kelly loves whales.

So long, blogger.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:13:00 +0000

Dolls, when I started blogging four years ago, I knew nothing of html, css, seo and the such. Blogger was a fantastic way to learn about blogging and web design. However, I have been using wordpress for my yoga blog for over a year now and have decided to move this blog there as well. You can find me at http://kellysunrose.wordpress.com. There's a new post waiting for you and all of the old posts have been imported there as well.
With love & gratitude to my faithful readers and to the blogging platform that got me started,
Kelly

la la la monday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:05:00 +0000

this weekend, i...
walked in the hot sun with my family,
napped in the afternoon with oona,
experimented with new ways to cook tempeh & shared it with some friends,
&
enjoyed an amazing carrot cupcake from petit provence (oh my gosh!).
how about you?
*
i didn't take any photos of our weekend hijinks, so here are a few of boo-boo's bedroom.

eats.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:46:00 +0000

dolls, it looks as though a few posts have been eaten by the internet. no matter, i'm back with a few thoughts on food. i am back to eating high-raw high-vegan*. i begin every day with a green smoothie or juice. this is my breakfast. i love the feeling of charging up for the day with fresh veggies and fruit. (but then i do drink a cup of coffee or tea afterwards, which is a necessary evil for this time in my life. seriously. baby does not need to see me without caffeine right now!)
my newest favorite smoothie ingredient is... BASIL! here are a few ways it has jazzed up my mornings this week.

watermelon cocktail:
1 cup fresh watermelon
1 cup water + dash of coconut water
1 handful of basil.
{blend on high. drink! enjoy!}

mango healer:
1 cup fresh (or frozen & thawed) mango
1 cup coconut water
1 handful of basil.
{blend on high. it's a vacation to thailand in your mouth!}

i have also been using the heck out of my food spiralizer. this is one of those weird gadgets that has been absolutely indispensible for eating raw. it makes sweet potatoes edible raw! and it makes the best "pasta" from raw zuchini and squash. i made a sweet potato pasta last week coated with edamame pate that knocked my socks off! the pate is super easy to make.

soak shelled edamame in enough water to cover. toss into the blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon of cold-pressed olive oil, a touch of salt or shoyu and a dash of apple cider vinegar. blend until smooth. smear on whatever looks good. it's amazing.

xxoo
kel

* labels often make me act crazy. i aim to eat about 80% raw vegan. it's better for everyone if we make that aspirational and not a strict rule. when i am rigid about food, i tend to stress myself out. that's not healthy and healthy is my goal.

mama style.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:01:00 +0000

hi loves, i'm shocked it's already thursday. where the dickens did this week go anyway? so i've been slaving away at my fashion project since last we spoke (just kidding, doy! though i have at least been putting a scintilla of thought into what i'm wearing as it gets barfed on by my baby). here is todays's look from my transition wardrobe. happy thursday!
xo

top,jacket & shoes. target.
linen pants. anthropologie.
bag. relic.

inspiration tuesday. mama style. remix.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:06:00 +0000

dolls, remember how i talked about making sure i keep myself styling while mama-ing? well, i must admit that i'm still about 15 pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy self and not all of my clothes fit yet. that being said, i'm not about to run out and buy a whole new wardrobe for this transitional time (much like i did not buy maternity clothes!). i've decided to create a capsule wardrobe for the time being and also challenge myself in the manner of Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 remix (using 30 pieces of clothing to create 30 outfits).

i would like, however, to thrift a few pieces for the capsule wardrobe-- maybe 2 skirts and 2 pants. i also just realized i have no tops in primary colors, so i'd like to add tops in red and blue. here are a few items similar to those i'll be looking for. once i have this all dialed in, i'll begin sharing the get-ups with you. until then, i'll be scampering around in the same old jeans and tee-shirt i've been wearing for the past 9 weeks. (just kidding... sort of.)

