I'll do my Java Drinking in the Nude

This coffee mug featuring an au natural couple makes me smile. The fella reminds me of Robin Williams circa Mork and Mindy for some reason. I like buying mugs in matching pairs so that Eric and I can sip our morning brew in tandem, and I think mugs are a delightful outlet for silliness. Do you have a mug collection? What do you look for in a new one? (I like to be able to fit all four fingers inside the handle!)

Words of En-LIGHT-enment from Thomas Jefferson

Outbreak from Elle Moss

Malcom Gladwell's What the Dog Saw, a collection of his essays for The New Yorker, was one of my favorite reads this summer. He has a gift for taking an every day problem, turning it on it's head and finding connections between his subject and something that seemed a world apart just a few paragraphs before. Then he draws a thought provoking conclusion one can mull over for days.

In one of his essays, he wrote about an unusual plagiarism case involving himself and a playwright with his usual incisiveness. This quote from Thomas Jefferson is still echoing in my mind months later.

"He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself, without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me."

Isn't this profound? Obviously, it has applications in my work as an educator. I have felt this happen. While it's true that teaching is a difficult and exhausting job, there is a really special thing that sometimes happens when a child truly grasps something you've offered them. When they truly understand an idea, they take ownership of it, and suddenly the spirit of both teacher and student blaze more brightly for a moment. That is en-light-enment.

And to push this concept further, I would say one should never be stingy with what one knows, or with creative power, or even with love. Because none of these things is made stronger by holding on to them. Instead, they are strengthened with use and consistent practice. Knowledge, creativity, and love all grow stronger by being shared from person to person, untill the whole world is ablaze with them.

On Repeat: Secret Heart performed by Feist

Secret Heart by Ron Sexsmith

Secret heart
What are you made of
What are you so afraid of
Could it be
Three simple words
Or the fear of being overheard
What's wrong

Let em' in on your secret heart

Secret Heart
Why so mysterious
Why so sacred
Why so serious
Maybe you're
Just acting tough
Maybe you're just not man enough
What's wrong

Let em' in on your secret heart

This very secret
That you're trying to conceal
Is the very same one
That You're dying to reveal
Go tell them how you feel

Secret heart come out and share it
This loneliness, few can bear it
Could it have something to do with
Admitting that you just can't go through it alone?

Let em' in on your secret heart

This very secret
That you're trying to conceal
Is the very same one
That you're dying to reveal
Go tell them how you feel
This very secret heart

Go out and share it
This very secret heart

A Custom Job: Before & After Vintage Wedding Cake Topper

Before...
And after! I can't help but be deeply pleased with the way this backdrop looks exactly like the bubbles in a glass of champagne. Perfect with her champagne colored gown and golden hair, don't you agree? I know the bride will be delighted too.

I can customize a pair for your wedding day too! Snap up the very last couple here.

The Darby Shoe from J Crew

I can't help but imagine Coco Chanel loafing around her apartment in a razor sharp white shirt with these patent leather slipper shoes from J.Crew on her tiny little feet, omnipresent cigarette wafting smoke behind her. Becky Kazana could pull it off too I think, minus the stink of nicotine. Now where does a girl find a quilted smoking jacket these days?

Roasted Carrot Soup for a Halloween Menu

If Ina Garten has taught me anything, it's that roasting makes everything delicious. (Also, don't be afraid of half pound increments of butter!) Yes, roasting is an extra step, but it adds such richness of flavor, especially to vegetarian dishes.

I used this recipe, but went ahead and tossed in half a head of garlic (still in it's paper skin) and the onions into the roasting pan with the carrots. The broiler worked it's magic on all of them in no time flat and I saved myself a step. (After the broiler has made it nice and soft, just squeeze the smooshy garlic out of it's paper into the broth. And don't try to resist eating one clove whole. It's turned sweet and buttery by now. Eric and I love to spread it on bread just like that.) I also added some leftover celery to the stock after it had simmered with the ginger.

I served it with a dollop of plain greek yogurt (I find this a more versatile ingredient than sour cream and tend to use them interchangeably. I like the thickness and slight tang of it.) and blue corn tortilla chips. Thyme and freshly ground pepper make for a lovely garnish. I will definitely be making this again. It was hearty, rich, delicious and beautiful to look at. I think it would make a nice addition to a Halloween menu with those colors too, don't you?

