2010 fall wish list

the list of things i've had my eye on this fall seems to be endless, here are just a few: (1) electric blue + black dress, (2) 3-pocket blazer, (3) english saddle biker boots, (4) grey jacquard tights, (5) single rope knot necklace, (6) black slouchy shoulder bag, (7) red slouchy mohair hat, (8) mochuco print cosmetic bag, (9) je t'aime pouch, (10) field notes journals, (11) americana quilt print

invisible

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.

(interview with a. sky: string magazine)

bittersweet

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.

a systematic catalogue

chicago-based photographer and designer, paul octavious, displays his vintage book collection in color-coded, tabletop creations of numbers and forms.

domesticated

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.

egg-plant

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.

beneath the ice

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.

dress up

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.

renegade

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.

fresh picks

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.

time for change

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.

printed prose

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."

look inside

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.

breakfast bags

there are only so many power bars i can eat when backpacking, so for our last trip i made breakfast bags to eat in the morning. it was definitely great to have something warm when we woke up to an ice-covered tent. . . in august. some (oats) are healthier than others (instant rice), but it was nice to have variety. they were fast, with no clean up, and because you just add boiling water, they could work just about anywhere—on a camping trip, at home, or at work

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.

only you

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.

continental divide trail

ben and i pulled into the driveway late on saturday night after spending 3 weeks in colorado at his parents cabin in south fork. for 8 of those days, we hiked 90 miles of the continental divide trail across the weminuche wilderness from wolf creek pass to stony pass. i was nervous going in. we backpacked across the west coast trail last summer for 6 days, but i new this trip was going to be much more difficult—most of the trail was above treeline at 12,000 feet surrounded by almost 500,000 acres of colorado’s wildest and most beautiful wilderness.

during the day, we scrambled across thin mountain spines, climbed steep rocky slopes, and passed open meadows dotted in wildflowers. we escaped a few intense afternoon thunderstorms, napped on grassy flats, and, when we stopped to look up from our feet, there was one endless panoramic view after the other.

at night, we camped by isolated mountain lakes and rivers, dipped in icy water to cool off and clean up, wolfed down freeze dried channa masala and pad thai, and curled up in our sleeping bags while rain and hail came throughout the night.

i was sore and tired by the time we ended, with huge blisters and aching muscles, but after a shower and a victory beer, i felt proud—i was a burly mountain woman after all.

(photos by: ben & erin)