Every Wednesday at Akbar, nine 'til midnight.

2 drink minimum and a little donation is appreciated ot this group of locals who teach crafts from the kindness of their hearts. They also encourage to BYOS (Bring your own scissors).

Tomorrow night's craft is still TBD but I'm guessing they'll bring their usual supplies for making paper bag puppets.

Make mom happy and make her a pretty frame on May 7th.

All the info on their website and blog.


Akbar
4356 Sunset Blvd.
Silver Lake, 90029
323.665.6810

Labels: bars, DIY, events

My dear buddy Matthew made the Small Cool Apartment Contest this year on Apartmenttherapy.com. Go vote "super cool" for him and he has the chance of winning gift certificates not to mention the accolades of all the design-y people. If you check out Matt's floorplan you may recognize his work from his super great web comic, Isolated Instances of Non-Gravity. He's currently taking commissions, and if the comments on Apartmenttherapy are any indication, Matt's drawings could be quite the hot ticket.

The orange stripe on the wall was a good lesson in what a little painter's tape could do. The shelves were those basic modular kind just painted to match. Matt's vintage finds come from eBay and the Pasadena Rose Bowl.




Pictures of the colorful kitchen and bathroom here.

Labels: design, DIY, www.internet.com

With the 3-day weekend around the corner I'm making time to get back to an all summer long project - tackling the piece of dirt my landlord calls a lawn.

A little over a year ago my mom, her boyfriend and I made a patio. It was a fairly inexpensive and fairly easy project we completed in one weekend. My landlord even agreed to go half-sies on it with me. Poor renters take note: Always ask when you're going to do some sort of home renovation. You shouldn't expect your landlord to pay for the whole thing but you can usually sway them to help out when you talk about how much you like living there but would love to increase the value in some beautifying way. Be prepared to present a budget and if it's going to create more of an inconvenience for the other tenants than what it's worth.

ReadyMade provides a great how-to article to make a stone paver patio. Leveling the ground with sand is key. I wasn't super concerned as I was just looking for some extra sitting/eating area. We don't get a lot of rain in these parts either, so worrying about puddles forming in front of my door wasn't a concern. Never having to weed again was the objective so we laid a heavy black plastic. Since then I've found damp newspaper also does the trick. When the occasional renegade weed does poke through I opt for boiling hot water or vinegar instead of reaching for icky chemical killers.

My patio care of half my yard problem and provided a great outdoor extension to my free-standing studio. Since then I've fantasized about complete outdoor space to house more guests, more parties, more outdoor time.




When I moved in to my studio I immediately started filling the outdoors with potted plants. The Sunset Nursery is my neighborhood resource. I collect succulents and plumerias. My major concern is that any plant I bring home has to be drought resistant (I'm environmental and I'm lazy!). Both types of plants are easy to care for. They thrive under the LA sun, and remind me of places my family and I visit. The cactus and succulents are for my extended family in Arizona & New Mexico, the plumerias are for Hawaii. I've always kept my plants in pots because I am the non-committal renter ready to move them at any notice.

I've been gathering inspiration little by little to bring continuity to my taste and have come up with a Palm Springs meets Mexican dessert theme. I've been collecting yard sale and swap meet finds. Hopefully by this weekend things will continue to come together.

The biggest hurtle is covering the dirt-yard with something attractive and environment friendly. I do not want to be weeding a garden or mowing a lawn on my off time. I love what Philip Dixon has done with pebbles and concrete.

Labels: design, DIY, shopping

Never one to skip my daily browse of all the trustworthy design blogs, I have to pass on a very cool decorating idea via Apartment Therapy. Amy and John share a 1000 square foot apartment in New York. (Here's the full slideshow). Amy is a salvage artist for This Old House. She writes and creates video tutorials. This handy and handsome entranceway shelf looks to be a pretty straightforward DIY project. The quality and historical interest of the doornobs she chose I think make all the difference. Thumbs up for the YWCA nob. I think a similar effect could be had with mis-matched antique hooks on a re-purposed door or old wood facade. Scrap pieces like that can be found at Silver Lake's own salvage yard. Then bust out the drill and a couple screws. Now if only I had an entryway.


Silver Lake Yards
1085 Manzanita (down the hill behind the Sunset & Manzanita)
Silver Lake, 90026
323.667.2875

Labels: design, DIY

Boy was I excited to get up early on a Sunday, don my Etsy purchases and go out to Felt Club early in hopes of grabbing up a goody bag. Well, me and 500 other Los Angeles crafters had the same idea. By 11:00am - the set time for the doors to open to the pretty little Ukrainian Cultural Center - a line had wrapped around the block. Standing in the hot sun did not look fun.

