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

This past Saturday I spent almost the entire day (nine hours) making margu?iai (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 (mum’s cousin) made some really elaborate eggs

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

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).