made by melis

paper cutout lanterns

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:00:00 +0000

This is a fun and inexpensive way to invite trick or treaters to your door. All you need is some paper bags, cardstock, glue stick, x-acto knife, pencil, and flameless tealights.

directions:

handsketch your image on the cardstock vertically.
cut out the negative parts with an X-acto knife.
use the gluestick to glue your cutout onto the inside of the paperbag
place tealight inside bag. have fun!

instant pot: Taiwanese beef noodle soup

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 18:41:00 +0000

It's funny that I've never grown up eating beef noodle soup. WHAT!? That's right, my parents are Cantonese and this Taiwanese staple was just not in our diet. Why its funny now is because I make this almost every week. So, how did this happen? I married a Taiwanese man. And not only that, after we got married, we lived with my in-laws for 1-1/2 years. During that time, I learned how to make many dishes that my husband grew up eating, including this amazing noodle soup. But to get the flavors of all the ingredients into the soup, it takes time. But who has time with three kids? With my newfound love for the Instant Pot, I did some trial and error and adapted my mother-in-law's recipe with this game-changing kitchen appliance. And now I can easily make it on a whim and here it is to share with y'all.

ingredients:

4 lbs short ribs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 packet of pickled mustard greens, chopped
3 anise star
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
2 chili peppers
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup rice wine
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp bean paste
water or chicken/bone broth
dry noodles
bok choy or spinach

directions:

Preheat work on medium heat, add oil. Brown all sides of short ribs and place them in the instant pot.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Add enough water or broth until it reaches right below the max line.
Cover and lock the lid. Press "Beef/stew" button and set to 35 minutes. When it's done, allow it to natural release.
When you're ready to eat, boil water. Cook the noodles accordingly.
Place noodles in a bowl, add beef soup. Since my instant pot is a 5 quart, the beef soup is more concentrated than the stovetop version. I had to add some of the cooking water from the noodles to dilate the flavor. You can do the same or preheat broth to use.
Serve with boiled bok choy or spinach.

marshmallow snowman

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 20:46:00 +0000

Now that I have three kids, I've been crafting for my kids rather than myself. Seeing their awed and surprised faces gives me so much more joy than biting into a chocolate bouchon. Austin's favorite thing to have with breakfast is a mug of hot cocoa topped with a mound of marshmallows. So, how much more fun is stirring one of these marshmallow snowmen instead? These are so fun and easy.

marshmallow snowman
ingredients:

1 bag of large marshmallows
chocolate chips
powdered sugar
milk
food coloring (red, yellow, and blue)

directions:

for the colored icing: mix a tablespoon of powdered sugar in a bowl with 1-2 teaspoons of milk. use one drop of red and one drop of yellow food coloring to make orange icing. repeat this step and use two drops of blue food coloring to make blue icing.
for the chocolate: melt a handful of chocolate chips in a microwavable safe bowl in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. the chocolate should be soft but not melted. stir together until all is smooth. if some pieces are still hard, put it back in the microwave for another minute. you may have to reheat as you're working if it starts to cool and solidify. set aside.
using a toothpick and draw on eyes, mouth, buttons, and accessories as you wish.

felt ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 23:35:00 +0000

My oldest son has 36 classmates in his class. 36! Not everyone is in attendance at the same time, some kids are there MWF and others TTh, some just in the morning or the full day. But all in all, there are 36 friends. I wanted to make something for the kids but I knew it had to be simple and quick. Last year I did some cute tags on candy canes and called it a day. I really loved that idea but wanted to take it to the next level. I dug around and found my stash of filzfelt offcuts. They are an environmentally conscience company and rather than disposing these offcuts of their products, they offer them for sale on their website.

All the shapes were cutout already. All I had to do was string them together with jute twine and a needle. Easy peasy. Happy Holidays!

indigo baby shower featured on 100 layer cakelet

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 04:06:00 +0000

I'm really excited to finally share this baby shower I planned and hosted for my good friend, Jody and her family. It was recently featured on one of my favorite party planning blogs, 100 Layer Cakelet.

When Jody first told us that she was expecting, Gary and I knew we wanted to throw them a shower especially since it is going to be a boy and their first is a sweet little girl named Olive. When we first started planning the party, Jody asked if she could design the invitations and chose a shibori inspired theme. I took it to heart and started to dye everything indigo blue in my house. It was so much fun making all the decor: lanterns, garlands, pillow covers, and table runners.

