JBalducci Jewelry

A friend purchased the ebony wood necklace pictured below as a gift for me from San Francisco based jeweler, JBalducci, a couple years back. It's been one of my favorite pieces since and I always get compliments when I wear it.

Finally, some useful technology...

Just when I thought my iPhone couldn't make me any happier, I discovered free apps that allow you to view the latest runway shows of all the big designers. Check out Fashion Network, Style.com and Chanel. There's also an app that will calculate sales discounts called onSale!

Shoes I Could Die Happy In...

If I am ever lucky enough to put these beauties on my feet, they are never coming off!

All Weather

I've been looking for boots that meet these very specific criteria:

1) Waterproof (no rubber allowed)
2) Warm
3) Flat
4) Lightweight
5) Comfortable to walk around in for hours

And of course above all, they have to be pretty.

I don't want to haul suitcases of shoes around for my upcoming trip to New York since I will be making a trek to Philly and back. I figure with a nice pair of comfortable waterproof boots, I will be covered for almost any weather and occasion other than dinner and the theater. These are the options so far. (They can all be found at Nordstrom.com except the first pictured, which is available through piperlime.com.)

Ruffles

I love Prada's fall runway shoes.

Fragrance Crush

I picked up a sample of Victor & Rolf's new scent, Antidote, a week ago at Saks. I've been crushing on it ever since. It's actually a men's cologne, but I wear it anyway. It has a very warm peppery smell. It kind of reminds me of Prada's original perfume.

In Honor of Warren

(Via FFFFound.com)

NYC or Bust

Tyler and I are both quickly approaching our biggest work deadline of the year. Tyler currently holds the family record for most consecutive hours worked in one day by one hour with a whopping 21 hours arriving home at 5:00 AM last Thursday. Three weeks and a few days to go. We are planning a trip to New York to relax post October 15th. I'd love to hear every one's favorite shops, restaurants, things to do, etc. so I can day dream about my trip to help get me through the last few weeks of crunching.

The other thing that helps..... thinking of these on second mark down.

Elizabeth Charles

My favorite SF boutique is Elizabeth Charles on Fillmore St. I haven't actually purchased anything there yet because of the hefty price tags, but I love going in to browse their beautiful clothes for inspiration. Some day....

The Short Story

I love a good short story. Novels are great too, but there is just something about the intensity and concentration of theme in a short story. I recently read an article in SF Magazine about the politics behind the short story and how it is nearly impossible to get published unless you are willing to write a novel. So I say bring back the short story.

One of my favorite books, The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of short stories about the culture clash between the East and West. She went on the write The Namesake, a novel, which while very good just wasn't as strong as her short stories. Well now she is back with what she does best with her most recent collection of shorts titled Unaccustomed Earth.

The article mentioned a few online sources for short stories that I am interested in checking out.

Opium Magazine
Narrative Magazine
McSweeney's

P.S.

The release date is set for February 13, 2009.

New York, I Love You

I can hardly contain my excitement!!!

On My To Do List

I recently came across the San Francisco based service Envy Concierge. They offer personal assistance by the hour or project. I have about 4 months out of the year when I do nothing but work and try to squeeze in 8 hours of sleep and a shampoo. This service will do your shopping, run errands, or take care of other personal projects on your to do list. I think I might look into this more.

Teeny Tiny Parsons Desk

When I moved to San Francisco 8 years ago, believe it or not, I had a very hard time finding smaller more compact furniture for apartment living. It was back in the day when Pottery Barn was king and sofas were just getting bigger and bigger. It baffled me! The past few years have seen a trend of declining scale and a proliferation of affordable, modern furniture for those of us who rebel against putting down roots in a McMansion.

West Elm just came out with their new mini Parsons desks. I love the lacquered finish in black or white. Now I find myself asking, how small can they go?

Man on Wire

Tyler and I went to the Embarcadero Theaters to see Man on Wire this past weekend. It is a documentary about Philippe Petit, the French man who rigged a high wire between the top of the World Trade Center towers and walked across several times. And no he wasn't wearing a harness, a rope or any other safety mechanism. It was fascinating and made me sick to my stomach all at once.

Movie Snacks

My new favorite movie snack is Sahale Valdosta pecans which are mixed with black pepper, sweet dried cranberries and orange zest. You can get them at the Embarcadero Theaters, speciality grocers like Whole Food and Molly Stones or on-line. They have other blends that I would like to try like the Daphine walnuts with blueberries, bananas, coconut flakes, lavender and white pepper. Note: The Sing Buri blend with Cashews wasn't may favorite.

My McMansion

The Margarido House is my dream home. Click on the link to see the photo gallery.

Domino Loves

The new Domino is packed with tear sheets. Here are a few highlights:

Dressing Table from Ikea with Icicle Stool



Binders by Sugar Paper



Modern Globe from DWR




I especially loved the feature about books you love to display as well as read.

Melville House Publishing "Novella" Collection
Minimalist short story/novel hybrids.



Persephone Books "Originals" series
Plain grey jackets and cream labels they all look the same from the outside. On the inside, endpapers are chosen especially to match the date and mood of the book.



Penguin "Great Ideas" series
Slim, compact historic texts with letterpress fronts.



Overlook Press P.G. Wodehouse collection
English farce and social satire with illustrated dust jackets.



Harper Perennial "Olive Editions"
Contemporary books such as Everything is Illuminated and The Unbearable Lightness of Being in bright colors with striped backs.

Music Festivals

I really, really, really want to go to one of these....





Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in Golden Gate Park complete with performances by Radiohead, Beck, Jack Johnson, the Black Keys and Cake with a farmers market to boot.

