Showing posts with label life de la bunny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life de la bunny. Show all posts

Five Dream Jobs

Posted by Michelle Welch In , | 0 comments»
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Sometimes my mind wander and I wonder what I'd be doing if I wasn't a skin care therapist. I think that it's always a good idea to keep your heart open to new ideas and that we're not always meant to do one thing for our whole lives. We're supposed to change- people are supposed to come in and out of our lives and I believe that the second we settle down is the beginning of the end. I change my makeup, my clothes, my hair color, my dinner ideas, my shoes... I change so much in my life & continue to dream. I've put together a list of five dream jobs (other than the one I have now), maybe it'll inspire someone else as well. 



Traveling Vintage Seller
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I've been thrift store shopping since I was 11. My friends and I would get on our bikes and pedal over to thrift shoppe on 50% off day, with our $10 a week allowance to buy strings of pearls, lace up boots, instant cameras or whatever treasures we could dig up. My habit has naturally evolved into picking through every rack to come up with original and incredibly affordable fashion ideas and home decor. If I could take all of my years of experience, pair it with my unavoidable need to decorate everything & put all of that on wheels! By golly, I'd be the happiest cookie! I believe my wanderlust might finally be satisfied as well... hmm.

Roller Skate Shop Owner
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My area needs an amazing place to buy/sell/trade rollerskates! I've been skating for a year now and I'm no where close to being able to provide the level of service I'd need to provide yet but it's a dream of mine to own and operate a roller skate shop in the inland empire. Boots, wheels, trucks, mounting, bearings, vintage skate wear, toestops, hardware, you name it! I'd love to put together a delightful place for the amazing inland empire roller girls to put together the best package for their needs. I'd also like to do planned roll-out parties, promote my team & have barbecues out front on hot summer days!   

Creative & Organizing Consultant
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I'm not sure if this is a real career yet. Let me check... Okay, thank you wikipedia- I guess this title belongs to screenwriters who doctored a movie screenplay. Yeah, I'm talking about something totally different. I would like to be hired by individuals or companies to consult on all aspects visual. For example, an individual might hire me at an hourly rate to help them put together outfits for themselves, decorate their home with what they already have and put together an organizational system for their closets, cupboards, office etc. I would go in, take a look around, take some pictures and come back with with ideas on how to make their lives more aesthetically pleasing and organized! I know it sounds silly but I was born with the talent to re-decorate and re-organize. When I was a little girl into my late teens I would take everything out of my room, move all the furniture around, vacuum & dust and put everything back more efficiently than before. I love label makers, organizing bins, rubber bands and those ties that make chords shorter. I would love to make a career out of cleaning and prettying everything up!

Pastry Chef
If you can't tell by now- I love to make pretty things. Baking has always come naturally to me and when it comes to food display is just as important as taste. Pastries are perfect little powdered, sweet drops of heaven. I would use as much fresh, seasonal fruit as possible and keep everything displayed like a candy shop. I would create a whole new world of food and bite size delights. I often have dreams in pastry shops where the walls look like peppermint candies. Ah, heaven...

Tattoo Artist
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There's only one real catch to this one... I won't be choosing the tattoos. I'll get 99/100 people coming in asking for flash, or tribal designs & I'll politely smile and take the deposit and put my heart into something unoriginal & trite. Yes, I suppose I am a snob... I had recently written a post about why I've never wanted to make 'artist' a career - it's a flaw, I know. But hopefully it won't hold me back too much. I suppose I should call this job idea "Tattoo Artist (who gets to choose your tattoo)". That sounds hilarious. I want to tattoo bright, colorful, original tattoos on fun, creative, interesting people. I want to travel and work with other artists. I'd love to be drawing all day. I think I've got the coordination that it takes and I definitely have the understanding of the surface down. I guess this one is impossible for me, but I like the idea of tattooing professionally. 

It's so strange that they ask you between 18-25 years old what you want to do or be. I learn more and more about myself everyday and I don't think 17 year old me would have any idea what I'd grow up to love and appreciate. All of the these ideas are integrated somehow. Maybe I should sell rollerskates, vintage & pastries in a tricked out airstream with a tattoo artist on staff? Ah, the places I'll go...

Plantin' Apples on the Land

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Today we spent the day at Riley's Apple Farm in Oak Glen, Ca. We go every year and look forward to it all year long. Having finally perfected my apple pie recipe- we picked apples & are looking forward to baking them tonight. We found a tiny pig, raspberry bushes, cozy cabins & shot arrows. Mostly we had a chance to see family- which is always so special. We took a million pictures, but you get to see the good ones: 






When we arrived home we knew we had to get these pies made quick! Since we literally had just picked the apples- they are fresh and need to get into a pie. My pie recipe has been altered over and over again. I'm going for simple but ridiculously delicious. 

