Ragamuffin Notebook

New Blog

2011-06-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

If anyone is still reading this blog, here's where I've moved: Biblio-Files.com. C'mon over and check it out. It's all about books and bookish things.

A different kind of journal

2011-01-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

This is more of my type of journaling. It's more satisfying to me than laboring over words. There's a book coming out this year called "Drawn In" by Julia Rothman that looks inside artist sketchbooks--I can't wait to see it.

Lights at night

2010-12-22T03:57:00.000-08:00

12 Days of Christmas

2010-12-15T02:51:00.000-08:00

So my mom made this when she was in high school. She remembers seeing it in a 1960s catalog, maybe from MOMA, but we've not ever found it. It's made of felt pieces glued onto separate cardboard rounds that stack like a cake. My grandfather rigged it so it rotated slowly (but that part doesn't work anymore). Would love to find the original inspiration.

Christmas and cats around the house

2010-12-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Went with a burlap and yarn thing for present wrapping this year.

Obligatory Christmas cactus from E's elementary PTA plant sale

I love this armoire that I strong-armed my best friend into selling to me. I know he wants it back. But he'd have to fight the antlers for it. And while I know antlers are way overused in decorating, I have always liked them and they go with my crusty, cracky house. Plus, they are from my uncle who likes to shoot things.

The twins have obviously spotted something very important from inside their house bubble.

This mantel has way too much on it.

Really bright orange door I painted this fall that I love even if the neighbors wince. It's Farrow & Ball's Charlotte's Locks in high gloss.

Yes, Sueno, it is time for a nap.

Harry Potter Deathly Hallows

2010-12-01T05:18:00.000-08:00

Can we pause for just a minute and contemplate a couple of things: Hermione Granger's wardrobe in the two most recent HP movies have been awesomeness. I mean, really. I love the slightly offbeat British tomboy look she's been wearing. Secondly, the color schemes in the movies are perfecto. I wish I could create a diorama for each of the sets (most especially The Burrow), and the color schemes throughout are mesmerizing. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Oh, except one last bit. My favorite scene was the Hermione and Harry dance in the tent. I so love Nick Cave songs.

Color when it's gray out

2010-11-30T13:44:00.000-08:00

I've been neglectful in posting, and plan to do better next month. In the meantime, I love the simplicity of the colorful yarn wrapped boxes, from here, and this photo by my husband from a wedding he shot.

Hello, gorgeous house in Chicago

2010-11-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Check it out: Home of artist and bookbinder Amanda Love, owner of LoveLeaf Press. I am dying over her studio in which she chopped up books and made them into wallpaper of sorts. Photos by Tyllie Barbosa for Chicago Home+Garden

This arrived in the mail

2010-10-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

I am not even kidding, this book is beyond awesome. At more than 300 pages, it's filled with luscious pictures of Orla's gorgeous patterns plus in her words the inspiration and thoughts behind her work. Totally worth Amazon's price of $23.

High Point Furniture Market Fall 2010

2010-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

This dusty blue color was a definite color trend this season on fabrics, accessories, and the like. Love these books as props (from the Hickory showroom)

Another trend (from CR Laine) was English-style printed florals and open toiles on fabrics

Plenty of mood boards on hand—how fabulous is this? (from Natural Curiosities)

The Hable Construction sisters have new upholstery fabric for Hickory Chair.

I can't get enough of flocked fabric. I'd like this pair from Lee Industries for my living room!

Beautiful space outfitted by Thomas O'Brien for Hickory Chair

It's amazing how live music really does set the mood. I was in love with this beautiful piano and the art above it from the Natural Curiosities booth.

Apologies for the iPhone pics. Overall, it was a fun show. Even though traffic appeared to be down, vendors reported that retailers and dealers were buying, so sales were good. There were some obvious trends such as the influence of Mad Men on furniture and styling, and Industrial Chic is still big, as is the French Laundry look. The new color for fall appears to be plum in all its forms: eggplant, amethyst, and fig. Grey/Greige is still big, and blue/purple iris stood out in several leather chairs and ottomans. Furniture in general had good scale—plenty of options for small-space living but also furniture that is right-sized for modest homes.