What's cooking at your house tonight?

Max Weiler Retrospective: Finding the Sublime through Nature and Art

Ironically, my last post about our visit to Vienna is about the first thing I did there. I think it has taken all this time to consider that first moment and what it meant to me. While Eric bustled off for his first day of the Mozart seminar, I went out for cappuccino & a chocolate croissant and then meandered over to the Albertina. It was my first museum of the trip and I arrived just at opening time and so had the place practically to myself.

I wandered in to a special exhibit on the works of Max Weiler, an Austrian artist whose work I had never seen before. It was a retrospective, and it was moving to see someone's entire life's work gathered up from start to finish. You could see the ideas he was grappling with as a young man and how they clarified and matured as he gained insight and experience.


His work is abstract, yet clearly refers to nature. It is loose, but contemplative. Some are colorful, some are simple charcoal drawings, but all employ a tangled network of lines and shadows. Many are on paper and despite the large scale, this seems to give a simplicity and temporal quality to the work.

As I looked, a phrase from "Light on Life"echoed in my mind over and over again:

"Nature wants to occupy every available space."



Obviously so inspired by the natural world, Weiler's drawings and paintings reminded me of dark caves covered in glittering crystals, dripping with stalagtites like some hidden cathedral in the bowels of the earth. Or perhaps of coves deep beneath the sea, dotted with spiky urchins or swirls of delicate crabs clicking about in elaborate shells. Perhaps even the windswept green and gold hills of his beloved Tyrolean hills. His work seemed so alive, so vibrant. And yet so full of space and calm.

In "Light on Life" Iyengar says that the ancient yogis retreated from the Indian jungles so choked with life, struggle and birth from decay to the Himalayas because they were barren and silent. A good place with space for the spirit to fill. A quiet museum is another such place.

I stood there silently looking and felt overwhelmed. I found a deep relief at being there alone, with no other person to consider or interfere with my experience. A sadness at not being able to enjoy that experience more often. Tears came to my eyes when the question I most want to answer (and most fear answering) bubbled to the surface: What is the desire of my heart? What is it I am called to do?

As I looked, I found a renewed sense that making art can be a holy life, full of contemplation and stripped of egotism and selfishness. It can be a way to consider the world and deepen your humanity at the same time. A path to God perhaps. Creativity is a powerful thing that rushes through us, like a river carving away at a gorge. It employs, energizes, enlarges what is best in us, washing away what is decayed and crumbling. When stopped up or clung to it becomes stagnant or destructive. It is one thing and yet no-thing, just as the Buddha described the self. Constant and yet defined by change.

I also felt fear- fear of being unskilled, untrained, unversed in the philosophies and traditions someone like this was using as a kind of shorthand in creating his own private vocabulary. Fear of the solitude creation like that demands. Fear of the boredom, the silence, the intellectual heavy lifting.

And yet.

What a fascinating way to spend your life- immersed in a world you are creating and re-creating, constantly purifying, simplifying, stripping away.

From Weiler's journals:

"Whenever I stand in nature, I am overcome by an enormous sense of exaltation. I look, I see and I am moved by a variety of times of day and seasons, by a variety of localities. A feeling of union with nature seizes me. Nature becomes quite transparent for me. I am drawn into the weaving of its being. A great sense of calm streams from the expansive, fulfilled plenum, the most perfect contentment – a joy of becoming one with an immense, sublime creation. Huge respect in the face of such a creative force. Boundless reverence. This would seem to be a world feeling. It becomes visible in artists from different times, almost always in the same way, in a most magnificent way by the Chinese of the 10th to the 13th centuries. (1973)"

That is the sublime. I wonder how my path to it will unfold.

Giddy Giveaway: Vintage Pearl Evening Clutch from Ranch Vintage

Due to a slight mix up, I ended up with this pretty vintage clutch from Ranch Vintage. I thought we'd turn it into a giveaway in order to send you all peeking in her shop (which is chalk full of the cutest collection of vintage milk glass!) It's in excellent vintage condition, with no beads missing and a dainty scalloped edge. It's the perfect size to stash your evening essentials and would add a little girly flair to a little black dress or jeans and a chiffon top. (And in all white, it would be just right for the right Bride to carry her lipstick in on her big day too!)

