winter time

Posted by miss alix – 25 Jan ’12

It was a real treat to visit Park City and experience some real winter. It was snowy and cold and beautiful. We didn’t make any snowmen or throw snowballs but we did walk around as snowflakes wafted gracefully down on us. It left me dreaming of snuggling up in a cozy cabin, shutting out the rest of the world.

We also dug my car out of the snow (twice!) and had one of the scariest drives ever down from Park City to Salt Lake on an icy road, so I guess it wasn’t all magic. I suppose it’s easy to be romantic about winter when it’s 80 degrees here in Los Angeles. What do you think, do you love snow?

Goodbye AltSummit

Posted by miss alix – 25 Jan ’12


At the moment Shawn and I are driving down the I-15 South heading back to Los Angeles. (Don’t worry, I’m not driving.) Nearly this whole drive I’ve been thinking about what I would say about my experience at AltSummit. It would be easy to simply say it was life changing but the fact is that it was a big part of changes that have been in motion for quite some time now. It wasn’t so much that it gave me a new path but instead it gave my path a direction.

I’ve had this blog for a long time now and it’s been many things: a place for recipes, a place for wedding planning, a place to share photos and a place to connect with people out there in the world. It’s never had a specific thing it’s supposed to be, it just is whatever I want it to be at the time, which is fine. I’ve love this blog and it’s so important to me and all the things I learned at AltSummit really clarified for me what I want this space to be.

I’m not going to tell you all my plans all at once, but I will share that Cute and Delicious will be very much the same, just with more awesome. A new look is even on the way.

Besides all the thoughtful talks I heard and things I learned, by far the best part was meeting so many amazing, warm, eager, open-hearted and inspiring women. It’s one thing to connect with people through the web but being able to meet people in person to solidify relationships and make new friends in real life really just meant more to me than I can say. Everyone’s enthusiasm sparked something inside me and filled me with such happiness.

I’ll share a little more in detail what I learned this week. Then I need to get to the other half of our amazing weekend: Sundance! Fun things. For now, here are a few photos from Alt!

off to alt

Posted by miss alix – 17 Jan ’12

In approximately 4.5 hours I’ll be getting up to drive to Salt Lake City to go to Alt Summit and then to Sundance. At this moment, I’m nervous and a tiny bit stressed with what needs to happen before we hit the road. At the same time, I’m really excited beyond belief to meet people whose blogs I’ve admired from afar or those who I chat with on twitter. This weekend is going to be filled with two of my favorite things, blogging and films. Pretty much it’s a dream come true. I have a feeling this may be one of those life altering moments.

Anyway, not much to say as I have to get back to packing but I just wanted to say, if you’re going to be at Alt or Sundance this weekend and you see me, please say hi. I’d love to meet you.

black bass hotel

Posted by miss alix – 15 Jan ’12





In exploring Pennsylvania, we were brought to The Black Bass Hotel in Lumberville. In an area rich with revolutionary history, this hotel sided with the British and still boasts a decor reflecting this. The bar held giant displays filled with china and memorabilia dedicated to the royal families through the years. It was beautiful.

i’m in veggie heaven

Posted by miss alix – 10 Jan ’12








I keep trying to come up with the words to describe how totally in love with Veggie Heaven I am, but I think it’s fairly clear from the photos how utterly amazing this restaurant is. It’s a little spot in New Jersey we go to whenever we’re in the area (which is not all that often). We visited this year the day after Christmas and the whole place was packed. I’m sure you can imagine why; vegan sushi. We’re not talking about your average cucumber rolls and tofu tempura. They have spicy “tuna” rolls, seitan eels rolls and a bunch of fancy combos like the Dynamite Roll. Every dish is just spot on for flavor and while there are tons of vegan offerings here in Los Angeles, there really is just nothing that satisfies my sushi cravings like Veggie Heaven.

pizza love

Posted by miss alix – 8 Jan ’12










This past Saturday was Shawn’s birthday. To celebrate, we ate lots and lots of pizza (and made ice cream sundaes, but that’s for later). We had pizza with cashew cheese, with teese, with follow your heart and pizza with daiya. There was buffalo chicken pizza with ranch dressing, pear and truffle oil pizza, pepperoni pizza, avocado pizza and many variations in between. Though there were many kinds, we kept each pizza simple by using only a few topping on each one. I think there were also about 3 pizza ideas that never made it to the table, but we’ll just have to make those next time.

So much pizza. So much delicious pizza.

What’s your favorite kind of pizza?

2011 in Review

Posted by miss alix – 1 Jan ’12

Here I am, snuggled up on the couch, with my little cats, and the sun shining in over my shoulder. I’m welcoming 2012 with open arms. I feel as if there is a new hope and openness with the turn of the year and I am trying to embrace it with hard work and creativity. In moving forward, I also think it’s important to look back and to find your current place. So here is a glimpse at all the wonderful things that happened in 2011.

cream and sugar

January was filled mostly with wedding planning. I sent out our handmade book wedding invitations. My mother and her friends threw me a beautiful bridal tea party filled with exquisite china and scones. We also celebrated vegan pizza day. Yum!

