Surtex 2012 and The National Stationery Show - Without Me

Last year, I went to New York and walked the Surtex 2011 Show.  Along with the National Stationery Show, which runs concurrently, all in the Javits Center.  I so wanted to get into the Surface Design business, and knew that if I was going to do it, Surtex may be the best way to get myself on the radar screen. 

This enormous surface design Trade Show is almost overwhelming in visual texture and artistic talent.  After deciding that not only was I not ready to exhibit my surface designs amongst such power, I also decided at the last minute that I wasn't going to go walk the 2012 show either.  I simply needed to sit down and get back to work.

So I did.

I knew that the best way to put myself into the real world of surface design was to start submitting artwork again, and turn up the pressure by entering design contests with deadlines and rules - like predetermined palettes and subject matter.  The best place to do that is at Spoonflower - they work very hard on their weekly contests.

My Groovy Kitchen Collection, shown above, came from a Palette Restricted competition with a subject matter of Retro, Kitchen Related.  Didn't take long to figure out the palette we were given was from the 1970's...almost straight out of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party opening banners!

Here's another new collection that sprang from the subject matter of Motorcycles - which had to be included or be the starting point of the design:

I was a little worried by the palette I had selected, until I opened one of my favorite blogs this morning - The Adventures of Tartanscot, written by Scott Meacham Wood, and saw these images:

So there you go.  I'm remembering now that when you are in your studio, you have to jump into a swiftly moving river and not fight the current.  Once you do that, you wind up at a place not even on the map.

Which is Exactly Where I Want To Be!

I'm off to do my sit-ups.  Have a Lovely Day...

Weight Loss, Your New Body, and Fajas

See This?

And This?

And Her?

What all these images have in common, besides hair extensions and gorgeous good looks are Fajas.

In case you don't already know, a Faja is a support garment that was initially manufactured and worn after liposuction or other plastic surgery in South America - potentially the plastic surgery capital of the world.   According to the NY Times this morning, Fajas have started creeping out of South America and are becoming explosively popular in America, especially among Latino women.  And Caucasian women.  And Asian women.  And so on.  One of the major manufacturers out of Columbia said their exports increased 47% last year.

Why am I showing you this?  Because, when you loose weight rather rapidly, and you are over ...ahem... 50, let's say, you are left with loose skin.  Especially in your tummy region.  So while you are doing your sit-ups every morning, and walking Every Day to tighten and tone your New Body, you may be getting impatient with how your previously stretched skin isn't snapping back quickly enough for you.

Enter the Faja.

A Faja is like Spanx on steriods.  Take a look at this one, recommended for after pregnancy:

It includes a derriere enhancer, so you can look like J Lo.  You have to source out the hair extensions yourself...I hear they are very uncomfortable to install.

In case you want to shop around, here is a link to a Faja Boutique in Miami...

Happy Shopping!  They have a sale running right now, and I may run into you there...

All photos, except for Jennifer Lopez, came from their website.

Thanks, Mom

My older brother posted our Mom's photo on his Facebook page today.  I was startled, because for an instant, I thought I was looking at myself from a much earlier time...

Somehow, I never saw that resemblance before, although people said I looked just like her when I was younger.  Which always made me mad, because I was young and she was old, for goodness sakes.  My gracious.  Now I wish I could go back and visit with her, and find out how she styled that hair-do.  And tell her how pretty she was;  how vastly talented; and how very much I appreciate the gifts she passed on to me.

 

Thanks, Mom.

Loosing Weight and Finding...My Ribs!

Good Heavens.  In the single-minded quest for a waist, I forgot about what else would emerge from the excessive Real Estate I was hauling around.  My ribs!  I had forgotten how the bottom of a rib cage felt - you know, those bones that get slowly buried under progressive layers of lard as one eats oneself into oblivion.

  I have my waistline in my sights now, and I'm still not hungry.  This is amazingly easy, and I'm ashamed now when I think of all that fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, pinto beans and cornbread, and especially those fried pork chops (my favorite) that I ate with such abandon...

This morning, I'm having a big bowl of Blueberries, eating them with my fingers two by two (better that way) along with a side of Sesame Melba Toast that I've quickly bronzed in my counter top oven.  It's warm and crunchy, and makes both my nose and my mouth happy.

The above image of Blueberries is courtesy of  Science Daily, which posted this article about how they may reduce Belly Fat.  And balance out your glucose levels, among other things.  Besides that, they are Yummy.

