July 12th, 2010

things here have still been a bumpy ride, but there is a lot to celebrate.  recently, we were lucky enough to attend an incredibly fun and stunning wedding for our dear friends tiara and alex.  vanessa was one of their photographers and has posted a sampling of some of the photos she took (which are, of course, amazing.)  if it taught me anything, it’s that in the midst of strife or anything negative, there is nothing that dancing, good friends and a bit of sangria can’t solve!  the high of love is still in the air and everything looks a bit brighter.

the family also took an impromptu trip to deep creek lake last weekend for a quick getaway.  we usually take this trip in august, but decided this year it would be a far better idea to bump it up. and i’m SO glad we did.  getting away was just what the doctor ordered and the weather was absolutely perfect.  boat rides, jet skiis, jewelry shopping with mom and annmarie, pizza and booze…lots of sunshine and good food.  and of course, family.  this year was the first year tyler got to tag along and it was so wonderful having him there.


my show in ballston this weekend was rained out (boo!) but it gave us time to re-arrange the bedroom and my workspace.  when we moved in last fall, we were so anxious to settle in right away that we didn’t give much thought to the aesthetic value of the space.  i’ve been increasingly unhappy with it as i could see my work and exercise equipment from the bed.  tyler had also been unhappy with my (perhaps unwise) choice to purchase a $15 organ at goodwill a few months ago that weighed a billion pounds and had to be carried up 4 flights of stairs.  so…the compromise was – i get to layout the room, he gets to take the organ back downstairs, to the dumpster, in pieces.

(click for video)

rest in peace, you old beast.  needless to say, though it was kind of sad watching it get busted into pieces, i think the compromise was well worth it.  the room is so much more comfortable now with better lighting and a nice flow of energy.  a pleasant nook for the bed surrounded by some of our favorite art, a screened off cubicle for my workspace and the elliptical machine moved against a wall as opposed to sitting in the middle of the effing room.  i’m one happy lady.

on a work note, don’t forget that on the last day of this month it’s my etsy-versary!  my shop will be turning 3 years old this year (can’t believe it) so i will be celebrating by having a huge giveaway.  i’m thinking multiple items and over a week or 2 span of time.   it will all be centered in the blog so keep your eyes peeled!  or just sign up for my e-mail newsletter on the left to get the message when it’s up.  now…off to dc for the day!

pocket pies

June 29th, 2010


dinner last night was outstanding – pocket pies!  so fun and delicious i really wanted to share!  the recipe was adapted from here.  for dinner, we had curried mango in half of the pies and rosemary chicken with garlic, brie and white onions in the other half.  served with a side of heaping spinach salad with herb feta, strawberries and fresh veggies with trader joe’s cranberry walnut gorgonzola dressing. yum!  also for fun, i made two stuffed with sweets for a treat later on :)

pocket pies:

pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tbsp shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg mixed with 1 to 2 teaspoons water


in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. add the shortening and knead it into the flour with your hands until it is crumbly. add the milk all at once and mix in with a spatula until it begins to come together. lightly flour your hands and the countertop and turn the dough out onto the countertop. knead the dough ball, folding over 10 to 20 times.


preheat oven to 350.  divide dough in half and roll out to less than 1/8-inch thick. cut into 4 inch by 5 inch rectangles. place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling onto center of one piece of dough.

raspberry preserves & nutella with mini marshmallows

brush the edges with egg wash and top with second piece of dough. seal edges by pressing together with tine of fork. gently press down to flatten and evenly distribute the filling and dock the top of the pie. repeat with second half of dough.


bake for approximately 20 minutes. for toaster pastries, before they are entirely brown remove from the oven, allow to cool completely and place into zip-top bags until ready to toast. the pastries will not be brown until toasted.  for the ones i made for dinner, i allowed them to brown in the oven and we ate them hot.

fillings:


curried mango: (this recipe yields 8-10 pies..i split this into 1/4 the recipe since it was only for 2 pies)
4 mangos, peeled and diced, approximately 2 cups
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

place all of the ingredients into a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. transfer to a bowl and place in refrigerator to cool completely before using as filling.

rosemary garlic chicken with brie and onion (yields 2 pies)
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
1/4 small white onion, chopped
1/2 wedge of brie, wax removed, chopped
2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
salt & pepper

mix all ingredients together. spoon evenly between both pies, and follow the above directions for the rest.  the ingredients will melt and mix well in the oven.

