I've been day dreaming about autumn a lot lately. It's my favorite season. I love the crispness of the air, the sense of anticipation about the holidays, the food, the clothing, the colors. I've always wanted to run off and spend the season somewhere in Vermont drinking apple cider, riding a bike on country roads, and building a fire every night. We don't get much of an experience here in LA. It goes from hot to sort of chilly...aaaaand that's about it. It's hard to get in the spirit of things when you're surrounded by palm trees and it's 82 degrees on Halloween. Certain seasons are just meant to be experienced in certain places.
Not being one for summer fashions, I can't wait to break out the scarves, boots, and jackets. One of the best moments of autumn? Seeing your breath for the first time. I used to get so excited about that as a kid. It meant change and excitement were on the horizon. Oh, to be a child (jumping in a pile of leaves) again...
Last weekend we discovered another little gem close to home. I'd been hearing some chatter within the blogosphere about Broome Street General Store and when I realized how close it is...well, no excuses not to visit. It's an absolutely charming little place tucked away on Rowena Avenue in Silverlake. I love the patio area out front complete with a white fence and lavender. Inside you'll find all kinds of goodies from tasty treats to vintage bits and pieces. Everything from old to new is so beautifully displayed that you just want to spend a good hour looking around the place. I was all over the vintage letterpress paraphernalia. We tried the verbena mint iced tea which was delightful and you shouldn't leave without one of their chocolate custards (with caramel on the bottom...ooo!). It's such a great place for a little summer gathering.
How Luke and I had not eaten at Proof Bakery in Atwater Village is a real mystery. We're right down the road and it is seriously tasty. One bit of advice: go early in the day. We showed up a little late in the game so most of the goodness had already been snatched for the day. Fortunately, there were still a few goodies to be had! Luke got the lemon meringue cake and I got a little fruit tart. Mmm! The orange juice was also very delicious. We're going to head back over there one morning when the place is packed full of new treats.
The other day, Luke and I decided we wanted some treats so we made our way over to Le Pain Quotidien. They have the most delicious (and legit) Belgian waffles. Mmm! I always get their lightly sweetened lemonade with mint leaves. The tartine pictured below is also very tasty for summertime as it's served cold and it comes with a spicy tahini sauce that is glorious. Their desserts are pretty irresistible too. I'm partial to the fruit tarts but they also have cookies the size of my head. I kid you not. Luke and I tend to be creatures of habit when it comes to ordering at restaurants so we almost always get the same things here but there are lots of tasty-sounding options on the menu. I also love that LPQ labels their vegan/vegetarian option as SO many restaurants don't do this. Anyway, they have locations worldwide if you want to get in on some of the waffle goodness. How could you not!?
And now it's hot. I've been burning up all day. Turning the window unit off and on. Working with a piping hot laptop on your body doesn't help either. I actually grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, wrapped it in a dish towel and laid it under my computer. Ahh, refreshing. This is only the beginning and I'm dreading the rising temperatures. Everyone thinks LA has marvelous weather year round but I'd prefer to head north in the summer. It gets pretty sweltering and the sun is merciless. It's no wonder we have so many yogurt shops everywhere. I'm craving nothing but cold foods. Sushi, sorbet, lemonade, potato salad. What are your summer weather cravings?
I have been getting to bed way too late this weekend. It's good and bad. Lots of ideas and have been floating around in my head which is such a refreshing change of pace but can really keep me up at night. I've always had trouble getting to sleep because my brain just doesn't like to settle down when the rest of my body does. Without other distractions, my brain goes crazy with all of the attention. Anyway, what a groggy morning. I needed this waiting on the side of the bed for me when I woke up. Not just today but, um, everyday. Ok, thanks.
I came across this A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Mondrian inspired cake design today. I want this at my next party. As a bit of a Mondrian nerd (I did a big project on his work when I was in college) I am totally smitten. Also, check out the ridiculously perfect cake interior! How is this even possible!? Cakes to Remember (based in Boston), rock on, just rock. on.
