Portlandia + Owl City (How Indie!)

So for a while I’ve been enjoying this lovely image as my wallpaper:

Catnap! From Portlandia!
It’s the best thing ever. (Will be replaced within a week, however, as you know how my Desktop ADD goes). There’s actually a whole bunch of wallpapers for all you Portlandia fans, done by different artists (“Catnap” is by Nate Duval).

“Feminist Book Store” is my new one… created by Methane Studios, Mark McDevitt.

This makes me so happy.

I also have a bit of lovely music for you! Adam Young (of Owl City) released a new track (or perhaps it was prematurely released? I have no idea). Anyways, enjoy Dementia here on First Listen. (Does anybody else love Owl City as much as I do? And Adam Young just seems like a spectacular man, introverted and always dreaming).

The most relaxing place…

I love my porch.

It’s by far my most favorite part of the house that I grew up in. I didn’t realize my love for it until a couple of summers ago, enjoying the shade it offers so kindly and the quiet changes to its surface; every season the paint chips a little more, the weeds around it grow a few inches taller, the pine tree’s boughs reach through the railings a bit more. The colors of the porch are what first drew me to noticing it. Once a crisp, dark green, the paint now appears faded and more like teal, much of it completely gone and baring the gray, brown wood underneath. While most people would disapprove of the bright green growth on the wood, I admire it for complementing the other colors so well.

The porch is full of music, too. I often hear birds chirping in the pine trees and the wind rustling the yellow brilliance of the forsythia bushes. Mid-summer I hear jets creating new paths across the cloud-freckled sky and the boy next door practicing his swing, the crack resounding between the hills. In the fall, the gentle sound of a distant, huge motor in the farmer’s fields tell me they are harvesting; in the spring, the farmers, again, sowing, sowing. In the winter, when I miss the porch the most, I can still hear the music; the crunching of icy snow beneath my boots and the wind whistling through the railings, the structure creaking with shivers, whispering, Don’t worry; I’m still here. Spring will come soon.

I can’t capture the whole porch in one photograph. Looking at the whole thing, you wouldn’t be able to soak up its beauty, and looking at the little details, you wouldn’t be able to understand the connection between them and their significance. So I won’t even try. But I can share a glimpse of a moment, and with the few wonderfully warm days we have had so far this spring, I have a few to show you. Maybe they won’t mean much to you, having never experienced my porch, but I hope it will inspire you to seek out a place that means as much to you as my porch means to me.

A simple dinner for my parents and me.

Honey Wheat bread resting on the picnic table before the meal.

Pots containing little treasures: basil seeds.
(They never grew, but it was fun planting them. I’d like to try again).

If you do find a place, please describe it to me. I am curious..

Maple Sugaring

It was not my intention to neglect you, oh blog! Life has the uncanny habit of swallowing me whole at times.Don’t worry though, it spat me back out. It’s good to be back! I have many posts floating through my head, ready to land in the crisp screen of a blog post.

First up is fun with maple syrup making!

Mid-March I went to my dear friend’s house and had a great time with her family and another friend, watching the maple syrup process and making maple cream candies with them. They only have 3 sugar maple trees, each tapped twice, but this apparently creates a substantial amount of sap, which is then boiled down to syrup.

This process interests me a lot! I love handgrown and homemade things. Collecting sap for syrup-making is on my list of Dreamy To-Do’s, along with beekeeping, canning homemade salsa, and sewing my own clothes.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when I went over (sigh), so I only have photos of the delicious syrup they gave me. Which we consumed it in a week. (hah!)

We also made chocolate-covered maple cream candies! They were so easy but delicious (and I discovered a new chocolate pair that I adore… Nate didn’t like it especially, but I loved it. Even more than chocolate + bacon…).

Simply melt chocolate chips in the microwave, then dollop a bit into paper candy wrappers. This makes a bottom for the candy (it will appear similar to a Reese’s peanut butter cup later). Then place that in the freezer until the chocolate is stiff while you mold your maple cream into little balls (my friend’s dad had made the maple cream by simply heating maple syrup. I didn’t catch how to do that, but here’s a recipe elsewhere. He apparently did it a little longer than usual to make the consistency thicker and moldable, and placed that in the freezer to stiffen a bit as well). Place the maple cream balls in the cups with the chocolate bottoms and pour more chocolate on top to seal the deal. Place them once more in the freezer for a bit. Enjoy!

So here’s a quick list of

Things I Learned on This Adventure:

1. It takes 32 gallons of sap to create… (get this)… 1 gallon of syrup.

Is that not crazy? I am surprised people still even do this; it requires so much patience. But then again, I can understand how they fall in love with the process.

2. Maple cream is really just maple syrup (with a tiny bit of butter) boiled more to create the thicker consistency. I thought for sure there was some dairy yum in it… but nope!

3. This year, because of the unusual weather, the maple sugaring season was much more successful and earlier than usual. When tappers would normally begin in February, they started in January (remember when we had those crazy summer days when it should’ve been frigid? Those triggered the sap).

