california {from ocean to desert}

{pacific ocean & torrey pines} {another torrey pines ~ I liked this photo too!} {at the beach, near Oceanside, I think?} {outside 1 of 2 Anthros visited in the same day...and I didn't buy a thing! can you spy Hub and I?} {Rodeo Drive...had to see what this was all about. Okay. Now I have.} {driving through the mountains...Sunrise hwy through Cleveland National Forest} {a glimpse of the desert from the mountains} {crazy big boulder mountains...these were just crazy but the picture does no justice} {hub in the desert...he really wanted to go there and see some cacti, so we did!}

Hub and I were in San Diego and elsewhere last week...my first real visit to California, other than a couple layovers in LA. Honestly I'm not completely in my right mind to write a lot of nice things about California or our trip at the moment. The weather was so-so, the traffic was horrendous, public restrooms were hard to come by, and I'm still battling a bad cold I got there mid-week (hence the clouded view I have right now of our trip). There's nothing worse than being very sick when you're away from home. All you really want is your own cozy bed, right? True, we didn't see the entire state... It is a quite a big state and we were only there for a short time. But in that short time, we did see quite a bit and drove over 500 miles or so. I came to the realization on this trip that the way we like to visit new places is to drive around, explore the surroundings, get out and see things, find good restaurants, etc...rather than visit the typical tourist attractions. Although the good restaurants part didn't matter much to me as nothing tasted quite right. But looking back on my pictures now, after a few days of being home, I realize it is a rather pretty place...aside from all the traffic and crazy driving. Maybe next time I visit I'll have better luck and better health!

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(10/28/10: I meant to post this earlier in the week ~hence the date~but catching up on life and being sick just kept getting in the way! More soon, when I'm feeling better, hopefully!)

next to you my deer {c'est fini!}

hello!

As mentioned in my last post where I was figuring out to how finish my deer topper, I wanted to share what I ended up deciding upon and how I finished it off.

I really liked the contrast of that pretty brown flower-y paper base against the seafoam color of the deer. Little white and pale pink flowers, tiny toadstools, and a few handcut paper leaves in pale pink and brown mingle at their feet. Now in the shop, here.

Today is another sunny day in a row of sunny Fall days and I'm busy working on a custom cake topper order, a sweet pair of foxes...back to work!
Happy creating! ~L

in the studio {figuring things out}

Today in the studio, I've been working on a couple new cake toppers...

like this sweet deer couple above. I loved this seafoam/peppermint colored pair of deer I made previously so much that I just had to create another pair. But now the fun/perplexing part is deliberating on color schemes...I often spend a very long time, looking through my stash of things, drawing inspiration for colors that will complement my deer couple from the pretty papers I have, the season, and all the other fun little doodads (like flowers, mushrooms, ribbons, leaves) that I will incorporate on the cake topper. I lay stuff out (like above) and just see what is really exciting me.
So, once I finish that deer topper, I'll share it with you soon and you can see what I ended up deciding on! But I did finish a little pair of Autumnal Owls in a violet purple color. I was inspired by many of the things in my garden, the foliage, turning from green to hazy shades of purple. Never done purple owls before but thought I'd stretch my boundaries!
They are now in the shop, right here!
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Happy Wednesday!
Go MN Twins!

thrifty entertaining...

Well no...this post isn't about entertaining on the cheap, but moreso about utilizing a few of my recent "thrifted" finds for a dinner last Saturday night:

{photo 1} Nothing vintage, just the oregano I had on my table for a little garden greenery...

{photo 2} Adorable owl napkin rings...I love love love these for a woodland/nature themed dinner.