First, please take a peak around Ranch Vintage. Then, Why don't you leave me a comment describing a fantasy evening out? What would you wear with this pretty pearl clutch? What would you put inside? Who would you be out with? That kind of thing!

Please leave a thoughtful entry since I'll be picking my favorite comment to win. Don't forget to include your e-mail address so I can get in touch if you are the lucky winner! (No email, no entry darlings. I can't chase you down to give you goodies!)

Good Luck Glamour Girls!

Birthday Glamour Girl

My Birthday is a month away, but I thought it would be fun to put together a visual wishlist using Polyvore. Here are some of the goodies I've got my eyes on around the internet.

7 Chi leather bag, $63
pop flower | ShopBando.com, $75
Taschen Taschen'S Paris, $40
Rifle Paper Co. - Dog Series - Assorted Set, $16
Eco Coffee Cup, $14

I've made a collection of Etsy lustiness too, right over here. What's the best Birthday present you've ever gotten? What's on your Birthday Wishlist?

Book Report: My Life in Food by Judith Jones

Judith Jones is the woman who first gave us Julia Child. She was Julia's editor and champion in the publishing world for the revolutionary cooking classic "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". I've just finished reading Jones' autobiography My Life in Food.

It was interesting, but I found myself disappointed with the writing. I found that all the sections I underlined were actually quotes from the many food writers she has worked with during her illustrious career. I guess she is an editor deep down in her bones.

This behind the scenes shot of her and Julia hard at work warmed my heart. I wonder if they knew about the massive success that was coming for them? And get a load of that manuscript! Crikey!

There was one passage that was an exception, which I think articulates quite beautifully what this complicated relationship with cooking really entails. Why it goes down so deep- far beyond simple sustenance and into nourishment for body, mind and soul. And of course, it begins with a quotation!

“'Cooking is one of those arts which most requires to be done by people of a religious nature.' –Alfred North Whitehead

He suspected I would love that thought, fancying myself to be of a religious nature. He knew that I always felt that the preparation of food is one of the most joyous and inwardly satisfying of all activities we human beings are peculiarly privileged to indulge in daily.

Other creatures receive food simply as fodder. But we take the raw materials of the earth and work with them-touch them, manipulate them, taste them, glory in their heady smells and colors, and then, through a bit of alchemy, transform them into delicious creations. Cooking demands attention, patience, and above all, respect. It is a way of worship, a way of giving thanks.

Later, when I pursued the root of the word “religious” I found that it is thought to spring from religare, meaning “to bind, to tie fast, to reconnect."

Isn’t that what we do when we cook? We connect again to the earth, to the source of our food and we bind to one another in the sharing of it, the breaking of bread together, the celebrating of life.”

What would you add to Judith's words? Why is it that cooking for people we love has this transformative power? What food memories still linger with you?

Beautfiul Animal Masks for Halloween: An Antidote to "The Sexy Blank"

Have you started thinking about Halloween yet? I am planning an elaborate Flamingo Costume which I won't get to wear. I'll be attending my best friend's Zombie Bride themed Bachelorette Party. (We've all found old wedding gowns to douse with fake blood and the Maid of Honor is doing all our zombie make up. Then we're going to hit the town looking for BRAINS. And cocktails. And fun.)

But if you are on the lookout for a beautiful costume,I've just stumbled across Sundries and Plunder which specializes in beautifully crafted leather masks of animals and birds.

White Swan Mask from SundriesandPlunder

Eric and I have an ongoing joke that ladies have only one option for Halloween. We call it "The Sexy Blank" because you can be anything, as long as it's sexy. Sexy Mouse. Sexy Maid. Sexy Nurse. Sexy Witch. That's really the most important requirement in mass produced costumes for grown women. Ugh.

I like these as an alternative. You could wear a pretty outfit and an extraordinary mask and be completely in the spirit of the holiday.

