one of my (many) excuses for blog neglect...

Come see me and the 250+ other crafters and artists. I promise I might start posting again if you do ;)

Until P.R.L. (post-Renegade life)....

xoxo

I've got a Foggy Notion

Friends, in between the usual rhythm of family life--laundry, swimming lessons, trying to SLEEP--it's been work, work, work around here lately. Quite a few exciting Willow Ship-related announcements are afoot... the first of which is happening today.

Today is the re-opening of Foggy Notion, Alissa Anderson's really special studio and shop in the Inner Richmond. Alissa's shop is a curated collection of beautiful and useful items--all handmade, organic and eco-conscious. Alissa is such a friendly, encouraging and motivated person, and I'm so proud that she selected some of my linen dinner and cocktail napkins for Foggy Notion.

I stopped by the totally re-designed space last Friday and it's a wonderland of reclaimed wood installations and beautiful light. If you're in town, plan on coming to the grand re-opening party this Friday night. Toby and I are making a mini-date night out of it, and I can't wait to meet some of the other artists and see the whole revamped store put together.

Oh, and check out today's Daily Candy feature on Foggy Notion!

willow ship on the tee-vee today

My work is on the tube today, on the Nate Berkus show! Do you watch that show? I don't usually catch much daytime television, but I'm pretty excited that Nate is talking up hand-printed wares. (Wish he would have said who made them though!) Check out the video and see if you can spot my Four Feathers cocktail napkins.



Or you can watch it directly on Nate's site.

If you want to watch the whole episode, it's on NBC channel 11 at 3pm here in SF. If you're elsewhere, here's where to look up your station/time.

Pretty crazy, huh?

get the Knack

OK, so who's engaged out there? Who's registering for all that loot? Who's walking around Crate & Barrel with that magical scanner gun? Ah... power.

Well, not moi. That ship has sailed. But, if I were, I'd be stoked on this new site called Knack Registry. You know, registering for towels and stuff is fine for Macy's, but when it came to more visible (exciting?) home furnishings, I remember being frustrated by not being able to register for really cool, unique, perhaps even handmade things. You know, stuff like you find on... ahem, Etsy.

So, flash back to Renegade. This nice guy named Fred came into my booth and explained that he was starting a registry site for handmade, artisanal stuff. He said he was especially focusing on local, San Francisco-based artists and makers.

I said, sign me up. Think about all the gifts and stuff bought for all the weddings each year. Couldn't hurt to spread a little of that love around to small biz makers, right?

Ah, remember the days when couples would receive three or four fondue sets?

Spread the word to anyone with some new bling on their finger :)

--> My page in their catalog.
--> A 7x7 post from today.

visit Knack

the creep of imagery

I've become one of those people. Constantly fiddling with my iPhone, my soft addiction. All day, every day. Ever since I upgraded to the 4s, and gained access to all the best apps, you know, those that didn't stoop to the iPhone 3's level, the addiction's been growing. I used to tease Toby about constantly fiddling with some silly casual game on his phone... but now I should talk. He gives me The Look ("really? again with the phone?") now.

And, trust me, this bugs! I hate this. One of my top peeves is that post-modern inability to be in the moment, just put the phone down, stop checking, start seeing. Ugh. Not too long ago, I was that person who wouldn't know it if I had a text or vmail for hours: I just wouldn't check my phone that often, it would be stashed away in my purse, all sound muffled. I used to not check email all weekend. Now I'm never far from my phone and the checking is habitual. Like a trained animal looking for a cookie, I have my three favorite icons to tap, in this order: Instagram, Pinterest and email (so old skool). Maybe I'll cycle through them a couple of times. Tap, snap, comment, "like", giggle, scroll.

It kind of makes me sick and I should really be resolving to curb this new addiction. But, I'll be honest, I'm just not there yet. And, you know what? I'm really loving so much about the random streams of imagery and words that come my way each time I check and re-check. The quiet moments of someone's else's life, food pics that instantly determine what's for lunch... and simply inspiring images.

All the fiddling almost seems OK when a couple of visuals come through my feed together, from totally separate sources... but together they stop me in my tracks. Yesterday, two beauties danced down my screen, one after the other.