We all knew it would be packed this year, but the extent of the crowd was intimidating, to say the least. By the time I showed up around 4pm food was sold out, but the crowds had diminished. There was still plenty of merchandise to be had. Charles Phoenix hugged mascot Gluey Gluerson and called the raffle. DJ Lance Rock, never one to disappoint, spinned my favorite poppy re-mixes and I learned that very day he's the new host of possibly the best cartoon show for infants ever, Yo Gabba Gabba.

I was happy to meet Robert from Mahar Drygoods and even happier to learn they had a Mr. Toast affiliation. Mahar Drygoods is a cute online shop that Robert works out of his house in Santa Monica. He aspires to have an actual, versus virtual, storefront one of these days.


I didn't make any major purchases, but was more excited to do a little craft-shopping with as many vendors as possible and sign up on everyone's mailing lists.



This lion t-shirt came home with me from Poketo thanks to their bargain bin. A tip to craft shoppers: always look below their booths for the bargain bin section. Sometimes the cast-offs are more interesting than the "perfect" ones on the tables. The cotton is so soft. I plan to cut off the sleeves and shape the tee into a cosy yet skimpy camisole perfect for layering this summer.



A Happy Bacon magnet by SappyMooseTree now smiles back at me from my fridge. It would have been a crime to leave Felt Club without a creation of felt.

A Lucha Libre stencil kit will encourage me to take up cross-stitching thanks to Handmade Nation who were selling a variety of items for charity.



Fuzzy Balls Apparel had free buttons. My friend and I proudly wore the "I'm Fracking Magical" buttons for the rest of the day. She supports the Battlestar Galactica reference while I post-modernly adore Veronica Mars re-referencing "Frack" in one of her better episodes. Their temporary tattoos were a nice give-away as well.



Fomato stole my heart first with their graphic ghost prints and then with their witty birthday cards. Who wouldn't want a birthday card that reads "I'm celebrating your birthday by going to a dive bar in hopes to go home with a stranger"? There are also informative birthday cards on drinking tea.

I'm still on the lookout for the perfect frilly apron. It's gotta have at least four ruffles and tons of brick-a-brack. I'm probably gonna get crafty and make one.

There were lots of options to solve the small wallet that only holds the vital credit cards, ID, cash & change problem, but not one that was absolutely perfect. The DEVO inspired plastic one from Poketo came close. You can buy it here.



The auditorium lacked good AC or ventilation and word is the Craft Fair will move outdoors in November for their Holiday Expo. They're trying for the LACC courtyard.

Here's the thank you email letter from Felt Club maven Jenny Ryan:

Hello All,

This is just a quick e-mail to thank you all for coming out in droves for today's Felt Club: XL Summer Event. We all had an absolute blast!! Believe me when I say that as great as the press we got was, we still had no idea the crowds were going to end up being so enormous. Clearly we have outgrown our venue! Please know that we are aware of the situation and are hard at work coming up with new and better ways to bring you Felt Club fun in the future.

For everyone who has been asking, we are indeed doing a holiday show on November 18, and rest assured that the venue we're using for that show is MUCH larger, very well ventilated, and just downright fabulous. We'll be able to share more specifics with you on that soon, so please stay tuned! We think you'll be very pleased.

Many, many thanks so all of you who braved the crowds and heat to come support the super-crafty L.A. scene. Heartfelt apologies to those of you who couldn't take it, and we thank you so much for supporting us as we sort out our growing pains in order to continue bringing you the very best handmade awesomeness California has to offer. We're extremely grateful for your interest in what we're doing, you're the best!!

Sincerely,
Jenny Ryan
Felt Club

Labels: design, DIY, fashion, shopping

No I am not rallying for celebrity chef Tom Collichio's new restaurant, although I'm sure the opening of Craftsteak this weekend will be fabulous...


What is the hottest ticket in town is FELT CLUB XL this Sunday. The Winter Craft Fair was a huge success for the LA Craft Club that could and their summer one has gained so much attention from the community at large I'm sure it will be even more packed than last time. Show up super early if you wanna get in on the door freebies. Only 250 SWAG bags will be at the door with little freebies from Subversive Cross Stitch and local sponsors including Reform School and Echo Park fave eatery Masa - I think in the form of gift certificates, not pizza slices. But if you do get hungry Auntie Em's Kitchen will supply the noshes. I couldn't be happier about Auntie Em's. Once just my stop for red velvet cupcakes after tennis matches in Eagle Rock now the treats are showing up all over the city. The uber-trendy downtown Edison Bar even has her cupcakes on the menu. If you've never indulged, the perfect cream cheese frosting will make you forget about any disappointing pastry experience you've ever had.

