Filed under: Collaboration, Design by ramune

My portfolio!

Since I am constantly looking for work now and (thinking of) applying to grad school, I figured it would be a good idea to have a physical portfolio. I also happen to have a wonderful resource called my (amazingly talented book binder/conservator/master of all things book and paper related) sister. Together we worked on a few ideas that were both professional and unique to my style. She sent me some links to materials and I came up with a few digital mock ups and picked out the leather (please refrain from splashing red paint on my portfolio). This was the winning design and I am happy with how it turned out . . . now I need to fill it and rework my website so they work well together. This design can also be seen in quite a few of my fig.ments pendants.

My name embossed on the portfolio spine

My original design/mock up of the portfolio

Filed under: Collaboration, Holiday, taste by ramune

My favorite of my Easter eggs this year

This past Saturday I spent almost the entire day (nine hours) making margučiai (Lithuanian Easter eggs). Some of my friends came by to learn how to decorate the eggs and I was pleasantly surprised to see them pick up on it so quickly and develop their own styles. I find the whole process very meditative and wish I could decorate eggs more than just once a year. If only I could start a career in decorating Lithuanian eggs . . .

For more photos from Easter, you can see my Flickr set here.

One of my favorite eggs

Cherry blossoms

Vaidila made some really elaborate eggs

A bundle of eggs, as you can see the blue worked the best

Vaidila’s video of my sister, me and my mother making margučiai. My sister pointed out that we all use the same “pinky on the egg” technique.

Filed under: Clothing, Process by ramune

In the sweatshop . . .

I have been in desperate need of some new skirts and finally got around to sewing one for the spring. Over the years I have sewn at least ten (variations) of these for myself and even more for my sister and to sell (when my sister and I had our business Pilkasiulas).

This past autumn when my friend Kathy came to visit from San Jose, CA, she gave me a gift certificate to Purl (a fantastic fabric and yarn store in NYC). I was super excited and bought a bundle of fabric to whip into skirts. I plan to sew the black one next and then I am not sure what I will do with the pink one. I only bought a yard of that, so it won’t be enough for a skirt.

As if I don’t have enough fabric, new fabric at least motivates me to get sewing.

I love the sound/feeling of cutting fabric.

Abstract view of the marsupial skirt . . . I love hidden pockets in skirts.

At a stoplight in my new skirt . . .

Filed under: Baking, taste by ramune

Delicious goodness in dough form

Holy lateness, I can’t believe I have let almost a month go without an update. I will try to catch up on the missing posts this week. Hopefully you will forgive me once I tell you about the best cookies I’ve ever made. If I could send them to you via the interweb tubes I would, but I think it might get messy and possibly ruin my computer (I think I read somewhere that gooey chocolate chips and dough do not mix well with electronics).

A while ago Smitten Kitchen had a recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookies and I could not wait to bake them. I am a big fan of baking chocolate chip cookies (and the batter . . . oh the batter!) and I must say, these were by far the best I have ever baked. I think the secret is the melted butter. I could be wrong, but just look at that dough! It’s so smooth and velvety. To “show” you how good they are, I had 18 cookies on a plate and in a matter of minutes there were only two (it helps that my aunt and five cousins were visiting from Chicago). Smitten Kitchen has never led me (or anyone I know for that matter) astray, and I am so glad that she posted this delicious goodness.

Mmmm . . . I might bake some more tonight for my enamels class tomorrow (I like to feed them).