*for the dessert pastries, on one i used 1 tpsp of nutella with a small handful of mini marshmallows.  the other, 2 tbsp of seedless raspberry preserves mixed with 1 tbsp cornstarch.  both pies were sprinkled with sugar on top.*

and voila! delicious and easy to heat up later.  in fact i’m having leftovers for lunch! :)

June 18th, 2010

things have been very up and down lately.  much of it i am not able to get into at the moment, but felt i was neglecting this little blog while still having so much to share.  until some things can be brought to light, i will simply focus on the positive things!

first and foremost, i was able to put my meager amount of networking to use…and helped tyler FINALLY find employment stability.  this is cause for great celebration as it’s been almost a 3 year struggle to get to this point.  it’s not exactly what we had expected at first, but in the big scheme of things we hope it will work out perfectly.  it’s an excellent company within 2 miles of our house, they hold great respect for their employees, there is a lot of room to grow and most importantly – long-term stability.  absolutely thrilled.

another exciting thing for me is how enjoyable creating this heirloom jewelry collection has been. i am LOVING the way the analogue plays in the vintage settings of this line.  these 2 new ring styles i’ve introduced (the quad and the diptych) are really fun, and i also started listing the bracelets and earrings as well.  the earrings will be changing soon to something a bit different…but i do love the daintiness of the ones i have so far.

been keeping busy with these new projects and getting ready for my show at the ballston market this year in july, august, and october!  i’ll be there the 2nd saturday of those months…so do come by and visit :)

my website is also in the process of becoming shop-able!  another thing i’ve been wanting to do and working on for weeks now.  still waiting for the new heirloom earrings to be completed before i launch…but stay tuned.

paypal shipping how-to

June 11th, 2010

i had the pleasure of being a guest blogger on the “indie free spirits” etsy team blog to help walk them through the basics of how to use paypal shipping.  so many people seemed to find it helpful, so i thought i’d post here as well! especially if you’re an etsian hesitant to jump into online shipping, this can be very helpful. i promise you, it is really not scary!  while i don’t use paypal for my international shipping, it makes domestic shipping from home a breeze.  i do it in my pj’s 99% of the time.  not to mention i don’t have to deal with the hassle of post office lines, grumpy workers, or just flat out incompetence.  just drop it in my mailbox, coffee in hand, and go about my day!  so here it goes, i hope it’s helpful.

single order shipping:

1.  first, log in to your paypal. 

you will then, of course, happen upon your account summary.  hopefully you will have tons of orders to ship!  there are two ways to use paypal for shipping your items.  the first way i’ll show you is how to ship through your summary page.  the second way will be the multi-order shipping option (which can also be used for personal items, not sold on etsy/ebay/artfire/etc. but just a package of cookies to grandma or something!)

2.  if you only have one order, i find it easiest to ship via the summary screen. here’s how: when you are looking at your transaction in your summary, you will see a button that says “print shipping label.”  click on it. you will then find yourself on a page upon which you need to do the following: verify that their paypal and etsy shipping address match (if not, contact them), select your service type (your options include parcel, media, first class, priority, and express if you use usps), add in the weight (i purchased an oz. scale at wal-mart ages ago for like $15 – totally worth it!) and add insurance if you like.  you should also be able to change your mail carrier service if you need to, though i only use usps.  another tip – delivery confirmation comes standard with EVERY package, big or small…so that’s an additional $.19 per package.  just something to keep in mind – i did email paypal and ask them when i first started and they said it’s not an option – it’s simply required.   and a word to the wise…if your package is a partial oz weight, such as 2.3 oz, always round up to the next whole number – not down!  once you finish filling in all of that information, hit continue.

