japan

Posted on November 13, 2011 by mariko

Just got back from Japan, and I am trying to hold onto the positive and motivating thoughts that a relaxing vacation can conjure up. This happens every year, but I always quickly fall back into ye olde rut. I suppose there is always hope. And medication.

Posted in nail polish | 11 Comments

Ginger Shortbread

Posted on September 27, 2011 by mariko


Ginger Shortbread, originally uploaded by super eggplant.

You know, these are the cookies you take to a gathering, and everyone kind of looks at them like, meh, they look kind of sad and lame, but then they bite into one, and shazam! They are blown away!

I wasn’t expecting to like these as much as I do, either. The recipe is from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book, which I love to death and have had for a million years. It wasn’t until the other day, though, that I tried the Ginger Shortbread recipe. I try not to think how much better my life would have been if I had discovered this recipe sooner.

They are super easy to make, and there are no real “specialty” ingredients, so, yes, you can just whip these up whenever you feel like it. Danger!

GINGER SHORTBREAD from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham
Yields 2 dozen wedges

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened (I used unsalted, and I didn’t really soften it)

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Dig up two 8″ round cake pans.

Mix together all the dry ingredients (i.e., everything but the butter) in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and drop them into the dry mix. Use a pastry blender or your fingers and mix the butter in like you’re making a pie dough. You want to blend it in so there are no large chunks of butter. Here’s a tip: I wear surgical gloves to blend the butter. Does that sound crazy or creepy? Who cares, because it works great!

Divide the dough between the two cake pans and press into the pans (again, surgical gloves!). Prick the dough all over with a fork at 1/2″ intervals.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove pans from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then cut each pan into 12 wedges. Carefully lift from pans and cool the shortbread on racks. Yum yum in your tum tum.

Posted in baking | 13 Comments

More running clothes

Posted on September 14, 2011 by mariko


singlet, originally uploaded by super eggplant.

I don’t really have that many running tanks (also known as singlets. I wonder why running tanks are singled out [ha ha, get it?] as singlets? I remember once someone, probably Peter, called it a onelet. I thought that was pretty funny), but we had a little heat spell here for about a week, so I thought, hey, maybe I should whip up some tanks.

I found some scraps of wicking jersey and made two tanks. I had to sort of Frankenstein them together, but hey, they work. I decided to make the type that has a more modest neckline and more shoulder coverage, but you know, when it’s really hot, you want less fabric, not more.

I used fold-over elastic on the neckline and armholes of this one. I haven’t worn it yet, but I think it might be a little scratchy in the armpits. I need to remember to lube up.

Posted in sewing | 1 Comment

French-sleeved blouse

Posted on August 24, 2011 by mariko


French-sleeved blouse, originally uploaded by super eggplant.

When I first heard that my friend Chico Hayasaki was going to be doing a fabric line for Kei Fabric, I was very excited. Not only is Chico one of the nicest people in the world, but she is also talented. And Kei? Have you ever touched any Kei Fabric? Yummy stuff.

So I’d been waiting and waiting for her fabric to come out, and finally it did, then Chico offered to send me a piece! Wheee! Not only did she send me a piece but she sent a huge stack! I was overwhelmed and then immobilized by my overwhelmedness. Ha. Then Action Hero Melissa came to the rescue by making this French-sleeved blouse from Machiko Kayaki’s My Favorite Shirt book. It looked so much cuter than I had imagined it would, so I copied her. Heh.

Anyway, it is finally hot enough in Portland that I can actually wear this blouse. The fabric is cotton but feels like buttah. The pattern was very straightforward and came together quickly. The only alteration I made was to eliminate the bust dart, since bust darts are unnecessary in my world.

Please take a look at Chico’s fabric line here. I can’t wait to make another item with it. I already have an idea, so maybe I won’t have to wait for Melissa to make something else.

Posted in sewing | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Julep Maven program

Posted on August 21, 2011 by mariko


Some of you know I am a sucker for these “x-of-the-month” things. I just discovered one that plays right into my recent obsession with nail polish. Woohoo! Julep is a Seattle company that has several nail parlors and creates their own line of nail polishes and such. They just introduced a “nail polish of the month” sort of club called Maven. For $19.99 a month you get more than $40 worth of stuff (including, I am guessing, at least one nail polish, which retails for $14 a bottle). Now, I’m not such a sucker that I get duped (well, except at Panda Express. They always trick me somehow, but I guess that’s another story), so here’s why Maven strikes me as a good deal:

– First, after your initial introductory box, you get an e-mail that shows you what you’re going to get in your upcoming shipment. If you don’t like what’s in it, you can request a different selection
– If you’re all loaded up and don’t want a shipment, you can either skip the month OR have your shipment sent to someone else as a gift
– The $19.99 includes shipping

I was already somewhat familiar with Julep before I heard about the Maven program. I have several of their nail polishes and really like them. The formula is good (pretty thick with good pigment, except for a super pale pink I have, but I have issues with all pale pinks, I think). You don’t get as much polish in a bottle as a standard bottle, but that doesn’t bother me. The bottles are a cute shape, but they are a little awkward, since they are tall.