As for the menu, I wanted to do some brunch finger foods. I put together some silver dollar pancake stacks, bite-size chicken and waffles, smokies with tater tots, and mini donuts. We had a lot of kids on the guest list, so a charcuterie spread is always a favorite with the little ones (and the big ones too).

The cake was made by our amazingly talented friend, Sheila.

The rope bowl favors are handmade by friend, Yoon Mi. And of course, Jody did the calligraphy on the note pads.

It really was an honor to host this celebration for our friends. We love you guys so much.

Photos by Sadaf Murad Photography

Read more on 100 Layer Cakelet here.

instant pot: Chinese braised short ribs

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 04:39:00 +0000

Yes, I joined the Instant Pot bandwagon. It's all the rage right now, but it is for a reason. It's a miracle worker, I swear. It use to take me 16 hours to make this ridiculously amazing Kahlua Pig with my slow cooker, and now 90 minutes under pressure with the Instant Pot.

Game. Changer.

After following a few recipes for the past couple weeks, I'm starting to feel comfortable with this new appliance. This is my first try at something without a recipe. And I have to say, it's a keeper. After removing the short ribs, I threw in some potatoes in the remaining liquids and cooked it under pressure for 6 minutes. 6 minutes, people! Have you ever cooked potatoes in such a short amount of time? It was delicious and flavorful. Needless to say, I have already given my slow cooker away.

instant pot: Chinese braised short ribs

ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 lbs bone-in short ribs
1 yellow onion, cut into 1" dices
1/4 cup cooking wine
3 green onions
3 tomatoes, cut into 1" dices
8 garlic cloves. peeled
2 anise star
1" piece of ginger, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup soy sauce (I did a combination of 2 parts light and 1 part dark)
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 cup water
3 large potatoes, cut into 2" chunks

directions:

press the 'saute' button on the instant pot and add in the oil. when the oil is hot, place a few pieces of short ribs into the pot and cook all sides until brown. remove from pot and repeat with remaining short ribs. set the short ribs aside.
add in onions and cook until transparent. turn off the instant pot and add in the cooking wine. deglaze the pot by scraping all the bits from the bottom.
add in the green onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and the short ribs. try to keep the ribs in a single, even layer.
in a bowl or measuring cup, mix together soy sauce brown sugar and water. pour into the pot.
cover and lock the lid. on the instant pot, press 'manual' and adjust the time to 35 minutes under high pressure.
when the braise is finished cooking, press "keep warm/cancel" to do a slow pressure release.
once the cooker is depressurized, transfer the short ribs into a bowl and set aside.
add the potatoes into the remaining liquids.
cover and lock the lid again. set the instant pot to cook under high pressure for 6 minutes. when the potatoes are done, use the quick release valve on the lid.

bryant & hudson turn 1

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 07:14:00 +0000

I can't believe my babies turned 1 last month. It's official, my boys are now toddlers.

First birthday parties are not really for the birthday child... children in our case. It's more for the parents to celebrate the fact that we survived the first year. Gary and I not only survived the first year, but the first year with twins (and a 3-year old). And celebrated we did! With lots of food, friends, and family!

The party was held at one of our favorite local restaurants, Lincoln. They did a beautiful and delicious job with the catering. The menu was both kid- and parent-friendly with lots of healthy options.

Just thinking about the cakes makes me so happy. The cakes turned out exactly as I had envisioned with the personalized toppers and city skyline. They were extra special because it was a collaboration with two of my mama friends. The cake was made by our talented pastry chef friend and the cake topper was designed by another good friend of ours, Jody from my baby olive juice.

With Austin's first birthday, I went all out... basically handmade everything possible. So, with the twins' I wanted to do the same. It just wouldn't be fair, if I didn't make some effort. But with three in tow, it was hard to fulfill my ambitions.

The theme of the party was New York City. If you didn't know, Bryant and Hudson were named after landmarks of my birth city, as Austin was named after Gary's birth city. NYC was also where Gary and I met and got married. There is just so many ties for us, so it was obvious to throw a party with the theme.

With half the guests being kids under 5, I wanted to make it playful and inviting. I created a mini city by repositioning some Ikea market stands into a newsstand, a cupcake shop, a tattoo parlor, and a pizzeria. Gary even put together a special edition newspaper featuring the birthday boys.

Its so hard to believe with so many weeks of planning, a party like this is over within a couple of hours. Thanks to all our friends and family who were able to come celebrate with us and our boys.