But enough about the sweets, how about the sweet vendors? There's too many to mention. Over 70 from around the country! Craft blogger fave Michelle Caplan will be there with her gorgeous collages. Local illustrators Jordan Crane and Martin Cendreda will most likely be sketching up a storm. Craft Magazine will provide a booth of craft classes. The schedule includes yarn spinning, gocco tutorials, needle felting, charm jewelry design. It's a bonafide craft-nerd paradise. The vintage culture deity himself Charles Phoenix MCs the entire event. That's him hugging Felt Club's mascot Gluey Gluerson. Adorable, no?

Sunday July 15th 11:00am - 7:00pm
Felt Club XL Summer
Ukrainian Cultural Center
4315 Melrose Avenue
LA 90029
$1 Donation at the door
Street parking or $2 lot on Vermont Ave.

Labels: design, DIY, events

The Live Earth concert over the weekend sure got my environmentally conscious pals and I worked up. Maybe we would have been more supportive if the acts were anyone worth wild but John Mayer's poo-face (the face he makes when he hits those cringe-inducing cliche guitar notes) started a rant about how un-environmental a giant concert is. Apart from the obvious waste and litter large stadium shows make, a friend of mine brought up that an Internet streamed concert from around the world would be just as effective, possibly "revolutionary", and a much smaller carbon footprint than planes for the artists and fans to fly to Tokyo, for example. From an environmental design perspective I was really unimpressed by the tire wall for the U.S. show. The "recycled-chic" look got lost when I started to think about the amount of energy needed to transport old tires and then attach them to a giant wall. And it doesn't look any better than Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang's clubhouse.

Kelly Clarkson gets down with tires [via liveearth.msn.com].


Repetition with re-used or recycled materials is a signature green look - from seat belt purses to crochet plastic bag bags. The best looking example of this I saw today via sub-studio design blog. The Vintage Belt Floor Mat by Branch is awfully pretty. Made completely out of discarded men's leather belts, it makes quite the statement piece for your floor not to mention all the color variation from years of wear and fade would match most decors. And like signature green products it'll put you in credit card debt faster than you can download the Live Earth concert.


Never lacking at the local thrift stores, I'm confident a rip-off version could be made from old belts and a lot of leather glue. Branch's creation in fact is made just like that - belts glued onto "reconstituted leather backing". A bad suede jacket plus your dad's hand-me-downs could equal similar results, or at least a couple trivet trays. You'll need leather shears and strong glue which can be found at fabric or upholstery stores.

Labels: design, DIY, environmental

I don't want any more frozen yogurt shops in my neighborhood. They are taking up valuable retail space that could be gentrified into a delicious, organic salad bar like Mrs. Winston's.

I've had the fortune of working at two different office buildings which were both within steps from a Mrs. Winston's Salad Bar. Like a Whole Foods or City Bakery salad bar, they will rob your pocketbook. Unlike the aforementioned their selection is consistently stellar. My favorite aspect that sets Winston's on top is every cup of delight on the salad bar is finely chopped. No more messy cherry tomatoes. No more ginormous cucumber slices invading your lunchtime delight. And there are vegan options galore. I constantly crave the dairy free pasta salad choices, of which there are normally at least 4 varieties. Even if you go the omnivore route that's all the comfort with none of the guilt from mayo or processed animal bi-products.

After some time on the Winston's weekly fix and wearing out just about every possibility I stand by two original recipes. Start with the three compartment to-go container. Go in order on the salad bar line. Add a scoop of each ingredient.

Sunshine Salad
1. Mixed greens (that's your salad's base)
2. Dandelion greens
3. Cilantro
4. Shelled snap peas
5. Finely chopped cauliflower-broccoli mix
6. Broccoli sprouts
7. Shredded carrots
8. Corn kernels
9. Golden beets
dressing: Mustard Flax Oil
sides: Classic or dairy-free potato salad, Smoked vegan chicken pasta salad

I Heart Asian Salad
1. Romaine mix base
2. little spinach leaves
3. Purple basil leaves
4. Chopped red kale
5. Soy sprouts
6. Golden beets
7. Red beets
8. Hearts of palm
9. Cubed chicken pieces
dressing: Ginger Sesame
sides: Wasabi ramen noodles, Sugar snap peas

Items that make any salad better:
a. Purple basil
b. Finely chopped cauliflower-broccoli mix
c. noodles - crunchy or pasta
d. Tabasco (really!)


Mrs. Winston's Green Grocery only at these 3 Westside locations:

2901 Ocean Park Blvd.
Santa Monica, 90405

Water Garden office food court
2450 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, 90404

Century Towers office food court
1999 Avenue of the Stars
Century City, 90067

Just who is Mrs. Winston? I have yet to find out. All I know is she is one dedicated lady to providing all the flavorful healthy stuff. No stale brown rice cakes on her shelf! Still not organic-converted? Check out a song written by one very happy customer on Yelp.

