Back from the North

We're back! We got back yesterday afternoon... the day was spent at the beach and watching 3 movies in a row... Our trip was SOOO nice. We left at 8 in the morning and began our 2 hour trip north to Dalton Winery. After that we went to another winery (i forgot the name...) and then to Golan Heights Winery which was about to close. oops. However, they did suggest a kibbutz for us to lunch eat at, and it was perfect.

After our food we drove down to Kinneret to where we were to stay the night. It was really nice. We had a view of the Sea of Galilee.

I took more photos on erik's camera and will get them on computer soon... my camera battery died and so I was only able to take photos of the, um, important things.... like food...hee

Baking and Packing

I made beer bread last night. I love making beer bread because...well... it's just so easy. This one had black olives and sunflower seeds. We are leaving early tomorrow for our trip up north. We're going to stop off at a few wineries on the way, so it'll be an early start for us. There's something fun about packing for a trip... even if it's one night. Although...I'm realizing that if I could go back in time 4 months ago and knock on the door of 2343 Clipper Street, I would say to the Zoe in the past, " you know Zoe... as much as i also love that sequined top, and that silk dress, and heck, even that lace-y cardigan-y thing that you haven't worn in a year... I doubt you'll be needing them in Israel. In fact... I don't think you'll need THREE winter coats...but hey... it's up to you..."


I probably wouldn't have listened to my future self anyway, and would still be stuck with this closet full of clothes that are lovely to look at (and believe me, i actually do sit and stare at them...) Don't get me wrong... i love my clothes... i may even have an unhealthy obsession with them that come the day I have children, they may have competition...



I just don't know how much I'll be wearing it all. Oh well...
In other news.... the HOT (hee hee) guy came today and installed cable!!! TV!!!! (I hope this doesn't put an end to my closet gazing..)

Crafty Morning

I got the machine to work! Yippers!!! It's Erik's machine, and I was amazed at how crappy mine was... You mean, a sewing machine isn't supposed to break down every 5 minutes?? I think when we move back it's time for me to get a new one... The one I have back in storage was bought 10 years ago from Bradlees. When Bradlees was still around. Anyway, it felt GREAT to be sewing again. I made a case for my crochet hooks from some Denise Schmidt fabric I had.


I then made this bag with a matching mini bag.


I'm not used to the machine's zipper foot, so I struggled a little with it...hence the bulgey-ness of it.


We're staying in a cabin up by the Sea of Galilee on Wednesday (another Jewish holiday, Sukkot is this week). This bag will be perfect for transporting my projects.

Sew Excited

I'm going to attempt to set up the sewing machine today... I bought a transformer plug while i was home and hope hope hope it works...I had Erik look at it and he knows about those kind of electronical things so I have the "ok" to plug it in. My plan for the day is to make a case for my crochet and knitting needles ( Konrad! i found some!!!). So i'd like to have a quiet day listening to the Decemberists, drinking coffee and sewing...

Todd Oldham

Todd Oldham has agreed to be the new creative director of Old Navy. Goshles... if only this happened a few months ago... I think he's great. I loved loved loved him on House of Style. I bought a skirt of his about 10 years ago, back when he still did clothes... i still have it... however, i doubt i would get it past my knees, it was tiny. Oh I hope that things go well there... not just for him, but for all the people working there.... they deserve it. I'm also hoping that his background and love of textiles and design will bring more attention to the CAD textile department.....

Orange you fun

I'm hearting this orange pinafore with tights...Perhaps soon I will be able to wear something other than my gym clothes and flip flops... Thank god I'm not a celebrity...I'd be all over US Weekly " Wow... she really has let herself go..."

Quiet

Yesterday was Yom Kippur. Everything was closed... everything. There were no cars out either... none. ( well, ok we saw one police car) It was as if the world was taken over by small children on bikes wearing helmets. It was scary... they were like gangs...riding around in their bike gangs... Kids were riding on the highway... THE HIGHWAY!! So, I did too.



It was such a bizaare, strange experience. Everything was so quiet and peaceful. I'm glad we were here for it. Definitely something that you would only see here.

Guess who....