Photos by Sadaf Murad Photography

holiday candy cane tags

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 22:11:00 +0000

With just a few days until Christmas, I was somehow overcome with guilt that I didn't do anything for Austin's preschool friends for the holidays. I did plan a small gift for his closer friends, but not his whole class. And I know it is not expected of me to do anything. However, memories of the little goodie bags from Halloween and last Christmas came back to haunt me. Will mommy guilt never end?

I couldn't get over it, so I went to Target and picked up Austin's favorite holiday treat... candy canes. This kid can eat mints til next Christmas. I'm serious. He can win anyone over an Altoids eating contest.

With the candy canes, I added a little tag made by printing a message on some adhesive paper. Austin had a grand ol' time putting each one in his friend's cubbies. I'm glad I did these because I got to share the experience of giving (even if it was a small gesture) with my little boy.

Here's a free download of the tags. Happy Holidays, Everyone!

packing peanuts snowman

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 06:28:00 +0000

Yay! It's holiday season. Happy Holidays everyone!

It's been busy land over here; I've been pushing through with the house construction before El Nino starts, while wrapping up a couple of my design projects and managing a family of 5. But there is always time to do a fun craft, especially with a 3-year old.

I've been trying to be creative with my gift-wrapping this season. I really love the idea that the gift is not what it seems like in this Target commercial. It was from 2 years ago but I still remember it. For a gift exchange I had with some mommy friends, I came up with this idea to "wrap" the gift with packing peanuts that the gift conveniently came with. I also thought it would a fun craft to do with my 3-year old. Instead he decided to make "snow" with the packing peanuts.

Also, check out the ornament snow globe and the paper roll christmas wreath I did last year.

framing complete

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 23:30:00 +0000

We've made a lot of progress since August, as you can see from the photo above. The framing is about 99% done, the roof is weather-proofed, and MEP rough-ins are in the works. Sadly, we didn't capture a time-lapse of the framing because the heat from the few hots days we've had had fried our camera. Boo!

There has been a few hiccups since the completion of our foundation, but not a major setback. The first unanticipated event that happened occurred about halfway through the framing stage. The original crew just abandoned our job because they were offered more pay on another project. With all the construction happening these days, its been competitive to line up good subcontractors. Fortunately, our general contractor were able to get another crew on board within a couple of days. It took a couple more for the new team to get acquainted with the work and what has already been done.

The weather was another unexpected cause for delay. There were a few rainy days before we got the roof on. Its crazy how dirty it gets after a storm. Thankfully we got the roof wrapped, because rain has been forecasted for the upcoming winter months, a lot of it.

Now that we have the skeleton of the house, I'll be posting about the fun stuff soon: finishes.

the permitting process

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 17:45:00 +0000

Construction started a little less than 2 months ago. So far we've got a structural slab and some steel columns to show for it.

My last house post left off with acquiring permits. For this particular project, the drawings needed a stamp of approval from four departments in order to get building permits. Planning Department was taken care of with the Design Review. The Fire Department signed off right away with the assurance that an automated fire sprinkler system is provided. In the state of California, that is required of all new construction, even a single-family residence.

Plan check with the Building Department and Public Works took a little longer, probably because of timing. I submitted the plans around the holidays, not the best time to do so. After a bit of chasing and added notes, we got our third sign off. The most frustration was with the Public Works Department. It was a negotiation of city improvement items PW requested us to pay for or do that we legally don't have to. After consulting with a lawyer, we realized that it would simply be faster (and less cost) to agree to these terms. Much to our dismay, we did but... we FINALLY got permits!!!

Everything has been going smoothly and on schedule. However, the hard decisions are starting to fall on my desk, which have had a running theme of budget versus environmental responsibility. Why does all things eco-friendly have to cost more? Speaking of which, did you guys notice the radiant heating system being installed in the time-lapse video above?

life lately

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 19:51:00 +0000

Oh my gosh? Has it really been 8 months since I last posted?

A lot has happened since Christmas... all good things. I gave birth to two healthy little boys, Bryant and Hudson. If you're wondering, yes, they are identical twins. It turns out not only do I love making sweets and crafts, I love making babies too, so much that I made two at the same time.

Between keeping two babies (and a toddler) alive, I've also been handling the construction of our house. Yes, you heard right, we are finally building our house that we've struggled to get the design approved. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that already. The permitting process went relatively well despite the fact that it happened while we were transitioning from a family of 3 to a family of 5. I'll post more about that later.

