Modern Cave Woman

I will spare my reasons for another post because I do not feel ready to put them down in e-ink yet. Nevertheless, it's been an interesting past seven months, and while the journey has just begun, I am about to start a new 21 day journey into the Paleo world. Yes, that's right, I'm going to eat like a man from the Paleolithic era for 21 days. Go ahead, denounce it and call me crazy.

It's going to a a crazy and probably emotionally laced journey in which I try to resist all the things I've grown to love (maybe too much). Those things would be all common carbs, legumes, sugar, and dairy products. What does that leave me with? Lots of meat, seafood, eggs, and green things. Goodbye delicious Thai food and Dim Sum (which I have ironically set up a mass group meeting for tomorrow morning-- to torture myself), hello bacon.

Before you totally decide I'm off my rocker, let me leave you with an awesome paleo recipe for Brussels sprouts.





Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/2 large onion (white is what I used)
4 strips thick cut smoked bacon
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Take your sprouts and cut the large ones in half and leave the small ones in tact. Steam your sprouts lightly. Take a pan and cook your bacon in it. Once it has turned brow but is not yet crispy, remove it from the pan (do NOT discard the oil) and cut it into small pieces. Finely chop the onion and add it to the bacon oil pan. Cook on medium heat until the onions turn translucent. Add the sprouts, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. When the sprouts are warm and slightly golden add the bacon, stir, and you're done!

Yum. One thing Paleo does is let you eat tons of animal fat. It sounds counter intuitive but you'll just have to read up on it to discover why it works!

I'm Listening

Do you ever feel like you're completely displaced from your own body? It's almost like you're watching a movie and that main character happens to be you living in an out of body experience. I had an evening like that. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be more grounded and push out a DIY or maybe I'll post a new recipe for you guys. Currently my sanity is being kept via the sole action of running. But hey, enjoy the music and keep on listening. :)

DIY Designer Pillows

For the longest time I had a brand new, gorgeous, grey couch and no pillows to adorn it. Months ago I had found some gorgeous designer pillows for my friends apartment, alas they were $100 a piece. I tracked down the fabric and we made two pillows for half the price of one. I travel four days a week and desperately wanted the perfect pillows. So, I went out and bought the perfect fabric but never got around to buy zippers... until this weekend. Follow me, step by step, and learn how to make some designer style pillows.

Before you start making pillows, you should have some basic knowledge in using a sewing machine. You won't be doing anything but sewing straight lines, but it will involve sewing in an invisible zipper.

Step 1: Find your perfect fabric. Be sure to buy matching invisible zippers. You should also buy some pillow inserts which are available at most fabric stores like Joann's.

Note: Here are some basic guidelines for how much fabric to buy: If your insert pillow is 20"x20" you will want to be able to cut two pieces of fabric that are about 20.5"x20.5". That would mean you'd want a 20"-22" invisible zipper (or however large of a hole you think you'll be able to shove your pillow insert into).

Step 2: Take your fabric and cut rectangles/squares that are the size of the pillow insert + 0.5" on the height and the width. That is a 0.25" seam allowance on each side.

Step 3: If your fabric is a loose weave, or will unravel easily like mine did, you will want to serge the fabric around each side. If you don't own a serger you can simply use the zigzag stitch on a sewing machine to go over the edges.

Step 4: Insert your invisible zipper. There are some great tutorials out there, like this one. You do not need to use an invisible zipper foot to sew an invisible zipper-- it's more on an aid!

Step 5: Finish two edges of the pillow with the right sides together. Unzip the zipper, at least part way (so you can turn it right size out later) and finish the remaining side. Turn the pillow right side out.

Step 6: push the corners out with the point of a scissor, etc.

Step 7: Stuff your pillow insert into the cover, zip up, and enjoy!

Feel free to email me or comment with any questions. If you're a first time user of a sewing machine, you might want to get a more experienced friend to help, and to practice sewing straight lines! My email can be found on this page.

Black & White is Timeless

Why is black and white so timeless in photos? It can be almost an subject that that camera captures, it doesn't matter, time stands still without color, without movement. It's so powerful.

Some photos are from Vogue, some photos are of lost Alaskan ski resorts from the mid 20th century.

Forgotten Suburbia Part 2

I just got back to Washington DC today. It was a rude slap back to reality after waking up at 6:30 AM for the first time in days to 27 degree weather and a gorgeous dusting of snow. I slept on the plane and rolled onto the metro with my huge (40 pound bag) in which I carried my Christmas goodies and clothing from the past month (and boots!). Here's another photo from my suburban adventures. I love how natural all the colors seem and yet how stark the difference is between the nature that surrounds the chain and the industrial chain itself.

Can you imagine what this lock was once for?

Forgotten Suburbia Part 1

After spending so much time in Charlotte and not being able to make it back to New York for quite some time, I had forgotten about the little details of suburbia. While Charlotte may have dulled my senses to the south it heightened them to what I once called "home" and what I now call "home-home". I ran out of time to photograph all of what I was inspired by, I did manage to find 20 minutes to get some things down digitally. More to come in later posts. :)

An abandoned house that was probably once quite grand. It overlooks a lake.

One of These Things is Just Like the Other

What's inspiring you this season? After watching a dozen North Korea videos last night I started to feel oddly inspired by the contrast of the uniforms to traditional Korean dress. I seemed like the perfect picture of change. I know it's strange but I love how for decades Kim Jong Il wore his funny platforms and the drab garb that could be translated into something so completely modern.

A fabulous plane and some naughty nuns. North Korean wear. Can you name the other Asian styles?