Jill Yotz

Small Biz Showcase: Dolls By Sue

2011-01-31T08:21:00.000-08:00

Over the river and through the woods....

I enter a room scattered with severed body parts;

This is not the lair of the next "Green River Killer", but the studio of an extraordinary artist and doll maker: Sue Yotz.

Why Being "Picky" Isn't All Bad

2011-01-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

DISCUSSION POINT:

The Power of Vision - Achieving Your Goals, Starting Your Dream Business, And Creating Your Very Own Masterpiece.

I have a problem.

My mom used to define this problem as being "too picky". This applied to my choices in guys, clothes, purchases, etc.

The truth is that I have a picture in my mind of exactly what I want, and it seems impossible (in the "real" world, I mean) to conjure it myself.

The User Experience - Online And Off

2011-01-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

8 Principles Presented By Feedburner's Co-Founder,

and my own take on how they apply to off-line networking.

Matt Shobe, co-founder of Feedburner (now apart of Google), gave a presentation in Seattle last night on UX design at the tech startup accelerator, the Founder Institute. He explained that user design and experience is about how people perceive you (and your company), and he provided 8 Principles to creating positive user experiences.

Small Biz Showcase: Trevor Larkin Music

2011-01-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

10, or 9 TRAITS THAT REAL MUSICIANS (& ENTREPRENEURS) SHOULD HAVE:

In the midst of teaching, performing, session work, and finalizing his latest EP, this magna cum laude graduate from Berklee College of Music paused the chaos to discuss his freelance lifestyle, the music industry, and how he keeps his music honest.

How to Build a Cat Exercise Wheel, Part 1

2011-01-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

RESEARCH & REVIEW


Bengalized.com Bengal cat on exercise wheel

Bengal cats are renowned for their energetic antics. You bought cat climbing trees, cat condos, cat toys; you tried scratching posts, catnip and cat calming aids, but for those who live with such a feline, you may want to consider buying a exercise wheel.

Read more »

The Founder Institute: A Volunteer's Perspective

2011-01-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

Need startup help? Here's a great accelerator for startups & entrepreneurs.

So You Want To Leave A Job You Hate

2011-01-16T00:14:00.000-08:00

A COMMENTARY ON HOW TO APPROACH LIVING YOUR DREAM IN A WAY THAT IS LASTING AND SUSTAINABLE:

On Apologizing

2011-01-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

WHAT IT IS & WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry. ~Margaret Laurence

Great Gorm Guitar Rack

2011-01-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

FROM ONE OF MY FAVORITE BLOGS

During my regular peruse of Ikea Hacker, I came across this wonderful DIY guitar stand made from the Gorm shelves and wine rack.

Unfortunately, the specific instructions aren't in English. But the pictures should suffice.

Women's Business Exchange

2011-01-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS NETWORK

I found the Women's Business Exchange (WBE) in an effort to find mentors who were women. I was six months into my first office job and I worked for and with "the good ol' boys".

Read more »

The Entrepreneurial Breed

2011-01-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

After only five minutes of sitting in the Founder Institute as a volunteer, my body was buzzing in ecstasy to have finally discovered a place that values- that demands- being well-rounded, being passionate, being both analytical and creative.

Read more »

WabiSabiWear Launches!

2011-01-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

An internship from November through December 2010 helped me learn the many tasks required to launch a local clothing company.
Read more »

Current Book: This Time I Dance

2011-01-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

This Time I Dance
How one Harvard lawyer left it all to have it all!

by Tama Kieves
www.awakeningartistry.com

"I wanted to read the story of someone who really honored their gifts and put them into the world---what they thought, chose, felt, wished for, and how they faced fear, depression, the judgment of others, and horrendous self-doubt. I was tired of reading experts and easy steps. I wanted someone to tell me how they got through all the emotions that come up and found their way through murky territory. So I wrote that book. I wrote it to talk myself into creative centeredness and boldness and I wrote it for everyone else."

I had nightmares the first few days I started reading this book. Soaking from a cold sweat, I would wake up and get the urge to write because something in me- my body, my dreams- was begging to get out; a knowingness that had been suppressed until the words in this book stirred me.

Eight months ago I reached a point where I could no longer stand putting my life on hold while waking up every day to be led by poor leaders whose training and compassion came from online tutorials, and whose messages were distant and uninspiring.

So I made a call that I had been putting off for a year. Despite the voices in my mind telling me to wait until I "gained some experience", until I had "something to bring to the table", I called and asked if I could do anything to exercise my passion for horses. I've been with the horses now longer than I was at my corporate job, and I am so sparklingly happy. Making that call was my first way to acknowledge my own dreams.

Today, I just barely pay the bills by working independently- with horses, with entrepreneurs and small businesses- but my dreams still feel so cloudy and I still feel so uncertain about my future.

