Earlier this week I was able to make time to visit the BHS Spring/Summer 2010 Press Show where I was very taken with this stylish 16-piece Demure dinner set. Luckily this range is already in store, so I’m adding it to my already very long Christmas shopping list. I think teamed up with these lovely black and gold crackers from John Lewis it’s sure to impress the parents, in-laws or friends.

Michelle

BK - Bhs Demure

BK- JL crackers

Türkiye’de pilates merkezi diye nitelendiren salonlar son zamanlarda açılmaya başlamıştır. Kaliteli salonlar hizmete girdikten sonra pilates daha güzel salonlarda yapılmaktadır. Pilates merkezlerini burada yayınlıyacağız.

Photographed by mag3737

Tenuous Link: plate

– License

A. 56  11/19/09

I was looking through the graphic design magazine, “GD USA” (July/August 2009 Issue) today and found a clever spread about some designers who make housewares. They are unique because they incorporate a subtle, sexual theme which may make onlookers do a double take, since they are meshed with either the more traditional art or humor. One of the artists whose work I took a liking to, was James Victore.

The magazine explained that often times he will use a black sharpie marker on a restaurant’s porcelain dish to create a drawing on the plate. The drawing will be pleasant or demeaning, depending on his experience and service. I like Victore’s renegade art form. It’s like a mix between street art/graffiti and almost performance art. Below are some plates from his site. Some of them are sexual and some are just funny.

uncertain whether it’s the ocd cleanliness monster living within me  -or- if i am a plain lover of simplicity . . . either way i am particularly fond of white tableware.  i tend to favor sleek design that highlights the main star: food!  enter beautiful map plates from what on earth:

eat off europe

i picture them aligned geographically -not to mess up the integrity of the big picture- with *local* hors d’oeuvres .  guests would take their olives off of italy and place them on lovely indented plates – helpful for forks not to slip far.

grooveware

i adore the practicality and subtle design of the takito co., ltd. post party, tea or coffee would be served.  rather than stray far from our white whimsical wonderland – enter lee weilang:

tooth mug

not just creepy – but useful too<th>!  tea bag string cannot go far if you use it as floss or if you find this entire party theme to be unrealistic – it is approaching winter; you are cold and not inviting guests until spring bears new fruits and flowers.  wouldn’t a warm cup of soup <with crackers> be perfect?

$18.50 for two

available indivudally and in a duet from harriet carter.  finally, the last white dish is inspired by the great pyramids of nutrition : a lunchbox from yanko design

triangular lesson

by li jianye

those proportions don’t seem *quite* right.  those are some of my definite favorites.  any i missed? do they have more color?

Pilates’in temelleri ise şöyle:
Zihnin madde üzerindeki gücünü sağlamak, doğru ve dengeli nefes almak, egzersizleri karın, bel ve kalçaların oluşturduğu merkez bölgede yoğunlaştırmak, konsantrasyon sağlamak, kas kontrolünü kazanmak, her hareketin bir amacı olduğunu bilerek programa titizlikle uymak, hareketlerde akıcılık sağlamaktır.

Pilates İstanbul‘da son zamanlarda büyük ilgi gören bir egzersizdir.

Pilates Merkezi zihninizdeki düşüncelerden arınmanıza günün stresini üzerinden atmanıza yardımcı olur. Pilates, her şeyden önce doğru nefes teknikleri ile zihin ve beden arasındaki bağlantıyı geliştirerek, zihninize dinginlik, konsantrasyon ve hızlı düşünme yetileri kazandırmaktadır. Yoga’ya benzerliği ve kolaylıkla yapılıyor olması kontrollü egzersiz hareketleri sayesinde kısıtlı vaktinizi verimli kullanarak vücudunuzu yormadan güçlü bir sırt ve karın, ince ve esnek bir bedene sahip olmanızı sağlıyor.
Pilates merkezleri arasında Etiler Pilates en fazla gelişim kateden semttir.

Wait, what??  39 days until Christmas??  How did that happen?? 

