shiso mama

I hate to brag, but we’ve been receiving the greatest presents lately. We really have a wonderful group of friends, and I can’t wait to brag some more and share the pictures with you, but first, I wanted to show you a present that Otis received recently:

It’s a handmade sticker book, with a pocket full of animal stickers, made by my friend, Carey.

Can you imagine how excited Otis was to get his hands on this? Just as I was handing the present to Otis and we were admiring the stickers together, Miss Bee started fussing so I went to go check on her. When I returned a short while later, I was surprised to see that EVERY SINGLE STICKER had been peeled off and stuck in his book. He didn’t save a single one. Hmm, I think this is a kid that would definitely eat his dessert first. Well, that’s it for that activity, I thought. But as we looked through his sticker book together, I realized that Otis had actually created little vignettes with his stickers. His animal play has expanded to include elaborate narratives lately, so this was really perfect for him.

Here’s a farm, with the horses climbing up a hill:

Here, the dinosaurs are afraid and running from the flying dinosaur:

One clever thing about the sticker book is that the pages are made of wax paper, so we can actually move the stickers around and create different stories (although I doubt that Otis will let me). I hate to advocate stealing Carey’s idea, but this is such a great, handmade kids’ present that I think that everyone should make one of these. What do you think, Ms. Carey, can we write a tutorial for this great project?

I wanted to share these two baby presents that we recently received that are very dear to my heart. It definitely sounds like the hormones are affecting me, doesn’t it?

We became friends with a couple in our childbirthing class when I was pregnant with Otis. We shared rides home from class, and we became very fond of them. Unfortunately, soon after our sons were born, they moved to Massachusetts. However, we have kept in touch through letters and care packages. What is amazing to me is that not only do we receive presents from Takako when she visits her family in Japan, but we also receive the most thoughtful presents from her family as well. Remember this miso cake? It was pretty amazing, and so unusual. We recently received another package, and it included this bib:

As I looked at it more closely, I realized that not only was this bib reversible, but it had all been hand-stitched. By Takako’s sister. Whom I’ve never met before. Who lives in Japan. I felt so touched that someone I’ve never met before would send such a heartfelt gift, and it made me feel a little teary. Not as teary as the time I watched The Notebook on the airplane… but you get the point.

Here’s the other present that I wanted to share with you:

An outfit from one of my favorite designers, Makie. Have you tried that flavor of Kool-Aid yet? It’s quite tasty. This sweater and dress look so small and fine in person, I can barely believe that it’s for a six month old baby. I love how un-baby it looks. In fact, it’s exactly an outfit that I would wear. It’s the kind of outfit that would horrify my family - what???? dress a baby in black and grey???? They would think it a little depressing, but it’s exactly the perfect thing, in my mind. And the best part? This present came with the arrival of some of our closest friends from New York, who have just moved to San Francisco. I appreciate their efforts to coincide their move with my upcoming need for not only a doula but a night-time baby nurse.

Recently someone asked me if I had been stocking up on baby girl clothes and I was surprised to hear myself answer no. I’m not exactly sure why, although it may to do with the fact that the sea of pink whenever I walk into one of the chain stores still gives me vertigo. Last time, I think that buying baby clothes was my way of superficially dealing with impending motherhood because it was the easiest and most immediately gratifying way. In retrospect, it probably would’ve been a better idea to read more books on parenting and childbirth or do more yoga or something. But now, I’ve still mostly just got a dresser full of those little hadagi that my mom brought over from Taiwan. Since you asked, though, I’ll share with you a few of the things I’ve been coveting. You’ll see that I waver between the wildly patterned and the subdued.

My God, please please this dress from Makie.
These little sundresses and rompers from Kit + Lili.
Onesies and cottonsuits from ittikid.
These ridiculously expensive shoes.
And just about anything from Flora and Henri, and Mor Mor Rita.
Oh, and this shirt for Otis.

So, have you been holding your collective breath for the fabulous, stupendous DWR finds??

Have you been robbed of your sleep?
Lost your appetite?
Been unable to focus on your work?

Well, wait no longer.

Drum roll, please…….

Ta da:

What is it, you ask? Is it a modern, life sized sculpture of a bird which somehow unfurls into a sheltered picnic table? An exciting toy whittled by the mysterious Dwarves of the Bavarian Forests?

