Mid-Week Daydream

I'm daydreaming about this space. The vaulted ceilings and the light are wonderful. It seems like a perfect place to escape to.

(image from Country Living Magazine July/August 2010)

1 Year

Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of No.15. It doesn't seem like it has been a year since I started this but I have enjoyed every moment of it. I want to thank you all for coming to visit and for all the lovely comments you leave me. They all make me so happy.

I promise may great things to come here. I hope you all stick around for the journey.

Thanks again! You are all so wonderful. xoxoAmy

Beavertail State Park + A Roll a Week

This weekend was wonderful. The internet was still driving my nuts (I think it is my wireless card and not just the internet signal itself), I needed a break from school and homework, so I took the weekend off to go where ever it led me. On Friday, Mark and I went to Beavertail State Park out on the very tip of Jamestown, RI. It is so nice there. The light house in on the end and there are grass areas to sit and have picnics, sunbathe, or play. Along the edges are rocky out croppings where you can fish or sit and watch the waves -that's what Mark and I did. This time there were quiet a few artist painting different views of the light and the ocean. It was neat to watch them work.

There are more photos over on A Roll a Week. Please have a look. It's such a beautiful place.

Saturday, I took my mom down to Mystic, CT for some shopping and lunch. We ate at a restaurant called, Bravo Bravo, near to the draw bridge. They had a delicious polenta dish I want to try to make for Tasty Tuesday next week. On Sunday, Mark and I went to the RI Air Show. I'll have a post on that later this week.

I hope you all had wonderful weekend. I'd love to hear about them.

P.S. 52 Weeks is up.

Mid-Week Daydream

Yesterday, Anne Sage reviewed the book French Country Style at Home. She has me daydreaming today about these spaces. I like the serene colors with the touches of bold. The sophistication of the style and most of all the aging plaster wall in the bedroom - such a great texture.

(images from The City Sage)

A Roll a Week

Ok, the internet seems to be back up and working today. That is one of the trouble of being in the country - really really old cable lines make for spot service some days.

What I wanted to tell you yesterday was that A Roll a Week is up. On Saturday, I went to Wickford, RI. It is such a cute little seaside town. I love walking around the village section and stopping in all the shops. This time there were so many flowers in bloom, including this gorgeous cottage rose bush. This picture pretty much sums up what the day felt like.

Tell me did you have a good weekend. What did you do? I'd love to hear.

P.S. 52 Weeks is up too.

Photo Friday

hosta
(Pentax K200D with 28mm macro lens)

Happy Weekend!

I hope you all have great weekends. It is supposed to be a nice one here, really warm and sunny. I'm hoping to go down near the ocean tomorrow.

Today was really nice too. A few weeks ago I met a man and his wife at the farmer's market and he mentioned having a Hasselblad medium format film camera for sale. Today I went and got it along with a 4x5 land camera and a couple of Nikon film camera. It was just too good a deal to pass up. I can't wait to try the Hasselblad! I have wanted this camera for so long! I'll be sure to share the pictures when I get them.

I was MIA yesterday and today but I wanted to drop in an show you what I've been up too. The above illustration is part of an interactive project I just completed for one of my final project for spring semester. You can see both projects here.

Note: On the second project only one puzzle piece moves with the keyboard. If anyone knows how I can make them all move independently of each other just using up, down, left, and right arrows I would love to hear. :) It works fine with the mouse though.

Please let me know what you think.


(P.S. You'll need the newest version of Adobe Flash Player to see it.)

Kalle Gustafsson

I just stumbled upon the portfolio of Swedish photographer Kalle Gustafsson and had to share. His photos have this wonderful cinematic, old Hollywood feel. He is a master at telling a story through pictures. The above is part of a series called Jackie - an ode to Jackie Kennedy and her iconic style and presence.

I would love to learn how to do photos like these.

(images from Kalle Gustafsson website)

Inn at Woodstock Hill

I hope you all had wonderful weekends. I'd love to hear all about it.

Saturday I went a wedding. I didn't take a lot of photos of the wedding itself as I was a guest of my boyfriend. It's kind of funny how if I know the couple I take tons of pictures but if I don't really know anyone I take very few. I did have to share these pictures of where the reception was held. The Inn at Woodstock Hill is this gorgeous bed and breakfast inn located in Woodstock, CT. It has beautiful gardens and views and the decor inside is quite nice, very traditional. It is even more beautiful in fall when the leave change color. The last photo is the view from the patio where we had brunch.

Okay, back to finals now. I hope you all have a great week. Happy Monday!

P.S. 52 Weeks is up. Check it out here.

Photo Friday

I got a new lens in the mail the other day. It is a 28mm f1.8 Macro. It is nice and fast and has a quite shallow depth of field. The details it captures are brilliant though. More to come with this for sure!

