Space is all one space and thought is all one thought, but my mind divides its spaces into spaces into spaces and thoughts into thoughts into thoughts. Like a large condominium. Occasionally I think about the one Space and the one Thought, but usually I don't. Usually I think about my condominium. - Andy Warhol

"Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems painful can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such." - Henry Miller



My brother-in-law emailed these photos today of my nieces and nephews from a recent visit to Mt. Rushmore. I couldn't resist the urge to post them. They are coming here to visit in 2 weeks from Minnesota. I can't wait to spoil them like a good auntie should!



New discoveries in the web realm:

Japanese Dolls at RoboChris � Infrangible photo log (I LOVE this!) � sleeves clothing faux tattoos shirts � In passing short quips collected off the street. � Alive in Kyoto (Japanese photolog) �

You may have to send me over to avatars anonymous, I'm too addicted.

Try your hand at the Candybar Doll Maker .
(Instructions are written in English this time, I promise!)

"I am not young enough to know everything." ~ Oscar Wilde



Today my friend Monica made the most dazzling iced-tea concoction for me.
She mixed Lipton's peach tea with iced water...then scooped out sliced canned peaches and mixed them in.
The taste and smell was so sweet. I guess it just goes to show how the simplest things can make all the difference.

My favorite summertime dish is insalata Caprese. I make it by combining fresh sliced Buffalo mozarella, basil and cherry tomatoes picked straight off the vine from our garden, then sprinkled with olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper.

Here's the proper recipe from one of my favorite cooking sites Epicurious:

Insalata caprese (literally, the salad from Capri) is the perfect summertime dish for cooks in a hurry; slicing is the hardest part. The salad was created in the 1950s at the Trattoria da Vincenzo for regulars out for a light lunch. They'd order a just-picked tomato and fresh fior di latte (cow's-milk mozzarella � no buffalo on Capri). The salad has evolved on the island to include a few leaves of rughetta (wild arugula) and a pinch of dried wild oregano, both local products; everywhere else in Italy it takes the form of tomato, mozzarella and basil.

The dressing is always a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil � only. Vinegar would destroy the delicate flavor of the cheese and is never used. Because this salad is so simple, top-rate ingredients are imperative: Hothouse tomatoes and rubbery processed mozzarella are unacceptable.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes (about 4 large), sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup packed fresh basil or arugula leaves, washed well and spun
�dry
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled, if using arugula instead of basil
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
fine sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

On a large platter arrange tomato and mozzarella slices and basil leaves, alternating and overlapping them. Sprinkle salad with oregano and arugula and drizzle with oil. Season salad with salt and pepper.

Today I fooled around with the hand-lined envelope idea...that is....until I ran out of glue.

I traced the interior size of the envelope with a sharpie pen onto clear acetate (the kind you use for overhead projectors), then used my x-acto knife to cut it into a template. Cut the origami papers to size, use a little rubber cement....Done.

Love it!

Love is the only thing about which it is impossible to say anything absurd~ fortune cookie



I always get a bit excited when I see new creative ideas involving decorative paper on the horizon. Last week I was flipping through Vogue magazine and read a little blip about Jenny Sweeney Designs hand-lined envelopes. What a great idea!

Another thing I've been dying to try is one of those tiny Gocco home screen-printers that I keep reading about in readymade magazine. The how-to-article they wrote made it look like such a cake walk. (A far cry from the screenprinting class I took in college!) How great it would be to finally be able to put my collection of Art Nouveau Dover clip art books to good use!

** Also check out Saturate Design's hand-screened beauties for inspiration.

***Visit: welsh products for screen printing supplies.