arrived: lauren manoogian's shark bangle from totokaelo - such great simple + beautiful packaging.

a.p.c. now sells quilts here as a project started by jessica ogden + jean touitou. it was inspired by the years of archived a.p.c. fabrics available to work with and trying to find a way to recycle them. all of the quilts have been handstitched by indian women from the bangladore region of india. so beautiful. i want this one.

i squeezed in 5 hours of fun work after... well, real work. turns out better tools make me much more efficient. sharing with you the plan as it were some months ago:



here, somewhat realized on the living room floor:



now? totally different. it was feeling a little too rigid to me after some contemplation - too straight forward. i've alternated strips to create more movement by breaking-up the grid-like foundation. it's so much more work but i think it's on its way to looking better. pics to come.

rainy day activities consist of:

1. putting together a little package

2. selling things on ebay here and here
3. making meatballs for italian wedding soup

it's absolutely fall - mornings are foggy with warm sunshine in the early afternoons, and the air is refreshingly brisk. and wow, the days are noticeably shorter! usually i come home and have enough time to leisurely cook while taking photographs of the process. unfortunately, i now only have enough natural light to get me through prep and if i'm somewhat well-versed in the recipe, i can maybe squeeze in pic of the end product. no such luck tonight with first time risotto. i only managed to zest a lemon and get the ingredients...



dear mascarpone, how have we never met until now?




the result of first time risotto? a piqued curiosity for mushroom risotto.

a hefty pile of marjoram, oregano, and parsley...



are now mowed herbs for ratatouille

i awoke to rain this morning and gleefully took the opportunity to stay in after a morning at the farmer's market. with my tendency to harbor great guilt for staying indoors when the sun is shining, rain suddenly becomes my favorite excuse to stay at home and do pretty much nothing. cozy blanket? good book? mint tea? pumpkin pumcho? check, check, check, check!

someone practices the violin with the windows open - and while i'm an avid supporter of and believer in the arts, my ears cry.

was jewelry always this exciting?

1. arielle de pinto - showpiece from her site
2. lizzie fortunato - mad men 1 necklace from anica
3. samma - study in balance necklace from maryam nassir zadeh
4. lauren manoogian - palms necklace from maryam nassir zadeh

matryoshka pepper

i visited john chambers and his wife sanae at their home + studio in sebastopol, ca this weekend. i had the pleasure of catching up with them while sipping sanae's homemade apple cider and practically devouring her fresh persimmon bread. i'm an eater, what can i say. as is typical of my annual visit, i ended up leaving with john's stoneware (which i love).

for me, the best part about taking a walk at dusk is:

1. glowy light
2. air turning slightly crisper
3. smelling what everyone's cooking for dinner

notes

+ research

fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with nutmeg ricotta topped with early girl tomato sauce - labor intensive to make, but still so delicious. no pic of the final antipasta as i ate them too quickly! 

ahhh... shorter hair. i'm enjoying my new bob since the horrible haircut i got which vaguely resembled a mullet. no good. i'm also enjoying my heather grey isabel marant t-shirt by wearing it way too much.

mike outgazpachoed me. mmm, so yummy, so good. mike, won't you make another batch sometime soon?