4*29*11

When I'm sitting at a desk all day working (and not daydreaming about being at home baking, or swimming in the warm Mediterranean sea...) I have to keep the tunes super fresh, and match it to my energy/task level.

When I first get to work, I like to start the day off with some indie rock on Pandora. Like Band of Horses. I'm in love with their music right now. It's easy listening but beautiful. And great for checking email and powering through the first few hours of morning work.

If I don't have a queue of work in front of me a long enough attention span, I love listening to This American Life. If you've never listened to this show before, then you are truly missing out.

When I get back from lunch and I have a really full belly and feel a little tired I listen to my Santigold station on Pandora.

If I'm especially ready for the weekend I often feel like listening to some really awful poppy rap music. Like Kanye or Kid Cudi or Rihanna. Or Kanye, Kid Cudi AND Rihanna!

4*27*11

I joined a book club (a.k.a. friends that get together and make a themed dinner and drink lots of wine club), and have finally had the opportunity to read a book, then have a half intelligent conversation with other adults who have also recently read the book. It's great.

Tonight we meet to talk about the book Sex at Dawn. It is one of the best books I have ever read. Incredibly insightful, it was named by Audible.com as Best Book of 2010, it was on NPR's Favorite Books of 2010, and is highly praised by Dan Savage.

Read it. Now.

So, friends. Or anyone who reads this blog. Anyone. I need your help.

I think that it will be my turn to choose the book very soon. And I want to know: What is your favorite book? Please respond in the comments. It would be so much appreciated.

4*23*11

I haven't been very present lately, and I'm sorry for that. And it's certainly not because I'm not doing anything. It's because there are a few projects that have been all-consuming of my time.

Remodeling the bathroom is one of them. Since it has been a little while since any significant work has been done on the house, we decided to start on another room. The bathroom seemed easiest because its smallest. And it is small.

And then we found the extra thick, rock-hard glue that was holding the backsplash to the wall. Ugh.

So... after rounds and rounds of glue removal, then more rounds of spackle, we are almost ready to texture, before finally painting.

I'm exhausted at the thought of it. BUT! I will be so so excited to show it to you when its done!

4*21*11

I forgot that I took pictures when I made the pink cake.

I made some white cake. Added pink dye. Froze the layers.

Then I made vanilla buttercream frosting. I used vanilla bean paste for flavor and texture.

Cake. Frosting. Cake. Frosting. Cake. More frosting. Lots more frosting.

And coconut flakes.

Dreamy cake!

4*18*11

Banana pancakes. With peanut butter.

Because it's Monday.

Because I finished (hopefully) the final round of another wedding invitation this morning.

Because I spent the weekend tearing apart the bathroom and stripping glue from the wall.

Because we finally have sun this week.

And because I wanted banana pancakes with peanut butter.

4*17*11

Another set of wedding invitations I designed for another couple good friends. This one is for Sara and Luis. They met while working at Isabels. He's the chef, and she's the accountant/manager. And they are so cute.

They decided to go a more traditional route with the invites. The envelope above: that's all Sara's handwriting! Lucky girl that she writes as beautifully as a calligrapher!

After you open the envelope you find the pretty envelope with the ornate wrap and the gorgeous green ribbon.

Inside, you find the invitation, RSVP card, and directions.

I wish these photos showed the thermography that was used on the invites. It has such a great texture and really gives the invitations a very finished look.

4*13*11

This is the best article I've read in a long time.

4*12*11

Yesterday I celebrated the birth of the woman who birthed me.

Isn't she beautiful? First we went Sake tasting.

Then went for a walk under the blue sky and spring blooms.

Then had some pretty and tasty Thai food.

And finally, pink cake!

I was especially pleased with how this cake turned out. Here's how it works, friends:

I started with white cake batter and 3 lined cake pans (you can use more).

I added some red dye to the batter to turn it a light pink, then poured 1/3 into a pan.

Then added some more red dye to make it a medium pink, then poured half into the next pan.

Then added even more red dye to make it a dark pink, pouring the rest into the last pan.

I think you get the idea. Then I just iced it with a vanilla bean buttercream icing (which is super easy to make!), sprinkled some coconut on top, and all done! Pretty!

4*6*11

And the winner is, ladies and gentlemen...

Broccoli.

These little green guys are making my heart happy. Lets hope the rest follow in suit.

4*5*11

People who get married. So cute. So fun to make invitations for.

This is a set I did recently for the especially darling couple: Harmony and Javier.

We designed a whole set, had them digitally printed, and then they all came together with some yellow striped string.

I loved using a mixture of fonts on these.

I also designed a logo for them that we used on the invites, RSVP cards, stickers, return labels and buttons.

Yes, buttons!!! How cute are these? They were just about the funnest thing I have ever worked on too.