When eaten atop a bowl of steel cut oats, you have pretty much cleared your arteries, lowered your glucose levels, brought your cholesterol under control, and basically saved your own life.  With every warm, delicious bite.  I'm eating these oats at least a couple times a week for breakfast, always topped with fruit.

Since I'm so fascinated by what happened when I quit eating myself to death, I've been looking around for an occasional low-cholesterol substitute for the chicken breast I normally eat every day for lunch.  And discovered that Lentils are a great way to get protein without cholesterol.  Lentils are fast cooking, unlike other dried beans, and simply delicious.

Although fairly high in carbohydrates, they are also high in fiber so you feel full for hours.  A whole cup of lentils has about 225 calories and is packed with folic acid, iron, calcium and magnesium.  That's a chemical way of saying they are Very Good For You.  I'm adding these to the menu at least twice a week, cooked in  chicken broth that has had all the fat skimmed off, and punched up with onions, jalapenos, and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro on top.  Yum, yum!

Now.  These two - oats and beans - are high in carbs, which can add bulk to your belly, but they're good for you.  This is where the rule of Being Aware of What You Eat comes into play.  If you've had oats at breakfast, don't have beans at lunch that day.  Simple.

I'm going to send you over to Tish Jett's Blog for some marvelous advice on how to conquer - getting raw, here - Bloat!  You'll want to roam around her site for awhile; she has great advice on all manner of things that are germane to all of us who are over...40.  Or 50.  Or...

How To Lose Weight And Find Your Waist

If you are totally disgusted with yourself and your Bread Butt and Pasta Belly, then read on...you can escape your pudgy little self and actually start to discover something that feels like a waist.  Remember waists?

I absolutely adore Horrockses dresses from the 1950's - the lines of the dresses demanded waists, but still allowed a soft plumpness in the shoulders and hips.  The dress above is one of my favorites, and not least because the fabric features small plates of...food.  I am a die-hard foodie, always have been.  But even if I won a Horrockses dress in the lottery, I couldn't wear it because right now, I don't actually have a waist.

But I am getting it back.

I'm 5'2", and until 2005, enjoyed a fast metabolism and petite little figure.  But then I moved to Coastal North Carolina and opened a fabric store in downtown Shallotte.  When I emerged from unpacking 700 bolts of fabric and started looking around for a place to eat lunch, my heart began to sink.  There was nothing, absolutely nothing that even closely resembled what I was accustomed to eating.  No Latino/South American, no Thai or Indonesian, no Greek or NY Deli style food in sight.  Everything except for The Purple Onion was Southern Cooking, buffet style.  Eat all you want.  And I did.  It was fast and cheap. 

I went from 115 pounds to 140 pounds in seven years.  Then I sold the store and moved back to Atlanta, and literally dove into the international food scene.  I was ravenous.

Last month, we went to Washington DC and I caught a glimpse of myself in a store window.  Wait.  That couldn't be me, could it??  It was.

As soon as we got back to Atlanta, I pulled our old electric steamer out of the cabinet and headed to the Farmer's Market.  And in the first week, I lost 8 pounds.  This morning, I was at 128, down 12 pounds from a month ago.  It wasn't hard at all, and I'm starting to wear belts again for the first time in years.  I can't believe that by simply changing the way I was eating, my body instantly started to return to itself. 

This is what I'm doing:

First, foremost, and last,  I'm adhering to the Calories In, Calories Out rule of thumb.  I try to never eat more in one day than I can burn up before I go to bed.  And, I started walking every day for an hour.

I Cut out white stuff.  Like white rice, white potatoes, pasta, refined sugar, breads.  And I cut down on salt.  I started drinking a lot more clear water - once I was hydrated again, my body quit hoarding fluid and started to flush it out.  I had forgotten that little trick!

My fridge is loaded at all times with Fresh Vegetables, Tofu, Eggs, Crisp Salad Greens, and Blueberries.  For protein, I eat only Chicken or Fish.  No Red Meat.   

Image from Easy Recipe Collection.

Image from Megabeth.net

I steam Broccoli Florets, or any of my veggies, just until fork tender, sprinkle with a little sea salt and drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil...the real dark  green, expensive stuff.  Yum, yum.  

Image from Baby Food 101.

Rough chopped cabbage is exquisitely sweet when steamed - I take it out of the steamer just as it is getting tender, and then either serve with sea salt and that yummy drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil or...

My other favorite condiment:

For lunch, I always eat tons of steamed veggies and boiled or roasted Chicken Breast meat...and I never get hungry.  For dinner, Grilled Salmon or Shrimp over a bed of Baby Salad Greens or Spinach, punched up with dried Cranberries, fresh Pineapple chunks, a toss of Gorgonzola crumbles, and anything else lurking in the salad bin.  I use a LOT of fresh herbs and seasonings...fresh ginger, basil, thyme, cracked black pepper, etc.  If it is full flavored, my mouth is happy!