Back to Mpls next week

2010-10-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Had time for a little house tour last time I was in the Cities. Loved this...

and this...

and this. The house was very Grey Gardens and the owners were a hoot. We took a tour while sipping glasses of cold Prosecco.

Awesome new book coming in October

2010-09-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

cannot wait for this. just look at that cover. look at it!!!

Minneapolis

2010-09-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

Obligatory Anthro stop

Creative Connection event--painting class. Note: this is NOT my painting, but one I liked. As soon as I find the artist's card, I'll post her Etsy site.

Painting class and downtown Mpls through the window

It's difficult to see it here, but the blue/gray painted brick and the burnt orange logo were the perfect color combo.

Had a wonderful week in Minneapolis: Met wonderfully creative and inspiring women at the Creative Connection, learned more about opening an Etsy shop, had some lovely meals at Brasa and the way hip boho-Mexican hotspot in downtown called Barrio, stopped at Anthro (two of them, actually), Hunt and Gather, and the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts (needed some book cloth and a large awl). Oh, and how could I forget? We also made a run to the Junk Bonanza. I'm actually headed back to the Twin Cities this week for an event at Target.

Randoms

2010-09-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

things around my desktop lately.

I want to go to there

2010-09-14T02:55:00.000-07:00

themakeryonline.co.uk/

Bookmarks

2010-09-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to have a booth with a friend this weekend at a vintage/handmade bazaar. I'm trying to get a Web site up and running (have a landing page: bookmarksdesign.com), but that is proving to take longer than any of the work I've done with my paper and book designs.

Around the house, 2

2010-06-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Around the house

2010-06-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

More Austin

2010-06-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

Austin

2010-06-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Flew to Austin this week for an awesome photo shoot. Really great homeowners (totally hipster music makers and design dynamos), plus the added bonus of great food, drinks, and way-cool places to hang out. Down side: heat and humidity. Nothin' new there. Above images are a collection from Liz Lambert's hotels (San Jose and Saint Cecilia), migas, and a cool car on our photo shoot.

fun with the iphone

2010-06-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

A few Sunday snaps

2010-05-10T03:59:00.000-07:00

These are by no means great pictures, but I wanted to record a few favorite homes and buildings in Des Moines. The first house, which is actually for sale right now, is one of my all-time favorites here. It looks as if it were plucked right out of Cotswolds. The second is my favorite apartment building in Des Moines (and actually along the same street as the first house). It's called The Wetherell. Built in 1922, it's an example of Spanish Mission-style architecture. I helped produce a story for a magazine of one of the apartments inside and instantly fell in love with its charm. Several of the spaces have solariums and terraces. The next house I spotted on a drive through a favorite neighborhood adjacent to ours. I love it for its Great Expectations/Grey Gardens qualities. The final shots are of a church (also along the same street as the first house and the apartment building). The church is also for sale.

A home, only smaller

2010-05-08T04:49:00.000-07:00

Annina Gunter creates life in miniature, with all the messiness and coziness that home entails for most people. I have to keep reminding myself when studying each frame that these scenes are not human scale, but tiny representations of simple everyday life. Read more about her here.

poster

2010-05-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

My friend recently opened an awesome shop in town, called Domestica, and I had to have this poster of awesomeness.

Evan's world

2010-05-04T03:30:00.000-07:00

Being the mom of a 9-year-old who adores all things Star Wars and Legos, I often wonder what it would be like not picking up light sabers or stepping on tiny bits of hard plastic every day. But the other day when I walked out our door and saw these two military trucks on our front stoop, I had an overwhelming feeling of how innocent childhood is and how I most certainly will one day long for the moments watching Evan play for hours constructing his latest castle, starship, or warrior on our long dining table covered in those precious little bits of plastic.

