Venturing outside of our bubble

On weekends, we like to do brunch. It's our opportunity to catch up. Often times, we eat at home, but there are times we go out to eat. We have a short list of eating establishments that we keep in heavy rotation- Armon's in Eagle Rock, Foxy's in Glendale, Marston's in Pasadena, & the cheesiest Mimi's Cafe in Los Feliz.

Today, Rob had to run an errand in Silver Lake. We decided to grab a bite to eat out there. This was risky proposition since it was around 11AM, brunch golden hour in L.A. NYC is the city that never sleeps. L.A. is the city that sleeps in. We considered well-known Silver Lake eateries such as Millie's and EATWELL. Then, we stumbled upon Town and Country.

Town & Country Restaurant
3823 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-3331

We sat outside. Our neighboring dining companion's Dalmatian felt compelled to say hello every few minutes. Miko the dog was a cutie.

The food is delish. The coffee was rapidly flowing thanks to a very attentive wait staff. The owner of the restaurant, Anna, provided us with some cookies for trying out her restaurant. I ordered a Brie & Walnut Quesadilla served with a Mango Chutney. Rob had Sausage and Eggs. My breakfast was decadent. I loved it. Although, I'm sure my thighs will not.

The other part of our Saturday was spent with some of my friends and their husbands. Natalie who is part of monthly dinner group planned a Movie Night. It was not just any movie night; it was a movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Initially, the idea of a movie at the cemetery is a bit disconcerting. However, I have comforted myself with the idea that it is a fund raising effort to help with the cemetery's upkeep. Many famous of Hollywood's famous stars are laid to rest there.

Cinespia hosts the events and screens old movies. This evening's movie was Gold Diggers of 1933. A benefit to the experience is that you can picnic while watching the movie. The place was quite packed.

Our dinner companions

Jordana

Natalie & Paola

Paola's delicious cupcakes

Rob & I

Jordana & Chris

Greg & Natalie

Paola & Eric,
Here's a clip from the movie.

Gold Diggers of 1933 from Anne K. Rodriguez on Vimeo.

As always, I had a great time and am glad we decided to venture "outside of our bubble".

Heartfelt Thanks

Remember these envelopes?
Here are their contents.
I made the cards with my Craft Robo. I finally took it out of the box and set it up . For those that don't know, a Craft Robo is a personal cutter. It works in a fashion similar to that of a printer. Instead of printing on a piece of paper, it cuts out shapes that you designate. I didn't know such things existed. Paola introduced me to this machine last year and I've been pining away for one ever since. I still can't believe that my very generous friends gave me one for my birthday.

I really wanted to show them how much I appreciated the gift. I decided that custom cut thank you cards would be the best route. The cards are a bit simple, but my knowledge of the machine is still fairly basic. Just give me some time. Once I get the hang of that machine, my designs are really going to be elaborate.

Here's a really horrible video of my handy dandy machine in action.
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Craft Robo in Action from Anne K. Rodriguez on Vimeo.

The video is of my original thank you card idea. I ended up scrapping it for something more personal. My favorite part of the video is Dottie running away. She is not too fond of the noise that the Craft Robo makes while it is cutting. I need to stop torturing my dog with my craft projects.

Happy Pink Envelopes

A dozen pink envelopes are in the mail. I'm not a girly girl, but I thought that pink was appropriate. I will debut their contents in a couple of days. I matched the stamp to the envelope again:) I really loved making these. Although, I was reminded of a few things:
1. My handwriting sucks BIG time.
To recipients of these envelopes: If you cannot read what I wrote, call me and I will gladly help you decipher their messages.
2. I can no longer write coherent messages without typing them out.
I've been spoiled and ruined by word processing on a computer. I find that when I have to write with simply a pen in hand I cannot compile my thoughts. Again for the recipients of these envelopes, you should know by now I am not as awkward as my notes may seem. Just know I was in a sappy mood and it probably transferred to what I wrote.

I shall not say anymore. STAY TUNED for their contents.

Dinner at Rob's Bistro

In a continuing effort to be more budget conscious, Rob has been making dinner at home. If our dinners at home continue to look like this, I don't know if I'll ever want to eat out again.

Cod broiled with dill and capers.

Served with a side of brown rice and blanched squash

Shrimp served on a bed of fettuccine with red cabbage and red peppers in a thai-inspired sauce

Fresh Mediterranean Salad with Italian Salami with fresh crostini

Seared Ahi Tuna served with brown rice and a fresh Asian inspired herb salad

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

I suspect that Rob is trying to fatten me up. I guess i will be re-gaining the weight I lost while he was out-of-town.

Dahlias and a Dive

Rob just returned home from Chicago! We decided a short trip was on the agenda. We hopped in the car and were on our way to visit the wonderful people responsible for growing these.

My bridal bouquet

Centerpieces

Boutonnières

Love House Dahlias is a Dahlia grower located in Ventura. I contacted Ann Dunstan, one of the owners, about this time last year about purchasing cut flowers from them. She was very helpful and made arrangements to drop off bucket and buckets of cut flowers the day before our wedding.

We drove up not just for a visit, but to return her buckets and flower tubes. We had made several attempts to return them, but for one reason or another didn't make it. Today, we finally made it out there. The farm is nestled in the hills outside of the city. The farm had a serenity and quiet beauty about it. Ann was as warm and friendly as she was when I met her nearly a year ago. We took a short tour of the place. The Dahlias were not in full bloom yet, but there were still several varieties to enjoy. We were invited to their annual Dahlia open house in August, which coincides with our anniversary.






