myrnamay

Too many tomatoes? Whoever heard of such a thing!

Craft night, dude! Kelly & I put on some frocks and joined Jordan for her 2nd Craft Night event. I thought I was pretty cool stampin' my stamps & chattin' it up until Kelly showed up with sunny yellow fingernail polish that exactly matched her sunny yellow embroidery hoop. I believe one of us got served. Excellent group of crafty-types, plenty of blog-world insight, fantastic snacks, hell yeah.

And! One of the ladies (& yes, it was all ladies) had a bumper crop of tomatoes at her community garden in Oakland, where apparently it is both summer & sunny, and she was generous enough to share with us foggy-city girls. Bumper crop!- are there any two more beautiful words? Send me your bumper crop of anything other than mushrooms and I will bask in the glory of too much salsa/pesto/jam/greatness. You can see the sunshine just bursting out of the tomatoes, right?! Man!

And some days, if you're lucky, Japan comes to you.

Maker of tea-set unknown, but the sparkles on the wall are from this project!

One of the nicest things about living in San Francisco is that when things bring you down, you can always run away to Japan. Japantown is so lovely, and looks its best on a pearly, foggy day.  Many of my favorite afternoons were spent there, and many of my favorite objects were purchased there.

However, the set of teacups you see above was not bought, but won! Generous Leilani, just back from Japan, held a drawing for this set of five cups & saucers. I would have been thrilled to win just one cup & saucer- or even just one cup- and couldn't believe it when I won the whole kit & caboodle. Can I confess something? I totally cried. You know how when something nice happens to you at the very moment you need it most, and it's so sweet & overwhelming & such a relief? Totally. I love my new tea-set soooo much. Thanks, Leilani!

Moderato ceramics, available at Rare Device & New People the Store (in Japantown)

This dreamy pitcher & mug from Japn were purchased years ago at Rare Device, and I'm thrilled to see they are still carried there! The mug I bought with my Easter-basket money, on my way to the festivities in Dolores Park, where I proudly drank a mug of Champagne. The pitcher was a birthday gift last year, and though I rarely have my act together enough to pour cream into the pitcher and then into my coffee, it makes me happy just to see it sitting on the shelf. When I have my new-teacups tea party it will finally have a chance to shine.

Belfort notebook & Sarasa Pen from Kinokuniya Stationery

And here we have my most recent Japanese treasure, a notebook the color of the telephone at my...brand-new job! Perhaps there will be details soon, but for now I have my pink notebook, soon to be filled with copious notes & diagrams & sweet smudges!

No time for games, no time for frames

"Spend some time in the kitchen with your friends" by Brooke Budner

There have been many projects & messes happening around these parts, but since they either will be published or I have a dream they will be published, I can't talk about them! Here are some hints: Barbie's dream closet, emergency poppies, Plasti-Dip fumes, as many baskets as I can carry, & the definitive guide to R.V.s from 1983.

There have also been days when I absolutely could not bring myself to make anything. Just couldn't handle it. Does that happen to you? On days like that, and so many others, thank goodness that other people make things. Desperate for some beauty on my walls, but lacking both patience and dollars, I found ways to get my three current favorites up on the cheap & the quick & let's face it, the dirty. 

The charming print above is by urban farmer Brooke Budner, of The Greenhorns. I found it at Gravel & Gold but if you're not in San Francisco you can buy this one and others- bikes! tools! produce!- from Brooke's Etsy shop My poster hangs above the sink and is the perfect thing to stare at while washing dishes. Everyday I see something new, and am reminded of the oil lamps my parents use during the holidays, or the collection of eggbeaters I used to have. I just stuck the poster up with a clip, figuring my love will protect it from splashes.

"Prairie kitchen Helpers" by Screech Owl Design

Screech Owl Design does some of the loveliest printing I've seen- subtle colors & rich inks on luxurious cotton paper. I love the naturalistically-rendered birds in modernist settings, especially these two little chefs and that amazing stove. That's an Aga, right? Like in Raffaella Barker novels! I bought this card a year ago just to put up in the kitchen, & it's finally on the wall thanks to a 50cent office clip. I'm now one step closer to that house (& Aga) in the English countryside.

