Artist Discovered: Nancy Hom

I alluded to a wonderful moment at the Autry's California's Designing Women exhibit last week.   All in all it was a wonderful show and I loved getting a chance to see an exhibit devoted to the cutting edge craft of women in the Golden State.

One artist's story really spoke to me (many artists were profiled via short videos).  Nancy Hom is a Northern California artist, community leader, and writer who creates screen prints and sculptures, amongst other forms of expression.  I was listening to her interview and was touched by the way she described herself -- as an artist for the community, a servant artist who takes the joys, struggles, and experiences of the people around her and tells their stories via bold graphics.  She also shared about her working class poor immigrant family background and her focus on themes centered on the feminine, on compassion, and on mothers and children.

Image via here.

Vacation - Staycation

I've been on vacation since Christmas and it's been nice to stay home, visit local museums, and see old friends.  I've been sleeping and napping non-stop!  I must have been tired. 

Here's my list of what I wanted to do while on break (and I'm happy to say I've done most of them):
-Make oatcakes via the recipe from 3191 Quarterly and eat with apples and cheddar . . . also really good with blackberry jam.
-Buy ingredients at the Indian grocery store to make kitchari (bought the ingredients but haven't made the kitchari yet).
-Go on a long hike with Cody (this unfortunately was cut short due to spotting two coyotes).  Sigh, I don't think I can take him on hikes anymore due to the coyotes--they're everywhere in Southern California!  Cody and I did get to go on a nice long walk with my friend, Cynthia and her son Milo through their quiet neighborhood.  The last picture is from our walk.
-Visit the Autry Museum to see this exhibit.  So amazing!  I cried watching one of the artist videos . . . will have to write about that later.

Ah, I'm so grateful that I have a job that gives me this long of a break.

The feminine hand in craft

I've been a fan of Tanya Aguiniga for the longest time.  I love her resourcefulness, and that she uses her background growing up in Tijuana to influence her design philosophy and craft.  I also love that she creates things that reflect the feminine hand--that she embraces texture and warmth.  Yet, at the same time her work reflects strength, resourcefulness, and industriousness (all feminine characteristics as well).  I want to learn how to use power tools!

In her studio.

Wearing her rope jewelry.

Service dogs

I saw these stamps here and fell in love.  Dogs really are the best, and these stamps beautifully capture their loyalty and willingness to serve us humans.

Found in a coat pocket

I found these tiny pine cones in DC during a walk through the park.  I've never seen anything like these here.  A nice surprise to find them in my coat pocket upon return.

Take Us Back

Alela Diane.

Banh mi: the world's perfect sandwich

I miss close proximity to good Vietnamese food.

I was in Orange County today to see my optometrist (he's so great that I've decided to drive an hour to keep seeing him--and it's only once a year). 

I needed to have lunch somewhere and I remembered my friend T telling me about this sandwich place, Tan Hoang Huong Sandwiches and Coffee in Tustin which is very close to my optometrist.

So I stopped by and ordered the spring rolls and grilled pork banh mi, and I have to say that they have the best banh mi I've ever tasted.  The baguette was warm and crusty, the meat was flavorful, and the veggies were fresh.  The spring rolls were also really good.  As you can see, I was really hungry--and it was a satisfying lunch.

If you're ever in the Tustin area, check out THH Sandwiches and Coffee (they also have other locations in OC):
14081 Newport Ave, Tustin CA

Thank you to all my former Vietnamese roommates who introduced me to so many delicious dishes!

Cozy times in DC

Pictures from a recent trip to DC to visit close friends.  They live in the quaint Georgetown area . . . I fell in love with all the row houses with their cute doors and stoops.
It was my first time on the East Coast and I loved it.  And this probably sounds really cliche but good friendships are truly something to treasure.

Winner

I was the lucky winner of Inger Marie's giveaway (I never win these things)!  I love my new teaspoons and the lovely floral paper she wrapped the package in.  The package was quite beautiful and thoughtfully wrapped.  Thank you, Inger Marie!  Her blog is such an amazing source of inspiration for me.

Side note: Blogging can be such a great way to connect with people who share your interests, and a great way to meet new people from all over the world.  Blog connections are kind of like modern pen pals.  And winning these teaspoons was so cool since I got to connect to someone in Denmark who bought the vintage teaspoons at a farm in Sweden.  Now they have a new home in LA where they'll accompany many bowls of ice cream and cups of warm tea.

New project

New weaving that I started this week . . . it'll be an awesome Thanksgiving weekend project.

Have a safe and joy-filled Thanksgiving!

Persimmons in fall and winter

Eating persimmons has always been a large part of my culture and childhood.  We used to live in a house with two giant persimmon trees and we'd share the bright orange fruit with all our friends and neighbors.  My favorite is the fuyu (the harder kind) versus the hachiya (the soft, almost pudding-like kind).

A beautiful day

Ghost Dog

I really like this movie, and I really like this scene.  The soundtrack is also amazing.   

A post about food

Confession: my eating habits have been horrible since I started my new job almost six months ago.  The reason being that my schedule can get overly hectic, and I'm constantly working at these catered events where there's tons of leftover food (case in point--for dinner I ate some leftover fried chicken from a reception a few days ago).

But I've been trying to take time to cook and eat healthy but oh man, it's been an uphill battle.

Here are some things I'm trying:

 

Oatmeal with sliced dates instead of brown sugar (read this in a magazine), and it's really good!

 

Veggie pasta sauces (take whatever vegetables are in the fridge and blend together with olive oil--I used carrots, tomatoes, and onion).  I then sliced in some sweet red peppers and added canellini beans for protein

I just have to get more proactive and plan better for my meals during the week. 

The nice thing is that a lot of people at my church eat healthy, cook a lot of wholesome meals from scratch, and garden or are part of CSAs.  And since I spend a lot of time with church people, these good habits rub off.

The other nice thing is that my work hosts a vegan cafe twice a week where I've discovered kitchari and other delicious vegan foods.  Yum.

Small projects

I sewed together the little pillow last night using an old scrap of linen.  I embroidered the details, and filled it with old scraps of fabric.  I love it--it's so sweet and small. 
I've also been playing around with polka dots.

Must stop the car when you see sign for ice cream

Mmm, mmm, mmm . . . stopped by Mateo's Ice Cream on the way home from errands and tried the roasted milk and strawberry ice cream.  I don't live very close to Baskin Robbins or Coldstone but I can live with that now that I've discovered Mateo's.  I must try their other flavors like Yellow Cherry, Dragon Fruit, and Mezcal.  It's a chain I believe so there might be one near you!

A place to pray and enjoy beauty

These are really old pictures from the Serra Retreat Center in Malibu.  It's a place of beauty, peace, and stillness.  I'd love to go back someday for a prayer retreat.  The last two pictures were taken in one of the bathrooms . . . I couldn't resist the beautiful tile!

:)

Where desert meets ocean

Papel Picado

I always get happy when I'm in spaces decorated with papel picado!  I just need to hang some up in my room one of these days.