Dinner Time

I love good food. One of the best things about living here in NYC is the plethora of amazing restaurants pretty much everywhere. I love all different cuisines, and I'll try most foods once. All of that said, I absolutely cannot cook. I never really had the opportunity to learn or observe anyone else cooking while growing up, and as I've gotten older, I've become embarrassed at my lack of culinary fortitude; but rather than experimenting with recipes or asking friends for help, I've resigned myself to pre-cooked meals, sandwiches, and pasta.

One of the best things about food (deliciousness aside, of course) is the art involved in the preparation and presentation. As a restaurant-goer, I am often exposed to the end product: the pile of greens topped with the perfect color combination of fruit and meat; the artfully compiled plate of entree and side; and the perfectly drizzled sauce surrounding a brownie sundae. But I am left totally out of the loop as far as what goes into creating the masterpieces that I eventually devour. The animated movie Ratatouille proved that "anyone can cook," and so I appeal to you, our readers, for any suggestions you might provide on cookbooks or recipes for beginners. I barely know how to turn on my oven, so I'm talking extremely easy, introductory recipes here. Please feel free to offer any tips you might have!

In return, I have compiled a short list below of some of the most delicious eateries I've found in various cities here in the U.S. and across the pond. Thanks in advance, and have a savory rest of the weekend!!

-- Los Angeles, California - Doughboys. You can't go wrong there with any meal. Decadence at its finest. Check them out here.
-- Los Angeles, California - Newsroom Cafe. Try the Healthy Jumbo Hotcake or any of the salads or sandwiches. Four of of five stars!
-- London, England - Pizza Express. They're everywhere, and every location is just superb. There's much more than pizza, though the pizza is definitely worth a try. Have a look at their menu here.
-- Boston (suburbs), Massachusetts - Kelly's Famous Roast Beef. Hands down best roast beef in the northeast. Their seafood is pretty amazing, too. Since 1951.
-- Kittery, Maine - Bob's Clam Hut. Always crowded, winter or summer, and well worth the drive. The fried shrimp is fantastic, and for non fish-eaters, there are chicken fingers and grilled cheese. Check out their site.
-- Los Angeles, CA - Pizzicotto. Best (and most reasonably priced) Italian food in all of LA. It's in the very cute area of Brentwood, so park and walk around a bit before dinner. Here are some reviews.

Friday Finds 2.26.10

Welcome to this week's segment of Friday Finds. This week we have brought things back stateside featuring a couple of really great artits who work across several mediums. We also pay tribute to one of our musical Famous Seniors. Happy Friday!

randomhouse

As a sucker for anything robot, when we first came across randomhouse's robot plushie we had to do some more looking. We discovered a cool, fun style that works for plushies as well as prints. To see more of randomhouse's cool work please visit her on Etsy or Big Cartel.










Kill Taupe

As a big time 80's cartoons fan, especially Thundercats (how many people do you know who have all of the seasons on DVD?), Kill Taupe's LE Mumm-Ra print had us at hello. Besides some really cool 80's cartoon villain tributes, Kill Taupe also offers some really sweet illustrations and some great vinyl work. To see more of Kill Taupe's style check out his Etsy shop or his blog.









Wotto

Earlier this week we stumbled upon the work of illustrator, doodler, & T-shirt designer Craig Watkins. We think his style is pretty sweet and felt the need to share. To see more of his work please visit his site.




senioritis

This design pays tribute to musical genius Ludwig van Beethoven. To see more of our tributes please visit our Etsy shop. Thanks for taking a look.






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Featured Artist :: Digicute

This week's featured artist is Digicute!

Digicute - The Wonderful World of Everything Cute and Digital

Senioritis: What’s your name, and where are you located?
Digicute: Teresa, from Buford, GA
Senioritis: Wow, you’re the second featured artist in a row we’ve had from Georgia. There must be some major creativity running in the water down there.

