Beets have always played a huge part in Denmark; it’s one of two major crops (the other is potatoes) and it’s also harvested for sugar (there’s even a museum dedicated to it). There’s a 99% chance that if you are invited to lunch, nedlagte rødbeder or pickled beets, will be on the table for your smørrebrød (open faced sandwich).

This has always terrified me. Actually, most Danish food has terrified me (Liver Paste/Leverpostej?) ! And so despite having sat at countless tables with beets upon them, I just couldn’t ever bring myself to eat them. No matter how much “oohing” and “ahhing” my mum made over their taste.

However, recently my doctor suggested to me that I should juice some carrots, celery and yes, beets together to help with some health concerns. I’d heard of this tonic before (it’s been suggested as a great hangover drink) and how it helps the liver function. I’ve been an avid juicer but only with things green. I wasn’t sure I could add beets.

But I did.

Into my juicer went one large beet, three carrots, one lemon, half a stack of celery, a bit of ginger and a cucumber for good measure. I wasn’t sure I could drink it but in the name of health I did. And then I did some more. And some more. I couldn’t believe how sweet it was - I had fallen in love with… beets!

I don’t know if I’m into pickling or roasting yet (one step at a time) but juicing them has been tasty and easy. I’m not sure about all the health benefits yet but thankfully I’m now loving beets for their taste instead of doing it out of healing obligation.

My mum will be so proud.

Other beet ideas:

• If you don’t have a juicer, Columbia Gorge makes a great Carrot, Beet & Celery juice.
• Chowhound has some great ideas for cooking beets.
• Gluten Free Girl talks about how she went from not liking beets to also falling in-love with them.
• Simple picked beet recipe.

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• Paper Clip Movie; a very inspiring documentary about how an idea in a middle school in small town Tennessee changed not only the students, but its community and all those who heard about it. And it was down with a paper clip. If you have children, watch this with them.
• For months I’ve been following the adventures of Mr Fox and Mrs Polar Bear on Flickr. Lovely stories, lovely photos.
• Gluten Free Day has the most amazing, easy, and gluten free recipes I’ve seen in a long, long time. It’s so simply laid out with helpful photos and it’s literally the first time I’ve starred almost every entry as something I want to make! Even if you can eat gluten, you won’t mind going without with these recipes.
• Ivoca Space Planner: Been playing with the free version a little bit to see if I really could do a studio. I do, after all, have a 6′ couch I adore and would have to fit in.

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I’m a visual girl; it’s one of the reasons I’ve worked in film and do photography. A picture really does say 1000 words. There’s been more times than I can count when I’ve fallen in-love with an image and have wanted nothing more to post it here, just for you to look at too. But I don’t because the image was copyrighted.

While most people’s intentions at taking images are good (they fall in-love with something and want to share it or illustrate a point), that doesn’t make it right. All images and content on this site and on my others are copyright which means unless you’ve received permission you can’t use the images. That’s not because I don’t believe in sharing, but because I have to protect the work I do. I’ve had a lot of issues in the 13+ years I’ve had web pages with content stealing/sharing from identity theft to my images being claimed and sold by other people.

The other issue arises when people take images and innocently host them on other serviced hosting sites such as Blogger or Typepad. The problem with this format is lack of credit back to the original image owner - even if you put in a text link below the image. The image itself will look like a blogger/typepad/hosted filename and in some cases, the terms and service of a host provider claims ownership of anything hosted! Which means an image of mine taken by you and uploaded to your server can become a legal battle of who owns what.

This is why 99% of the time I use only my own images on this site. If I want to illustrate something I will ask permission to use an image and if I don’t receive permission or am just to lazy to ask I just link to it. This is really important to do because it shows respect, kindness and real support to other artists. It’s also important because as someone who profits from photography via personal collections, licensing and magazine work, I can’t have an image I’ve copyrighted and profited from being used for free on other sites or worse, being used to promote things that have nothing to do with me.

There are some sites where people don’t mind their images being freely used and some Flickr pages allow you to easily blog others’ photos. The great thing about blogging a Flickr Photo is that Flickr automatically links back to the original owner and you can clearly see the owners copyright information/permissions. If you see an image on a blog that you’re really wanting to use, just take a moment to search the site for copyright info or just ask. Sometimes even an old image-clenching stiff like me will allow images to be used (and provide better resolution images!).

