hidden spectrum is an art and women's clothing atelier in vancouver, canada, created by designer amy sky. currently in it's third season, the f/w 2010 collection is aptly named "painted," pulling inspiration from work clothes and hard-wearing garments for everyday life. 
today is the last day of summer. by tomorrow, i will have officially moved my sandals and flip-flips to the back of the closet where they will stay for the next 9 months. until then, in the 80-degree heat, my feet will enjoy their last few hours of freedom. this year, they’ve had a good run.
chicago-based photographer and designer, paul octavious, displays his vintage book collection in color-coded, tabletop creations of numbers and forms.
earlier this week in the trader joe's parking lot, as i was walking to my car, i noticed a shaggy brown dog perched in the driver seat of a parked mini van, paws at 10 and 2, giving me a friendly, albeit serious, stare down. the image seemed so natural, like any minute he would switch gears and cruise out on to the street. this photo by ben speckman reminded me of that moment—in this case, the dog is happily along for the ride.
over the past week, ben and i have been ripping down wallpaper and painting like crazy. we still have a long way to go, but every time a new room gets a fresh, clean, coat of paint, i’m starting to realize how empty our walls are. we need art. i love debbie carlos's collection of double image sprout prints. i’m putting this one at the top of my list.
artist crystal liu has found a way to interrupt time in her photo series "give us our dream," capturing life in a frozen moment. i’d like to pick what is left of the flowers in my garden and preserve them, just as liu has done, so that months from now, in the dead of winter, i can remember the sun on my face.
swedish photographer, carl kleiner, creates a witty narrative in his still life photos of everyday objects, including his clever series on inner and outer apparel for NK STIL department store. even in his spontaneous work, kleiner finds a way to tell a story or evoke an emotion.
over the weekend, i met up with 2 lovely ladies in chicago for some much needed girl time and the renegade craft fair. we thought we would spend maybe an hour at the fair, grab some lunch, and explore the city in the afternoon. 4 hours later, we were still rifling through the booths of over 300 indie crafters trying to decide what we couldn’t live without, since we clearly could have left with everything. above vendors: (1) geode and antler necklaces by georgia varidakis; (2) paper mache vessels by susan dwyer of up in the air somewhere; (3) beautiful bowl of cup earrings; (4) prints by yellow lion + wood lasercut jewelry by the harbinger co - from which i purchased the arrowhead necklace; (5) katy wearing a reclaimed twig necklace by cursive design; and (6) britta + katy eating spicy chickpea burritos from mana food bar and a blood orange drink from big bite café.
this year, i planted my first vegetable garden. i put the seeds and starters in early and waited. nothing happened… or they were happening very slowly. by the beginning of august, weeks after my scheduled harvest, rabbits had eaten my beets and broccoli, my carrots were only an inch long, and my pepper, zucchini, and tomato plants were bare. when we left for colorado i was convinced that what was left would die in the august heat with little to no water. it turned out, i just needed to leave for them to flourish. sure, some plants didn’t make it, and i made a lot of mistakes, but just when i thought i had failed as a gardener, my little plants came through for me.
fall collections have been available for months, but i've resisted posted about them until now. the leaves are starting to change and nights are getting cooler so i think it's time i start thinking about wool jackets, sweaters, and tights like the rest of the world. french clothing line maje, by judith milgrom, inspires me to say goodbye to color and transition back to black.
my favorite short stories are tucked away on a dusty bookshelf. i love the idea of displaying them for everyone to read, which artist klas ernflo has done with jess row's story "sheep may safely graze."
traditionally, when a matryoshka doll is separated in the middle, a similar, smaller doll is revealed. eibatova karina (ei.ka dopludo), and illustrator and artist from st. petersburg, russia, has used this concept to reveal the phenomenon of life—body, soul, space, and infinity.
trail oats (adapted from trailcooking.com)
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dried apples
3 tbsp powdered milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup boiling water – cook 5 minutes
cinnamon couscous (adapted from trailcooking.com)
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup dried cherries
3 tbsp powdered milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup boiling water – cook 5 minutes
mango rice (adapted from trailcooking.com)
1/2 cup instant rice
1/4 cup chopped dried mango
1/4 cup dried coconut
4 tbsp powdered milk
1.5 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cardamom
3/4 cup boiling water – cook 10 minutes
add ingredients to a 1-quart freezer bag, seal, and store. when ready to eat, add 3/4 cup of boiling water (i usually add less because i like my cereal more dry). once water is added, seal the bag and knead to mix the ingredients. let the bag rest upright for cook time, open, and eat.
i stopped by the us forest service ranger station in creede, colorado, during our trip and picked up the entire smokey the bear poster series. the woman at the front desk told me that i could have one poster for free or i could take as many as i wanted with a $0.50 donation for each. i couldn't choose, so i left with all 15.
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