life in topanga

The monsoonal moisture we had yesterday produced a beautiful sunset.

it's very confusing . . .

so here's a chart to help you keep it all straight. Really!

From here.

hot-day foods

wild rice + snow pea salad

1 cup wild rice

2 1/3 cups chicken stock (vegetable is fine as well)

2 cups snow peas

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

3 green onions, chopped

Vinaigrette

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt (I use just a pinch)

1/2 tsp dried tarragon (or a few tbsp fresh chopped tarragon)

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

In a sieve, rinse rice. In a saucepan, bring stock to boil; add rice, remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain rice and transfer to a large bowl.

Vinaigrette:

Meanwhile, combine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, tarragon + pepper; whisk in the olive oil. Toss with the hot rice. Let cool for 20 minutes (can be prepared to this point, covered + refrigerated for up to 8 hours).

Steam snow peas for 1 minute or until tender crisp. Refresh under cold water. Drain; pat dry. Add peas, mushrooms + green onions to rice. Taste + adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings

via scissors variations

kinda fun - Linnea's Lights

I found this posted on Urbanic's blog, Parcel Post, a stationery and gift store on Abbot Kinney in Venice. It says the packaging is hand-stamped and comes with it's own matches. Some of the scents are cashmere, current rouge, yuzu, sweet grass and bamboo. I'll have to get some!

Friday Love Song :: Joshua Radin - I'd Rather Be With You

"I'd Rather Be With You" Official Video

diy :: origami cranes

food for thought

Desert Nomad House :: formerly Casa Jax

This is a house in Tucson that John & I actually looked at to possibly buy. It was on the market about 5 years ago, partially finished, for about $350,000. It was designed by local architect Rick Joy. He has several books out & is known for "rammed earth" building.

Although it is an extremely interesting house with three seperate structures: main living, bedroom and studio, all situated to take in a specific view, we decided it would be difficult to live in. I'm glad to see someone has finished it as it was intended. The fire pit was spectacular.

via architechnophilia

Braille Stamps

For the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the creator of the braille reading language, the Swedish Post has released a set of stamps designed by Elisabeth Bjorkbom. The actual braille on each stamp reads, "See with different eyes" and the design is as pretty as the idea.

via notcot

Aveda is Saving Oceans & Marine Life One Cap at a Time

Wondering how to turn all of those plastic bottle caps running rampant in your household into a green, planet saving endeavor? Well, lucky for you, and for marine life everywhere, Aveda has come up with an alternative solution for all of the un-recyclable rigid plastic caps that invade your medicine cabinets, refrigerators and kitchen drawers. The very same ubiquitous bottle-toppers pose a dangerous threat to oceans, birds and marine life when they are improperly disposed of and wind up in landfills or sent down storm drains. Aveda’s Caps Recycling Program will re-purpose these toxic plastics as a base for new packaging, in an effort to eliminate them from our oceans before it’s too late.

Participating in the program couldn’t be easier - let’s start with the guidelines: Aveda accepts caps that are rigid polypropylene plastic; caps that twist on with a threaded neck — like the ones found on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles; flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles; laundry detergents and some jar lids like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. After you have amassed your multicolored cap collection, you can bring it to participating community schools and after-school programs, Aveda retail stores, and most Aveda salons and spas nationwide.

via inhabitat

technology for dummies

An article in a recent Newsweek tipped me off to this new web site called Common Craft. It explains in video format and in really simple terms things you might have been wondering about.

For instance, I could have cared less about Twitter. But since all the unrest in Iran, I have to admit, there might be a worthwhile use for it. This video explains how it works. As Iran calms down, I'll probably go back to thinking it's pretty worthless - especially when used by politicians.

What Do Your Color Choices Say About You?

Did you ever wonder why you're drawn to certain colors? Well lucky you because Paper Source has created the Colorscope, a silly online tool that will teach you what your color preferences say about your personality.

Chartreuse is one of my favorite colors. This is what it says:

It's not exactly clear what authority Paper Source has consulted to supply this info - maybe they've got a psychic on the payroll? - but hey, it's a fun way to pass a little downtime at work. And anyway, it might actually be interesting to consider the colors in your home and what they say about you. The interesting thing is that the descriptions are all really positive. Hmmm . . . .

To get to the bottom of your own color choices, visit the Colorscape on the Paper Source web site.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

The Tim Burton 3-D flick doesn't come out till spring 2010 but here's a first look at some of the characters. The lead role of Alice will be played by 19-year-old unknown Mia Wasikowska form Australia.

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter

Helen Bonham Carter as the Red Queen

Anne Hathaway as the White Queen

pics via The Huffington Post

fantasy vacations

It's back to Monday and I'm wishing we could go on a vacation. But we can't so I'm doing some armchair traveling. I came across a website called Mr. and Mrs. Smith that's a booking agency for some ridiculously amazing hotels around the world. Ridiculous. But this is a post about fantasy vacations so price and location are of no concern. My favorites . . .

Loving these lush gardens and sparkling pool in Provence.

How wonderful would it be to stroll up to this Paris Hotel in Montmarte?

You could sip wine and watch the sunset at a 900-year-old castello in Tuscany . . .

. . . or make friends with elephants, take outdoor showers and drink cocktails under glowing trees at a South African resort.

Where would you want to go?

(Top photo of Belize)

Friday Love Song :: Michael Franti & Spearhead

I first heard this song about 6 months ago on KCRW. I loved it so much I bought it on iTunes. Now here's the video! It just makes me happy!

a shed you could love

Bay Area designer and recent Berkeley graduate (with a BA in architecture) Joseph Sandy has designed an 8-by-10-foot outdoor studio/shed in Petaluma, California, just north of San Francisco. Made from reclaimed redwood fencing, the shed has a polycarbonate clerestory window that provides ample interior illumination; the pegboard-lined interior offers multiple storage opportunities. See more of his work at Joseph Sandy Studio.

via Remodelista

office pod

"Changing the way people work" - so the ad says. Check it out here.

via blue ant studio

diy :: fortune cookies

Make your own cookies with your own fortunes. They can be wacky or insightful. Here's the cookie recipe.

And here's the step by step directions.

from inchmark via benign objects

MALA LETRA - tango & type

These silkscreen prints by Leterias are based off of a visual interpretation of slang tango and poetry from Brazil. Each piece is as beautiful as it's inspiration!

via Soolip

Prefab :: Blue Sky Homes Prototype

The design, by Palm Springs-based o2 Architecture, is a kit of parts assembled on site and meant to be both site-specific and flexible enough to work in other settings.

The factory-built parts were assembled fast -- about four days for the frame, eight weeks total for the whole house. The cost will fall in the $200- to $300-a-square-foot range.

The Yucca Valley prototype was completed in May.

You can check out o2 Architecture or Blue Sky Homes for more info.

via LA Times