(Inside A Black Apple)

If This is My Supervisor...

You can only imagine how lazy I am being. Just kidding.
Well, mostly.

I'm actually working each day on a project that isn't any good for sharing right now. Those are hard! It might be what has driven Miette The Supervisor to lay about in such an undignified manner - I am hidden away in my studio and he has nothing to supervise.

I hope everybody's enjoying the end o' Summer.
Happy Friday to you!

Southern Belle Biscuits

I think it's being a Georgia-gal expatriate that has made me so picky about my biscuits. There are a couple places that specialize in biscuits here, and though they are fine, they're not really the kind I prefer. I've begun to suspect that many biscuit places think a huge fluffy biscuit is where it's at, but I prefer one that's flavorful, buttery, small-ish, and splits open in the center easily (for ease of honey-depositing, of course).

 

I usually cut my biscuits into little rounds - the square thing I tried the day I made these was an experiment (ie: I was too lazy to sleuth out the biscuit-cutter). For the last year, I've been using Peter Reinhart's recipe from Artisan Breads Everyday, and I think they're the biscuits for me. The recipe is reproduced here, and though I follow it to a T, I don't think it's the ingredients that make these so perfect. It's his oven temperature (blasting the dough at 500) and his dough-folding technique (which I'm sure has a name in culinary circles). He folds the dough over into a tri-folded letter formation 4 different times before cutting out the biscuits. This makes for some excellent, buttery layers.

These are the kind of biscuits they'd serve at the little breakfast cafes in my hometown.

 

Josiah's sweet sister (who lived in Savannah up 'til recently) sent us a couple jars of Savannah Bee Company honey, and it is quite good. It fits the bill for biscuits perfectly.

Happy Monday to you!

Things Other Than Clothes

I came upon the idea of reviving my other blog, Some Girls Wander, by expanding what I'm posting about in that neck of the woods. It used to be just a place to ramble on about clothes and things, but currently I'm rambling on about all other manner of things I love, too, like old children's books. 

Dignified Bears and Bats in Hats!

Today I posted some images from a recently acquired treasure I'm still abuzz with excitement about, a copy of Animal Children: The Friends of the Forest and the Plain by Edith Brown Kirkwood, illustrated by M.T. Ross (1913).

I like them so much I had to post about them here, too, but there are more animal children and also a little more info over at Some Girls Wander!

I Tell It As I Best Know How

Gallivanting Pt. 2: Joanna in Seattle

Even though we had just returned from our journey to San Francisco, we headed up to Seattle just a few days later to see Ms. Newsom play. She played Portland, too (two nights!) but those dates were added later, and I was so anxious about being certain to see her this time around, I didn't want to wait and see if any Portland dates would arise. She slipped through my fingers when she was supporting Ys, about which I am still blue!

 

So we headed to the Moore Theater for a "legitimate show" (I loved that sign).

The fellow from Fleet Foxes opened for her, with his angelic and huge voice. He and Neko Case could go head-to-head in a beautiful loudness contest. 

Then the lovely Joanna traipsed onto the stage, hair tucked around her ears and smiling and sweet. As a former Tori-phile, it doesn't take much for me to start bandying about words like "magical" and "fairy" and the like, which I'm pretty sure "the J. News", as Josiah calls her, isn't really keen on.

But come on. She is kinda magical.

The show was wonderful - a good mix songs from Have One on Me and older things. Lots of songs I love that make me smile sometimes and make me cry sometimes. When your songs start to average 8-10 minutes long, you really can't get to everything, so I didn't hold my breath for Colleen (which isn't to say I wasn't foolhardy enough to secretly cross my fingers).

I overheard a funny conversation between two ladies next to me:

One said to her friend "I think we should try to meet her after the show".
The other replied "What will we say? 'Oh! Joanna! I share your values'!"

I relayed this to Josiah, saying "What do you think she meant by 'values'? What are Joanna Newsom's obvious values? Love?"

Josiah shrugged and said, "I don't know...the woods?"

Whatever these ladies might've meant, cheers to Joanna and her prodigious ways and beautiful mind. And cheers to the woods, too.

