4*30*10

I've had a much needed few days off. It has allowed me to finally catch up on life stuff that I was falling behind on with the chaos of me moving and unpacking, as well as helping Cory move. And now that I have some of those tedious little tasks taken care of, it has allowed me to start on some of the fun projects I've been putting off.

First, I started making a pair of pajamas for my lover. Peanut pajamas. Because he's from the south and nutty. :)

Then I started making lemon bars. I made a very thick, flaky crust.

Then zested the lemons. Its hard work, this zesting business.

Then I mixed up all the filling, complete with homegrown eggs from Cory's generous realtor.

And, voila! Beautiful, not-too-tart, not-too-sweet, flaky crusted lemon bars.

4*29*10

I found a new project I want to do (as if the 50 or so other projects I already have on my plate aren't enough)! These amazingly cute little twig pushpins:

4*27*10

Been swamped the last couple days... work, helping Cory move, life.

All day it's been pouring cats and dogs. Riding my bike to and from work has been a real [scary] adventure. Thankfully I'm inside now, and I have the next few days off work, so I think I'll just sip a cup of tea, take a bath, and relax for a bit... and do design things tomorrow.

4*24*10

I had a rough-going morning, no thanks to the vodka last night.

But then I get off work, and suddenly I feel very refreshed. I was here, in Cinque Terre about 6 months ago:

But I don't mind being in Portland. It offers me so much of the same excitement. I love it. :)

4*23*10

Just getting settled into my new home office...

4*22*10

I got my laptop back a couple days ago with its sparkly clean hard drive and all. But then, as I began to get things back in order, I realized, its just not the same. At first I thought it was just all the fancy settings that I would need to go back and make right, so that they matched my preferences. It wasn't until I tried to download the software for my wireless card that I realized what was up: the operating system they installed is Tiger. 

[crickets chirping]

Yeah, I'd forgotten that shit existed too. And oh-so-suddenly, it is thrown in my face. I can't do anything with it. Blows. I guess I had completely forgotten about installing Leopard on my computer about a year and a half ago...

So now I've got to get creative. I need to come up with a plan to get my sweaty, design-thirsty fingers on some Leopard software. I'm fiending for it; I need it in order to install design programs on my computer, and there's not much I won't do to get it...

4*21*10

I've been unpacking like a madwoman. And MY apartment is looking super cute! :)

I've been most excited about getting into my beloved kitchenware. So, once I finally got it [mostly] unpacked I had to get to work. Today I'm making:

Fruit, Oatmeal, Flax, Soy Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 6 Tablespoons egg whites
• 3 Tablespoons brown rice syrup [or agave]
• 3 Tablespoons Blackstrap molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup organic soy milk
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup ground flaxseed
• 1-1/2 cups organic oatmeal
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup organic soy flour
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup crushed walnuts
• 3 tablespoons organic raisins
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1-1/2 cups wild blueberries, frozen or fresh

How to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix first 8 ingredients together with electric mixer or well by hand.
3. In another bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
5. Bake for approx 25 minutes.
6. 

4*19*10

Yesterday I was painting my apartment, which now looks something like this, as viewed through my kitchen:

It was getting quite tiring and Cory and I were getting quite hungry. So I ran down to Zupans (I can already tell that I will be spending WAY too much money at this overpriced, fancy grocery store) and picked up a few simple ingredients to make eggs in tomato sauce. It was from a

recipe that I found on my new favorite blog: Smitten Kitchen. They have great recipes and even more beautiful photos. Anyhoo, for such a simple recipe, it was absolutely devine. I used bread from Grand Central Bakery, some simple tomato sauce, eggs, gorgonzola crumbles, and sauteed some spinach.

So this is kinda what it looked like, except I poached my eggs a little harder:

4*18*10

On Friday, the last day of my Professional Practices class, we had a group of design directors and generally important people in Portland's design world come into our class so that we could present our portfolio to them.

Every one that I met with was incredibly kind, intelligent, and had some very insightful and helpful tips for my portfolio and the way I presented it. The experience was incredible to say the least. I don't know if I can ever thank my professors enough for putting together such a great class, and really ending it with a bang.

One of the design directors that I met was Lindsey from HUB Collective. I have been drooling over their portfolio since I first learned about their firm early on in this class. I love love love the work they do! Check out their website.

4*17*10

I love this computer. It is what I have been dreaming of owning for years. And of course, the first thing you must do on a new mac, no matter how long you've been using one, is take silly photos in Photo Booth.

I also love the color I painted my new apartment tonight. It feels expensive. Pictures to come...

4*16*10

OHMYFUCKINGGAWD.

What a roller coaster the last couple days have been. Where do I even begin?

How about here: yesterday, while working on my portfolio (and taking a break from napping), my computer suddenly didn't want to boot up. I opened it, pushed the power button, and... click. click. click. Cory said it sounded like a faulty hard drive, and after taking my baby into The Mac Store, it was confirmed. I'd lost everything.

While I did have some things backed up, I didn't have everything. It sucks. I'm not going to go into the boring details of all the things I DID lose. Lets just leave it at this: all of this is just not fun. Especially when you are working on the portfolio that you are about to present to some really amazing design directors and other important people.