3. on this screen, make sure you verify all of the information – that you selected the proper carrier, service type and weight of your shipment and that the address you’re shipping to and the return address are also correct.  this will also show you the rate of your postage.  once you are sure everything is right, click “pay and continue” at the bottom.  a screen will pop up with your label.  you will want to hit “print label” and let it print, tape it to your package, and voila! you are finished.  if you do the shipments this way, paypal will automatically email your customer with a tracking number for their package.  it’s often nice to send it to them again if you like, just for their own ease. another tip:  paypal says not to tape over the barcode, but i always do.  if you don’t, it’s much easier for it to rip, smudge, or receive some other sort of damage that therefore makes it unreadable and, unfortunately, undeliverable!  so as long as it’s not crinkled or smudged under the tape, and the tape is clear, you’ll be fine.

now…the other way to use paypal for shipping, which i do with multiple orders, trades or personal packages, is the “multi-order shipping” option.  here’s how you do it …

multi-order shipping

1.  log in to your paypal, and go to your account summary screen again.  on that screen will be your list of orders as before, but instead of clicking on the “print shipping label” button next to your transaction, there is a link on the side bar to the right of your list of transactions that says “multi-order shipping.”  click on that!  and make sure your pop-up blocker is turned OFF.

a new window will pop up and you will then find yourself on this screen.   if you have multiple un-shipped domestic orders they will show up on a list there and ready to go.


2.  on this screen you can verify the item and it’s recipient, choose the service you want to use, the package type, weight and size (if it asks for size.)  it’s very similar to the last page, just laid out in less detail.  so you can fill in all the information you need.  on the far left column, there is a check mark.  underneath that, a green box will appear when the label is ready to ship and needs no more information.  if you have orders to ship that did not show up on that list, maybe personal packages, trades, or perhaps your customer asked you to ship to a different address than what is on their paypal account…basically anything you want to manually enter, click on file and then “create new orders.”

3.  a new screen will pop up again, and you will do the same thing as before – select your service, package type, weight, etc.  then below, you will need to manually input the recipient’s address.  also make sure that the return address is correct.  you also have the option of inputting additional order details and a personal message to the recipient.  all your choice!

you can then hit “create another” or “save and close.”   “create another” will take you to this same form again, blank and ready to input another label.  “save and close” will take you back to the multi-order shipping screen.  back at the multi-order shipping screen when you think you are finished, verify that all of the information is correct and that the green boxes have appeared to the left of all the ready-to-ship orders.   tip: once that’s done, you can also see the postage cost of each individual package by clicking on that line.  when everything is verified and ready to go, click “print” on the top left hand corner of the screen.

4.  you will then be taken to the “pay and print” screen.  make sure all the labels are there and, when ready, click “pay and print.”  tip:  you can also see the total cost of ALL your labels combined in the bottom right-hand corner.  now the label will pop up again, and you’ll print the same way you did last time.  easy!

when you are all finished, just so you can keep track of shipments, it will show up in your account summary as the customer being “US Postal Service” and there will be a link to where you can track the package.  it sounds like a lot of work, but i promise you will get the hang of it after your first go!

good luck, and enjoy shipping in those heart covered pajama pants that you would never be seen in out in public! :)

the big apple

May 31st, 2010

tyler and i took a somewhat spontaneous trip this weekend to good old new york city.  initially, it was so he could be an extra on bored to death which ended up falling through…and conveniently freeing us.  thursday night, we hopped on an 8 o’clock train from DC.  with the right song and the right speed, trains are thrilling.  a few that carried me well were jose gonzalez’s cover of the massive attack masterpiece teardrop, magnetic fields’  the saddest story ever told and welcome home by radical face.  arrived right after midnight and hailed a cab to brooklyn where our great friends malarie and justin were waiting with open arms to put us up for the weekend.

the adventure for friday morning was a breakfast date at bubby’s for malarie and i to meet up with our mutual etsy friend amy from thepeachtree.  and what a wonderful visit it was! epic sour cream pancakes, eggs, french toast, sausage, cappuccino, and more.  not to mention the company!  as we were leaving, amy asked that we take our picture in the photobooth before we parted ways (as if i would object!)  our boys and the chelsea market were waiting for us at which time i realized my wallet was missing from my purse (insert silent panic here.)  justin, still having his head about him, called bubby’s where i had apparently left my wallet in the photobooth.  trudging back seemed to bring with it more good though, as it allowed tyler and i to also get our picture taken and gave us the opportunity to spend a lovely afternoon at the waterfront under the brooklyn bridge.

