Saturday, July 30, 2011

Nobody Walks in LA

I went to Los Angeles on my day off last week. Usually this sort of trip involves an hour-long car ride, a white-knuckle drive to find parking, an exhorbitant amount of money paid to park somewhere, and the worry in the back of my mind that I'll return to my car to find, um, no car. So it's not always the most relaxing day for me. But this time, James and I took the train to Union Station and hopped on the Metro to Civic Center, Little Tokyo, and even Pasadena. Infinitely more relaxing, and we did so much more than we normally would do! Just take a look...


Union Station
 
Sculpture outside the MOCA

Angel's Flight

A riot of color on Alvera Street

Color color and more color

Masks

Wishing Tree in Little Tokyo

Chop Suey

Relaxing Lunch at the Norton Simon

Leaving Los Angeles
 Next time we go we're going to try to get to LACMA and MOCA. Both are closed (closed!) on Wednesdays. Also, since wandering through Little Tokyo, I have a wicked craving for good Japanese food so I may have to insist we eat there.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Cutest Eggs You've Ever Seen

I was all set to tell you about my day in LA but I got sidetracked quite quickly by cute Japanese animal eggs. Seriously. I went to San Francisco last year and one of the first stops was to the Ichiban Kan market in Little Tokyo. I fell in love with these little animal egg shapers, but decided not to buy them. Big mistake. I've been wanting them ever since. So last week while in LA, I found a small Japanese dollar-type store and decided that they HAD to have the egg things. And guess what....

Animal Eggs!
Bunny and Bear
 ....they did!! (They also had lime green bunny chopsticks which I absolutely HAD to have. They seriously make meals taste better.)

Chillin'
You have to hard-boil your eggs and peel them while they're still hot. Then they go in the molds and get stuck in ice water for 10 minutes.
 
Bunny & Bear Eggs
I don't know if my eggs were too small or if the bear is just a little too large or if I just haven't gotten the technique down, but the bear eggs turned out mostly without ears.

The cutest egg you've even seen
The bunny eggs turned out a little better than the bear eggs.

Eaten egg with tomato salad and risotto
 Even my vegan friend ate one. They're just way too awesome.

Cupcakes, pre-eating
Oh, and I also made some kick-ass cupcakes this weekend. They have cream cheese frosting and pink sprinkles. P.S. They're almost all gone.

Friday, July 22, 2011

A Sneak Peek at my Day Off

Wednesday provided a much-needed break for me. I haven't had time to edit the photos yet, but here's just a little look at what I did on my day off...


Masks
Oh, and PS, stay tuned for a little piece of news about my photo entry at the Orange County Fair!
Happy Friday to All!

Monday, July 18, 2011

To The Start of a New Week

Happy Monday, everyone! I see we all survived Carmageddon, so much so that it's now being hailed as "Carmaheaven." Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Mine was made up of just Sunday, and was jam-packed with trips to Trader Joe's and errands to Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Breakfast
I've been (insanely) getting up at 6:30 in the morning to get some work done before work, and much as I hate to admit it, it seems to be working out. So that's how you can squeeze a couple more hours out of the day!

I even managed to list a couple of earrings on Sweetpea Studios. I'll be working far more diligently on my Etsy store, so keep checking for new goodies.

Black Tie at Sweetpea Studios
Here's hoping we all have a wonderful week!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Insomnia, Etsy, and Carmageddon

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't sleep last night. It must have been my excitement over the announcement of the Emmy nominees this morning, coupled with my distress over "Carmageddon" this weekend. Obviously.

So what's a girl to do? Oh, I don't know, re-open her Etsy shop?

Feminine Specimen at Sweetpea Studios

On the Wing: Lace at Sweetpea Studios

On the Wing: Crystal at Sweetpea Studios

Handmade with Love.
Head on over to Sweetpea Studios to see what else is new!

It's gonna be a two-coffee morning....

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

What are they deep-frying this year?

Baby Chickens

It's that time of year again, when Costa Mesa begins to smell of BBQ and weird deep-fried food, when carnival rides and funhouses are errected seemingly overnight, when we start to dream of cotton candy and Alaskan pig races and baby chickens and pies that are just right. You guessed it, it's time for the Orange County Fair!


Strange Dancing Animals
I've always loved the fair. When I was younger I loved going to look at the animals raised by the local 4H programs (okay, I still love doing that) and seeing what sorts of weird stuff people collected (still love doing that too). When I got to be a little older, like a teenager, I used to go with my friends to play carnival games and ride the rides. (Some boys always thought it was HILARIOUS to rock the cart of the Ferris wheel. NOT funny.) Now as a "grown up," I love to look at the artwork that local ametur and professional artists submit. I've even joined in the fun and submitted works myself!

The Greenhouse, copyright Jennifer Geisert
 This year my entry into the photography section is another TTV picture. It's the lovely greenhouse in Eleanor's back garden in north London with the late afternoon sun shining over the pond. Don't you just want to sit and rest here awhile?

I also entered these photos into the fair, but they weren't accepted. Oh well, there's always next year and other photo exhibitions!


Country Walk, copyright Jennifer Geisert

Stately, copyright Jennifer Geisert
What do you like about your local county fair?