No Hole In My Head

Frozen for Winter

wash and uncap

boil just long enough to easily remove skins

set on a plate, tops down and slide the skins off

halve and cool

Adding a sprig of fresh basil before freezing locks in a fresh flavor. I use Big Mama Plum tomatoes and usually start them as seeds myself in recycled newspaper pots I also make. They are meaty and enormous and make beautiful sauces. There are minimal seeds in this type of tomato, so there's no need to remove the seeds, unless you really want to. 

Today, I skinned and halved one bushel and expect to have another before the season it finished. Happy gardening!

Anastassia Eilas

Anastassia Eilas is making art in the least likely of places, inside of toilet paper rolls. Using paper that is similar to the roll itself, she gives the illusion that the scenes taking place inside of the rolls are actually part of the roll themselves. The detail and depth of each little piece is pretty amazing, especially considering the scale. She claims it only takes her an hour to complete one, which is also pretty impressive.

Lovelies

 TheMeasure

 sewlola

GarterLady

Ruffles are so timeless and beautiful. I have found the few featured here to be breathtaking uses of the technique. So feminine and rich, with subtle hints of blues.

Scrumptious Bobbles

This beautiful piece can be worn up or down. It's so soft, warm and squishy; you're going to love it. For more details, please take a look here.

We will be adding several new items to kick off the Fall line, so please be sure to check back for those.

New In The Shop

Introducing the Mistress Cowl. It's made to draw attention to your personal beauty while keeping you warm with this incredibly soft wool blend. More information on this piece may be found here.

By Your Side

Beachwood Sparks' "By Your Side" was in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and I've had it stuck in my head ever since seeing it last Thursday.The movie was cool, the soundtrack is fun and Michael Cera has mastered awkwardness like I've never seen before.

It was a NYT Critics' Pick:

"There are some movies about youth that just make you feel old, even if you aren’t."Scott Pilgrim vs. The World," based on a series of sprightly graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley, has the opposite effect. Its speedy, funny, happy-sad spirit is so infectious that the movie makes you feel at home in its world even if the landscape is, at first glance, unfamiliar." -A. O. Scott

Splink is a Cyclops

Splink is new in the shop this week. He was so much fun to create and he is ready to ship now.

Vintage Find

A fabulously worn and organic looking raffia fedora is new in the shop today. This piece has great character. I bought it from the UK. Perfect for summer days in the sun.

Introducing Dagmar

I made him a skullcap that has a tiny loop closure to open and close the strap during play. He he so squishy and bright. Dagmar is perfectly fine standing or sitting, but tends to prefer sitting and flopping.

Sebastiaan Bremer

Sebastiaan Bremer is a Dutch Artist who lives and works in New York. He turns found and snapped photographs of himself, friends and family into a dusty poetic braille made up of text, personal symbols and ghostly shapes that, when integrated with their complex grounds, disappear again, buried in a sea of suspended dots. By slowly and laboriously painting on top of quickly taken snapshots, Bremer slows down time to render a hauntingly beautiful interior landscape.

Surprises Make Me Happy!

Her little girl hasn't seen her yet,but I'm anxious to surprise her this weekend! Wonder what she will name her.

Habit

July 21st: I leaned on the silo for a sandwich and a book, happy no one noticed.

The habit blog was kind and generous enough to open their blog to its readers for the entire month of July and I was fortunate enough to have one of my photos chosen from the flickr pool and have it included on the site.

As a daily reader of this blog, I have to admit what an honor it was to visit the blog that day and find my own photograph amongst such beautiful and sentimental entries. Thank you very much to the blog for both wholeheartedly sharing with us and in turn, allowing us into share our worlds with your readers.

The habit blog is one of the most inspiring sites on the internet daily.

Mila's Daydreams

Adele has the most fascinating maternity leave hobby. While her baby daughter Mila is taking her nap, she creates scene around her and takes quick snap photos.

(Thanks to Joanna Goddard.)

No Longer Empty

With so many yellow wood frame houses that were used as military housing, churches, a fort and even a castle from a time so long ago,  Governor's island is currently home to installations by over a dozen artists inside the houses of Colonel Row. No Longer Empty is participating in the Governor's Island Summer Festival and is open Fridays thru Sunday's until October 10th.

Visitors feel this sense of dislocation from the moment they step off of the ferry after just a few minutes ride. The selection of artists and artistic interventions in all media, are intended to address this sense of displacement while exploring notions of memory, residual entities of the past and transitions between worlds.

Porter Hovey

Port Hovey's Polaroid Blog is full of exciting and interesting Polaroids from all over the world. You should really take a look here.

Joana Vasconcelos

Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos currently has an exhibition taking place in London's Haunch of Vension titled "I Will Survive" that embraces the vintage art of Macramé, crafts and folk art. She incorporates objects from daily life into expansive assemblages combined with the use of old style craft techniques. Her witty and sometimes provocative work is inspired by everyday life and imagination focusing on the politics of gender, national identity and class.

Thanks to my brother for telling me about this.

Organic Chicken Sauteed in a Peach Balsamic Reduction Sauce with Crimini Mushrooms

This is one of my favorite dinners and my friend Garrett recently asked for it, so since it's all typed out, please feel free to enjoy it :)

ORGANIC CHICKEN SAUTEED IN A PEACH BALSAMIC REDUCTION SAUCE WITH CRIMINI MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS:

• salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 skinless, boneless organic chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 orange marmalade (can sub. peach or apricot preserves)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced or diced
• 1 handful of crimini mushrooms, halved
• 3 cups arugula or baby spinach (optional)

In a large skillet, heat the extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the onion and lightly sauté. Season the chicken with salt & pepper and add to the skillet. Sauté the chicken until crispy and brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Whisk the balsamic vinegar and marmalade into skillet, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute, adding butter and mushrooms at this time. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and if you'd like to add baby spinach or arugula, you can do so at this time.

This dish can be served with pasta, rice, potatoes or salad. My favorite is with a sweet potato.

SERVES: 4

enjoy, Christa

Rivane Neuenschwander

There is currently an exhibition at the New Museum by Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander titled A Day Like Any Other. The concept amazes me. Visitors are invited to select ribbons printed with a wish to tie around their wrists. When the ribbon falls off, tradition has it that one's wish will be fulfilled. Visitors may write another wish and place it in the empty hole. Your wish may be added here.

Introducing Willa

Willa will be in the shop soon. She likes to dance and is looking forward to many adventures! Find out her details here.