I had a flash in my mind... something's there. Something's percolating.  Wings... that blue... inky... flattened... symmetrical. Hmmm.


This is how I work, letting little snippets of shape and color seep in and find some space in the back of my mind. If I'm lucky, something new emerges in time. It's a process, and iPhone be cursed or not, I'm liking it.

The Blue Bird roosts on my Work Inspiration board, via dear Tori, originally from Bird & Banner;
The kimono graces my fashion board, via Alice Q, originally from Triple Gemini on Etsy.

back in the saddle & renegade recap!

As I recently posted to (my complete addiction, I admit it) Instagram, my long winter's nap is now officially over: I just re-opened my shop with a fresh lineup. Whee!

(umm, where did a month off go?)

OK, I wasn't exactly lounging the entire month. But there was a bit of extra toddler-snuggling and studio/office purging. Ahhh, I love a full-car trip to the Goodwill. But, after prepping frantically for my first-ever show at Renegade Holiday (recap to follow), I needed to catch my breath. And, then, I took a moment to take stock of what sold well last year (people (still) have chevron fever), what did great at Renegade (hello triangles and southwestern-y stuff) and what I want to try to do next. Oh, people... I have plans. My plans scare me in terms of scope--I am but one measly person, plans--but whatever I'm able to attack, I'm excited for it.

So, the new, refreshed, polished up shop is, as always, HERE.

Oh, one other update: all my listed wares are now ready to ship. (i.e., no more of this made-to-order business. It was fine for start-up, tough to manage forever.)

++++++++++++++


So, Renegade. I loved it. Before the application due date, I wasn't sure if it was "too soon" to jump into a show, because of all the work involved and being really very new. Toby and I talked it over and weighed the pros (selling stuff, brand exposure, obvious) and the cons (total disruption of our home leading up to already-disrupting holidays), and we took a chance and went for it.

I love taking a chance (though you should've seen the bags under my eyes!). And, I'm super glad I/we did it. A month off afterward didn't hurt either.

I didn't get the opportunity to walk the show much (unless you count baño breaks), and bought almost nothing (dang), but my experience as a seller was fun and worth all the work and late nights.

My takeaways:

1. As always, everyone is just so nice at Renegade. The sellers, the buyers, even the tagging-along boyfriends and husbands (did I mention they sell beer at this craft fair?), and especially the crew running the show. Niceness and genuine enthusiasm goes a long way in my book.

2. Next time, I need to prep and stockpile merch all year long. Being in complete start-up mode, there was a late night, every night for the final month pre-show.

3. Having a handy husband who can listen to my ideas and interpret my waving hands was a real luxury... he crafted all the beautiful reclaimed-wood booth components, and they were so warm and inviting. All I can say is thank you, Toby. And sorry about that screwed-up back! :/

4. Having friends and family come and visit/populate my booth in the early hours of the show was especially great. Loved that.

5. It makes sense in hindsight, but Renegade Holiday was 50% about selling people a nice handmade holiday gift, and 50% about meeting shop owners looking to carry wholesale. Wowzers, that was wonderful and unexpected. It would be uber-tacky to mention names at this point, but I hope to reveal some exciting stuff later in the year.

6. Making crafty friends (like Lynn, Shay and Samantha-yay!) in advance and at the show was worth just showing up for that. There wasn't much chance to talk shop, but I'll take what I can get ;) --Oh! I also was able to meet a couple of Etsy shop customers. Fun.

7. Re: Merch... more variety, larger range of price points. My new evil plans will address this one. But, I can't tell you how paranoid I was that I wasn't bringing enough of a given item. Which sounds all pompous, like I was figurin' on selling out of everything... I just mean, I didn't know what to expect, AND when you pay a not insignificant fee to be there, you don't want to run out of stuff on the first day and just be sitting there. Thankfully (I think), I didn't have that "problem." Only a few items were cleaned out. (Yay, triangles!)

8. Processing plastic through the Square app rocked.

9. Having a ruggedly handsome and/or pretty, stylish "booth babe" was so great. I would've been a wee bit shy sitting there, at my first show, all by my lonesome. Thank you, Toby and Robin (my ex-boss! how's that for supportive?) for the company, the wares-promotin', the coffee and the bathroom breaks. Yay team.