February was the month we got married. So that was the best ever.

We started March on our honeymoon in New Zealand. We hung out with alpacas, went camping and hiking and had an amazing time. When we got back, I introduced you to these little creatures in our home and we made toadstool terrariums. I also shared photos from our rehearsal party with Seabirds Truck and took you all on the adventure of making our wedding cakes.

In April I finally was able to share the beautiful photos from our wedding. We found a new place to live, packed, moved and then had a huge, wonderful, fancy Easter brunch.

bread!

In May I did a lot of cooking. I made fresh bread, chocolate chip cookies, and mint infused vodka. I also finally got my own camera. We celebrated Memorial day with BBQ and s’mores.

tofu pesto sandwich & soup

In June a tragic thing happened, our favorite restaurant, Pure Luck, closed its doors forever. We went to the second Vegan Beer Fest, ate awesome food and sampled a ton of great beers. Kim and I launched A Moveable Feast, a vegan secret supper club. I started making our wedding quilt, even though I’d never made a quilt before. I started writing a little bit more about films I love like The Piano and A Woman Under the Influence.

red white and blue cake

July was filled with fun events. We attended the Renegade Craft Fair in downtown Los Angeles. Plant Based Parties had a kickoff dinner and we sampled some great vegan delicacies.  To top it off, we threw a Batman birthday party for Shawn’s brother, Kyle.


August was exciting because I performed my first aerial silk routine since I was a teenager (and even posted a video). I made possibly my favorite pizza ever. There was a little glimpse into our home and some of our collections. Not to mention, Kim and I pulled off an amazing Spanish style secret supper.

In September, I finally shared a few rooms of our home, including the bedroom and dining room. I made some more crazy dishes like fried green tomatoes and vegan nutella.

October was huge. To start it off right, we went to the horrorthon at the New Beverly. Our film, Brainwashed Love, was in the LA Femme Film Fest. I made lentil loaf. I decorated the mantle with smiling pumpkins and made cute bat cupcakes. Then of course we had our 4th Annual Halloween Horror Movie Marathon, which was crazy and a huge success. Plus, I made Shawn his very own black velvet cape.

November held some life-changing experiences. We had a fantastic Thanksgiving at Madeleine Bistro. I turned 28. We went to AFI Fest and saw some of my favorite films of the year including Snowtown, Oslo August 31 and Kill List. It was so inspiring to see such well crafted films. Then, we went to our dear friends’ wedding in Ojai, which I attempted to dye a dress brown for.

And finally we’re in December. This past month was full of celebrations for holidays and friends. I finally finished our wedding quilt. We went on a really nice little trip to Palm Springs. I got a surprise delivery from a new friend. Last, but not least, we spent the holidays on the East Coast with Shawn’s family and had quite the adventure. I’ll get to share some tidbits from that over the next few days including some fantastic restaurants we went to.

Looking back, this past year has been filled with wonder. I feel truly lucky and fulfilled. I can’t wait for what this year brings, as there is so much in the works. I’m nearing the finish of writing our second feature film, a psychological thriller set in the woods, that I’m so excited about and honestly really proud of. Both Shawn and I have a few short projects that we’re going to put together as our major goal of the year is to make more films. We’ll be going to at least two film festivals in the next few months and in just a few weeks I’ll be attending Altitude Design Summit. Major stuff. I love it. Hooray for 2012!

farewell 2011

Posted by miss alix – 31 Dec ’11

The end of the year is truly upon us and only a few hours remain of 2011. It seems everyone is excited about the new year and things to come as am I. 2011 was a major turning point for me as it is the year that Shawn and I got married. A lot of other cool stuff happened too. I see a little roundup of the year coming in next few days.

I’m sure that 2012 is going to hold many magical things as we already have a few things planned, and after our little winter vacation I’m feeling inspired and content.

Generally speaking I’m not much of a resolution type of girl, but I do have a few this year, both big and small. On the small end, I want to keep track of the films that we watch this year, so I can look back at the end of the year. On the slightly bigger end, one of my other goals is to live life more simply.

Many things will be happening on the blog in the next few weeks. I have lots of lovely photos from our recent trip to share and hopefully there will be a bit of a redesign in the near future.

Wishing you you all a wonderful new year!

Much love,
Alix

special delivery

Posted by miss alix – 21 Dec ’11


A few weeks ago, this lovely Bunny organized a gift exchange for any bloggers/twitterers who were so inclined to participate. I jumped at the chance to join in and give something to one of the internet folk who I chat with on a regular basis. I was excited to give a gift to someone I admired or perhaps find someone new out there on the web to appreciate. Everything was chosen at random, but I have to say, I got really lucky. While I was extra enthused about the giving aspect, I didn’t think too much about the receiving half. Until last a few nights ago.

On Monday night, in the midst of busying myself with last minute pre-holiday things, the doorbell rang. When I opened it, much to my surprise, there stood Becca with a gift in hand. Strangely, I immediately knew who she was and was filled with happiness and excitement. Just by chance, my gift giver is my sort of neighbor.