Labels: DIY, food, reviews

Apartment Therapy's month-long Small Cool Aparment Contest had their finale when the four winners were announced online this morning. I am not a winner, and I knew it couldn't have happened when the competition is so fierce and the discrepancy between high and low end apartments are so huge. I was incredibly pleased just to look at the loads of generous comments from the AT community. Too bad I couldn't make the DWR party last night. It sounded like a lot of fun.


The winners are inspiring and would easily fit in to the pages of any glossy design magazine but I am ecstatic Laura from Santa Monica took second place. Her abode is free of pretensions. Someone actually lives in that apartment versus the sterile hotel feel of some of the finalists. Bravo to those who can take their architecture degrees and hire the best help, and have the best resources at their fingertips. But mad mad props to the people who fix up their living spaces in their image and don't walk around with formal design credentials. I always loved AT for their DIY attitude and empowering the little man with affordable and still attractive solutions but these days I find myself lingering less and less on their site. If I wanted Elle Decor and Architectural Monthly I would read them. Which I do. I just feel there are lesser known voices out in the home decorating/design world that often go unheard over the loud noise of overblogged (overpriced) topics.







Laura's studio stands out from the rest. It's a well though out use of small space and as practical as it is pleasing to the eye. Feminine and welcoming at once. Simple elegance and budget conscious. No wonder it was a favorite of so many readers. I am biased towards the single-woman and that she's an LA resident. She's also the only non East Coast finalist and the only renter out of the group. Maybe AT could tailor their contest next year for winners in separate categories. Renters v. Owners. Or take style or budget into consideration. Or even how small is small. There is quite a difference between an LA studio and a 2 bedroom custom made NY loft, for example.

AT for the first time this year also held contests on their specialty sites, The Kitchen, The Nursery and I was keeping tabs on Home Tech. Call me crazy, but when they first announced the rules for the Home Tech Small Cool Contest I was not picturing a bunch of entertainment centers and computer hutches, which is what I mainly saw posted.



The winners are all seamless integrated TV units. They're flat screens on the wall with hidden cables in stylish settings. They're lessons to those looking to streamline but not a whole lot more. Letting apartments enter multiple contests is not a bad thing, but it was outlawed this year. It could create some interest among entrants. Harder for the judges, I know, but they weren't lacking a flood of entries this year anyway. Step up the prizes to something else besides an iPod and I'll enter my flatscreen next year.

Labels: design, DIY, editorial

So I finally completed a dream of mine and entered Apartment Therapy's Small Cool contest. My apartment made the cut today! Entry #7: Meredith's Boho Chic Studio will be up on the Los Angeles page for everyone's voting pleasure. If chosen as a finalist I could win gift certificates to DWR. But really it's just nice to see the kind words everyone's posted so far. Thank you thank you thank you! And go vote today!

Labels: design, DIY

...Apartment Therapy's Smallest Coolest Apartments of 2007 to be exact.
If chosen as a finalist my apartment will be showcased on Apartment Therapy's blog and people will vote on it. I've been wanting to enter this contest ever since last year and hope all my decorating and little projects have payed off. So cross your fingers for me and hopefully three of these pics will show up on ApartmentTherapy.com next week. Once voting commences in May my apartment could go on to the semi-finals where the AT staff will vote for the smallest coolest apartment based on aesthetics, efficiancy, and creative problem solving with special challenges. The prize will be gift certificates to DWR - Design (sligthly) Within Reach. But the funnest part is all the design snobs (and I use the term snob with the utmost respect) will give me feedback. Any last minute tips?

Labels: design, DIY

There's a brand new design co. in town (Mar Vista to be exact). Tiny Face Design is the brain child of recent architecture school grad Katy Regnier. Katy, being from the school of DIY design and craftiness will take any of your photos and with the help of a computer turn them into a pleasing illustration.

That's her and her hubbie gracing the company's t-shirt. She designed their wedding party's souvenirs - his & her brides and groomsmen t-shirts with cartoons of each of the wedding party's faces.

T-shirts are a popular place for your new little piece of art, but Tiny Face can put your design on just about anything. And don't stop at family photos. Pets and custom art pieces can be commissioned as well. Due to the time and creative effort Katy's fee stays at $15 per face. And the more photos you submit the better to give her the essence of each person's (or dog's) personality, expressions, or quirks necessary for the finest illustration. Although, keep the photo choice to just one pose. She'll do some consulting but having exactly what you want reproduced is the most helpful. After the process Tiny Face will host a mini store on customink.com. And then your beloved's face can grace everything from ringer tees to baby onesies.

