Monthly Archives: November 2009

tin cans are the best

Written on November 30, 2009 by in Uncategorized

Ugh. Why are the coolest things not for sale (yet?) when I am making my Xmas list?

Loving these tin can toppers from Jack Bresnahan, submitted to the New Designers Show in London. The combo of the tin with the white almost rubbery looking tops is excellent.

I already save (aka “hoarde”) almost every tin can I buy, and have re purposed them into vases and pen holders. See the moustached proof:

I picked up these jar tops from Jorre van Ast last December in the Netherlands, but despite the claims of “universal jar tops” they only seem to work with European jars (and we fortunately have some, but not many).

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jars are the worst

Written on November 30, 2009 by in blocky, everythingistheworst, my artsy stuff, watercolor
3.5″ x5″ watercolor and ink

Seriously. They are. Don’t let them fool you with their “usefulness” and “canning ability. Pure evil.
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holiday ideas from 7X7

Written on November 28, 2009 by in city life, holiday


Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way, it’s real holiday time!

7X7 magazine recently came out with a list of some great holiday ideas for celebrating in San Francisco…or as they dubbed it, “The San Francisco Holiday Survival Guide.”

Here are some of my favs:

3. Stock up on See’s lollypops for stocking stuffers (not to mention the perfect cross- country–flight oral fixation) at Simply Gourmet, Terminal 1. [Love the butterscotch.]

8. The miniature hand-pies from Bike Basket Pies—in apple, apple-cheddar, pumpkin and pumpkin-pecan—are small enough to eat after you’ve sworn you can’t eat another bite. bikebasketpies.com

10. Tartine’s bûche de Noël—a log look-alike made of chocolate chiffon cake and toasted-almond ganache, garnished with meringue mushrooms and pistachio “moss”—is a must. 600 Guerrero St., 415-487-2600, tartinebakery.com

11. Though you could drink the Tiger’s Milk No. 11 any time of year, this concoction of Spanish brandy, rum, sugar, cream and nutmeg seems perfectly appropriate for a rainy night. At Heaven’s Dog, 1148 Mission St., 415-863-6008, heavensdog.com

13. If the idea of combining calvados, amaro, apple butter and lemon strikes you as delicious, sample the Apple Bottoms Up, Hot Buttercup. At Conduit, 280 Valencia St.,
415-552-5200, conduitrestaurant.com

14. Heat up with a Fog Lifter (brandy, amaretto and coffee, topped with whipped cream) to help you shake the winter chill. At Range, 842 Valencia St., 415-282-8283, rangesf.com

17. Ton Kiang/Four Star Theatre
Dim sum first (don’t miss the delicate egg custard tarts), followed by a matinee—this is the gift you give yourself. Four Star Theatre, 2200 Clement St., 415-666-3488, hkinsf.com; 5821 Geary Blvd., 415-752-4440, tonkiang.net

19. Xiao Loong/Empire Theatre
Go to Xiao Loong for the soup dumplings and the Empire for the holiday matinees—tickets are only $7.75 before 2 p.m. Empire Theatre, 85 West Portal Ave., 415-661-2539, cinemark
.com/empire; Xiao Loong, 250 W. Portal Ave., 415-753-5678, xiaoloong.com

21. Tom Taylor and Jerry Goldstein’s home, located up one of the steepest streets in the Castro, is decorated to the kitsch hilt—make the pilgrimage once, and it will become a family tradition. 3650 21st St.

22. Take the guesswork out of everything with Lights of the Valley. This Web site catalogs the best and brightest throughout the Bay area—complete with a Google map—beginning Nov. 27. lightsofthevalley.com

23. If you’re going to do the tree-lighting thing, go old-school: At Macy’s in Union Square on the evening of Nov. 27 (the day after Thanksgiving), artisans’ wares and free entertainment will keep you amused until the 85-foot tree lights up. macys.com/pressroom

25. For a ritual that’s literally “only in San Francisco,” watch 17,000 bulbs light up the four iconic skyscrapers of Embarcadero Center on Nov. 21, preceded by a winter carnival and ice-skating at the Embarcadero Ice Rink. embarcaderocenter.com

26. Proceeds from the sale of trees at the Guardsmen Lot at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion benefit at-risk youth, and they have bouncy houses for the kids and will deliver your tree. 415-771-7747, guardsmen.org

28. Cliff’s Variety has it all—fake trees, tinsel trees, lights, ornaments and scores of last-minute stocking stuffers. 479 Castro St., 415-431-5365, cliffsvariety.com

29. Go guilt-free this year by purchasing a “Christmas tree” from Friends of the Urban Forest and SF Environment. Choose a non-traditional variety (we’re partial to the small-leaf tristania), enjoy it during the season, then give it back to be planted on an SF city block. sfenvironment.com/greenchristmas

31. Hip little Heartfelt in Bernal Heights has every stocking stuffer you never knew your friends needed (Japanese erasers? Vintage dish towels? Kids’ bath toys?). Wrapping is artful and free. 436 Cortland Ave., 415-648-1380, heartfeltsf.com

32. Local website Foodzie is your go-to site for foodie gifts. Artisanal edibles include Rick’s Picks pickled beets, Oakvale Farmstead Gouda and organic Whoopie Pies from
Little Laura’s Sweets. foodzie.com

39. Just when you’ve begun to weary of holiday shopping, the Bazaar Bizarre comes to town, with its cool-kid collection of hand-crafted wares. Dec. 12–13, County Fair Building at Golden Gate Park, bazaarbizarre.com *

43. There’s no better deal than renting a house through VRBO. Where else can you find an old, four-bedroom farmhouse in Bernal Heights for $400 a night, or a Noe Valley Victorian big enough for all the visiting relatives? vrbo.com

49. Hike the seven-mile Dipsea Trail—one way. Have your good friends pick you up in Stinson Beach and then down a round of beers.

