The B team...

We have this little thing going on at work, where we think ' the B team' is better than the 'A' team. let me explain.

So, the A team is regarded as the best of the best, and then you have to upkeep this standard. Thats alot of pressure for someone to cave in on.

Also, The A team happens to have the worst A words. example, Average, Asshole, Anonymous. you get the idea

 BUT (note the use of the B), the B team is simply the BEST. The guys over at work say its got Booze, Bitches and Bimbos, which makes them happy. But it got me thinking to dedicating a weeks theme to ' The B Team, Everything from backpacks and bottles to Braamfontein and beret's. All posts will naturally be kept classy, which means no booze, bitches and bimbos...sorry guys.

H is for...

So this is officially clue #2. And It's probably a dead giveaway with the Image, But things have been finalised so I thought I would start making it slightly more obvious as to where or what I am going to be doing very soon.

I's apparent that I love my blog (so much so that I spend more time here, than actual working). So I thought, why not create another one to document my whole experience as well as the initial process I went through to getting to this point. I'ts also a great way to keep all your freinds and family in the loop (and to make them incredibly green with envy).

I don't want to reveal what this next blogs name is and its URL just yet. But Iv written a few posts already (and set up the entire layout and logo- designer much) because I just can't contain my excitement.

With this said, keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground for when it officially goes live...

The Talented mister Will himself...

I don't mean to blow my own horn, or in this case my nearest and dearest friend Will's, BUT, when their photographic work is is completely mind blowing, one just can't help but to brag.

I'd done a shoot with him a while back to get his portfolio going, and loved the results (click here for shoot images) . But somehow I missed all of his self portrait shots he took with a self timing Camera. He looks like something straight out of a movie.  Its hard to pick a favourite of them all, but if it was a matter of living or dying, this first one would have to be it.

Talented Mister Will's passion is taking portraits and photography of people, and I think with these behind his name, who could argue.

Will, you're just the best and I Thought I'd let you know...

No wolf in sheeps clothing here...

Wolf Eyebrows Draws

The wolf, with eyebrows, who draws is in actual fact Catherine Green. 'A Cape Town creative who loves to draw and who's second love is cheese'. I have a feeling I'd like this girl if I ever met her in person because I too love cheese, but mine is probably a first love.

I first came across her illustrations on Angie Batis's blog, Lucky Pony, of which she drew a portrait of Angie and her husband Shane. From that moment on I simply fell in love with all of her others. There's always something magical about a hand drawn image in this digital world we live in.

'Hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Catherine Green and this is my dog Larry. I am a freelance copywriter and illustrator based in Cape Town. I also run a blog called Wolf Eyebrows which is a compendium of cool, beautiful and interesting stuff. At university I majored in History of Art and English Literature. I’ve always loved drawing and design, but have never been brave enough to pursue it as a career. After almost a decade working as a copywriter and researcher in various creative agencies, I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and move more into illustration and design. This blog will function as a record of my 30 day creative projects for 2013 that will include botanical illustration, book covers and collaborations with other artists.

If you would like to commission an illustration, please contact me at: cathgreen@gmail.com'

Foodie blog #3: Made to be together...

Today's 'Foodie blog' features food blogger Anna-mavritta's Lemon and poppy seed cake. I had to make the decision to avoid putting her blogs header image in, as its not the most designed (and uses a font that I really dislike). Despite her logo design efforts,  her lemon and poppy seed cake looks simply scrumptious! Not to mention the generous layer of thick frosting on top. Count me in!

What I like about a Lemon and poppy seed combination is its fresh and zesty taste, alongside the cream frosting which is so simple and unobtrusive! What I like most about the cake is the fact that its not trying to be something its not, Its got frosting, its got fresh berries, it's got lemon and poppy seed. What more could you want than it jumping into your tummy!

