The Adventures of Tin-Tin

Stitchpixie's Monster Coin Purse

wah. i want it.

Thank you, Outblush...for introducing me to another thing I really really want but don't need (especially with my current cash shortage). 

Bike Knives

These are cool.

Bike-handled knives from MKS Design via Uncrate.com

The Blueberry Le Creuset Petit Blueberry Casserole

This is riduculous.

But I want it. It's a Le Creuset Petit Blueberry Casserole and it is on sale at Amazon.com. Apparently, there is also a pear, an artichoke and an eggplant casserole. Something about the blueberry one though. Maybe because it's round. I am round. Ergo, I like round things.

What can I say? I have a thing for enameled cast-iron French cookware. Case in point: longtime wishlist placeholder--> the Staub chicken roaster

Considering the blueberry casserole is only $25, I am wondering if it is actually the size of a real blueberry. Le Creuset isn't exactly cheap ya know.

I am also wondering how confusing and possibly very amusing it would be to serve something like liver and onions or haggis in an unassuming little blueberry shaped casserole. Guests would open the lid thinking some sort of sweet fruity compote would be inside but NO HO HO! It would be chopped up entrails! MUAHAHAHHAHAHAH.

Thanks, Outblush for telling me about it!

Pillowig!

I love the Pillowig. I wish I thought of it. It's too bad. I don't think anyone wants to get legal advice from someone who is ready for a nap at any time. It looks very katamari-esque. Which reminds me, I haven't played PSP in a long time.

I would be jumping up and down, too, if I got to wear the pillowig to work. Sigh...

BTW Thanks for the link, M! 

Low-res pixel jewelry

From Craftzine. It's like a Monet! Blur your eyes for the full effect...Click here for more examples from Mike and Maaike.

Japanese Louis Vuitton Commercial

Just when you think you're out, they suck you back in!!! I didn't even like those Murakami LV bags and now they seem whimsical and irresistible. I dunno. Do I want one? Or do I just want to have more interesting daydreams like that little girl?

I like how the ad targets little girls by using anime and big-headed animals reminscent of Sanrio characters. (Sarcasm alert!!) I also think it's good to get little girls wanting things they can't afford in order to start a foundation for a long road to high credit card debt. Note that the little girl (who is probably 7 years old???) has a cell phone. WTF times ten million. Do little kids have cell phones now? Is it just something they do in Japan? I am so out of it...

Dressing the Part

Now that I have passed the bar, I am going to try to look more like a lawyer. What do lawyers look like? I'm glad you asked...

Check out the Lawyer Coloringbook at Techlaw Advisor. "Color my suit gray or I will lose my job." HAH!

I have been known to dress more on the casual side and rarely am I overdressed for any occassion. Hoodies, flip-flops or sneakers, t-shirts and jeans are my usual uniform. But I feel like I have to start looking like an adult now. What spawned this? It is a combination of things: the 50% off all women's suits sale at Macy's a few weeks ago when I stocked up on work-wear, my first interview for an attorney position and watching countless episodes of TLC's What Not to Wear.

That show has also inspired me to make an effort to look more like a girl, too. Thanks to Stacy and Clinton, I have been wearing more skirts since the weather is heating up (I hate hate hate how I look in shorts).

I am guessing that I will be working at a place where I will be required to wear a suit occassionally if not on a regular basis. The problem is with most dress shoes, my feet are begging to be cut off after two hours of continuous wear. I'd rather be wearing running shoes all day.

I do recognize that I need the proper shoes and classy black pumps sound like the way to go. I am buying (but not keeping) about 6 different pairs of shoes on Zappos.com. I am guessing that I will return 4 to 5 pairs. Zappos has a great return policy and free shipping both ways. I've never shopped for shoes online before, but Zappos policy seems to make the process soooo much easier.  We'll see. This is one of the six pairs I am considering.

Man, that is one mean-looking shoe. It has rubber treads and built-in gel insoles. Also, I am ordering it in a wide size. So I am guessing I have done all I can and if these six pairs don't fit me, I will have to walk into my interviews barefoot or very very slowly.

UPDATE: The shoe pictured above is a cheap-looking pump. Though I liked that the brand (Fitzwell) was favored by people who are on their feet a lot (flight attendants love Fitzwell!) the shoe above had a cheap plastic heel and the seam wasn't straight. It was also a disaster fit-wise. blah. it went back. The nice thing is that it was free overnight shipping on these particular shoes and for the return I just dropped it off at UPS after printing out a label. Zappos: Two thumbs up! Fitzwell: eh.

The Chloe Paddington Bag

In a recent AIM conversation about Ryan Seacrest's sexual orientation I learned something new:

s******: yeah, i've noticed that it's hard for guys to be trendy

Tin-Tin: yeah because then they appear to try a little toooo hard to be pretty

s******: yeah

s******: so tough for them

s******: there is a guy at my work who's so into brand names

s******: we did think he might be gay

Tin-Tin: hahahaha

s******: he knows about chloe paddington bags

Tin-Tin: i don't even know about chloe paddington bags

Tin-Tin: hmmm i must google that

And so I did. And this is what I came up with.

