Showing posts with label Williams-Sonoma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Williams-Sonoma. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Day 260. Pistachio Croissant Love & One Hot Frozen Story

"It" was going to happen.

They had met at a college party the night before.  Someone had complained about the décor in their recycled apartment, and Stefan had said, "that's nothing, my kitchen colors are pistachio."

A beautiful girl in a mini-dress, holding a plastic cup of warm beer said, "Pistachio is my favorite color."

Their eyes met.

"In fact," she continued, "it's also my favorite flavor."  More twinkling eye signals were darted his way.

It was as if the skies had parted and the moonlight was shining down just on him.  His mother had brought him a box of frozen pistachio croissants from Williams-Sonoma last weekend.  They had had two, but she told him to keep the rest.  His fortune was too bizarre to be true. 

He moved closer to his conquest.  Her name was Victoria.  His eyes widened; Victoria would soon be his victory.  He couldn't help that he thought this way.  He was only 22-years-old with raging hormones, and this chic was h-o-t, hot!  She told him that he looked like Johnny Iuzzini, with his Elvis-like sideburns.  He didn't know who she was talking about.  He lied, and told her that he was told that all the time.

"Are you a famous pastry chef like him, too?"

Oh, a pastry chef!  This whole situation was kismet!

"Why yes, as a matter of fact, I can make you some delicious homemade, pistachio croissants if you want."  He looked at her meaningfully and said, "Come to my apartment and see for yourself.  You won't regret it."

She paused for a moment.  "I can't tonight."  Without missing a beat he invited her to come the next night.  This time, she agreed.

Stefan was in a flurry of activity the next day.  He cleaned his apartment from top to bottom.  He made sure his roommates were kicked out and had promised not to return that night.  He read up on Johnny Iuzzini--he had barely made it out of that lie intact.  He would be ready for any conversation on pâtisserie and viennoiserie should it come up!

Victoria finally arrived, the dance of seduction continued into the evening, until she slyly asked, "How about those pistachio croissants?"

"Coming right up,"  he laughed.

He went into the kitchen to put the gems of delight into the oven and...HORROR!!!!  He had forgotten to take them out of the freezer to let them rise for 8 hours!  He had put them on their cookie sheet, but must have become distracted thinking of his evening to come, and had put them BACK in the freezer.  Oh, no!  He desperately grabbed one and tried to warm it in his hand.  Solid as a rock!  Here he had the egg on the counter, ready to mix up an egg wash to give those babies a golden brown Parisian glaze, and it wasn't going to happen.

She appeared in the doorway and said in a low purr, "I'll be ready for you after our dessert."  He glanced over at her sexy stance in his doorway.  He'd have to throw them in the oven as is.  When they didn't rise, he'd have to blame it on faulty yeast.  He usually didn't lie so much, but his pistachio fate had gotten him this far, only to cruelly betray him.  A lie it would be.  Besides, he boasted to himself, he'd be better in the bedroom than in this kitchen.



Thursday, September 5, 2013

Day 254. Van Gogh & Picasso Go to Williams-Sonoma

No, the above title is not the beginning line of a joke.  That darn Project Runway--I had to watch it, and draw while I watched it. Tonight is my late night at work followed by a Friday early morning rise so I had to work while I could.  Here's some sketches of these great artists, two of my very favorite (I tried to draw them in their own artistic style) on a Williams-Sonoma bag.  Below is the olive oil that had come in it.  It was on sale, because it was soon to expire, but it's still mighty delicious.

Thanks, Williams-Sonoma, for the art paper supply. (-;




 Olive oil was the instrument of my drawing paper delivery.






Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Day 2. A Love Story ($15) and George Harrison

I've had a leftover piece of cardboard sitting around for quite awhile.  I liked the shape of it--it was from a box flap of a Williams-Sonoma "Baked" mix.  (You know, Baked, right?  Matt Lewis' and Renato Poliafito's fantastic bakery in Brooklyn-- http://www.bakednyc.com/.)  Anyway, I saved this little piece of cardboard. I had bought a paper puncher that made little curly-q designs, and I tried it out on the cardboard.  Interesting I thought.  I decided to paint it lime green, but still didn't know where it was heading. Finally, about 8 months later, and sick of it hanging around in its mostly naked state, I painted it on either side and strung it up.  It is now a love story.

Natasha:  "Reginald, I love you for your killer sideburns and your fabulous purple, Prince-like jacket that would look fabulous on me."


Reginald:  "Natasha, I love you for your Angelina Jolie-like jawline and for your purple eyeshadow which matches my purple, Prince-like jacket--complete with hanky.  We're made for each other."

People have made relationships out of less... (-;

On another note, I just happened to catch Martin Scorsese's HBO documentary, "George Harrison:  Living in the Material World" from 2011. It's the 3rd time I've seen it, but it captivates me as if it's completely brand new.  Sometimes I sit and draw images/faces while I watch a movie.  They are fast sketches and because the film's images are moving so quickly, often a sketch will contain several different shots of one person or different features of several people.  In one of my drawings, I have a cap of Yoko Ono, a body and chair out of my imagination, and a pattern from the quick shot of a doorway.

The documentary, (both parts I and II), is so beautiful.  The largest gift I get from it is George's search for getting something deeper than material things out of this journey on earth.  His yearning to connect with a pathway that leads to enlightenment, whatever that may mean to each of us, and which for him was being a spiritual being.  I find great comfort in his matter-of-fact stance that everything must change.  "You have to change.  That's what the physical world is about," he says. 

So, when I'm sad as I watch things slip away, people move away, I'm going to try to remember his calm belief in the fact that "All Things Must Pass."