10. Next time, make some cute cushions for the chairs. Ouch.


Have any of you done a craft fair or the like? Any tips or wise lessons learned? I plan to repeat the experience.

yin & yang | onyx & orb

Dark and light. Pain and pleasure.

It's been tough around here lately. Over the weekend, Toby's slightly sore back turned into a full-blown seize-up. The really bad kind: stuck on the floor, waves of spasms and pain. Fast-forward through an ambulance call, an ER visit and finally the right drugs. He's home and getting very slowly better. We're just trying to ride it out, but it's a tough to have my usually very able parenting partner out of commission. And in pain. That's been hard to watch.

So, today... the nanny is here, Jacky is off to the zoo, I can turn back to some making, and Toby can rest. We're stable and "normal" is making an appearance here and there.

And there's a nice distraction, a good way to start the day: Onyx & Orb, a Brooklyn-based online shop (and friends of my brother), has launched their Winter site, featuring some exclusives I created for them last month. It feels good to see work come to fruition. Things are moving forward.

december: what's in store

Hello December! Woah. How did we get here so fast? Seems like I just quit my job the other day, though that was back in March. I threw my hat into the Etsy ring in September, and now... it's (gulp) time for my first official craft fair: Renegade Holiday!

I've done trade shows before (actually, just the exhibit design part, no selling) so I kind of know what to expect, but this is SO different... it's personal. It's nerve-wracking. It's SUPER exciting!

It would make my year if anyone reading this who lives in the Bay Area (or will be in SF for fun!) comes to see me and my little Willow Ship booth. Toby's been sawing and nailing for weeks in the garage, helping me build my "environment"... and I've been keeping myself splattered with paint, doing my part.

So, whee! Come visit me! Renegade is so fun and wouldn't you love to give awesome handmade gifts this year? I'll be booth #230. How official.

And, finally, I want some input. Is it OK for me to talk about "work stuff" on this blog? I don't want my blog friends to ever get the icky impression that I'm selling at them, as I started this blog way before I ever considered selling anything. I've been considering starting a separate site to just talk shop, but keeping two blogs is, frankly, a little daunting. But I would do it if necessary.

How about a little quiz? My first! Totally anonymous, though feel free to leave a comment too. (And does anyone know how to insert quizzes that look a little... nicer?)

Thanks!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com | SnapApp Quiz Apps

the power of making

A little mid-week inspiration... (and, gosh I miss London.)



Power of Making from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.

via UPPERCASE

balance and the beach

Um. Hi. Hello.

Normally, I'm not a believer in apologizing for a lack of posts. You know, it is what it is... and (I think) it's (to me) frankly a (slightly) boring read. (Yep, that was the most parenthetical sentence. Gosh, I hate offending.)

Oh, but sometimes... sometimes it just feels correct to acknowledge that things sometimes get a little crazy. A little off kilter. Even though it's technically "for fun," blogging sometimes gets included in my long list of commitments/have-to-do's/things left undone that I think about when trying to sleep. Sometimes it's a long, tiring list.

Well, suffice it to say, things have been a little nutty around here lately. Some of it, in a very good way. But, that very nice development has created other INTEREST, which leads to opportunities. Which leads this lady to too many Yes's sometimes. My goodness, I'm still learning how to say No.

Because, truth be told... my journey away from a desk job and that structure/lack of control is an exercise in saying No. I'm trying to say Yes to a different rhythm to life and working. One that places the peace of my household at the front of the line. Because, let me tell you: when Mama is stressed, everything really sucks for everyone.

So, I've been stressed and stretched. Kicking myself for letting my new work sitch so quickly catch up and resemble my old work sitch. Ugh.

But, hello. Here I am. I'm sitting here, catching up with my "want to do's," which include thinking and writing right now, and in a few minutes, tackling some reasonable tasks... because I'm practicing using the word No.

Oh, it's a process.

Because, when I say No, I can say Yes to balance, time and peaceful days.

