Where the Wild Things Are...

Tapiseria

is the accessories company I started in May 2004. The gallery I used to work at, Pr1mary Space, was doing a fashion show. I made a small run of knitted cuffs out of unconventional materials (old audio tape, plastic bags, a children's dance costume, etc.). I wondered about the previous owners of these objects? I hoped I could put some of their story into each piece. A tapestry, if you will, of a person's life.

Over a year ago Barton and I went to an giant estate sale of an old jewelry studio where we scored a bunch of vintage charms. I promised to make her many free things in exchange for the charms. I coupled these vintage charms with shrinky-dink charms that I had been hand-drawing. Many of the pieces turned out to be quirky non-sequiturs. The wearer can imagine their own story about the piece while wearing it:

How did the moth come to find these feathers?

Or what did the Elk do in the snowy winter?

(item available offsite - can be special ordered)

These stories are often times whimsical and sprawling. Reminiscent of your backyard childhood theatrics, your adventures, the animals you used to converse with. I hope you remember all these things and hold them dear.

(item available offsite - can be special ordered)

Check out my store on etsy today if you get a chance. I am a featured in the Gift Guide Showcase today. If you decide to purchase something from 9/30 - 10/6 put the name of this blog "Celebration Anniversary Gym" in the special order instructions - and I will give you a FREE gift!!

Love you, mean it

Emily

Good Morning, Trendsetter

This was published in the New York Times today... It looks familiar, doesn't it?

Ripe for Autumn’s Hearth


love you, mean it.

Barton

Wild Rice Salad with Tempeh, Kale and Walnuts

What's this you say? Another recipe?? Yes, well, I was a little homesick last night so I decided to make some comfort food ala my mother.

My mother grew up in northern Minnesota as you may remember from a few months ago. Wild rice grows in ditches there - it's pretty much everywhere. There are also moose, loons and wolves and all sorts of nature you don't think of dwelling outside of Alaska. While there we went into town one day for some provisions. We decided to pop in to a local tavern for some eats. I got the Wild Rice Salad (vegan food in the middle of no where - what??). This is my version of that wonderful dish.

Wild Rice Salad with Tempeh, Kale and Walnuts

• 1/4 c wild rice

• 3/4 c brown rice (I used basmati)

• 1 pk tempeh cut into 1" squares (I used the LightLife wild rice flavor)

• 1/2 onion chopped

• 2 carrots chopped

• 1 bunch red kale (de-stemmed and chopped)

• 1/2 c dried cranberries

• 1/2 c walnuts chopped

• 3 tbsp olive oil (or more to taste)

• 1-2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (or tamari)

• sea salt and fresh pepper (to taste)

• 1/4 c chopped scallions (to garnish)(I didn't use these but I think they would be good)

Bring 2 cups water to boil in a sauce pan. Add wild rice, basmati and 1 tbsp of olive oil to boiling water, turn stove top down to low and cover. Stir occasionally until all water is absorbed.

Meanwhile sauté onion in a frying pan with remainder of oil until onions begin to brown. Add tempeh and carrots. Making sure to brown tempeh on both sides.


Now add the walnuts and cranberries to the onion, tempeh mix. Cook until walnuts begin to toast.

Add the kale on top of the onion, tempeh mixture. Pour Braggs or tamari over the kale and cover with a large lid (doesn't necessarily have to fit - just need to create steam to cook kale). After a few minutes stir together and make sure kale is cooked completely (should look limp and brighter in color).

Season finished rice and tempeh mixture to taste. Serve with sprinkled scallions on top. To make more of an entree - serve with fresh spring mix salad greens with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Serves 2-4. Enjoy!





Love you, mean it

Emily

Vegan Swiss Chard and Potato Strudel

I figured it's been a while since we've had any recipes on the blog. So here goes.

This recipe is for Swiss Chard and Potato Strudel. Totally beautiful and looks like it took way longer than it did. So with just a little foresight on your part, you too can enjoy this pretty little dish at your next dinner party. Or you can just do it like I did and eat leftovers for the next couple days. It's cause I'm greedy...

