Priscilla Woolworth's Blog

Earth Day Weekend April 22-2012

pwoolworth — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:55:29 +0000

This past weekend, I paid a visit to Sunland Water Gardens, a fish pond supplier where you can buy double decker pond kits for raising Tilapia on the bottom part and vegetables in floating gardens on the upper part, which are being constantly hydrated and nourished by the fish waste. I think this is such a brilliant idea and I can’t wait to get one of these for myself ! At the very least, you know where your fish and vegetables come from:)

I came up with an Earth Friendly way to drink my favorite on-the-go morning green shake by pouring it into re-purposed glass jars. The recipe is the same one I featured in my March Almanac http:://priscillawoolworth.com/recipes. I’ve changed it slightly by using unsweetened Almond milk, which is almost half the calories of the regular one and I don’t freeze the bananas either. I also ran out of dates the other day, and used a teaspoon of 100% raw Manuka honey instead, which tasted great. I couldn’t believe I was drinking out of a large glass jar but it worked perfectly.

I went on the most wonderful wilderness hike I have been on in long time…

There were birds everywhere, bees buzzing around the wildflowers, ground squirrels and rabbits running across the path, ducks, bullfrogs and butterflies… It was magical.

Saw an example of why nature never ceases to amaze me: An acorn tree, created by an Acorn Woodpecker, which drills holes in dead trees, dead branches or even old telephone poles, to create a granary for collecting their acorns. When the acorns are collected, the woodpecker finds the hole that’s just the right size for the acorn, and as they dry out, they are moved to smaller holes. So clever.

On my way home, stopped by my local farmer’s market and stocked up on all sorts of organic vegetables and fruit and had a lovely lunch in my garden. I love celebrating how beautiful and amazing our planet earth is by caring for it all the while I’m enjoying being part of it.

THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

pwoolworth — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:19:39 +0000

I was recently in the south of France, spending time with my beloved grandmother of 93 and visiting some of the places where I grew up. The years I spent there have had a huge impact on me and my life and still inspires my work, my aesthetic and my lifestyle.

My grandparents house at the foot of St Paul de Vence where I spent a lot of time and loved it

The absolute classic french car

Where I took my grandmother for lunch-We had a delightful time together

Pretty menu from La Colombe D’Or

My grandmother and I leaving the restaurant, and I am holding my very favorite PW.com blue market bag. It comes everywhere with me!

The national flower of this part of the south of France: Mimosa, which was at it’s peak when I was there. I was so lucky to see them in bloom.

Verbena

I’d forgotten about all the lovely fountains in the villages

The streets are charmingly narrow in the old villages

Teasels

LONDON

pwoolworth — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:46:48 +0000

Many years ago, I went to boarding school in the countryside about an hour from London and ever since then, I have had a tremendous affection for London/England. I’m always happy to visit, even if it’s a brief one like this last trip. I did manage to squeeze in a delicious lunch at the Daylesford organic restaurant in Knotting Hill, stopped by some of my favorite stores like Labour and Wait, Summerhill and Bishop and EGG and even spotted some of my own products at a friend’s home, which was fabulous to see.

The bed where I slept

Daylesford Organic restaurant in Knotting Hill is fantastic in so many ways, and one of them being they donate their surplus food to three charities for the homeless.

Organic carrots from the Daylesford farm in Gloustershire

Labour and Wait in Spitalfields is a wonderful home and lifestyle general store

Labour and Wait: Hemp super strong string

Summerhill and Bishop is a gorgeous home and lifestyle store.

Love these tablecloths from Summerhill and Bishop

The store EGG is magical

EGG’S natural blankets

Spotted: One Priscillawoolworth.com Burlap Plastic Bag holder at my friend’s home. Made me so proud!

Also spotted at the same home: Priscillawoolworth.com Recycling stickers…Looking good!

HEARTS and LOVE

pwoolworth — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:53:39 +0000

We are not alone when we live from a place in the heart

Painted Heart by John Baldessari, seen in Los Angeles…

Wood Hearts seen at the lovely Livia Firth’s store near London, Eco Age…

LED Heart Created and shot at my home studio using LED lights from my store…

Metal Heart from Mexico…

French Heart art project….

LOVE created in my home studio…

Crazy Love shot at my home studio…

One is not loved accidently, one’s own power to love produces love

-Eric Fromm-

Satsuma Tangerine Candle

pwoolworth — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:06:53 +0000

My daughter Lucie sent me the information on how to make my own Satsuma candle at home. Thank you Lucie This is very easy to make and so lovely, besides being inexpensive and all natural/non-toxic. I bought four thick skinned Satsumas, even though I only needed one, just in case I made a mistake. All you need to make this candle is a small serrated knife, a small spoon, matches and olive oil.

You will need to make a cut about a 1/3 down from the opposite end of the stem. You need to keep the stem side intact because it holds the wick. The wick is very important…

Tangerine cut 1/3 down…and carefully remove the skin

Using a small spoon, gently pry the fruit from the skin, working your wall slowly around the inside and being careful to keep the middle stem intact because this will be your wick.

Add a little bit of olive to the inside, about 1 to 2 tbsp, keeping the wick from being covered up in oil.

