june

I'm celebrating the first of the month by escaping to the beach for the day. It's something I hope to do quite a lot of this summer. I have a book, sunglasses, three different cameras, and three different bottles of sunscreen. What else could I possibly need?

Edit: On the way to the beach I realized I may have jumped the gun a bit in my eagerness for June to begin. How does that old poem go? 30 days hath September....

daily food

life on film

Little bits of everyday life, captured on film.

monday music: sarah jorosz

Happy Monday! Today's music post has a bluegrass twist, just to keep things interesting around here. I've been really enjoying Sarah Jorosz's new album Follow Me Down this past week. The whole thing is very well done, but the track that really caught my attention was her cover of Radiohead's The Tourist. Bluegrass and Radiohead aren't necessarily two things you'd think would go together, but it's an absolutely beautiful reinterpretation of the song. So give a listen to that song and the other's I've posted below. Sometimes you just need to hear a little banjo.

sunday pieces

We were up bright and early this morning, ready for the flea market. I spotted some fabric and a 350 Polaroid camera. We have so many, and yet I couldn't resist this one. Very good condition and only $3!

Cats are not good polaroid subjects seeing as they tend to turn suddenly coy around cameras, or move around too much to get the focus right. However, I chanced a shot on Jakey today because I loved how his orange fur looked against the purple door. He was sweet enough to stand still for this moment.

Not our yard, although it could be. I know lots of people tend to view dandelions as the "enemy", but I'm rather fond of them.

Snapdragons!

Purple basil.

These little guys sprung up in our garden.

Our poppy is just about ready to bloom.

Cari enjoys helping out in the garden. She tends to stick to the path while Lola prefers to walk across our lettuce.

I'm trying to take full advantage of Lily of the Valley before the blooms fade away. The little blossoms smell so sweet in the house.

So many plants made their way into the garden today! We got our tomatoes and basil in the ground and got most of the late seeds planted. Almost done with the planting now, and then we will just have to wait and see how everything does.

Yet another strawberry-rhubarb crisp is in the oven to be enjoyed for desert. I think our next project will be cleaning off the porch and setting up a table and some chairs. I'm imagining meals being eaten out there on summer evenings.

first efforts

I'm not a particularly patient person, so having to wait 24 hours to see what my fabric looked like was really hard! I must say, I'm pretty pleased with the results. I can't wait to get more fabric and try again. There will be some experimenting to do before I achieve the colors I'm envisioning, but the whole process is lots of fun.

I keep changing my mind about which piece I like best! I love the way your eyes can get lost in the shades of color and different patterns. For right now whichever one I'm holding at the moment seems to be my favorite.

daily food

The combination of waffles and the orange bunny mug made for a cheerful breakfast.

something new

Today I finally got to work on a project I've been thinking about for quite some time: fabric dyeing! I've been itching to create my own colors and combinations for sewing with. After ordering some materials to get started with I was ready to go.

I tried three different methods to give me an idea of what worked best and would give me the effect I was going for. Right now these sodden pieces of fabric are sitting in my bathtub, waiting until the dye is fully absorbed and can be washed out tomorrow. I'm very eager to see the results. I don't really expect to get it exactly right on the first go, but it was fun to work with color and get my hands dirty, no matter how they come out. Hopefully I'll have pictures of the finished product later this week!

monday music: edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros

It's an awfully grey Monday around these parts, with more rain said to be on the way. It's a bit of a downer, so I decided to search for something cheerful for this weeks music. I think this tune from Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros fits the bill. It may have something to do with all that whistling.

etsy love

I just love finding a beautiful new Etsy shop to explore! Of course, with so many sellers on Etsy it can be a bit overwhelming at times, which is why I love how their blog features new and notable sellers. Today's find is Folkspirit.

Folkspirit incorporates mysticism and creativity with herbal wellness, producing salves, tinctures and teas. The beautiful descriptions and labels make me want to place an order right away!

monday music: gruff rhys

I'm lucky to be surrounded by people who love music just as much as I do were I work. Now that I don't have a radio show, that's were I get a nice dose of new tunes and music talk. This past week I was introduced to Gruff Rhys and his new album, Hotel Shampoo. I'm quite a fan, so I thought I'd share the discovery here.

sunday pieces

Sunday was:

Watercolors in the morning.

Mother's Day cards and flowers.

Local, brilliant green and purple asparagus.

The first strawberry-rhubarb crisp of the season.

My apple tree in full bloom.

Herb plants given a home in the garden.

The day was absolutely beautiful, but I woke up with a cold so I wasn't up for much excitement. I spent a good portion of the day laying on a blanket in the field over at my parent's house, book in hand. I felt a bit like a cat, finding the warmest spot possible and soaking up enough sun to make me sleepy with the heat. I like these days of spring.

strawberry dreams

After such a long winter, the spring air makes me positively giddy. My mind is full of warm weather planning and I can't stop marveling at all the green that has suddenly sprung up around me. The maple leaves are unfurling around our house and I just ordered some materials for the perfect warm weather activity (more on that soon). And now my thoughts turn to strawberries. They're not here yet, but they will be soon and I can already taste the jam. We made a batch last year and it was the best I've ever eaten. It barely lasted into winter, but every time I opened a jar the fresh strawberry taste brought me back to June in my mom's kitchen.