Design

I had a great weekend! Chris and I randomly started cleaning out the garage on Saturday. We purged, took items to Goodwill, organized, found items to sell on eBay, and then headed into the house and thoroughly cleaned. Ah, spring cleaning! It is almost as though spring cleaning should be done spontaneously. We even did all the laundry. It felt great to accomplish so much together. At the end of the night I made Chris’ favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.

mmm...chocolate chip cookies

I have been making this recipe for years, but rather than type it up, I also found it recently posted here. My notes on how I alter this recipe: I use 2 cups of chocolate chips. I bake both cookies sheets at the same time and switch which rack they are on at about 6 1/2 to 7 minutes in to the baking time. I also make smaller cookies (use 1 Tablespoon) to form each ball. Mine look chewier (and are chewier) than the picture on the recipe link.

Since we worked so hard on Saturday, Sunday felt laid back, AND while we had moments of snow flurries, what we also had is SUN. Gosh how we Portlanders fill with glee when the sun comes out. It was perfect. For most of the afternoon, my studio had sun. It was bright and I was inspired. So, between yummy brunch and my run, I painted for quite a few hours. I finished a painting and have almost finished another.

newly finished painting...

I will post the other painting once I finish it. Happy Monday! Do something creative today!

Recently I was in Ojai, California visiting a great friend and her husband. Oh my, Ojai is quite the town. I have been before, but it was different this time. I can still remember the amazing farmers market. Yes, Portland has excellent farmers’ markets, but most are not year around, and there are not four kinds of avocados and a variety of citrus fruits in February. Did you know there is variety of avocado called: Bacon? AND, there are purple and white carrots? Who knew! Can you also believe that I had my very first Tamale? Also, quite amazing.

purple and white carrots!!

We ventured just a few blocks from my friend’s house to Modern Folk Living, an inspiring boutique that is my kind of store! I found a necklace that I could not take my eyes off of (or take off at all for that matter). For years I have wanted a turquoise and brown necklace of sorts. I did not know in my mind what it would look like, but I knew I would know when I saw it. Well, I found the necklace and I knew it was the one. Les Bohemiennes is the name of the label and it turns out my necklace is one of a kind. It has many strands of turquoise beads from Africa (you can Where’s Waldo the the solo orange bead found on the left side when the below picture is enlarged). The beads are attached to soft, brown leather, and the craftsmanship connecting the beads to the leather is outstanding. The end result = happy Tami!

my one-of-a-kind Les Bohemiennes necklace

You can find more pictures of the different types of necklaces by going to the blog on the Les Bohemiennes website. The shop on the site is under construction, but if you are in Santa Barbara be sure to check out: Plum Goods on State Street, or Modern Folk Living in Ojai. You will not be disappointed!