My Holiday Wish List

This little guy is one of my favorites!

The first time I saw these little cuties was in Portland.
Check out the rest of the adorable gang Here.

Camilla Engman's blog was one of the first I started following a few years ago. Her creations are so peaceful and other-wordly to me. She recently started a new blog called Studio Morran where I purchased her new 2012 calendar. It's hanging on my wall above my desk right now, waiting to be opened on January 1st!

I just love this hooded jacket that was a gift from the lovely Mia Miri. So comfortable, and "Little Black Riding Hood" chic.

I really want a copy of Peter Bastiaanssen's "Art Is A Dog" book. Remember I discovered his work next to my hotel in Berlin? They had the book there, and I found it so inspiring! But they weren't selling it, and they had to find it online somewhere because it's out of print. Does anyone know where I can find one?

I love cardigans so much! Especially big, puffy, warm ones. I love the color and Tom Boy preppyness of this Wood Wood "Debbie" cardigan.

I finally received my very new and favorite clutch from Samantha Grisdale who I just met at the Craft Fair. Her pieces are so well made, and so so special.

I want an iPig!!! When I was on tour with Milow they had one of these. It's so CUTE! You tap on one ear to turn the volume up, and the other ear to turn the volume down. It's like you're petting it! And if you want to pause the song, you poke it in the eye, which I'm less comfortable with, but still love. It's so easy to travel with. Just plug in your iPod or laptop and voilà -- instant dance party!

This Frasier Fir candle by Thymes is my favorite candle for the Holidays. It smells just like a woody and slightly sweet Christmas Tree. I haven't met anyone who didn't like the way it smelled, which is why I'm putting it on my Holiday Shopping list as a great "stocking stuffer" gift idea.

I heart my iPad. And since I travel a lot, this iPad Booqbag would be perfect for me. I love all the pockets and the pen slot. It's like back-to-school shopping again (which I always sort of miss when September comes around).

I really want a kitty too. However, I don't recommend buying someone one of these unless you know that person really well. :)

And for those of you still searching for the perfect gift for that special someone... Design Sponge has some great suggestions. Everything from "DIY Gift Ideas" to "Gifts under $50".

Happy Shopping!

love,
p. ahn

Angelino Heights Craft Fair

I wish I'd known about this Craft Fair sooner to tell you about it before hand! This was a last minute invitation that I'm so glad I went to. I found it to be so inspiring and perfect timing for holiday shopping for loved ones and well.... for me too!

delicious lemonade and later a big pot of hot apple cider

hanging stained glass and a table of hooks

my first belt!
i also bought one of her clutches
you can see a portion of her work here.

my friend kathleen's handmade jewelry table

one of Kathleen's necklaces I bought for myself.
You can see more of her work here.

[flikr]

love,
p. ahn

French Lemon & Pumpkin Soup Recipe

For those who've asked for the recipe of one of my favorite new soups...

This will probably be the only recipe I post from this particular cookbook since doing this is probably illegal in some way. But I will say this with 100% certainty: If you like soups, buy this book! You will not regret it. I've made about 10 different soups from this book, and each one has not failed in taste. And these are soups that have ranged from French to Japanese to African to Polish...

here is one place you can get it.

One of my own personal tips... If you can make your own Vegetable Stock, well... you're a badass. But if you're lazy and unprepared like me, here's the Vegetable Bouillion I recommend.
I get mine from Whole Foods. They also have chicken, turkey, clam, mushroom, and beef bases, just to name a few. The awesome thing about this brand is that a lot of them are vegetarian. But just be sure you get the right one. For this recipe, you'd want the one that reads "Organic Vegetable Base".

Happy Cooking!

love,
p. ahn

p.s. If you have some pumpkin leftover... I made my OWN recipe that is super easy that can use it up! I'll post it ASAP. xx

A Cloud Blanket

A Cloud Blanket!