   "I made this for you" by Leah Rosenberg

And finally, glowingly, a poster by dear Leah, one of an edition of 1000 posters made with the intention of being given away. Isn't that lovely? This is technically the back, but you can see the bright stripes of paint on the proper side showing through. I am quite fond of grey, so that hint of color is just right for me. In a moment of picture-hanging inspiration, I attached it to my eyesore-fusebox with magnets. Why did it take me four years to figure that out? Magnets!

Hot Date Turnover: even better than it sounds

 

Courtesy of 7x7, produced by Leilani Marie Labong, photos by Joe Budd

I don't even know what to say. How is a person supposed to deal with all that cuteness? Michelle is the pastry chef for Range, and is as delightful as she looks. Just look at that magical world she's created! Yes, created. Michelle did not just stumble upon a perfectly preserved vintage dream kitchen- she & her husband installed the tile, counters, & cupboards, and carried the rest home on their bikes.

And, the dress, the look! The apron, the sparkles, the tattoos! Seriously. I can't even type full sentences.  The little handmade potholders on the stove are crocheted with skulls!

This was my very first styling opportunity, under the guiding vision of the tireless & talented Leilani- see her blog here, her work with ReadyMade here, the best of San Francisco design here, and oooh, this one is a particular favorite. Tireless! The photographer Joe was a mellow dream to work with, and he takes such pretty, pretty pictures. It was a fun day, if you can't tell. My first gig & I'm spoiled for life.

So, did the final photo turn out anything like my preliminary sketches?

 

Heath & Home

 

Dreamy, dreamy Heath Ceramics.

I was lucky enough to acquire a few of the cappuccino cups Heath made just for Blue Bottle Coffee. They're beautifully crafted, & quite sturdy of course, but after a year in a busy cafe there are bound to be some casualties. Each of the four above has a tiny injury: a fissure, a chipped handle. Their beauty is undiminished, and the candle-holders of my dreams were born.

Embroidery photo by Sam. Sorry about the moire-ing! The enlarged version is unaffected.

I fell for Heath when Blue Bottle opened their cafe in San Francisco's Ferry Building and I was commissioned to embroider a few signs- a thrilling & daunting task. I am a huge fan of Blue Bottle's aesthetic. Though my years at Miette taught me to embrace the pretty, my style definitely tends towards the Scandinavian/clean/modern/kinda masculine.

Grey, white, wood. 

So. For the life of me I could not sew that freakin' cappuccino cup & saucer. The latte mug & paper to-go cup went pretty well, but when I got to the cap I realized I had nooooo idea how to render something so curvy and three-dimensional. There were many, many ripped-out stitches, and plenty of pouting. Eventually we came to an understanding, and like an ornery puppy, the cappuccino cup had become my favorite.

And now I have one of my very own, neither chipped nor cracked, despite the fact that I use it every day and am world-renowned for my breaking skills.

Very impressive, Heath.

A party, when you need it most.

Last night marked the end of Leah Rosenberg's delightful show at 18 Reasons, and the Mission is left a little less colorful, a bit less sparkly. 

Fortunately, I have this little party-in-a-box that she made, perfect for those days when festivity & enthusiasm might be in short supply. I only open it a few times a year, and each time the effect is the same: pure delight.

Thank goodness for bouncy, happy, sparkly curls of paint, and the girls who dream them up.

Be your own grandma.

Little drawings, gathering ideas for a dear friend's shoppe.

Golds & purples, pretty-lady, vintage jewelry looks really good with tattoos, flocked wallpaper, heirlooms have to start somewhere, the raddest tea party in town.

Tapin' it up for your love.

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A "Happy Summer Vacation" care package, sent off to Chicago's coolest 10-year-old.

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Top (made from recycled skateboard decks) & Matchbook Garden from Rare Device, of course.

Plaid "Duck Tape" from...Target! Only $3, and made in the US! Almost worth the schlep.

The best part of hopping into the terrifyingly grown-up world of freelance....

  

...apparently you get jewelry.

Necklace made by Lauren Haupt

Sold by Rare Device

Purchased by Sam, of course.