Senioritis: Can you give us a brief bio, please?
Digicute: I'm an IT major who likes to craft to relieve her stress (and it has been quite helpful ;D!!). I figured that graphic designing would be a very valuable skill. I'm mostly using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to draw my illustrations. I learned how to use both from watching videos online (I love youtube :D!!!) and books borrowed from the public libraries.
Senioritis: That’s great! We love learning how to do-it-yourself by watching online videos, too. And public libraries are definitely underrated resources.

Senioritis: Please describe your style in just a few words, Teresa.
Digicute: cute, girly, colorful, cheerful
Senioritis: That sounds pretty accurate based on your work. =)



Senioritis: What’s your favorite color?
Digicute: Purple!!
Senioritis: We love the enthusiasm!

Senioritis: Are you a righty or a lefty?
Digicute: Righty :)!

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite quote?
Digicute: "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire" by Confucius :)! I grew up with it!
Senioritis: That’s a terrific quote, Teresa. And we agree - great words to live by. Confucius was full of wisdom.


Senioritis: If you could have lunch with any famous person, past or present, who would it be?
Digicute: It would definitely be with Bill Gates! He has been my hero for so many years, and he is definitely one of the top role models for people in the IT field!
Senioritis: He’s a great businessman, too. We’re sure he would have lots of very interesting things to say, and great experiences to share with any lunch companion.

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite cartoon?
Digicute: Tom and Jerry. They are so fun and goofy :)! They always make me laugh!
Senioritis: Tom and Jerry are great. We remember when they were featured on the Smuckers jelly jars while we were growing up. We might even still have some of those jars around here . . . .



Senioritis: Teresa, where do you see yourself and your shop in ten years?
Digicute: Wow, ten years . . . that's a long time. I think, or I hope lol, I will still have my Etsy shop open. Maybe I will start selling outside of Etsy. But no doubt that I will still love crafting :D! Senioritis: We definitely see you crafting for a very, very long time. We are excited to see where the future takes you and your work.

Senioritis: Where can we find you on the web?
Digicute: My Shop and My Fan Page.



Senioritis: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Digicute: Thank you, Garrick, for the opportunity!! And I love everyone on the Shop of the Day thread!! Thank you all so much :D!!
Senioritis: Our pleasure, we appreciate all the work you put into running the Shop of the Day thread. And keep on making your great work!


We’d like to give a huge thank you to Teresa for showing us around the wonderful world of Digicute. Please check out her fantastic artwork at her Etsy shop. Please take a look at Teresa's latest venture as well, Paper Sweetness.

Is your 7 year old fat?

Today in my wellness class I learned that several states have mandated that schools send home BMI report cards. These report cards would let parents know the BMI of their child which tells them if they were underweight, a "normal" weight, overweight, or obese. Since I myself was overweight as a child I am nothing shy of disgusted with this new practice. Children starting as early as kindergarten are having their height and weight measured so that their BMI can be calculated and sent home. As if kids aren't cruel enough already when it comes to physical appearance why not let them know their classmates weight?

Several studies have shown that BMI is not an accurate measure of obesity among adolescents and even for adults. The test does not take into account genetics, bone density, age, and other factors that greatly effect one's health. Instead, when trying to asses one's overall wellness they should look at family history, nutrition, a doctor's examination, in conjunction with BMI. BMI, like weight, is just a number. I wonder if parents who receive these report cards even know what BMI is or what to do with the information that their child is healthy or unhealthy.

Until the age of 20 I struggled with my appearance, I waged wars on my body and didn't think I was good enough unless I looked and dressed like the girls I saw in the magazines and on TV. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of psychological damage that these report cards will have on young kids, especially young girls. At an age when both males and females are experiencing changes to their bodies, they do not need another concern added to their daily stresses. I understand that child obesity is a real problem in the US, however I believe there are other ways to "solve" the problem. Parents and schools should teach their kids the importance of a balanced diet and daily exercise. Michelle Obama recently announced her initiative to eliminate childhood obesity called Let's Move. While the plan focuses on eating right and appears to be big on dieting, I think it is a step in the right direction. For more information check out her plan.