Now that I'm 8 months postpartum, I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. On top of our house project, I've got a few renovations and additions in the works, one under construction and a couple others on paper. All very exciting and I can't wait to share with you all. So, to sum things up, life has been crazy and I'm loving it.

ornament snow globe

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 23:55:00 +0000

To get into the spirit of things, a few mommies and I got together for a Christmas playdate, where we had a small secret santa gift exchange and a craft for the kids. The craft was a quick and easy snow globe that the kiddies can give to their daddies. Not only did they all have a fun time creating these gifts, the toddlers were pretty damn proud of themselves afterward.

ingredients:

canning jar
small plastic ornaments
glitter
confetti
hot glue

directions:

parent: glue ornaments to the top of the jar lid
kiddie: add a glitter into the glass jar, then add the confetti
parent: fill the jar with water and seal with lid. be careful that there is no glitter or water around the rim, so that there is an air tight seal to the jar.
turn upside down and give to a friend.

toilet paper roll christmas wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 21:53:00 +0000

Everyone is in full Christmas mode by now, which includes me. This time of year just makes me want to bake and craft all day long. This season we are sticking around for a very obvious reason... expecting twin babies. So we put up a modest little tree and some decorations. I wanted to put a wreath on the front door but quickly realized that the HOA here has some strict rules, so instead I decided to put a little one the inside around the peephole.

I've been collecting toilet paper rolls for a project with my toddler and now have one too many. That's when I came up with this idea of making my wreath with them. Here's directions on how to make your own.

ingredients:

29-30 toilet paper rolls
glitter glue
hot glue gun
green paint
pre-cut paper flowers

directions:

cut each toilet paper roll into a 1/2" width strip. roll them up and secure with hot glue. repeat with all toilet paper rolls.
glue the paper rolls together into a wreath shape.
paint with green paint or spray paint. i hand-painted mine with acrylic paint since i already had that on hand. allow to dry.
reinforce where needed with hot glue.
decorate accordingly with glitter glue. i traced the swirls with the glitter glue to accent edges. allow to dry overnight.
adhere the paper flowers with hot glue. you can use a shape punch to make the flowers or other shapes.

an update on the house

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0000

If you've been following my previous blog posts about our house (here, here, here, and here), you may be curious to what's happened in the past few months. I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but not much has happened. After the approval of our design in August, our neighbors (yes, plural) filed an appeal (in which they have the right to in this particular city) against the Design Review Board's decision. What happens then? The appeal is presented to the Planning Commission (basically the next level above DRB) for review. This process took two months and to our relief, the Commission denied the appeal and we are finally able to move forward with our project. For me, the meeting started off nerve-racking and ended in joy, relief, (and humor?) All the appellants walked out of the meeting before a decision was made and only after the first of the four members spoke.

Overall, the Planning Commission concluded that we have made a real effort to listen to the Design Review Board, as well as the community's concerns. Above are two renderings, one of an ultra-modern design that we presented at our first DRB meeting and the other is the mid-century modern inspired redesign after considering the major issues that were brought up. The redesign was a difficult process and there were a lot of items we had to compromise. I've learned that even though we had to give up a few things off our "wishlist," our family will still love and live in this house the same. I'm just looking forward to breaking ground.

These were the changes we made from the original design:

Roof line changed from flat to sloped
The first floor was setback was an extra 5 feet from the required
The second floor was setback an extra 20 feet from the required
A bedroom on the second floor was eliminated
Large fenestrations from the front elevation were eliminated

I am happy to say that we finally submitted our plans for plan check with the building department, which sadly will take 4 to 6 weeks. The twins will be here in T minus 3 weeks. The challenge now is how will I handle two newborns while a building a house.

Stay tuned and send me a prayer.

miso glazed eggplant

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Eggplant is one of those vegetables that you either love or hate. As for me, I LOVE eggplant. It's just something that I've grown up eating all my life, so it's really comfort food for me. I still can't quite make it the way my mom does, so I've started exploring different recipes. One of the most recent successful ones I've tried is with a miso glaze.

oven-roasted eggplant with miso

adapted from i am a food blog

ingredients:

2 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp sugar
2 Japanese eggplants, cut in half lengthwise
toasted sesame seeds
sliced scallions

directions:

preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
place rice wine in a saucepan over medium heat, add miso and stir. add sugar and reduce heat to low.
cook and stir until thicken.
brush miso sauce onto cut sides of eggplant and roast in pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes. the flesh should be tender and soft. remove from oven.
sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions before serving.

