Prescreened for creativity

This weekend, in between packing up my 700 sq. ft apartment, I picked up one of the coolest hobbies→screen printing.

I know it is trendy but I just love screen printed everything. Shirts with funky branches, owls on wallets or pretty much anything painted onto anything. It can be a fun way to make travel photos forever keepsakes, personalize bags or even hand make stationary.

So when Becca and I decided to expand our skills and start routinely actively looking into classes, screen printing was an easy first win. Why? Maybe I can save some of the cash I spend on etsy.com, it was one of the few classes that’s contained into one day and you get to leave with your first screened tee! Plus the Make shop is in Bishop Arts and sells things from various local artist. Love.

I’ve looked into kits online, but they seemed costly and complicated. The class was $70 and gave me an in-person tutorial (which is good because I have an allergic reaction to instructions). I share with you my new found screen knowledge:

Step one: get supplies. This means acrylic paint, cheap ink pen that will not bleed, polyester fabric, scissors, mod mat glue, a design and an embroidery hoop.

Step two: Put polyester fabric into hoop and tighten like a drum.

Step three: Trace image through polyester with pen or pencil .

Step four: “Paint” the negative space (non paint) with mod glue.

Step five: Place bag/shirt/fabric you want screened under the drum, and heavily apply acrylic paint to polyester covered hoop. You might consider using a squeegee to give the added pressure to push the paint through the polyester onto the desired fabric.

Step six: dry shirt, clean up and wear your new product*!

Guess you all know what you're getting for Christmas!

*My and Becca's first screens! Mine=branch Becca=(cooler) owl. :)

From camera to print: the photo battle

I love taking travel photos and seeing candid shots from others taken around the world. My personal struggle is getting photos off my camera/computer and onto paper. Prints and photo albums seems so 1999 now, which is why I love doing travel books after my trips. It is a great way to affordably print and document your trip in an organized fashion. Although there are several ‘photobook’ sites, I love blurb.com for a few reasons: 1. The site/software is user friendly 2. You have a variety of page layouts and cover options 3. You can publish your book for others to buy, at a you-name-it mark up or you can buy other peoples books. How fun is that?

The staff’s coffee table picks are inspiring, funny and some are just plain weird.
Check it out here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/featured

I’m just wondering if I can request an advance for my Argentina book??

Weekend trip: Austin

We decided to make a long overdue trip down to Austin. Since we make it to the ATX so infrequently we smashed it full of friends, food and a crawfish boil.

Friday- arrive in Austin. Meet Cary Z and head to Weirdo’s in North Austin for some bar food and, well, weirdos.

Saturday- awake at break of dawn (thanks to my bf). Head to 4th street and check into the Courtyard Marriott. Really wanted to stay at Hotel San Jose, but it was sadly booked. Marriott was a prime location spot ($22 for parking though!) and Jeff used points which was a big plus.

Debated brunch spots. Contenders: Kerby Lane, Magnolia, S.Congress Café, Moonshine.... winner-> Kerby Lane. Wonderful migas on wheat tortillas and coffee with Archer and Freberg and then off to Crawfish! (I capitalize as it is an apparent annual event in Jeff’s circle).

Seven long hours of beer and spicy spicy spicy crawfish later... the rain edges us out of the tented crawfish party and we make our way downtown for Iron Cactus dinner and then to rooftop beers at (college favorite) Maggie Mae’s.


Misses: I’m sad we didn’t have time to hit some of the shops off South Congress or any late night taquerias or even better, Wan Fu’s, at 2am for some dirty Chinese food. I would have loved to get in a bike/run at Zilker as well… oh well, guess we will have to make it down again this summer.

Find your spot

How many times have I halfheartedly debated moving? To Europe to our Chicago office or to simply sell seashells by the seashore? I found this site a few years ago that weighs your needs and gives you a suggested (US) list of where to live… now of course it doesn’t factor in your job, significant other, industry openings, etc but it is a fun little quiz…

My results:
1. Honolulu
2. Vegas
3. Little Rock
4. San Diego

(guess I like it hot!)


http://www.findyourspot.com/

Hideaway Hotels!

One thing I always look forward to during my trips is finding those hidden gems or places to eat or stay that are unique to that location. Things that I always remember about that specific place, like bright blue lucite walls in my Geneva hotel or the beach bungalow in Tamrindo. One of kinds.

The problem is finding these places. The Internet has great deals but I have to sift through pages of Frommer's and Yelp to find the boutique hotels. Meet Tablet, a place that sorts boutique hotels by destination, dollar or deal.