Swiss Chard and Potato Strudel

• 3 lrg (I used 4 - BONUS POTATO!!) red or golden potatoes

• 1/4 c soy milk (or to taste)

• 2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread (Because really. Is there another vegan butter that tastes this good? Thought not.)

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder (yeahhh, I didn't use either onion nor garlic powder - powders are for suckers)

• sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

• 3/4 c non-dairy sour cream (I used Tofutti)

• 2 tbsp olive oil (I just used this to taste - so waaaayyy more)

• 1 lrg onion

• 4 fresh mushrooms, diced

• 8 cloves garlic, minced (I subbed a little grated ginger for this instead and I think it brought out the flavor of the sundried tomato)

• 1 tbsp fresh basil

• 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes (oil packed)(I also diced mine)

• 1 lrg bunch swiss chard

• 16 - 20 sheets phyllo (filo)

• non-stick cooking spray

• 1/4 c vegan parmesan cheese (I used nutritional yeast instead)

1. Preheat oven to 375˚ F. Lightly oil a 9x13" baking dish.

2. To make the filling: Cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and return to pot. Mash potatoes, adding milk, Earth Balance, Bragg's, garlic powder, onion powder (or not), salt and pepper. Add sour cream. Set aside.

3. While potatoes cook, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden. Stir in mushrooms, garlic (or ginger), basil and sun-dried tomatoes, and saute 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir into mashed potatoes, and set aside.

4. Chop chard coarsely. Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat, and saute until thoroughly wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir chard into potato mixture, and set aside.

5. To use phyllo: Remove 8 to 10 sheets phyllo from package, covering remaining phyllo with plastic wrap. Cut phyllo to fit pan (I just sort of folded mine in - BONUS LAYERS!!)(Also these are little hard to work with - make sure you have a large flat surface to finagle these buggers). Spray every other sheet with cooking spray, or brush with oil as you place them in pan (I recommend spraying or brushing a little more oil than you think necessary - mine turned out a little dry with my quick spray method). Spread potato mixture on top of phyllo layers, and sprinkle with parmesan (or nutrish). Remove another 8 to 10 sheets phyllo from package, and top filling with remaining phyllo, spraying or brushing sheets as before.

6. Bake about 30 minutes, or until golden. Cut into squares and serve hot.

Serves: 6

Per Serving: 423 Calories; 19g Fat (46.9% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 945mg Sodium.

Enjoy!!

Love you, mean it

Emily

Recipe originally posted on Vegan Coach.

Full of Grace

Last weekend I went to see the much talked about September Issue. As much as I love the bitchiness of Anna, the real star of the film was Grace Coddington (pictured above middle). Grace Coddington is Vogue magazine's creative director and, as quoted from the film, possibly the greatest stylist of all time. She also controls most of the photo shoots for Vogue and, also quoted from the film, the only stylist who still dresses the models.

Word on the street is that she absolutely did not want to be filmed for the documentary but relented due to Anna's requests. "Watching the documentary, you'd barely know it: she charms Cutler's (and thus, in some ways, Wintour's) film crew and soon is using them for her advantage by talking money with Anna on camera so that she can't cancel her budget. This dame knows how to play the game and isn't afraid to fight dirty, but she doesn't do it in the name of flighty Fashion (with a capital F) but she does it for art, which gives her a nobler cause" (Gawker.com).

During the film, Grace was warm and kind. At one point telling the camera man not to listen about what Wintour said about "hitting the gym." "Coddington seems to pump passion and artistic integrity into the pages while not being swept up in the celebrity frenzy that seems synonymous with fashion these days" (Associate Press).

Grace started her career in fashion modeling in the 60's. Her modeling career was cut short by a car accident in which she flew through the window. British Vogue quickly picked her up as a junior fashion editor. Later starting at American Vogue the same day as Anna Wintour. The lovingly volatile pair still work together today creating some of the most interesting fashion spreads the world has ever seen:

"If you give in, you don't get perfection."