Loving this project by Aprile Elcich

2010-04-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Abandoned yet inhabited buildings

2010-04-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

this might be the holy grail of photos for me, by photographer/documentarian david carr smith. he has a web book devoted to creative types who have moved into abandoned buildings in europe. via enhabiten.

some collaging

2010-04-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

I worked a bit on this collage made of scraps from magazines and catalogs (and an old Target ad for John Derian's line sold at their stores a couple of years ago...stay tuned though, Target's bringing him back for more in stores Sept!!!). I've also been working out of our guest room, which I am also trying to decorate and make useful at the same time. I'm liking the slightly Asian/bohemian thing going on, but I'm well aware that it also can look like Grey Gardens in there with all the prints and colors. I found the painted screen above the bed at a flea market-type shop in Little Rock with my mom, the hanging lamp is from her (the 60s?), and the red, 12-drawer chest (perfect for paper goods and bits) at the flea-market shop in Des Moines where I also have a booth.

Poppies

2010-04-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty certain these are my favorite type of flower. I love their vibrant colors and their crepe paper-like texture. These were left over from a photo shoot this week, but they're still looking great. Now if only I can figure out how to grow them in my garden.

In the afternoon of life

2010-04-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

Some outtakes from Sunday around 5 p.m., a time when the light streams into our living room.

spring has sprung

2010-04-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Got a few flowers planted and a quiet family Easter done this weekend, all the while knowing that we'll likely have another snowfall before spring temps are here to stay.

Day off

2010-04-02T05:03:00.000-07:00

At the last minute, I snagged today off and spent last night jotting down a list of things I wanted to do today. Then this morning, I saw this (quoted from the Eternal Sunshine movie--love!), and thought that maybe I should ditch the list and just "enjoy it."

Fox, no sox

2010-03-31T04:07:00.000-07:00

Darling little paper puppets. Naturally, they are from a Korean papergoods maker, but available at this cool online shop, here.

OMG

2010-03-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

pretty please: teleport me to this bedroom at once! (via beauportblog)

new blog love

2010-03-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

a visual feast awaits: BibliOdyssey.

Paper sculptures

2010-03-23T04:26:00.000-07:00

Anna Wili Highfield's gorgeous sculptures made of paper. Naturally, she's an Aussie. Seems there is a high concentration of design talent there.

new obsession

2010-03-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have a new journal that was designed for a sketch a day, but I do not draw, so I'm doing a collage a day instead.

Courthouse

2010-03-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Got called this week to do my duty, which apparently means waiting and waiting to the point of getting bored with my books and work, so out comes the iphone for some play.

Writerly dress

2010-03-03T04:19:00.001-08:00

Agenda: Wear this dress with knee-high boots (or ankle boots with knee-high socks) and nerdy librarian glasses, grab a Moleskine graph journal, jet off to Paris immediately to sit in a cafe, drink a cappuccino, and watch the people pass by.

Jour

2010-02-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm loving my O-Check Design daily journal.

Geek out

2010-02-24T04:16:00.000-08:00

How yummy are these pictures? Would love to be a nerdy librarian in the olden days when everything was about card catalogs of the not digital sort, stamps, tape, and musty books. Am currently in love with O-Check Design Graphics, a Korean paper goods company. Yum-ee!

A few outtakes

2010-02-22T04:16:00.000-08:00

Just returned from Mpls and the Japanese book binding class I took with a couple friends. It was so much fun. We learned three binding techniques. Here are a few outtakes from before the class began. I have to organize my other pix to post more later. I love the Twin Cities. So much inspiration! Stops during the weekend (it was condensed since the class was an all-day lesson on Saturday) included Wet Paint art store in St. Paul (awesome art supplies and fun Japanese journals), great eateries--The Bad Waitress for French toast and bacon; Brasa for roast chicken, cheese grits, and creamy spinach; and W.A. Frost for yummy pints of beer--Common Good Books (Garrison Keillor's bookstore), also in St. Paul; and The Awesome-ist "flea market," Hunt and Gather in Minneapolis, where I loaded up with vintage letter and word stamps. I'll post some finds from the trip this week.

for the love of books

2010-02-18T04:21:00.000-08:00

I'm headed to Minneapolis tomorrow for the first time in four months. This is the longest I've not traveled there since my BFF moved to the Twin Cities more than two years ago. Hoping the weather will cooperate for the drive north. Also, I'm really excited for the class we're taking together on Saturday at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in downtown Minneapolis. It's a course on Japanese book binding. Cannot wait to be back inside this very cool space and immerse myself in all things books!