Giggi has been emailing us more photos, and i LOVE them!!!!! hee hee... can you guess who this is?

Family

This morning I was driving to the grocery store and 2 radio stations were playing Leonard Cohen... and i thought... hmm that's weird... I then later realized that today is his birthday. Listening to him made me think of my family, we all like Leonard Cohen and listen to him when we're all home. That brought me to thinking about how incredibly lucky I am to have the family that I do. They are the bestest. And each one is a best friend. When I was working in San Francisco they flew out to visit me. I got a call from Konrad saying he was one block away... and as i was walking downstairs, Sheila and Len phoned to say that they were also a block away in the other direction. As I got outside I looked left and saw Sheila and Len, I looked right and saw Konrad. It was raining and we all had umbrellas. We ran to each other in a massive hug. Sheila remarked how it was just like the scene in Zadie Smith's On Beauty when the kids all run into each other. That moment was the best birthday present.

Perfect-ness

There's something really lovely about this photo. I'm liking this length...
photo from here.

Stitches and More...

Our bedroom so far, has not one ounce of decoration in it... even the blanket on the bed isn't even big enough to cover it ( I will eventually make a quilt...) So I thought I'd practice embroidery and make pillows at the same time. I will probably crop it and do a border around the center part in a darker color... I'm questioning whether yellow gingham was the right choice, but I've only got what I've got... We'll see...I'm hoping this won't be one of those projects that sits. and sits. and sits... I'd also kind of like to embroider this motif all along the hem of a full white linen skirt...hmmmm


Oh! in other news.... that shoe shop that I love in the mall is having a sale to get rid of summer shoes... so i went to, um, look. I rode my bike to the mall and somehow made it back with 2 pairs of shoes in my basket...

Two pairs, for $25.


Yes, twenty five dollars... down from $60 each. it would be been wrong not to get them. They needed a home.

Coasting Along

I made these coasters last night. Because it gets so hot here, any cold drink will immediately start sweating on the table, and then drip on you. Great. I crocheted these squares out of cotton which works well, and they are dark enough not to get messy. I get nervous when 'someone'..ahem... drinks red wine on my yellow table cloth.... I then needle felted these little balls for the corners. Today will be a day for embroidery.
And perhaps another market trip...

If Only....

If only I were good at baking, I would wear full skirts and high heels all the time and open my own bakery. Or a chocolaterie...like Juliet Binoche in the film Chocolat. I love watching the film... and I mean really watching. Everything is lovely to look at... and Johnny Depp isn't too bad either...



Miette is also a perfect place on earth...

the Patisserie and the Confiserie.

TopShop

The dress on the left is Celia Birtwell for TopSHop. She is an amazing textile designer...with the kind of work history that one only dreams of. While I was in Heathrow on my way back here I picked up the latest Elle magazine which included a free canvas bag with a Celia Birtwell design printed on it. It's become my new beach bag. The dress on the right is also from TopShop (however, not Celia Birtwell). I want to put on this dress, some yellow heels, a mini cardigan, and some bright red lipstick.

Saltwater

I love these pieces from Saltwater. The photos are styled in a very Anthropologie way. They make me want to go live on a farm and wear hand knitted cardies and stripey woollen socks that fall down as I run outside looking for the goats...

I love Mail!

I got a package from my mom last night. Lovelyness!! It had some books, and some watercolor paper. I was never one for watercolor... it was too fussy for me and I couldn't make enough of a mess. Or rather, I made too much of a mess. So I thought that this would be a great time to get better at it. I had been practicing every week on normal paper which was a pain. Today I tried with real watercolor paper. It was a lot nicer...but my painting...eh...


I keep hearing Napoleon Dynamite's voice "It took me like 3 hours to finish the shading on your upper lip...." snort. I think I may stick to abstracts...

Attempt #1...with more to come...

So i decided to try my hand at baking here... which may sound simple. Not so much when you're not sure what ingredients you buying. Flour was easy... butter... not as easy, but not impossible. Where my problem was turned out to be was the milk. We usually drink soy milk so I didn't have real milk in the house. I thought a bought a small container... but... ew yuckers, ickles.... it was like sour cream/plain yogurt disguised at milk. But despite that I made biscuits with swiss and shallots. (and soy milk) Hurray!! time to get tubby with baked goods!