One more final project down, two to go. These two are with ActionScript, coding is not my thing so I will be super happy when I finish them up next week. I start summer semester on Monday too...I'm looking forward to a rest in August.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'm going to a wedding on a lake tomorrow and hopefully somewhere fun on Sunday. I need a break from the computer. But I promise to try to visit too. Thank you for all you great comments. I've read them all and they make me so happy.

Mid-Week Daydream

I'm daydreaming of this place today. The colors are so calm and serene. That porch would be wonderful today!

These beautiful photos are all from the website of interior designer Tricia Foley. She has authored numerous style books and was the editor of House Beautiful and Country Home. I love her simple, romantic style. Her website is full of great inspiration, see more here.

Tasty Tuesday

Sunday I went to the Coventry Farmer's Market (pictures over on A Roll a Week) and picked up two quarts of fresh strawberries. I have been wanting strawberry shortcake for a bit now and gluten-free biscuits have been a challenge for me so far. For the shortcake I made scones instead. So today's Tasty Tuesday recipe is for Almond Scones.


Almond Scones

2 cups of gluten-free flour mix
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold butter
2/3 cup 1% milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix together the flour mix, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until resembles a cornmeal texture. Keep the mixture cold, you don't want the butter to soften too much. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, egg and almond extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix. Stir until mixture starts to hold together.

Lay down a sheet of parchment paper and drop batter. It will be very sticky. With floured hands kneed the dough a few times. Form into a 1" thick disc of dough. Since it is quite sticky I inverted it onto a Silpat lined cookie sheet and pealed the parchment paper off the top. This makes the flour side of the dough land down making it easier to cut into equal wedges. With the help of a flat spatula you can separate the wedges and spread them out on the cookie sheet. Bake at 425°F oven for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean.

This recipe is quite flexible you can add nuts, dried fruits, or another flavor very easily.

For the strawberry shortcake, I mashed the strawberries with a little bit of sugar. I topped the whole thing with a bit of whipped cream.

(The original recipe was from the Gluten-free Gourmand)

Monday Inspiration

Some Monday morning inspiration from Canadian artist Janet Hill. She paints everything from gorgeous gowns to interiors to a simple bowl of cereal. I love her compositions and color combinations. So soft and feminine. Prints are available through her Etsy shop.

website Etsy blog

(all images from Janet Hill website)

P.S. 52 Weeks is up!

Photo Friday

A pretty peony to start off the weekend.
Happy Weekend!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Do you have any great plans? I'd love to hear about them.

I'm hoping the weather cooperates so I can go to a picnic and an agricultural fair on Saturday and a big farmer's market on Sunday. I'm working on a little project in conjunction with the farmer's market to photograph the farms the produce/products come from. I did my first shoot yesterday morning, it was so much fun. I'll share some pictures as soon as I can.

Autarchy

I have been so busy these last few weeks I have hardly had time to look for inspiration but I did see this instillation online and wanted to share it with you.

Autarchy is an instillation by Studio Formafantasma in the Netherlands. The idea was to create a collection of vessels and lamps that are 100% natural from the simplest form of production. The pieces are made from 70% flour, 20% agricultural waste, and 10% natural limestone. They are baked at a very low temperature and are fully functional in the end. The color comes from natural dyes - vegetables, spices and roots are dried and then boiled or filtered to make the dye.

They write, "Autarchy suggests an alternative way of producing goods where inherited knowledge is used to find sustainable and uncomplicated solutions." I think there is definitely something to be said for returning to a simpler way of life. We tend to over complicate things in the name of technology and progress.

Also in the instillation are a series of brooms made from cereal sorgho. A result of a collaboration between broom maker Guiseppe Brunello and French bakery Poilane.

You can read more on the instillation and on the process used to make these here.

Speaking of slowing down, I'm off to enjoy a nice dinner and take a break from all the work on that awful "to do" list. :)

Peonies

I thought I'd start the week off with some pretty peonies for you.We picked these yesterday before the thunderstorms today. I love how delicate and textural they are. They smell beautiful too.

How were your weekends? Good I hope.

Mine was good. Sunday, I got to meet my step-grandmother for the first time! It was at her surprise 80th birthday party, she was so surprised for the party and that we were there. She is great and I can't wait to spend time with her again very soon.

Yesterday, I went to the local Memorial Day parade and then the town sponsored a Family Fun Day. There was a cook-out, games, ice cream, jumping houses, and the local fire and police departments have vehicles there to check out. I scooped ice cream for most of the party. It was so much fun but I had ice cream every where when I left. Just a note, ice cream and 92°F do not do well together. lol:)

Hope you are having a great week!

P.S. 52 Weeks is up!