Like this beautiful, misty day I've been meaning to show you for too long and almost shelved. You saw a sneak peak last time I clicked "publish"... and here's some more from our favorite spot down the coast. Must reserve time for more of this.

on cloud nine at D*S!

OK, so very soon, I'll be taking all this shop talk to another venue... but! Today I'm just too excited. Bear with me... and check it out on Design*Sponge (eeeeep!):

I'm fairly freaking out and so appreciative (again) for your encouragement, friends. xoxo

it's go time

My other baby is launched. Woot!

Phew, that was a lot of work, what with the making, photographing, writing, jazzing up, Etsy-figuring-out, whathaveyou.

Thanks again dear friends, for your sweet encouragement from the beginning, through the middle, and to now.

I'm starving, gonna go make a big lunch and sit in the sun.

++++++++++++

PS - I'm offering free domestic ground shipping all month to celebrate the launch!

the what

I'm a bit of a shy person. I know, I know, aren't all blog-minders supposed to be the extroverted, over-sharing, Dooce type? Some, perhaps. And aren't there plenty. Me, I'm pretty much your textbook introvert who has learned to "extro" herself when it counts. I can mix it up with (almost) the best of them, but then I need my retreat of quiet and contemplation. Sometimes I know this comes off as aloof or non-share-y... but eventually I come around.

Like this new work stuff. I've been asked by everyone from my acupuncturist to my mother-in-law, "Blake it's great you're super happy in your new work sitch or whatever it is... but, so... what is it?" Yep, I might keep things pretty tight against my chest. Until the right time.

So, I think we're just about there. But, true to form, I'm lobbing this little preview over the fence right as I step out the door for a little vacay. (There will be posts while I'm relaxificating, so do stop back!)

Here's a tiny taste of what I've been sketching, cutting, designing, printing, sewing and making. So far, it's a line of earthy, 60s/70s-ish 100% linen homewares that I hand-blockprint and sew. They'll be listed on etsy very shortly. And there are many other plans, too. Aren't there always?

So, now you know ;)

reinvention, cont.

mural at Argonne Community Garden

Reinvention. I thrive on it. I need it.

I'm in the midst of it.

I'll be honest: I'm having a really. good. time. I'm making things (or the seeds of new things). I'm learning new tricks, trying new ideas, making long lists of more ideas. Rather than willing the clock forward, I'm now dragging myself away from this new work reluctantly at the end of each session.

But, as anyone else can tell you... Becoming something new is hard. Finding a new foundation of just what it is I do is real work. There are doubts, and there are moments of true spark, and there is the satisfaction of some progress.

Trying ideas, discarding, winnowing, choosing.

No matter what creative area I've attempted (graphic design, art history writing, or this new art-making)... my biggest challenge is not what my hands or mind can or can't do. It's keeping my head pointed in the right direction. A positive direction. For me, in the creative process, there are many moments of elation and excitement... too many ideas to jot down and try out.

But also... if I'm not really disciplined (keep moving, keep moving), there's this sneaky monkey called inertia and doubt lurking in dark corners, whispering, "maybe you really can't... why are you trying this... what makes you think you can..."

+++

But. Most days, I know I can. That's the thing. I have done, and will do again. I guess it's just keeping my head clear and knowing that just showing up and trying is half the battle (or more). Being creative is hard work. Newness is messy and raggedy around the edges. And I'm IMPATIENT. (You too?)

+++

And so... something to share. Something I like:

I found this video via Margaret Roach's blog. It's a TED talk given by Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity and PRESSURE. I never felt compelled to read Eat, Pray, Love (should I??) but she's pretty fearless and lovable in this video.

Gives one (me) the courage to tell that doubt-monkey to shut up and just put in the work.

reinvention

Fancy a little story? I promise, it has a good ending.

+++

When I was 16, buckled down in the task of applying to colleges, doing the usual sort of essay-writing, subject test-taking, who remembers what... something kinda unique came up: one of the schools I was applying to required you to declare your major in advance of enrolling. Not after two years of exploration, maturation and general ed. No, at the age of 16. What do you want to study for the next 4 or 5 years... and, consequently, what do you want to BE? Dun dun dun.

