La Mer Collections Odyssey Wrap Watch

Designer Martine Ilana and I are obviously kindred spirits.  We both have a hard time finding beautiful watches that are the right amount of femine without being fussy. Except she's a completely brilliant watch designer who actually ended up making the watch she was looking for and I'm merely a gal lusting after her creations.

La Mer Collections, her line of women's watches, not to be confused with La Mer the iconic beauty line, features hand assembled watches with straps made of luxury Italian leather in some of the the best color combinations and timeless style. 

La Mer Collections watches can be found at Bloomies, but you head over to the website you can customize your very own watch making it a near perfect solution to my earlier watch dilemma. 

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Martha Stewart Custom Stamps Review

I can't wander around any store with a Martha Stewart section without getting completely caught up in it.  Her magic breaks down all my defenses and I end up spending more than necessary on things I never knew I needed.

This time it was a custom stamp kit from Michael's.  Excuse while I start to justify, but I had been looking for an address embosser or self inking address stamp to the tune of $30.  You know, because I send so many letters (I don't) and the stamps will save so much time on the return labels.

Plus, I reasoned to my DH who didn't understand the value of this stamp set, I could make thank you cards and birthday cards and all the cards that I would normally go to the store and spend a few bucks on.  Pop out a few custom made cards and the set has nearly completely paid for itself.

So I bought two. They're different though and one font set isn't enough variety to make cards out of. Duh.

Without further ado, here are the stamp sets.  So far I've used them for 4 special occasions. Like Easter. And birthdays.

And now I've shared them with the world making everyone's life easier which is practically a public service so totes worth it.

Right DH?

The Good
Stamp packaging is great.  Only one set comes in a handy case. All the letters from both sets fits in the one case making organizing a cinch. The letters pop into lines in the case so they don't jumble.  There's a clear area of the case that holds rings and stamp mounts allowing the user to see everything when the case is open.


Circle stamps are the coolest. The round stamps have pretty border frames or the option to place words in a circular arrangement.

A lot of uses. Aside from address stamps, these stamps will help me make gift tags, jar labels, book inserts, recipe cards, invitations, zomg.

Clear mounts make it easy to accurately place the stamps.  This is a huge upgrade over wood stamps which take a little bit more planning to get in the right place.


The Bad
Pulling apart the letters.  In the circle stamp collection the letters broke apart really easily.  The rubber was thick and perforations pulled apart cleanly.  But in the set with the case, the letters were hard to pull apart on the perforations.  I tried using a knife and an X-acto and ended up use an extra sharp razor to break them apart.

Custom stamps are tedious. As in sometimes tweezers are necessary to get the ltters in place. And there are a lot of letters.

The case is not big enough.  The case doesn't hold all of the stamp mounts making it an appealing idea to pick up another case. As for now I'm keeping the mounts that don't fit in the case in their original packaging. Not perfect.


The Ugly
The stamps are not always level.  I don't know if this is my inexperience but it's extremely difficult to get the letters to stamp at the same thickness because they vary in height on the mount.

It takes a lot of tries. In order to get the letters level, I would do a practice stamp, move the uneven letters and stamp again.  It took about 4 tries per stamp before I got it to an acceptable place and even then it wasn't perfect.  As a result, when I was finished with the stamp, I didn't want to undo my work and make new stamps.

Final Verdict
I would buy this again instead of the address stamps.  The two sets only cost me about $40 at Michael's and give me a lot more options.

The creative possibilities exceeds the issues that will likely go away with a little more practice.

Plus, the compliments we got from the tag I put on our Easter hostess gift was worth the effort.

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The Crab Pot in Alamitos Bay

I'm known for getting weird hankerings and having to have them. Yesterday it was lobster after a comedic conversation about why there's never been a lobster buffet. I don't think, dear readers, you need any further explanation.

It was a beautiful Southern California day yesterday where the sky was blue, the clouds were like cotton and the sun was perfectly shining in the sky. I immediately thought of the Crab Pot on Alamitos Bay. Yes, it might have been pure exhaustion from the previous two days or just a complete brain fart, but I assumed the Crab Pot would have lobster also. Turns out I was wrong, but it is a great season to get a good deal on Alaskan king crab legs.

Alaskan king crabs are fished only during October and January usually all done within a matter of a week or less and then shipped world wide. Turns out, they're usually frozen right on the boat so very few places actually carry fresh off the boat never frozen crabs. I've never had them that way in the first place and once my fishmonger explained to me that a lot of seafood is frozen right when it's caught for bacterial reasons. I don't know if this is true or if he was just telling me that because he didn't have any fresh out of the water sashimi grade fish.