J Crew boatneck top, $33
Striped top, $40
Lark Wolff by Steven Alan circular skirt, $15
Print skirt, $37
GAP vintage style jeans, $70

la la la monday.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:37:00 +0000

this weekend was glorious.
we played with oona.
we walked in the rain.
we listened to npr while drinking coffee.
we enjoyed a leisurely mothers' day lunch with friends and their littles.
delightful.

how about you?
peace + love.
k

first floor.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 May 2011 20:24:00 +0000

it occured to me that i've posted very little about our new place in portland. this is probably due mostly to my new 24/7 gig mothering oona-bear, but could also be related to it being a temporary place to rest our heads. we are renting this house and will only be here a year (if all goes as planned). nonetheless, i've been feathering the nest and think it's high time to share some photos. here is a peek into our world.

happy weekend, dears!

feasting.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:00:00 +0000

loves,
lately we've been feasting on greens. i've been concocting some ridiculous salads and slurping down more homemade soups than i can even believe. oh, and i broke another blender (at least this one lasted nearly 9 months!), so we are having serious talks about buying the vitamix. i always knew we'd eventually buy one, but it seems like the time is right. am i the only person out there who has had a series of serious talks about blenders with the spouse? ha ha.
the broken blender means no smoothies for a bit. boo. instead i'm drinking a lot of organic rooibos tea. so good, but without the caffeine-crazy factor.

{salad of kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, walnuts, green beans and carrots. topped with a touch of extra virgin olive oil + balsamic vinegar.}
&
oona is now two months old. holy cats. i feel like i'm getting the hang of this mama-hood business.

inspiration tuesday.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 May 2011 16:11:00 +0000

{check out her blog-- saipua.}

make sure to click through to check out the sources of this lovely-ness.
xo
we've had guests for the past month--yay! i love introducing my little bear to all of the people who loved her before she was even born. now the house is filled with "just us" for a bit, so i'm working on finding a routine for this family.

inspiration tuesday. no makeup.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:50:00 +0000

xxoo
be sure to click through to go to the sources. a-mazing.

the week's eats.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:51:00 +0000

This week, we kept it pretty vegan. Emphasis on pretty.
Monday. Barbeque tempeh (vegan). Smashed potatoes (veganized with rice milk + earth balance). Beautifully green salad with lots of spinach (raw vegan).
Tuesday. Take-out from Blossoming Lotus-- living nachos (raw vegan). Four "cheese" lasagne (vegan-- lots of kale).
Wednesday. HUGE green salad with spinach and bok choy (raw vegan). I was in the process of making a vegan lentil curry when baby-girl had a collosal melt-down, so that burned.
Thursday. Jasmine rice (vegan). Baked tofu with asian marinade (vegan, recipe from The Veganomicon). Salad of Bok choy, corn, and plums with spicy mustard dressing (raw vegan).
***TOnight, we are hosting my mom & dad from out-of-town, and I HOPE we can go out to the Farm.***

I made the most delicious smoothie this week--- cucumber juice + frozen strawberries + handful of baby spinach. RAWmazing. (Inspired by a juice I had a Por Que No? a few weeks ago.)

To be fair, I also ate a slice of rhubarb pie topped with ginger streusel and a side of whipped creme from Random Order.

Have a beautiful weekend loves.

mama-style.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:39:00 +0000

darlings, although i'm giving myself LOTS of leeway here, it is high time (6 weeks postpartum) for me to get my style act back together. (i'm completely inspired by miss james.) at the moment, i do not have much free time to devote to putting together outfits (actually, i'm lucky if i get a complete shower in every day), so it's time to get organized. i'm back into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes (there are a few pairs of skinny jeans that i'm not going to try on until i'm back at the gym for the sake of morale), but a lot of them are completely impractical for nursing or feel completely frumpy to me at the moment.
what i'm wearing a LOT of these days is: black leggings, v-neck tee, cardigan, huge scarf & head-band (growing the bangs out).

{this was me at 23 weeks pregnant.}

inspiration tuesday.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:04:00 +0000

it's been awhile...
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

{click images to go to the source(s).}

la la la right now

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:48:00 +0000

i'm digging it... + reading everyday blessings: the inner work of mindful parenting; listening to alison krauss; drinking lots of black tea; feeling the sun on my face; + savoring every moment with my baby.

Getting Organized.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:11:00 +0000

"Take a minute to get organized," is something I often whisper to Baby-O when she is worked up and trying to nurse. It's something I've had to do much more of myself since adding this beautiful bundle of joy into the mix. Gone are the days of waiting until dinner time to decide what to eat, for example. I have really taken to planning out a week (or so) of meals before heading to the market on Sunday afternoon (once my little bear is a bit older and we no longer need papa's assistance, we'll go back to a weekday grocery shopping trip-- Sundays are insane). Here's what we're feasting on for dinner this week:

Baja-style tempeh tacos (vegan) & gunsmoke slaw (raw vegan).