Lemon&Poppy seed Cake
Ingredients:

100 g butter, at room temperature
100 g sugar
3 eggs
150 g almond flour
30 g poppy seed
1 tsp vanilla
juice and zest of 1 lemon
120 g AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
200 ml whipping cream (33%)
2 tbsps icing sugar
cowberries
Directions:
1. Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.
2. Add zest, juice and vanilla and mix well.
3. Sift AP flour with baking powder and salt. Add almond flour and poppy seed. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Mix well.
4. Grease your baking form. Pout in the batter, spread a bit. Bake the cake for 40 minutes in a preheated to 180 C oven.
5. Cool whipping cream in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Whip it with icing sugar.
6. Completely cool the cake, decorate with cream and cowberries

Foodie blog #2 : nothing 'beets' a burger...

I know Iv been doing an awful lot of posts about food lately, but it is winter and that's all we're good for in the cold months after all! Linda Lomelino of the Call me Cupcake blog made these Beet Burgers and photographed them too. They look absolutely scrunptious, and would be even more so in my tummy!

Hamburger buns 
makes 16
As I mentioned before, these are not the perfect hamburger buns but they are pretty darn good anyway.

50 g fresh yeast
50 g butter
250 ml (slightly more than 1 cup) water
250 ml (slightly more than 1 cup) milk
10-11 dl (approximately 4 1/4 - 4 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
1 tsp salt

1 egg
Sesame seeds

Crumble fresh yeast into a large bowl. Melt butter in a sauce pan, then add milk and water and heat to 37°C (99F). Pour a little of the luke warm mixture over the yeast. Stir until dissolved, then add the rest of the liquid. Add about four cups of the flour, using the dough hook (or your hands of course), and mix until dough comes together but is still a bit sticky. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into 16 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and put on baking sheet (with lots of space in between). Cover with a towel and let rise for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 225°C (430F) with a rack in the center. Beat the egg and brush on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.


Beet burgers 
Makes 6-8
 
400 g beetroot
200 g carrot
1 small red onion
100 g rolled oats
2 medium eggs
1 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
A few fresh oregano sprigs

Peel the beets and carrots, then grate them on the large holes of a box grater. Finely dice the red onion. Put beets, carrots and onion in a large bowl and stir in rolled oats. Let stand for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Heat oven to 200°C (390F).

Divide the mixture into 6-8 equal portions and shape into patties. Coat the bottom of a wide skillet with oil and heat over high heat. Carefully add the burger patties. Cook until golden, 2-3 minutes on each side. Put burgers on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Coleslaw
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
2 small carrots, coarsely grated
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 cup creme fraiche
1-2 tsp honey mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the sliced cabbage, grated carrots and sliced onion in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise, creme fraiche, mustard, salt and pepper.


Serve with:
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onion
or whatever you prefer..

Something different..

Confirming that I am "sick" might be a bit melodramatic. But I do have the scratchiest and firiest throat ever, and my neck up feels pretty numb.

I have therefore commanded myself to bed rest because I have a lot of cooking to do tomorrow, and I don't want 'flu' to ruin my chi! If anybody out there is actually reading this, then they might know that its not very me or ' December diaresey' to just write about me, and my day and being  sick in bed ( what a boring fucking theme). But I feel very compelled to write about something other than design, which consumes my everyday life. Iv also decided to write this post on a more personal level because after trying to read a mere 4 pages of Casey B Dolans autobiography-  An appetite for peas. I almost puked.  I'm not even exactly sure who she is. Regardless, I needed something to read.

I wish I hadn't found it .Its absolutely horrible. I don't know who in my family decided to buy the book and leave it lying around, but good lord, don't leave things like that scattered  around the house for people to find. Rather burn it. yes, burn it.

 The way the book is written is that typical cliche style, where they describe the flavour and taste of their skin and 'gently caressing her neck'. what a shitty book.

Alright then, rant over.

On a positive note, I decided to be somewhat semi productive in bed and learn Dutch. How random is that. But having quite a few friends from The Netherlands, I got a good understanding of the language, and how hauntingly similar it is to Afrikaans. With the exception that Dutch sounds like someone regurgitating lazily. The Dutch folk just love listening to Afrikaans, they think its simply the best thing since sliced bread.

and that concludes the post 'something different'. I will now resume back to writing about what makes me truelly happy.

