FRSH Studio

The Time is Now

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:15:54 +0000

- Emil Motycka

What is the one the one thing you’ve had on your to-do list for a little too long? Writing a blog post? Putting together your Billion Dollar Business Plan? Contacting us for a Brand reFRSH? Do it, right now.

Tuesday Tracks 1 : whistle while you work

admin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:54:11 +0000

We are firm believers in the power of a mid-day dance party here at FRSH Studio, and think you should be too! Today we’re especially feeling sunny, chill beats perfect for a beautiful Tuesday. Enjoy!

whistle while you work from christine.chandasack on 8tracks Radio.

Tracklist | 1. MTI(TWRK remix) – koreless 2. Someone To Call My Love(Giraffage remix) – Janet Jackson 3. Go With It(ft. MNDR) – Tokimonsta 4. Say My Name(Cyril Hahn remix) – Destiny’s Child 5. Left Alone – Flume 6. It’s Too Late(Snakehips remix) – Wild Belle 7. That Thing(Golden Boy Bootleg v2) – Lauryn Hill 8. Disparate Youth – Santigold

INSTALIFE 7

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:45:02 +0000

I’m getting more and more settled into this new life in Los Angeles everyday. The original discomfort of being alone in a new place is quickly being replaced by a sense of knowing that I am exactly where I need to be at this very moment; Los Angeles is home.

Realizing this has enabled me to recognize exactly what I need to do to grow FRSH to it’s fullest potential- expanding studio operations, opening a WordPress theme shop, and pursuing my ideal clients more actively, all of which has been going at full force this past week.

After spending some time exploring West Hollywood, I found this amazing little plant nursery- perfect timing because I needed to find a raffle prize for an exclusive group of cool LA-area entrepreneurs. The winner not only got a cute little Tillandsia in a glass orb, I donated a $200 off gift certificate for a Brand reFRSH. True Connection in Venice was the winner, and I cannot wait to get started helping such a great cause.

On the home-front, I’ve been making a conscious effort to relax a little more. The farmer’s market was the perfect place to relax on a cloudy LA morning, followed by some delivery pho from my favorite pho place in Hollywood.

CURATED SPACE : neutral & natural

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:45:22 +0000

from top, left. 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7

Brand Inspiration: Canalla Taqueria

admin — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 07:45:59 +0000

How great is this taqueria branding from the folks at Manifesto Futura in Monterrey Mex? I love the modern, fresh minimalist aesthetic(uh, obviously..). It pairs especially well with a taqueria boasting a simple, modern take on rather traditional food.

Inspiration Overload at the Cream Event

admin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:51:52 +0000

After months of brainstorming and finessing details, the Urban Palate crew and I finally got to enjoy the fruits of our labor at the Cream Event hosted by the genius ladies over at Bash, Please. I really don’t know how to describe it any other way than incredible.

Collaborating on Urban Palate’s booth with Bramble Workshop + Chaparral Studio was an absolute dream.

This paper installation is begging to be recreated at Casa de FRSH, paper cuts be dammed!

Note to self: MUST find gold flatware.

I really loved the geometric forms created by this seating chart. Also, the gold lettering.. obviously

This moss covered tipi was a huge hit. Another gem by Chaparral Studio.

FOODIE FRIDAY : croissants

admin — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:45:47 +0000

As I recently mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been baking lately. A lot. Breads, hand pies, cornbread, you name it- I’ve baked it. Which brings me to croissants. Truthfully, I’ve always wanted to bake croissants but never could work up the courage to do so until finally.. I just had to. So I did. And. they. were. AMAZING.

Here’s how I did it(thanks Martha)-

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 package dry-active yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt (i used sea salt)
• 1 1/3 cups warm milk (definitely used unsweetened almond milk here)
• 3 1/2 cups AP flour, plus a bit more for work surface
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 1/2 sticks chilled, unsalted butter
• 1 large egg yolk

1 To make the dough: Combine water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar. Stir to combine. Let stand 5 minutes to allow yeast to proof(look for a foamy texture on the surface). In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 2 tsp sugar, and the salt in the milk.

2 Whisk the flour in a large bowl. Add both the yeast mixture & milk mixtures, and oil. Mix everything with a rubber spatula, ensuring all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very wet!

