Daily Life of Crappy Lappy

Sometimes Architecture just gets a little too serious and home made looney toons are the best way to let everything go.. I drew these guys during the school semester when we were busiest. They show Jeremy's key achievements throughout the day ;-)

Greek Dinner

Hosting dinner parties and cooking with exotic themes is one of my favorite things. Last night we had Greek night with pitas, hummus, falafel and tzaziki. It was delicious but took about 3 hours to prepare, even with several people helping, but it was totally worth it!

Hummus Recipe:

(Large portion)
2 cans of chick peas
1 can of white cannellini beans
1 red bell pepper (roasted in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper)
2 garlic cloves
1 table spoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
Juice from half a lemon
Salt and pepper

Put all ingredients in a food processor until it is smooth and creamy.


Falafel Recipe:

3 cans of chick peas
1 handful parsley
1 handful cilantro
1 onion (grounded)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 garlic cloves
Juice from half a lemon
breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Mash chickpeas or put them in a food processor. Chop herbs and add to the chickpea mixture. Add everything else besides form the bread crumbs.  Make little flat balls and roll them in the breadcrumbs. Make sure you "pack" the balls so they don't crumble when you fry them. Fry the falafel balls until they are crisp and golden.


Tzaziki

12 oz or 340g Greek yogurt
1 cucumber
1 garlic clove
Dill
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Chop the cucumber in a blender. Mix all ingredients together. Ready to eat!

Sun, Pool and no School!

It's a steady 30 degrees C and sunny - well, besides from the icy hail last night at the size of maltballs;-/. Although I miss being a bicycle ride from the sea the trade off isn't so bad either. Chillin' by the pool in my new sunnies from Chloé. Stay Cool;-)

DIY - Ipe Dining Table For Zero Dollars

I guess I'm running out of things to post on here because this project is from last fall. I'm enjoying my days off and being lazy by the pool haha... Anyway, this table was almost free because most materials were reclaimed or "donated" leftovers from other projects. Habitat restore or local wood shops are great places to look for deals on wood or other materials.
I started out by stripping the edges of the decking boards so they lined up perfectly. Then glued them together and clamped them for a day or two. I thought I could sand the surface by hand like I've done before with other woods, but Ipe is extremely dense and hard and demands a lot more horsepower than my little arms. Instead I ran it through a drum sander, which made the top completely smooth. Then oiled it, which made it darker and more even toned as well as giving it protection from general usage. The legs, which is one large piece of Ipe, was attached with a simple stainless steel L-bracket. Hurra cheap kitchen table!

Life is Sweet

Life just looks a little sweeter from this angle (right dad?!) This weekend I'll be going to a family graduation and birthday party and decided to bring a cake. It's a carrot cake with cream cheese butter frosting and marcipan roses. I bought these rose bases (pictured), which makes them super easy to make. Just roll flat circles around the base until it looks good:-) Have a sweet friday!

Modeling - Bending Wood

This conceptual model was a project for a beach pavilion my sophomore year of college. It was probably my first  successful model in bending and manipulating wood. If the wood is reasonably thin (1/62" - 1/16" - plus you can layer it) you don't need a fancy vacuum press or a bunch of chemicals, just warm water and a little "massaging"- . When it is in position, tape it or clamp it down and let dry overnight. When it dries, it dries stiffer and is more likely to break than before.

The Fun Bun

This reverse french braid adds a little fun to a regular bun. It's a bit difficult to do on yourself but it helps if you stand up side down so the hair doesn't get in the way of braiding...

Last Year's School Project - Design and Build

                             

Last year's project was a group project in a design and build studio. We learned how to work with metal, how to weld, wire lights and how to work on larger scale construction. The Hexagon structure is an adjustable facade that moves both vertically and horizontally creating a different facade look from the outside as well as a different viewing frame from the inside. It also casts playful shadows that move two ways. Everything is custom made and designed, even the hinges.

DIY Project - Origami Bracelet

Inspired by the book Folding Techniques For Designers, I started folding a bunch of these and decided to turn one of them into a bracelet. I painted it, which added structure as it got wet and dried stiff and then I added a silver clasp... I've posted the folding pattern if anyone is interested in trying it out. The blue lines are valley folds and the green lines are mountain folds. The pattern can be stretched for different variations.

As promised, here is my super amateur tutorial :-) Let me know if you have any more questions.

Creative Books

Got some new books for creative inspiration this semester, but I never really had time to look at them until now.. They are all really good:-)

Marcipan Muffins

I recently got a mold for making flowers and leaves. It's intended for fondant but I thought why not use it for marcipan; it tastes a lot better too. I added the molded flower to the top of the muffins before I put them in the oven, but unfortunately they slit off to the side as the muffins grew.. but hey at least they taste delicious:-)

Recipe

135 g sugar

150 g soft butter

3 large eggs

150 g marcipan

1/2 dl milk
150 g flour

1tsk baking powder 

Mix sugar and butter. Add one egg at a time.

Shred chunky pieces of marcipan on a grater into the dough. 

Add flour and baking powder and stir until smooth.

Bake at 400 F in approximately 20. min or until they are golden.

Opskrift 

135 g sukker

150 g blødt smør eller margarine

3 store æg

150 g marcipan

1/2 dl mælk

150 g mel

1 tsk bagepulver

Sukker og smør røres sammen.

Tilsæt 1 æg ad gangen.

Riv marcipanen groft og rør den i dejen.

Mel og bagepulver blandes og røres i dejen.

Mælken røres i – og dejen røres jævn.

Bages ved 200 grader celsius i ca. 20 minutter eller til de er gyldne.

Day In KC

Yesterday I spent the day in KC with Bree and Jesse. Went to the Farmers Market and got some delicious veggies and fruit. Goofed around at the Nelson Atkins Museum and had the best crepes at Chezelle.. Also finished off the day with a little bit of shopping at the Plaza.. What better way to celebrate that school is out :-) Happy Weekend!

More Rendering

Here is another image from my New Orleans Project showing the lobby / exhibition / gathering space.

Photoshopaholic

Photoshop is my favorite editing program. This is a render that I did for the New Orleans Project. Considering making a tutorial as soon as I have time... People, materials and vegetation really makes the image or the architecture come alive!

Field Across The Street

There is a large area full of tall grass and weeds across from our apartments . Wonder what will happen to the space. I think it would be ideal for a student housing development..

Sunsets Around the World

                                          Kolding, Denmark - Winter 2011

                                          Chicago, USA - Spring 2011

                                          Aegina, Greece - Summer 2011

                                          Athens, Greece - Summer 2011

                                          Samsø, Denmark - Winter 2010

                                          Samsø, Denmark - Winter 2010

                                          Aegina, Greece - Summer 2011

                                          New York, USA - Summer 2011

                                          Trieste, Italy - Summer 2011

                                          Small town, Germany - Summer 2011

When I create renderings I often spend hours looking for a sky that will compliment my building.. These are some of my favorite photographs of sunsets that I have taken while traveling.(no photoshopping)

Jewelry On My Mind

I am so excited to start my Jewelry class in June... This triple ring combination by Andrea Morgan, a KU student, is absolutely gorgeous! I want it please:-)

$100 Model

This is the model that I was offered a $100 for at my final review. Made of  layered matboard, nothing much really. So I'm pretty excited :-)

School Project in New Orleans

Finally finalizing my semester project; A Documentary Center located by the Mississippi River in the Bywater Neighborhood in New Orleans. More images to come!

Yes! Summer Sandals

Love my new summer wedges in size 4m / 34 from www.nordstrom.com