The date // We’re just gonna call this whole trip one big date. Why not?
The food // Muffaletta’s and pork belly sandwiches from Cochon Butcher for lunch; potluck, parades, and king cake (I found the baby!) for dinner.
A few quick shots from our first day spent with good friends and family in New Orleans — I’d say even if date nine might have been hijacked a bit, it’s definitely in the best possible way.
We’re packing, prepping and praying the rain stays away for our trip to New Orleans on Sunday!
It’s been years (yikes!) since I’ve been down to visit my sister and even more years since I’ve been to visit during Mardi Gras, so excited is the big hulking understatement of the century… not to mention the fact that I can’t wait to escape this damn cold! (It’s supposed to snow again here Monday… 60 degrees here I come, rain or no). And the food? Oh, the food… Sunday can’t come soon enough.
I’m sure we’ll have plenty to share when we get back, and of course we’ll both be over-gramming while we’re away (Mark here, me here) so I hope you’ll stop by and say hello!
Tell me, what are you up to this weekend? Staying in to watch the Oscars and savor the last bits of winter warmth inside, starting to think about a little spring sprucing up? Any big plans?
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Eye this gorgeous, gorgeous house.
Buy anything Lisa Hackwith touches — did you see her lovely profile on Emmadime this week?
Make lots and lots of paper flowers for spring — Design Sponge has a roundup.
Bake this nutella milk — duh. (Anything nutella, I don’t care… I’ll always be sold.)
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Newer, better stock photos of ladies (and gents) that rock.
This insanely cute little lady.
Breakfast bread pudding? Yes, please.
Loving everything about this new conference and wishing I could go.
Kate Arends’ apartment is pretty much perfect in every way, and so is her advice.
When I started this blog I knew next to nothing. I didn’t know how to edit a photo, or promote my posts, or change even the most basic design elements on my blog… and I’d definitely never heard of anything like SEO. Looking back, I marvel at how long it took me to learn some of the simplest things. But sometimes it’s the simple things that can be the hardest. I can’t tell you how long I struggled with branding, or how much and what I should share (and to be honest, it’s a process… I still do) so even though there are tons of nitty gritty details I wish I’d known when I started this blog, these are a few of the really big basics that stand out…
1 // You have to tell people about it.
I don’t care what you do for a living, be proud of this other more creative side of yourself and tell everyone you know what you’re up to. You have every reason in the world to be proud.
When I first started out, I was afraid of what other people might say — now I’ll admit I feel a whole lot more like this.
2 // Read other blogs, but set a limit.
Too much obsession with what else is out there can breed insecurity and box you in. We all need a little inspiration or a kick in the ass now and then, but too much can stifle your creativity.
3 // You can’t fool please all the people all the time.
You can’t be everything to everyone. No matter how badass you think that chick over there with the diy craft blog is, if you’re not Martha, you’re not Martha.
But you are passionate about something else, right? That’s why you started a blog. (And remember I didn’t say good at, I said passionate. You can always learn.) If you focus on the things you’re passionate about, it will show in your work. You just can’t fake it in this industry. You have to be comfortable with your brand and let it shine, limitations and all. Letting go of all of that extra stuff is the only way you’ll ever find your own personal brand.
4 // Natural light will be your best friend and your worst enemy.
Okay this is sort of nitty gritty, but it’s important. Photographers often specialize in one thing… still life or portraiture or landscape. If you have a lifestyle blog, you’ll need to be an expert in all of the above. So the sooner you figure out how light works, the better off you’ll be. Watch out for direct, harsh sun and dark rooms with artificial (yellow) lighting. Seek out the shade when you’re outside on a sunny day and seek out the sun next to a window when you’re inside. I can’t even tell you how long it took me to figure out how to work with the light, and I’m still learning every day.
5 // You will learn, you will get better, and you will grow. Work hard and have faith. It will happen.
I still remind myself of this every day, and when I look back over time I can see that it’s true. You don’t have to do everything right right away, and you won’t! But that’s okay, half of the fun is in improving every day.
Those are my top five… but like I said, there’s so much more.
What have you learned along the way, and what do you wish you knew more about? Are there any questions or topics you’d like to hear more about from me?
P.S. I’m sort of obsessed with Waterlogue, you too?
I’ve mentioned before that I grew up on the coast, and in Oregon that means a love of two things: fog and fish. Fish taste, fish smell, salty air and a dusty fog that greets you with a smile damn near every day… that’s what life is made of, even if the fog does lead to a grey, drizzly afternoon, and going fishing almost always means putting on the warmest clothes you have.
So when I moved east, and ever so slightly away from the coast, I was surprised to find both how often people mistake fog for smog (and how often I mistake smog for fog… man I’m desperate to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but SLC, I don’t know about you) and how many people just totally despise fish! Especially the fish that actually tastes like fish… like the poor old salmons of the world.
Now, my first reaction would be to say, “More for me!” but I feel bad… because if you’re not loving the salmon like I am I have to tell you, you’re really missing out.