What's your dream destination?

{photos from Austin's Hotel San Jose and Phucket's The Sarojin Thailand}


http://www.tablethotels.com/

When in Tokyo....

Thanksgiving seemed like the perfect time for our annual girls trip. And what better place than to visit a friend in Thailand! Unfortunately, a (peaceful) sit-in took place in the Bangkok airport during our trip (2008) and American Airlines wanted to cancel our trip, sans refund! So we took our chances and made it… to our layover in Tokyo. Where we stayed (unplanned) for 6 days!

Although we were unprepared and packed for sunny beaches rather than freezing tempatures in the fashion capital of Asia, we made the best of it.

We finally parked up in the Tokyo Prince Tower after another sister hotel gave us a great deal on a fantastic room and we put on our one pair of jeans and hit a few sights….

Top things to do when in Tokyo:


Tsukiji Fish Market-Located near Tsukijishijo

Have to go early (we arrived at 5:00 am) to see the auctions. You'll see fish you've never seen before and you can have fresh sushi for breakfast!

Meiji Shrine-Located in Shibuya Tokyo- Free

Dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken. The monks do traditional prayers here and are dressed in traditional, it's quite a site to see. You can submit prayer cards and perform your own water ritual, plus its almost like Tokyo’s Central Park… a nice piece of nature in a big cement city!

Imperial Palace-
The actual Imperial Palace building was part of the Edo Castle. It is surrounded by a moat and a high wall and occupies the most expensive square kilometre in the world. The Tokyo Imperial Palace is located within the Chiyoda ward of central Tokyo.

Harajuku District- (go on a sunday)

Cool artistic, trendy district to go to and you'll see the Harajuku girls dressed up like little dolls. Visit the shops and cafes...


Mt. Fuji-

We took a bus from Tokyo out to Mt Fuji and then rode the bullet train back..Very cool. Mt. Fuji was by far my favorite Japan experience. It's breath taking and chilly!



Don't forget:

An umbrella- it rains a lot in Japan
A warm coat, gloves and scarf- it will be super cold!
And people dress up a lot in Tokyo. It’s not uncommon to see people in suits… and sleeping. The spend so much time working and getting to and from they maximize their subway rides!

Northwest tour: Portland

This summer I took a week to visit some wineries and must see's in the Northwest. My first stop was Portland; I've heard so many amazing things about microbreweries, wineries, outdoor activities and the overall Austin-like vibe of the city... so I had pretty high expectations going in.

Day One: Vino!
Landing in the morning did not defer us from getting out to Willamette Valley to discover some of the best pinots.

Our tour included:

(Dundee)
Ponzi
Argyle
Archery Summit- We did the actual tour here and I highly recommend it. Later, it was ranked 1 out of 50 best Oregon wines for their 2006 Red Hills Estate Pinot Noir!
Four Graces
Winderlea- best tasting area, outside on a glass deck overlooking the vines.
**Food: Pok Pok. The most amazing, spicy, inventive Thai food. I'm sure my rave for this is elevated since we hadn't eaten all day, but it was still delicious. We had the pork shoulder, hot wings, prawns and some Thai beers. Let's just say I still crave this... its that good! The restaurant is unassuming to say the least, a converted house! They were voted best restaurant in 2007 and have since opened a sister restaurant called Ping.


Day 2: The great outdoors
Just a stone's throw from Portland is some phenomenal hiking; we decided to take in some fresh mountain air at the Columbia Gorge during our 5-mile hike to Angel's Rest. We also ducked into Naked Wines near Mt. Hood. Not very good but the names were hilarious, one label, Penetration, was even banned from a few states because of its provocative description!
**Food: Toro Bravo. Delicious tapas (must try the drunken pork) although there isn't a waiting area there is a cute bar next door.

Day 3: Coastal
We decided to head toward Cannon Beach after a quick stop in the Tillamook cheese factory. Unfortunately the fog was rolling in, so we spent an hour sipping wine on the powder soft beach at Seaside and then popped into a few wineries off hwy 8. Plum Hill wines were good and the table wines were exceptional for the price.
**Food: Bunk sandwiches, for breakfast or lunch. Homemade bread, fried egg, protein of choice with gooey local cheese? Yes please!

Side note: Although we didn't stop in, the street vendor food carts were worth stopping by. They have everything from Vietnamese chicken to gyros to funky flavored ice creams.

Dare I say, but I think this might be one of my favorite cities!