But when in doubt, please leave it out.

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I love gardens, especially secret ones like this. Whilst in London last month I met up with a friend in Chelsea and this was her secret garden, can you imagine? It was across her building and locked for just her buildings use and, had it not been raining so much, we would have used it too. Everyone, especially city dwellers, need some nature. And this rings especially true for me.

Growing up my family always had a potager which if basically just “kitchen garden” in French. The portager is meant to be useful (you grow vegetables to cook with) and beautiful (they grow up trellises or have beautiful flowers incorporated). Whatever the case, they’re always defined, raised beds which makes gardening so much easier (less weeds, easier to maintain, you can walk around it without stomping on something).

My family moved a lot - sometimes we owned, sometimes we rented. Sometimes we were out in the country, sometimes in an urban setting. But whatever the case, each spring my father built the potager and my mother sewed it and I ate it all come summer (and this is what they almost always looked it).

I do not have a green thumb, the desire to study botany nor have I ever really had the patience to lay out a kitchen garden. But I do love gardens and the refuge they can provide from a sometimes hectic life or a really ugly view of the next flat. That’s why I’ve always kept a simple garden - even if it’s just a couple of containers outside my front step.

This is my gardening kit; an easy to find, one stop shop for all my flowering needs. The most important thing? My Felco Classic Pruner For Smaller Hands #F-6. I have very tiny hands and these make cutting a breeze whether it’s pruning trees or snipping roses. I’ve had them for about 7 years now and they’re still like brand new (the green ones came with the basket (a kit from Anthropologie) and I couldn’t tell you how they work - they just look awfully pretty where they are).

Years ago I read Paul Hawken’s book, Growing a Business and have since always bought the best tools I could afford so that I only have to buy once and can withstand the terrible disregard I generally put them through. When I had a yard I kept forgetting my shovel out in the ice storm and rain yet that $45 shovel worked perfectly come spring whilst my neighbours $10 special - in the shed - did not. So although I first balked at the cost of my pruners, I smile now every time I use them.

Also in this kit are gloves although truthfully, I don’t wear them much. I’ve bought fancy pairs and a cheap pair are currently in the basket but I often find them more trouble then they’re worth. I don’t mind dirty hands and have no manicure to protect. Also in the kit are a couple of kinds of floral tape (green and brown), twine, silver containers for transporting, and the trowel and shovel. I also use the best organic (local) soil I can get for potting. It’s these basic tools have given me blooms like these:

Most of the time, my plants are in containers since I a. move a lot and b. usually don’t have a yard. And when I did have a yard in Austin, Texas, I actually kept a lot of plants in containers instead of putting them in the ground. This is because ground in Austin is extraordinarily rocky and the soil isn’t very good. So I planted huge shrubs and a couple of trees and mixed in a few smaller bushes and pretty flowers in containers. I made sure that all the plants were native (I asked my local green gardener) so that I wouldn’t have to worry about them surviving the heat and drought.

When I lived in Seattle Washington, things were a little bit easier since anything and everything seems to grow there. I had a very small balcony which I put a lot of containers on to give me privacy from the building across and the parking lot below.

When I looked outside the kitchen, dining or living room, that’s what I saw. It looked anything but urban. And I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed this garden. Hawks, racoons, and blue jays all showed up all the time. It was some kind of nature party.

There are three things I like in my garden: green hedges (Japanese Box Hedges are my favourite - they are so hard to kill), flowers that I can cut and arrange for indoors and flowers that smell amazing like jasmin and gardenias. I’m not a huge rose fan - if a property has them fine but I don’t grow them. I like a simple garden but a full one. That’s the beauty of nature - no plants ever clash. Somehow the colours work and the styles all mesh which is especially important when you have no idea what you’re doing (like me) and just throw containers together. Perhaps one day I’ll learn the scientific names or built the portager, but for now, I’ll keep gardening this way. It’s simple, it works and the pay off is always more than expected.

Great links:

• You Grow Girl
• Diggin’ Food
• How to Build a Kitchen Garden
• Domicile’s Garden Delights
• ReNest’s portable vegetable garden.