Moomah

2010-02-18T03:45:00.000-08:00

I've probably posted about Moomah before, but what an awesome cafe in Tribeca (photos by my friend, Kim Cornelison). The concept is so original: a creative space (make your own dioramas!), cafe, and general hangout for parents and their children that has the alluring bonus of ZERO primary colors in the decor. Recently, I brought home the Do It Together kit of creating a shadow box. Evan loved it, but clearly, I was having just as much fun.

messenger bags

2010-02-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

Love these Marimekko messenger bags. My BFF, Shawn, has one in navy, which I had thought was vintage, but is not, which is why I like them—the look is timeless. And, they're just the perfect size—not too big or too small. Available from Finn Style (finnstyle.com), a great shop in Minneapolis.

once a bag lady...

2010-01-29T04:42:00.001-08:00

Lately, comments made about my work have been sticking a little too closely. Maybe it's because I'm turning 40 next week, but truth be told, I'm a self-diagnosed Highly Sensitive Person (HSP, check it out. It's for real, y'all). I remember back in high school, like many girls my age, loving Molly Ringwald's character in Pretty in Pink. I vividly recall wanting to recreate her gypsy-like bedroom and loving the quirky clothes she pieced together. I also vividly recall being told one day in high school that I looked like a bag lady with my layered up skirts and probably one too many socks (it WAS the 80s after all) because it fit my mood that morning. Let's just say it didn't go over well with the popular set who adhered to an unspoken dress code of upturned Polo collars in every rainbow color.
So, all this to ask: At what point in one's life do you become comfortable in your own skin and confident with your work that you're able to shake off criticism? I know I take things way too personally. And I know I'm not alone. I remind myself that I'm very lucky to be in a profession so closely aligned with what I enjoy. Perhaps that makes us care *too* much. Become a little *too* passionate.
And, in the end, I know there are way worse things than for your work to be called, on the eve of your 4th decade, "young, quirky, and mod."
After all, Coco Chanel once said, "In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."

PS The image, above, is of sylist Sibella Court's work. Definitely on the quirky side, which to me is pretty wonderful.

Fantastic

2010-01-28T04:54:00.001-08:00

"If what I think is happening IS happening, it better not be." --Mrs. Fox. What an awesome line. Loved, loved, loved this Wes Anderson flick, and the book is awesome, too.

Miss Mittens: The Avenger

2010-01-22T04:36:00.000-08:00

We've discovered that our very own Miss Mittens has some mighty tough ancestors in the rare white tigers recently born in Chile. meow!

Totally random

2010-01-21T04:26:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I've had trouble getting inspired lately, despite being surrounded on a daily basis by inspirational things and people. I'm hoping to get my mojo back soon. Have lots I want to do this year with a long rambling list of personal goals to work toward, but am needing a bit of a push to get things going. So, today's post is simply a random collection of pics I've had on my desktop for a while.

Snow Day

2009-12-09T14:56:00.001-08:00

We had a bit of a blizzard in DSM today: 14 inches of snow and winds up to 50 MPH. I worked from home (with warm kittens by my side, see top pic) but took breaks by watching the crazy few people outside (see picture, above, with Mark trying to help dig a car out on our street), which later included Evan, who had to go out once the winds died down to play for just a bit.

Taunting from my husband

2009-12-08T13:10:00.001-08:00

He sends me these iphone photos when I'm at work, but wanting to be home, where the kitties demand to know where their stockings are.

