Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Shu Umera cleansing oil


i know cleansing and oil sound like paradoxical beauty regime words, but trust me- don't knock it till you've tried it. working at nordstrom a few years ago led me to a stockpile of testers and samples, that admittedly, still clink around the bathroom drawers. "what is this?" i grabbed a mini bottle of this shu umera "wonder liquid" not knowing what to expect and used a little facial pad with a dab of this oil, and "whamo!" stuff came off onto the pad i didn't even know was there. (this is a good thing, although, hard to admit to the general public) even with a (seemingly!) clean face, i was still able to remove something... leaving me to wonder what was being left all those times i thought i was cleaning my face at bedtime.
i want to now get a full size of this stuff- esp. in this dry season, where this cleansing oil seems to be the only thing that wisks away makeup and gunk, but doesn't leave me parched.
have you ever tried it? go here for more info

by the way, the high performance balancing cleansing oil was the one i used for my normal/dry skin

curtains or skirt?


this pretty swirly fabric seemed perfect for an adelaide skirt, or one for me, but i am wondering if they might make fun and whimsical curtains in my kitchen... the problem with them as curtains is that they might lend themselves to the more "country/eclectic look" that i am trying to steer away from... maybe if i paint the walls a slate bluish white? like this Benjamin Moore swatch called "Winterwood"?

maybe if i do such whimsical curtains- it will veer in the opposite direction of  "fresh and modern"?
then again, anything will look more modern than my country butter yellow walls.

Monday, January 18, 2010

another adelaide inspiration..


these paper flowers have been in my mind for over a year, but with the birth of my daughter and thoughts of how to accentuate the whimsical nature of her room, i finally made my first boquet of paper flowers...
there will be more to come. hopefully i will improve and enhance them with each boquet that is made.

i call them adelaide's flowers (how original, i know)


Sunday, January 17, 2010

inspration comes from many places


with Golden Globe wins and worldwide facination and popularity over the movie Julie and Julia, many novice chefs like myself have gone to the source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking to find inspiration, guidance and maybe even a little bit of stardust to add to the daily hum drum of our lives...

as i have dreamt of having my own cooking show with my mom and i, it is fun to watch the Julia Child episodes for the originality and honesty of it all. the Food Network just whizzes by with perfect little ramekins filled with chives and fleur de sal and time lapsed footage where everything turns out perfect. i always thought that if i had a cooking show, it would be to make other cooks feel good about themselves. my soufflé fell! my chocolate creme pie didn't set! onions burned while braising! wait, what is 'braising'?! the viewer would learn what not to do, but also see what to do- eventually. (however long that might take me to get the correct version, who knows?)

after receiving a birthday of special gifts, i got to work: granite rolling pin- of which to make flaky Pâte Brisée
the much awaited and much pined for cast iron casserole pot to make Coq Au Vin


and a funky apron (by Funktion) to make me feel cute while cooking and making a mess...
(this is not me pictured)

so i end with: What inspires you?
Cooking shows? Magazines? Your husband's appetite? Competition of other women (friendly, of course)? French cuisine?  

p.s.> after re-reading this, i smiled to myself thinking how much the title sounds like my son's favorite movie Ratatouille and Gusteau's "Anyone Can Cook" motto. interesting that both Ratatouille and Julia/Julia evoke a sense of "anyone can cook"... guess we all want to be artists in our own way. :)