Minestrone (vegan).

Curried butternut squash soup (vegan) and mixed grains (vegan) with sauteed chard & parsnips (vegan).

Tortilla bake (i vegan-ized this recipe and added more veggies) & cornbread (dairy-free).

Indonesian tofu stew with jasmine rice (vegan).

Dal (vegan) with Garlic Naan and green veggie salad (raw vegan).

I like to make a bit extra so we'll have leftovers for lunch and for freezing.

Also, I'm slowly reclaiming my high-raw, high-vegan lifestyle by adding more raw vegan choices to my diet. (Choosing Raw, one of my favorite sites, recommends ADDING what you want more of rather than starting off by subtracting or limiting yourself. I love this. It definitely corresponds with my personal philosophy of beginning where you are.) One of my favorite ways to do this is with breakfast. I'm back on green juices and smoothies. Here are two favorites for the week:

Thai Spinach Smoothie

1/2 bag of organic baby spinach leaves

1-1/2 cups frozen mango

1 organic banana

1/2 can organic coconut milk

1/2 cup orange juice

Blend ingredients & enjoy.

Easy Way to Meet Kale Smoothie

1 bunch organic kale

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen pineapple

1 organic banana

2 cups orange juice

Blend, drink, and watch a love affair with kale begin.

Hope you are having a delicious week!

Made by a Mama-Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Darlings, I've finally emerged from my postpartum babymoon (sort of). That's right, our little birdie has hatched! On March 5, after a marathon birthing, we welcomed Oona Cassini (also known as Oona-bear, Seahorse, Baby-bird, Little squeaker, little Shaver, Blueberry and Tangerine. We are a family of nicknames) into our family. She is absolutely perfect in every way (I know every Mama knows this about their little one!) and has been delighting my days and exciting my nights (perhaps the lack of sleep is affecting my judgment as I write this!). Anyhow, my sewing machine has been silent since Oona arrived on the scene, but I have been cooking and baking as time permits and thought I'd share some of the goodness with you here. * I had to abandon many of my favorite raw treats during pregnancy, because they made me feel HORRIBLE (so sad, since they are high in folate and other goodness). However, I'm happy to report that the juicer is back up and running and I'm adding raw treats back into my diet as I can. For now, I'm avoiding nuts, since I am nursing and think my consumption of almonds and cashews was giving my little Seahorse some horrifically painful gas. For now, kale seems to be a safe choice.

* While I'm nursing, I need to consume 500 extra calories per day. That is 200 more than during pregnancy even! It's not as hard for me to eat more, because I'm ravenous! One thing I've been craving, though trying to consume in a responsible way, is dessert. At present, I'm making only dairy-free desserts and would like to cut back on the sugar as well. Two new favorites for me are baked treats made with olive oil-- who knew this could be so lovely?! The first is a blood orange pound cake I found over at Smitten Kitchen. This is absolutely amazing and I suggest you make it tonight to eat for breakfast tomorrow. The second is a lemon sugar cookie I adapted from the basic sugar cookie recipe in the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook. Instead of butter, I used olive oil. Additionally, I added lemon zest and lemon juice to the mix!

* Another treat I whipped up were these ridiculously delicious chocolate cupcakes and vanilla buttercreamiest frosting. These are both completely vegan (no animal products at all) and completely amazing. I think that most people are either frosting folks or cake folks. Usually, I fall into the frosting category, but this cake is so moist, you really don't even need frosting (did I seriously just type that?!). The cake recipe is from the Veganomicon. It's called the "lower fat deep chocolate bundt cake." I obviously didn't make it a bundt cake, and adjusted the baking time significantly (down to 25 minutes) to compensate for that. If you happen to make this one, I would suggest omitting the vanilla and almond extract unless you have some high-quality stuff. I made it with stuff I had from who knows where and it was over-powering. The frosting is from Oh, She Glows, though I made it with vanilla instead of almond. I think this recipe is DELIGHTFULLY salty, almost like salted caramel. Tasty.

* That's what I've been making in between marathon sessions of staring at my baby and watching the first season of Teen Mom (I wish I were joking). Love to you all!