3 Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Let stand for 2-3 minutes to allow the dough to absorb some of the liquid. Start kneading by lifting near edges and flipping it over. Quickly repeat until the dough feels smooth, about 8 to 10 times. Do not over-knead!

4 Transfer dough to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, for about an hour and a half. Punch down the dough, and turn out onto a floured work surface. Using lightly floured hands, push the dough out into a rectangle about 12″x10″. Fold the dough into thirds. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet or plate; cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

5 Punch down dough. Cover the dough again with plastic wrap, and transfer to refrigerator for 20 minutes.

6 Roll in the butter: Place butter on a lightly floured work surface and beat with a rolling pin to soften. It must not become soft and oily, refrigerate if necessary.

7 Place dough on a lightly floured work surface, roll it out to a roughly 18″x10″ rectangle. Spread butter as evenly as possible over the upper two-thirds of the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Fold the bottom (unbuttered) third of the dough up to the middle. Fold the top third down to cover it.

8 Lightly flour the top of the dough, and work surface. Turn the dough so the edge of the top flap is to your right. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 18″x18″. Roll rapidly, starting an inch from the near end, and going to within an inch of the far end. Fold again in three, as above. Wrap in plastic wrap, and transfer to refrigerator for an hour.

9 Remove dough from refrigerator. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and deflate the dough by tapping lightly with rolling pin. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 8 minutes. Repeat rolling and folding process twice more, as above. Butter must extend the length and width of the rectangle inside the dough as you roll it out until it has softened. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

10 Shape the croissants: Place chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface, and deflate. Roll the dough out to a 25″x12″ rectangle. (If at any time the dough becomes too elastic to work with, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and let rest 10 minutes.) Cut in half lengthwise. Working with one piece of dough at a time, cut into triangles with a roughly 5″ base.

11 Roll the triangles out to enlarge slightly. Roll towards the tip; the dough should overlap 3 times with the tip sticking out from underneath.

12 Place on a parchment lined baking sheet leaving 2 inches between croissants. Curve the ends of the croissant inward, forming a crescent shape. Repeat with second piece of dough. Cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place until very spongy, about an hour.

13 Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk, then lightly brush over tops of croissants. Open the oven door, spritz the oven heavily with water from a spray bottle, and quickly close the door. Place croissants in oven, and spray bottom of oven with water once more. Bake until puffed and golden brown. After 10 minutes, rotate pan. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

14 Enjoy

I won’t lie, this is BY FAR the most time consuming, messiest baking project I have ever taken on, but man is it worth it.

INSTALIFE 6

admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:03:40 +0000

I recently made the trek from Texas to beautiful, sunny California. After passing Lady Gaga in and UFO spotting through New Mexico, driving through winter storms in the mountains of Arizona, and staying the night in a town that somehow managed to not change a thing after 1958, we made it safe & sound.

Well. Safe & sound & exhausted.

Slowly I’ve been finding ways to make this new loft feel like home. These croissants (despite taking a full day and a half to make!) helped in their own little way.. (Recipe on Foodie Friday!)

..As did Tilly lu.

I still find it hard to believe that we live here sometimes. I also find it hard to believe that I failed to take into account the fact that tourists may very well outnumber actual residents in my new little corner of the world. C’est la vie.

CURATED SPACE : House&Hold

admin — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:47:57 +0000

I recently made the trek from Dallas to beautiful, sunny Los Angeles. Despite the move taking some unexpected turns(like my loft not being available for a whole week after we were supposed to move in!) I really do love it here and am slowly getting a feel for the kind of decor that will make this space a home. Clean minimalism will always be my go-to, but for this particular space I’m thinking a more polished version than the rustic-industrial vibe I filled my house with in Dallas. All of this is to of course say I’ve been ogling over house&hold’s gorgeous Pinterest boards a bit more than normal.

pinterest + site

Brand Inspiration: Rival Bros

admin — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:17:41 +0000

I’ve found myself being drawn to very strong, simple design lately. Well, more so than usual. Maybe it’s my subconscious helping ease the Pre-Cross-Country-Move Jitters? Who knows. Either way, I think there’s a lot to be said about maximizing impact by minimizing visual ‘noise’ which Daniel Olsovsky has seemingly done with ease.