Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano

Welp. The holidays have come and gone, and then some. I got to go home for a ridiculously short vacation for Christmas, where I got an awesome present: a vintage-design Imperia pasta machine!

The downside: that baby weighs about twenty pounds and couldn't make the trip in my suitcase to Cayman after Christmas, so it's hanging out in Alabama for a little while.

The solution: frantically purchase ingredients and force feed your family copious amounts of pasta on your last night in town.

The result: behold! My first fancy-edited GoPro video. As if I don't look nerdy enough standing on chairs to photograph almost everything I bake or consume, I jerry-rigged a camera to my head with a backwards headlamp. No one was at all surprised. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, 
A

A Big Move to Island Life

Oh, hi!

It has been far too long of a while since my last post. Remember when I ended by saying that I had "a busy couple of weeks coming up," and I wasn't sure when you'd next hear from me? Well, I wasn't kidding. Here's a really quick, get-up-to-speed rundown of events since Aug. 22 of 2013. 

• 8 days later :: I flew from Atlanta to Milwaukee, and finally let this wonderful guy steal my heart :) Sappy, I know, sorry...ish. Commencement of long distance relationship!
• 5 days later than that :: I flew to Grand Cayman and interviewed for a design job. 
• 4 days later :: I had the job...and then onset anxiety and stress because holy doodoo I was moving out of the country any day now.
• Two weeks passed and my best friends got married and there was a whole lot of "EVERYONE IS GROWING UP AND DISAPPEARING" running through my head.

I moved my things from Atlanta back home to Birmingham while awaiting Cayman Islands Immigration clearance (an absolute nightmare), and then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. 

"Good things come to those who wait." All I got were migraines. 

Finally, I became a resident of the Cayman Islands on Nov. 15 and started my new job 3 days later, and it's been busy! I've had a lot of visitors and then was spoiled to get to spend almost 3 months in the Caribbean with my guy :) I've probably logged at least 48 hours of snorkel time, and my freckles have multiplied (my tan, not so much -____- ).

      

I've also been taking a lot more pictures, mostly on the subject of food. Food is a big thing here, especially on Sundays.  Sundays become a weird brunch-ghost-town. Nothing is open except restaurants, and almost every restaurant on-island has a Sunday Brunch event where you eat fancy little things and drink bottomless mimosas, and then you go to bars and keep drinking to ensure hatred of yourself on Monday morning.  I can't keep up with all that.  I eat the fancy little things, usually at a table for one, and I photograph every single cup and plate. 
It started as an Instagram restaurant-journal-of-sorts, but then I needed more. I started actually READING my cookbooks. Seriously, follow along with your imagination here: hot Caribbean sun in the sky, waves crashing, toes in the sand, cookbook in hand << that dork is me (and sitting next to me is some hunky nerd tinkering with a million GoPro gadgets).
So, I'm learning how to properly roll dough and fold ingredients and pair flavors, and SOMETIMES I'm not EVEN using a recipe. I'm also around food all day at work (this is a terrible, terrible thing). Every time I think about buying something, Lemon Shortbread Cookies for instance, I decide that I'd like to learn how to bake them instead. My new motto :: BAKE, COOK, AND EAT ALL THE THINGS! or something like that.

So anyway, what do I plan to do with these new-found interests? I don't know. I know that I'm pretty dang good at taking pictures of food, and that my food is delicious, if I may toot my own horn. I'm still sketching clocks and doodads, though materials for prototyping are too expensive when you live on a speck of dirt in the ocean, and I'm still doing Frootshoots. To hopefully not sound super cheesy, you could say I'm still Designing Amanda. I'll make an effort to post more often, and we'll just have to see where that takes me! If you'd like to follow along in real-time, follow me on Instragram @amandapandamania and you can accuse me of eating too much and constantly making you hungry :)
I've got three tropical Frootshoots locked and loaded, but we'll save those for the next post. 

Stay tuned!
A

Shootin' some more froots.

Here are three more froot-shoots; strange fruits, I might add. 

Kiwano Melon

Often times referred to as blowfish fruit, this fruit is super funky and difficult to enjoy, but yummy nonetheless.  Similar to the way you eat a pomegranate - seed by messy seed, spitting out each pit - it takes a while to eat a Kiwano Melon.  You cut the fruit in half (hamburger), and then suck out some seed pods. The seeds are surrounded by a gel-capsule-of-sorts that slimes its way around your mouth until you separate it from the flimsy little seed inside.  You can either spit the seed out or swallow it.   
Native to Africa, but grown now in California, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, this fruit (to me) tasted like a combination of cucumber and banana. 
Fun fact ::  Along with the Gemsbok Cucumber, the Kiwano Melon is the only source of water during the dry season in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. 
Source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumis_metuliferus and my brain.