During the month right before the fish, Alaskan king crab legs usually go on sale to make room for the new catch. During the fishing seasons, because of the freshness, the prices skyrocket. I suppose that's why at the Crab Pot their usual $33 plate of 1.5 lbs of Alaskan king crab legs was on special for $19. Fiance got so excited he immediately ordered it and said he was going to come back every week. I awaited the actual taste test.

We started with a sourdough loaf, which, if I had one thing to complain about, was that it didn't come complementary. I mean, hello, you're a seafood restaurant and you're going to act like bread and butter is a chargeable appetizer?! What kind of cheap restaurateurs...

Fiance also ordered a bloody mary, which he said was one of the best he'd had in a long time. Impressive considering he had just had one last Sunday from our favorite bartender. Our meals started with soup (clam chowder for me) and salad (with blue cheese for him.)

The food came out pretty quickly. We both ordered the Alaska King Crab legs so they came out in the same bowl. We each got a few lemon wedges, two containers of clarified butter, and tools to release the delicious crab morsels with. The crab legs were accompanied by red skinned potatoes and corn on the cob, all generously sprinkled with some cajun seasoning.

The crab was delicious, down to the last bite. We'll have to come back again, with friends.

They leave the bowl by the side of the table so that you can throw the carcasses in them. The service was great and each table equipped with it's own heat lamp was a brilliant addition as the sun started to set.

All and all a great Sunday spent watching the boats go by, hearing the lapping sound of water on the docks and the breathing in the fresh ocean air.

Our tab came out to about $46 without tip. Not too shabby for this delicious crab filled feast.

Sorry for the sub par picture quality. I forgot my camera and had to settle for my cell phone.

(From the Archives December 10, 2007.)

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Cherry Blossoms for Home Decor

Is there anything more ubiquitously spring than Cherry Blossoms?  From San Francisco to Washington DC the season of the Cherry Blossoms is met with festivals and hoards of people returning to the outdoors once again.

Also known as Sakura, the Cherry Blossom Trees do not actually fruit.  Rather, thay are purely ornamental and bloom in beautiful shades of pink with a pervasive floral aroma dropping petals as the season goes on.

Cherry Blossom branches are a great option over bouquets of flowers.  They vary in size, give a sense of casual organic elegance and make the whole room smell better than any candle or plug-in.

Luckily for me, my florist, Flowerworks, a family owned and operated little shop, is able to procure almost anything my flower lusting heart desires.  A few weeks ago she ordered me 5 branches of Cherry Blossoms for a piddly $35.

Tips on Buying:

1. Size. When I received the branches, they were taller than me and basically the girth of a small tree.  Make sure whatever branches you get you pick ones that are the right size for your needs and transportation.

2. Buds: Pick branches that have a high blood to bloom ratio.  The buds will continue to bloom as long as the branches are well cared for giving you fresh flowers for longer than branches that are already fully opened.

3.  Blooms: Healthy branches will have fresh, just bloomed looking flowers.  The petals should be well hydrated and not paper dry.

Tips on Caring:

1.  When you get your branches home, immediately snip the bottoms with pruning shears, as you would any floral bouquet, on a bias trimming at least one inch from the bottom.  Place in water immediately

2.  Place the branches in a stable vessel.  Mine were particularly large so I used a gold hammered vase with rocks on the bottom to counteract the weight of the branches and eventually just placed them in a rectangular heavy leaded vase.

George Kitteh loves the smell of Cherry Blossoms.

3. If you are going to arrange them beyond placing them in a vase and letting the branches fall where they may, use natural cord or twine the tie the branches instead of using floral wire.  This is both healthier for the branches and blends in with the wood for a seamless arrangement.

4.  Change the water regularly.  I didn't use my typical mix of flower-fresh water additives to keep the branches around longer just in case it would affect the buds opening so changing the water was important.

5. Check the branch bottoms regularly to see if they need trimming to keep water flowing.  Sometimes the branch bottoms will close up and you'll need to cut them with pruning shears again.

Wilma Catner just loves the luxury.

Additional Cherry Blossom arranging resources:

Northern Life Magazine
Martha Stewart
eHow

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Bathroom Renovation: Planning Board

Almost a year ago, my husband renovated our little love shack with hardwood floors, crown molding, new windows and paint throughout.  It was a glorious finish to almost a year of living in construction hell. Now we're ready to start again with a full bathroom remodel.

