Happiness in a Bowl

This past weekend in Southern California has been blessed with 80 degree weather, making me crave cool, refreshing meals. I usually make this salad in summer, but since spring & summer pretty much blend together in my neck of the woods—it seemed like the perfect day for it. Imagine the intense cool sweetness of watermelon tossed in a ginger, garlic & lime dressing with some lavender sea salt as a final touch. This dressing dances on the tongue and is such a surprising mouthful of tropical cool.

Ginger-Lime Watermelon Salad

1 mini seedless watermelon- cut up

Dressing:

2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger

1 tablespoon zest of lime

3 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 smashed clove of garlic

small bunch of chives, finely chopped

Ground pepper to taste

Lavender sea salt to taste

(Got mine at Monsieur Marcel shop at Farmers" Market/Grove, you can also find it online at Posh Gourmet)

Make the dressing ahead and let sit for an hour or so with garlic soaking in mixture. Toss garlic after an hour (if you leave it in, it becomes overpowering) and toss the chopped watermelon in dressing. Chill, will keep for a few days covered in refrigerator. Option: Add chopped cucumber and/or cilantro.

Happy Scary Bunny

This is a shot I took of a window mural at the Michael Kohn Gallery for a Mark Ryden show last year in Los Angeles. His paintings are fascinating, disquieting and lush. His site is a must-visit! Happy Bunny to all.

Green Day

Susan Henry is one of tinseltown’s top colorists. A veteran of Umberto, Jose Eber and Prive salons, her client list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood. Eight years ago that almost all came to an end. Susan began experiencing extreme symptoms of ammonia poisoning as a result of the daily exposure to ammonia-based hair color. She became determined not only to get healthy, but to do something so that she and other women would not have to be slowly, but surely poisoned by the very products that were supposed to make them look and feel better about themselves. Susan began working with herbs and natural ingredients and after countless experiments in her kitchen sink, developed her all natural 100% ammonia free permanent hair color which leaves hair silky and healthy. She opened Shades, the first green non-toxic salon last year in Beverly Hills and offers all the services of a full service salon/spa featuring her extensive line of hair color, botanical oil treatments, shampoo & conditioner and hand made soaps. With the pregnancy epidemic in full swing, look for her launch of the Baby Jack line of all natural baby products coming soon!

Noir Sunday

Intoxicating

Every October I plant hundreds of varieties of heirloom sweet pea seeds in a narrow planting bed along my driveway. By late February and until June my entire house and the neighborhood is swathed in an intoxicating, heady and sugary sweet scent of these delicate and vibrant flowers. 

Typography in Motion

It's All My Parents’ Fault

Okay, I admit it. I am a design snob, and it’s all my parents’ fault. When I was born, my father was just finishing up at the USC School of Architecture. Early on, I was taught the basics of good design, clean lines and a modern sense of aesthetics. By kindergarten I had a frightening knowledge of modern architecture, and knew art/design was in my future. Now that they are gone, I treasure the furniture, pottery & art they passed on to me, snob that I may be.

Pastoral

I have always loved dioramas. Something about creating a miniature world with infinite detail and housing it behind glass endlessly appeals to me. When I found this very tiny pastoral diorama at Small Stump, I just had to have it. Check out their site, they create very fresh, affordable art.