Foodie blog #1: All buttered up...

I'm not sure if I'd 100% agree with Julie Craig, food writer, blogger and photographer for the blog Always with Butter. ALWAYS with butter? Id be rolling everywhere if that were the case!

Nevertheless, her blog looks hauntingly delicious, and her food photography shows the deep rich colours of cherries, fresh vegetable and home bakes. Julie really showcases food in a warm and homely manner which I can appreciate, especially in this winter weather that is so rapidly approaching us. 

The cherries that she uses in her jam look incredibly inviting. First I'd like to wear for their colour followed by spreading the jam generously on a freshly toasted slice of bread! 

'cherry jam.
There are quite a few cherry stands popping up around my town. Tis the season.
I bought a bag of cherries, not knowing what I would do with them but just felt compelled to buy them because of their deep color, amazing taste and cheap price.
I kept thinking I should make a pie.
Cherry pie, not something I often have.
But then when push came to shove and I really needed to either eat them all or make something quick before they all went bad, I really didn't want pie.
Strange, who doesn't want pie? Pie always sounds good to me, if it's in the apartment, that is definitely going to be eaten for breakfast.
But with a abundance of coffee in my system and taking forever cutting out all of the little pits, I really just wasn't craving sweets. So jam seemed like the perfect option since it could be eaten later. Plus I only needed a few ingredients for it which was perfect because my fridge and pantry is quite sparse at the moment.
So I made jam. I didn't use a recipe.
You could go look one up if you feel so compelled but sometimes its just nice to wing it.
I took the de-pitted flesh of the cherries, tossed it in my big le creuset (courtesy of sur la table), squeezed a lemon over them to preserve the color and threw a bit of sugar on top. Probably one cup of sugar for a bag of cherries.
Then just let it boil until it all the liquid had reduced quite a bit until a thick, gooey sauce. I heated it over low heat, since my stovetop can burn everything even on low but you could probably use a medium flame. Just give it a quick stir every once in a while so the bottom doesn't burn.
Then I spooned it into two little weck jars and boiled them in a waterbath to 'can' them.
The ball jar website has a great 'canning 101' instructions you can download that will give you all the proper information. HERE is the link '

Oh sammy boy...

 Graphics are just one of my weaknesses, amongst homeade fudge, and its rare for me to come accross something I'd actually print out and want to cover my wall with.  Samüel Johnson is a studio specialising in identity and design for creative industry clients, and has done numerous album covers.  One of my favourites is his use of gradient colour in the MS MR's Track addict album cover.

house on the hill...

Design boom is just the best, and it never fails to showcase superior art, design and architecture. Peter Zumthor's vacation homes in Leis, Vals, is no exception to this. One could basically deem the vacation home as a modern and contemporary cabin. I'm absolutely in love with the design and let me not even get started on the interiors. Looking forward to getting my feet in some snow soon (clue number two), and  I don't mean the hail in Cape Town.

'In the hamlet of leis, among the age-blackened dwellings of the swiss mountains, peter zumthor's two vacation homes open to the idyllic, often snowy landscape. zumthor ferienhäuser, the agency in charge of renting the sunny-hued holiday homes to willing guests, has shared exclusive winter-time images of oberhus and unterhus, the light and bright volumes embedded in the sloped mountainside. informed by annalisa zumthor's long-time, sensory-rich vision of a timber home, the architect designed growing family of homes as a composition of exquisite wood volumes, complete with recessed and generous apertures that immediately mark the landscape. the wide-grained cladding
follows a language of precise, seemingly hand-crafted finger joints. crisp vertices are articulated by the movement of light over the timber surface as well as the material palette of the changing seasons.'

annalisa and peter zumthor's vacation homes in leis, vals
image © ralph feiner
all images courtesy zumthor ferienhäuser