I encourage parents and kids alike to look at their diets and exercise regiments and think about if they are really healthy. Because someone is thin does not mean they are healthy and because someone is fat does not mean they are unhealthy. Take a moment to assess your own wellness and see if you can make any positive behavior modifications to be a healthier you.

As with every Monday, stay lazy, but schedule in a run or a trip the gym. Treat yourself well.

Olympic Pride

February is generally a fairly uneventful month. Valentine's Day is fine (I'm always up for chocolate), but when you have the flu on V-Day, and thus spend the entire day on the couch, you think things couldn't get much worse. The one thing that has totally saved this February and even catapulted it into a favored spot in my ranking of months is the 2010 winter Olympics. I have been absolutely glued to my television, feeling the pain of every skier who wipes out and slides down the mountain on her face, and gasping in horror and disappointment as the figure skaters land on their bottoms after attempting triple axles.

The odd thing about watching the Olympics is how these athletes make us viewers think that we are way more talented than we are. They make everything look so easy; it can't be THAT difficult, can it? I haven't skied in almost two years, and before then, I hadn't touched a mountain in nearly half a decade. Those facts aside, watching my girls Lindsey and Julia make their turns with such ease and grace at 80 miles per hour makes me think that tackling a black diamond would be a cinch. And of course the folks over at NBC are keen on making every American athlete into a human interest story, so I'm now totally invested in them. I know who's friends with whom, who spends Christmas at whose cabins, and who listens to which songs during their warm ups. It's pretty absurd. And you absolutely have to laugh at the way the camera zooms in on every medalist's profile during the medal ceremonies, desperately trying to catch a tear - or at the very least, a moist eye. (The camera was disappointed by Shaun White in that respect.)



The athletic competition aside, two additional things have caught my artistic eye at these winter games: 1- the absolutely gorgeous scenery offered by Vancouver, Whistler, and the surrounding areas; and 2- the terrific winter wear each country's team has sported. The opening ceremony last Friday night offered a great look at this winter's team fashions. As a longtime designer of outerwear and sportswear, Ralph Lauren was a fitting choice for this year's U.S. team gear. (I was so excited to purchase one of those Polo knit hats the U.S. team wore during the opening ceremony until I recently read that Ralph Lauren is not making them available to the public.) But hands down, the most aesthetically pleasing component of the games is the birds eye view of those Canadian mountains. Having visited Whistler only during the summer (and falling in love with it), I am eagerly planning a winter trip to British Columbia for next year. For a great look at just some of the photographs taken during these Olympic games, check out the Vancouver 2010 website here and here.

Friday Finds 2.19.10

This week our Friday Finds segment goes international making stops in the UK, Israel, and Vancouver, Canada before returning back to the USA with one of the newest tributes in our Famous Seniors line. Happy Friday!

Maxrock

When we first saw English artist Maxrock's Balloon Ride print we thought it looked like a Hayao Miyazaki x Little Prince collabo; we had to check out more. Upon further inspection we found some really sweet work in Maxrock's portfolio. We look forward to seeing more work from this UK based artist. To see more of Maxrock's work please visit his Etsy shop.









Babayagada

The first piece of work we saw by Israeli artist Babayagada was Sketchbook Fairies; we immediately wanted to see more. What we found did not disappoint! While her work encompasses many different styles, several of the pieces in her portfolio seemed to us to have an anime/fairy tale feel to them. The Hut print which is based on a Russian fairy tale also reminded us of Miyazaki's film Howl's Moving Castle. To find out more about the artist behind Babayagada please visit her awesome site. To see more of Babayagada's great work please pay a visit to her Etsy shop.










What did Shaun White find in Vancouver?

Another Olympic gold medal! Earlier this week Mr. Shaun White showed the world why he is the undisputed king of the halfpipe. We are simply in awe of the air that Shaun gets and are amazed at how effortless he makes all his tricks appear.