No, it’s really just a little bird that chirps when you move close to it or turn off the light, and it’s for Otis. Oh, and it’s standing next to my Yi Xing pottery peanut, which is one of the few tchotchkes that I’ve kept over the years. I’ve had the bird on my work table for the last couple of days, and I keep forgetting about it, moving my arm into its range, and having the crap scared out of me whenever it starts chirping. Maybe we should cancel our subscription to the alarm company and just set this thing by the door. Or, if I were the type to diet, I’d put it near some food.

Oh wait, and don’t let me forget this other little find:

My love, my treasure, my robe hook.

Can you guess? We didn’t really find anything. Sigh. The prices weren’t that great and the selection was small. Not a single Flor tile anywhere. It was pretty disappointing. Luckily, we met up with our friends there, drank coffee and ate cupcakes and buttery croissants all morning while we waited to charge through the doors, all of us sans babies, which was fun and thrilling all by itself. Oh well, that’s OK. I think a big part of this whole sample sale obsession is the thrill of the hunt, and the fun of the anticipation. We’ll just wait until the next one. Sorry for the lack of vicarious thrills.

I’ve been hearing some buzz on the internets about the new Daiso store that opened up here in Daly City, so I stopped there last weekend. Have you heard of it? It’s like a 99 cent store, except one that you’d find if you died and went to Heaven because although it’s junk, it’s Japanese junk (even if it is still made in China) and there’s so much fun, clever stuff, most of it to be had for $1.50(damned exchange rate!). It’s the kind of place where I could drop my mom off with some snacks and a few bottles of water, and pick her up a week later, bags in hand and under her eyes.

I went trolling for goodies to pack up in an “airplane entertainment” kit for our baby friend, Emmett, who was flying to New Orleans. We packed up these finds from Daiso, along with a pad of paper, a Doodle Board, and some emergency snacks in a baby-sized backpack.  I’m anxious to hear how it worked. We’re going to Taiwan this summer, and we’ll need plenty of entertainment for our looooong flight.

(some wooden toys/puzzles, a multi-colored crayon/pen, stickers, and a wooden whistle)

Speaking of shopping, you know I’m a total whore for the sample/warehouse sales, right? I mean, I only talk about them non-stop. Well, the next DWR warehouse sale is slated for next weekend, and my sale buddy, Helen, and I have already resigned ourselves to our usual sample sale frenzy. If you’re local, here’s your chance - we’ve purchased tons of Flor tiles (totally brilliant, in my opinion), some good furniture, and tons of great baby stuff. If you see a couple of Asian moms with crazed looks in their eyes, shoving aside pregnant ladies and old people, that’ll probably be us.

My friend, Takako, and I met in birth class more than two years ago, and I’m so terribly fond of her, despite the awful fact that she packed up and moved to Boston shortly after the birth of their son. She is the kind of friend who will remember your unhealthy obsession with the country of her birth and send you goodies when she visits home. She is the kind of friend whose mother will send you gifts. She is the kind of friend who, on this most recent visit, not only bought you treats from one of your favorite stores in the world, but also this wonderful bundle of fabrics:

I think the apple fabric on top is my favorite. Did you notice that cup of Japanese cuteness?

That’s the kind of friend who deserves a little gift in return. So when her birthday rolled on by (she shares a birthday with Otis) and her son’s birthday approached, I made them matching bags! A baby man-purse for Tamaki, and a tote for mom. I know, matchiness can be annoying, but somehow, mom and son matchiness seemed OK. Plus it’s complementary, not identical. Plus…yes, I’m just justifying now.

The baby man-purse:

It’s made of a denim-y linen material, with a freeform denim shape stitched on top, edges left raw, and some felt balls (which Otis referred to as “trees”). I wanted Otis to model it, but after taking a series of these pictures, I questioned the setting and the wardrobe of the photo shoot:

I PROMISE, Takako, no bare baby butt touched that bag! He’s wearing (under)pants!!

So we went outside with clothes on, but this is what happens after you teach a baby to smile for the camera:

A lot of whipping around of the head to mug for the camera, and turning of one’s body so that the bag that one is ostensibly modelling is not at all visible (look how he’s even posing with a prop!). So he had to be tricked into running towards the door to look for Baba:

A train whistle made modelling mom’s bag a little easier:

Same idea with the freeform shape and raw edges, but with some snaps sewn on for decoration.

We hear the family is sick, but hope that they will be able to take an outing soon with their new bags.