Labels: design, DIY, shopping

Local gallery and purveyor of all things hipster-y, Ghetto Gloss hosts another Kraftworks flea market on Sunday. If you were a fool like me and dragged yourself over there too late in the day last weekend and realized all the vendors were gone well, now's our round two.

From 11am -5pm local artisans hawk their homemade wares in the Ghetto Gloss parking lot along with hot dogs and cocktails. There will even be a linoleum print blocking workshop for the crafty at 12noon. They're calling it a New York City style flea market. Being a patron of both coasts, I'm not sure how NYC flea markets differ greatly from LA ones. Is it the hot dogs? Is this an obtuse April fool's joke? Better go find out.

Sunday, Apr. 1 11:00am - 5:00pm
Kraftworks Flea Market
Ghetto Gloss
2380 Glendale Blvd.
Silverlake

Labels: art, DIY, events, shopping

Sunday March 18, lil' indie artspace GhettoGloss is hosting Krafworks - a gathering of local artisans along with bands, DJs and hipster fashion ogglers. They are still looking to fill their parking lot. The more new vendors the better, I say. Get your wares in order and $50 buys you a spot.

Email ghettogloss@ghettogloss.com for Applications.

Applications and entry fee must be in before March 13, 2007.

Labels: DIY, events, local

I can't remember a time when I wasn't fascinated with pinhole photography. Anyone who has taken a photo class knows the wonder of ultra long exposures. Some of the first cameras were actually dark chambers (Camera Obscuras) with one hole to let the light in, thus casting a real perspective of an image. Duh, you might be saying, but what you may not know is you can make a pinhole camera from practically any light safe object. A step by step guide courtesy of ikea hacker takes some wooden plant holders and develops these beauties:

Even more impressive and inspiring is Ralph Howell's pinhole kitchen, which contains 46 individual pinhole cameras made out of pretty much any common household item and food. Link to the video from EGG The Arts show, originally aired on PBS in 2000.

I love this thorough how-to guide from Fecal Face. And I love that he calls himself Capt. Awesome and decorates the camera with stickers.


My next step is to find someone with ample access to a darkroom. Any takers for a pinhole camera collaboration? I might buy the paper model from Dirkon.

Labels: art, DIY, shopping

Just as many craft bloggers inspire each other, I too have been inspired by Ann Wood, an artist out of Brooklyn. She did the paintings for one of my more favorite recent films, Junebug. She also makes a lot of beautiful little things like paper mache ships and vintage fabric birds. She also recently completed the task of creating 100 horses. Each day she sat down and made at at least one out of cardboard, buttons and scraps. She opened up some odd creative channels and even named each one. I experienced the same joy when making my Christmas cards this year, promising myself that like a snowflake, no two would be exactly alike. I've compiled a list of each of her horses' precious names.

The first 11 didn't have names.
12. Betty
13. Giselle
14. Dell
15. Darger
16. Finn
17. Jek
18. Nola
19. Nell
20. Lincoln
21. Betsy (daughter of Betty)
22. Lorraine
23. Patrice
24. Folly
25. Picnic
26. Apple
27. Bitty (daughter of Apple and Picnic)
28. Paddy
29. Poor Walter
30. Mangus
31. Roulette
32. Roca
33. Cormac
34. Forest
35. Michal
36. Parham
37. Willa
38. Elise
39. Jane
40. Baby
41. Telly
42. Adrianne
43. Alice
44. Lawrence
45. Colin (son of Mills)
46. Doe
47. Ada
48. Clark
49. Lewis
50. Becky
51. Roman
52. Walton
53. Ford
54. Otto
55. Beckett
56. Eva
57. Elliot
58. Montgomery
59. Kos
60. Melchior
61. Antonia
62. Wheeler
63. Orn
64. Hudson
65. Elaine
66. Amundsen
67. Roan
68. Lafayette
69. Madison
70. Billy
71. Winston
72. Meg
73. Christopher
74. Pilot
75. Jefferson
76. Poppea
78. Owen
79. Chase
80. Belin
81. Spaulding
82. Salem
83. Charne
84. Sabine
85. Jasper
86. Zal
87. Raymie
88. Folsom
89. Perce
90. Perminder
91. Topal
92. Albert
93. Pelham
94. Dorrit
95. Nevins
96. Pinkerton
97. Sackett
98. Gem
99. Rand
100. Quilty

You can buy her wares in her online store or bid on her ships in the craft auction to benefit the family of James Kim.

Labels: art, DIY, shopping

New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. -- Mark Twain

For the next week or so I'm going to be elaborating on my New Year's resolutions.