Here are some of the snapshots I took. It's times like these that I really wish I still had an SLR.
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After our brief tour, we decide to grab some lunch. Initially, Rob suggested going to Jalama Beach. I vetoed that because it was another hour North of where we were. Then, we both remembered Neptune's Net. We headed south on PCH towards Santa Monica. I enjoyed the view and the fresh air on the drive down.

Neptune's Net isn't anything fancy, but the location and view is phenomenal. I really like it because it reminded me of some of my favorite seafood joints back in VA. I was incredibly stuffed when we left. I can't wait to go back. I don't think I can get enough steamed shrimp... ever.

Rob with his Dos Equis

The chowder in a bread bowl is superb.

Triple Platter - Shrimp, Fish & Crab Cake

Chowder in a bread bowl

My fave! Steamed Shrimp.

Playing catch up

Disclaimer: I actually started this post last week. I didn't get around to posting this because of a family emergency. Don't worry. All is well now.

If idle hands are the devil's instruments, than I should be very close to God right now. I have been toiling on this particular invite suite for over a week. This is one of the largest and most comprehensive projects I've taken on. The order was for 200 invites - designed, printed, assembled and addressed.

Jenny and Kenny - photo by Ellice Schwartz

I met Jenny a few months ago at one of our monthly dinners. Shortly thereafter, she found this blog and asked me to design her wedding invites. She said that she wanted something classic, elegant, and formal. Her colors were gold, ivory and champagne. Her brother had created a monogram for them. Lastly, she didn't want any graphics and minimal color. [Sound of record skipping.] What?! This project was going to be really easy or really difficult.

I treated this design like one of my design projects from Art School. I focused on using classic well-known typefaces. To create visual interest without relying on color or graphics, I decided to use texture as a design element. I used a Stardream paper, handmade paper, and classic linen cardstock.

Here is my finished product.

Invitation Pocketfold

Close-up of belly band and seal featuring monogram designed by Jenny's brother

Overview of Invite Suite

RSVP Card with matching envelope

Custom Map

Birthday at the Bowl - Recap

Sunday June 22nd - A recap

First, I must make a statement. I really am not an attention whore. I know this may seem contrary since I had two birthday celebrations this year. I have some explanations for this. One is that I haven't really celebrated my birthday in years. The last couple of years I haven't done anything exciting except have a nice dinner with Rob. Keep in mind Rob and I have lots of nice dinners. This birthday extravaganza makes up for lost celebrations.

The other reason for the second birthday celebration is that I wanted to include Rob. He was a bit miffed when I told him that I had planned an all-girl birthday party. He knew that all-girl meant he or anyone else's husband/fiance were not welcome. I also wanted to include my newfound friends' significant others and some of our other friends.

The Hollywood Bowl seemed like the perfect choice. Music, picnic, and friends - what more could you ask for? An added bonus, Thievery Corporation was performing.

Here's a description of the group from Wikipedia.

Thievery Corporation is a Washington, D.C.-based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton and their supporting artists. Their music style is dub, acid jazz, Indian classical and Brazilian (such as bossa nova) fused together with a lounge aesthetic.

The plan was great in theory. Rob was going to make a delicious spread of appetizers and cheeses. Everyone else was just going to contribute cash to pay for the food. Then, Rob had to go out of town. Our scrumptious picnic delight went out the door. I would have cooked, but no one would have eaten. I pride myself in knowing my strengths and weaknesses. Cooking is most definitely not one of my strengths.

To compensate, I decided to provide liquid refreshment. LOTS and LOTS of liquid refreshment.
I try not to do anything halfway. My friend Kevin and I went bonkers at the grocery store. In my wheeled cooler, I had placed 1 bottle of vodka, 3 bottles of rum, 5 bottles of San Pellegrino Sparkling Mineral Water, 1 bottle of Iced Tea, and 1 bottle of Pink Lemonade. The idea was that our companions could make Italian Sodas or the mixed drink of their choice. All this variety was not without its price. The cooler weighed a ton and poor Kevin got stuck with the duty of having to tow it up the hill to our seats.

Margarita Cookies - photo by Jordana Hazel

There was an abundance of food. Natalie made a delicious orzo salad. Jess brought all kinds of goodies including some very strong jello shots. Aside from the beverages, Kevin bought a sandwich platter from Dave's Chillin' and Grillin' from our 'hood. The highlights for me were Jordana's Margarita Cookies and the cupcakes Carmela generously picked up from Yummy Cupcakes.

The show was fantastic. I had my fair share to drink and danced my butt off. It was fun. Sadly, no too many others drank. So, Kevin, Jess, Eddie, and I ran people over with the my cooler on the way back to our shuttle bus. It was not a pretty sight.

Here are some photos from the festivites.

View from our seats - photo by Jordana Hazel

Yours truly - photo by Jordana Hazel

A quick snapshot of Jordana

John and Keren, who was also celebrating her birthday this past weekend

Natalie & Greg

Kevin hiding behind his beverage, Eddie, & Jess

George & Carmela - photo by Jordana Hazel

Chris, Jordana's huband - photo by Jordana Hazel

Last, but not least Joellaann - photo by Jordana Hazel

I had a blast. The only thing I could have wished for is for Rob to have been there. I'm a so excited because this show marks the beginning of Bowl Season. This is only the first of many shows that I wish to attend. Who wants to join me for more?