gorgeous ink.

I recently stumbled upon the beautiful tattoo and art of Brooklyn artist, Amanda Wachob and I just can't get enough! Her translation of her artwork into tattoo art (in my opinion) is pretty remarkable With the almost brush-like strokes of these watercolor-esque creations, it's hard to believe they are actually tattoos. You can read more about Amanda's tattoo work here and here...

[images via, final image via NYTimes]

rainy day: milwaukee art museum

(clearly skeptical about a photoshoot)

On Sunday we spent some of the very rainy afternoon checking out the Milwaukee Art Museum's new exhibit, Color Rush (clearly my use of b&w photos today is a bit ironic!). If you are into photography and want to learn more about the development of color photography, then I would definitely recommend checking it out. I found it really interesting to learn that the photography world didn't necessarily take color photography very seriously and didn't think of it as a "serious" form of art in its early stages.

Besides Colors Rush, I also stumbled on the latest display of student and community art work and fell in love with "alternative fashion" pieces. 

Hope you had a nice weekend too :)

[photo credit: images 1 & 3 from Ry's phone]

happy int'l women's day and 1000 Shillings sale!

It's international women's day people!

And even though you should always show love, appreciation, and respect for the women in your lives, take a moment today to go above and beyond. I know that I am incredibly blessed to have such amazing and inspiring women in my life: friends, family members, co-workers who have all taught me a little bit about myself and made me a better person.

Being that it is such a great day to support women, I have to mention my friends over at 1000 Shillings who continue to do amazing work with the women of the Namatala slums of Uganda. The Namatala ladies have made a lot of progress throughout this year-growing their businesses, being able to feed their families, and paying for education.

You can continue to help these incredible women by checking out their gorgeous handmade jewelry and taking advantage of their women's day sale! I've had my eye on the Ado necklace for awhile, so I might just have to get it today :)

p.s. If you are a photographer, filmmaker, journalist, product designer, or a social entrepreneur looking for a real adventure and what is sure to be an unforgettable experience, you should definitely check out the 1000 Shillings Fellowship opportunity for this coming summer. I so wish I could go, but I am hoping someone will see this and choose to be a part of something truly inspiring! Check it out, today!

fave finds 1.0

a few favorites from around the web: cozy chair, audrey flats, spaghetti squash, initial necklace

bug art. yep, you heard right!

Amblyn (detail) by Darkling Beetle

Blue Moth by Tiger Moth

Fly Miro #1 by Sarcophagid Fly

 Eleven Steps (detail) by Hissing Cockroach

I am no fan of insects in general, but I can't help to be anything other than fascinated by entemolgist, Steven Kutcher's artistic work with the insects he studies:

"I have made visible the hidden world of the insect footprint. When an insect walks on your hand, you may feel the legs move but nothing visible remains, only a sensation. These works of art render these insect tracks and routes visible, producing a visually pleasing piece while conveying pertinent, scientific information..."

Who knew creepy-crawlies could be so unintentionally talented? To learn more about his methods or to even get your hands on some of his work, check out his website here.

(images)

in the kitchen: wild rice and mushroom soup

annnd it's Monday again! oofda. With Ry out of town for the weekend, I had some time to catch up a few projects I had been putting off and then headed to the 'burbs to see my parents (and Bailey too!). The weather was surprisingly nice, so my mom and I were able to walk with Bailey and catch up-we could talk for hours! Later my mom, dad and I went their favorite spot in town and we sipped on our favorite (dirty) martinis, while munching on pistachios-the perfect combination in my opinion.

Even though I had the goal of getting some cooking done while I was home, my mom was actually the one who was cheffin' it up with this weekend with a delicious wild rice and mushroom soup from Cooks Illustrated. I am a huge fan of wild rice and can never get enough mushrooms, so this recipe was a great marrying of the two ingredients. Best of all, unlike a lot of other rice & mushroom soup recipes I have seen, this one required very little heavy cream, so you can enjoy practically guilt-free!

Fun fact: wild rice is actually not rice! It is an aquatic grass that grows naturally in lakes and is cultivated in man-made paddies.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup via Cooks Illustrated

¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

4 ¼ cups of water

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove peeled, 4 garlic cloves minced

Salt and pepper

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup wild rice

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (can be substituted for white mushrooms)

1 onion, chopped finely

1 tsp tomato paste

2/3 cup dried sherry

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 tbsp soy sauce

¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup fresh chives, minced

¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest

*don't be scared off by the ingredient list-the prep is actually very easy!

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grind shiitake mushrooms in spice grinder (or blender) until finely ground.
2. Bring 4 cups of water with thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove, ¾ tsp salt, and baking soda to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to a boil
3. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and bake until rice is tender-about 35-50 minutes. Strain rice through mesh strainer, saving cooking liquid. Discard thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Add water to your reserved liquid so that you have 3 cups of water.
4. Melt butter in Dutch oven (or cooking pot) over high heat. Add cremini mushroom, onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are brown and a dark fond (residue) develops on the bottom of your pan.
5. Add sherry, scraping up any browned bits and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry. (about 2 minutes). Add ground shiitake mushroom, reserved rice cooking liquid, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, covered, until mushrooms and onions are tender-about 20 minutes.
6. Whisk corn starch and ¼ cup rice water in small bowl to form a roux. Stir the mixture into the soup, return to a simmer, and cook until thickened. Remove pot from heat and stir in wild rice, cream, chives and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

We paired our soup with a delicious fresh salad and our favorite homemade French bread...hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Bon appetit!

currently 3.0

Reading the lovely and beautifully written insights of Meg Fee. She has such a wonderful way with words and writes so honestly that it is truly refreshing to read. I admire her ability to share the highs and lows, struggles and successes of her life-I feel like I could drink lattes and chat all day with her! I especially love her series “a letter to the man who will make me an honest woman" … (image)

Listening to the L.A. based indie group, Local Natives. My brother's girlfriend recently put them back on my radar (they had gotten lost in the shuffle of other music!) and I am so glad I have brought them back into my music mix. Per usual, I love the Tiny Desk concert they performed a year ago and I think you will too! (image)

Loving everything about Madewell's Spring Collection. Probably because I am dying for some Vitamin D and the smells of spring, so of course spring fashion comes into play as well. This floral silk blouse is gorgeous, but I've also got my eye on a few of their dresses, naturally.

Excited for a bit of r & r at my parent's house this weekend-isn't it funny, last week I was craving exactly the opposite (travel! adventure!), but this week felt like a doozy, so a little quiet is fine with me. I am really hoping that I can make some time to do a bit of cooking and these wine-roasted mushroom crostinis sound like something delicious to try out.