In no particular order, in 2007 I resolve to:

1. Actually use that gym membership
2. Download more new music from foreign lands
3. Make a pinhole camera
4. More craft projects!
5. Find all the organic restaraunts in L.A.
5. Watch Factotum
6. Date Seth Rogen

Labels: DIY, random

It's not only an end of the year list, it's a contest! Send me your choices for best songs of 2006 and I'll compile all of the songs into a giant mix CD. The first 10 to reply will get a copy. You can send in as little as five songs or as many as 100, just make sure they were really released in 2006 - no exceptions. Email me your address for a CD and post your picks in the comments. Here's my list to get you going. I've left off Justin Timberlake and TV On The Radio on purpose in hope to lure you in.

Pudgy Girl's Best Songs of 2006 (in no particular order)

1. "Just A Thought" Gnarls Barkley - Everybody's got "Crazy" on their lists, but this song brought the tent down at Coachella 2006.
2. "Hips Don't Lie" Shakira w/ Wyclef Jean. - Guilty pleasure? Maybe. Gets the ladies shaking? Definitely.
3. "Gold Lion" Yeah Yeah Yeahs - I love gold. I love lions. I love love this song.
4. "Munich" Editors - Best free download of the week from iTunes.
5. "Love Me Or Hate Me" Lady Sovereign - I see many more kick-ass albums in this girl's future.
6. "Like A Pen" The Knife - Also my favorite music video of '06.
7. "LDN" Lilly Allen - Her UK record finally hit stateside. If you don't own it, you should get it now.
8. "Naive" The Kooks - Lilly Allen does a righteous cover of this song on the above-mentioned single.
9. "Little Lover's So Polite" Silversun Pickups - These guys are great and not just because we shop at the same liquor store.
10. "Living Proof" Cat Power - Is The Greatest Cat's greatest album? Probably. This song actually got her off her piano bench.
11. "Beecharmer" Nellie McKay w/ Cyndi Lauper - Nellie's sophomore album is just as long as the first and has just as much charm. I had a hard time picking just one track, but Cyndi Lauper's return deserves the props.
12. "Low Life" Scanners - I could sing along to this in my car five times in a row and I have.
13. "Handle with Care" Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Again, hard to pick one track, but it's my favorite cover song of the year.
14. "Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" Camera Obscura - Also been on steady rotation all year long.
15. "Standing In The Way of Control" The Gossip - Is this list beginning to sound like an episode of Grey's Anatomy? Ok, now it is.
16. "Incinerate" Sonic Youth - Give it up for the new classics.
17. "Fidelity" Regina Spektor - This title track plus "Hotel Song" plus "On The Radio" might make this my favorite album of '06.
18. "Promiscuous" Nelly Furtado - Guilty pleasure for sure but everything Timbaland touches turns to gold.

Too obvious? You don't have to write an explanation, but I wanna know what you liked this year. Get listening!

Labels: DIY, music

Felt Club's craft fair last weekend was so much fun, I can't wait for another one. Fortunately, this Saturday is Bazaar Bizarre. Another alternative to the crafting and gifting world, there'll be plenty of unique handmade goods and even a clothes swap. Just bring a bag of clothes and $10 to exchange for as much as you can carry. Finally, that bag of stuff I couldn't sell at my yard sale will find a home and I can get all new junk.

Bazaar Bizarre & Swap O Rama Rama
Saturday, Dec. 16
11:00am - 7:00pm
Shrine Auditorium Expo Center
700 West 32nd Street
$2 at the door

Labels: design, DIY, events, shopping

Felt Club's XL HOLIDAY this Saturday, Dec. 9 12:00-7:00pm. Handmade and crafty gifts fill the Ukranian cultural center for one whole day of fun. Support your local crafters. Enjoy plenty of vegetarian snacks, guest DJs and the editors from Make: and Craft: magazines will be there as well. Over 70 designers hawk their wares and mingle. First 250 in the door get swag bags. List of vendors and pictures of goodies in store for you here.

Felt Club presents XL Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday, Dec. 9 12-7:00pm
Ukranian Cultural Center
4315 Melrose (@ Heliotrope)
Parking lot on Vermont between Melrose & Monroe

Labels: design, DIY, events, shopping

That's Day of The Dead- aka All Saints Day aka All Souls Day, celebrated every November 1 & 2. Like a good Mexican Catholic holiday, the day comes with a lot of festive food, meant to be shared with family and friends, both living and departed. The skeletons of Halloween trade in gore for color and vibrancy all celebrating the beautiful mysteries of life and death. Celebrate the day with this recipe for the tastiest sweet bread - Pan de Muerto (Bread for the Dead). This recipe was originally published in the LA Times 1980. It was passed down to me by my high school Spanish teacher who encouraged us to make the bread for extra credit.
Once you get past the tedious hand kneading and rising of the dough, it's really easy to make different shapes, all guaranteed to plump up nicely in the oven, and follow with a sweet orange glaze. Get creative and make calaveras (skulls) with colored sugar and raisins. Don't forget the doves, symbols of souls going to heaven, and marigolds, the official flower of Saints Day.