Speaking of packages, I received my own extremely exciting one of my own from Stephanie. She held a contest for her one-year blogging anniversary, and wouldn’t you know it? I got chosen from her enormous pool of readers. She sent me this wonderful little pillow:

If you’ve read her blog or seen her shop then you’ll know what I mean when I say that it is every bit as beautiful and wonderfully constructed as you would expect. Check her out. Thank you Stephanie!

I finished the stockings and hung them over our fireplace. Otis’s is the performing seal with the balls in the air, mine is the bunny with footprints (although do they look like rabbit turds?) in the middle and F’s is the giraffe with birds flying, on the right. It’s been fun looking for little stocking stuffers.

I had been seriously considering a plastic tree, and perhaps due to this threat, F went out and brought home a humongous tree that would fit in the living room only after we moved the sofa. F and I also made felted ornaments the other night. Last year I sewed little felt animals (a blowfish and a bird) and hopefully Otis will be able to make his own in a couple of years. He’ll also be able to pick out his own yearly store-bought ornament soon. I like the idea of buying one new ornament and making one each year.

We’ve placed the presents on the mantle for now so that Otis doesn’t destroy them. Yes, that is an embarassment of presents that you see. I might even call it a disgustingly extravagant display of presents. Some of them are clothes that my parents bought and then wrapped up as Christmas presents even though they aren’t (I used to love that shit!) so it looks worse than it is. But I think that next year, we’ll have to tell Santa(s) about our new one-gift policy, just in time for the awakening of Otis’s present-receiving consciousness. Thank goodness my brother’s having a baby later this year.

I hope you’re enjoying your holidays, my friends.  Be safe and well.

I’m not sure whether to feel surprised or not that I’ve turned out to be such a sucker for traditions. The big holidays for me (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chinese New Year) seem to be all about traditions, and no matter how crazy I feel because of the sometimes elaborate preparations, I’ll still go back to them time and again.

I’ve been making candy for the winter holidays for ages. I used to try different types here and there, but now I’ve found my favorites: cashew brittle, chocolate caramels and vanilla caramels. This year I made fleur de sel caramels with some borrowed French fleur de sel that positively smelled and tasted of the very essence of the sea.  I like the granular saltiness they add.

When I’m hunched over the candy thermometer, or wrapping my endless supply of caramels, I always curse tradition and tell myself that this is the last year, but then the next season rolls around and I change my mind, especially when I remember the folks that oohed and aahed over their treats.  This year I found candy boxes and wrapped them up with some great paper, so they even look nice on the outside.

A little while back, I came home to find a present on my doorstep from my friend, Lynna. It was from Tail of the Yak, a beautiful store full of odd little curiosities, which also happens to be one of the favorite stores of my friend Takako. Inside was this bag:

It’s made of Japanese newspapers, carefully folded and glued together to form a lovely tote bag, tied up with a ribbon. That in and of itself would make a fantastic present. But then inside, tucked in amongst layers of shredded tissue paper, I found a beautiful eggplant made of crepe paper. I shook it and could hear a gentle rattling inside. I was so pleased with my new fruit rattle that I promptly put it in my new cup, right next to my workspace so that I could look at it everyday while I worked. See here?

I called Lynna to thank her. “Oh, the eggplant’s not really the present,” she informed me. “You have to open it.”

Open it? It’s too precious, I thought. I like looking at it just the way it is. Every day since then, I looked at it and shaken it to hear the rattling of that mysterious present inside. And every day, F would come home and with exasperation and mockery ask me, “You still haven’t opened the eggplant yet?”

No, not yet. But I was starting to become more and more curious. Finally I came up with a solution - I would very carefully slice the eggplant open with an x-acto knife and then tape it back together afterwards. I proposed my ingenious plan to Lynna when I finally confessed that I had not yet opened her present. “It won’t work,” she informed me. “There are little presents along the way. And at this point, you may find the whole thing anticlimatic.”

Can you tell that I always saved my favorite food for last? And that much of the time, I was already too full to truly enjoy it? Well, today I took one last look at the eggplant, kissed it goodbye and started unwrapping.

After ripping through the dark purple exoskeleton, I found more and more layers underneath. They are wrapped with long, continuous strips of paper, so you become completely absorbed by the process of unwrapping, the bundle rotating in your hand as you unravel, slowly becoming smaller. So much so that I almost missed the first present that fell out:

A green Sunkist fruit gem.  And on and on I continued, finding a small present at each layer until I found a total of 9 presents.