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I’ve always been a small space living girl - even when I took on roomates. My best-friend and I once shared a two bedroom, one bath flat with an assortment of people over a 1.5 year period. At most, we had 5 guys, 4 girls and a dog. Yeah, that worked for about 2 months. But when we got rid of everyone, we found that 800 square feet suited us both and all the space we had we used. And that’s when I began to really think not just about square footage, but livable space.

It makes sense; if I’m frugal about what I buy and consume, then I should really be frugal about what I live in.

In the fall of 2006 I purchased my first home; a modest 1000 square feet, two bedrooms, one bath 1941 bungalow. The price I paid was pretty high because I wanted that kind of home in a certain area. When people heard what I’d paid they kept telling me about the 4/2 I could have gotten five miles down the road. And I had looked at those places and each time I thought, I wouldn’t use any of those extra rooms. I don’t have the furniture for anything more. Who’d pay the electricity (this was Austin, Texas where you need to run the air conditioning 24/7 after all). The little home I chose had all the space I needed and didn’t overwhelm me. It also kept me from buying more than I needed because although the rooms were generously sized, there wasn’t a lot of them. I had only what I needed.

However, during this time I was still working in Los Angeles and going back and forth so I took up another home in Santa Monica again last spring in the same building I had lived in before I bought my house. The previous flat was small - unusably small. 700 square feet of pure hell small. Only one closet, no air circulating through because of how the windows were formed and a bedroom that felt like a cave. Don’t get me started on the washroom. So although this one bedroom one bath flat wasn’t all that much smaller than the house, it felt so much more because the space wasn’t designed well. And therefor, it couldn’t be used well.

But I loved the building that the one bedroom was in, I loved the location and I loved my landlords so when I saw the charming 2 bedroom, 1 bath 1300 square foot flat available, I was a smitten kitten. I had been used to living in a home and this flat felt like the closest thing. So many closets, so many windows, a front door, a back door, a hallway! It was the first home I’d actually fallen in love with, that brought out my style, that made me want to stay in on weekends, that instantly put visitors at ease. I was incredibly happy here but in December of last year I decided to move out. Why? I realised that it was too much space for one person and that the cost of rent versus what I was using wasn’t frugal.

The rent was ridiculous, even by Santa Monica standards. With the writers strike going on in LA, I had to really think my finances and ask myself who all this space was for? Was it for me? Although I loved it, the truth was, it just looked great. It looked like a flat I should have. Bigger is better, right? It seemed impressive. But then I asked myself, did I need it? And the answer was no, I didn’t. There was a whole dining area that went unused (and unfurnished) and a living room I almost never sat it. I spent my time either in the office, the bedroom or the kitchen. Actually, I spent most of my time travelling. And yet here I was with this huge flat and a decision to make. So I chose to move out.

Three days before Christmas I took on a Vacation rental which was also a 2/1 but was about 800 square feet. The kitchen was a nightmare to be in because it was so, so, so badly designed (and it was all brand new - they just didn’t think). Though this flat was smaller, it had good storage and I used all of the space I had (including a balcony). This flat taught me that a well designed kitchen is more important than a large one and that closets really are my BFF.

But then it flooded in March and since then I’ve been staying in various hotels around the world (thanks to my work) and in a room at a friends house (where my pets and boxes stay full-time right now). All these rooms average about 300 square feet (except for a couple of amazing suites I must write about here) and despite their small size, they always have what I need - a bed, a desk, a closet and a washroom. Of course, in the hotels I don’t have access to a kitchen which I need but other than that, the small space - if used well - works for me.

So as I begin my flat hunt in earnest, I’ve actually begun to take into consideration studios. I had one I adored in Vancouver, Canada and it was huge (walk in closet and separate kitchen) and I could do that though living in Los Angeles, I get way more company and have to take that into consideration. Guests at this age want privacy - comfort means something very different than it did at 18! But then I saw the layout of <a href=”http://www.hbo.com/city/interiors/carrie.shtml”>Carrie’s Flat from SATC</a> and thought perhaps there could be a work-around.

But in writing out a list of things that are important to me, livable, usable space is definitely at the top. As is lots of natural light, great closet space, hardwood floors, character, usable kitchen counter space and scenery (what do I see when I look out the window). These things weigh more than “Is it a 2 bedroom or 1?” It’s all about what I’ll use and what I love.