Of course, the way these things always work, this school was the one I fell in love with and attended for the next 5 years. I had, quite randomly, decided I wanted to be an architect. Not just because it was near the top of the alphabetized list (I promise), but I checked that box. Yes, the girl with a knack for English, languages and statistics (not calculus)... I was going to be an architect. Ah, 16 year olds.

By the time I was 17, I was deep into an assigned Summer reading list. Thankfully, it was a list meant to scare non-serious future architects out of an impacted program. Ahem: me. I realized, thankfully, that I adored the art-form and history of architecture but, alas, I didn't want to be an architect. OK, time to move into the dorms! Here we go.

Fast forward a couple of years: I side-stepped, portfolio in hand, into the Art & Design department and found a niche I quite liked: fine art, technology, and a little art-school hi-jinks. The usual routine... and then, after the requisite backpacking in Europe, I was off into the working world. The world of my newly selected profession: graphic design.

Desks, cubicles, offices, presentations, commuting, annual performance appraisals, endless joke emails, office chit-chat, after work drinks, bagel Tuesdays.

But, the question stuck with me: was I really supposed to pick my life's direction that young? And, more importantly, was "which career" even the right question?

At such a young age, who really has a clue what it's like to work as an architect, a graphic designer, a lawyer, a writer? Heck, how about what it's like to not work as any of those things? You don't see that on the career day agenda.

+++

My youngest brother, ages ago, took a job as a photographer's assistant in a department I managed. It was a busy media company and he did all the usual organizing, running around and rigging. But, he also spent a lot of time in the office, experiencing that particular corporate way of spending 8 hours. Let me say, he hated it. He was miserable. He knew, intuitively, that he did not belong in that environment. I thought I did. He quit after a time, and I continued on, my life getting "crazy" "busy" and more than a little out of balance. For me, it was only becoming responsible for another person (a baby-type person) that finally forced me to think intentionally about what my life, my days, should look like.

I think my revised, correct "right question" for young people envisioning their lives is not "what do you want to be when you grow up" -- it's quite simply "what do you want the moments of your days to be like?" Think about not just what interests you, but also what setting you want to do it in. Do you want to be in an office? Do you want to be outside? Do you want to work alone or with people? How much bullshit do you want? Do you like bullshit? Do you even want to work full-time? Work at all? What options do you actually have? Like, really think about it.

Last Summer, I went back and asked my 16-year-old inner self these questions, and sprinkled on the experiences of the following 20 or so years... and I came to a few new conclusions.

+++

What I used to want: artistic work, recognition, success, joining.

What I want now: freedom, artistic work, choice, flexibility, self-determination.

+++

In a week's time, I'm commuting downtown to an office for the last time. I've quit my job.

I'm making room for other options, other life paths to materialize.

I'm 95% thrilled and 5% nervous. I'm both excited and anxious because I'm not continuing on in my current career. I've done the freelance-from-home thing, but for me, it's almost worse than working corporate in an office. I need a bigger change than that... I'm working on some new ideas, in all-new contexts.

Ideas, not coincidentally, that are more friendly to family and home life.

+++

More on that soon. Right now, in these gray, wet days, I'm meditating on the image below, from last Summer, on the first impossibly gorgeous, warm, hopeful day after all those dreary months of woolen fogginess... I'm walking toward the light and new possibilities which, if given space, can sprout and bloom.

Stay tuned, and I hope you'll cheer me on, friends. xoxo

+++

sixty-five hours in NYC

Ripping myself away from The Boy for the first real time, I headed out to New York City for a few days this past weekend. It was for a work thing*, with a little free time tacked on at the end. I'm going to remain mysterious (i.e., not bore you) on the work part, but here are some highlights from the other part:

• For my Jane Austen nerds: a wonderful exhibition of letters and other documents at The Morgan Museum (thank you, Kristen, for the tip!)
• For the cartographic nerds (myself included): Mapping New York's Shoreline: 1609-2009 at the New York Public Library. I accidentally walked into this one and it was really interesting.
• Insanely delicate, delicious pizza: Posto, 18th St @ 2nd Ave. Had a really fun dinner here with two really fun ladies, after the work part of my trip was done. Haven't laughed that hard in ages. The food was amazing, too.
• Picked up a bunch of spices at Penzey's, including 4 meat rubs for Toby (b/c that's how we roll for Valentine's Day). For myself, I picked up Charnushka (aka nigella sativa, which I also plan on growing this year), Aleppo Pepper, Zatar and something called Kala Jeera (described as exotic, flowery and slightly camphoric--wha?!). Spice experiments ahead.
• Joe coffee! My god, it's good to have really good coffee in NYC. I started each day with a perfect Americano.
• Dining options in the basement of Grand Central Station. Right below our hotel, and really great. One stand-out was Hale and Hearty Soups. Coming soon: Magnolia Bakery.
• On the flight back home (Virgin America--awesome), finally watched Julie & Julia (meh... good enough) but really liked 500 Days of Summer. (Thanks for the rec, Robin!)
• Coming home. Jacky was already in bed, but it was such a relief to be back under the same roof. Missed my little love.

* This is what we call "work" in the toy industry:

Yep, always this fun. Kind of like that movie "BIG" :)

Super Bowl snacks: Baked artichoke dip

photo: 101 Cookbooks

For the final installation in Super Bowl Snacks week, I pass along a recipe that I've had my eye on for a long time: a healthy makeunder of that rich matriarch of all soirées, the mighty Baked Artichoke Dip. This version is from 101 Cookbooks and is lighter on cheese and contains no mayo, opting instead for silken tofu to bring the creamy yumminess. The photos look so good I want to eat my screen. I'm so excited to finally try this one out this Sunday. I'll be adding the sautéed spinach Heidi alludes to, and will serve it with crunchy crudité.

Happy Super Snacking!

In case you missed them: Super Bowl Snacks, Installments One & Two

workday uniform

I'm a big believer in uniforms. (I'm a product of public schools, so I guess I don't have any school uniform repulsion.)

Uniforms make life easy. Now, I'm not talking about those fashion-y people who wear all black every day. Or have a closet full of the same perfect, crisp white shirts. Or Steve Jobs for that matter -- what's up with all the black mock turtlenecks?

I just want a cute, modular wardrobe that I can not think about, and just throw something on while herding a speed-crawling 10-month-old.

Actually, I think my workday uniform is more like an equation:

===============================

First, it's all about the tunic...

then, add some of those skinny jeans, leggings, whathaveyou (don't worry, the tunic prevents "overexposure")

then, for Fall, add boots... flats otherwise

top it all off with a cozy scarf...

...and a cute tote bag for your book, lunch, water, stuff

This one's from Hayden-Harnett... it's SO great. I have it in navy, and check out the lining:

so cute it hurts.

SO... classy ladies (and gents)... what's your uniform? Uniforms: thumbs up or down?

(all items, except for tote, are from Anthropologie. Not to say that I shop there THAT much, but I... kinda... sorta..... do. A little.)

For Robin: The Pizza Post (UPDATED) (AGAIN)

this week's pizza: fresh mozzarella, summer squash and red pepper

Robin is my boss. She's the queen of the food-obsessed at my work. She loves all things chocolate-y and bacon-y and just plain tasty. Something like two years ago, I promised her my Mister's thin-crust pizza dough recipe, as homemade pizza has long been a weekly staple (usually Saturday nights) at Chez Salt Teak & Fog. Tempting a foodie's wrath, I slacked off on providing the recipe all that time... until now. Robin, this one's for you! (Am I a brown-noser or what?!)

This recipe is actually adapted from Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home. Toby tweaked it over and over, adjusting the salt, oil, sugar and semolina content until we had a crust that was delicious enough to eat on its own. This recipe makes 8 portions of the kind of pizza we like: thin, rustic and flavorful. It works for any toppings you like. Toby always creates a meat-lovers special, while I've been on a seasonal all-veggie kick for ages. Kind of like our Monday Taco Nite, which features Friday night's flank steak leftovers, our pizzas are sometimes part of our "hooray leftovers" strategy. To keep us always in dough, Toby regularly whips up a batch, we eat two and freeze the rest in plastic-wrapped portions. They defrost very quickly and make an easy dinner.