Bathrooms are very challenging for such small spaces.  Everything has to be functional like a ship while maintaining a relaxing and calm ambiance. Styles vary wildly and so many different finishes and textures results in clashing decor.

Have you ever heard that most top level executives make most decisions within 9 minutes?  If my bathroom remodeling choices are any indication of my management ability, I'd be unemployed.  Wall mount or pedestal? Corian or Tile? Modern or Traditional?

Enter the planning board.

1. Nordic Brushed Nickel 3-light Bath Sconce. This brushed nickel light fixture can fit into most bathrooms decors from traditional to modern. $101.99 at Overstock.com

 2. Interceramic Habitat Canvas Ceramic 16" x 16". Giving the appearance of fabric texture with the cleanliness of tile, these canvas ceramic tiles make bathroom floors interesting. $2.95 per sqft at Quality Flooring For Less.


3. Texture Style by Norwall. This scrubbable wall vinyl mimicks seagrass lending a natural serene feel to bathroom walls. $11.99 a roll at Mallone's Wallpaper Shop.

4. ELIANE Illusione Beige 8 in. x 12 in. Ceramic Wall Tile. Rectangular wall tiles are a good option in a bath surround, placed vertically instead of horizontally for the illusion of height. $1.86 per sqft at Home Depot.

5. Woven Natural Sea Grass Baskets With Faux Leather Handles. In terms of accessories, baskets add a natural touch that complements the seagrass wallpaper while organizing bathroom shelf clutter. $114.02 on Amazon.

6. allen + roth 24" Rustic Oak Foley Bath Vanity with Top. It's the perfect size for a small bathroom. With the floor under the vanity visible the vanity opens up the footprint and makes the room look bigger than it really is! $229 at Lowe's.

7.  Glass Shelf with Satin Nickel Rail. To corral all the daily little items and get them off the sink surface, this glass shelf is just gorgeous. $37.99 at Organize.com.

8. EKBY JÄRPEN/ EKBY BJÄRNUM Shelf. These might not be moisture safe but I'm willing to take a chance because the shelf width is so easily adjustable, the price is so low and the lines are so clean. It'll be back to the drawing board in a year if they don't work in the bathroom. $19.99 at Ikea.

9. allen + roth 32"H x 22"W Foley Rustic Oak Rectangular Bath Mirror. This mirror is great and the wood matches the vanity.  I might end up just using my existing bathroom mirror and adding molding to frame it instead. $59.00 at Lowe's.

10. Nordic Brushed Nickel 1-light Bath Sconce.  These sconces are just perfect to frame a bathroom mirror and go with the 3-light sconce above. $49.99 at Overstock.com.

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Temecula Highlights: Old Town Shopping

There's two parts of Temecula really worth visiting on a vacation trip: the local wineries and Old Town. Everything in-between seems to be suburban sprawl.

Old Town consists of little antique shops, tasting rooms, restaurants and touristy shops with a western feel.  There's even a little place called the Gambling Cowboy that I've been told serves liquor out of glass boots!

Here are a few of the more interesting shops we stopped into on our recent trip to Old Town Temecula:



American Prospector Treasure Seeker
28900 Old Town Front Street #101
Temecula, CA 92590
(951) 676-2555

My husband has just picked up a hobby of gold prospecting.  No, seriously. He and his buddies head out to the river with a pack full of tools like pans, sluices, shovels and buckets and comes back with dirt filled with flecks of gold. (Ok, filled might be overstating.) There's a whole community of hobbyists out there!

In southern California there's a handful of gold prospecting shops like American Prospector Treasure Seeker.  It has one of the larger selections of dry and wet prospecting tools, books, and a friendly Native American statue that greets customers at the door.

The shop is family owned and ran by avid prospectors who are members of numerous local clubs who own land claims and know how to find the shiny gold nuggets.

It's a little far outside of the main part of Old Town (about 1/3 a mile) but still a short walk.

Temecula Valley Cheese Company

42072 5th Street #101
Temecula, CA 92590
(951) 693-9500

Not one to pass up a opportunity to buy cheese,  I scoped out this little shop that turned out to be more like someone's home.  A home with Freedman & Cash playing Eric Clapton hits in the casual dining room where the most delicious of cheeses and wines were served. 

Originally, I was just going to stop in and buy a small block of cheese and ended up sitting down for a 4 cheese and wine paired tasting. It was relaxed, calming and thoroughly charming. A must visit for anyone craving the wine country lifestyle on a trip to Temecula.

