Weekly Love Letter for January 31, 2014

[ezcol_1half]

 

 

   

“This was a week of interesting firsts.  I tried some new food this week in the form of Hawaiian pancakes.  To me, maple syrup is an integral part of the pancake experience, and these panckes had an icing-type topping on them.  Not my cup of tea.  I’m more of a savory breakfast person, what about you?  

 

I also went to my first yoga class in Japan at a community center near our apartment.  It was mostly 60+ year old Japanese women, and I was REALLY impressed with their flexibility!  They kicked my butt (although I’ll admit to not being in terrific shape right now…).  

 

And yesterday, I made my first tortelloni with my absolutely lovely Italian friend that lives on our apartment building.  It’s not the easiest pasta shape to make, and we eventually switched over to ravioli.  I prefer the filling-to-pasta ratio better in ravioli, anyway!

 

What about you?  Did you have any firsts this week?”

 

*I’m DREAMING of drinking wine and eating tapas from this gorgeous Spanish table-with-a-view.  Wow.  Just wow.  Anyone know where I can find this place?

 

 

*Have you ever been to a Japanese cocktail bar or whiskey bar?  They’re amazing experiences.  The bartenders really take their jobs seriously and their concoctions are an art form.  Serious Eats published an article about the Tokyo cocktail scene, and I plan on crossing all of these off my list.  Whether you live here or you’re visiting Tokyo (which I firmly believe everyone should do in their lifetime) or you just love cocktail culture, this article is interesting. 

 

*I’ve been drooling over this watercolor tray all week.  Except it’s entirely too pretty to actually PUT anything on.  I don’t care; I still want it.  Along with about half of Up in the Air Somewhere’s shop.

[/ezcol_1half]

[ezcol_1half_end]

 

 

 

“Remember last week when I was all “oh, I signed up for a half marathon and I haven’t started training, but I will!”?  I LIED.  I haven’t started.  On the plus side, I scored a punch card for a juice bar.   So, I’m sure a bit of cold-pressed kale is going to really throw my training schedule into alignment!

 

On a slightly different topic: how do you plan for your vacations?  I’m more of a “go now while you can” person, but I know there are people who actually do things like ‘save’ and ‘plan a year in advance’.  It’s not my style, but I would love to learn some more about how I too can have that kind of organization!  How do you do it?  Any tips?  That half marathon I mentioned is happening in HAWAII, so I’m going to need some advice over here, stat.”

 

* A local photo shop is shutting down and taking their tintype portrait studio with them.  While I sell an organ trying to get a spot, I’m really enjoying this series of modern actors photographed at Sundance using the same method.

 

* Smitten Kitchen ALWAYS hits it out of the park- I just used her recipe to make my Homemade Dark Chocolate Oreos!   But the recipe for Homemade Dulce de Leche she posted this week makes me nostalgic in the best way: it reminds me of Mexican black and white tiled kitchens, sitting at the table spreading cajeta on warm, thick bread.  Definitely making it soon.

 

* For someone who loves heart shapes year-round, the next few weeks are my awards season.  So many ideas for incorporating hearts into the every day!  I especially love this cute heart headband made out of my favorite: felt!

[/ezcol_1half_end]

  

 

Don’t forget our giveaway!  It’s still running over with Christina at Sweet Lavender Bakeshoppe!  She also has a coupon code for 10% off our Etsy shop.  Both end on Sunday night, so enter now!

 

We were featured as “Crafty Superstars” on the website Cut Out and Keep.  Check it out to read our interview and see what projects we posted!

 

We created a fun Valentine for Buzzfeed’s 40 Unconventional Valentine’s Day Cards roundup.

 

Cheap Recipe Blog tried Carla’s Avgolemono Soup while hunting for a recipe for a cooking competition party.

 

Top Inspired called our DIY Mint Lip Duo a Top 10 Best DIY Mint Beauty Product!

 

We discovered Man Made when they linked up to Alyssa’s DIY Ombre Wine Cork Trivet.  We love the concept of a DIY site geared toward a male customer!  Guys like to make stuff, too.