Test Drives

I received some beautiful jewelry in the mail yesterday from Odette NY. Jennifer Sarkilahti, the designer behind this fantastic line, was gracious enough to participate in a little swap with me.

I thought I'd see how Jennifer's pieces paired with some of the pieces for ERMIE SP/SU '11.

Suffice to say: I'm in love!





Above: Odette Rib Pendant. Worn with the ERMIE Uroko Gata Print Huipil Dress in cotton lawn. Fully lined body, pulls on, no closures. Pockets!






Odette Fox Claw Pendant. Worn with the ERMIE Silk Tee Dress in the Bead Print. Slips on, unlined (worn with a scrap of vintage shibori fabric from my personal collection used here as a belt).






All Textile designs © Jennifer Parry Dodge & Tomory Dodge 2010-11.

The Magic Marker Print will be making an appearance again this Spring & Summer! Shown above in a 100% Silk Tank. Paired with the ERMIE Ikat Print Skirt in 100% Organic Cotton Sateen. Side pockets and zip/ hook & bar closure, unlined.
Odette Amuletum Pendant directly above; detail of the Ikat Print.

Thank-you so much Jennifer!! I am beyond thrilled. I predict my new Odette pieces will be in heavy rotation this spring & summer!

***Edit: Look for ERMIE SP/SU in the shop towards the end of May. I'll post updates & alerts pertaining to the new clothing here on this blog!

As always, if you have questions about any of the ERMIE garments you see here, please don't hesitate to send me an email at jparrydodge at gmail dot com.

Teeny peek of a potential ERMIE F/W '11 Textile (Summer stuff coming in the next month! Promise!) while stirring risotto. I like to take the prints/clothing for test drives before deciding on whether to include them in a collection.



Peas from the garden again!



Roasted asparagus & shards of crispy baked prosciutto.



Lemon Ricotta Risotto with Spring Vegetables. It called for 3 tablespoons of butter which I realized this morning as I was composing this post that I forgot to add- but it really didn't need it! From the current issue of Sunset Magazine (I actually really love that magazine- when I was a kid I thought it was a magazine for senior citizens. Ha! "Sunset," get it?).



Headless Husband.



GPOY * as they say on Tumblr.



Highland Park, Night.

* Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself.

*** Oh my. Probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about my work.
Wow. Thanks Jennifer!!

Around...

...the house & garden.
Also- I have not been around much!

I just got back from a jaunt to OC and San Diego. It's good to be home...but I did get to see the Calder show at the OC Museum of Art, and stumbled upon the Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona Del Mar- worth a visit if you are ever in that area!



Used these in pasta for dinner. Fresh peas are the best.



Baby grapes! Finally! Looks like we are also going to have Blood Oranges this year as well.





Impromptu Strawberry tart. I made this recipe up. Turned out pretty well!

Bring 2 cups of fresh halved or quartered strawberries to a low boil with a little water (1/4- 1/2 cup), 1/4 cup sugar (add less or more to taste), and the juice from 1/2 lemon.
Add 1/8 cup (you can use less) cornstarch mixed with 1-2 Tablespoons water to the strawberry mixture- it will quickly thicken. Remove from heat. Place mixture in bowl in the fridge to cool for 15-30 minutes.
Then scoop out mixture & spread onto a pre-made pie crust (found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store...not frozen! The kind you unroll.) Leave a 1" border . I placed the pie crust flat on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Fold over & pleat edges of the crust. Brush the crust edges with a thin layer egg wash (1 beaten egg and a little water). Place in oven that has been pre- heated to 425 degrees. Bake about 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the tart is bubbling in the center. Turn the heat down to around 325 if the edges of the tart are browning too quickly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Eat any leftovers with coffee for breakfast the next day :)





Irvine Ranch. We went to T's cousin's wedding there over the weekend.






Beautiful patterns on a cactus and assorted flowers at the Sherman Library and Gardens.
Below: blurry pic of some vibrant ground cover taken somewhere on the I-5.

Happy Birthday Ermie

My great aunt, for whom this blog is named, was born in 1898 in Czechoslovakia -whoops - Cedar Rapids, Iowa (her parents emigrated from Czechoslovakia...thanks Mickey!) 113 years ago today!
She passed away in 1995. There have been many times I've wished that she was still here, to show her what I am doing, as tribute to her, in her name. I'd like to think that she knows anyway.

Thank-you to my cousin Michael Safranek, (who is a nurse and studies the genealogy of our family) for sending me these beautiful photos.



Ermie in L.A.?? Maybe!


Ermie with the girls. She is at far left.



Ermie (right) with a friend. I love her pose & attitude here.



A rainy day? Ermie again is at far left.



At the beach- or at least a lake or river bank. Our taste in swimwear is quite similar!



Ermie later in life (at left). Love that patterned skirt :)

Happy Birthday Ermie. You are missed but not forgotten.

Friends of Similar Size

All photographs courtesy of FRIENDS OF SIMILAR SIZE.

FRIENDS OF SIMILAR SIZE: A new jewelry line by Los Angeles based artist Melanie Nakaue, available exclusively at LAXArt.

From the website:

"Viewing each item as a functional sculpture, FRIENDS OF SIMILAR SIZE focuses on highly unique one
of a kind pieces, with an aesthetic appreciation and re-interpretation of shared experiences, objects and processes."

So playful! They remind me of making jewelry out of tin foil as a child!

Congratulations Melanie!



Also:

Jessie Kamm's Blog

Bap Story

Chef Speak

and Dana Schutz, one of my favorite artists is speaking tomorrow at USC!

Seattle

Than Bros.



Lovely Debra in her studio.
Strawberry photo pictured below by Debra Baxter.




Oddfellows



With Ashely at SAM.
We saw the Nick Cave show. Wow.

Below: also on view at SAM.




Water Taxi!






Admiral Benbow Inn -Actually now the Heartland Cafe...but they kept & refurbished the old back room that looks like the inside of a pirate ship...complete with ship windows and an '"ocean" (fish tank in the floor).




Hi!
I didn't drop off the face of the earth...I was just in Seattle ;)

I lived in Seattle from 1999-02. I met my husband there. Many good friends of mine still live there, and it was so good to see them all.

I was able to meet up with some new friends, too. I had a wonderful lunch date with Linda of Linda Ferrol Studio- it was as if we had known each other forever! The internet is a wonderful tool for bringing kindred spirits together. Ashley and I were also able to bum around for an afternoon of fun--we visited some of her favorite spots in the city. Her keen eye and sense of style never ceases to amaze me.

Even though it has been a tough winter (& spring so far) in Seattle, and it was quite cold and rainy during our visit, all of the cherry blossoms were bursting into pink and white clouds...so beautiful!

Other highlights:

Local 360

Jack Straw

Melrose Market

Laguna Pottery

We will actually be traveling again to Seattle in July for a wedding- I can't wait to return!