Now that I've got you interested, just let me just throw this in...one whole cup of steamed Broccoli has 40 calories.  One cup of Cauliflower has 28.  Yes, 28.  The Cabbage?  31.  Squash has a whopping 30 calories.  And the yummy diced Sweet Potato that would be forbidden on a fad diet has about 170 in a whole cup, and trust me, you won't eat a whole cup. 

The absolutely essential Extra Virgin Olive Oil adds about 120 calories per tablespoon.

These are the rules if you want to find your waist:

Remember:  Calories in, Calories out.

You have to walk or do something physical every day.

You have to drink lots of water.

You have to get real about what you are eating.  Every day.

Go get a Digital Scale and weigh yourself Every Day.

Get enough sleep.

And once a week, eat something out of bounds...like a Grilled Salmon BLT with French Fries - it will trick your metabolism and rev it up.

Don't eat a bite after 8:00 P.M. if you can possibly help it.

And have those 2 glasses of wine every night-you've earned it!

Azalea Heaven

The Azaleas in our yard are fabulous this year; perhaps because of the mild Winter, or maybe they decided at the annual Azalea Conference that they haven't done such a good job lately, and needed to be looking Really Fly this year to avoid being replaced with Oleanders.  Or Camellias.  

The blooms are so luscious and thick that they look like bright blankets...

When I run my hand across the blooms, they are silky and juicy feeling.  Makes me want to get a big spoon and eat them up.

Our normally shady, plain walkway to the side door now looks simply Royal:

And the front of our house has a ruched collar of tightly scrunched blooms.

They are so glorious that it is hard to spend any time inside, where I need to be working.  I've decided it is okay to roam endlessly around the yard...they have absolutely nailed it this year, and if I don't gulp them down with my eyes and heart, then all their efforts would go unnoticed, for crying out loud. 

Think I'll go on out and take another look...

Dinner with President Obama

Last weekend, we went up to Washington, DC to participate in a rally.  And ran head on into the President of the United States of America!

His motorcade came pouring out of the Rose Garden side of the White House, and we were astounded at the power and depth of the entourage.

He has an amazing amount of people helping him to move safely around the world, and we got a glimpse of that.  Even my husband was impressed, and that is hard to do.  One of the more chilling vehicles was this one:

It came right behind a standard box ambulance, and we were told later that it was "additional support".  I guess Kennedy's assassination taught the Oval Office a lot about exposure of the President to the masses.  See that guy right at the steps in black, with his back to the street?  There were dozens of them, and they meant business.  No playing.  Get Off The Street!  Now! 

That's the ambulance that would whisk him away on the left.  And the suits walking in a line across the street are the Press Corps.  If you know DC, you know that this is the Hotel Washington, and that meant that the President, who was giving a reception for the Irish Prime Minister, only went one block from the White House.  With his entire support group. 

Now.  See the snipers on the roof?  There were locked and loaded, with binoculars and very large guns.  And see the Presidential Limo right in the middle of this picture??  Yes.

  After being safely blocked from the public by two square blocks, tons of Secret Service men,  snipers on the roof, and what looked like the entire Washington DC police force, we were allowed to walk down the side street right beside his entourage after we told the Secret Service man that we had a reservation in the "blocked zone", and could we please walk there?  They were about the nicest men I ever met - they understood two Senior Citizens wanting to go to dinner...however, they had steel cold eyes.  Never saw such a combination before.  Those men would slice you down in a second.  No remorse.

Here is Husband, sauntering down the street, right into the Bulls-Eye of the snipers.  "Come on", he said.  "This is the way to the restaurant".  Worst headache of the security team.  See them up on the roof?  Those two vertical hash marks above his right shoulder?  I closed my eyes and followed.  He's my husband, and he will keep me safe, right??  

I couldn't help it.  I took shots of the Limo when we got to the corner, although the cop with the hat had eyes that were boring into me as if to say, "Give me a complete break!".

We turned the corner to our restaurant, Old Ebbitt Grill (what else?) and husband, for God's sake, spotted a bench, and said, "Here, let's sit down and watch".  

Understand this:  the bench he wanted to lounge on was in No Man's Land, in a street stripped bare of bystanders, with only Secret Service Men, Cops, Snipers, and the Presidential Limo on it.  And us.  And he wants to sit down and watch???  I turned to look at the hundreds of people cordoned off by yellow crime tape about a block away, turned back to him, and hissed, "MOVE IT!" And slid inside the restaurant door without looking to see if he was following.  Thankfully, he was.