Dragonfruit

Probably Khaleesi's favorite, Dragonfruit is one of the prettiest fruits both inside and out. However, this does NOT mean it tastes good.  These fruits grow from flowers on Pitaya Cacti, and come in three common varieties :: white-fleshed, red-fleshed or yellow. These cacti grow in hot and dry areas, and cannot withstand cold temperatures. 
The flesh is often likened to kiwi because of the small, crunchy black seeds, however the taste is like a very very bland melon.  I've had this one before; didn't like the first time, thought I'd give it another shot, still didn't like it. Sorry, Khaleesi, your fruit is no good.
Fun fact :: Dragonfruit can weigh from 0.3 to 1.5 pounds; some may reach 2.25 pounds.
Source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya and my brain.

Rambutan



These guys look creepy, I know, but they are delicious. The word "Rambutan" in the Malay/Indonesian language means "hairy."  You can find these fruits growing on trees in Indonesia and Malaysia and Southeast Asia.  Having only longer spines, or "hairs," rambutan are very similar in appearance and taste to lychee. 
To enjoy a rambutan, break the outer skin with your fingernail (or with a knife if your fingernails seem to frequently disappear like mine c: ) and peel away that crazy outer shell.  Imagine that you peeled all the skin off of a grape, and that the grape is white. This is what awaits you inside that weird hairy shell.  Also, there is a giant seed in the middle of that not-grape, so don't just pop it into your mouth.  
Fun fact :: A yellow variety of Rambutan grows in Costa Rica, and is often referred to as "Wild Rambutan."
Source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan and my brain.

That's all folks! I've got a busy busy couple of weeks coming up, so I don't know when you'll next hear from me. c:

Thanks for reading,
A

Where have you BEEN, Amanda??

I have been so stinkin' busy since my last post!  As the job search continues, as does my semi-unemployment.  I took an off-and-on summer nanny position that calls for 11 hours of my day.  That took up 3 weeks in May and this past week.

So what about June, hmmm?  In June, I worked for a Chicago-based gift and decor company called Enesco.  I have been working as a freelance designer for them since May, sending in sketch concepts of merchandising displays to one supervisor, and new-product packaging and displayers to another.  In June, however, I worked alongside four other designers at the Enesco showroom in America's Mart in downtown Atlanta.  We worked to create displays in a showroom FULL of brands like GUND, Foundations, Jim Shore, Vera, and new brands Cuipo and Happy Place.  Below is a picture I found on Enesco's Facebook page of the Happy Place display that I put together.

The idea behind these displays is to help a buyer envision the way that a certain brand could look in their store - to have that vision look so awesome and cutting-edge that they just HAVE to have it. America's Mart is the market to shop new merchandise and apparel in the southeast, and I feel very lucky to have had the month-long opportunity. 

I'll keep this post short and sweet, but I am going to leave you with two Froot-Shoots that I shot back in May.  There has been quite the delay in posting them! Behold, Mango and Pineapple.  (Pineapple may be my favorite layout thus far.)

Thanks for keeping up!
A   :)

Coming Soon :: A Birthday Party

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Portfolio, Photography and Resume|Bio tabs.]

This past weekend, before high-tailing it down to Auburn University for one last roll of The Oaks, I shot pictures for a cute little 1st birthday party.  Here is a little preview of my next post.

One of my previous shots of little Ward was used on this very well-designed invitation; I was so flattered! [For privacy, I had to butcher the invitation a little, but the general idea is there.]

This is the first time I've specifically taken pictures of little babies.  Let me tell you,  it makes for some ridiculously big smiles on my face while editing.  :)

Stay tuned for more in about a week!

A

Fruit Dissections :: Some more.

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Portfolio, Photography and Resume/Bio tabs.]

Here are my latest installments to the Fruit Dissection Collection.  This week's Fruit-Shoot consisted of some funky fruits!  My roommate discovered a really awesome farmer's market (Buford Hwy Farmer's Market in Doraville, GA), so we went to check it out last weekend.  

It is a GIANT market with shelves upon shelves of foreign, exotic foods.  There was a Hispanic section, an Eastern European section, an Asian section, and SUPER fresh seafood (stinky!) and produce; not to mention, spices galore and an organic-health-nut section. 

Since we had never heard of this first fruit, here are some Wiki tidbits in case you haven't either.  

 The Cherimoya (also spelled Chirimoya) is native to the Andes, and can be found in Southern regions of Central and South America, South Asia and Southern California.  The fruit grows on small trees and reaches sizes between 7-15 cm long.  It is ripe when the skin is green and gives slightly to pressure, similar to an avocado. (I know this because I eat avocado now.)

The name originates from the Quechua word "chirimuya," meaning "cold seeds" because the seeds will germinate at higher altitudes.  These are REALLY big, dark seeds that are easy to remove, but there are a ton of them.  The flesh of the fruit is a creamy-white color with a mango-like texture.  There are a lot of opinions on the taste; I thought it was like a pineapple-banana mix.  Others say it tastes like a blend of papaya and peach as well or, strangely, commercial bubblegum. 

Note :: the seeds are poisonous if crushed open. Don't chew on them.  Also, extracts from the cherimoya's tree-bark can induce paralysis if injected into the blood-stream.  Who knew? 

