design files: libraries

 

Earlier this year, I read about Thatcher Wine in the New York Times. His business, Juniper Books, embraces two of my favorite pursuits: books and design. Wine specializes in creating libraries for customers, often covering books to emphasize a theme or a color. From a reader's point of view, the books aren't necessarily pick-up-able, but from a design perspective, the effect is crisp and organized and very appealing. I find his work very inspiring, and I'm thinking about ways to give my personal library a facelift.

Books were wrapped in orange paper, then stamped with letters that define the theme. Imagine cookbooks or travel books or mysteries done this way.

Books wrapped in complementary colors could enliven a shelf.

The potential for themes is endless. Here is a sports car; below is wine.

[photo credits: Juniper Books/Thatcher Wine, all]


also posted at bibliotonic.

facelift

Yes, things have changed around here. A few days ago, I was fooling around with the blogger templates and customized a new look for Little Trooper. It hadn’t been my intention. Really, my intention is to build my own website that includes a blog but I am not quite ready for that level of change. The updated look here is reflective of a more pared-down aesthetic I’m exploring. It’s less colorful and has narrower columns, which will come in handy when I have less to say. Plus, I think the photos pop a little more. Who knows? I may redesign the blog again next week. Because I like designing.

A-Z movie project: C

Before the boys finished the school year, oh, a few days ago, I crammed in a couple of movies for my A-Z project. I don’t imagine that I will make much progress on the project his summer. You would think that summer is a good time for gorging on movies, but I never seem to be able to justify the time. Nor am I very effective at winning control of the TV.

Capote (2005)

This fictional biopic has converted me to the magic of Philip Seymour Hoffman, especially for his spot-on turn as Truman Capote. Catherine Keener was spectacular, too, as Capote’s close

friend Harper Lee. The movie follows Capote as he covers the Kansas murders that became the basis for his bestselling In Cold Blood. As Capote interviews Perry Smith, one of the men convicted of terrorizing and murdering an entire family, he finds himself drawn to Smith. The cinematography is remarkable with high atmospheric perspective. I will watch again.

Casino (1995)

By extreme contrast, Martin Scorsese’s Casino was sexy, bright, and colorful. This story of Las Vegas mobsters progresses through alternating storylines featuring Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert DeNiro), a successful casino owner, and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), Rothstein’s strongman. In addition to the glitter of Vegas, this movie features corruption, drugs, and insane amounts of violence. Sharon Stone knocked my socks off as Rothstein’s cokehead trophy wife. I loved the retro sets and wardrobe, as well as the great cast, which includes Vegas standards Don Rickles, Dick Smothers, and Alan King.

Izzy's. ice cream.

Perhaps it is stating the obvious, since the Twin Cities is centrally located in a dairy state, but I’m going to say it anyway: the Twin Cities has the best ice cream in the U.S. You pretty much can’t swing a cat without hitting an artisanal ice cream “parlor.” Grand Ole Creamery and Sebastian Joe’s are extremely good; the latter, particularly, has some exquisite flavors, such as Chocolate Coyote (cayenne and cinnamon lend an unusual contrast to cool, creamy, sweet) or spumoni (almond-lemon-orange ice cream with slivered almonds and apricots). And there are some newer contenders that we have yet to fully explore.

My hands-down favorite, though, is Izzy’s. The winning factors for me include the following

~proximity

Izzy’s is only a fifteen-minute bike ride from our house

~playful use of technology

a computer screen projected on the wall shows available flavors, but it also synchs to a facebook page so you can have updates all day long! 

~creative flavors

Many flavors are created by customers by way of an annual contest. Some of these winning flavors, such as Hot Brown Sugar (caramel ice cream studded with cayenne pralines), have become standards. The boys love Dinosaur Egg (malted vanilla ice cream enlivened with blue food coloring and malted milk balls).

~commitment to sustainability

A majority of the power used to make ice cream and run the shop comes from roof-top solar panels. 

~an Izzy

a complementary, melon-ball-sized scoop of ice cream that tops all singles and doubles 

Izzy’s is located at 2034 Marshall Avenue (Cleveland Avenue) in St. Paul.

[cross-posted here]

working on: knitting

I am excited about the prospect of doing a lot of knitting this summer while on break. Here are just a few of the projects I am working on at the moment. In theory, I can pick up whatever I feel like knitting at the moment. Or I might leave projects scattered around the house so there is always a temptation for me.

socks: a first. size 0 needles are awkward, not unlike knitting with toothpicks. but I want the challenge of using smaller double-point needles and fingering weight yarn (a huge shift from the bulky yarns that have comprised my last umpteenth projects).

hat: for John. vintage Berroco yarn is a dream to knit. since the yarn comes in a fantastic range of colors (this mustardy yellow is called chana dal), I'm sure I'll knit one for each day of the week, for each member of the family.

sweater: for me. charcoal heather bulky from Brown Sheep. has been my go-to yarn for the past year. lot of knitting involved in this oversized tunic. for cool summer days only.

sweater: for Simon. ruby red bulky from Brown Sheep. the yankee knitter pattern is flexible (three neck styles, three cuff styles, cables or no, all mix and match). son will wear this sweater to curling. if it fits next winter. all pieces are knit. need to seam. sigh.

