Found this website for letterheads: www.letterheady.com

(Oh and while I was looking around I found a great design blog by James Phillip Williams who has some cool typographic and design collections – www.amassblog.com) 

A few of my favorites…

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Here are the cooking ones…

“Brandywine canned mushrooms and how to serve them” – 1946
“Mogan David: Recipes the whole family will enjoy” – 1950
“21 new ways to serve hamburger” – 1960′s
“Doxsee’s clam recipes” – ?

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Had great find at the thrift store today. Sitting on a the shelf was a stack of vintage cooking and wine booklets from the 40′s to the 70′s. Here are the two best wine ones. The first one, “Wine is Fun”, is from 1943. The second, “How smart are you about wine?”, is from 1945. Both are lithographs. Both are totally hilarious. Take a close look at the pics below.

My friends Sacha and Jason who are designers and also have an amazing wine blog (Swirl Smell Slurp) are going to inherit these two. They are calling their names.

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Had a project at work a while back that involved drawing aliens. Angelo’s were so great I made him draw some for me. Sometimes napkins work as well as paper.

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Last year we hung oversized ornaments, this year Moritz handmade over 50 poinsettia flowers and decorated the trees infront of our houses. By far my favorite neighborhood decorations. Nice to do something different from lights and these almost blend in if you don’t know poinsettias never grow on cherimoya trees. Thanks Moritz!

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Victor and I have been in a competition for years – who can come up with the most creative way to give the other person the finger. I’m not sure yet if he really planned this one out but he gave me one of his painting recently and when I got home with it I realized, if it was indeed intentional, he won. Check out his other funny animal paintings here.

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It’s REALLY nice that this great blog published 6 months of the best work they featured on their site. It goes in depth with interviews and it’s ad free. Lately I’ve been enjoying most new work I find on the computer so it’s super refreshing to have it in my hands for a change. You can get yours here.

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It’s really nice when a close friend surprises you. Not that anyone would really say, “WHAT?!” when hearing that Ambika is capable of turning angora from her bunnies into hats. That she even has bunnies, knows where to get them, is bunny breed savvy and builds their cages. Or that she lives in an old creamery and can make the best cured/smoked meat out of her boyfriend’s deer hunt (ok, well maybe that). Ambika’s is talented in many more ways than I know. What surprised me was the work that goes into creating these pieces and the patience, attention to detail and heart she does it with.

A summarized description of this process or what I learned from her:

1. Buy 7 angora bunnies, some German some English. Each bunny = roughly 2 hats. Make a garlic something remedy for the sneezing bunny who hopefully won’t pass his cold to the others. Wait 3 months until wool is long.

2. Place your bunny on a tall table and groom until poo and straw free.

3. Sheer bunny. Careful not to nip it but if you do, don’t worry, bunnies have an extra layer of skin that doesn’t bleed.

4. Use brushes to begin a process called “carding” to create “rolags”. Using a wrist motion I can’t describe, pass wool from one brush to another until wool is layered and fibers are in the same direction. From one end carefully roll wool off brush. That’s the rolag.

5. Take the rolag and feed into spinning wheel. Don’t let it twist and feed evenly. Ever wonder why the yarn that goes from thick to thin is less that the even yarn? Even isn’t easy.

6. Transfer yarn from spindle to ball winder. Crochet hats and many other items that will be warmer and stronger than cashmere.

I realized something while watching her. Real art and true creativity isn’t really accomplished or appreciated until you fully understand what you do. My meditation teacher once said something about getting more out of mastering one thing than being just ok at many things. Well done Bobby.

Once Ambika and her Friendly Furs business is in action I will hopefully be wearing one of her gorgeous creations while posting an update. In the meantime, if you’re super lucky you might be able to get a tour or even take a class on her farm near Rhinebeck, NY.

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I knew my friend Hisami was into cooking but I really had no idea what that meant until I looked at her blog. Her food looks exquisite. The thing is, she made the blog for her family back home in Japan so none of it is in English. But I don’t think you have to know what’s in it or even have to taste it to know this is the real deal in cooking. If she had a restaurant all the Jonathan Golds and Anthony Bourdains would be there. Yum.

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My old friend and roomate Sara made these bags, labels and more for her wedding using stamps. Totally cute.

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