Nesting.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 23:36:00 +0000

My dears, We are in the home-stretch of pregnancy and I've been preparing in mind, body and house for baby to join us. This month has been such a joy: I have felt great, had lots of energy and had much inspiration for making + doing. Here are a few of my most recent projects.

Party Dress.
I made this using a free pattern from Prudent Baby. The yellow-orange fabric is a batik from Moda and the red is by Kaffe Fassett. I made this dress as a practice dress using stash fabrics, and I'm glad about that since there are a few changes I would like to make to the pattern before making it again. Overall, though, I love the design and can't wait to see a little lady wearing it!

Snuggly blanket.
When we moved in December, I realized just how much yarn I had been hoarding and made a deliberate effort to de-stash by making a baby blanket. These yarns are incredibly soft. I really like combining pink with less traditionally girly colors in this way.

Fleece liner for cotton diapers.
I am so lucky to have received many cloth diapers as gifts and hand-me-downs from friends. Right now (take this with a grain of salt since I haven't actually diapered a baby using them yet), I am smitten with these pocket diapers stuffed with a nice fleece insert. My mama gave me a serger (Brother 1034D--woooot!) for Christmas, so I've been serging away. I used a fuzzibunz insert as a template, then I layered between two and three pieces of fleece before serging the edges. I bought a pattern for the actual diaper as well, but have not yet made any (though I bought the fabric).

Baby beanie.
Recognize those colors? After I finished the blanket, I still had more of these delicious colors left over and decided to make a little topper for baby to wear.

That's the news from my end. Oh, remember my old studio? This is what my new studio looks like...

yikes, right? Although the house we are renting for now is actually bigger than our house in Seattle, we created two new rooms (nursery & Papa's home office) so my studio is kind of scattered right now. I DID pick up a sewing desk for this space at IKEA today, so we'll have a bit more order as soon as we get that put together.
LOVE,
Kelly

Sewing for Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:00:00 +0000

I finally unpacked my sewing machine this week and have been sewing up a storm ever since. First, I finished a quilt for my friend who recently had a baby. The satisfaction of finishing a project is unparalleled, in my opinion. Now, to get it in the mail!

Next, I made a pilgrimage to one of my favorite Portland fabric stores, Fabric Depot. This place is so huge, it can be overwhelming, so I recommend bringing a snack. I stocked up on a bunch of yummy woven cotten fabrics and picked up the most perfect organic cotton-bamboo jersey. Although I know I'll be back for more of the jersey, I bought this swath specifically for swaddling my little one.
Then... the sewing began.
I first made the "quick change trousers" from Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings. I was nervous about garment sewing after so much quilting, but I found this pattern to be quite managable for my first garment back after a long hiatus. I made this pair of pants in a size 12 months, but plan on making more in smaller sizes now that I know I can do it!

Next, I made a cotton swaddling blanket using this pattern from the Purl Bee. Very easy. I added a few flourishes by hand stitching around the inside of the blanket using embroidery thread.

Next up, a dress using these fabrics. I am in LOVE with this combination and think it would look super cute over pants in brown... or hot pink!

AND I just bought a pattern for cloth diapers and will be taking on that challenge next week as well.
What have YOU been up to this week?
XXOO
k

at long last!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:31:00 +0000

hello dolls!
i'm back! i can hardly believe it has been nearly six months since my last post. although i'm still posting regularly at Sunrose Yoga, i have dearly missed my time here on the whale-love blog. so, what is new, you might be wondering...
we are expecting a baby girl sometime around march 1, so i've been growing & growing.

we traveled! (the san juan islands, california, south carolina, st. louis--i logged a lot of flight time before calling it quits for the remainder of my pregnancy.)

i've been sewing and creating up a storm.

my camera was broken (& then in the shop) for about 3 months (boo.).
we hosted a big-time vegan-ish thanksgiving.

i taught yoga through my 7th month of pregnancy.

we moved our house from seattle back to portland.
we celebrated winter solstice in front of the fireplace.
we rang in the new year with portland friends.
we are preparing ourselves and our new (but very old) house for baby-time!
*
how about you?