It was such a fantastic present, so much about the anticipation of receiving such a mysterious gift that you almost don’t want to open, and the joy of actually unwrapping such a troublesome and gorgeous bundle. It makes me think of Japanese things (big surprise), where even seemingly mundane objects receive the same sort of elaborate treatment that “special” objects receive by being wrapped carefully and lovingly. Every object in the eggplant was small and plain, but it seemed so special.  In fact what was so special was the entire process. Everyone should get the chance to open such a fun gift at least once in their lifetime.

I’ve put all the little presents back into my cup and returned it to the spot where the eggplant once sat. I’m sad that the eggplant is not there for me to look at anymore, but it was definitely worth it.

Click here to watch a slideshow of all presents as they were unwrapped.

Recently, F and I were having a conversation about activities that we think we would enjoy during theoretical dates and outings. We went down a list and discussed the merits of different activities, and our interest level in them. Fancy dinners, ethnic dinners, opera, karaoke, romantic getaways, theater - what shall we try? At some point during this conversation, F made the observation that I prefer to spend my time and money on activities that are related to nesting. I had never really thought about it in such a cohesive way, but now that he’s gone and said it, it feels so obvious. How could I not have seen it myself?

Things had started to change when I bought my first apartment in Brooklyn - I always had projects for us to work on, and new things that I wanted to buy (this was when F developed his hatred of Home Depot, and when I started to refer to Ikea as Fipea, since F refused to have the I-word uttered in his presence). And this nesting instinct has only grown more pronounced with a baby and a new house. My life feels so focused on our life together, and so much of my energy is channeled into this home, which lies at the nucleus of our family life. Whenever there is another home project completed, or another searched-for piece of furniture acquired, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

All of this is a really drawn out explanation for why I am so obsessed with the Design Within Reach sample sales. I am on a quest for some sort of fulfillment of the ideal home life, no? The platonic ideal of the home? Maybe I’m just cheap and love the hunt for a good bargain. Hmm, that’s probably it.

F and I went ridiculously early to line up for the sale on Saturday, and met up with our friends Helen and Ron, and their adorable girls. Helen is a kindred spirit in the sample/warehouse sale department. When F once again moaned about how early he was forced to wake up to wait in line, I reminded him that it was Helen who waited with me for hours at the last big sale, with a 6 week old baby in her arms, so maybe he could shut his pie-hole? I related to them how F had only days before joked that Helen and I feed off each other, and not necessarily in a good way, and the men exchanged knowing chuckles and I swear pinched each other in glee.

We were the first batch to be let in, and we made off like bandits. We got the exact Christmas present that my grandmother wanted to buy for Otis, plus a bunch of other great toys. But I won’t bore you with a list of all the things we bought. I’ll just show you the two things I am most excited about.

The first is this, which will be one of Otis’s Christmas presents. It’s a dishware set for kids. Isn’t it fancy? It’s got a plastic tray, a ceramic plate and bowl, a drinking glass, some silverware, plus a cheese board and cheese knife. It cracks me up thinking about Otis using the little cheeseboard. These sets are sold for $140 - isn’t that the coo ray zee est thing you’ve ever heard? We got ours for $9. At that price I’ll feel like it’s something to use rather than just keep as a memento.

And here’s the thing I am most excited about…

…my new stool for my work table. I’ve been without a stool ever since I bought my work table off craigslist and have instead sitting at my sewing table, but have been searching high and low for something perfect. I just love it - it’s flashy and crazy and so so RED and is probably a better stool to perch on sexily while smoking a cigarette rather than hunched over a collage (and how else can I indicate that it’s just not me?), and it’ll be one of a couple of bright red spots in a house full of muted neutrals (strangely both in the studio). And yes, that is Otis slumped into what looks like a miserable little ball on the floor behind my work table, but I promise he’s actually looking at his train tracks, chanting “tunnel” as though he were in a hypnotic trance and pushing his trains around, happy as can be.

And the nesting? That will continue as before, but we’re trying to branch out a little. There may be a little weekend getaway sometime in our future. If I ever get over this sinus infection.

In case you haven’t heard enough about our stuff, Apartment Therapy SF featured Otis’s room for its kids’ month Nursery Show and Tell.  You can see it (and us) here.