Halloween Treats

 This  week begins with Halloween and will end with the grand Tucson tradition, The All Souls Procession  on Sunday night. This parade of ghouls is based on the Mexican tradition know as The Day of the Dead and opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, whether it be a parent, a child, a friend, a recognized personality or even a pet. There will be drummers, bagpipers, folks on wildly decorated bike contraptions, stilt walkers and families with strollers in this miles long walk that snakes around downtown and ends with a bonfire and a concert. It is a wonderful, colorful expression of our diverse community and is not to be missed.
 In keeping with the Day of the Dead week, I decided to feature a couple of Mexican items this week... first is my much sought after Mexican Chocolate Cake Recipe.It is quick, easy and healthy with no eggs, no oil and lots of chocolate.  I took one to the neighborhood picnic yesterday and it was a big hit. I was so busy meeting and greeting that I didn't get to eat a piece, I guess I'll have to make another.

Mexican Chocolate Cake
1 1//2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup good baking cocoa
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder, I use New Mexico dark chili powder, but use whatever you like
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Gently stir dry ingredients together.
Make a two small wells in the flour mixture
In one, pour
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
in the other pour
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
Before you stir these in, pour over the whole flour, vinegar, vanilla mixture:
1 cup cold, strong black coffee (you may use cold water if you don't like coffee)
Stir it all together, and pour into an oiled 8 or 9" round cake pan.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, cake is done when it springs back when you touch it.
Frosting:
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons cold black coffee or water, add sparingly until it reaches desired spreading consistency.
Mix together and spread on cooled cake.

That's it! Have a happy and safe Halloween.

Bookcases

I have had bookcases on my mind for a few months now. I pulled a few pictures out of my file to help me design an installation for a new client and found them as inspirational as ever. I also attended a party in my neighborhood at the home of a client whose bookcases I designed several years ago. What struck me immediately was how well she utilized them to set the mood of her entire home. Bookcases are not just for books, they are for artful display of collections, storage of pictures and for creating beautiful vignettes that tell a story about who lives there. They also can be used to solve problems. Here, we created a space  behind the bookcases against the adobe block wall to house pocket doors that were desperately needed to close the bright enclosed porch off from the living room.

Adjustable shelves allow for creative use of varying sizes to show prints, small paintings, sculpture and books. 

In the adjoining room, shelves painted a deep, muddy brown display Mexican pottery. Following simple rules of composition you can create a beautiful display using  heirlooms, family art pieces and books of all shapes and sizes-along with the occasional princess. So drag that stuff out of the cabinets and the garage and have a little fun. Here's a bit more inspiration:

Where once there was and awkward stair landing,thoughtfully designed bookcases make a cozy reading room. From Elle Decor, 2006

In this case, the bookcases become the stairwell. From Provence Interiors, Taschen, Lisa Lovett -Smith. (Thanks, Christian, this is my favorite book) 

From Elle Decor, a modernists dream.

From Steven Salny's Frances Elkins: Interior Design. The bookcases are constructed as though they are a small stage. 

From Domino magazine (sniff sniff) May 2006.  These bookcases create a divider. The consistent size of fixed shelves add unity to the room.

Create a little soul and tell a story about yourself and your family: add a bookcase.

Morning Beauty along the Golden Gate Trail

Yeah, its really hot here sometimes, and yes, there are snakes and scorpions. Mini malls and concrete abound. But this morning, we got up and drove 15 minutes from our house, and took an hour-long hike. Here's what we saw....

This is fall and winter in Tucson.. I'll take it.

Old Photos

 At the risk of sounding like I am complaining (I am not!) my life the past few weeks has been a blur of appointments, consultations and measures. A lot of talking, a lot of houses and many wonderful new clients. This makes me happy, I love my work-- but when I am busy I  occasionally take a few moments to  open up my old photo box to page through all these stylish folks who are not known to me except for their beautiful faces and great family poses. I love the clothes, the backgrounds and the precise moments that the photos captured. It slows me down to think about exactly where I am and what I need to do...take a look.

Love the bright feather...

I love the embossed frame on this one...

On to analyzing floor plans with a clear head!

Asian- Inspired

I have always been drawn to Asian-Inspired accessories. From  kitschy his and hers lamps

To the quiet Quan Yin, posing in a forest of yet unidentified blooms from my garden.

To the funky pagoda candlesticks I turned into lamps last month. In the process of searching for shades for these little beauties, I came upon some terrific Asian-Inspired lighting. Some classic, some colorful, some completely over the top. Take a look:

I am looking forward to a busy weekend, Tucson Meet Yourself, Shop Your Girlfriend's Closet- which benefits Voices for Education and a Marimba Band Party in our neighborhood... can't wait. I hope yours is just as fun!