Here is the beautiful, all natural, clean burning candle you will be in awe of because it’s so gorgeous and amazing.

Note: The olive oil might leave a mark where you set your candle down, so be mindful where you put it. I put mine in a small dish…

OUTSIDER ART FAIR

pwoolworth — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:58:28 +0000

Just went to an Art Fair in NYC and saw a few pieces that were really wonderful, especially the ones made with recycled materials. I also came across The Envelope Project, envelopes decorated by inmates at prisons and jails from several states, and 100% of the proceeds are donated to the Read alliance, a New York based nonprofit serving at-risk kindergarten and first-grade students. They

Haitian piece made with recycled cans

The Envelope Project

The Envelope Project-The one envelope I really hoped to buy was already spoken for

Haitian piece made with salvaged wood

Love the name of this artist, translates as : Albert Beautifulspeaking

Super cool elephant head sculpture made out of aluminum foil

Vegetable Gardening Class

pwoolworth — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:01:00 +0000

I took a super Vegetable Gardening class last weekend in Venice, California- taught by Master Gardener David King. Loved it.

Met this adorable furry friend who sat down in the empty seat next to me…

Easy to make paper pots, and another great way to recycle newspaper…

Sturdy raised garden bed for the parts of your garden where access to soil isn’t possible…

Bolted broccoli has flowers the bees love and string bean like pods, for harvesting seeds…

Bolted Red Leafed lettuce also produces seeds you can replant…

A delicious row of various lettuces ready for the picking…

Found and repurposed bin, now used to grow potatoes. The potatoes are planted in the bottom, and as they grow, soil is added little by little, until the potato plant reaches the top of the bin. When the potatoes are ready to be harvested, the bin is easily turned on it’s side and the potatoes are picked without having to dig deep down…

Free mulch is available at different locations around Los Angeles. Just go to www.lacitysan.org/srpcd or check in the city where you live, to find out where you can pick some up in your area.

Photos of 2011

pwoolworth — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:06:04 +0000

I take many photographs during the year, and the following are especially meaningful to me. Shot in my garden in Los Angeles, my father’s place in Maine, Palm Springs, Hudson, NY and New York City…Wishing you a very happy, healthy and laughter filled New Year 2012

PALM SPRINGS

OUTSIDE THE BARN IN MAINE

MY FATHER’S BATHROBES-MAINE

FOUND ON A HIKE IN MAINE

COOKBOOK IN ECHO PARK

BICYCLE USED AS TRELLIS FOR CHERRY TOMATOES-LOS ANGELES GARDEN

BUNDLED HERBS ON TABLE AT AMANDA PAYS’S HOUSE-LOS ANGELES

SEEN IN HUDSON, NEW YORK

DRIED SUNFLOWER FROM MY GARDEN, LOS ANGELES

WHOLE FOODS SHOPPING BAG RECYCLED AND REPURPOSED AS PARCEL PACKAGING-LOS ANGELES

ONE OF THE MANY MANTIDS IN MY GARDEN IN LOS ANGELES

FRESH WALNUTS + REUSABLE PRODUCE BAG

WHOLE SPICES-LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES-IN MY CLOSET

ECO FRIENDLY GIFT TAGS

pwoolworth — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:46:11 +0000

I rarely find gift tags that I like so this year, I decided to just make my own. Using a few blank kraft paper tags I had, and adding some recycled cardboard from the organic boxes of tea I drink and perhaps even parts of a box of Weetabix cereal, I cut them in different sizes. Using a couple of stamps, and a black ink pad, I stamped them first, and when the ink was dry, I used a hole puncher, punching larger holes for the chubbier ribbon to make it through. The ribbon is actually remnants I had saved for a rainy day.

I’m not bothered about the smudges

The ribbon remnants really dress up the tags

The Conference Of Birds

pwoolworth — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:57:06 +0000

THE CONFERENCE OF BIRDS

Today when doves

echo in soft matching notes

coo coo coo coo

that is me, writing.

when the woodpecker

batters his head

into the same tree

until the hole

is big enough

to stuff his acorn

or the thrasher

standing king-like in the madrone

his crass notes a rasp in spring air

that is me, writing.

when the hummingbird

makes his sky circles

with the loud pop at the bottom

that’s my exclamation!

my despair, the red-shouldered hawk

sawing the sky in half

with his screams———

kee-yer kee-yer KEE-YER

when the loud scolds of jays

greedily push at the feeder

knocking seeds from the stand

and the faint treble of California quail

cluck in the underbrush

shy and tentative…… chicago chicago chicago

and even the rip sound

of the perigrine pulling

feathers from his kill

discarding, and selecting

when the mocker, boisterress with longing

jumps from his branch

in acrobatic turnings

and the warblers query

witchita witchita witchita which?

glitter-flashes of gold in the oaks

when the violet-green swallows,

chi veet chi veet, sew the sky back together

wih their darts and swoops

we are flaunting

scolding and cooing

show offs, saying

look at me, look at me .

-Wendy Wilder Larsen

BEAUTIFUL BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA:

WOODPECKER

PERIGRINE

HUMMINGBIRD

QUAIL