get out of town: florence.

For our trip, we decided to book apartments and b&b's instead of hotels for our stays in Florence and Rome through airbnb. I am so excited about our apartment in Florence...and we will be on the same street as Emily and Barrett's hotel! (don't know if I told you that my older sister and her husband will be traveling in Italy at the same time and our times in Florence will overlap!) Here are some shots of our "1 bedroom apartment on historical palazzo.." yes please!

kvam family farms.

Are you one of my Nebraska readers? If you are, then listen up! My mom has been able to buy farm fresh chickens, fresh eggs, honey, raw milk, and many many other goodies from Kvam Family Farms right in West Point. The Kvam's is a small family run farm that focuses on local, organic, and sustainable farming. We should ALL be supporting these small farming operations in a world of food that is extremely over-processed. You can set up an appointment to pick up your goods with the Kvam's by calling the number above...and I suggest you do! yum yum yum!

italy update.

I have been reading it up in my Frommer's Italy, Italy Day-by-Day, and Italian Islands books and can hardly believe that in a little over a month I will be on a flight to Rome with my best friend! We will start our journey in Florence exploring Tuscany, then head down for 3 glorious nights on Capri, and then head back to Rome for a few days before we head home. I will fill you in on a few more details in a bit...but on a more superficial note, what shall I wear? hee hee. I will not be packing alot. My plan is dresses, and lots of them, like this one from Old Navy I got this weekend; comfortable, supportive shoes, like Keds; these awesome Raybans I'm going to treat myself to before the trip; and the LL Bean sunwashed canvas shoulder bag, which I'm hoping will be the perfect thing to hold my camera, and to keep my organized on day trips...that should be about it!

some spring things.

The bike is out and I think it was 70 degrees for the first time in many, many, many months today. I am going to try not to drive to the grocery store at all this summer. I can get there in about 15 minutes on my bike, so I have no excuse. If I'm not biking to the store or work, you can probably find me on the hill by the Rose Gardens at Lake Harriet with a stack of magazines soaking up some sun.


I am trying my hand at some mint infused white rum for my second favorite summer drink, mojitos!


I found this little guy at Nifty Thrifty a while ago, painted it white, and now have another great place to stick some flowers!

shop scad.

check out this fun shot of the shop scad pop up shop featuring a lot of my designs this past December on the Constant Gatherer! You can still buy some things here and here!

fun goodies for my bday.

just a few goodies I received for my birthday...these adorable little butter and jam pats (thank you Becky!) , and my lovely manatee drawing! (thank you Sam!)

be inspired: tomboy style.

loving all the inspiration over at this lovely blog, tomboy style. I think I need a little more tomboy style in my life..

recipe for a good summer: salmon ceviche.

I think I found my new favorite summer meal...actually, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since Emily and Paul came to visit and we sat drinking watermelon mojitos and eating salmon ceviche. My older sister and I gave it a go this weekend and it was amazing..talk about tastey! If you like fresh salsa and salmon and jalepenos..you will love this.

Ingredients:

.6-1 lb of fresh salmon

1-2 jalepenos, finely chopped

juice of 2 oranges

juice of 5 limes

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

To add later:

1 avocado

1 tomato or cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper

Pull apart your salmon into small pieces and place in large bowl. Add jalepenos and red pepper. Add orange and lime juice. The liquid should coat and almost cover everything. Let this sit for 3-4 hours. The citrus juices will cook the salmon, and it should appear just as it would cooked after this time. Toss with avocado, tomato, and add salt and pepper. I like it served over white rice, or it is great with tortilla chips!

recipe for a good summer: beeritas.

I whipped up my first batch of beeritas this past weekend despite the crappy weather. Don't know what a beerita is? Well, your life is about to be changed. The simple definition of a beerita is a margarita with beer. It cuts the sweeten of a regular margarita and is the most refreshing summer drink..be careful..they are strong. My Juice-o-Mat worked perfectly for getting every last drop out of those limes!

Here is my fail proof recipe..

Ingredients (makes 1 pitcher):

1 can frozen limeade concentrate (i sometimes add fresh lime juice as well)

Tequila

2 cheap beers (I prefer Michelob Golden Light)

Triple Sec

Dump your frozen limeade into the pitcher. Fill up the empty limeade container with tequila and add to frozen limeade (don't fill up as much for a less strong one). Pour in 2 beers. Let the foam settle and give it a stir until the limeade is dissolved. Finish off with a hit of triple sec.

april 15, 2011.

self portrait on my 25th birthday.

(i know i look serious..but i am very much excited about this time and year of my life.)

mn spring.

April 16th: New display at Hunt & Gather.

April 19th: The view out my window.

you are such a tease minnesota.

get out of town: new york city.

It was off to NYC for the April Print Shows to see what was new for spring! Our home for the weekend was the Gramercy Park Hotel in the East Village.. swanky but absolutely delightful!

One of the first things we did was head to the Ace Hotel and sit and the bar for a brewsky. The atmosphere was chill and amazing. You should add this to your list next time you are in the city!

Lunch at Kati Roll next to Bryant Park. Delicious.

Love love loved seeing Sam and Adam's amazing Harlem apartment..I could have spent much longer there just soaking in the lovely colors, amazing objects and art, their emmaculately organized kitchen, chowing down on Sam's homemade salted caramel ice cream, and laughing..ALOT. They made our weekend oh so fun..that is an under statement.

Yummy pulled pork, ribs, mac and cheese, and garlic potatoes at Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem.

Brunch at Flatbush Farm..I loved the quarter inch thick country bacon.

It's not a visit to Williamsburg, without stopping into Mast Brothers Chocolate and snacking on some samples.

Visited Brook Farm General Store and picked up some beeswax candles and a beer bottle opener.

Nom-ed down the most amazing Strawberry donut from the Donut Plant.

Visited the Kate Spade store on Broome Street and treated myself to the gold grosgrain bow earrings.

Finally visited Purl Soho and drooled over their beautiful selection of Liberty fabrics and wool felt.

Enjoying one of the best meals I have ever eaten at The Spotted Pig. Sheep's Milk Ricotta Gnudi with Basil Pesto, Pan Seared Striped Bass with Cauliflower Puree and Hazelnuts.. What an amazing meal. And what a cute restaurant.

Sipping a strong one at Little Branch in the West Village.

Saw the incredible work of Sonia Delaunay at the Cooper-Hewitt.

Had my first ever visit to the Guggenheim! It was amazing to see so many works by Robert Delaunay after having just visiting Sonia's exhibit.

Stopping in to see Paige's lovely designs and her magical touch strewn all about the Lilly Pulitzer on Madison Avenue.

Sam signed us up for a Cheese and Honey pairing class at Murray's Cheese, one of the oldest cheese shops in nyc which opened in 1940. While sipping champagne to cleanse our palettes, we added to our cheese and honey repertoires..My favorite cheese was a Marieke Gouda (unlike any of the "goudas" you can buy at the store) made by a family from Holland that moved to Wisconsin! There was a New york City beekeeper (yes, they exist!) from Let it Bee Honey who brought all sorts of loveliness..

The Beirgarten at the Standard hotel by the High Line was absolutely amazing and made for a very fun night.