Welcome to the third installment of Perfect Prezzies (click here for the first edition or second edition).  I hope you find some affordable and fabulous inspiration for everyone on your holiday list!

For the Entertainer

I have given these chic and eclectic cocktail/appetizer/dessert plates as gifts in previous years, and received great feedback.  You can never have too many beautiful accent plates!  Aren’t they gorgeous?

{Boho Holiday Dessert Plates, Acacia Catalog, $54}

For Him

As I have said before, I think that men are the toughest to buy for!  I love this vintage, retro, black, steel-cased clock.  It has a great masculine look that would complement any nightstand, desk or bureau.  The description says: “It even has an old-fashioned, rise-and-shine alarm bell.”  Charming! 

{Time-tested Clock, Sundance Catalog, $38}

Speaking of retro, I really like this leather, vintage-looking dopp kit.  Men are always in need of an updated travel case and this one is masculine, sturdy, durable and affordable. 

{Redmond Shave Kit, Fossil, $60}

For the Gardener

I love to give little pint-sized bonsais!  Bonsais are interesting, pretty low maintenance and they last forever.  Plus, this Gardenia Bonsai flowers a few times a year and who wouldn’t want their house perfumed with the scent of fresh gardenias?  (Also, Red Envelope is very customer-service oriented — I sent a few jade bonsais to family members a few years ago, and they all came in great condition, except for my grandmother’s which arrived partially frozen.  RE returned it for a fresh plant the next day.) 

{Gardenia Bonsai, Red Envelope, $49.95}

For Her

I just added this sparkler to MY LIST!  Isn’t it so delicate and feminine?  And only $42?  Yes please.  It would look great tied close to your neck with a little black dress, or tied long and worn over a turtleneck or high-necked dress. 

{Bougainvillea Necklace, Anthropologie, $42}

Check out this marketing genius — who wouldn’t love to receive the 5 very best products from Bliss Spa in a cute little package? 

{Best of Bliss Set 2009, Bliss, $45}

For Kids

In our family, my sister and I got new matching nightgowns each Christmas Eve.  I still love the idea of receiving new, warm, wintery (and maybe kinda matching!) night clothes for Christmas.  Check out these options:

{Girls Plaid Sleep Set, Gap Kids, $29.50}

{Boys Plaid Sleep Set, Gap Kids, $29.50}

{Dreamy Nightgown, Hanna Anderrson, on sale for $28.80}

{Unisex Organic Cotton Long Johns, Hanna Andersson, on sale for $33.60}

HAPPY HOLIDAY SHOPPING!

Sağ baştan…

Diego Perez, vocalist for Las Vegas progressive hardcore band Eyes Like Diamonds, winds up in jail:
“Expired plates ended up turning into Diego getting locked up. Hawthorne nevada sheriffs are completely in the wrong and we have footage to prove it! we will have this up as soon as we get home. We need anyone and everyones help to put together bail out money. We will post a paypal button accepting donations even its only 2 dollars. we’re extremely bummed and will do everything in our power to make it to oregon. updates soon.”
I’m sure this isn’t going to help with funding their recordings in Oregon, but I’m sure they’ll figure out something!

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A couple images from a book I scanned today. He looks pretty menacing, looming out of the darkness.

=========================================

Retell: Gail Gibbons imagines what we would see if we looked inside the earth.

Topics: earth, gravity, ocean, Pangaea, equator, continents, earth model, fossils, plates, earthquakes, volcanoes, islands

Units of Study: Nonfiction, Content-Area

Reading Skills: monitoring for sense, envisionment, determining importance, synthesis

My Thoughts: We are wrapping up our Science unit on Earth Movements this Friday and I was looking for a text to end with.  This book ties in a lot of subjects within this unit:  the earth model, Pangaea, plate tectonics, faults, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.  The illustrations, which contain clear and useful diagrams, help readers comprehend the text.  However, in some parts, readers most add to the illustrations with details from their own mental picture and think about what is not in the illustrations.