Mark is one of you anti-fish folks… so naturally I’ve been working to convert him since we met.
And so far it’s going pretty well! That is, until we get to salmon… or let’s just say all of the fish that tastes like fish.
But what if it didn’t? What if you took the best, most fresh piece of salmon and infused it with lots and lots of lemon flavor so that all was left was that creamy, delicious fatty salmon flavor… without so much of all of that fish.
I love books, and I love books as decor, but I’ll admit I haven’t always been the biggest fan of our bookcase. It’s not bad… it does the job, but it’s a little boring and I don’t know, a little too IKEA in the not-so-awesome sense. So when we recently moved it out into a big, prominent space in our hall, the bookcase’s general blah-ness started to grate on me a little.
So what’s a girl to do with no money for a fancy new piece that could speak for itself? I color-coordinated the crap out of that boring bookshelf to make it stand out all on it’s own.
The date // A hike on the AT.
The place // Annapolis Rock in Boonsboro, MD.
The snacks // Gatorade and pretzel sandwiches (junk food is a necessary addition to any good hike).
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the winters here on the east coast, as one is wont to do when they go through the most disgustingly cold winter in years, and I keep coming back to this guy.
… okay I’ll admit, it’s not quite so dramatic as finding buried food when you’re starving, but there’s something about deprivation that helps us to appreciate what we have (absence makes the heart grow fonder and all of the cliches).
Growing up on the west coast, I always appreciated the summer… it was dry and warm and definitely a whole lot nicer than the rainy rest of the year… but I can’t remember longing for it quite the way I do now. To the point that at the very first sign of spring I want to run out my door and dance with strangers on the street. The cold, long, dark days… banished inside… it’s enough to make anyone scream for their wondrous cheese doodles when they realize they’ve returned.
It’s that cheese doodle feeling that took us outdoors this weekend for a hike through the slushy snow, without a care about mud or frozen feet, bounding and running through the woods, just so damn happy to be somewhere north of 50 degrees and outside…
Forgive me if I’m still drunk on the little bit of sun we’ve seen the past few days. When you’re deprived of something so essential for so long it feels like some fat chunk of heaven just to have it back for a day.
But there are actual things happening in our little world. So I’ll avoid the urge to tell you that the sun is supposed to stay through the weekend and I can barely contain my almost-springtime joy… and give you a little update on some of those things.
First, we have a vacation sneaking up on us fast (Is it already almost March?). In just a little over a week Mark and I are headed to New Orleans to see family, go to Mardi Gras, and — most importantly — eat a whole lot of really good food. (Recommendations?)
… beignets, I’ve missed you so.
And second, right now, beyond all of the other obvious reasons to want to go somewhere warm, I’m particularly happy to be getting away, because we’ve recently reached the point in the “did I get into a PhD program” waiting game where my insides are screwed up and glued in an awkward, breathless position that won’t let up. Every time I open the mailbox I cringe, sure I’ll pull out a little envelope with bad news.
So, needless to say, I could use little something to take my mind off the mail.
And if that has to be fried bread doused in a bucket of confectioners sugar with a chicory coffee on the side, well… so be it.
I think I’ll live.
Have you been in this place I’m in before? Isn’t it the best and the worst all at the same time? When anything is still possible, but you can’t bear to wait to know?
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Eye this gorgeous guide to taking care of your plants (in case you have a black thumb, like me.)
Buy this glass water bottle that’s so pretty it might just encourage me to drink some water.
Make this awesome geometric planter.
Bake this easy frozen fruit crumb tart.
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These adorable illustrations of comfort food make me so happy.
Esquire’s “What I’ve learned” interviews via Mighty Girl.
This amazing hotel.
When life gives you lemons, make one of these.
Remember that movie? I loved that movie. (And how amazing, btw, was Gaby Hoffmann on Girls?)
Appropriately enough, I was in something like the 6th grade when the movie was released, and as awkward as they come. So I thought a 1995-1998ish flashback might be fun.
I’m not gonna say I’m any less awkward now… but the braces are gone, so that’s something.
I was tagged to participate in this fun game by Aileen, and I love her even more than I already did (which was a whole lot) for tagging me — it was so much fun to sit down and try to remember a time I haven’t thought about in so long.
So, if you’re into it ladies, I tag Joelle, Alecia, and Victoria to keep this thing alive.
I’m gonna go ahead and say that this is probably the most perfect breakfast food known to man, and leave it at that.
Soft, crusty french bread soaked in cream and honey and fried with an egg, doused with maple syrup and served piping hot — can you even imagine anything better?
I didn’t think so…
The date // bathtub gin! (okay not exactly…)
The method // this homemade gin kit
The place // home sweet home
Mark knows how much I love a good strong gin — so this weekend he surprised me with my own little gin-making kit so I could brew it up as strong as I liked.
The kit uses vodka as a base and includes all of the juniper and botanicals you need. You just add everything in, give it a good shake, and leave it to sit for around 36 hours. Easy as can be…
Life, love, and the little things… one thread at a time.
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