I've had this blue piece of fleece for years... hoping to make something out of it. About 6 months ago, I cut out all of these felt clouds and sewed little faces on to them.

So yesterday, on my rainy day in, I decided to finally put the two together and make a cloud blanket.

I decided to stuff the clouds so they'd be something fun to squish.

Love,
p. ahn

Germaphobic Habit #1

Ok, so from being on the road a lot, I've developed quite a list of eccentric habits to help keep me and my clothes clean. When you're on the road for weeks at a time, and don't feel like doing laundry every other day, you want to try to keep stuff smelling as "fresh" as possible. I thought I'd share a few of my whacky antics with you.

These are all things that I really do.

love,
p. ahn

p.s. This is the first one... my watercolors came out a little on the "light" side. Hopefully these will get better and better over time. Or not. I don't really care. These are just for fun!

To View Picture: I clicked directly on the picture and it appeared by itself with a transparent black background, but I still wasn't able to zoom in. If you click just to the side of the picture (you should still see a pointy hand) then it puts the picture on a separate page, giving you a "zoom" option. You should be able to read the writing then. (sorry I'm not more computer savvy)

At the end of a tour...

Well, I am back home in L.A. where the weather has been so bizarre. Hot one day, cold and gray the next. Somehow I found myself waiting in a line outside of a Hollywood bar last night. The last place I'd ever want to be*. And yesterday I drove through aggro L.A. traffic, and even went to the gym which was filled to the brim with good-looking people in fashionable workout attire** ***. Anyway... that's when I really felt like I was back in L.A. Those are most of the negative things though.

On the positive side , the first day I got back I made us a French Lemon and Pumpkin soup with Mussels. I've been craving to make soups being in all that Fall European weather. This one turned out really good. It might be my best yet! Would you like the recipe? I'm going to make it again for Thanksgiving.

And yesterday my husband made us a delicious pasta with shrimp and scallops.

yum yum yum!

It's been such an amazing experience traveling all through Germany and opening for Milow. They were all amazing, kind, and talented people. I will miss them!

And I'll never ever forget opening for The Cowboy Junkies in Paris****. Oh my goodness.... they were beautiful. Mesmerizing. So utterly cool. It was a magical night for me.

And last but not least, my show in London was so much fun!!! Thank you to everyone who came out. It was a very intimate show in the end, and such a joy to play a whole show by myself, and take requests. I had less than 24 hours in the city...so I don't have many good pictures to show. That being said, it was the perfect show for me to end my tour on. And it never would have been so perfect if it weren't for all the awesome people who showed up! Kisses to you all! xoxoxo

Now... to bring it all back around to the title of this long blog post: At the end of a tour...

I cut my nails.

That may not sound like a big deal, but in fact for me it is! I only finger pick when I play guitar, so my left hand always has to have short nails, and my right hand has to have perfectly carved nails in order to pluck the strings in a fluid way. So... that means no manicures for me ever. That means, constantly being cautious about heavy lifting or any other weird way a nail could break (one time I sat on my hand and my nail broke!). So at the end of a long tour... when I know I won't be playing a show in a while, I cut ALL of my nails, and it feels soooooo good!

These are not my nails.
These are Hello Sandwich's pretty nails!

It's almost 10am... time to wake up Mike***** and head to the Sunday Market so I can look at all the colors of the Fall fruits and veggies. Another great thing about being back home.

love,
p. ahn

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* I was waiting to see my friend's Improv show -- I swear!

** why do I always go to the gym in baggy clothes and dirty hair? Oh, that's right -- because I don't care what I look like at the gym!

*** (Or maybe it's because I'm married)

**** Because of Paris, now I can't stop eating bread and cheese. Perfect "putting on the pounds" hibernation food. Eek!

***** Usually Mike is the one always waking me up because I sleep in til 11am. But thanks to my jet lag, now I get to enjoy all these hours of beautiful quiet morning. I hope it lasts for a little while longer.