This is the face

2009-12-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Evan made to me when he caught me red-handed the other night...sampling a few of his Lego sweet tarts. I can't get away with anything at home. Always getting the stink eye from someone.

More fuzz

2009-11-27T04:42:00.000-08:00

we're still planning to get a puppy sometime after the new year. as evan says, our place will be a "madhouse."

Kittens, dammit!

2009-11-27T04:31:00.000-08:00

Here are our new babies...Miss Mittens: The Avenger (gray) and Sueno (tabby) because he likes to sleep. Miss Mittens is a wee bit "slow," but her freakin cute face makes up for it. Sueno starts purring the minute you make eye contact with him. Mostly, he wants to be held (when he's not chewing on his sister's ear) while he slips into his sweet slumber.

J Morgan Puett

2009-11-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

Oh my gah. I'm so in love with this artist who has a piece of work on display at the Des Moines Art Center. Must. Learn. More.

Objectified

2009-11-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned the pretty great art center within walking distance of my house before, and today was another example of its interesting features. I went with a friend to see Gary Hustwit's documentary, Objectified. Hustwit previously produced Helvetica (a documentary I've yet to see but want to) and a film about my favorite band, Wilco, which I did see and liked very much. Today's viewing was quite interesting: An examination about product design and the designers and engineers behind products we use every day. Lots to think about in terms of where design is headed (i.e. should design be only about function? personally, i hope not) and sustainability (definitely not an option but a requirement).

The other bonus about today was a chance to see J Morgan Puett's installation. I didn't recognize this clothing designer by name at first, but after a bit of time on Google, I discovered that I had read about her in a NYT profile story that ran about a year ago. Still, I didn't know about her collaborations to exhibit in museums and galleries. Some images from those exhibits next...

Zoo, part 2

2009-11-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the correct name for that fawn-like being at the top, but I think he played a role in the Chronicles of Narnia.

What's a close second to a Nat Hist Museum?

2009-11-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

The zoo. This weekend, in particular, the Omaha Zoo. Is it just me or is that dragon-fish seahorse thingy, second from the top, kinda a little bit freaky?

Marlow&Sons

2009-11-06T03:48:00.000-08:00

Next trip to NYC will mean a stop to Brooklyn to visit the Williamsburg restaurant, Marlow&Sons. The diner produces what looks to be a great foodie magazine called The Diner Journal. Check it out here.

Alex the cat

2009-11-04T03:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since our cat Alex passed away, rather suddenly. We think he must've had a heart attack because it happened so quickly (he was playing just seconds before), wasn't sick, and was only 4 years old. While I've posted about his sometimes cranky personality here, he was a much-loved member of our family. I will miss seeing him in the front windows of our house when I drive home, his greeting us by the kitchen door sitting on his perch by the stairs, and warming up my side of the bed before I get in at night.
We've marked Alex's grave in our backyard by the woods with several stones and various twigs that Evan has left for him when he visits.
We already had plans to get a new puppy around the first of the year, but now we'll also likely get a new kitten (who can resist those faces in the top picture?).

Dinner, Jamie style

2009-11-02T03:31:00.001-08:00

Evan has instituted candlelight dinners, which we have on Wednesday and Sunday nights. Somehow it seems to make things more civilized. That is, until Mark starts poking Evan with his pinky finger and calling us all "stooges." But I digress. I picked up a used Jamie Oliver cookbook the other day and have been loving some of his recipes. Sunday night, I made his Moroccan lamb stew with sweet potatoes, couscous and Greek yogurt. Very nice flavors with spicy hits of peppers. For dessert, I made a favorite: almond butter cake (recipe from Pure Desserts cookbook).

Day of the Dead

2009-11-02T03:27:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we walked to the art center for the big Day of the Dead celebration. Some 2,000 Desmoanians attended. Evan had his art on display from work he did in his cartooning class.