Owl Masks by SundriesandPlunder

Cardinal Mask from SundriesandPlunder

Are you planning on dressing up this year? Decorating the house? Carving a pumpkin?

Live without Coffee? You could. But why?

Could this Fox Terrier be the next addition to my Dog Eared Art Collection? From Lulunjay.

Have you ever tried to give up coffee?

I don't drink much- a cup in the morning, often only half a cup since I forget and leave it to get cold while I'm getting ready for my day. This morning, I had resigned myself to a cup of tea since Eric wasn't drinking any and I didn't want to make a whole pot just for me. But Eric noticed my bleary eyes (he says I remind him of a mole first thing in the morning!) and fixed me a pot just to be sweet.

It was twice as delicious as usual- after a sad watery lukewarm cup of tea, there was something about the buzz of the grinder and the tinkle of the machine filling with bubbling water, and the way the house began to fill with the rich warming smell of freshly brewing coffee, and the splurgy swirl of cream he added. I cupped it in my hands and felt the thickness of it, the complexity of the flavor and sipped the whole thing right down to the bottom. And then had another cup.

A great cup of coffee just has no equal. I don't know that I could ever give it up wholeheartedly. Do you drink a little, a lot or none at all?

Book Report: Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

I've just finished reading Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt. I felt inspired to download it (for free! Hooray for the public domain!) after reading Joseph Campbell refer to Babbitt frequently in his writings. Campbell calls Babbitt a symbol of the conundrum of modern life- how much is lost when money, rationalism and consumerism become our gods.

Babbit is a successful man, well liked, a pillar in his community. And yet. He is filled with emptiness. With boredom. He rides through his days on a roller coaster of reactions and emotions brought on by everything around him. He apparently has no center.

He is just like most of us.

As I read this novel, I felt myself becoming more and more discouraged. I've been trying to practice awareness in my life- a Buddhist approach where one observes one's feelings and thoughts from a deeper center that is beyond such trivial and limited dualities. I'd even begun to feel as though I were making progress.

But it's so easy to get sucked back into these vortexes of desire, greed, happiness, sadness, pain, pleasure. And most often, it's misery that our minds inflict on us- dwelling on slights and problems real or imagined. And then, to retreat from these thoughts, we turn to any number of pleasant diversions. Eating, drinking, sex, television, Angry Birds, drugs, or shopping? Pick your poison.

Here Babbitt is doing some mental calculations about how much money he earns and spends.

"The effect of his scientific budget planning was that he at once felt both triumphantly wealthy and perilously poor and in the midst of these dissertations he stopped his car, rushed into a small news-and-miscelany shop, and bought the electric cigar lighter which he had coveted for a week."

I sometimes find myself doing the same sort of impulsive buying on Etsy after I've made a sale. Sort of an "I deserve it" purchase.

Adding to Babbitt's struggle is the endless production of new diversions and entertainment to keep us from ourselves. These are produced with good intentions, to stem loneliness and keep us from the pain of being by substituting an ever new, constantly improving fantasy of what life could be, if only we had ___________.

Here, Lewis shows us an ad man describing his latest copy;
"So I took a shot at a highbrow ad for Zeeco. How do you like this: The long white trail is calling-calling- it's over the hills and far away for every man or woman that has red blood in his veins and on his lips the ancient song of the buccaneers. It's away with dull drudging, and a fig for care. Speed-glorious speed- it's more than just a moment's exhilaration- it's Life for you and me!"

So rarely when we buy something are we buying the thing itself. We are buying an idea about ourselves. Something we long for but don't know how to create for ourselves. It's much easier to buy an object than to create a moment in our minds and then manifest it. And advertisers make the most of that gap, convincing us of how terribly easy it is to have a new life. It's just one transaction away.

Let the rationalizing begin.

"These standard advertised wares-toothpastes, socks, tires, cameras, instantaneous hot-water heaters- were his symbols and proofs of excellence; at first the signs, then the substitutes, for joy and passion and wisdom."

An instantaneous hot water heater sounds quaint compared with the latest I-Phone, doesn't it? Babbit's life was a veritable monastery compared to the bombardment we endure today, and yet. He still struggled. (In Babbitt's day, People wrote letters! The telephone was new fangled! They were dealing with Prohibition for goodness sakes!)