Fall in Berlin

Oh, how I love Fall! Especially this one in Berlin because it's all about my favorite color -- yellow.

love,
p. ahn

Happy Halloween My Pretties!!!

love,
p. ahn

Art Is A Dog

My first day in Berlin...I stumbled into an art gallery next to my hotel, called DAD. Inside was an exhibit for Peter Bastiaanssen's work. It was love at first sight. The flutes of champagne they were handing out at the door may or may not have helped. ;)

his paintings are so cozy

i love his woodworking as well

what a genius idea!

This gallery was such a cool space! I found the whole evening inspiring. The very nice girl at the door handing out champagne encouraged me to speak to the curator of the event. And then I discovered that the artist was actually there to do a Q&A! So, with the help of my champagne, I roused up the courage to introduce myself to him too! And then, being the dork that I am, I sat in on the whole Q&A which was entirely in Dutch. I have no idea why, but I just wanted to be a part of it.

After that, I ventured off into the night, where I came across a beautiful street singer. But I'll save that for the next post...

love,
p. ahn

Packing for Berlin to Cass McCombs

It's a lazy Sunday morning on my way to Berlin. Packing my bags and listening to Cass McCombs. Reminds me of that other lazy afternoon when I got to sing a Cass song with one of my musical heroes, Andrew Bird.

Also, for those of you who don't know what the Voice Project is, it's a beautiful non-profit. Check it out!



love,
p. ahn

She's A Black Cat

My new favorite Halloween song!



I wish I was in L.A. to be a part of the festivities... :( Mreow. I think they celebrate it in Berlin?

love,
p. ahn

Iowa City, Evanston, St. Louis

So I thought I'd update you a little more frequently on this trip. Right now I am typing this from somewhere between St. Louis and Kansas City -- which could be anywhere! I'll try to keep my typing brief, as Wendy is fast asleep in the next room.

Gabe's, Iowa City

I did a little IU radio interview before the show which was really fun. The campus here is soooo beautiful! The next morning we woke up to a lovely Saturday market outside our hotel.

Young people getting grilled cheese at the Market.

My posse: Chris (Tour Manager/Sound), Wendy (bass, guitar, vocals), & Gary (keys)
I hope they don't mind me posting this pic of them!

A street piano!
I love how the yellow leaves naturally encircle it. Pianos can be magical like that.

Space, Evanston

This is probably one of my top favorite places to play in the U.S.! If you live in Chicago and like my kind of music and better, and haven't been there yet, you must check it out. My favorite thing about this space (besides the people and the sound and my show) is the decor! Unfortunately I didn't get too many good pictures of that though. Special note: Kelsey Wild opened this show for me, and I was so drawn in by her music. I am now a huge fan! You must check her out.

Just a corner of our green room area. All 50's era retro furniture. Recording studio in the next room. Really homey wainscoting.

Me downing some after show "Crispin".
I look wasted but I'm not. I'm just tired.
And that bottle was hilariously huge.
Someone described the taste of this beverage as, "It tastes like champagne, but watered down".
Yum?

And then lo and behold we are back in Hammond, Indiana! Same place, but at the hotel next door. So now I got this view of the signs (see previous blog).

Same pond, new sign.

Old Rock House, St. Louis

Between soundcheck and the show, we had time to take a little stroll around our area. It was a beautiful night, with an almost full moon.

I heart graffiti.

I also heart when you can see old writing on brick buildings from long ago.

Cardinals played the Brewers tonight. Beautiful baseball stadium.

Naturally we had to walk towards the Arch. That little ball of light is the moon.

The Arch was surprisingly stunning up close!

Walking beneath it's enormosity, I felt like Atreyu from "The Never-Ending Story" when he approaches the Oracle.

Looking up.

A different angle.

And last but not least, Willie, the cutest little puppy who hung out backstage with us. He was definitely a kindred spirit.

Look at how crazy happy I am!

Ok... no pictures of the Arch -- I promise!

Lots of love,
p. ahn