Bear Bag Love

I always use the practical things we make for the shop, but the new bear tote is seeing some really serious, serious love. It's been on my arm since Renegade, and I am always so excited to carry it. This photo is from yesterday, a day it corresponded with my outfit very nicely, so I asked Josiah to snap a picture.

If'n you're in need of your own silly dancing bears to carry all your things, we still have some available from this first printing - just check ye olde shop!

Gallivanting: Miette

I wanted to share the photos I took on a few recent adventures.
First: Miette!
Which, to Mr. Disney, I'd say is the real Happiest Place On Earth.

We couldn't very well make a visit to San Francisco without a little stop in to the prettiest candy store in town to pick up treats.

We also had important business to attend to, because it was the outstanding Mr. Josiah's birthday that day, and he needed to pick out a cake!

 

He chose a very nice carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which we enjoyed after a pretty incredible dinner at the cozy & in-demand Frances. But I digress -- back to Miette!

It just makes me so happy to be in that bright, dear place. I love traipsing around, basket over arm, picking up little treasures to send back to friends, and marveling at new, exotic candies.

And those jars!
There's something about rows and rows of little, pretty things in jars, isn't there?

I'm almost glad Miette's not local, because it's so fun to have it as a once-or-twice-a-year sort of thing. That way, like birthday cake, it's really and truly a treat.

Banana Bread Bittman

 

We had an abundance of going-bad bananas this weekend, so I baked up a batch of banana bread on Sunday (which seems to be the one and only day I ever bake banana bread). I used Mark Bittman's recipe, which is transcribed here on East Village Kitchen, and hails from the good ol' HTCE.

The recipe is fantastic -- I made a few changes, like no coconut (just 'cause we had none) and doing half-brown sugar, half-white -- but it's a real keeper. Even on day three (today) it made for an excellent breakfast.

The truly evil part of the recipe occurs when Mark Bittman oh-so-casually drops in that he loves banana bread toasted the next day...with peanut butter.

 

Goodness gracious - how did this not occur before?
Best (suspiciously dessert-esque) lunch ever.

We're keeping it cozy + quiet around here right now...trying to stay home a bit more after a bunch of gallivanting! I'm waist-deep in a new book-related project, and tidying up the house/my studio, preparing for Fall, etc. I love this time of year...mostly because my favorite months are just around the corner, and I can see them very well from where I'm sitting.

Here's to late-Summer!

Shop is Updated!

(I'm so smitten with these blondies, I had to keep a pair for myself).

Snap up some of the new goods here. Happy Friday to you!

Friday Update Preview!

Ye olde shoppe is going to have tons o' stuff added tomorrow (Friday) afternoon!

Among them, original items, like several small paintings, 4 different kinds of dolls, fancy wearables, and new shop additions like the new dancing bear totes,  new pocket notebook sets, and new pin sets will be added. The original stuff is in really limited quantities, but still, It's going to be a biggie!

Here's a look at the goods:

 

 

Whew!

I'm so jazzed about all this new stuff...I went a little crazy scheming up new items these past few months.

Look for the shop update to happen tomorrow (Friday) sometime in the afternoon (I don't know exactly when yet because we're still reeling a little from all the gallivanting our homebody-selves aren't used to).

Renegade 2010

We are back from San Francisco, and it was really fantastic! Lots of walking, shopping, sights, snacks and a bunch o' great dates with my favorite Snail.

And, of course, Renegade on Saturday + Sunday!

   

   

Like a dummy, I forgot to take a photo of the whole booth-shebang. Silly me! Hopefully these close-up pictures help give you an idea.

I was very happy with the booth setup this year. Each time we do one of these things, I feel like we iron out a few more kinks. One day we will be very fancy indeed!

 

It's such hard work to do craft fairs (I don't know how some of my friends do 10-15+ a year!) but it is so fun to have a little real-life store for a few days a year...

   

Especially when you've got such sweet co-workers.
Thanks so everybody who came to visit us!

I'll be adding bunches + bunches of new stuff to the shop later this week (probably Friday) - look out for a preview soon! Huzzah!