Christmas giftcard jars

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 22:49:00 +0000

With the twins arriving just weeks away, I wanted to have as much Christmas preparation done as possible. One of my items on my to-do list are holiday gifts for Austin's preschool teachers. They really do so much for all the kids. Our little boy has really thrived and shined ever since he's been there. I can tell he loves his teachers and the school. Sometimes, I can't get him to leave at pick up. As a thank you, I wanted to give the teachers something that will be useful and what's more useful than a Target giftcard? To add a personal touch to it, I placed them in glass jars filled with chocolates, a couple of Christmas ornaments, and tied it with a handmade tag.

Everything was purchased at Target for approximately $15 not including the giftcards. Here's how to make your own.

giftcard jars

ingredients:

3 glass jars
1-18 oz bag of Hersey kisses (or other chocolates)
6 ornaments
3 gift tags (I made custom tags with my Cameo silhouette)
ribbon

directions:

fill bottom of jar with a small handful of chocolates
place giftcard and ornaments inside
fill the rest of the jar with the remaining chocolates
place lid on the jar and wrap tie ribbon and tag around the lid

P.S. check out the Christmas giftcard holders Austin and I made last year for his caregivers.

peach crisp

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 21:25:00 +0000

The local farmer's markets are bursting with peaches and nectarines lately. So before we wrap up this summer, we can all use a little peach crisp. I know its back-to-school and the top of the calendar now reads "September," but we can still pretend its summer time when you have a mouth full of this peach pie.

I'm currently well into 5 months pregnant with twins. Yes, TWINS! One of the most common questions people love asking me is if I have any cravings. Cravings, that I do not have but plenty of aversions. One of them being baked goods, you're not going to catch me eating a muffin or cookie any time soon, unless its my toddler shoving it down my throat insisting that I MUST eat this and he MUST feed it to me. You'll be surprised how often this scenario plays out in our household. Just think in another two years, I'll have two more pair of hands doing this to me. Mmmm... parenthood.

Anyways, back to my crisp. Even though sweets is off my to-eat list lately, I still love fruit. The joy of living in California is that you can have such a variety of fruit all year round. My summer diet has been chock full of plums, figs, watermelon, peaches, berries, I can go on... Thankfully, my twins are okay with me eating some baked peaches because this peach crisp is a must eat. I'm sure I'll be baking one of these every peach season from now on. peach crisp

peach crisp
adapted from the complete america's test kitchen tv show cookbook

topping ingredients:

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in 1/2″ pieces

filling ingredients:

3 pounds peaches — 6-8 medium, peeled, pitted, 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

directions:

preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
for the topping: in a food processor, pulse flour, sugars, cinnamon, ginger and salt until combined. sprinkle the butter pieces over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses or until resembles wet sand. do not overmix.
for the filling: combine the peaches, sugar, and juice in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. transfer the peach mixture to a 10-inch pie plate. place pie on a cookie sheet and sprinkle topping all over the peaches.
bake crisp for 40 minutes. increase oven temp to 400 degrees F and continue baking another 5 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and bubbling.

the entitlement process (part II)

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 06:23:00 +0000

It's been two months since we submitted our application to the Design Review Board, so what's the update? Drum roll, please.... I am very happy to say that after a lot of work and some tears, we finally got our approval from the DRB for the design of our house (3d rendering above). Our once ultra-modern house has turned into a mid-century modern one after this long, tedious process.

So what happened during these past two months? After our disappointing first meeting (which I mentioned here), we engaged our neighbors, whom were mostly against our design. Most of them made an effort to keep their distance and only sharing their opinions, while others became our friends and were helpful in suggesting different approaches (i.e. built examples, variances, scope change, etc). We took everyone's (friend or foe) comments into consideration and looked at it in all directions with our house. With sketches in hand, we presented the redesign to the DRB last month to see if we were headed in the right direction. I have to admit, it was not the most encouraging meeting. But with another layer of feedback, we turned the sketches into hard lines.

As I had mentioned previously, the submittal requirements are quite extensive. In order to get onto the agenda, drawings needed to be submitted to the Planning Department for review two weeks before each meeting. It was a scramble to get all the drawings in place but we did it... barely... and was back on the agenda.