A P P L E   P I E   R E C I P E

you'll need: 
pilsbury refrigerated pie crust (comes with two round rolled crusts)
7 apples (fresh is better- I love to use 'rome' or 'pippin') peeled, cored, sliced thinly
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick of butter
1 egg
1 tbs white sugar

Preheat Oven to 450 degrees

step 1: mix together brown sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl

step 2: mix together lemon juice and apples in a large bowl

step 3: pour sugar mix into large bowl with apples and turn until apples are covered evenly with sugar mix

step 4: lightly flour round crusts and put one of the round crust pressed into pie pan or dish

step 5: mound sugar/apple filling into the dough in dish- stacking slices on top of eachother

step 6: take other round crust and slice into 1/2" - criss cross dough slices across one another vertically & horizontally (better explanation here: http://video.about.com/baking/Pie-Crust-Lattice.htm)

step 7: mix up one egg and lightly brush onto lattice top of pie- sprinkle white sugar, honey and cinnamon to taste

step 8: cut up stick of butter into small cubes and place cubes in between openings on pie lattice top

put pie in the oven for approx 30 min. - could be more or less - check on your pie every 10 min. 


Recipe can be altered and made into cup pies simply cut the pre-made refrigerated crust into circles that fit into cup cake pan. Lattice dough much thinner over cup pies. Same mix- same amounts. Enjoy!

Femme Bots Have Feelings Too

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I wish I had more time for a real update but I've had such a busy weekend & I've been on the computer all day! I did for sure want to share my new service menus with you though! What do you think?

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I have tons of the new graphics & vintage for my shop. I'm working on my skin care website right now & getting my life organized before another busy week begins! It's October- which means annual trip to Oak Glen for apple & pumpkin picking. Also, Halloween! I still haven't finished putting my costume together. Also, more knitting, shop updates & hopefully I'll have my Christmas shopping done by December first this year. This time of year goes by so quickly.

xoxo
Have An Amazing Week, Friends!

Holy Curried Bratwurst Batman!

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Our home is coming along so nicely. It's amazing what you already have in your home that simply isn't being utilized properly. For example, the boxy white shelf we got from ikea has been sitting horizontally as a TV stand for months taking up tons of room. I simply stood it upright, put in all of my glassware and put it in our dining area. Now I have so much more room in my cupboards for pots & pans and the whold living room isn't being taken up by a shelf! More pictures soon of the apartment. More painting this weekend (little does my husband know). 

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Last night was a blast! First off, I finally got to visit Le Pink & Co. Apothecary! It was everything I imagined it would be! Essential oils, eminence skin care, red velvet cake lip balm with no petroleum or parabens. *Sigh*, If I was ever banished to Los Angeles this is where I would want to work. They were even selling vintage goodies like plastic horses, colorful dolls, ceramic lambs... seriously this is what heaven would look like to me. It's my big girl candy store!

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We were running short on time before the show so we had to find somewhere close by to eat. My husband detests vegan food (boo) so he hunted down Berlin Currywurst. Yes, bratwurst with red curry on top- it's seriously as delicious as it sounds. What a treat! Jeremy was excited to pronounce everything in German, of course. I was excited to eat! This place was great- I highly recommend it to anyone who already loves wurst. 



We rushed over to the El Rey- the show didn't actually start until 10:15p! They said the girls of Nouvelle Vague had a hard time getting through customs & were running late for the show (it was 7p). Seeing as we had another show to get to at 9p there was no way we could stay. The show wouldn't even finish until 12a! We had tickets to see Painted Palms at the Echo so we went over there instead. They put on a great show- I really liked their sound and the Echo is always fun. It's so strange to watch these 'kids' - everyone seemed so young to us. It's weird how that happens. We realized recently that we haven't been part of the college demographic for a long time now. I'm enjoying growing up- I honestly cannot wait until my 30's! So the best part of the evening was meeting up with the Dangers! Our friends Lulu & Jeremy Danger (one of our favorite married couples) met us for drinks at The Thirsty Crow! They are both talented individuals who are always tons of fun to see. It was a really fancy night in a really fancy city. Thank you Los Angeles, it was a pleasure as always. 

Happy Weekend 
XOXO

Why I Choose Not Pursue Art As A Career

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I know there are some things I’m good at, and some that are just not in my “skill set”. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s not my talent to take another person’s ideas/dreams/concepts and channel their energy into something that embodies who they are. 
- Katrina of Pugly Pixel

This is personal. Did I mention how personal this is? I think sometimes I make a statement like this and people believe that I'm commenting on some kind of choice that they're making. Like when I say, "I don't want children" some people hear "no one should want children".  This is truly coming from my heart based off of my life experiences, introspection and coming to terms with what is. Since I was young, adults have been telling me that I am a natural artist. "Oh, she's a natural... she'll want to do something with that when she grows up...". Hearing this for so long, I naturally assumed I'd be some kind of artist when it came time to get an education and eventually a job. I went to Orange County High School of the Arts for their visual arts program as a teenager & eventually looked into attending FIDM or Pasadena college of art & design for college. 