I’m frugal so having anything beyond my needs just doesn’t make sense - in clothing, food or square footage.

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• Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies at 101 Cookbooks. I need to figure out how to make these gluten free.
• Rocco Shawl at Tickled Pink Knits Etsy Store. I am in love, love love with this and a few other things in the store.
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Movie Trailer - it looks stunning.
• Someone forward me a link to Dolly Parton’s “Better Get To Living” video after reading my manifesto. If you liked what I wrote, then here’s the theme music!
• Habitat Shoes - Door Sixteen wrote about their shoes and I fell in-love but asked about user experinces with using that company. Kristen from Habitat saw that comment, came to this site and then emailed me a personal note about how her husband and her man the store because they’re passionate about design (and shoes). Talk about customer service. I might just have to up and get a pair of some pretty yellow Campers….

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Photo by my mum.

The shoes on the left were mine when I was about 5 and 6. I wore them everywhere with everything. The pair on the right I picked out on my 10th birthday and I was so excited despite the fact I had a cast on my ankle and had to wait a few months to wear them both (it was worth the wait). These to me are just so Danish - the colour, the style, and the fact that they’re made for every sized person to wear (and to wear with every kind of clothing).

I’ve remained a huge clog fan and still have a few different pairs. My current favourite pair come from El Naturalista (you can see my review on Pet the Pretty Things). My mum loved them so much I bought her a pair as well. These are her go to’s for the 8 hours a day she spends on her feet at a winery.

I’m also loving Born’s new more fashionable looking Anita Clog. Born shoes are my go-to shoes (I’ve three pairs of boots, flip flops and dress shoes that are so comfortable and always compliment inducing). And I like these when I want the feel and support of a clog but perhaps just a little more dressed and a little less traditional.

And when the shoe no longer fits, they make great decor. These have been a staple in my mums entrance way for years no matter where she lives or what her entrance looks like. That, too, is Danish.

(The little thing in the back of the right shoes is a mouse door stop I gave her. It’s from Anthropologie)

Read more if you want to see me as a 5 year old in my clogs.

Solid, Right?

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• Willi talks about how to keep weeds at bay - hire goats!
• Another great LA Times Gardening Article - a No Dig Garden.
• Beautiful watercolour on how to make Sun Tea.
• Renegade Health Show.
• Felicia asks, “Is Google Making Us Stupid” - I read the article she refers to and agree on all levels. I also fear the internet doesn’t actually connect us more but isolates us. It just makes us feel better about it because it tricks us into thinking we’re connected only because we’re plugged into gadgets. I love the internet for so many reasons but really, really question how it affects people in positive ways with regards to community and living.
• Future Derm posts writes why natural skin care isn’t always better. I wouldn’t give up some of my unnatural products (Philosophy’s Real Purity, Jan Marini’s Transformation Serum, La Mer, Skinceuticals CE Ferulic) either but I do try to go natural when it works (Korres Rose Mask, Bare Escentuals Lip Gloss, Everyday Minerals, Dr. Haushka Cleansing Cream).
• 100 Year Old Photoblog.

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While I do travel a lot, it’s always for work or an event. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had an actual vacation. A time when there was nothing to do, no one to see, and it lasted more than an hour. But for someone who loves her work and is self-employed, time off is a rarity (that’s not something one thinks about when they’re in cubicle hell. I had more time off in a full-time job than I ever have on my own).

Two other self-employed women, Emira of Be the Boss of You and Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching, have each just written about the need for time off. And I’ve echoed their words for years but haven’t been able to live it. Each time a trip was planned, I’d ring someone up or I’d turn it into a business trip.

With all the stress of this year, I was in need of some serious R&R and realised instead of preaching the value of time off, I should take my own advice and take one.

Most Danes have a getaway home though they’re almost never fancy. Even in the city of Copenhagen, you will find a colony of little hyttes, basic cabins often with no running water or electricity but a bit of garden space, just so city dwellers have a place to escape to. Most cabins are in the country, near water. I have cousins who have them and they’re very nice modest places that they go to every year. The Danes do know how to relax.