On top of meeting someone with a blog I admire, I got a really adorable gift. How cute are these owl pot holders? LOVE THEM.

Then yesterday, I saw this post from Liz about the gift I sent her as my part of the exchange. So much happiness.

As a girl, who’s always been a little shy and introverted in real life, it brings me so much gladness to have found people on the the internet to relate to. I am thankful that I am able to connect with people out there who inspire me and have been able to turn that into genuine friendships. I know it sounds pretty sappy but I feel like many of the writers of blogs that I read and readers of this blog are my dear friends, even if we’ve never met.

So thanks for being here, you all really mean the world to me.

palm springs

Posted by miss alix – 19 Dec ’11












With the last few posts having their fair share of words, I thought it might be nice to balance things with some photos. We spent the weekend with my dad in Palm Springs on a mini vacation for all of us. We walked around, took lots of photos and ate some surprisingly good food. It was good to have a change of pace and get away from home even if just for a day or two. It was quiet and relaxing and I hope we’ll get to go back in the future for a longer stay. Shawn discovered that we were staying at the hotel where Frank Capra wrote It’s a Wonderful Life. Wouldn’t it be lovely to spend some time in such a tranquil setting, just writing? I think so.

pretty bits

Posted by miss alix – 15 Dec ’11



As the end of the year approaches, things start to get a little batty. There is the nervous anticipation of holidays and vacation and the possibilities of all that the new year could bring. There’s also lots of work. Finishing many things and tying up loose ends on projects and gift hunting and holiday decorating. For me there are numbers and spreadsheets and bills and late hours at work for everything must be finished before the clock strikes twelve on December 31st (actually days before that). Things are moving quickly and while there is lots of stress there is a sort of glee in it all too.

I’m looking forward to having some free time, to letting my brain relax and take in what’s around me instead of focusing on deadlines and things that must be done. I’m looking forward to doing some traveling and seeing places outside of Los Angeles. Is it really possible we haven’t left this city since our honeymoon? I feel like I need a reset on my brain, as it’s in an infinite loop of work, different kinds of work but work all the same. I know my true creative self is hiding in there somewhere.

And next year holds so many things, I’ll be attending Alt Summit and the Sundance Film Festival. We’re also planning to visit SXSW. So much too look forward to. But that’s next year. We’re only half way through December and there is still much to be done.

 

husbands and wives

Posted by miss alix – 8 Dec ’11

photo from deadline.com

The other day Shawn emailed me a link to this blog from the writers of Kill List, Ben Wheatley and  Amy Jump. I was excited to find out that the duo are actually a married team. Seeing this blog brought up a few things for me since, even though I’d looked at details of the film previously, and know Ben Wheatley, also the director, by name, I had no recollection of Amy Jump at all. Granted, in most cases, directors get more attention than writers do, so it’s easier to make an impression. It’s also Amy’s first and only writing credit (according to imdb). It did really make me consider the role of women in film (as if this isn’t something I’m always thinking about) especially regarding husbands and wives that work together.

On our own film projects, Shawn and I work together, particularly in the writing process. By talking to each other we are able to refine concepts or move forward when one of us might be stuck. It works out pretty well. We balance each other out. That is not to say we don’t have conflicts of opinion, but I think for the most part we compel each other and help stories move along. It’s nice having a partner to work with. When it comes to what we do, things are fairly balanced; though, that isn’t to say exactly equal, we both have our own strong points.

Knowing about our own balance of creative input, it becomes interesting to consider husband and wife teams who are more successful and more present in popular media. If I were to mention Peter Jackson, everyone would know who I’m talking about. But what about Fran Walsh? Raise your hand if you know who she is. Well that’s lovely Fran up top with her husband Peter Jackson. They’re also a writing team (and producing at this point) and have been since Meet the Feebles back in 1989. Together they’ve written some amazing movies from the beautifully haunting Heavenly Creatures to the blockbuster Lord of the Rings Trilogy (also working with Phillipa Boyens). Yet, Walsh remains mainly out of the limelight, despite winning 3 Oscars. Personally, I can’t help but believe it it because of Walsh and Jackson’s collaborations that they have made such interesting films, not just one’s singular talent.

It’s impossible to know for sure the reasons why one person is famous and the person right next to them is not as famous. It could be a personal choice but I doubt that is the case. It could be the cult of the director, giving more weight over other positions in film production, no matter their importance or role. Sadly, and more likely, it could just be that women do not get recognition in the film industry. With the exception of a few actresses, it’s not easy to make a name as a woman in film. How many successful woman directors can you name? You might be able to count them on your fingers. Obviously this is something that is pervasive in almost all industries, still in 2011, but it’s even more extreme in an industry with so many subdivisions where it is easy to tuck women away in “appropriate” positions.

I don’t know that I have any final conclusions about these ideas, nothing that isn’t already known, but I think it’s important to bring up every so often, just as a reminder of what progress has been made and is still yet to be made.