My first retail job was working at The Folk Tree Collection in Pasadena… the store was well known for their seasonal art exhibits. My favorite annual tradition was the Hearts & Flowers show that went up right after Christmas. Gorgeous handmade jewelry pieces, large art pieces made of beautiful decoupaged randomness (like crutches made into dolls), hearts with feathered wings, altered books, hand blown glass flowers, inspirational quotes and images… so many beautiful expressions of sincere joy and love. When Gail, the gallery coordinator, put the show up in early January, it was as if the new year could finally begin with a fresh start. All the bright colors and love letters to love itself… It truly made my heart happy.
The Collection is no longer there, but their sister store, The Folk Tree, is still open and thriving (and hosting their 22nd Hearts and Flowers show this year!)
So, I see Valentine’s Day not only as a day for lovers, but a day for everyone to enjoy…to stop and remember who we love and why we love. It’s not about getting overpriced roses… it’s about cherishing the fact that you are loved and are able to give love back. Love is the most amazing gift that life has given us :)
With all of that said… I still like cutesy-poo Valentine images… with cupcakes, hearts and flowers :)
The above items were painted by myself… acrylic on paper. I’m in the process of making art boards out of them…
And this sweet little puppy… he needs to be made into something… hmmm….
The past few weeks have been a wee bit hectic…
I started a new job as an assistant to a music composer, we’re currently snowed-in and house bound and lots of other “that’s life for you” events going on… Things to learn from and reflect on… life is quite the journey.
But this week, I’m going to focus on love… sending it out to all of you in blogland, too! :)
There’s a cold snap here in North Carolina. It’s been in the TEENS at night… 17, 19… and in the 30′s during the day. I’ve now discovered what wearing “layers” is all about. The flip flops have been retired to the summer wardrobe box and I’ve been frequenting the weather.com application on my iphone constantly. Thank you Los Angeles for being so predictable because now I know what I’m missing ;)
Longing for the warmer climate and being cooped up inside, I stumbled across several pictures from a summer show we participated in back in 2004ish (I think). Ahhh, the 10′x10′ booth on Honolulu Avenue in Montrose… in June. And we’d complain about that “June Gloom” and the 60-70 degree overcast weather it brought… I wouldn’t mind a little of that right now!
Even Meg got to meet other fans of the street fair!
It’s fun to see these pictures… see what we used to make and how we used to display our wares. The garden sign used to be a huge staple at the store and in the booth… feeling inspired to make more outdoorsy products because I would much rather be hanging out in a garden than stuck in the house!
If you are running around LA in short sleeves and open-toed shoes, say a little thank you and remember everyone on the East Coast (Florida, too!)… we’re going stir crazy! hehe!
Made a few treats to mail out… realized half-way through that cupcakes probably wouldn’t ship well so… cookies will ship, cupcakes will go out to our local peeps :)
On our baking menu…
Oatmeal cookies sandwiched with butter cream frosting and rolled in mini chocolate chips
Chocolate chip cookies sandwiched with butter cream frosting and rolled in crushed peppermint
Chocolate with chocolate and white chocolate chip cookies
Peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies
Mini vanilla cupcakes topped with butter cream frosting then rolled in sugar, chocolate chips or peppermint
Mantles are for decorating… it’s the heart of the living room, and usually the heart of the home. Back in California, we never used our fireplace (at all), but here in North Carolina, we turn it on and actually use it! Here is our current Christmas mantle (in our very first home!)…
And here is 2008′s mantle…
At the store, we had a few fake mantles sprinkled around… Here are a few Christmas Mantles from the years gone by….
… and our very first Christmas tree back in 2003…
Here are some random mantle displays..
Birthday mantle
Explorer mantle
Valentine’s Day mantle
Valentine’s mantle close up Halloween mantle
Ocean-themed room mantle
Hard to see, but this is a handmade freestanding mantle that we had in the store (made by Robert… who we miss!)