Being the terrible, self-destructive teenager I was, I opted to move to Los Angeles, party and pursue a career as a makeup artist. Eventually I got back to reality and thought that the practical thing to do was to finally go to art school to become who I truly was. "The money is in the internet" my Dad would say and I believed him. I'd taught myself photoshop when I was 17 and learned HTML in order to decorate my myspace page and livejournal. It just made sense. It took one semester and about three paid web design projects for me to instantly learn that I did not want to be the hand that knows the programs. Turning other people's visions into a reality was never for me & anything commissioned was going to my sponsors input. The oatmeal makes a hilarious comic about How A Web Design Goes Straight to Hell & so far I haven't had an experience very far off from this one. 

I learned a long time ago that my creativity can only be used for one thing: making myself happy. If others enjoy what makes me happy, awesome! I'm certainly not going to depend on it especially when it comes to making money. I love taking photos, painting, knitting, cooking & doing many, many creative things- but I know it has to be on my terms. If this makes me a control freak: so be it. 


I am an esthetician by day. I pay monthly rent but all of my clients are mine and it's up to me to rule my business. People come to me for my expertise and no one tells me how to do what I do. I keep my own hours, organize my own marketing and do my own taxes. I really don't have to answer to anyone which is my ultimate goal. It took me forever to get here, but I don't feel guilty about it anymore. And I certainly don't feel a lack of art in my life. On the contrary, my life is full of live shows, classes, photographs & amazing experiences. I am truly grateful to be where I am and to know myself enough to choose art as my pleasure. 

Xoxo Goodnight

Concerts In the Dark

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On Thursday we're going to the Ooh La L.a. Festival out in Los Angeles! My darling husband called in to KUCR (a local college station) and won tickets to see Nouvelle Vague in their production of 'Dawn of Innocence', a musical directed by JC De Castelbajac. I am terribly excited at this venture and hope to stop into several museums nearby. Living only 40 minutes away from the heart of Los Angeles, you'd think we'd visit there more often! Alas, the curse has slowly descended upon us. Granted we don't sit at home with our TV dinners hoping to catch Dancing with the Stars... we would prefer to make some type of cheese based main course with spices, drink our Pinot Noir & catch up on  True Blood or fall back on an old favorite: The Empire Strikes Back. We are definitely homebodies now, though. It'll be nice to get out and do something new.
Today I plan to put up some hooks in the kitchen for my aprons, get a beautiful pink dress I found years ago to the tailor so he can fix the zipper & go to a farmers market out in Rancho to get the freshest pick of some eggs & tomatoes. Also, I'm thinking I need some azaleas on our table right now. I'm not in the spa again until Friday so until then I plan to be productive, creative and dreamy. I'm so glad it's Tuesday- I love Tuesday.

UPDATE:

Well, shoot. My handsome husband has a magical phone. Seriously! He's never called in to win tickets & not been the lucky winner! Three bands we adore: Painted Palms, Pepper Rabbit & Braids are playing at the Echo & of course he called into KSPC Claremont & won us tickets. The only problem is that the show is also this Thursday evening. Can I just say that I love our conundrums...

We've decided to go to the Nouvelle Vague show that starts at 7pm & even if the show ends at 9pm we can still go over to the Echo to catch part of the show over there. We're going to have a magical los angeles evening under the stars.

Lucky Us! 

Sweet Cakes

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santa cruz, taken by me

What a lovely weekend. More great food & a lot of listening. I really had a chance to hear people this weekend which is something I've been working on in my relationships. My Dad shared a lot with me about trees, crops, his Dad & how he wants to mend relationships. I heard my old friend Jeremy talk about the past and the present & we've known each other since I was 17, when I wasn't so interested in others. I heard my brother & although I'm worried I feel like I know him better now. We played pool, ate sushi and laughed a whole lot. What a wonderful weekend. I love the charm of Santa Cruz, Ca. I love the homes and the artisan food. I love the colors everywhere. What a wonderful weekend. 

Set Fire To The Rain

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How terribly difficult is my life? This week has consisted of amazing food, new friends, a beautiful gift from a dear girl & an aromatherapy facial from one of the most talented skin care therapists in Southern California. Roller Derby with great girls and inspiration coming out of nowhere. It's so strange how quickly the tides change for me. The special gift is a pair of custom painted TOMS Shoes done by none other than the absolutely lovely Laura Palm. She was asked to do an event with Nectar, a clothing store- our neighbor to the left- where she was asked to give 15 minutes of a small custom painting on each pair of TOMS shoes sold that day. I knew I had to jump on it- but I had something very specific in mind. Everyone knows of my affinity for parisian culture- but what better way to promote my love of all things à Paris than with a custom Eiffel tower design! Laura took them home and surprised me only a few days later with my new very favorite pair of shoes! I almost died when she showed them to me! They're perfect- I'm so blessed!