 

june favorites

Here is a list of things that have my attention right now.

This bike (check out the handlebars)

This column

This movie, which I have not seen, and this one, which I have

This question/photo gallery

This scarf (stainless steel wool? Intriguing!) in this color combination and

These custom book covers

This local blogger

This architect

These lists

perfect summer tunes

Simply put, these tunes that are making me really happy right now.



Arcade Fire "We Used to Wait"

These next two videos of the late Joe Strummer and the Mescalero's make me very, very grateful for You Tube.

cover of "Pressure Drop"

bear with me for more Joe Strummer (too much is never enough!)

"Bhindi Bhagee" (at our house, we call this the "mushy pea song")

This song says "summer" to me.

The Cars "Sad Song"

closet case (Vogue-ish)

Here, the blogger and designer reveals the ten essential wardrobe items that get the heaviest rotation.

1. Dark denim wide-leg trouser jeans 

I hope dark denim never goes out of style.

2. Frye “Heath” boots (pictured above)

My brown boots are very versatile and look great with skirts and boot-cut pants. I have discovered that the Frye website is dangerous and spending any amount of time there stirs up covetous need for all manner of shoes and boots.

3. Oversized black turtleneck from Garnet Hill (pictured above)

This sweater has a marsupial-type pocket and is warm and cozy. When I wear this sweater, I feel like I’m channeling Bananarama. Those gals had a comfortable but hip aesthetic and served as my 1980s style icons.

4. Fuchsia cords

A sharp pop of color makes January bearable. These cords are, however, on their last legs (pun unavoidable). Interviews for a replacement pair commencing.

5. Black cardigan

Simply goes with everything, but in particular, I like to wear it with the swishy Boden skirts that are my summer wardrobe staples (see #9).

6. Art deco necklace

This necklace was an engagement gift from my mother-in-law and had been her engagement gift from her mother-in-law. Thoughtful and beautiful. Crystal beads arranged randomly on a silver chain, ending in a carnelian-colored pendant.

7. Momentum field watch

I have the white-face version and it is a workhorse.The best part is the newly available watchstraps in fashion-forward colors. I have a bunch in different colors (olive, nautical blue, a super-neutral bronzed pink, safety orange cordura). When I swap out band, I feel like I have a new watch.

8. Ariat baby phat boots in all-black leather

I’ve worn completely through one pair of these boots (a sweet cordovan faux alligator toe and heel with a baby blue Western-stitched shaft). These boots are one part cowboy boot, one part Doc Marten—really more urban than country. And, they’re comfortable. 

9. Boden skirts (pictured above)

I collected these skirts for a while and now have one for each day of the week. Super flattering fit. Some have fabric with a fun vintage look. 

10. thin silver hoops (pictured above)

Understated elegance that completes any outfit.

recipe: red lentil soup with lemon

I just ladled seconds of this soup for myself. And I may very well have thirds. It is insanely delicious. The ingredients are simple. The steps are easy. The results are hearty. Served over rice, you’d have a complete protein.  The recipe comes from Melissa Clark’s  In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, which we worked our way through this past winter. There really are no clunkers in this cookbook, just lots of healthy, soul-satisfying dishes. I’ve tweaked the recipe slightly. After my friend Caryl told me she doesn’t puree the soup. I’ve stopped pureeing as well, which suits me fine because I prefer soups with chunks substance, something that resembles a meal more than a meal starter. This time I swapped out the cayenne for 1 tsp. of harissa, the potent Moroccan red pepper paste, which gave a deeper, but not overpowering, heat. Don’t skimp on the lemon. Its acidity and brightness transform a basic lentil soup into something magic.

RED LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON

adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite (Melissa Clark, 2010)

Serves 6

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional good oil for drizzling

2 large onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon harissa (perhaps rooster sauce would also work)

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups red lentils

4 large carrots, peeled and diced

Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, mint, or parsley (I prefer cilantro)

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

2. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and harissa, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

3. Add the broth, 2 cups water, the lentils, and the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

4. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, mint, or parsley. Serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted very lightly with chili powder, if desired.

OPTIONAL: Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, puree half the soup (it should be somewhat chunky, not smooth).