Here is my Mom’s mantle and Christmas Cupboard…
I love all the pink and green! She has a pink Christmas tree, too… hopefully she’ll get that picture to me, soon :)
If you have an awesome mantle display, email it to me and I’ll post it here! :) Happy decorating!!
Take a bottle of sparkling apple cider, wine or champagne and add a big bow and an ornament… it’s festive, cheerful and easy to do! We sold these at the shop a few years ago… at first they were props, but then they flew off the shelves. (Thanks, Babs!)
Or… you can be super adventurous and make your own flavored liquor… We got some homemade Kahlua one year as a gift… it was fantastic! Check out this Kahlua recipe. (Thanks Beth & Morgan!)
If you are lucky enough to be in the Los Angeles area, why not check out Galco’s Soda Pop shop and get everyone some nostalgia in a bottle (I think they ship, too). Bubble Up, Nesbitt’s, Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle and my favorite… Mint Julep soda. We carried these at Violets are Blue for a while. It was so much fun to watch people light up as they grabbed their favorite childhood soda… and even more fun to watch them wince and say “I don’t remember it being this sweet!”
Just look at the outside of the building and the magical fluorescent lighting… time stands still when you are in there… literally! :)
Now I want to look up peppermint martini recipes (anything with a fancy sugar rim), investigate items that can be put in mugs and stock up on gourmet coffee from A Southern Season (If you are ever in Chapel Hill… GO). And someone out there, not naming any names… will be getting a gallon of blueberry syrup from her favorite gourmet eatery, The Cracker Barrel… that’s sort of a beverage, right ? :D
Oh, and I just bought some pumpkin eggnog at the store… it’s a little (or a lotle) overwhelming, but isn’t that what the holidays are all about? ;)
I got the bug to make some paper chain… I used some fancy scrapbook paper and regular ol’ construction paper…
I sat on the floor and cut out small 6 or 7 inch strips and started gluing…
and gluing…
Until I had a chain that was about 10 feet long!
I put that on a little antique gold tree and added some of my favorite ornaments…
I can see why this project would be perfect for kids… I went into the crafting zone and forgot what I was doing… I wanted to make an 8′ chain and ended up adding an extra 2′… just because it was fun. And I used colors that would compliment my office so I could hang it in here after the holidays. Paper chain just graduated to all-year-round decor.
So maybe when you need some quiet time, ask your kids to make you a paper chain… oooh…. 60 feet should do it! ;)
When one is deciding on what kind of dessert to make, and the birthday girl for whom it is going to be designed for tells you… “Chocolate”… that gives you some latitude.
I also know that she likes cannolis & champagne and peanut butter… so I picked two and ran with it.
My only experience with a trifle… old black and white drawings of parfaits, cakes and trifles and that episode on Friends where Rachel makes a trifle with ground beef… mine did not have meat… I promise ;)
I started with a layer of champagne cake, followed by a layer of champagne custard…
Followed by a brownie layer then chocolate mousse… then some more champagne cake…
Then… cannoli cream and chocolate shavings
Not a traditional trifle… more like a parfait I suppose. I didn’t think fruit had any place in this creamy paradise ;)
About a gallon of trifle was made… after dishing it out to 7 of us, we had waaay more than half of it left. And, to my surprise, nobody wanted to take any home.
I got a similar reaction to my trifle that the folks on Friends gave Rachel… I know the thing tasted good (unless lies were told), but the 12 egg yolks, 4 cups of cream and umpteen tablespoons of butter made everyone’s head spin. Oh, and this was after a pre-Thanksgiving birthday meal which we consumed less than an hour beforehand.
The entire meal… 8-10 sticks of butter. Oh yeah. Rock on.
I think she enjoyed it, though :)
I know I was grinning from ear to ear… before promptly entering into a butter-haze. (Best mug ever… on a mug)
Here’s the reaction to Rachel’s trifle-gone-wrong on Friends…
Sadly, the end was cut off… but… at least the “it tastes like feet” bit was in there!
I am making a Pumpkin custard trifle/parfait for Thanksgiving… I shall report back! :)
