Recycled Pizza Box

I needed something to deliver the turkey we cooked and donated on Thanksgiving but I couldn't part with the roasting pan—so I made use of a pizza box.

Farmers' Market Adventures: Carrot Photos

Photo 1: Carrot Top
Photo 2: Pageant
Photo 3: Proud Mama

(Thanks to the carrot model and comic improviser, Beck.)

Mermaid and the Books

Moved the mermaid from the porch to the bookshelves.

Monday Night Supper Club

A new favorite finger food: potatoes on a stick. More specifically, smoked German butterball potato confit, caviar, creme fraiche prepared by my friend Josh (above). Here was the menu for the first Monday Night Supper Club event at the just-opened Venice Beach Wines.

*Sticks*
Smoked German Butterball Potato Confit, Caviar, Creme Fraiche

Salsafi with Black Truffle-Scallop Mousse

Grilled Beef with Roasted Corn Raw Clam Chimichurri

*Cup*
Artichoke and Red Bell Pepper Flans, Apricot Puree Shaft Blue Cheese Foam, Peacock Farms Walnuts, Rosemary Flowers

*Spoons*
Pumpkin Raviolinni, White Truffle, Foie Powder

Smoked Salmon Mousse, Meyer Lemon Panna Cota, Wasabi Tobiko, Fried Quinoa, Chervil

*Chop Sticks*
Speck Wrapped Pine Nut Stuffed Grape, Tarragon, Uni, Ebi

Braised Pork Shoulder Baked in Brioche, Frisee, Quail Egg, Black Truffle Vinaigrette

Hamachi & Avocado Invultinni, Grapefruit-Caviar, Huitlacoche, Sudachi - Miso Air

Smoky Sunsets

Fire-enhanced sunset photos taken in Venice.

This Week's Graffiti

Photos taken at the Venice Beach graffiti wall.

Records Recycled

I've got a box of old albums and 45s in my parents' basement. They're too warped to play and I no longer own a record player for that purpose anyway, but something prevents me from getting rid of them. Maybe it's seeing the work of artists, who recycle the records to make something new from them, like the coasters made from old records we've got on the coffee table. I found another artist while clicking around on Etsy; Aroha Silhouettes who uses vinyl records for bold jewelry. This one pictured looks like a rose.

Good Together: Pizza, Burgers, Bacon

Pizza party photos.

Nanny's Ring Recycled

My grandmother had seriously gorgeous rings, given to her by my grandfather. Visits to see my grandparents included playing hairdresser with the vanity set on Nanny's dresser, pulling out her handbags from the storage cabinet, and trying on her rings. I recall I was allowed to wear them only while sitting at the table, usually following a big Sunday dinner. There might be cheesecake or a plate of Italian pastries on the table and there was always a bowl filled with whole nuts and fresh fennel (good for digestion). We played a game called Scat and I would feel very glamorous holding my cards with fingers weighed down by the rings. Most of the styles featured diamonds set in white gold settings and the one I loved most was the cocktail ring on her middle finger. In her later years, she gifted this ring to my aunt, who removed the diamonds and used them for a more contemporary ring design that suited her own style. I was there when she returned from the jeweler and we gathered round to compliment her on the pretty new ring. I couldn't help but mention that I had also loved the original design. "Do you want it?" she asked. She handed me the plastic bag from the jeweler that held the remaining shape of the ring, with no stones and shaved down prongs. It looked a little sad. But maybe there was hope for it, I thought. I held on to it for several years and finally brought it to a jewelry repair guy recommended to me by an antique shop where I've found some great vintage pieces of jewelry. I told him I pictured a recycled version, this one filled with pearls, and he went ahead and transformed it for me. I still feel a bit like a little girl who should wear it only while sitting at the table, but I'll venture out with it when I'm feeling glam.

Mermaid on the Porch

This mermaid was a gift from my parents. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

Flowers in the Yard

Photos taken this morning.

Songs in My Head Today

Here Comes the Sun, The Beatles


Changes, David Bowie


It's a Beautiful Day, U2


Rockin' in the Free World, Neil Young (with Pearl Jam in this clip)

Election Day Photo

Photo taken in Venice, CA. This was outside my polling station, a school. I like the creative use of the binder clip to hold the flag on the pole. I'd like to suggest that the art class (or shop class?) consider the project of fixing the wing.

Ocean Art: Henry's

I had a collection a few years ago of ocean paintings picked up from yard sales and flea markets. My rules: I wouldn't pay more than $20 for a piece and each had to be dramatic. Here's one that would have been great in the collection.