School party

2009-11-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

Fourth graders are still a rowdy bunch. I helped out at Evan's classroom party, where I soon learned how a pinata can turn relatively sane 9 year olds into savages.

Halloween '09

2009-11-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the blurry images...the iPhone doesn't like dimly lit rooms. Here are my boys: Indi and bad wedding singer. Mark and I went to a Halloween party last night at this house packed with books, spider plants, bones, and incomplete walls. It seemed like it would be home to a professor of anthropology or some type of academic who works at a natural history museum. Perfectly imperfect. Love.

The fall bon bons are here!

2009-10-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

How super cute are these fall arrivals at our local chocolate shop, Stam's (with locations in Des Moines and Amsterdam, thank you very much)!

Iowa City fall fashion

2009-10-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

We made our annual October visit to Iowa City/University of Iowa campus. There is so much to love about this place. The drive is right out of American Gothic and what's not to love about the vibe of a college campus? We spent our time at a fun breakfast joint (Hamburg Inn, home of politicos during the presidential caucus), thrift shops, the Museum of Natural History, Prairie Lights (where Kurt Vonnegut used to hang), and the myriad shops. There are some really fun clothing stores on the pedestrian mall. Unfortunately, the one I really wanted to go into was already closed when we passed by.

Walking

2009-10-29T04:41:00.001-07:00

This street is next to ours. It doesn't have sidewalks, which is charming. I so love the red barn house and I like the first house on this post for its Great Expectations/Grey Gardens qualities.

Leaves

2009-10-29T04:39:00.000-07:00

On the ground in our 'hood and on the mantel in our house...in the middle of the street.

Pretty flowers

2009-10-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

sure help me stay motivated at work for some reason.

More...from Grass Doe

2009-10-12T04:19:00.001-07:00

Can you stand it?

2009-10-12T04:13:00.001-07:00

These images are so beautiful. From a site called grassdoe.blogspot.com. I can't find anything about the photographer, unfortunately.

Sunday running route

2009-10-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

My 8-mile run was especially beautiful today with gray skies and fall color. The run takes me by old homes, the edge of downtown, an old barn, a small pond, an old wooden bridge, and a horse farm.

Market Saturday

2009-09-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

I'm not much into teddy bears, but this one upstairs at the media foundry for Market Saturday in downtown looked friendly.

That 70s window

2009-09-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

We'll see how this window in our kitchen will do in growing herbs. It's great when the weather is mild. Not so helpful when it's below zero. Eventually we want to replace it, but I'd like to make it useful until then.

Alex the cat

2009-09-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of the best pix on my blog because my husband took it. And he doesn't even like cats, especially ours.

Roman and Williams

2009-09-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is the office of the team behind such hip hotels as The Ace Hotel in NYC. I'm beyond words with their surroundings! rwpress.blogpsot.com

A couple more

2009-09-20T13:23:00.001-07:00

pictures from Winterset. The diorama is from The Pheasant Run bar.

Winterset

2009-09-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Took a gray day drive to Winterset, IA, the birthplace of John Wayne and home of the covered bridges.

Delancey

2009-09-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

I wish I was visiting Seattle in the near future. Molly, the author of Orangette, and her husband recently opened Delancey (I also happen to love that name) there, specializing in wood-fired pizzas. YUM! Visit her blog for more behind-the-scenes about opening a restaurant and mouth-watering pictures of the food.

Vancouver II

2009-09-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Me with stylist Janna Lufkin, who lives in Seattle. Other pix are from a walk to Stanley Park and from the Hotel Sylvia along the English Bay. Beautiful.

Vancouver

2009-09-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Traveled here last week for a photo shoot and loved it. I really, really like the pacific Northwest. Weather was great, views spectacular, and the shoot went really well. The bottom shot is from the Museum of Anthropology.

Reading

2009-09-02T03:47:00.001-07:00

I'm devouring Pat Conroy's latest, South of Broad. My mom recently finished the book and loved it, and I am loving it as well. I wish that the main character, Leo, was a real person.