Thanks to Robert Gauthier of the Los Angeles Times who caught this great shot of Shaun during his final run.

Senioritis

From one king to another, this Jailhouse Rock inspired design pays tribute to Elvis. To see more of our tributes please check out our Etsy shop. Thank you, thank you very much.





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Featured Artist :: Heather King Photography

This week's featured artist is Heather King Photography!

Heather King Photography - Product and Fine Art Photography

Senioritis: Name & location please.
Heather King Photography: Heather King, Atlanta, GA

Senioritis: Heather, can you give us a brief bio please?
Heather King Photography: I'm a professional photographer working throughout the Atlanta, GA area. I enjoy product photography as well as relaxing and taking some time to create fine art. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography as well as a minor in Professional Photography.
Senioritis: Wow, that's awesome. We're just glad we can turn on our digital camera ;)

Senioritis: Heather, if you were describing your style to someone in a few words; what would those words be?
Heather King Designs: Simple, clean, classic (mostly, lol), and a little fun :P



Senioritis: Do you have a favorite color?
Heather King Photography: Hmmm...such a hard question, I LOVE colors! Today, I'd say purple.

Senioritis: Are you a righty or a lefty?
Heather King Photography: Lefty! I like being different :)

Senioritis: Do you have a favorite quote?
Heather King Photography: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle
Senioritis: We agree, excellence is indeed a habit. Great quote Heather, we can all learn a great deal from Aristotle ;)



Senioritis: If you could have lunch with someone famous, past or present, who would it be?
Heather King Photography: This is such a hard question for me. I never know how to answer it! One person I'd love to have lunch with would be Viggo Mortensen. He's best known as an actor, but he's also a photographer. He puts his all into his work, and isn't afraid to do what he wants. I'd love to pick his brain for a bit!
Senioritis: We weren't aware that Viggo Mortensen is a photographer. We think he's a great actor, really liked him in Eastern Promises, we'll have to check out his camera work.

Senioritis: Heather, do you have a favorite cartoon?
Heather King Photography: Family Guy! Always makes me laugh, and is a great fix for a bad mood :)
Senioritis: Great show, Stewie cracks us up.


Senioritis: Where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years?
Heather King Photography: I hope to be working as a photographer full time, selling many many prints, and have my art hanging in many places (including all of your homes! hehe).
Senioritis: We think that's a great gameplan. Your works are great and we're sure they will be sent to many new homes ;)

Senioritis: Where can we find you on the web?
Heather King Photography:
Website
Etsy shop
Facebook
Blog
Senioritis: Great links Heather! We really like the way your site is designed; your portfolio looks great as well. We have several baseball gloves that look nice and worn just like the one in your photo ;)



Senioritis: Before we let you go, would you like to give any shoutouts?
Heather King Photography: I'll give a shoutout to my kitties, Kaylee and Fitz, thank you for keeping me company and sitting on my lap while I edit photos at the computer! They help to keep me sane :)


We would like to thank Heather for giving us a little more insight into the world of Heather King Photography. Please visit Heather King Photography's shop on Etsy and take a look around http://www.etsy.com/shop/heatherkingdesigns.


We will be interviewing another featured artist next Wednesday so stay tuned. If you can't wait until then to get your next dose of senioritis features please feel free to check back on Friday for our Friday Finds. Have a senioritis day!

Sweet Land of Liberty

To begin, Happy Washington's Birthday! or more commonly Happy President's Day!! As my day off winds to an end and I try to figure out what to write in this post I can only think of a conversation I had last night to share with all of you. This past weekend a few of my friends who studied abroad in Australia with me came to visit. As we sat on my bed discussing the upcoming holiday, I wondered aloud whether the day Obama was elected would be one of those days that "live in infamy." Just as my parents remember the day that Kennedy was shot, and I recall when and where I was when I learned of the falling of the Twin Towers, I wonder if Obama's victory was one of those days. For that event too I remember when I first heard the news.