How do we find a center when we are moving at the speed of light? All the improvements and technologies in our lives make things easier, but are the right things made easier? And can those most essential things be made easier? Perhaps the essential why of our existence has to be a struggle, and avoiding that struggle is what gets us in such a mess.

When I read a book like this one, I think of Kafka's words:

"We ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us. If the book we are reading doesn't wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for? ...we need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us."

While I'm not planning on banishing light reading from my nightstand, I think books that wake you to your life are essential as you move along the illuminated path of your own personal journey. Each book leads you to another that is the right one for you at just the right moment.

What books have hit you like an axe?

Pretty Tulle Shopping Bags

I love the diaphanous look of these tulle shopping bags from Bankeladen. All of my reusable bags are quite hideous compared to these whispy little things, and I bet it would fold up into a perfectly tiny square in your regular handbag until you needed it.

Do you avoid single use plastics? Ever since I learned about this, I do my best to avoid, recycle or re-use them.

P.S) This is an amazing project devoted to clearing plastics from our planet's oceans.

The Golden Artichoke for Fall

Wouldn't these metallic gold artichokes be a decadent statement of bounty on a fall table? They are for tea lights, but would be pretty completely empty. I discovered them over at Koloko Furniture here in Kona, but they are a bit spendy so I may spend an open studio day at Donkey Mill Art Center playing with the idea.

Have you come across any cool housewares this fall? I find these kinds of trinkets irresistible.

Moonstruck: Love is Messy

Have you seen Moonstruck? It's definitely in my top ten. This movie is often campy and sometimes profound, just like another favorite of mine, also written by John Patrick Shanley, called Joe Versus the Volcano. What both stories have in common are heroes who decide to stop playing it safe with their lives. Instead, they decide to really live and feel the pain and joy that decision brings. I found tears streaming down my cheeks as Johnny tells Loretta this:


"I want you in my bed. I don't care if I burn in hell. I don't care if you burn in hell. The past, the future are a joke to me now. They ain't here. I see that now. Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn't know this either, but love don't make things nice - it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and *die*. The storybooks are *bullshit*. Now I want you to come upstairs with me and *get* in my bed!"

Now that is a compelling argument for living fearlessly. What is your favorite movie?

Eat Like a Local on the Big Island of Hawaii: Pat'z Pies

Everywhere you go somebody is claiming they have the best pizza. Which is great, because in the immortal words of Jeremy Grey (better known as Vince Vaughn, playing himself, just like we like it) in Wedding Crashers; "It's pizza, baby, it's always good." Truer words are rarely spoken.

The problem arises when classifying pizza as great, because everyone has their own criteria, as individualized, subjective and vexing a problem as selecting the perfect bra. Sometimes it's as simple as thin crust. Sometimes it's a complex theorem on the spicy to sweet ratios in the tomato sauce. I won't insult you by claiming that Pat'z Pies in Kealakekua, Hawaii are the best pizzas on earth. But I'll tell you why I love them so very much, to convince you to stop when you visit our Big Island.

You pull off the highway (ambiance is not the reason one stops at Pat'z.) park in the line up and place your order at the window. Here is where you get your first taste of why Pat'z is so special. It's Pat himself. Never have you seen a man so happy to help you order a slice, or so proud of his skill in the kitchen. He can't wait to expound on the virtues of his pies, tell you about toppings or share a great surf spot a few miles down the way. And he'll probably talk you in to a freshly fried malasada (Portuguese doughnut) on your way out. He's just as friendly and genuine with his local regulars as he is with visitors.

At last, your slice arrives, fresh from the oven. First of all, it has a wheat flour crust, which could spell a tough, chewy disaster. Instead, it's a little nutty thanks to all those whole grains and light, fluffy, crisp thanks to the perfectly hand tossed dough. Then, there are the toppings- an amazing array to choose from, many locally grown. Our slices had spinach, olives, pesto, peppers, garlic and two kinds of delicious cheese. It's hot, fresh, loaded and made with so much love and joy, you can't help but taste it.

What makes for delicious pizza in your book?