Have I talked about my love for Claremont lately? Yes? Well here I go again... Colors 91711, located at 248 Harvard Ave, in the city of everything amazing. It was actually last weekend at the farmers market that I met miss Amanda Rios, the owner of Bobby Soxie & since I didn't really get a chance to shop- I found her etsy shop. I ordered a couple of things (yellow things to be exact) & she told me she'd be happy to waive the shipping if I just walked to her work in the village. She informed me that she teaches knitting at Colors, a cute little shop full of colorful yarn and delightful people. Strangely enough, the owner of the spa I work at had just introduced me to the co-owner earlier on that week. The universe is really pointing me in that direction! After some talking I knew it was time to take up knitting again. I'd taken a class in Riverside a couple of years ago but the shop had closed down before I really got to learn anything. I seriously cannot wait! My first class is tonight at 6pm- and I'm super excited to get my knit on. Long story short, Claremont is awesome- I'm totally learning to knit tonight!

This weekend I was invited to go to Santa Cruz, which thrills me because I get to see more of my brother now. Also, I plan to stop by the Penny Ice creamery, my very favourite ice cream shop in the world! The first time I went there I tried lavender ice cream and simply died and went to creamy heaven. I'm also looking forward to seeing a dear friend from the Bay Area & hitting up the thrift stores. Like I stated, my life is so difficult- I don't know how I manage sometimes!

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Focus Your Gaze on What Is Good

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The weekend was full of delights! Saturday I had a chance to meet with some clients and meet some new people. The Claremont colleges are back in session so all of the freshmen were walking around getting used to their new town. We welcomed them with strawberries, packets full of goodies and $5 eyebrow shaping. It was very fun. I got to spend Sunday with my brother, my husband and my friend David. We bottled David's current obsession, home brewed hard ciders. I seriously cannot wait to see how they turn out. I spend the morning at the Farmers market & met some of the lovely ladies of Bobby Soxie (also on etsy!). They make the loveliest jewelry, headband and cozy treats. Hopefully they'll be at the farmers market next week as well. I found almost everything on my list: fresh tomatoes (almost out of season... boo), a cactus, a baby basil plant, a rosemary plant, fresh lemons, avocados, raspberries & some wildflower honey. We also stopped into the Cheese Cave: one of my all-time favourite places in Claremont. We bought a wonderful boxing cheddar, dijon mustard, sheep yogurt, goat cheese and a slicer that my husband has wanted forever. 

It's a new week friends! la vie est bonne!

How To Fool Yourself

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I wish that today was full of rainbows. I would've needed them. I always want to make sure what I write is up-beat and honest (like myself) but I suppose things can't always come from a genuinely good place. What oh what can put me back into place? Why food of course! A recipe by the author of one of my favorite books... 'French Women Don't Get Fat', Mireille Guiliano. Her nationwide best seller not only includes fairly simple and more than reasonable delicious recipes but a how-to on how to indulge daily while maintaining a svelte, french, feminine figure! It works! And it's delicious. Two of my favorite combinations. And really, the only thing that can pull me out of my emotional day.



The recipe is very simple. You'll need: 

4 Medium Pork Chops
4 Whole Cloves
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine (Or Vermouth)
4 Celery Leaves
2 Bay Leaves
4 Celery Stalks, Washes & Finely Diced
1 Tablespoon of Butter
2 Apples, Cored and coarsely sliced
1 Tablespoon of Brow Sugar
4 Oz. of Jarlsberg Cheese, Coarsely Grated

1. Preheat the oven to to 375 degrees. Butter a baking pan and place the pork chops in it.

2. Press a clove into each chop. Add the white wine, celery leaves, and bay leaves and put the pan in the preheated oven. Bake the chops for 30 minutes.



3. While the pork chops are baking, in a frying pan sauté the diced celery in the butter for 5 minutes, and then add the sliced apples and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Continue cooking under very low heat for 10 minutes or until the apples are tender but not mushy.

4. Finish the pork chops by removing the bay and celery leaves and sprinkling the cheese over the top of each chop, baste and then broil for a few minutes to brown the top.




5. Serve the celery-apple mixture on the same plate as an accompaniment to the pork chops. Use a few spoons of pan juices to further flavor celery-apple mixture.

To round out this meal you can start with a consomm and end with a custard.

Viola! Absolutely delicious! I had a serving, my husband had two and there was one left for my lunch tomorrow. What an adventure and excellent way to take my mind off of my petty concerns. Nothing is more important when there's food in the making!


C'est la vie! 
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