I read This Time I Dance because the title jumped out at me from the shelf while do working in my little borrowed office. I don't make a habit of reading "self-help" books, but I decided to read a bit until I lost interest. This didn't happen. I laughed, and cried, and recited whole passages from the book to the audience of my boyfriend and cat. It was so good to know that I wasn't alone in the confusion and doubt while creating my own work. I felt like I finally had someone who understood; who could hold my hand and tell me that I am neither lost nor alone.

Recipe: Linguine With Baby Heirloom Tomatoes & Anchovy Breadcrumbs

2010-08-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

SAVED FROM AN OLD BON APETIT MAGAZINE

* INGREDIENTS *

- 8 oz Linguine
- 3 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- Anchovy filets (6), mashed to paste with 1 tsp oil from can
- Garlic cloves (3), pressed
- 1 cup course breadcrumbs (fresh is best, but I typically use the stuff from a box)
- 1 1lb container baby heirloom tomatoes (or just plain cherry tomatoes)
- 1 cup thinly sliced basil
- 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

* PREPARATION *

1. Cook linguine until just tender but firm to bite.

Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

2. Heat 1.5 Tbsp EVOO in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mashed anchovies and 2 garlic cloves, then breadcrumbs. Cook breadcrumbs until golden, tossing to distribute evenly (about 5 minutes).

Scrape crumbs onto plate and cool.

3. Heat remaining 1.5 Tbsp EVOO in same skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and remaining garlic.

Cover; cook until tomatoes begin to break down (3-4 minutes).

Using fork, crush 1/4 of tomoatoes.

4. Add pasta, basil, cheese and 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid to tomatoes. Toss, adding more liquid if dry.

Mix in half of crumbs & season with salt & pepper.

5. Transfer pasta to serving dish & top with remaining breadcrumbs.

YUM!

A Natural Toothbrush Holder

2010-08-02T00:49:00.000-07:00

(OR MY EXCUSE TO KEEP RANDOM STUFF)

Much to my dear boyfriend's chagrin, I collect things be it for sentimental, useful or "artistic" reasons. My favorite souvenir from a place that I've been is a stone from that place....

I have a few good projects involving my collected rocks in the works and, in the meantime, I have to invent other clever uses for them. In this post, a toothbrush holder:

Recipe: Easy (and fast) Homemade Marinara

2010-08-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

Trevor discovered this delicious recipe and we've since made several renditions of it. It's worth posting here for at least two reasons:

(1) It is a great representation of what we love to cook: simple recipes that utilize fresh ingredients and emphasize how each ingredient contributes to the whole; and

(2) The homemade basil-red-pepper-infused olive oil is a simple, cheap and GENIUS detail that really adds sophistication to the dish.

Please note!
This is an exercise of smells, tastes and textures; we don't have ingredient amounts, cooking times or temperatures. Instead, you'll have to rely on the scent of the olive oil infusion and the texture of the tomato pulp to tell you when it's time to combine them, and you'll have to your own taste preferences of basil, garlic and red pepper to determine the type of olive oil infusion you create.

All Ingredients
*Pasta of choice
*Fresh whole tomatoes, of your favorite variety (we use six or so, so that there will be leftovers for two people)
*Fresh basil
*Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste- depends on how spicy you like it)
*EVOO (a.k.a. Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
*Whole garlic cloves (however many you like)
*Butter (a "pat")

PHASE ONE:

Ingredients
*Fresh whole tomatoes:
- Blanche tomatoes in boiling water to release the skin
- When tomatoes show cracks in skin, remove & peel
- Cut tomatoes in half and remove seeds
- Place tomato halves in pot with salt & EVOO (not too much, since you'll be adding more olive oil in Phase Two)
- Let cook down until nice & pulpy

MEANWHILE, PHASE TWO:

Ingredients
*EVOO
*Fresh Basil
*Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
*Whole Garlic Cloves (we usually add two or three)
*Pasta
*Salt

Bring salted water to a boil & cook pasta per package directions.

Infuse basil, red pepper & EVOO as you would a tea:
- Add whole basil leaves, garlic and red pepper to EVOO in small pan
- Bring the EVOO mix to warm (bubbling slightly
- After a while (i.e. once the infusion starts to become aromatic), strain EVOO into tomatoes & stir to combine.

PHASE THREE:

Ingredients
*Pat of butter
*Fresh chopped basil

- Allow tomato pulp & infused EVOO to cook & combine
- Add pasta to pan
- Add a pat of butter to balance tomato acidity. As you combine & melt the butter into the dish, the sauce also develops a beautiful silky texture.

Plate pasta & garnish with fresh basil

Also: Try different olive oil infusions and report back to this post on what you discovered!

Moving!