So it goes.

And so, I bought a new computer. I'll still be fixing my dusty old MacBook, but I'd been wanting to get a new one anyways. I just hadn't wanted to lose all my work and digital possessions in the process.

I bought a 21.5" iMac. She's beautiful. Actually I just bought her a few hours ago, and have hardly had a second to eat, let alone open the box, but I'm sure she is going to be great.

The box was one of my first possessions to go into my new apartment, though. Thats right! On top of all this chaos, I signed the lease to my new place this morning!!! I am so excited! I LOOOVE it!

And now, I am preparing myself for the portfolio presentation this evening. I hope I'm there. My portfolio isn't as polished as it could be, like if I had a fully functioning computer, but here we go anyways...

Then this weekend, I will be painting my apartment in between shifts at Isabels. I went with a really neutral color. I know, boring. But I think it will allow me to play around with color in other areas, like the curtains.

Then Monday I'll move in. If I can stay sane until then. Wish me luck, I'll probably need it.

4*14*10

Today I'm working on the vinyl sticker that will go on the cover of my portfolio. I got my beautiful Pina Zangaro portfolio last week and I'm L-l-l-loving it! Its got a brushed aluminum cover that is absolutely sharp! Just hope what's inside is as well-received!

I'm also working on a logo for my friend Lindsey, the hairdresser. Lots of fun. Will post it when she decides on one.

And looking forward to tonight! Going to see Pretty Lights play at the Roseland, which is only a few blocks from my apartment. They have free downloads of their music on their website!

4*12*10

Portland has the most amazing food carts. At least thats what everyone tells me. I have only visited two food carts and, frankly, I'm a little embarrassed. I like food, and I LOVE good, cheap food. But somehow, it just hasn't worked out for me. Many of the carts only do lunch, and I either work lunch hours, have lunch provided, or I'm broke.

So, lucky for me, Willamette Week will be hosting the Food Cart Festival on April 24th. For $7 you can sample from 30 different food carts. Some offerings include Koi's Korean BBQ (one of Cory's favorites), Potato Champion's Wonderful French Fries (Fries with rosemary-truffle ketchup... yum!), Flavourspot's waffles... the list goes on.

Count me in.

4*11*10

Its my Mom's Birthday!!!

She and my sister are coming into Portland to celebrate.

First we will be having red wine and cake on the roof of my building. Gotta enjoy those amazing views while I've still got 'em!

Then we are going to OMSI. Can't wait to see the T-Rex! RAWWWRRR!!!

Then we will have a fancy little Happy Hour at the Portland City Grill. Probably one of the best Happy Hours in the city.

Cheers!

4*9*10

I've begun working on a little project.

I'm making speaker boxes. You can plug it into your ipod, and voila, listen to music! Not really mind-blowing, but they are cute, and a fun project anyhow. I'm also getting some help from my super-smart electrical engineer boyfriend.

Here's what I'm using:

Headphones : $1

Lino Block : $3

Cardboard Box : $.79

Speaker : $2.29

Ink Pad

Speedball Cutter

More to come as the process continues...

4*7*10

Trying to figure out what color to paint my bedroom/living room.

My bedspread is primarily a soft yellow and lots of my furniture and other pieces are white, so I want to paint a color that will make them pop.

Maybe a darker, more neutral color.

Like blue:

Or gray:

Or a nice green (green is always nice):

And while looking, I became inspired to put my desk in my closet, and pom-poms on my curtains:

4*6*10

I love Keens. I wear them to work, I wore them all around Europe, and I recommend them to just about everyone. They are so incredibly comfortable. And practical.

I also want to work for them! Oh so bad! I get the vibe that their company would be a good match for my interests and values. And they are located in the Pearl, only about 5 blocks from my current job. Until they are hiring graphic designers, I will be following their blog: The KEEN Blog

4*5*10

I listened to this song today as I was driving down from the mountain:

I had just spent a couple hours riding by myself and thinking and reflecting and this song made me really happy. Actually I was really happy long before I heard it. Life is really good right now. My mom is finally getting the home she has been looking for and trying to buy for months and months. My sister finally has the job she's been working towards and deserves. Cory had his offer approved on a house and should be in by the end of the month. I have a new job that I really enjoy (for a restaurant job it's pretty great). And in a couple weeks I will be moving into a new apartment that I love!

Yep. Life is good.

4*4*10

My new apartment doesn't have a deck, or any outdoor space available to me. It does, however, have lots of windows. Maybe I can have a window garden!

4*2*10

I'm moving!!!

In two weeks I'll be moving into my beautiful new studio apartment. Its in the nob hill neighborhood, but just over Burnside on SW Vista. It is in a great neighborhood, really close to everything, has lots of storage, hardwood floors, and most importantly, a full kitchen (and its right behind the super fancy Zupans grocery store). I love it!!!

Photos HERE. :)

Ok, who's helping me move? I'll share my beer!

4*1*10

Found this sewing studio, Modern Domestic, on Alberta Street today. Such a great idea!