Treasure Island Music Festival with a bunch of bands I'm not familiar with but look like they can really rock, a Ferris wheel, and a legitimate reason to make the trek to Treasure Island.

Now I just need Interpol to come back to SF or go on tour anywhere in the U.S. for that matter.

Worth It

Conventional beauty wisdom says that mascara is one of the products you can go drug store on. I've tried so hard, but just can't seem to make it work. I always spend the first few weeks of a new tube with thick clumpy lashes and the weeks that follow with dried out flakes and dark circles under my eyes.

Enter Dior Show. It only takes one quick swipe to get long lush lashes with even distribution and no flakiness. Considering that most women site mascara as the one product they cannot live without, I think the few extra dollars are worth it.

Crumpled Paper Container

Is it strange that I've been thinking so much about a rubbish bin lately? You can get it in black or red too.

Picnic on the Richardson Green

Katie, Jenny and I threw a bridal shower for our sister Stephanie earlier this summer. We chose a picnic theme with long tables spread with crisp white linens, potted red petunias and red lunch boxes filled with baguette sandwiches, Caprese salad and radishes. We used bakers twine to tie a set of wooden cutlery to a rolled red napkin. For dessert, we set up a buffet with stacks of homemade cookies and cream biscuits and mounds of freshly whipped cream and sliced strawberries.

Our party favors and hands down the most time consuming, stressful part of the preparations were mini individual lattice crust berry pies packaged in red and white gingham checked waxed tissue lined craft boxes, sealed with a red and green sticker and tied with a red satin ribbon. We stayed up all night rolling out pie dough, but the final product was worth well worth the effort.

The weather that week was a little precarious, but we ended up with a couple of hours of very nice mild breezy sunshine which did wonders for the effect of the white table clothes.

Jordan designed the letterpress invitations and labels for the lunch boxes and pie boxes. The inspiration for this party came from a spread in Martha Stewart Weddings a couple summers back.

Instant Party

One of the easiest ways to entertain by far is with a good cheese plate. I was recently in charge of refreshments at a church function for 250 expected guest. One hour of shopping and one hour of set-up later, et voile, 250 happy guests.

The party was part of a anniversary celebrating local history so I used some of my favorite local cheeses - Cowgirl Creamery's Mt. Tam, Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog, and Point Reyes Original Blue. I placed the cheese on large square platters and piled high mounds of grapes and crackers. All of the cheese was gone by the end of the night, so not only was there no cooking involved, but there was also very little clean-up.

Half-Life of a Dream

I visited SFMOMA this weekend to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit. The exhibit is very moving. Frida was a very strong, passionate woman. Her surrealist art is packed with so much meaning and emotion. The exhibit also included an extensive collection of photos of Frida throughout her life.

After the seeing the Frida exhibit I popped into the galleries on the other side of the floor to see the Logan collection of contemporary Chinese art titled Half-Life of a Dream. This is an amazing exhibit that I fear might be overlooked with the ever popular Frida right next door. The paintings and installations are dream-like to say the least. One room holds an instillation of 20,000 plastic toy dinosaurs in the shape of the Asian continent marching like armies, upon which lies a bed with a cozy Chairman Mao sleeping and perhaps dreaming of his Chinese utopia.

Another favorite is a large painting with the several clones of the image of the artist charging forward on the backs of a herd of ostriches.

This is one of the most exciting exhibits I've seen at SFMOMA in my 8 years in the city. I will definitely visit again before the exhibit closes on October 5th.

(The painting above is by artist Fang Lijun.)

Spaghetti with Chicken and Peppers

I made this recipe for dinner last week. It was really easy, fast and delicious. The leftovers are great for lunch too. The whole wheat pasta and light Thai inspired sauce keep it healthy. I omitted the cabbage and used a rotisserie chicken. (Recipe and picture from www.marthastewart.com)

Serves 6

Coarse salt
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
1 1/2 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
10 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded (2 cups)
2 yellow bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed) , thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 head napa cabbage, cored and shredded, for serving (optional)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, bring broth, garlic, and red-pepper flakes to a simmer. Cook until garlic is tender, about 2 minutes.Transfer mixture to a large bowl, and stir in lime juice, ketchup, soy sauce, and sugar.

Add pasta, chicken, bell pepper, cilantro, and salt to the bowl, and toss to combine with the sauce. Serve on a bed of shredded cabbage, if desired.

Take a Seat

The Womb Chair is, without question, the most comfortable chair ever made. I want one of in the corner of my bedroom with a good reading light and a cozy blanket.

Coat Upgrade

I've been planning on splurging for a good coat this fall. It came down to these two Marc By Marc Jacobs coats. I finally decided on the wool coat in black, but I'm still torn between the two, so don't be surprised if I show up in the quilted jacket.

Party Inspiration

I love yesterday's Snippet & Ink inspiration board. Although, originally intended for wedding inspiration, I think this would translate well into a birthday party.

Lichtensteinesque Apron

Maybe I love this apron so much because I've been watching Mad Men for the past couple of weeks. It is a little hard to see in the picture (click on the link so you can zoom in), but it is covered in strawberries and the background is a grayish-blue dot pattern which reminds me of a Roy Lichtenstein painting.

Mad Men Opening Credits

This is by far the best show on TV in a very long time. Tyler and I just finished watching the first season on DVD. The second season starts July 28th on AMC. Paula, you were right!

CB2

The first time I saw products from CB2, the budget friendly modern spin-off of Crate & Barrel, I was somewhat interested in the design but doubtful about the quality and not completely convinced by their aesthetic. I received a new catalog in yesterday's mail and I have to say I like the direction they are headed. They are finally opening a store in Union Square on July 31st. I'm looking forward to seeing the products in person.