Pan De Muerto
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon anise seeds
2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs at room temperature
Place 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, anise seeds and undissolved yeast in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Heat milk, water, butter in a saucepan until very warm. Gradually add milk mixture to the dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add eggs and 1 cup flour. Beat at high speed 2 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Remove dough to lightly floured board and hand knead until smooth and elastic. Will take about 10 minutes. Grease a glass bowl and place dough inside, turning to coat and not to stick to bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk. Takes about 2 hours. Punch dough down and turn in bowl. If the dough feels full and elastic, cut into pieces and mold into the shapes of the skull - two balls for the head and jaw and a braided mouth works well. Or make one large ball into a loaf and decorate with flower and dove shapes on top. After dough is shaped, place on a greased baking sheet. Little dabs of water can help glue pieces together or use toothpicks. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Bake at 350 degrees 40 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from baking sheet to cool. Apply orange glaze while still warm.

Orange Glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange peel (not zest)

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Spoon or brush over the bread. Decorate with colored sugar, candy sprinkles, raisins, or additional orange peel.

Labels: DIY, food

Many have already found the genius Instructables.com - I happened upon the site just today and am kicking myslef for missing out on this world of DIY injenuity. Basically, a group of engineers from an outift called squid-labs started up a forum five years ago where people could solve both scientific and artistic dilemmas and discuss everything from how to repair the rust on your car to building your own solar panels. Now it's a one-stop shop for a wealth of DIY projects and resources. Next rainy day I suggest taking at stab at converting your fridge into a magenetic lite-brite, one of the more popular projects. Other inspiring projects include making your own acoustic guitar pickup on the cheap or a tatoo gun from scrap parts. All of the projects are clearly spelled out step by step with plenty of pictures. There's some fantastic designs for Halloween too.

Labels: DIY

Firstly, thanks for bearing with the lack of posts since I've been out of town. It's taken me another week to get back in the swing of things. I blame the cooler weather that just blew in, forcing me to rotate my closet and trade out the flip-flops for sweaters. Really it's the convenience of procrastinating that has prevented me from this post --
A month back I helped decorate a party for my mom's best friend's 50th birthday party. 2006 has been full of monumental birthdays in my circle of family and friends and monumental parties. This event was held in my mom's backyard, where along with cocktails, tables, and her gorgeous garden, we turned the garage into a funky, shabby-chic style dance club.

Inspired by the window displays at Anthropologie, all it took was some creative DIY know-how to replicate a stunning chandelier event. Chandeliers were borrowed from friends and re-wired for the garage outlets. Old curtains created a neutral backdrop. The rafters were left bare and vintage crystals were hung up with twine, completing a rustic but elegant look. Jealous much, Martha? Crystals can be bought in bulk for a fair price at sites like GSPNcrystals.com. Simply scouring the thrift stores for broken lamps and crystal parts works well too. If you don't have an electrician on hand to re-wire for you try candlelight.


















When you don't want to ruin a perfectly decorated cake - like this one from San Diego's Extraordinary Desserts - try tea lights.

Labels: design, DIY

Ever on the hunt for cool things to put in my home and cool ideas I could actually make to put in my home I came across quite the cool new magazine. I'm already a shameful subscriber to Domino, Lucky, ReadyMade, and now Blueprint, it never even crossed my mind to visit the sites of our Northern Neighbors. From Canada, it's Chocolat, a magazine which encourages you to Indulge in your home. So what that I won't be able to visit the shops they mention? - most of them have online showrooms to browse and websites to order from anyways. I was especially impressed with these gorgeous beds from Upcountry.

The best craft project from this month's Chocolat is all the things you can do with wallpaper - none of which actually involve the messy task of wallpapering a wall. The design trend has produced so many beautiful papers out there, and these tips work great even if you can only afford one roll.

I once covered the back of a homemade bookshelf with hip wrapping paper - another affordable option. While in LA, I say head out to Paper Source in either Pasadena or Beverly Hills for more paper inspiration and avoid all that Canadian currency conversion. And start saving your wrapping paper to reuse.