{photo 3} A really great old cheese board with thick glass cloche...we served a "blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and honey" appetizer...you can't go wrong with that combo. Also seen, the corner of my favorite new (old) thrifted plates that I got in the summertime adorned with strawberries, butterflies, and ladybugs upon them...they are so sweet that I use them almost constantly, regardless of the occasion...

because everyday should be a little bit special, right?

weekend hike

It was a perfectly, gorgeous, sun-filled weekend. We did a lot of entertaining, eating, and hiking...and truthfully, I'm a bit weary on this Monday after such a full weekend...but mostly due to an intense hike. So, a few photos from our hike with the in-laws. Hub and I have hiked this same trail (the Split Rock River Loop) 3 or 4 times now and its always amazing! Especially at this time of year. Perhaps you can get a sense why...even though pictures never fully capture the real thing.

in the studio {paper flowers}

I needed (or rather wanted) a gold flower for a bird order and decided to try making one out of paper, of course. A few handcut layers and flower stamens later, and I was pretty happy about how it turned out. I think I'll make more in some other color combos, just for fun! Isn't paper amazing? The possibities are endless.

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P.S. Is it Friday already??? I'm getting ready for a busy weekend ahead with friends over for dinner Saturday and the lovely in-laws up visiting on Sunday! Hoping for nicer weather too!

Happy Weekend to You!

day trip {ely}

On Sunday we took a drive...in search of autumn colors, fresh crisp air, and sunshine on our faces. It was a lovely, sunny day and we hopped in the car for a two hour ride to Ely...

When Hub and I first moved here, north from the Twin Cities, we always talked about taking little trips to nearby cities like Ely or Bayfield...but we've rarely followed through on this...life always seems to get in the way, no matter where you live. But on Sunday we seized the day and enjoyed visiting a somewhat new-to-us city, having a really good lunch at "The Chocolate Moose" outside on their deck, and then getting out for a vigorous hike that I found out about from a guy who worked at an outfitter store in town.

We nicknamed our hike something like "the many mushroom, mossy-covered, laughing bird trail"...which pretty much summed up all the the things we encountered. In reality, the trail was called "Dry Lake Trail" and we did wrap our way by one lake and then all around Dry Lake (which really isn't dry at all).

All in all the hike was great, except for a few moments of confusion when we couldn't really tell for sure what was the actual trail and what was just plain wilderness. The only thing more disconcerting than that was perhaps the couple of shots we heard fired, from a not too distant location. What could they be hunting? At the time, Hub only suggested Grouse...and we did happen to scare up several later on along the way. But on the way home, he told me they could have also been hunting Bear. I was glad he saved that part for the ride home.

homemade pasta {cheesy ravioli}

Hub was itching to cook up something good, something different on Saturday. While I was busy doing various projects around the house (feeling frustrated, feeling like I was doing a lot but not fully accomplishing much of anything), his suggestion to make pasta from scratch pulled me right in beside him...it's something I'd always wanted to try making.

Hub followed Lidia's recipe for the dough and I got involved at the point of helping him knead the life out of it. It seemed really tough but "knuckling" it was kinda fun. Then, we let the dough rest for an hour...which provided me ample time to immerse myself back into my non-productive projects. When the dough was ready, I rolled it out as thin as I could... ...meanwhile, Hub was getting busy working on a homemade spaghetti sauce using our homegrown tomatoes and herbs. (Yep...we're still attempting to use up our tomatoes.) He cooked down a bunch of tomatoes in olive oil with fresh oregano, basil, diced onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Oh, and a bit of sugar too. I think he simmered this sauce for a good hour or more? (Note: His homemade sauce may have been the best part of the whole meal, although the pasta was pretty good too...but the sauce sure made it!) Hub also came up with the filling for our ravioli: ricotta, asiago, parmesan, fresh oregano and parsley, and some diced chanterelle mushrooms. (He reconstituted some dried mushroooms and then sauteed them in butter and a bit of salt first.)Putting together the ravioli was very much a joint venture. We both took a turn at filling the pasta, wetting around the filling with water, sealing shut, and then cutting into squares with a pizza cutter. Assembly is always the fun part of cooking to me. We boiled them in water for 6-8 minutes or so (our dough may have been just a tad bit too thick...next time I'd roll it even thinner if possible) and then laid them out in a low baking dish, topped with Hub's special spaghetti sauce and grated mozzarella. He then baked the whole thing for another 10 minutes or so...the last couple minutes under the broiler. And we both partook in eating these delicious squares...another joint venture! Next on our pasta-cooking agenda? We'd like to try making these again but with a butternut squash filling instead...mmm!