Breakfast with Acapulco

Every morning we have breakfast together. The weekends are more elaborate, while the weekdays are Special K and mango. My favorite part of breakfast (or any meal really) is the set up and the dishes. (admiring, not washing...) Growing up we had Villeroy & Boch Acapulco cups and saucers.


You know how as a child certain things stick with you? like a particular pattern of a shirt, or the wallpaper on your bedroom wall. I kept remembering that saucer...way after it was broken and gone. Recently I found them online and got one for my mother for her birthday. And now... I would like one... perhaps when I'm back in the states...and can then use my parents house as my storage for breakables!

Autumn Leaves

I'm not sure what it's like the the states now, but it's still pretty hot here... the nights cool down, but the days remain wicked hot. I'm going to miss all sorts of fall-y things. I suppose my 2 years in California prepared me a bit. It seems that I'll be doing a bit more of this for a while... I can't complain.



All photos from here.

Accessorize Fun

Erik and I booked a trip for his 31st birthday in November. I'm so spilling over with excitement, shrieking every now and then, and then running around like a hyper-active 5 year old. We are going to Amsterdam for 5 days and then on to London for another 4. I've never been to Amsterdam, so I have some researching to do. While in London we'll stay with Giggi, and when I'm not at her house, I'll be at TopShop or Accessorize gazing at these lovely things...
On another note, I had my very first Hebrew lesson this morning! I have a lot of studying ahead of me... there was quite a bit of information on my first go. Towards the end, my head got muddled (it's been a while since it's had to do anything difficult...) and I was answering "what is your name?" with " I am from Connecticut" Eh... good thing I brought flash cards...

Giggles from Giggles

My grandmother Giggi sent these photos to all of us ( my parents and brother). The first is a photo of Konrad and me on Christmas morning when we got our Spanish guitars...notice the hairstlyes... or lack there of. This photo is me and my dad, Len. It was LA in the 70's....

Hankies

I love Hankerchiefs and collect them (is that gross??). While in college I did an independent study on quilting and made a quilt of all vintage hankies. I found some new-er ones here.

Space for Living

This week I'm trying to get our living room decorated. It's a wonderful room, full of light, very airy, lots of potential. I have much to work with. I love these ideas from Living Etc .

Perfect Day

Yesterday was a lovely-ovely day! We drove to a winery, Tishbi, which was sooo nice. You can bring a container and fill up your own olive oil, or wine. Outside was a beautiful area where you can eat and drink wine under a canopy of vines. We managed to pick up some wine and Roshashana gifts for our supper hosts. Pomegranates, honey and apples are all very meaningful in this holiday (I learned this later... at first I was like, wow... pomegranates sure are in now...silly girl). We then drove to Ceasarea in hopes of finding some lunch.


However, everything was closed. We found a bar where the bartenders were about to close up and were eating their own lunches. We asked them if there was anywhere nearby that we could find food. They insisted they we take one of their hotdogs. Hee! We then later managed to get another snack at a nearby hotel. We then began our journey north to the town of Shimshit ( seriously, that's the name...there were many giggles in the car... we are very mature...)


We had been invited by one of Erik's colleagues to his sister's family's house for the new year dinner. I was so taken by how thoughtful and kind it was of them to invite 2 American strangers into their house to share this holiday. We had a great time, and ate a ton. All in all it was a perfect day filled with new places, new people, and lots of kindness.

Tootles!

It's my bedtime here, actually about 2 hours past (it's 11...i know, i'm lame) We are on holiday here for Roshashana, so tomorrow i'll be travelling up north to see one of Erik's colleagues for supper. More when I get back!

Time with Monsters

I feel as though this day is flying. I spent hours on the computer trying to come up with some designs and they all were icky poo. So then I sat and stared at my hankerchiefs for a while wishing I had a scanner and wishing i could just go design hankies... and then I thought...maybe I'd rather paint... so I picked up on some small ones I had started a while ago.


A new monster one is in the works! and I've got to get back to my monster t-shirts...unfortunately all of my blanks t-shirts are in storage...crapples....