Labels: design, DIY, shopping

After almost two years of living with gaping eye-sores for closets, I found a very inexspensive curtain solution. Thanks to the IKEA value, two incredibly attractive 100% linen fabric panels
plus some art store hardware equaled matching curtain doors. I felt amazingly accomplished until I found similar solutions popping up all over my favorite decor sites like apartment therapy and design*sponge. I was at the bottom of the originality dogpile until IKEA Hackers showed up and then really showed me up. These guys speak the IKEA langauage, referring to their bookshelves as Billy and their loveseats Klippan. They have the DIY ingenuity all over the place and create a forum for other cheapskates, I mean financially challenged creativity mongers. Who knows? Maybe they won't think my curtain solution isn't so lame.

To make the quick curtain solution for closets or any other uninspired small doorway you can pick up at a hardware or art supply store:
- Iron-On hem 3/4"-1"
- Heavy wire
- Eyelets & Tool 1/8"
- Large safety pins w/ no loop

Fold 2-3" hem and use the iron-on heat bonded hem to finish both ends of fabric panel. Measure and mark holes for the eyelets - about 8 for a 2 foot doorway. Use eyelet tool to join eyelets at each mark. For an industrial look - hammer large nails into wall and string wire as tightly as possible to both ends. String saftety pins and hang curtain.
Total cost : $30

Labels: design, DIY

The summer ain't over yet, but uncomfortably close. So live it up over Labor Day, or any warm day for that matter with a cool glass of sangria. Sangria is a wine and fruit mixture originating in Spain. Supposedly this recipe was born when Spanish vineyards had a bad batch of red wine and couldn't bear to waste it. My recipe was born Easter weekend in college. Best part about Sangria is cheap wine works better and the fermentation just increases the alcohol content after a day - so if by a miracle there's leftovers, don't toss the cocktail.

1 bottle of red wine (Cabernet or Shiraz)
3 fresh oranges
2 fresh lemons
1 fresh lime
1 nectarine or peach
1/4 bag frozen strawberries.
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1/4 cup Orange Juice
1/4 cup Grape Juice

Thaw strawberries over luke warm water, don't toss the juice. Slice the strawberries into halves. Cut up nectarine into little squares (tiny bite size works best). Peel and slice lemons, cut into bite sized chunks - same for two of the oranges - save third for garnishes of thin slices. Place all fruit and juice at bottom of pitcher. Squeeze juice of lime over the fruit. Add wine, triple sec, juice. Stir. Serve chilled over ice.

Labels: DIY, food

Etsy.com is a year old site selling wares of the homemade kind. It's eBay for the crafty with hundreds of virtual flea markets at your fingers. Each "store" is operated by individuals - giving each knitter, welder, tailor, and jewelry maker a place to sell her wares. Just browse and they'll mail you each adorable item you buy. Searching is half the fun and gives you crafty ones plenty of good ideas and designs to try. Not to mention, Etsy offers source sellers for beads, baubles and fabric in bulk - for when you start your own online outpost. I am loving Maru Lopez's jewelry made from vintage toys and decorated shipping tags. She sells under maudesigns out of Puerto Rico. Best of all, the prices cannot be beat. Everytime I wander into an Urban Outiffters I wonder why I would over pay for a funky plastic headband or bracelet. Most designs you'll uncover won't even set you back a jackson.

Also of note: Coin purses made from kimonos at Run Amok, octopus t-shirts from a Texas high school teacher, and vegan pancake mixes!

Labels: DIY, shopping

Coming soon! A post on the benefit of indoor plants. Until then, pick up a couple beauties at Trader Joe's. A pretty little succulent in a ceramic pot might set you back a pretty penny at the popular garden shops in Los Feliz. At TJ's you can choose from several species and colors for $3.99 each. I placed this little group of three on my office desk. It gives the bland fluorescent space a slightly zen garden feel.

Succulents (like cactus but cuter) are very easy to care for. Look for hearty leaves and stalks that can withstand most lighting conditions and don't take much water. If they're spending their life inside, water only when the soil has completely dried out. Make sure you take them out of their lovely ceramic pots and run water through the plastic pots, which definitely need to have holes for drainage. A good drain will feed all the nutrients through the plant. A desert plant, these babies do love the sun. If you're not lucky enough to have a window office (like me) give them exposure whenever possible. I'm lugging mine home over the weekend where they vacation on my front porch. If they don't last I'll just head back to the grocery stand and replace them. They'll at least have a longer shelf life than cut flowers.

Labels: DIY, environmental, shopping

Get on this podcast list stat. Two fellas, Matthew & Nathaniel, broadcast Home-Made out of San Diego promoting the music, recipes, art and films of enthusiastic hobbyists. Gathered songs, interviews, and delightfully incoherent stories come from friends from around the country. Find out what a couple of lightweights these guys are live on Friday nights FM 106.9 (San Diego area only) or check out the shows here.

Labels: DIY, food, music