Isn't it beautiful??? It's the perfect purse! I've actually seen fake ones around but I didn't know what the real one looked like until now. I didn't even know I wanted one, but after reading about the Chloe Paddington Bag on The Bag Snob, I WANT ONE! Who cares if it is probably worth more than the car I drive? And it seems like everyone else does, too. I'm not a slave to fashion nor do I even try to keep up with trends. But damn. That is one nice bag.

Photo courtesy of Momist.com

Then there is a bag I can actually afford on my nonexistent salary. It was featured on Outblush and is very stylish for $15. Probably more appropriate for the summer, too. I'll have to go to Target one of these days and see if it's too good to be true.

86 Recipes: San Francisco

Last Friday's DailyCandy-SF was about food. YAY! Click here to see it. Pretty awesome idea. Take a bunch of recipes from a town's most famous and most tastiest restaurants and publish them. Genius! There are lots of recipe books that say they have good San Francisco region-specific recipes, but I don't think they have the clout to name-drop like this collection.

I'd like to try the Gary Danko recipe and the Chez Panisse one as well. I have never been to Chez Panisse so I have no frame of reference. But after seeing Alice Walters and Jeremy Towers cook with Julia Child, I suspect I will not be as finicky about freshness as they are at Chez Panisse so it will not be the same or nearly as good. I think it will be still be worth buying 86 Recipes, especially since I don't make it up to the city as often as I used to.

"86 San Francisco brings recipes from the San Francisco Bay Area’s top restaurants to your kitchen. Between the overwhelming success of our first edition, featuring New York City, and the addition of GraceAnn Walden as editor (see below), we were fortunate to have our choice of restaurants and chefs. Our selection criteria encompassed the entire Bay Area, including the wine country up north and San Jose to the south. From world-renowned Gary Danko and Chez Panisse to local favorites such as Swan Oyster Depot and Tartine Bakery, we capture the best of San Francisco. As for cuisine, choices exist for every course or appetite, ranging from Dungeness Crab Cakes (Boulevard) to Lamb Chops (Ritz Carlton Dining Room) to Lentil and Feta Cheese Salad (Café La Haye).

GraceAnn Walden is the editor of 86 San Francisco. GraceAnn is an acclaimed San Francisco Bay Area food columnist. For over fifteen years, she wrote a weekly column entitled the “Inside Scoop” for the San Francisco Chronicle. She appears regularly on local radio and television programs to discuss the San Francisco restaurant scene, the activities of super chefs as well as trends in the industry. She is a Beard House Awards judge. Her website is www.graceannwalden.net." -From http://www.86recipes.com/

I want that...and that...

1) Count on Outblush and Fred Flare to always have something I want. Hmph. Just when I think I can't buy any more stuff to fit into my tiny apartment, I find this!

It's a recipe book. It's not a new concept. It's just a very cute version.

It comes with ten tab dividers and color coded stickers! I used to collect stickers. I kept them in a Sanrio My Melody plastic coated book. Ah memories.

2) I also want the OMOP from Method. It's beautiful! I'd probably mop more often if I had one. Probably. (photo from ljcfyi.com)

I first heard about the OMOP on ljcfyi.com back in February. I kept seeing it at Target, but honestly I was more interested in studying for the bar that was coming up at the end of the month than mopping. Now I have all the time in the world! To mop. Might as well have one that is a joy to behold.

3) I need more Amy Butler fabric! I happened to spot some at Yarn, Paper, Scissors in Burlingame while I was in the area. (btw very very cool store! I wish I lived close enough to go everyday.) I bought one yard of this:

But then I saw that all Amy Butler fabrics are on sale at Reprodepot until 4/29. I have already accumulated enough fabric in the past few weeks. I need to stop buying and start sewing! Oh but the shopping part is so much fun...

Too bad Amy Butler patterns weren't on sale or that would have made it impossible for me to resist. I have wanted this hat pattern since I saw a similar Juicy Couture hat at Nordstrom the other day:

   

I really like the Chelsea bag:

and the Nappy Bag, though I doubt I would put diapers in there.

I also think the Frenchy Bag is pretty sweet.

I'd really like to find a store near me in the Bay Area that sells these Amy Butler patterns. I can't seem to find any.

4) I want to learn how to crochet so I can make cute amigurumi creatures like Super Eggplant's Tomato:

Supereggplant also talks about some amigurumi books on her blog, too.

Last week I found some great amigurumi patterns at Craftybits.

The squirrel is my favorite.

5) I want to eat sansrival! The last thing on my list is something I cannot have--at least not until I lose some more weight.

 

It's a filipino dessert which translates to "without rival" probably because there is little in the world as yummy as cold buttercream slathered on light crispy meringue layers. Usually it is made with cashews. The one pictured above is made with pistacios and was mentioned in Dessert Comes First, a filipino food blog, that suggests this dessert is better bought than homemade since it's so hard to make. I concur. I have never tried to make one, but I do have a fond memories of my mom and later my sister trying to make it and me getting to eat the mistakes. yessssss...

My local Bay Area favorite is the one from Goldilocks because their bakeries are easy to find and I have never had a bad one there. Though the next time I am in the Philippines I will definitely have to go try the pistacio version.

Too bad. I'll just have to wait.