However, before we could stand in front of the DRB again, I needed some community support to back our redesign. I reached out to the neighbors that left us their contact information. I even walked around the neighborhood at different hours of the day to catch a passerby to show them our renderings and floor plans.. It was well worth the effort because at the end, I got 6 names on a letter supporting our project. Having a support letter makes the voting process easier for the board member who is already in favor of your project.

At the final DRB meeting, there were 4 out of 5 members present (we need 3 to get the approval). We presented our project with our story, renderings, plans, and even a powerpoint presentation. Then, the floor was open to the public, there were a couple who spoke for our project, some who were neutral, and of course, those who were totally against it. The board then asked their questions and made their comments. In order for the DRB to approve any project that comes across their laps, they must find that the design and layout of the proposed development abides to the following (which the Planning Department refers to as the four findings):

Is consistent with the General Plan and any applicable design criteria for specialized areas.
Will adequately accommodate the functions and activities proposed for the site, will not unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of neighboring, existing, or future developments, and will not create adverse pedestrian or traffic hazards.
Is compatible with the existing character of the surrounding neighborhood and that all reasonable design efforts have been made to maintain the attractive, harmonious, and orderly development contemplated by this Section, and the General Plan; and
Would provide a desirable environment for its occupants and neighbors, and is aesthetically of good composition, materials, and texture, that would remain aesthetically appealing with a reasonable level of maintenance and upkeep.

In the end the DRB concluded that our redesign checked off the list and we got the approval! Next up, permits!

Thank you for those who have been reading and supporting us! Please check back in soon on our progress.

the entitlement process (part I)

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 21:31:00 +0000

So you think because you own a piece of land, you have the right to build whatever you'd like on it? Think again.

Many areas around California (especially Los Angeles) have a long, tedious entitlement process depending on the location, project type, project size, etc. Even for a single, family residential home like the one we are building, we are looking at months of approval process. In addition to the typical plan review for permits, the town has a design review board. So, what has been the process been like for us?

Back in February, we submitted sketches for a concept review to the Design Review Board. The meeting went quite well. The overall consensus was that street had a mix of styles and a contemporary design would be acceptable taking into consideration the design guidelines set by the Planning Department. Off we went to design our dream home.

The requirements for the design review application for new construction is quite extensive. I even had to bring on a landscape designer to put together a hardscape and landscape plan. For those who don't know, you typical hire the landscape designer much later in the process, basically when the house design is finalized. All the houses on the block are single story homes and massing is one of the major contextual elements we have to consider. So, we started to communicate with a structural engineer to minimize the height of our two-story house. We finally got our package together and submitted in June.

Here is a list of requirements we had to prepare for the application:

Project narrative
Photographs of all the houses on the street
Site Plan
Floor and roof plans
Exterior elevations
Building sections
Exterior details
Door and window schedules
Landscape and hardscape plans
Manufacturers' brochures of all exterior materials
Materials board
Renderings
Colored elevations
List of all neighbors within a 300' radius from property and mailing labels
Tree removal plan

Phew. That's why it took 4 months to get our application together.

My husband and I were so naive to think that after all that work, we could get this approved in a month or so. To our surprise, more than a dozen neighbors (keep in mind there are only 16 houses on our street) came to protest against our design. At the time, I was so overwhelmed by the comments, I even cried. Here are some of the comments (abridged):

Doesn't fit in the neighborhood.
Hideous.
I want a small, Craftsman style house here.
Too large and too tall.
Massive.
Contemporary is inappropriate.
Build a multi-family house instead.
No coherency.
Completely out of place.

We heard the word "Craftsman style" so many times, I lost count. After some research, only 3 of the 16 houses are even considered Craftsman. In general, many of the neighbors had fear that this new contemporary house would change the neighborhood for the worse. Some are resentful that we are allowed to build 2 stories or use aluminum windows, but they were turned down years ago when they wanted to do an addition. Guidelines and regulations constantly change, so this is something we have no control over.

After our June meeting, we set up a community gathering (which was highly recommended by the DRB) to discuss some of the redesign ideas with our neighbors . I'm glad we did that because I felt like we are starting to form personal relationships with some neighbors (the ones who want to help). While others just came out to speak their wants, turned around and left. We realize that we cannot make everyone happy, all we can do is come to a compromise. This is the world of real estate development!