Mark Twain called the Cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men."

Red Plum.

Blood Orange.

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Spring day!

A

Ounces and Cups and Spoons

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio, Photography or Resume/Bio tabs.]

April is here! Hopefully you all didn't fall for any ridiculously obvious April Fool's jokes. (I know I did :: Google Nose posting before US midnight - C'MON!)

Today's post is short an' sweet.  

I have seen a few graphically pleasing kitchen conversion charts, and decided to tweak one of my favorites to make it my own.  I call it "Ounces and Cups and Spoons."  Take a gander below, and let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading!

A

Fruit Dissections :: An On-Going Project

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio, Photography and Resume/Bio tabs.]  

March has come and gone quickly, and I've been busy busy.  Since my last post, I have been doing approximately one fruit-shoot a week.  

Fruit-shoot (/fro͞ot - SHo͞ot/) noun :: Amanda's term for a photo-shoot during which one dissects various fruits through photographic analysis.  This process often advances to hours of editing in Photoshop followed by photo-selection before creating a graphically-pleasing collage in InDesign.

This post isn't quite as complete as I had imagined it being, but I didn't want to not have any posts for the month.  Consider this an on-going project, and I will be uploading more as I have time. Enjoy! [Click thumbnails to view full-screen.]

Banana.

 

 Apple.

 

 

 Strawberry.

 

 Kiwi.

 

Keep posted either here or on my Flickr page for more! I've got pomegranate and blood orange up to bat. c:

Thanks for reading!

A

A Cafe Interior

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio and Resume/Bio tabs.] 

One day last week, I started to draw the layout of what I hope will one day be an awesome store where I sell my own products, after having manufactured them in my shop out back, after having designed them in my window-walled studio upstairs via a spiral staircase.  A girl can dream, right?

I also plan for this place to have a cafe featuring my BFF's recipes.  For the sake of the blog, and not completely publishing our awesome idea, I decided to do a post concerning only the cafe and hang-out area of the establishment.  The following images are guidelines for the layout, color scheme and overall vibe of the unnamed cafe (to be honest, we've thought of a very cute name, but I'm keeping it under wraps).  

The more I designed, the more I exclaimed loudly in my best Liz Lemon expression, 
"I want to go to there."

Quick Floor Plan

I know that this is usually the job of an Interior Designer, but who doesn't like shopping and piecing together a color palette? I started picking out my furnishings for the cafe, the outdoor patio and the lounge.

Larger View of Floor Plan with Call-outs

Cafe View

There you have it!  Perhaps you've just had a glimpse into what will someday be my cafe + design shop.

By the way, a little explanation on my fixation of manufacturing and selling my own product in-house:  In the field of design, I feel like so much is disposable and wasted these days.  I am really striving to be a part of something that is treasured and lasts for a while, rather than ending up in a junk pile in the garage after a season.  In my dream-job-search, I've narrowed that passion down to two possible dream-positions.  One being to design and sell individually-crafted products, perhaps with a small local firm, or to work at a multidiscipilnary firm alongside Architects, Interior Designers and Graphic Designers to design custom, specialty spaces [this project began to explore that].

Thanks for reading! Check out my resume and work in the above tabs!

List of Furnishings by Space ::
Cafe and Patio ::
Magnus Stained Chair - Restoration Hardware [9 Indoor / 20 Outdoor]
Bertoia Bar Chair - Knoll Studio  [10]
Min Table (Sm) - Design Within Reach [3]
Petal Dining Table - Design Within Reach [5]
Copper Shade Pendant - Tom Dixon at Lumens.com [3]
Clear Globe Pendant - West Elm [6]
Scrapwood Wallpaper - Peit Hein Eeek [Sq. Footage of Floating Wall]
Corian Solid Surface "Designer White" - DuPont [Bar]
Corian Solid Surface "Ethereal Azure" - DePont [Cafe Register/Coffee Counters]
Outdoor patio to be stone laid in radial pattern with moss between cracks 

Lounge ::
10' Lancaster Sofa in Brompton Cocoa Leather - Restoration Hardware [1]
Professor's Chair in Brompton Cocoa Leather - Restoration Hardware [4]
Contemporary Block Coffee Table in White - Furniture Depot [1]
Immer White Wood and Steel End Table - Casual Home Furnishings [2]
96" Boulangerie Extension Dining Table - Restoration Hardware [1]
Copper Shade Pendant - Tom Dixon at Lumens.com [2]
Magnus Stained Chair - Restoration Hardware [10]
Bertoia Bar Chair - Knoll Studio  [9]
Corian Solid Surface "Designer White" - DuPont [Bar Along Window]

Entry / Throughout ::
Bocci Suspension Lamp - Houzz [Entry]
Tobacco Road Acacia Handscraped Wood Flooring - Lumber Liquidators 
Brick Arches painted in an Antique White similar to Magnus Chair Stain

**Again, a girl can dream, right? What's a budget? =p

-A