When we entered the restaurant, a little hush fell over the crowd peering through the windows at the action.  Husband stepped up to the hostess and announced our presence, and we were immediately whisked to a table, past all the people who were waiting for their reserved tables to be freed up, and who turned as one to look at us as we passed by.

Husband, who was by now imbued with the power of Capitol Hill, enjoyed his meal immensely.  And enlivened by our brush with power, so did I.

Building the American Dream, One Dollar At A Time

It seems ages ago that I stumbled upon one of the best Fusion Sushi Chefs I'd ever eaten with...he was tucked into a corner of a steak house in tiny little Shallotte, North Carolina.

I didn't get to eat with him too often, as I had already begun to shift my home base back to Atlanta from the North Carolina Coast.  But every time I got the chance, I went to partake of his amazing creations, and was always delighted with the nuances he was able to pack into the simplest of dishes.

After moving back to Atlanta, I would occasionally check in to his Facebook Page, just to see the pictures of his newest creations, wishing that I could reach through the screen with my chopsticks...  this is one that he titled "Rainbows Aren't Just in The Sky":

Yum Yum.

He was fond of serving in Soup Spoons, and I was always delighted to see his artistic talents applied to another lovely offering.  Like this one~

He was hard, hard working; he had to drive down from Wilmington every day to attend to his tiny Sushi Bar tucked into the corner of the steakhouse.  About an 85 mile commute, round-trip.  He didn't have any way to cook in his little corner, so he had to dash to the back of the building to the restaurant kitchen in order to make his hot dishes.  You'd see him running back and forth, never loosing his graceful demeanor while serving up his exquisite dishes.

Like his Hamachi Kama, rubbed with Lemon Grass and Ginger...

 A couple of weeks ago, I got a little tap on the shoulder from Chef Mark.  He is striking out on his own, and trying valiantly to open his own little restaurant in Wilmington, NC.  And true to Mark's form, he is firm about having a Sustainable Sushi Restaurant.  As in, being responsible to the planet, and the oceans that provide us with all this fabulous food.

He is trying to raise some opening capital on Indiegogo, and amazingly enough, is having a slow go of it.  My amazement is that with all the folks who swooned over his skills, he's far from his fairly moderate goal of $5,000.00.  I hope you will give this guy a little boost and show your belief in hard work and the American Dream by donating anything you can to his effort.  And then, give yourself a pat on the back for helping sponsor someone who refuses to just go collect unemployment.

It is the original American Dream...with an Asian twist!  

Salute to Doppler, Sweetest Golden Retriever Ever

Yesterday, we said goodbye to one of the sweetest Golden Retrievers that ever lived.

There are many sweet ones out there,

but Doppler was the sweetest.

Supremely comfortable with his doggie self, he was always up for anything that meant family contact...

Like a ride on the "Hughes Burger" boat in the brisk November air...

Or serving as a photo prop for Miss Caroline.

His ALMOST favorite thing was a good snooze on anything soft.  His First Favorite thing being, of course, Dinner Time.  In the photo above, he is looking right at me because I'm taking his picture, and it is Past Six O'Clock and I am taking his picture Instead of Making His Dinner.

Another Biggie was his Morning Treat, kept in the pantry for the times he had a Sleep Over with us.

How can we imagine getting up in the morning without Doppler barreling down the hall toward the pantry, tongue flopping out the side of his mouth, eyes sparkling, while we tried to untangle ourselves from his mad dash to the kitchen?  There are permanent marks in my kitchen floor where he did his "Treat Dance" every morning in front of the pantry...it got so bad that I started quietly getting the treats out the night before so I could get to them faster.  One Hundred Pounds of delirious Dog, jumping six inches off the floor repeatedly is not what I wanted before my first sip of coffee, but now I would give a lot for just one more Treat Dance.

He was the undisputed Mayor of Ocean Isle Fishing Center...greeting everyone at the docks, or lying at the top of the steps to garner loves and hugs from everyone who arrived.

He learned quickly that a white box emerging from the Giggling Mackeral Restaurant meant juicy leftovers - someone told him what "Doggy Bag" really meant - and could usually manage to wheedle a french fry or better from the departing customer.  Which led to his Dad attaching a sign to his collar that said in Block Letters: Do Not Feed Me!  Undeterred, he continued to sneak up the steps to the top deck and visit from table to table, hooking customers in with those soft eyes and the promise of a hug for Just One Bite.  