Following our not-so-productive community gathering, I was practically at the Planning Department every other day. The planners are amazing to work with. They have been feeding me information, confidence, and guidance. After being knocked down at the DRB and community gathering, I was able to pick myself up and am ready to face the next challenges. This is a part of developing in California and what I'm learning now will only prepare me for future endeavors.

Tonight, we are presenting our redesign in sketch form to the Design Review Board only to see if we are heading towards the right direction. Wish us luck!

finding the contractor

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Mon, 26 May 2014 20:54:00 +0000

Meet my new best friend, Boswell Construction. They will be our general contractor handling the construction of our house. It was a long (and necessary) process finding them and I'm going to go through how I did it.

First, I compiled a list of contractors. I asked fellow architects and colleagues for recommendations, talked to friends who have had major construction done on their house, and even jotted down a number off a sign hanging outside a house that was under construction. I called all of them and received a range of responses. Some never picked up my call or took weeks to respond (after a few more calls). Some picked up right away and were ready to answer my long list of questions.

As for questions, I started with a list that Life of an Architect posted here. I then added a few of my own that were more specific to our style and project. After my calls, I looked up each contractor's license to make sure it is valid and what type of permits have been filed under them. It's a great way to get a grasp of the contractor's project experience and align what they've told you to what you actually see on public records. Once that all checked out, I narrowed it down to two contractors and asked for references. Again, I called all of them and used the list of questions for references from Life of an Architect. I found that most of the references would not stop talking about their positive experience with so-and-so contractor. To get the most out of your call, have your questions ready so you don't get side tracked.

I have to say amongst all the contractors, only Boswell Construction invited me to visit one of their current job sites, which really surprised me. Of course, I went. I highly recommend this when possible. I got to talk to the superintendent, scope out how organized and neatly the site was kept up, and got an overall feel of how the company runs each project.

After all the due diligence, I can't tell you who is the best contractor but I can only say who is the best contractor for our project. Every project is different, so therefore, every project requires a different contractor. If we were doing a simple bathroom renovation, we may not be working with the same guys. Just keep that in mind when selecting yours.

Once we knew who we wanted to work with, the next item of discussion was contract. Basically, there are two types of contracts: lowest bid and cost-plus-fee. Coming from commercial development, I knew from the beginning I wanted to do cost-plus-fee for our house. There are pros and cons for both contract types, but I just felt with this particular project, cost-plus-fee was most appropriate. Here are a few reasons why:

This was my first residential project. I knew I would miss a few things here or there. I didn't want to get hit by some big change orders under a lowest bid contract.
This was my first project on the west coast. The construction process here is quite different from the east coast, again I didn't want to miss anything and result in a big change order.
This is going to be our own house, we want it to be perfect, which means minds will be changed along the way, I guarantee it. When that time comes, again I don't want to get hit a change order.
We have a tight budget, so having a contractor on board during the design process allows us to value engineer along the way.

A cost-plus-fee contract creates a very honest and transparent relationship between the owner and contractor. You will basically see every bill from a subcontractor or every check the contractor cuts for your project. Boswell will be bidding out each trade to at least 3 different subs, so we will know we're getting a fair price for the work. The industry standard for a contractor's fee is 15%, anything significantly less makes me ask some questions.

Sometimes, contracts like these require some time and effort on the owner. For us, this is what I do, so it doesn't seem that tasking. I'm really excited about working with Boswell Construction and can't wait to share more about my project with y'all.

finding the site

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Fri, 23 May 2014 22:06:00 +0000

As some of you can tell, my blog has been lagging in posts lately. That's because for the past couple of months my time has been consumed by one of my biggest projects yet... designing and building our own house.

Let's rewind back several months, Gary and I were looking at a house to buy here in Los Angeles. We narrowed down our search to a few locations due to commutes, schools, conveniences, and amenities. The house hunt was bleak, the good ones got snatched up in bidding wars and the bad ones were still $300+/sf for a little shack that we would have to put some more money and sweat into before it is livable.

We then took a little break but it wasn't really a break because it was still on my mind. I was obsessed with this one particular town. It had everything we wanted: good schools, walkability, Metro, quaint main street, a weekly farmer's market, great parks, and so close to Pasadena with all the shops and restaurants. I started to study the satellite maps of this area, going down street by street. That was when I discovered a few parcels that didn't have any structures on it. I noted those addresses and when I drove to the first location I found a sign that read "For Sale by Owner" with some stats of the parcel and a phone number. When I called the number, an older lady answered, she told me her asking price and if we were interested to meet her with an offer. I then checked with my amazingly wonderful real estate lawyer (who dropped everything on his plate to put together our letter), who confirmed that this was a great off-market deal. Basically, I called on a Saturday, I was at her house by Tuesday with a letter of intent, and we closed 2 weeks later.