4. I have awesome friends who I need to hang out with much more.

Spring is Sure to Follow

Spring is, without a doubt, my favorite season. I love watching the world come to life, the buds forming on the trees, the mud oozing beneath my feet. Even though this winter wasn’t very wintery, I still can’t help but feel renewed as I listen to the birds sing outside the window and watch the sun pour into these dark rooms once more. Not to mention, my birthday is coming up, which is always nice, too.

Here’s a lovely poem by Mary Oliver for this fine, spring day.

Spring

Somewhere
a black bear
has just risen from sleep
and is staring

down the mountain.
All night
in the brisk and shallow restlessness
of early spring

I think of her,
her four black fists
flicking the gravel,
her tongue

like a red fire
touching the grass,
the cold water.
There is only one question:

how to love this world.
I think of her
rising
like a black and leafy ledge

to sharpen her claws against
the silence
of the trees.
Whatever else

my life is
with its poems
and its music
and its glass cities,

it is also this dazzling darkness
coming
down the mountain,
breathing and tasting;

all day I think of her—
her white teeth,
her wordlessness,
her perfect love.

 

Well have a fantastic Spring day!

jj

Image by Alyssa Nassner.

A List of Lovelies

Sometimes I just need to make a list and spurt it all out in one quick blog post. So here goes.

Things I am So, So, So, So Grateful For

1. Anticipating new possibilities… big and small, like getting a new job, going back to school (for art!!) and acquiring an iphone. (All still just possibilities. But possibilities turn into plans which turn into the present. So I’m pretty excited.)

2. Experimenting with lace + crayons, and not finding this project on Pinterest, but actually (gasp!) making it up on my own. (I hope that’s allowed…;)

3.  Soaking up Portlandia. Oh, oh, Portlandia. You make me laugh.

4. Wearing my Toms again… they’re a bit thin to wear in the depths of winter, so I saved them until I could fully enjoy and appreciate them once more in this practically-summer-warmth we now have in NY. They make me happy.

5. Making orange + chocolate cake pops with my buddies and boyfriend. They turned out even better than the dream version, which I also spontaneously created in my head one day, while remembering a certain orange chocolate bar with much fondness. Cake pops are fun to eat, but I do not prefer to spend that much time in the kitchen for something I can just eat in a different way (what’s so wrong with just cake? Why does everything have to be a cupcake? Or a cake pop? It just seems so superfluous.)

Anyways, they were delicious and I’ll post a recipe soon after. Also, go eat that chocolate bar. It’s note-worthily mouthwatering (and comes with a poem, too!).

6. Learning about collecting sugar maple sap and boiling, boiling, boiling it down to make the best maple syrup ever. I tell you, I may become as obsessed about homemade maple syrup as I am about honey. I find it so fascinating! More on this topic later… (but you should know that we made maple-chocolate cups, kind of like a peanut butter cup but with maple cream inside. OhMyDearLord. They are so scrumptious. I would share them with each and every one of you if I could!)

7. Reaching new levels in relationships. It’s a scary thing, being genuine, 100% authentic, your soul on display for others to see. Well, maybe not your soul, theologically speaking, but at least your spirit- who you are, your personality, the things that make you you. But as frightening as it is, I can’t tell you how rewarding it is on the other side. In a genuine relationship, you enable each other to reach your potential; this process is love.

Well darlings. What are you grateful for? I want to hear.
Have a splendid day!

The Beekeeper

I’ve shared with you before how enthralled I am with the process of keeping bees and harvesting honey… And someday, whether in the country or city, I will keep bees myself! I found this video the other day and immediately fell in love. It’s a beauty even if you don’t share the same honey-soaked dream as me (great job, Keith “keef” Ehrlich!).

Made by Hand is a series of short videos, each aiming to “promote that which is made locally, sustainably, and with a love for craft.” The two other videos that have also been released so far are The Knife Maker and The Distiller.

What do you think? Would you ever keep bees, in the country or city?

Is it important to you to buy handcrafted or homemade products? I’ll be posting again about this soon… in the meantime, happy video watching!

life with Bella

This week I’m taking  care of this lovely little munchkin named Bella. She is a french bulldog that is so quirky and sweet.

 

 

Bella and I have a few things in common.

#1. We appreciate food. And constantly think the world should know. Our food to non-food related thoughts ratio is a little skewed, but we are completely at peace with that.

#2. We make strange noises. I’d like to think that the gremlin/alien-esque type sounds that escape our lips are unique and endearing like a good Zooey Deschanel song. It’s more likely that they are mistaken for poor Stitch impersonations, but we will continue in our blissful ignorance if you don’t mind.

#3. If we want something, we have steel-like willpower. Okay, this one is more Bella. When she wants to play, she puts the rope in your hand. When she wants a snack she will do crazy flips and run back and forth to her food to try to charm you into slipping her some extra kibble. Luckily she is easily the cutest thing in the world, so I’m looking forward to many more games of tug of war this week.

This week seems to fall right in line with my weathly mindset goal for 2012. I am very appreciative that I get to snuggle up with this little love in front of the fireplace until our eyes get heavy and it’s time to say goodnight. What more can you ask for?*

 

*Bella says you can always ask for a treat. But other than that, nothing.