Warm Goat Cheese Appetizer

 Last night we hosted the first outdoor dinner party of the fall season. Cool, candlelit and beautiful, it was quite relaxing to spend Sunday evening with good friends. We served one of our favorite easy appetizers and tried a new twist--pomegranate seeds which are extra sweet and juicy when they are warm. Recipe to follow.

Warm Goat Cheese appetizer with Pistachios and Pomegranate Seeds

Ingredients:
1 11 oz tube of plain goat cheese, softened.
1/4-1/2 c. cream, half and half, or milk
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. chopped roasted pistachios, shells and skins removed and chopped medium fine
2 tbsp ripe pomegranate seeds

Blend goat cheese and milk or cream  with a fork, an electric mixer or an immersion blender. Smooth the mixture into a small, shallow baking dish. I use a Mexican "pewter" dish (available at Zocalo) because it holds the heat, keeping the appetizer warm after baking. Heat in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Do not allow the cheese to bubble over or brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with pistachios and pomegranate seeds and drizzle with the honey. Serve with baguette, crackers and sliced apples and be sure to include a small knife for spreading. Enjoy!

Tanque Verde flea market and a new project

The Tanque Verde Elementary Indoor/Outdoor Antique Fair  has become one of my favorite monthly activities. Held on the first Sunday of every month, the market has expanded to cover most of the school's vast athletic field and all of the indoor gymnasium.  Lots of furniture, pottery, artwork, clothing, tools-- a taste of everything and something for every collector. Everybody shows up decked out in hats in the warmer months, funky clothes every month; just about everyone I know goes at one time or another. This month, my husband accompanied me (I'll liken it to me attending a hockey event) which was a big treat. I love his company and his eye--I enjoyed every  minute of the trip.

Hey, who gave that guy a camera?

We brought this one home, for our portrait wall.

You probably think I spend all of my time at flea markets, junkyards, and in my kitchen. I actually have a busy interior consultation business that takes most of my time. Recently I began working with client who owns a lovely mid-town home. I love mid-town Tucson homes ( I live in one) for their funky ranch floor plans and their large, green lots but mostly for the neighborhoods where they are found.
This particular family has meticulously maintained the infrastructure of their large, territorial style home for the past 20 years, but have done little for the decor. Enter ME!

The kitchen now. I had the same yellow counters at my house! 

I will save other pictures for the before and after, but I thought it would be fun to take a look at my plans for the place:

Most designers create some sort of mood board as a starting point. This time, I made mine giant--the whole dining room table--so that I could visualize how the house would look when finished.

Beautiful saltillo tiles are in many rooms--we will keep them and try to complement them without allowing this territorial style house to become too sweetly Southwest. The bathrooms will have stone or porcelain tile, oil-rubbed bronze lighting fixtures and custom mirrors.

Bookcases in the dining room and this entertainment set up in the family room will add some architecture and unity to the house. Mark Wilson designed the units around the fireplace. Genius-

I am about as obsessed with bookcases as I am with bancos.  Although we have become increasingly electronic in our homes, I still believe it is important to have access to words and art, printed on paper. It adds warmth and character to a room and to your soul. Bookcases also provide flat surfaces for collections and pictures of loved ones.

The kitchen will get classic lighting with an oil rubbed bronze finish. All of the family room and kitchen  ceilings will be covered in 14 foot tongue-in-groove planks, painted off-white. The new cabinets will be painted pale green or ecru.

The contractor is the best: organized, experienced, patient (and how!) and has a creative eye. I can't wait for the demo to start. I think I may pick up a hammer myself!

Early Fall Blooms

 We have been lucky this year.  Late September rain has come at the end of our hot summer and resulted in an abundance of blooms. Here are a few.

One of my favorites, Little Leaf Cordia.  Delicate, tissue paper flowers evenly adorn the branches.

I have had this highly prolific plant for several years, it comes up everywhere...does anyone know what it is? The blooms look gorgeous in a small vase, and dry beautifully.

Lavender Texas Ranger laden with blooms and adding delicious fragrance to the whole front yard.

Yellow wildflowers in the front driveway smile at us every time it rains. 

Maybe the last of the  Trumpet Vine blossoms, cool weather brings the end to its leafy shade.

This little cactus fellow has been consistently blooming all summer long. 

Globe Mallow makes an unexpected appearance at the edge of the vegetable garden.



Enjoy your version of  fall!