Fourth Grade

2009-09-02T03:45:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe our little man is a fourth grader. He sat down with me a few nights ago to discuss his first day of school. He really likes his teacher. Yay.

Summer trip

2009-09-02T03:42:00.000-07:00

I had a work trip to NYC in August, so Mark and Evan joined me for Evan's first trip to the big city. I'll post some pictures soon.

Aug. 13, 2009

2009-08-15T03:26:00.001-07:00

Aug. 13, 2009, originally uploaded by kkegans.

Made these veggie "pizzas" twice this week using produce from our garden. yum!

Aug. 12, 2009

2009-08-15T03:25:00.001-07:00

Aug. 12, 2009, originally uploaded by kkegans.

First tomatoes of the season

Farmer's Market

2009-08-08T20:34:00.001-07:00

Aug. 8, 2009, originally uploaded by kkegans.

Today I went to the market with our next-door neighbor. We bought a flat of baby cucumbers to make bread-and-butter pickles tomorrow.

Books and spider plants

2009-08-02T17:53:00.001-07:00

Aug. 2, 2009, originally uploaded by kkegans.

Must. Stop. Collecting. Books. And spider plants.

Aug. 1, 2009

2009-08-01T15:20:00.001-07:00

Aug. 1, 2009, originally uploaded by kkegans.

First Flickr photo upload. Goal is to take a picture a day for the next year.

DSM Art Center

2009-08-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

We're pretty lucky to live within walking distance of such a great art museum in Des Moines. Today's weather was awesome, so we took a walk to check out the Tara Donovan exhibit, which was quite interesting. She makes art out of things like Scotch tape and drinking straws. Mostly though what I love about the art center is the building itself. Sort of a gem for a city the size of Des Moines...the building was designed by three outstanding architects: Saarinen, Meier, and Pei.

Happy V-Day in July

2009-07-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

As I've written before, I'm drawn to Grey Gardens-style homes, and here's one my mom and I drove by when Evan and I were visiting her Little Rock. I especially loved the paper hearts alongside crepe myrtle trees still wrapped in Christmas lights.

Hello, Sunshine

2009-07-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

A sunflower tree is growing in my kitchen garden. We didn't plant any seeds, but here it is in all its glory. Blossoms are finally opening all over the place. The stalk is so thick that I haven't had to stake it.

Chicago

2009-07-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was in Chicago last week covering the Blogher convention. Lots of fun and lots of great women. Top, my view from the Hotel Monaco, just off the Chicago river. And bottom, other Iowans appeared to have made the trip east, too.

Summer squash

2009-07-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

I'm quite sure everyone is tired of seeing everyone else's homegrown veggies, but I cannot resist since I'm such a newbie at this. Here is a summer dish prepared using Deborah Madison's cooking with farmer's market produce cookbook. We grew this squash, which I prepared using olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, and herbs I've been growing: oregano and flat-leaf parsley.

Morning fog

2009-07-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is from my morning drive into downtown today.

Can't wait

2009-07-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Where the Wild Things Are movie release Oct. 16. The boy's hair and freckles remind me of sweet Evan.

New look from Anthro

2009-07-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Check out Anthropologie's new Web interface. Very cool and love these new images.

Biker Boots

2009-07-15T03:54:00.000-07:00

These are seriously some way cool boots. To wear now and punk up a flowery dress, and this fall with tights (and same flowery dress with a biker jacket). Sadly, they are priced way out of my league. Here's the link via Camp Comfort blog.

Minneapolis

2009-07-14T17:26:00.001-07:00

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Pix from my recent trip to Minneapolis over the 4th of July. From the top: Walker Sculpture Garden, Java Jack's Coffee house (great bostock pastries and lattes), the cafe in the Swedish Institute, "waitress" on the way to dinner in downtown. The last two pics: The Staghead (great Belgian beers) and a church in Red Wing, MN

Behind the scenes

2009-07-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Making food pretty (for the October issue) doesn't necessarily mean the making part is pretty. From our photo shoot last week.