The dining room is relatively small with an occupancy of about 15 people but there's an adorable outdoor seating area for those who want to enjoy the breeze.

Spice Merchants
41925 5th St # 101
Temecula, CA 92590-2739
(951) 587-2223

On a search for pink peppercorns to use in a Parisian macaron recipe, Spice Merchants was our last and my favorite stop of the entire trip.  

It was like Willy Wonka decided to sell spices instead of candy!  A dozen types of peppercorns (including long Balinese), fragrant teas and rare spices and grains.  I could have spent hours smelling and tasting all the spices (which Spice Merchants encourages), sipping on tea samples and chatting with the sales people and customers about recipes.

I can completely understand why early trade was based on rare spices!  Why aren't there more of these shops?  Must we be relegated to stale spices in sad little plastic jars down cold megamart aisles?

In the end, we picked up bamboo rice (a grain in a pretty jade green color), habanero powder, long and pink peppercorns.

They also have an extensive collection of Hilmalayan pink salt plates and blocks. I already bought a 6"x6"x2" brick on Overstock.com for $17 but Spice Merchants prices were very competitive.

So there you have it!  All the highlights of my trip from Temecula without any details about the terrible time at Pechanga. I do not understand the joys of gambling.

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Temecula Highlights: Callaway Vineyards

Temecula surprised me this weekend!  I worked in this little bedroom town for two years and never experienced anything beyond the psuedo Orange County strip mall developments. The Temecula I found this weekend, after a 7 year hiatus, was filled with little nooks and crannies of culinary treasure.

Here is the first highlight of my trip!

Callaway Vineyards and Winery

32720 Rancho California Rd.
Temecula, CA 92589  
(951) 676-4001

Callaway is a local favorite because of its Meritage Restaurant, discounted tasting room and free winery tour.  It's a smaller more business oriented property than some of the other resort-like estates making it perfect for a quick stop rather than a long leisurely afternoon.

Beware of those party limos filled with inebriated youngsters!  Since it's a convenient and popular stop there's a large amount of unsavory traffic that takes away from the wine country ambiance.

The Tasting Room:

It's crowded with very few tables so you might have to wait for a spot at the tasting bar and then suffer through some elbowing while standing back to back with fellow tasters.


Of the 10 wines we tasted, the 2008 Reserve Calliope Red and 2010 Reserve Late Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon were our favorites.

The Calliope Red was very complex in aroma and taste.  A mix of 45% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, 4% Cinsault resulted in a berry chocolate nose and a spicy flavor with notes of coffee and smokey leather.

The Late Harvest Cabernet was very fruit forward with cherry, strawberry, currant and licorice notes. I don't usually like sweet wine but it was well balanced and pleasantly surprising for a late harvest.

The Meritage Restaurant:

When we arrived at about 2pm the wait for a table was 45 minutes.  We ducked into the Tasting Room during the wait and when we came back the crowd had dissipated and we were rewarded with a well positioned table facing the sprawling hills of grape vines. Score!

Originally, the plan was to have a few tapas since we had dinner plans at the hotel but menu was so interesting that we ended up ordering three items!

Red Wine & Mascarpone Risotto Fritters with Crab & Anchovy Marinara:

An unusual choice of red wine in a risotto instead of white resulted in a burgundy ball of ricey complexity!  The sauce alone was too pungent but the fritters paired perfectly with the seafood based marinara. Truly inspired.



 

Potato and Spanish Chorizo Croquettes with Gorgonzola Sauce:

Light and fluffy, the potatoes were ethereal in a way that traditional croquettes are too heavy to achieve. The chorizo came in Spanish ham like chunks instead of the expected ground meat adding solid texture to the ball. The gorgonzola sauce was so mild and melty, at first we couldn't tell it was gorgonzola at all!

Crispy Steak Fries with Parmesan, Parsley & Peppercorn Aioli:

What was supposed to be a small plate of fries ended up being the equivalent of a bag of potatoes!  They were crispy on the outside and lava hot and starchy on the inside.  I don't want to know how long they were sitting in oil to get to this potatoed perfection but it was worth it.

It's no wonder The Meritage was listed as one of the Inland Empire's best restaurants.  Not only was the food delicious, the portions were so filling that we spoiled our dinner. 

Callaway was the perfect first stop on a weekend long trip through Temecula.  Stay tuned for more on our travels.

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