Unlike the previous class where everyone was immersed in Legos whether they knew about them or not, this past week we focused on the official names of the pieces, their parts, and how to actually connect them to build objects.  After the lesson, students were allowed to build whatever they wanted, in teams.  They were extremely engaged and enjoyed the outcomes.

They were also warned that they could never call the pieces by the wrong name for the rest of the year.   We’ll see how that goes!

See the rest of our flickr stream of photos from class over on the right.  ====>

So I have unloaded that kiln of plates and low dishes. Everything came through well – I’m quite pleased. We are finally getting somewhere with the Brushed Blue design. For the past couple of years there have been more flawed pieces than good. Not a good thing when producing (or trying to produce) dinnerware. So next week I should be aable to be back at my wheel. I have finished as many one-of-a-kind pieces that I could in the past few days – so have replenished our stock somewhat. It’s always a little daunting to change gears and start another production phase. Somehow I always think that I won’t remember how to throw. However – it is like riding a bike so I just have to jump in and start.

Chicken is the #1 source of quick and easy protein without the nasty protein shake aftertaste or the toughness of red meats. If you are looking to pack on a few pounds of lean and strong muscle in a short amount of time, try eating a couple chicken breasts a day (3) and watch the muscle hug your bones! Here are a few ways to cook chicken:

NOTE: Chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165º to eliminate all bird flu, and other viruses.

Poaching
To poach boneless, skinless chicken breasts, place them in a large skillet and add 1-2 cups of water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 9-14 minutes until chicken reaches 160 degrees F. about 15 minutes. You can also poach in the oven. Place chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan. You can add lemon slices, peppercorns, or any other spices or herbs. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and immediately pour over chicken. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 20-35 minutes, checking for an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Microwave
It can be risky cooking chicken in the microwave oven because the oven cooks unevenly. The same piece of chicken can be several different temperatures at the same time! If you have healthy people over the age of 5 in your household, this is an easy method for microwaving chicken. Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a glass dish with the thin side of the breasts in the center. Pour 3/4 cup cup buttermilk over the chicken, sprinkle with herbs and spices of your choice, cover plate with plastic wrap, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Check the chicken, then cook for 2 minutes longer. Rearrange the chicken using tongs, cover again, and microwave for 3-5 minutes longer until internal temp is 160 degrees F. Discard buttermilk mixture.

Crockpot
The crockpot is a wonderful way to cook chicken as long as it isn’t overcooked. For fresh chicken breasts, stack the chicken in the crockpot, add 1/2 cup water or chicken broth, cover, and cook on low for 5-6 hours, rearranging once during cooking time. For frozen chicken breasts, arrange in crockpot, add 1/2 cup chicken broth or water, cover, and cook on low for 8-9 hours, rearranging once during cooking time.

Steaming
Nancy H. wrote me about steaming chicken breasts she sprinkles with Mrs. Dash. She says that steaming boneless skinless breasts on the bottom rack of a steamer for 20 minutes for thawed and 30 minutes from frozen produces a juicy result.

Sauteeing
This dry heat method is quick and easy. If you pound the breasts thin, they will cook for about 2-3 minutes a side over high heat. Unpounded breasts take a bit longer to cook; about 4-5 minutes per side. Coat a skillet with olive oil, heat over high heat, add breasts, cook for 4 minutes without moving them, then turn and finish cooking.

Pressure cooker
This is a moist heat method of cooking. Add thawed chicken breasts to the cooker, add sliced onions and lemons for flavor along with 1/2 cup water, cover and lock the cooker, and bring the pressure up to high. Cook for 12 minutes, release pressure, and check internal temperature. You can cover, bring pressure back up, and cook for 2-3 minutes longer if necessary.

City maps on plates!

Supermarket – City Plate – Collection 4 from notNeutral.

Line Drawing of Hollings College on a plate. The brutalist building was also known as the “Toastrack” *heh heh it is an educational institute in South Manchester designed in the 1950s by LC Howitt. Love the perspective!

via people will always need plates – ain’t concrete great?.

(which has a great collection of plates and mugs)