Year in Review

I know 2009 was a hard year for many people. I feel so thankful and fortunate that it was a good and full year for Tomory & myself.

2009 was the year I really taught myself to sew, as evidenced above: my first garment ever that I made myself!

For 2010 I hope to develop my sewing skills even more.

This little guy, my youngest friend, celebrated his first birthday and grew so much this year.

Maybe 2010 will be the year that brings Tomory & I a little guy or gal of our own.

Tomory and I (finally!) tied the knot. I look forward to our first wedding anniversary in 2010.

We went here for our honeymoon...first time in Paris for both of us.

Hopefully I will be going to London & Prague in the spring of 2010.

I changed jobs and cut off all my hair in 2009 (it's good to take risks).

In 2010, I am growing it long again, and hope to transition out of nursing altogether.

In 2009 I opened my online store, and sold my first collection of clothing!
In 2010, I hope to present additional collections, and keep the store going. Who knows where it will lead?

Above: New Years Eve, 2008.
It was spent in the company of very good friends. To ring in 2010, T & I will be at home together (he has a cold) and then driving off to the desert for some R&R tomorrow.

** Don't forget: You have until Midnight tonight (PST) to enter to win a cowl I'm giving away. As of this writing, your odds are 1/17 that you'd win. Pretty good odds!

I'll post the name of the winner tomorrow 1/1/2010.

A Happy, Healthy, and Blessed New Year to you all!

Kinokuniya: Check & Stripe

We recently got a scanner, and I'm trying it out with this post!

Check & Stripe (isn't that the best name for a store/ brand ever??) is a dry goods/ fabric store in Japan. They have also published a small series of lifestyle/ crafting books. These are two that I purchased on my recent trip to the Kinokuniya.

Love this cape pattern.

The books are full of A.P.C. -esque garments and beautiful photographs (the books come with sewing patterns & instructions in Japanese).

Can't wait to get sewing again!
Still more to come with purchases from the Kinokuniya. Stay tuned!

Good Day: Little Tokyo/ Downtown

Archway of a Buddhist Temple.

Is this my garden? No! It's an amazing sculpture by artist Roxy Paine at MOCA.
Image below-also MOCA.

Mitsuru Cafe: A woman preparing Imagawayaki- a pancake/waffle hybrid, served warm, with sweet red bean paste in the middle. Insanely good!

Takoyaki: Octopus croquettes!

Yesterday seems like an eon ago, but that's o.k.

It was a wonderful day. T & I went to go see the Collection: MOCA's First 30 Years at it's Geffen Contemporary/Little Tokyo location.
Afterwards, we had snacks at Mitsuru Cafe, and of course we had to stop at the Kinokuniya (I'll post about that later this week).
For an early dinner, we stuffed ourselves silly on Portobello Fries, Arancini, Fennel/Orange & Sweet Onion salad, and Tagliatelle Bolognese at Bottega Louie. Perfect day to end a perfect holiday weekend.

New Year's Give-Away!

I originally intended this cowl to go into the shop before Christmas, but time got away from me. So, instead of just letting it go to waste, I'm giving it away!

It's 100% hand-knit by me, made from very dense, soft and warm 50% Wool, 50% Alpaca.
Perfect for the winter that is still ahead of us. In a nice, deep, classic red.

Just leave a comment under this post about what you are looking forward to in the New Year;
you have until 12 Midnight (PST) 12/31/09!
I'll announce the winner (drawn at random) on New Years Day, and unlike the goods that were in my store, I'll ship this cowl to any location in the world.

Good luck!

Holiday Scene(s)

Appetizers: Pears & Gorgonzola, Whole Preserved Walnuts, Warm Artichoke Dip

Janis' Bunting

Terrifying Yeti Ornament by Cheryl

HEATH dinner ware and vase with Foliage from our yard

Tomory serving the Roast Goose with Apples baked in Calvados

Gian & Sandra's Homemade Cookies

How Christmas always ends: Zonked.

We had a wonderful time! Gian & Sandra, Max & Cheryl, and their little ones came over to our house yesterday. We shared a tremendous meal, to which Max contributed amazing wine (one was a California Pinot Noir from 1977!) and a beautiful & delicious Christmas Pudding.

One of our best Christmases yet!

The Dog on Plummer

I have a crappy commute to my job that I started in October.
It's long. I curse the traffic when I'm tired and just.want.to.go.home.
One bright spot, however, is the giant topiary Dog someone has created at the intersection of Hayvenhurst and Plummer.
For Christmas, someone decorated the Dog with a giant red bow.
It makes me smile every time I see it.
As I was getting out of my car today to take pictures of the Dog, I noticed someone had decorated the street sign pole with the cutest little Rudolph head made out of bark!
Whomever is responsible for these creations, you are awesome. Thank-you.

Merry Christmas Everyone!
xo-J

Happy Winter!

El Paso Saddle Blanket Bags.
$30 (!)
via Bird

Corner View: Books

I love books.
I used to be such a good, voracious reader,too.

No more.
I think it all started to change around nursing school, when all the reading I had time for was comprised of textbooks, textbooks, and more textbooks.

Now, trying to get back into visual art and design, I buy books that I don't read so much as look at: craft books, sewing manuals, artist's books. Like the above books (all Photographs courtesy of Powells). It would be amazing to own those books.

It's shameful. I read one book this year. One. It was good. Not great but good.
Maybe two. I'm not sure if I read The Road this year or last.
But I am currently reading a great book: The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker.
Who knew a book about poetry could be so funny and entertaining? Of course it's about other things too...I came across this passage yesterday, that I thought would be good for this post, because if you are like me, you have so many books sitting on your shelves, that you haven't even really read:

"If we could just-just stop. For one year. If everybody could stop publishing their poems. No more. Stop it. Just-everyone. Every Poet. Just stop.
But of course that's totally unfair to the poets who are just starting out. This may be their "wunderjahr."This may be the year they really find their voice. And I'm telling them to stop? No, that wouldn't do.
But wouldn't it be great? To have a moment to regroup and understand? Everybody would ask, Okie dokie, what new poems am I going to read today? Sorry: none. There are no new poems. And so you are thrown back onto what's already there, and you look at what's on your own shelves, that you bought maybe eight years ago, and you think, Have I really looked at this book? This book might have something to it. And it's been there, it's been waiting and waiting. No squeaky wheel. It's just been waiting."

Click here for more reading.