again? Yes, I have been on a bit of a cupcake bender lately. They are just so delectable and just the right size. I made these yummy treats for my friend Julia's birthday, which was yesterday. Flag Day Birthday! I know two people with Flag Day birthdays and one couple with a Flag Day Anniversary! Anyways, I used the same book as these cupcakes for this recipe and they were just as delicious. Here is the recipe as it appears in Cupcakes!:

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 15

Cupcakes:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Make the cupcakes:
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the batter. Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture looks creamy and the color has lightened slightly, about 1 minute. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the water. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. The batter is ready to bake.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 15 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Fill each paper liner with a generous 1/3 cup of batter, to about 1/8 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack.

Use a small knife to loosen any tops that have stuck to the top of the pan. Carefully place the wire rack on top of the cupcakes in their pan. Protecting your hands with pot holders and holding the pan and rack together, invert them to release the cupcakes onto the wire rack. Turn the cupcakes top side up to cool completely.

Make the frosting:
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth, about 1 minute, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute to lighten the frosting further. Use a small spatula to spread about 2 tablespoons of frosting over the top of each cupcake (or use a pastry bag and tip to pipe the frosting like I did.) Decorate as desired.

The cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Kalli * Basic Crêpes
I made crêpes for brunch because I've been craving them for quite a while, and I needed to use the yummy lemon curd I bought on a whim. I made banana & chocolate and raspberry & lemon with this simple and effective recipe. Next time I'll probably try cinnamon baked apples or strawberries with Nutella, but these were pretty light yet filling.

They look amazing, Kalli! We are so sweet this week.

34 Weeks

day lily belly taken by Ryan, 34 weeks, Los Angeles Arboretum

Queen Anne Cottage taken by Ryan, 34 weeks, Los Angeles Arboretum

Ryan and I spent the day together strolling beautiful landscapes. There were blooming flowers, exotic plants and plenty of photo ops. In between doctor appointments, childbirth classes and nursery prep, we are making a conscious effort to savor these last few weeks while it is still just the two of us. We are beyond excited and ready to hold our daughter in our arms, but we also know that in our new roles as parents we will be very busy and may not have the abundant time together that we have now. So while we can, we are just enjoying being together, as we look to the future and all of the joy and excitement that it holds.