50. Get a little culture in with your exercise for one of dozens of architectural walking tours with SF City Guides. sfcityguides.org


* There’s also the Etsy Handmade Ho-down on December 3rd, Drinking and handmade gift shopping? Count me in.


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anthropologie holidays

Written on November 25, 2009 by in inspiration

Bedford Falls collection [click to enlarge] including (clockwise from top left): frozen facets brooch, no-place-like-home flats, dewy meadow tunic, into the village clutch, feathered fancy brooch, collie bird ornament.

I just noticed the holiday collections on Anthropologie’s website, based on Christmas movies. I think they did a great job setting up little vignettes based on the movies, and building collections around them. The Bedford Falls (from It’s a Wonderful Life) and North Pole (from Rudolph??) are tied for my favorites. It may not be a coincidence that those are two of my favorite holiday movies.*

North Pole collection, including (clockwise from top left): branch and twig colored pencils, forest creature belt, tree trunk mug, & boreal beast shot glass, rabbit (moose and deer also available)

Whoville collection, including (top to bottom):Dagney Dachshund & pompom coasters

I am still confused as to what “Londontown” is meant to represent.

Maybe those cheesy British holiday movies, like Love Actually and About a Boy (for which I have an undying, yet slightly embarrassing, affection for)? If anyone figures it out, please let me know!

*Phrases from It’s a Wonderful Life have been adopted into our normal lexicon. Like when I went to deposit some of our wedding gift cash at the bank recently, steve warned me not to “pull an Uncle Billy.” And I didn’t. Because I’m awesome. There are also periodic offers of moon-lassoing, none yet successful.

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the day i lost my moustache

Written on November 24, 2009 by in blocky, everythingistheworst, my artsy stuff, watercolor

A sad day, indeed.

First in the “everything is the worst” series (because, sometimes everything is).

in situ, above my desk:


This is the also first ever print from the used Epson Stylus Photo R2400 that we bought off craigslist about 5 months ago. I’m pleased to report that it works. It is a huge printer and was a bit intimidating, but was incredibly easy to set up and use.

I’m excited to buy some different papers to experiment with. The color tweaking needs a little work (as there appears to be a different shade of dark pinkishness in each photo above, urrrrrgh) but not a bad first effort if I do say so myself.

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yellena + schoolhouse electric = awesome.

Written on November 24, 2009 by in home, other people

I’ve been a fan of artist yellena james for a couple of years now. It’s hard not to with her modern swirly abstract designs.



So I was pretty psyched to see on designsponge that she partnered with old-school (literally) lighting company School House Electric to make this fabulous light fixtures.

And for a more subtle look, there’s this great etched one!

If I was more handy, I might need one in our bedroom, where the two compact flourescents just stare at me every day. Xmas is coming….

More Yellena at her website.
See more pics at designsponge.
Images from Schoolhouse Electric and DesignSponge.

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spoiler alert: stomach wins.

Written on November 22, 2009 by in food, my artsy stuff


I drew this on the way to lunch at the French Laundry in Yountville earlier this year. The lunch was a parental present for passing the CA bar exam. It was an epic meal, but will likely never be repeated. It was, uh, expensive to say the least.

Elysian Fields Farm “sell d’agneau rotie entiere” (ummm…lamb)

Devil’s Gulch Ranch Rabbit Sirloin (with half a tiny kidney and teeny tiny rack)

Every dish was an origin-noted, perfectly prepared morsel of deliciousness.

But, honestly, I think the meal we have a few months earlier at Ubuntu in Napa was more impressive because 1) it was vegetarian and I didn’t miss meat; 2) the techniques and preparations were a bit more innovative than at the FL; and 3) I feel like the FL food was maybe a bit too clinical and perfect.

The well-known, but currently on an you-have-to-ask-for-it basis, “Coffee and Doughnuts” yeah, I nailed it.

The mid-meal garden walk at the FL was a nice touch though.

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Illustration Friday: "unbalanced"

Written on November 19, 2009 by in blocky, Illustration Friday, my artsy stuff, watercolor

This is my first Illustration Friday drawing. woot.

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lemonade in glass

Written on November 19, 2009 by in blocky, my artsy stuff, watercolor


watercolor and pen

I said this in my sleep. It was adorable.

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mobster clam

Written on November 17, 2009 by in Uncategorized


I LOVE that someone thought this was a great public image for their business. Then again, it is also named S&M Shellfish. I’d wager they don’t care. That clam looks tough.

Via SF Foodie. Image credit T. Palmer.

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