Okay, so in the photo you can see what I got in my FIRST box. When you sign up you have to take this fun questionnaire so they can decide what type of Maven you are. I was “American Beauty” (yeah, go ahead and laugh!). I think this is because I selected pretty conventional styles in the questionnaire. I tend to prefer wacky colors, but so far I have liked the nail polish colors associated with American Beauty. Anyway, the box had two nail polish colors, a base coat, and a glycolic hand scrub, all in regular sizes. I was able to get this all for $10 because I found a code online for half off (use code TWITTER). I don’t know if the code still works, but give it a try! If you use this link to sign up, I get referral credit, but don’t feel obligated to use it.

Julep seems like a very fun and cool company, and I actually feel like I am kind of ripping them off by joining this club, since it really is a good deal. That said, I do not feel guilty enough to stop my membership!

Posted in nail polish | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Crazy top

Posted on August 11, 2011 by mariko


Crazy top, originally uploaded by super eggplant.

I got this psycho rayon at the Fabric Depot outdoor sale last year (or was it 2 years ago?) and decided to make a simple top. I used the yoke blouse pattern from this Japanese pattern book (ISBN 978-4-579-11291-3). The rayon was super slippery, but the pattern came together very easily. The fit isn’t quite right, but I think I can make a few slight alterations to the pattern if I want to use it again. Can you figure out what is going on with this fabric?!

Posted in sewing | 11 Comments

Candygram

Posted on July 20, 2011 by mariko

I just signed up for an awesome subscription service that provides me with biweekly candy packets from Japan. I signed up just a few days ago, and I already received my first package!

From the upper left corner and going clockwise we have hard milk candies, some mini chocolate malt balls, some sort of eel rollup*, and caramels.

The monthly subscription rate is $23.95, which is cheaper than cable. I love getting things in the mail, so I just couldn’t pass this up.

*regarding the eel or fish “candy,” I gave it to Peter. He took a bite then asked, “Are you sure this is edible?” He ate the whole thing. It looked like it had the texture of an Abba Zabba bar, sort of.

Posted in candy/chocolate | 8 Comments

This is a hanty

Posted on July 13, 2011 by mariko

Okay, so it’s not a hanty. According to this web site, a hanty is a panty made from a hanky. For real. Anyway, I just love the word HANTY, so I had to find a way to work it in.

Okay, so I finally made some panties. I’ve been threatening to do it for years, and I have collected some necessary materials, but I just never got around to it. I discovered a style of PANTY I like, but they are kind of spendy, plus you can’t throw them in the dryer (what is up with that?), so I figured, hey, I should just make my own out of leftover knits! It sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it? Well, truth be told, additional work needs to be done on the fit. These turned out too small. I guess I am on the right track, but, well, I seem to be on the right track for a lot of things, but then I never quite get there. I shall not give up, though! After all, I have a lot of stretch lace to use up (I got a bunch of my stretch lace from Lace Heaven).

Posted in sewing | 9 Comments

teal velvet cake

Posted on July 4, 2011 by mariko

Check out the extreme patriotism here with the red, white, and blue dessert! I can’t really take credit for the blue (okay, teal) cake. That chicken Amy first notified me about it last week. The recipe is from the Betty Crocker site. It is just a doctored up cake mix, but who cares! It is pretty achingly sweet, but hey, throw some ice cream on there, and you’re good to go (I also made strawberry compote to go with it).

We just had a patio put in, and we have been putting it to good use. I guess my mother decided it was cold outside, but she braved the elements and ate out there. My brother and I always joke that eating outdoors is something white people like.

Posted in baking | 7 Comments

My newest obsession

Posted on June 17, 2011 by mariko

For the past month or so I have been a bit obsessed with nail polish. I’m not sure where it originated. As the dutiful child of Asian parents, I was forced to endure a decade of piano lessons. The two things I gained from that experience? I am a pretty fast typist, and I keep my nails cut short.

I still like short nails, but right now I am trying to keep about 1/16″ of white showing. I’m still pretty terrible at applying nail polish, but that does not deter me. I’ve been redoing my polish about every 5 days. I don’t have a ton of polishes, but I would like to try nail polish from Rescue Beauty Lounge and Deborah Lippmann. I also do not yet own any OPI polishes.

Anyway, since I love Japanese cosmetics, I figured I should see what Japanese nail polish is like. I bought this super cute Dolly Wink nail polish on ebay (this seller has the best price). The bottle is teeny tiny, so you don’t get much product. The brush is thick and will effectively cover most of the nail with one stroke. Good pigment, too. I kind of want the whole collection now, of course.

Posted in nail polish | 14 Comments