White Shearling and Leather

Totally copy-catted this outstanding Rumi outfit for my second DC Fashion Week event, the Corjor International show designed by DCFW producer, Ean Williams, at the beautiful Washington Club. The white shearling vest was a generous gift from my mother when I accompanied her shopping recently and played her stylist!

Asymmetrical knit: Brandy Melville, Vest: Cache, Leather Jacket: Bebe, Tights: Anna Sui, Bag: Fendi Spy, Boots: Tory Burch, Skirt: H&M

The choice to hold the show at the Washington Club was great, I loved the venue, so DC and very elegant.

Pre-Show

Sitting in the Press area with photographer, Lady Tre!

Started the day in platform boots, ended up in demure ballet flats!

Another DCFW red carpet pic!

Such a beautiful venue!!

With designer, Harvey Star Washington

For my official review of the show and more pics of the models and the collection check out my article on What’s Haute in the Streets!

Arctic Dog Linocuts

Beautiful, soulful-eyed Cortez

For almost six years I had a really wonderful Shiba Inu dog, Cortez, who was a loving gift from a person who shared my affection for arctic dogs. My daughter’s favorite bedtime story, of all bedtime stories, is the book Mama Do You Love Me? which features an eskimo mother and daughter.

Holding up her favorite page in the book with the raven, the sleeping arctic dog, the whale and the mother and daughter hugging

In this book are several illustrations of wolves and arctic dogs. My daughter kisses the picture of the sleeping dog above, over and over and over again, and I wonder sometimes if she remembers Cortez from her early infancy when he was still around.

Cortez with baby barely a week old

I know that if Cortez were still with us she would love him so much. She LOVES dogs, they are her favorite animal and she seems to have a special affection for arctic dogs like I do.

Cortez as a puppy!

Out on a hike with my good friend JV

With me right after I graduated from college

Grinning in bed!

On a hike with me while camping in the Eastern Sierras

Running by water in Venice Beach

A lovebite from my sister!

For the past two years it’s been too sad and difficult for me to think of Cortez and the circumstances upon which he left my daughter and myself. But lately I’ve been allowing all the happy memories come to the surface. I never took down his pictures and felt inspired to create a howling dog/wolf linocut this past weekend. At the same time, curiously enough, my sister who really loved Cortez happened to be in Norway running around with a bunch of Malamute and Husky mutts! Arctic dog love all around!

Below are the results of my linocut from this weekend! They are part of the series I have been painting with my daughter. As is our methodology, she did the oil pastel and most of the watercolor wash while I carved the linocut and printed the image.

Watercolor and linocut

Oil pastel, watercolor and linocut

This is actually not the first time I created a linocut based on his image. I made this linocut back in 2008 for Christmas cards!

I know I will get another dog someday, impossible that my dog loving daughter wouldn’t grow up with one and I could only hope he/she is as great a dog Cortez was. First dogs are kind of like last loves though, the love that’s the deepest?

Sweet Like Sin-namon

On my way to Woolly Mammoth, a pretty DC sunset behind me

I had a great President’s Day holiday, alternatively peaceful, creative, and busy! Checked out a couple model townhomes in the development I am thinking of purchasing a place, finished two paintings in the series I’ve been working on with my daughter, had lunch with her at our favorite Japanese homestyle cafe and had some cream zenzai!! Made the Filipino version called ginataan, too, on Sunday afternoon and actually caught the Timothy Olyphant interview on Leno this weekend, god he makes my ovaries hurt he is a stone fox!

The world's biggest and cutest Ramen-addict

Having some dorayaki

Cream zenzai (善哉、ぜんざい)

Homemmade ginataan with adzuki beans (アズキ)

The trick for good ginataan sweet rice balls (a very mochi-like texture) is to make them with coconut milk not water! I made a super simple version because I didn’t have a lot of the usual additions (jackfruit, cooking bananas) so I added adzuki beans (アズキ) that I had in the pantry. Simple but still delicious!

My Basic Ginataan Recipe: Mochiko mixed with coconut milk to make the bolos (sweet rice balls), boil coconut milk, add adzuki beans, add the balls and boil for 10-15 minutes and then you’re done!

Last evening, after spending a nice afternoon with my kid, mom, aunt and cousin I also went to the kickoff show, held at Woolly Mammoth Theater, for DC Fashion Week which I’ll be covering for What’s Haute in the Streets this entire week. Check out my first article here!

Front-row at the DCFW show! I wore the fuzzy cardigan/jacket I got from LF in Soho when I was covering NYFW that I just looove and the Rumi boots. Also finally found a good match for the velvet Tucker for Target tank top that I’ve always liked but had a hard time matching, my maroon cord shorts!

Jacket and boots: LF, Cord shorts: Anthropologie, Velvet tank: Tucker for Target, Bracelets: Leather cuff handmade from Italy, Catholic saint icon bracelet from Peru

One of the crazy eco couture creations at the show!!

You Made My Eyes Burn

I love grey on grey, it’s got to do with my never-ending love for Keanu Reeves and that post-apocalyptic look he had going as Neo in the Matrix, you know when they’re below the surface? That. Really, that’s the perfect kind of movie for him, no talking just looking lean as a hood ornament moving around in all different directions. Yum. More please, thank you, sir.

Knit: Brandy Melville, Skirt: Abercrombie and Fitch

PS. To see all my videos from NYFW check out my homepage at Viddy.