- Grace Coddington, New York Magazine

Love you, mean it

Emily

Gran

Vivienne Westwood will you be my grandmother?

She would be one amazing gramma. Just sayin.

Check out her new line for Spring here.

Love you, mean it

Emily

One Door Closes and Another One Opens

Are you a sad face that NY Fashion Week is already over? Don't cry into your cocoa puffs for too long kiddo cause London Fashion Week has already begun!

Betty Jackson opened the show (well, she showed on the first day). I absolutely love her spring line for 2010. It reminded me of Barton. Sweet and flowery with a certain vintage charm. These clothes made me think that if the Botanical Gardens, a 1950s housewife and Queen Elizabeth had a baby - she would dress like this. Which isn't necessarily Barton, but I think it should be ;)

Notice the tie-on bustle in the second to last picture.



GENIUS. I'm already thinking about how I can make my own.

Love you, mean it

Emily

Gimme Som!

Peter Som. You are a god.

You channel my inner workings by designing clothing that I dream about. The combination of colors, textures and patterns that in the outfits and clothing work with ease and fall on the body softly to highlight subtle femininity. When I see your line for Spring 2010, it all makes sense. You KNOW me...and we've just come to a deep understanding. 

“The Peter Som look is romantic, it's a little dreamy. My girl is a little bit of a 'head-in-the-clouds' kind of girl. There's a beauty, a lightness about her.” -Peter Som

"Peter Som may have been touted as the next Michael Kors in the earlier part of his career, but the young designer has quickly established his own distinct aesthetic. Since its spring 2001 debut, the label has been celebrated by industry leaders, winning Som numerous accolades, including consecutive nominations for the CFDA’s prestigious Swarovski Perry Ellis award and a finalist spot for the Vogue/CFDA fashion fund. Som spent a year furthering his expertise in American sportswear as creative director for Bill Blass but left in 2008 to focus on his namesake label. Clean lines and flattering cuts—'curvilinear,'as Som put it—in easy, romantic fabrics are his hallmark." New York Times Magazine

I will walk around in underwear-like garb... if it looks like that.

love you, mean it.

Barton

Dungeons & Dragons

So I'm into being tough as much as the next gal but when it comes to clothing I tend to go for sweet over biker chick. My ex once tried to make me a chain mail bracelet. It was totally rad but not for me.

I caught the Vena Cava show last week and I thought to myself huh, chain mail (below).

Then I caught the Fannie Schiavoni S/S 10 accessories line - more chain mail (below). Trend or great minds thinking alike?

You be the judge.

Love you, mean it

Emily

Sweat it

I made my first enemy at school while talking sh*t about sweatpants accidentally in front of a girl wearing sweatpants. Not my proudest moment but there is something wrong about a girl who wears sweatpants to fashion school. Until now...

Now in my school of thought one does not wear sweatpants out of the house if they aren't going to the gym. Period. One also does not wear pajamas outside of the house or let men wear sandals outside of the beach. All of these things give the appearance that you don't care what you look like. Don't get me wrong - there are certainly days when I feel less-than-inspired to get dressed. Those days are for jeans and t-shirts. I'm pretty sure if my house was on fire I would actually grab pants before I left the house. I'm that anal about it.

Some of the trends from Fashion Week for next Spring are pretty apparent like....

Cut-outs:

by Max Azria

Leg-of-Mutton Sleeves:

by Alexandre Herchovitch

Mixed Prints:

by Anna Sui

Tattoo-Like Details:

by Rodarte

Underwear as Outerwear:

by Proenza Schouler

But what was LESS apparent was why anyone would choose to make sweatpants into a trend?? When I read this on the cut a few days ago a little puke crawled into my throat. I think I had noticed them in some of my favorite shows (Marc by Marc Jacobs etc.) but my eyes didn't want to see it. Yet, they were there with flashing lights, warning sirens, and do-not-cross police tape.

In order of appearance Elie Tahari, Band of Outsiders, Alexander Wang, Generra and Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Some of you can choose to dawn this trend in the coming spring.

I, for one, will not.

Love you, mean it

Emily