the evening held plans to have dinner with vanessa and roy at red bamboo.  sharing wine, dumplings, white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake and other veggie delights was spectacular…and heading out for drinks after was even better!  we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful night in the city or better company to share it with.

after a delicious and enormous breakfast at a cute greek joint with malarie and justin the next morning, the four of us headed over to the brooklyn botanical gardens where we all had a hay day, cameras clicking madly.  well, mine clicking and whirring much louder than anyone else’s…but i will never complain :)

saturday was also the day we were to achieve two goals.  for tyler to complete his wizard of oz collection at books of wonder and for i to head to the impossible project store and spend a small fortune on some film.  and they were right…that elevator is an adventure in and of itself.

a day of trolling around the city came to an end in the late afternoon.  we headed back to the apartment and ordered a massive amount of sushi and feasted while justin also tried his hand at making homemade ice cream (and while it didn’t turn out how he expected, we had excellent vanilla milkshakes!)  lots of laughs and full bellies put us all to bed fairly early, and tyler and i were back up at dawn to catch the 8am train home.

new york, i love you.

going, going, gone!

May 14th, 2010

well, it’s official.  my old line of polaroid jewelry is being permanently retired! discontinued! kaput!   a part of me is quite sad to see it go; it helped put me on the handmade-artisan map and had filled a niche for a while.  but after many months of watching the designs be copied and feeling increasingly more dissatisfied with how inconsistent the medium of shrink plastic was, i felt it was time to upgrade and move on.

there are a lot of good things coming out of this departure, however.  first and foremost, you can still get these pieces – until they’re gone, of course.  and cheap, too!  i have a special section in my shop for all of the discontinued jewelry.  each piece is significantly marked down to clearance prices AND have free international shipping.  i’ve already sold out of about half a dozen designs so they’re going fast.  if you’ve been debating for a while picking some up, please do so now!

secondly, and most exciting to me, is the brand new jewelry line that i am STILL in the process of listing and launching.  all of it is far more consistent than the last line, made with high quality handmade glass that was custom created just for this project.  there is no other glass out there quite like this, and i’m so thrilled to be using it.  and a big part of what makes this upgrade so wonderful is i am now able to offer custom listings for people using their own photographs!  the shrink plastic was far too difficult to control or promise nice results.  but with the new work, i have already taken in a number of custom orders and hope that this is only the beginning.

polaroid week, day 3

May 5th, 2010

“in the vines” polaroid 680, 779 share the love film

here, but feeling a bit off.

roidweek, day two!

May 4th, 2010

polaroid week, day two.  got a haircut i need to get used to and a deep slice in my knuckle almost painfully down to the bone…but life is good.  and little houses brighten my world :)

“little neighbors” polaroid 680, 779 share the love film

“little village” sx70, px100 first flush film

roidweek!

May 3rd, 2010

a happy polaroid week to you all!  this week comes around only twice a year and the powerful community and support system that comes out is remarkable.  not to mention the images!  the overwhelming love for the magic of instant film (both new and the film of yore) is heartwarming and the talent is superb.  my two humble submissions for the day are here, and i’ll be posting my submissions as they come through the week.  i failed in stocking up images (as i always do) and will be working all week.  so hopefully there will still be time for shooting :)

“ghost town” sx-70, px100 first flush impossible film

“violet dusting” 680, 779 share the love film

keep up with these incredible ‘roid-ers on flickr here, and on twitter here.