The story is this lady had owned a house on this piece of land and it had burnt down 40 years ago. She's held onto it since; for whatever reason I'm not sure but I have a few guesses. I do really believe in things-are-meant-to-be. She said she had put up the sign only a few weeks before I found it. The timing was perfect, the land is perfect. It's walking distance to the Metro, elementary school, park, the main street where all the restaurants and shops are, farmer's market, and even Trader Joe's. It's also flat and large enough for a house and a generous yard. Check. Check. Check.

This is every architect's dream come true and I am extremely blessed to have this opportunity and the support of all my husband, family and friends on this big endeavor. My architectural background is mainly in commercial buildings on the east coast, so designing this house has been a huge learning curve. I'll be posting more about the whole process: design, city review, permitting, bidding, construction, and down to the interiors. So, please check in when you can.

whole roasted artichoke

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Tue, 20 May 2014 20:02:00 +0000

Here's another one on my list that I've never prepared. I love eating artichokes but I have to admit, I've always feared making it. Its got thorns and the prickly choke, just seems like a very dangerous vegetable to handle. My husband recently took me out to dinner at Houston's where we had an amazing grilled artichoke appetizer. The following weekend, we spotted some at the local farmer's market and that's when I decided to be brave and buy some.

Back at home, it had no idea what to do with them, even though I have watched professional chefs prepare them on television. It's really not that easy when you're an ordinary home cook. I battled these little suckers with cooking shears, two different knives, and even a spoon before I got to its heart. Phew. I don't think I'll be making these at home again... anytime soon.

whole roasted artichokes

ingredients:

whole artichokes
salt
pepper
lemon
olive oil

directions:

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. cut off 1-2 inches from the top. remove the tough outer leaves of the artichoke. open up the center and remove the fuzzy choke.
drizzle generously with lemon juice and olive oil. season with salt and pepper to taste.
place upside down on baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes.

happy mother's day

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Fri, 09 May 2014 19:18:00 +0000

My mom with Austin.

Exactly 2 years ago, I became a mother; my little boy was born the Friday before Mother's Day. You don't truly appreciate your mother until you become one yourself. Its one of the most challenging (and fulfilling) roles I've ever had. I just hope that I am be as good of a mother to Austin as my own mother is to me.

Watching many of my friends become moms themselves, I can't help but feel a sense of camaraderie as we share our (good, bad, and funny) stories, advice, and worries. I not only love and respect my mom but all my mommy friends.

Finally, I want to share with you the handmade Mother's Day cards I made for some friends and family. If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen a sneak peak last week. The doors and letters on the card were hand-drawn, while the garland was cut with my silhouette cameo.

Happy Mama's Day everyone.

loquat fruit leather

noreply@blogger.com (Madebymelis) — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 19:48:00 +0000

Loquats are pretty much an un-known fruit in the United States but in the past few years, I've had access to them through family and friends who grow them. I have a love-hate relationship with them. I love the sweet, juicy peach colored-flesh, yet I hate the giant pit-like seeds in the center. Also the harvest season is very short and abundant, which means you have to eat or process a huge batch of them at once.

So it's April... and its loquat season. And lucky me, my friend, Jody happened to have a loquat tree in her backyard. She brought over maybe 5lbs of these darling little fruits the other day. I ate and ate and decided I'm not going to be able to eat them all before they were spoiled. I wanted to make something that my little guy can eat and that is when I thought of fruit leather. So easy to make and it also is a great snack for kids.

They're not the most attractive looking things, so I had to put together a little artwork. The image above is inspired by one of my favorite artists, Hong Yi. I absolutely love her food series.

loquat fruit leather
ingredients:

loquats
lime juice
sugar (the amount depends how sweet the fruit is, you may not need it at all)

directions:

wash and pit the loquat fruits.
place fruit, lime juice and sugar into a blender. (i had about 3 lbs of loquat, 1/4 cup of sugar, and juice form 1-1/2 limes) puree until well blended.
line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then pour the puree into the pan.
bake it in the oven at 140 degrees F for 8-12 hours.
store in airtight container.