He helped Rickey Beck celebrate his birthday at OIFC in August:

This Fall, he began to fade and look all of his Twelve Years, but still had his sweet face on for Amy, who captured him lying in the flower bed at the Fishing Center:

Knowing what was coming, Brant and Amy had ordered up a new puppy, whom Doppler met without ever acknowledging:

Puppy Fin arrived just in time for Christmas, which Doppler had always enjoyed in earlier years with personal visits from Santa...

He spent this Christmas showing Fin the ropes because yes, they had finally made friends.

Video of Doppler and Fin Playing the day after Christmas!

And then he quickly went down, quietly passing away yesterday morning from old age and cancer while resting on his bed.

We salute you, Doppler.  And we thank you.  Thanks for the hugs, the unconditional love, the warmth at our feet, and your everlasting good company.

Up Helly Aa Goes On The Bucket List

My love affair with Scotland continues, and I must say that although the warm temperatures in Atlanta are delightful, I would rather have been freezing in Lerwick Town,  Shetland Islands, for their annual Up Helly Aa celebration on Tuesday.  What a party!

This annual celebration originated in the late 1800's, and marks the end of the Yule season. 

The Shetland Islands have a strong connection to the Vikings - who ruled the Islands for about 500 years - so the participants honor that heritage by designing and making Viking costumes and building  a replica of a Viking Ship, which is hauled through the streets of Lerwick by Guizers and Jarl Squads.

Photo courtesy Carl de Souza, AFP, Getty Images.

The party starts at the crack of dawn on the last Tuesday of January every year, and the highlight of the festival is the ritual burning of the Viking Galley ship in the early evening.  Hundreds of torch-carrying Guizers and their leader, the Guizer Jarl,  throw their lit torches onto the ship to get the fire started...  

This year's Guizer Jarl, David Nicolson, was impressive in his hand-made costume that was two years in the planning and making.  For the Festival, he took the Viking name "Bothvar Egilsson", because he says he has within him the "spirit of a true berserker".  

In case you didn't know, a berserker is defined by The Free Dictionary as "one of a band of ancient Norse warriors legendary for their savagery and reckless frenzy in battle".  Plainly stated:  Do Not Make This Man Mad.

Above photos, unless otherwise noted, courtesy of Metro.co.uk.  You can see more photos of this year's event by clicking on the link.

Photo courtesy Neil Ratley, in his very good article on Up Helly Aa in The Midge.  After reading this article, you can appreciate the dedication the Shetlanders have to the event...and you have to admire their partying stamina!

At any rate, after burning of the ship, the partying begins, everywhere, and continues all night.  And on Wednesday, Lerwick, Shetland is Closed.  For recovery. 

Is that a party, or what??  Definite Bucket List material.

Florida Keys Vacation - It's A Wrap!

I'm going to miss Blue Plate Specials in the Florida Keys...

Like this Grilled Lobster, Black Beans & Rice, Cole Slaw and Hogfish Snapper plate that we happily stood in line to get while browsing the Key West Seafood Festival.

And, I'm going to miss all the Sea Life and Ocean Art, like this metal art at the Seafood Festival:

We became accustomed to regular trips from Big Pine Key down to Key West - and no trip was complete without lunch at the Hogfish Grille~

Where you could watch Blakely eat a pickle, her toes curled in baby bliss...

Our GPS was also locked in to the famous Mattheessen's one-half pound cookies - they are located on Duval Street, and you can click on the link to order online.  But be ready to develop an addiction...these cookies are absolutely fabulous!

During the final week, the kids arranged an afternoon family get-together and meal at Sunset Grille and Raw Bar at the base of 7 Mile Bridge in Marathon.  Another "gotta go there" if you are in Marathon - they have a swimming pool for their customers, along with a huge outdoor TV screen, picnic tables, and a sandy beach!

We spent the afternoon by the pool, lazily drinking tropical libations and talking as the kids (and some of the adults!) took the pool by storm.  

 As our trip wound down, Husband swept me away for a final treat - dinner at the very exclusive Little Palm Island Resort.  Accessible only by boat, it is a paradise of beauty and tranquility.

The boat trip to the island on their Motor Trawler was fabulous - straight into the sunset.

We were greeted at the dock with our own personal guide for the evening...

Just in time for a glass of wine, overlooking an outdoor fire pit and the best sunset ever.

Thank you, Lower Florida Keys, for a lovely month.  We are rejuvenated and ready to crank the engines and roll into 2012 with renewed energy...and a really good suntan!

But I AM going to miss those Blue Plate Specials!