April 28th, 2010

i have the great privilege of being surrounded by creatives and artistic minds throughout my day, everyday.   i’m even more humbled to call some of these folks my close friends.  one i wanted to highlight in particular has been a dear companion for a good number of years now and also shares my love and enthusiasm of instant film.

bryan vana, shot by me. taken in philadelphia, fall of 2009.

meet bryan.  a graduating collegiate, a quiet sometimes shy fellow with an apt love for the good things in life. film, photography, music, adventures (of the big and small persuasion.)  from the day he turned 21 to the day he turned 22, he had a goal to shoot every single new person he met, capturing that awkward new and magical moment with nothing more than a single polaroid.  being someone i knew to be quite shy and sometimes reserved, a hard person to get close to, i was very intrigued by the whole thing.  watching him grow, as an artist and a person, and the project manifest has been incredibly gratifying – just as a bystander.  having been granted wall-space he was able to share the project with everyone involved and more.  being so taken with the project, i wanted to share it as well.  bryan was kind enough to answer a few questions and also share some of his favorite images from the year which i’m thrilled to be including now.

(for more on danielle, another great and talented friend, please visit her fabulous webcomic – girls with slingshots.)

what made you want to begin this project? :  Mainly I wanted to do something completely apart from my assignments at school. This is my final year so I wanted to have something on the side to work on that would make my senior effort really count.

what was the hardest part? :  The hardest part was probably just being up front with people. Approaching those I met with my idea, it was tough knowing that not everyone wanted to be part of something creative. And I’ve always been very shy around people that are new to me, so I had to force myself to be social for each one of those pictures.

did you miss anyone? : Regrettably, I missed about a dozen or so people for different reasons. A couple of times I either didn’t have my camera with me or forgot to throw an extra pack of film in my bag. Once I had a person insist that we shoot her photograph another time. Once I even had a cartridge die on me; I later salvaged that specific pack by changing out the battery manually, which was difficult.

do you have a favorite memory behind any of these photographic experiences? : I do, yeah. The weekend of September 19th, 2009 I traveled down to visit my brother at James Madison University and was introduced to 15 different people in less than one day. Josh is a pretty popular local musician down there as well as a resident director at JMU, so he knows a lot of people. That night we met up with his friend Danny at a bar, listened to some live music and then had a brief drunken adventure on campus that made my trip completely worthwhile. It’s one of my best college memories for sure. Since then I’ve made it a point to see Danny every time I visit.

how many people were incredibly uncomfortable with having their photo taken? how many people thrived on it? :  The number of people that really did not want to do it would surprise you. Maybe I’m not quite so charming. But overall I’ve witnessed a great deal of interest and support for the project here at school, which is extremely gratifying. I’ve been able to share it with classmates and instructors through having my own exhibition. Wall space was granted to me by Amanda Hostalka, a professor of art here at Stevenson whom I met about halfway through the project.

which subjects were your favorites? :  I mean, in general… really just the people who tried to help me create images that were more than just snapshots. Sometimes when I was feeling a little burned out on traditional portraits I would ask my subjects for ideas and we’d work together to do something different. In many cases I was pleased with the results, so I definitely have to give credit to those who contributed creatively. Thanks, guys! And sure, there are a few in particular that I hold above others. Danielle Corsetto, Jonathan Brower, Ashley Kirby… I feel I’m walking away from the project with some of the best Polaroids I’ve ever taken.

and, of course, why Polaroid? : There was really no other choice. I shoot a good deal with my Nikkormat and Holga but when I originally had the idea to take a picture of each new person I met, I imagined interaction beyond just snapping a photo. Polaroid allowed me something much more personal: the ability to watch each portrait develop right there in front of the subject’s eyes. I’ve been shooting Polaroids since the summer before my freshman year of college and so I’m very familiar with the wonder of instant film, but introducing the format to a few people who had never had their Polaroids taken was rewarding to say the least. Some folks were so impressed that they claimed they would go home and dig out their parents’ old Polaroid cameras that same day.

Whenever I try to sum up my feelings for Polaroid I always end up thinking about this song “I Guess I Planted” by Woody Guthrie:

I guess I planted some long lonesome seed of a song
Way down inside me long ago
And now I can’t remember when it was
But it joined up with the rest of them and grows

It’s such a little song, it don’t compare
With all your big ones you hear everywhere
But when it dawns way in the back of your mind
The big ones are made up of the little kind

I’m not sure if that makes sense to anyone else, but for me it describes my feelings for the format and for analog photography in general. Not that my work has much to do with unions… I don’t know. It makes sense to me.

for more on bryan, or to keep up with his work (which i suggest you do) please go here and here.