Do you ever dream about weddings?

I do all the time, it seems. Not even just my own future wedding- which I’ve been planning since I was in 2nd grade (back then my dream wedding had ponies, Cinderella dresses, and a honeymoon in Paris… just so I could pretend to be Madeline). Sometimes I even dream of potential weddings that wouldn’t necessarily be for me. Regardless, there’s a lot of wedding dreaming going on.

One of the best ways I’ve found to obtain wedding inspiration is the internet. Prior to Pinterest, I hadn’t really thought out of the box. Inside or outside? was probably the biggest quandary I pondered. But then, all of a sudden, Pinterest introduced scandalous new ideas such as having a country backyard wedding by choice, embarking on a very romantic elopement, or even just finding less expensive bridesmaid dresses that the girls will actually love.

And as everyone knows, Pinterest is really just another type of online messenger; there has to be a source of all this wedding goodness. So I compiled a list of favorite websites that have really inspired me and my ever-evolving wedding style.

1. Green Wedding Shoes. I love this website because they curate the quirkiest, most creative, most Portlandia-esque wedding ideas and inspiration. You’ll find photos of awesome real weddings, helpful posts about products and wedding-related companies, and dozens of DIY projects. Be prepared to be awed.

2. 100 Layer Cake is another website devoted to The Big Day. You’ll find ideas for everything from the Bachelorette party to what to use as a centerpiece. Style-wise, think somewhere between classic and indie. See their blog for further wedding love…

3. W. Scott Chester Photography. This blog is so great; really, it’s just the home of a wedding photography team. But the people who hire Cristen and Scott are usually pretty gifted in the wedding-planning area themselves, and the photography is out-of-this-world crazy good. So great subject + great photographer = amazingness. They are, by far, my favorite wedding photographers I’ve found so far. So be sure to check this blog out. You will be inspired.

4. Jill Thomas Photography is the home of another great photographer. Other than her awesome first name (wink), her photography bursts with real reflections of who her subjects are. Jill’s photos show less of the photographer and more of what really matters: the people in front of the camera. As a photographer, I find that difficult to master and incredibly admirable.

I hope this post has been helpful, even if you’re just dreaming like I am. Isn’t dreaming fun?

Emily + Matt

Three weeks ago I had the lovely opportunity to take engagement photos of my newly engaged friend Emily and her fiance, Matt.

Aren’t they cute?

This was my first time taking engagement photos. I found it really fun! I was a bit intimidated with how to pose the couple, since most of the photography I’ve done thus far was photo-journalistic. Better brush up and Pinterest some more…

Below is a gallery; just click on the photo to see it larger.

This is my personal favorite. I love those berries! They were a real find…

Actually, this one, too. I love the epic and adventurous feel it gives.

I don’t take photos professionally yet, but I am interested in helping someone else’s photography business endeavors. What do you think?

Opportunities

The Art House Co-op are the brilliant people behind The Sketchbook Project, which you might’ve heard of before. Both Ashley and I participated in it last year, and though it’s super challenging, it was exciting to be part of such a huge community art project!

So, coming from the same people is a new project, one that is completely free (besides postage and supplies): The 10×10 Series. The Art House Co-op basically offers “10 new community art projects in 10 weeks to celebrate our Year of Inspiration.” And every project is free!

There is one project you can sign up for right now: The 4 x 6 Exchange 2. The 4 x 6 Exchange 2 shares the joy of receiving art in the mail; after you sign up, you send in a 4 x 6 piece of art that will be swapped with someone else’s around the world. So not only do you get the joy of creating something, but you receive a little piece of art, too! Know that to be a part of this project you must sign up before March 1, and watch out, because there is limited availability…

One of the past projects in The 10×10 Series is The Jar Project, in which the Co-op sends each participant a jar that they have to fill or decorate in some way. I’m so bummed that all the slots are already taken! But I’m looking forward to seeing pictures of all of them together… maybe I’ll make my own little installation of jars. Hehe.

I really do want to do one of these small projects, just to jump-start some creativity in my life. The Art House Co-op is just one more thing to add to my list of Why I Need to Move to New York City. But meanwhile I’ll enjoy still being a part of one of these awesome collaborations!

What do you think? Are you inspired to join any of these projects? I can’t wait to see what the Co-op offers next!

2 More Awesome Art Opportunities:

Hey Hot Shot! The International Photography Competition is a contest for photographers “of all stages of their careers” that offers a lot of different ways to be found (through weekly newsletters, a 20×200 book, and even a gallery exhibition of your photography). These competitions are ongoing, but the deadline for the current one is March 14.

and

The 6 x 6 Exhibition held in Rochester by the Rochester Contemporary Art Center collects thousands of original art pieces from international and local artists that are only 6×6″ and displays the collection this summer. They also sell the artwork to raise money for the RCAC. Many celebrities (including Danny Wegman!) even submit artwork, although every piece is exhibited anonymously until after the exhibition. Submissions must be postmarked by May 5th!