secret loves?

I'm having two love affairs, at present.

Don't worry; Todd already knows about them. And he doesn't seem to be upset with me.

The first one is with Muji. Are you familiar? Straight-talking, really good-looking, sexy, and Japanese. I spend as much time with Muji as I can, sneaking off whenever I can get away.


Ok, Muji is a store, actually. They manufacture inexpensive, clean designs with a contemporary, no-nonsense aesthetic. I love their office supplies (especially the notebooks and sketchbooks), housewares (the clean and simple dishes and glassware), and even their clothing has a wonderful modern-but-natural/recycled aesthetic that I adore. I'm gradually accumulating a Muji lifestyle, I think: my alarm clock, favorite washcloth, most comfortable T-shirt, and many of my favorite items in the studio all came from Muji. And while I used to have to travel to the MoMA store or their single downtown location to get my Muji fix, now I'm discovering little shops popping up all over the place: near my dentist in the Flatiron district, just off Times Square around the corner from my favorite fabric shops...it's so great! Ah, Muji, my not-so-secret love...

My second big love affair is with Mark Bittman. No I'm not sleeping with him. But I'm certainly cooking with the guy. Man after my heart, I tell you. Not only do I still adore his cookbook (he has many others, by the way; does he have little elves who staff his test kitchens around the clock? How is he possibly generating all these articles, recipes and books???), but he does his cooking in a genuine (i.e. tiny) New York kitchen and, true to the name of his New York Times column ("the minimalist") stocks it with only the necessities. Oh, and he blogs, too; how can I not love him?


I think I'm gradually cooking my way through Bittman's book, but at present I'm obsessed with Bechamel sauce (and it's myriad uses) and Korean pancakes. Try them: we all adore them over here.

My favorite Bittman piece of all time? Right here. In it, the Minimalist discusses the tools you really need in your kitchen. I've been meaning to write this same piece for sewing; really, who needs all those crazy gadgets?

Stay tuned; I will do it soon, I promise.

In the meantime, I think I'll do a good old-fashioned swoon for my two love affairs. Aren't they charming and wonderful?

at least I'm consistent

January is a great month, in my opinion; my apologies if you disagree. At the beginning of the new year, we've all taken stock of our lives, everyone is a little more relaxed following the holidays, and it's a great opportunity to catch up with dear friends. We can relax into our routines a bit and get cozy in our houses during the cold weather. I love to cook in January, and it's even better to cook for friends.

This year, between that amazing plane landing, the inauguration, and some seriously cold, snowy weather, January has been even better than usual. Were it not for the fact that I'm swamped with work, I'd be skipping down the sidewalk on my way to Tsia's preschool every day. So I'm still here but just a little busy right now. I'll be checking in periodically for another week or two, probably. Then I hope to be here more regularly again.

In the meantime, we recently discovered two great picture books I had to show you. I have certain criteria for picture books: the story and illustrations both have to be equally great. No whimpy stories in exchange for great illustrations, please! It's not so easy to find them, I think.


I came across this book, Little Red, at the library the other day. I'm not a big fan of fairy tales, truthfully. Again, the story has to be good to make a book worthwhile, and I think there are many better stories these days than the original tales. But I enjoyed this re-telling; it retains a bit of the scariness mixed with lots of humor and wit. And, of course, great illustrations.


And then there was this book, Iggy Peck, Architect. Someone blogged about it a while ago; who was it? Love it. Written in verse, a good story and really clever. I love the mid-century modern feel of the illustrations.

But until I grabbed the two books tonight it didn't occur to me that they share they same illustrator: David Roberts. Different authors, very different stories, and completely different illustration styles. But the same illustrator. Love that. And love that Little Red is the third fairy tale Mr. Roberts has retold with his sister, Lynn Roberts.

I need to look for more books involving Mr. Roberts. And Ms. Roberts, too. Good stuff.

clean slate

How great is this wallpaper? Once it's up, you or your child, or your entire family, can create art for the frames. I love the idea of painting or drawing directly on the wallpaper, but I'm sure you could also tape or glue onto the wallpaper if you weren't sure you wanted it to be so permanent. It could be a fun way to showcase children's school work. Or an fun alternative to a bulletin board in an office or studio.


It sort of reminds me of this Sharpie-decorated basement that you may already have seen. I seem to recall also seeing some clever Sharpie-decorated kitchen cabinets someplace recently.

I think that, personally, I'd feel more confident of my own drawing abilities than my ability to hang wall paper, so I'd probably be inclined to draw frames directly on the wall than to purchase the wallpaper. (But then, I've never wallpapered while I've certainly drawn on walls.)

You can purchase the wallpaper here. What would you do with it?

what I did over Christmas break

The answer? This:


Really. That about sums it up. Tsia's school was closed for 1 1/2 weeks, so we ran errands, read books, had a playdate or two, and wrapped up a few things at the studio. But I seem to be obsessed with these hexagon quilts, as evidenced by a recent rearranging of S's room.

I think I've mentioned before that we share our bedroom with Dr. S. We've divided it with a bookcase, which offers a small degree of privacy. But initially I thought she should have the window for the natural light and fresh air. Turns out that side of the room is too cold for someone who kicks the blankets off all night. So we swapped sides a while ago, which necessitated the removal of the doll quilts from where they hung.


Instead of re-hanging them all, I decided a little restraint would be better. And it was entirely unintentional, but somehow only the hexagon quilts landed back on the wall, along with one of my Mom's baby dresses and some stitching that S has been doing.


What happened to the other doll quilts? Well, currently they're acting as princess-and-the pea mattresses for Teddy's clementine-crate bed.

So what should I make with the newest hexagon quilt? Please don't say "place mat," or something like that. And it's not becoming a full quilt, by any means. Other ideas?