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes: A Very Fun Party Treat

For our housewarming party, I made ice cream cone cupcakes! I've wanted to try this for ages. I used a regular white cake mix to which I added 1 packet of pistachio pudding and 1 1/2 cups diet ginger ale. Then I filled the cones 2/3 full and baked the mixture right in the cones at 400 for about 15-20 minutes. Who knows what those cones are made of, but they didn't even brown! It took them longer to cook through and there were a few that had to be tossed due to gloppiness.

After they were cooled, I whipped up a batch of buttercream (1/2 cup butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, a little creamy milk, a little vanilla, some lavender food coloring and lots of whipping in my mixer) and used this fancy pastry tip to ice them. Don't they look just like a luscious dollop of soft serve? I added edible glitter to the tops to make them look a bit frosty too. Pretty fun.

My friend Dan and I got into a conversation about cupcake culture and how it's sort of passed us by out here on the Big Island of Hawaii. I think the trend may be starting to wane, but I haven't lost my enthusiasm quite yet. Cupcakes are the ultimate party treat and I love an excuse to make something totally silly and completely delicious.

What do you think? Are cupcakes in or out?

Five Years of Wedded Bliss: Wooden Anniversary Gift Ideas

Eric and I are coming up on Five Years of married life. I try to stick to the traditional wedding anniversary gifts each year and though it's always a challenge,I've managed to rise to the occasion every year. I think I've found some fun ideas this time. Come and see!


A clock seems to be the obvious choice and this one is made with a repurposed vintage tray of teak. I like that it is old and new, traditional yet modern. Perfect for Eric and I.

This Driftwood Lamp also seems like a cool conversation piece. The many strands of fillaments in the crystal clear light bulb make the exposed bulb a striking and deliberate design element instead of eye sore.
This Couple Art Set would be my top choice if my budget were unlimited. The little bits of antique rulers and other reclaimed wood really make these pieces feel special. And of course it's old yet new again. There's a theme here!
I think Eric would looks so utterly cool in these Wooden Shades. I love the two kinds of wood they used- such an surprising detail makes something ordinary seem suddenly special.

The same is true of A wooden wristwatch. Suddenly it is totally distinct, all because it was re-imagined in an unexpected material.

Check out my complete round up of wooden anniversary gifts live on Etsy right here. What do you and your partner do to celebrate anniversaries? Fancy dinner? A good cuddle? Plant a tree? I'd love to hear!

A Custom Job: Before & After Vintage Wedding Cake Topper

My dear friend Katie is tying the knot in November, but was having a terrible time finding the right topper. We searched high and low to find something that would suit her, but she disliked the toppers with linked arms and frozen smiles, finding them too stiff and interlocked. We found this pair to be more in keeping with her idea of herself and her marriage since each is standing independently.

But they still look a bit glassy eyed, don't they? We also wanted to add some of the details from her gown and customize the flowers.

I added a black sash and black gloves to up the glamour. Silk ribbon rosettes make her bouquet come alive. I also used a shimmery auburn color for her hair and their eyes. Much softer, warmer and less plastic-y.

These small changes really take this vintage bride and groom from ordinary to special. That's what customization is all about.

She hasn't settled on her veil yet, but has plans to do a birdcage veil like this. I think it will be a perfect finishing touch. Would you like one too? You can order a pair to your specifications right over here.

What do you think? Did you have a topper on your wedding cake?

Photo Journal: Cool Fusion 2011 at Donkey Mill Center for the Arts in Holualoa, Hawaii

Cool Fusion is the annual fundraiser for Donkey Mill Art Center's ceramics department. Volunteers throw, fire, glaze and fire again more than 1,000 bowls. More volunteers prepare a beautiful lunch of saimen to fill those bowls. Saimen is a simple dish of cold japanese noodles served with a variety of vegetables, fish cake, fresh ginger, wasabi to taste and a delicious broth. It is cold and refreshing on a hot Hawaiian afternoon. This little Art Center is housed in a former coffee mill and is suffused with a powerful sense of people coming together. I've never seen a community center where people were so excited to pitch in. I feel so blessed to observe how the staff and volunteers infuse the place with Aloha in the truest sense. I think you can even feel it in these photos.










You can see more photos from this beautiful day here.