On a hilarious side note, any run of the mill grocery store cake would look gorgeous and delicious next to these monstrosities. Thank you, Cake Wrecks for adding some much needed chuckles to my day. I had to share these. Enjoy the wreckage!
When your daughter's bowling themed cake goes very, very wrong.
Not the kind of baby shower "cuteness" the guests were hoping for...
...and I'm not hungry anymore. No one wants to see where the food ends up after the party.
Nice work, but once again...no entrails on my plate. Thanks. Images via Cake Wrecks
I made a big batch of cupcakes to take to a party that didn't end up happening. I got the call right as I put them in the oven. So there has been a lot of cupcake snacking going on around here. Not the greatest light for food photography but it was what I had to work with at the time. And yes, this one was eaten shortly after the picture was taken.
Ok, I just keep on finding incredibly cool tea related design. This very cool design was created by Yuree S. Lim and Jieun Yang. Tea coaster art? Why not?! Check these babies out!
Last week, Luke and I went to Chado's Tea Room in Pasadena. They have a great selection of teas and the cranberry orange scones are super tasty. Chado's also sells loads of tea paraphernalia but most of it looks like something you might find in a 90 year old cat lady's cottage. Pink knitted tea cozies and way over the top floral, um, everything. Not really my style at all! We do tea in a more minimalist, streamlined, Jetson's sort of way. Which brings me to my post.... While Chado's had way too much unfortunate granny chic-ness going on, they did have a pretty good selection of Bee House tea goodies. I love this Japanese line of highly functional, no frills teaware. They make everything from creamers, sugar pots, coffee items, iced tea pitchers, and every shape and size of teapot (in loads of colors to boot)!
Here's the small size teapot complete with loose leaf basket. Image via Tea Total
Pitchers (great shape and flow to these) Image via Decorology
Unfortunately, I don't own a Bee House teapot yet. Although there is something pretty cool sitting on the kitchen counter right now. Behold, the Sorapot! This was one of those things that Luke "had to have" about two years ago and I definitely agree that it's probably one of the coolest teapots around these days. It's made out of 304 stainless steel, borosilicate glass (Pyrex), and food-grade silicone. Check it out!
I'd have to say that the wine aisle in the grocery may just be my favorite. Not because I'm a raging wine guzzler but because I absolutely LOVE looking at the creative array of labels. Sometimes when I really can't decide between two similar wines, I'll typically go with the more interesting or design savvy label. Seriously, people, it pays to brand WELL. That being said, here are some of my favorite creative labels.
Inkwell Wine’s Rorschach-Inspired Wine Bottles: What do YOU see? Image via TheCoolList
Boarding Pass Shiraz: Just. Plain. Clever. I love the instructional portion! As if we didn't know...cheeky. Image via TheCoolList
Shefa Profusion Wine "Shefa" translates to "Profusion" in Hebrew and the designer has really played up the Middle Eastern feel in a fantastic modern way. Image via TheCoolList
Churchill's Wines: I love the aerial images of the vineyards. It's a great mixture of a very graphic design with a strong personal connection to the land. Image via Designer Daily
Four Sisters: I've been a big fan of this winery's label design for a long time. The curvature of the silhouettes is so elegant and well executed. Image via wine.com
Monte Oton: I love the playful geometry and typography of this label. Image via gopherwine.com
Nabuko: Not only are the colors great but the rough abstracted drawing of the grapes is what really gets me. The clean type is always a plus. Image via prime.premiergroup
Orin Swift "Papillon": Match made in heaven...for me at least. B/W photography, hands, high contrast??? Sign me up! This one literally jumped off the shelf at me.
Educated Guess: Clever. It seems like the art of winemaking could be just about as complicated as their label design. Image via Popsop.com
Root:1: Simple, nice integration of type and graphic. The root design really helps to visually elongate the bottle itself. Image via Global Package Gallery