2010-07-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

GOALS AND PROJECTS

Since Trevor and I both work from home (did I mention he is a fantastic musician? www.trevorlarkin.com), Trevor and I made the jump to a two-bedroom. FINALLY! We sacrificed nothing in terms of location, although I do miss my balcony. However, the space is ripe for new projects and new goals.

A couple of goals:

Minimize

I discovered that I was almost too good at storing things in a one-bedroom. As we moved, we discovered that we have WAAAAAY more than we ever anticipated- and we didn't even have a storage unit!

- Keep the favorite pieces and let the rest go. Several of my projects reflect the decisions between keeping or donating pieces of furniture.

Ground and Center
The first thing to develop after we moved in all of our big things was my meditation space. I've always put off creating a place designed specifically for being quiet, either because there "wasn't enough room" or it "wasn't important". This time I didn't want to ignore how important it is to center oneself daily. This falls in line with my desire to work with "Jackie" and "Jill" in partnership; this space... is for JILL. As an added bonus, people are almost immediately drawn to the space when they see it, so I've had the chance to observe how much other people crave a quiet space like this. Homes should really build it into their design nowadays...

Matsu, too, enjoys the space for doing Corpse Pose:

Function plus Form

Forwarding my favorite aspect of design: a thing becomes beautiful in serving a purpose.

See my:

Kitchen Cork Board

Magnetic Spice Rack

Book Case Crates

Bookcase Crates

2010-07-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

IT'S A SMALL SPACE- SOMETIMES YOU CAN KEEP SOMETHING THAT LOOKS COOL

OR KEEP THE BOOKSHELF

As we've moved into our new pad, I've been confronted over and over again with the choice of keeping beloved junk (to some) or keeping actual furniture or clothes.

It may seem like an odd choice, but I spent many hours walking about the neighborhood and dreaming up projects that would put this crate or that bottle cap to use. The items are an external collection of my wanderings, plus I think they look cool (in case it isn't obvious, I passed on collecting the "boring and ugly" items).

So when our Ikea bookcase broke for the SECOND Seattle-area move in a row, I decided not to replace it (again) and set myself the task to come up with something else. (Actually, I was going to leave all of our books in storage except that I noticed Trevor and I were both regularly searching through the various boxes piled in the hallway so something had to be done.)

A solution clicked into place when I realized that I would have to get rid of my wonderful wine crates, on which I lovingly added casters and painted with chalkboard paint, unless I could find a new use for them; like our books, they too were taking up our dwindling space in the hallway.

I decided to use them as bookshelves, of a sort, and placed our most-reached-for books (I keep telling myself I'll study for the GRE's) in the front:

Genius
and SO much cooler than our old Ikea Expedit bookshelf!

Corkboard Tiles For Practical Decor

2010-07-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

WHEN POSTED ON A BULLETIN BOARD

One of my first jobs in the new apartment was to tackle the kitchen and make it look... less cookie-cutter and, if possible, more tailored to us.

I removed the doors on a few cabinets (I really love the sparkle of light shining through clean wine glasses). Next, since I'm a gal who takes pleasure in texture, form, and function, I added cork tiles to the side of one cabinet. I'd call it a budget, tailored effect:

(side view)

(kitchen view)

And yes, future Recipe's of The Week are posted on the board right now!

Magnetic Spice Rack

2010-07-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

The organizer in me loves this kind of magnetic spice rack because of the accessibility, industrial look and addition of color to the kitchen. HOWEVER, I don't like the prices; some of them go for over $100 (NOT including the cost of spices)!

The main impediment to this style is price if I want: (1) 20 plus spice jars, and (2) To spend under $50.

On the left is an example of these spice arrangement for that achieves #2. However, it provides for only an assortment of 12 spices. Similarly, for $20 could purchase a set of Kamenstein 6-Canister Magnetic-Strip Spice Rack, but I would still spend $80 if I wanted over 20 spice jars...

... Thus, and perhaps not surprisingly, I've decided to make my own...

Although this DIY Wall-Mounted Spice Rack from The Kitchn is cool, I wanted the containers to have clear tops like in the above images. I discovered this Instructables only after I finished my own magnetic spice rack. Here's my own, amateur solution:

Supplies:

- 25 x Tin Flat Containers 2.5 oz w/Clear Top = $15.75 plus shipping
- 25 x Neodymium magnets = $16.25 plus shipping
- Some double-sided 3M tape (I was lazy- I would have used glue, but this is what I had laying around the house.)

- An erasable pen like the kind your teacher used on the whiteboard (again, it's what I had laying around the house and I didn't want to wait until I got around to buying a labeler). I actually like this feature since it means I can use the containers interchangeably.

VOILA! For a total of $32 plus shipping, I managed to get 25 magnetic spice jars. They're currently on my fridge, but I may get a magnetic sheet for them once we're more settled into our new digs.