I was in Australia sitting through my boring three hour seminar when one of the more worldly-minded Australian students announced to the class that Obama had won the 2008 Presidential election. Following this exciting news, my professor pulled out two bottles of champagne from under his desk, (thank goodness the drinking age in Oz is 18). He told the class that he had brought it as a celebration for when Obama won, and if he didn't win it would serve as consolation. I remember being amazed at how into American politics my peers abroad were. It was not until my senior year of high school that I learned anything significant about American government, so I was a bit embarrassed when everyone around me not only knew about their home government but probably more about mine than I did.

I am probably not so different than most other people my age with a lack of interest in politics. But as I googled President's Day and was bombarded with a number of ads boasting sales I could not help but feel a little sad. We boast how ours is the land of the free yet so few of us know how this came to be and cherish it as we should. Especially this day I believe we should all take a bit more pride in our country and learn what our government is all about.

As always, there is work to be done and deadlines to be made.
Enjoy the last few hours of your holiday and until next Monday, as always, keep on procrastinating.

To the red, white, and...pink?

I absolutely love New York City. Fictional characters like Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte aside, I’m not sure you could find a girl more in love with her city. I recently moved back to the Big Apple, following a three-year stint in Los Angeles, and I am thrilled to be here. You know, it’s true what they say – the city never sleeps. Fortunately, I do sleep. But when I’m not sleeping (or working), I am out enjoying the wondrous multitude of NYC offerings.

This week, NYC has been all about Valentine’s Day. Our Friday afternoon snack at work consisted of heart shaped chocolates. The grocery stores are overflowing with Godiva and ever more decadent sweets, and the florists are going nuts with their pink, red, and white bouquets. But the seasonal joy doesn’t stop there. Even the Empire State Building is lit up with its famous red, white, and pink lights for the occasion. And if after all that, you still aren’t sure whether it is really here – whether Valentine’s Day is really happening this year – there is the fabulously aptly named new movie, Valentine’s Day, which came out Friday night. With a star-studded cast and an extremely current (at least for one more day) theme, it’s bound to be a weekend success.

And if you’re in the Big Apple, trying to find ways to enjoy what’s left of your three-day weekend, allow me to share a few suggestions:
- Fancy yourself the next gold medalist and take a spin around one of the city’s numerous outdoor ice rinks (Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and Tribeca are home to a few of these).
- Go for a stroll through NYC’s newest (and most elevated) park, the High Line. Learn about the old school rail yard turned architectural delight here.
- Enjoy some of the best desserts in the city at one of the coziest and most hopping cafes on the upper west side, Café Lalo. The walls are chock full of vintage European poster art, which may – for just a minute – make you forget you are in New York. Check out a few photos and their extensive menu here.

Once you’re done canoodling with your sweetheart in the corner booth or watching Sleepless in Seattle for the seventeenth time this weekend, remember to give a thought to the reason why (some of) you have off from work tomorrow. To our fine country’s Presidents, past and future, Senioritis salutes you and thanks you for your hard work.

Friday Finds 2.12.10

Welcome to the first installment of our Friday Finds segment. Each Friday we will bring you some cool stuff while also sharing one of the newest designs in our Famous Seniors line. Happy Friday!

Brick Bracelets

Brick Bracelts' work brings the term playing with LEGOs to a whole other level. The level of detail on these pieces is simply amazing, you can look at them over and over and discover something new with each look. You can find out more about Brick Bracelets and see more of his work at his website or his Etsy shop.





Aptrick

We're really feeling Aptrick's style and his subject matter. We love toys, and we especially love vinyl. You can find out more about Aptrick and check out more of his work at his website or his Etsy shop.






Burton x Marley

A collabo between two legends, need we say more?



Senioritis

This design pays tribute to a man often called the Little Flower, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, we salute you. To see more of our tributes please check out our Etsy shop.

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