another post about food!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:02:00 +0000

hi loves.
i made an amazing discovery the other day: corn cakes made from jiffy corn muffin mix are ridiculously tasty. after teaching a sweaty yoga class on sunday morning, i was famished. Mr. Loves Whales was working on a deadline, so he couldn't join me for brunch. i thought that brunching alone at a restaurant while he toiled away at the office seemed beyond unfair, so i decided instead to whip up something filling (yet decadent, it was Sunday after all) to munch on. well, our waffle maker is packed up for home-staging purposes and the beignet mix that was open was LONG expired (and also, the box said i should keep it in the refrigerator after opening...ooops). i did, however, spy a box of jiffy mix.

now, one of my favorite brunch meals comes from the vita cafe in portland... thai corn cakes, so i thought i would recreate them somewhat at home by adding bananas and whipped cream (i know it's not thai, but i was fresh out the other ingredients, like ginger, cilantro and coconut syrup).

holy amazing.

i think i'll make them with cilantro, ginger and coconut syrup next time (and share them with someone else... i had an incredible amount of food!).
xo

friday, i'm in love

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:40:00 +0000

with my chia-muesli breakfast.

{to make: soak 1T. chia seeds in 9T. rice milk for 20+ minutes, then mix in homemade muesli mix of oats, cheerios, corn flakes and dried blueberries.}

it's positively delicious.

*

other delicious bits:

{cute cute cute-ness over at Loveology}

{roundy colored arcs by Laura George}

{a super-easy silkscreening tutorial at Sweet Thing(s)}

{aren't these vintage shades delicious? $13 at Diver.}

much love, k.

Inspiration Tuesday. Hands that Feed.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Hello dear ones.

Today, I'm feeling incredibly inspired by this project, "Hands That Feed," a documentary film project exploring the food crisis in Haiti that long-preceded the devastating earthquake of January 2010. The project aims to record the journey of young Haitians "as they seek to build a sustainable future for the country."

These are trying times for so many of us. And changing obstacles into opportunities for inspiration is one of my favorite magic tricks! (My yogi friends will know this is related to devotion to Ganesh! :) )

If you are as moved as I am by this project, you can show your support at Hands That Feed.

Hands That Feed- Video Pitch from Pangea Films on Vimeo.

Now, my dears, how have you been changing obstacles ito opportunities lately?

Sunshine Cookies.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:14:00 +0000

Happy Monday, Loves! I hope you had a delightful weekend. Ours was filled with garden-time, long walks, and tasty old-fashioned doughnuts! Yum.
*
I am a cookie-lover, you must know this, but I also want my cookies vegan. {oh, and they must be incredibly delicious, too.} Well, this recipe for vegan sunflower cookies came my way, and I had to make them.

I found the basic recipe at Mom-Mom:

1/2 cup oil
2 medium bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp. baking soda

Bananas should be very ripe. Preheat oven to 350. Peel and mash bananas. In large bowl, beat oil, bananas, and sugar. Mix flour with sunflower seeds and soda. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2" apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes, until edges are golden brown.

I really loved making these; they are dense, but incredibly moist. Also, the ingredient list is perfect for the last-minute batch of cookies. That said, in the future, I think I might add some whole oats, cashews and chocolate chips!

What is your favorite last-minute sweet recipe?
XO
k

Lovely-ness Abounds

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:47:00 +0000

Dears, Happy Happy Friday!

Looking for some goodies on ye olde Internet? These are my bright-spots for the week:

{Photo by Chotda, used under a Creative Commons License.}

Shiny, happy cyclists from San Francisco on Bikes and The City. {CUTE!}

Star-gazing with greater insight--I want to know more than Orion.

Beautiful Lemon Cookies on Tiny Happy. {Oh to have a lemon tree!}

HOME EC-- an online sewing class for beginners at Smile & Wave. {I would love to hang out with these gals and sew all day!}

Erica, one of my rock star wardrobe remix friends, is featured on Yes and Yes this week! {Yes and Yes is a must-read! Mad props to fellow Midwestern sisters!}

My friend, Jessica Schroeder, is a finalist in the Fall in Love in Iceland contest! Please vote for her so she and her fiance can honeymoon in Iceland.

Have a glorious weekend!

P.S. If you haven't already, take a listen to my latest yoga podcast at http://www.sunroseyoga.com/. LOVES!

family time

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:01:00 +0000

dears, since we last spoke, i had some family time back in the midwest. it was lovely. here are some of my memories.

Sorry for the hiatus. I came back from our trip with a coughy-cold and have been slow to recover. I'm back now... for at least a bit.