Since I had been in so many hotels this year alone, I didn’t want to take a city escape to yet another fabulous place with room service and people. I wanted something simple, something private, something in nature, something affordable and someplace where I could just be - something like a hytte but with electricity since I needed to cook. I also wanted to be able to take my dog, Jack, and not have to worry. And so began my search for a cabin.

While I didn’t exactly find a cabin, I did find an amazing house in Ukiah in Northern California - the Haiku House. It’s run by Sheep Dung Properties which is a lot nicer than it sounds! The owners created several homes for people who want to get away from it all with their pets. Exactly what I needed.

Set on 800 private acres, the only noise heard at Haiku House was the wind rustling through the trees or wild turkeys. There were no people around, no traffic zooming by, no TV’s blaring. It was serene and peaceful in every way. There was a long, private drive that winded up the mountainside, which, during the day, was perfect for leash-free hikes with Jack.

The house itself was amazing. There are four rooms which would be great for a family or couples sharing but I just had the larger queen room downstairs. Normally I’m not a huge Ikea fan but all the pieces worked really well in this house and kept the feeling of simplicity and airyness. It was very spacious which confused both Jack and I at first - where do we go? So we ran around as music (provided by their iPod and speaker system) played.

What else was provided? A fully equiped state of the art kitchen with everything you could think of (and things I wouldn’t have). I brought in all my food since the point was to get away from it all and not have to go anywhere (and this place being remote, the nearest town was about 1/2hr away). The pots, the pans, the tools were brilliant and made cooking easy and enjoyable (with a view that was to die for). I made tea several times a day, ate outside overlooking the garden and had snacks whilst watching moives on their DVD player at night (in bed!).

There were also lots of baths involved, and so much time spent on the hammock. I definitely need to invest in one as I so did enjoy the view.

I ended up taking the lounging chairs onto the wrap around balcony where I spent a lot of time, as did Jack.

For pets (or kids) this was a nice feature, plus a (small) fenced-in yard in which birds visited and roses bloomed. Having this I didn’t have to worry where Jack was at all, although he just followed me everywhere, including onto the hammock. He was a very, very happy dog and I became a very, very happy relaxed girl.

I actually spent one day in my nightgown, going back and forth between outside and bed. I had brought books to read and did manage a few but truthfully, I just spent a lot of time sleeping and hiking in the evening with Jack (and Jack Rabbits, and deer and those wild turkeys). It was incredibly freeing to not have to see anyone, be anywhere, do anything. No internet, no cell phone, no TV (there was a TV but I only watched some DVD’s). My only chores were to feed us, sleep and pick flowers.

I watched the sun come up each morning and go down each night. I can’t recall the last time I did this.

Leaving was honestly hard to do. I was born on a farm, raised in the country and spent my early twenties living in the Canadian Rockies so I do remote well. But I also do love wearing pretty Anthropologie clothing, going to events and dishing with girlfriends at cafe’s. I haven’t found a place in America yet where I can combine quiet, country life with still being active and modern (this is easily found in Europe, I think). But in any event, it was a nice break, a far too short break, that I’ll have to take more of.

I’ve decided to keep the city-escapes to a minimum for awhile and instead, just live in the city (Santa Monica) and retreat to the country as often as possible. Maybe next time I’ll bring some girlfriends who also need that quiet getaway. Because this was one of the best vacations I’ve had in a long, long time. I came back energised, creative, and passionate about really connecting again and living my manifesto. It seems much easier to do when all the crap is removed from one’s head and all you have coming into it is a lovely view and the chirps of happy birds.

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This weeks discoveries:

• Great Salon article, “We Are What We Buy“
• Makeup Alley: I’ve been a member of this site for years and always check it before buying a product. It has saved me so much money, time, and bad experiences.
• Boss of You video interview. I love these women so much and their book, The Boss of You even more. What really struck me is that they make a point of asking you to define what success means to you. What it looks like. Make it personal.
• The wonderful, female run company, See Jane Work, is having a private 3 day sale on everything (and I’d buy everything!). Just enter “private” upon check out.
• LA Times article on Guerrilla Gardening in LA.
• And lastly, some movies I’ve recently enjoyed (and wasn’t expecting to - they all surprised me): The Orphanage, Lars and the Real Girl, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

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