Moving - Del Sol Style

2010-07-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

I discovered that I can carry anything in my Honda Del Sol, as long as it's a nice day. Who says my car's not practical?!

Semi-Serious & Rustic-Chic in Waitsburg, WA

2010-06-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

A GASTROPUB OVERVIEW - THE JIM GERMAN BAR

Just outside of Walla Walla and nestled among rolling hills of peas, wheat, and wine lies the small (SMALL) town of Waitsburg. Word had reached Walla Walla that a new gastropub had opened on the town's dusty Main Street and was a must-try. So on word-of-mouth alone, we visited the Jim German Bar (named for the bar's owner) for cocktails and appetizers before walking across the street to the old classic, "Whoopemup".

I had a less than stellar experience at our chosen dinner venue: unrelenting air conditioning coming from all angles including at your feet which is cold and distracting if you are wearing shorts; an order for a medium-rare steak presented as "well-done"; but FANTASTIC deserts!

The beverage options and ambiance at the Jim German, on the other hand, left a lasting positive impression. Jim and his wife are aware of the true meaning of aperitif, and the drinks menu pays homage to many alcohols from around the world. I was particularly excited to see a plethora of Pastis beverages as well as various versions of Vermouth. Additionally, the mixed drinks were delightful and deceptively stiff. Trevor ordered a Mint Julep and I ordered a Pineau des Charents blanc, which was served properly chilled.

We also had the chorizo in red wine ($8) and Claire's Cornucopia Antipasto ($15-25) - Somewhat small portions for 3-4 people, but the "Etruscan Snacks" were served unpretentiously and tasted delicious.

The fare was fantastic and gave me a rosy demeanor in which to walk around and explore the space. This is the real reason why I decided to write about the Jim German here.

The space has high ceilings and a rustic-chic air. Overall sparsely decorated, the tables and stools were simple constructions from natural, light wood (after my own table-building experience, I tend to notice the dining furniture wherever I go), which provided a nice contrast to the dark wood floors. The natural hues were humorously punctuated with a bright blue entrance and a goldenrod-yellow slat ceiling.

A few details stood out most of all:

[1]

Jim is growing hops outside to block the evening sun of his west-facing building.

Although they aren't fully grown, it's a beautiful start and I found them to be really pleasant to the eye against the backdrop of his blue door.

[2]

The clever menu-display which was floor-to-ceiling brown roll-up paper (I can't wait to do something like this in my own house- if anyone knows where to find this sort of thing, let me know!!):

[3]

The long and light-filled communal dining space, called "Heaven" in reference to the Talking Head song, is adjacent to the main room and accessorized by the owners' artwork, a rolling barn door, and a heartbreakingly perfect architectural brick wall at the end of the room (not pictured very well since I was taking pictures with my boyfriend's phone):

[4]

And, finally, I was beyond giddy with delight to find a tree- a live, large TREE- in the bathroom!

True to the rest of the building's theme, the bathroom was bright and sparse, with classic colors, a few meaningful details and lovely architectural features.

Bengal Cat: Jungle Cat

2010-06-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

All exploration was courtesy of Meri and her garden in Walla Walla.

The Animal prowled through the tall grasses:

She climbed trees on the hunt:

And practiced her camouflage:

Cat Tree - An Update

2010-06-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

While visiting Walla Walla, I had the joy of exploring the Meri's near-acre garden. She generously let me run loose about the yard and have access to all of her tools. In my explorations, I found a large, dead willow branch with the most beautiful bends and folds.

This, I decided, is to be the Animal's new cat tree; I finally (not to mention, legally) found an inexpensive solution to a cat tree that she and I can both find attractive!

I stripped and sanded it, and then used some of the steel wool restoration techniques I picked up from an article on Apartment Therapy.

I also rubbed a light finishing oil already prepared by Meri.

1/3 Tung Oil
1/3 Lemon Oil
1/3 Polyurathane

RESULT:

I'm not quite sure how it will ultimately fit in our space, but currently it is acting as a "staircase" up to the Animal's plush spot on top of our bedroom cabinet.

The Bird Feeder Where Every Bird Finds His Perfect Perch

2010-06-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

(AND EVERYONE CAN AFFORD TO BUILD IT)

We have all seen the garden bird feeders that get hung by a black rod iron pole.

It is functional, but not particularly eye catching or attractive. Furthermore, if there are a lot of birds in your area, all of them have to compete for a roost.

As many of her family and friends are aware, Meri in Walla Walla created a practical, attractive and organic solution that resulted in, what I think to be, the most beautiful bird feeder I've ever seen:

This has been a labor of love, crafted from the branches of her generous, ever-producing curly willow in her yard.

A few more images:

Thank you, Meri, for allowing me to post this and also for allowing me to cut my own curly willow branches as a souvenir!