(Expecting moms take note: shortly before Jacky's arrival, Toby stocked our freezer with little dough nuggets. Perfect.)

A couple of equipment notes: Many pizza recipes call for corn meal on the underside of the crust, to enable you to slide the uncooked pizza into the oven with a peel. We don't really like corn meal messing with the crust texture, so we instead use circular pizza baking screens, which also make moving the pizzas in and out of the oven a snap. We bought ours at a local foodie equipment store. They work great: you roll out the dough, place it on the screen, add toppings and slide everything in the oven. No more praying to the food gods while you try to shimmy your uncooked, delicate masterpiece into a hot oven.

Also, I think you really do need a pizza stone to get good thin-crust pizza from a kitchen oven (as opposed to an outdoor brick oven--I wish). We have one stone and have developed a method for cooking two pizzas at once. We used to do them one at a time, but waiting around for someone else's food to cook is a bummer. So, with both pizzas on the screens mentioned above, we start one on the pizza stone, and one on an upside-down cookie sheet on a middle oven rack. To get both pizzas crispy and evenly-cooked, we do three adjustments during the cooking process: 1) after 1/4 of the cooking time, rotate both pizzas 180 degrees so they cook evenly (the back of the oven is always hotter); 2) half-way through cooking, switch the pizza positions: bring the bottom pizza up to the rack and the top one down to the stone; 3) in the final quarter of your cooking time, rotate both pizzas 180 degrees again, to keep the cooking even. This might sound fussy, but it makes for beautiful, evenly-blistered pizzas. A final note: I like my pizza really crackery and crispy, so we start mine on the stone. Toby doesn't care as much (or he's just nice to me), so his starts up on the rack. There is a little difference in the two resulting pizzas, but not too much.

Anyway, the recipe!

Toby's Awesome Pizza Dough

We use a kitchen scale to measure the flour, so you'll see it's noted in grams. Sorry if that's wanky.

700g bread flour (Not AP flour; you need the higher gluten content. We use King Arthur brand.)

300g semolina flour (gives more flavor)

FLOUR UPDATE (AGAIN):
 1 kg Italian "Tipo 00" flour
750g Italian "Tipo 00" flour (We found it in the bulk aisle at Rainbow. Score.)
250g whole wheat pastry flour

2 T sea salt

2 packets of dried yeast

2 T light brown sugar

8 T extra virgin olive oil

650ml lukewarm water

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large, clean bowl and make a well in the middle. Combine the yeast, sugar, oil and water and let rest for a few minutes. Then, pour the liquid mixture into the well in the middle of the flours.
2. Gradually, stir the liquid into the flour with a fork, bringing a little flour in from the sides at a time. When it's all incorporated, dump everything out on a clean, floured work surface, dust your hands with flour and lightly knead the dough. It should be light and elastic.
3. Work the dough into a ball and place it in a clean bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has risen and doubled in size.
4. If you're making pizzas right away, preheat oven to 500 degrees.
5. Return the dough to your flour-dusted work surface, and knead it again to knock the air out a bit. At this point you can divide the dough into 8 portions for making crusts or for freezing. To store, oil the balls lightly with olive oil, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them all in a large freezer bag. They will keep in your freezer for months.
6. To make crusts, flatten and then pat each dough ball with your fingertips, working it outward and as little as possible, until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Then, pick up the disc by its edge and turn it around and around (like a steering wheel, Toby says) letting the weight of the dough pull itself gently larger. Keep going until the dough is the size and thickness you'd like. Our pizza racks are about 12" in diameter, so we aim to get the dough about that size. The trick is to not work the dough much at all. Non-perfect shapes are OK -- looks homemade!
7. Let the rolled-out dough rest for a few minutes.
8. Then, all that remains is to top them (less is more, in my opinion), lightly oil and salt the crust (a great touch) and bake them in a very hot oven. We crank the oven up to 500 degrees and they usually take about 10-15 minutes total. Your cooking time may vary, so just rotate them every few minutes, as noted above, and pull them out when they look good. Practice makes perfect.

ready for freezing

gently patting out the dough

summer squash, ricotta and homemade pesto, before...

... and after