Our hand made rings have arrived!

Our hand made rings arrived today!

We ordered them on Etsy after careful consideration of style, metal, cost...and wanting to have something as one of a kind as our love.


We decided on a pair of rings from Zoe & Doyle made out of titanium. Now, picking titanium was a serious decision since it can never be resized. But it is hypoallergenic, does not need polishing or coating as do other metals, and (best of all) is indestructible. This last one is particularly important since I seem to run into things often and we both work with our hands in seawater and such as well.

Deciding to buy our wedding bands on Etsy was a no-brainer. Supporting a talented artisan/ metal smith (?) is just more natural to me than going to the mall to buy some gawdy, mass produced blingy thing. ...and they're blue, too! (She offers an assortment of hues and finishes)

Look, here they are just as we pulled them out of the gorgeous tin they were sent in:


I'm so thrilled that we have our beautiful, one of a kind wedding bands and waiting for them is one less thing to worry about before our big day.

More to come soon!

Finally going to tie the (seaweed) knot!

By request I have decided to share how Dean and I will be tying the (seaweed!) knot.

A little background on our situation:
Dean and I fell in love at first sight. It wasn't long before I gave him a key to my house (there were Valentines and flowers involved, how could I resist?) and soon enough we were inseparable. He moved in with me into my studio cabin in the redwoods and spent every day falling more and more in love.

6 years, 2 cross country trips, 4 rentals, about a hundred pet fish, and 3 college degrees (between the both of us) later we had a custom ring made at a local jewelry store and he proposed. We had been together for so long that when we made all the appropriate phone calls it was like no big deal. Now that we were engaged we had to plan a wedding to get both of our families from opposite corners of the country all in one spot.

Good luck with that, eh?

So we put it off and started grad school in Connecticut. (note: anyone who's been to grad school knows that cheap beer, canned coffee, and frozen pizza are staples of this type of budget) A couple years went by and now we're moving again...so we decided less than a month ago that we would finally tie the knot and stop putting it off.

Now you have to understand that we are simple people and our love needs no extravagant party. Everyone that knows us knows that we're going to grow old together, still holding hands and sneaking a tushie pinch in here and there. So we decided to hire a justice of the peace and stand under a tree on an ocean cliff to exchange rings and vows. Simple and private.



My, my how things change! Instead we are having a small family wedding - 11 guests. I am incredibly thrilled that my parents will be able to fly across the country on such short notice and be a part of this. I thought we were totally on our own, but both of our amazing and loving families have been so kind and generous in their own ways to help us create something exiting and memorable. No frills here - by my request everything will be home made, local, or nearly both. We've even decided to hold the ceremony in our spring-coming back yard.



The biggest project right now is the making of the dress.
I bought the material at a local business called Affordable Fabrics situated in a large converted Victorian in Montville, CT. The owner makes frequent trips to New York City and buys remnants of designer fabrics, selling it all for only $1.99 a yard. My dress and all the notions cost me less than 28 dollars.
I chose a soft and stretchy lace to layer over a nude/tan (almost coffee ice cream colored) linen. For trim and details I picked macrame and crochet hemp and cotton lace ribbons.



The design is my own and the pattern is a series of sketches I've combined in my head. We'll see if it works!

Well, off to sew!

watching spring unfold

This is a tree in our back yard. I've been pining for it to be covered with leaves again and thus I have been watching it closely...

06 Jan ~ buds appear in the dead of winter



05 Mar ~ still winter, and buds are almost ready to open



27 Mar ~ barely spring, and they are beginning to crack



02 April ~ anthers erupt from seemingly dormant branches (probably my favorite phase and it is gone much too quickly!)



06 April ~ pollen, pollen everywhere and teeny tiny fireworks!



09 April ~ side note: the lady trees are beginning to open up, too!



23 April ~ most of the flowers are spent and confetti the growing lawn... and now, I present leaf buds!



Almost leaf time, now!!

Blanc Mange

Blanc mange pudding dessert popularized in the North Atlantic that can be made from a local seaweed, Chondrus crispus. During the cooking process carrageenan, a thickening agent, is extracted from the seaweed. The most important thing to consider when making this dessert is the type of seaweed to collect. The Chondrus, or Irish Moss, must be bleached by the sun and rain. Here is an example of what to look for:



A short stroll on the beach should yield enough for this recipe.

Blanc Mange Pudding
adapted from Peg Van Patten

1 quart of milk
1 cup of Irish Moss
3 tblsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
optional additions: fruit, brandy, cinnamon... whatever your heart desires!

Collect Irish Moss and remove any sand or debris from the blades. Rinse briefly in fresh water. Either use immediately or dry for later use. Dried seaweed may be stored indefinitely in an airtight container out of the sun.

Bring milk to a simmer in a double boiler. Add seaweed to hot milk and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, until viscous. At this point, strain out the seaweed and add the remaining ingredients. Let cool to thicken completely and serve.

I've been away...

I laugh when I look at how long it's been since I posted last. To clarify my month of absence, there were 2 straws that acted together to break this camel's back. First was THE FLU. A raging fever for 3 days left me unable to do many of the things I cherish in my everyday life, including cooking, exploring my contacts latest adventures on Flickr, and wielding my camera. I did, however, get to watch the Bourne trilogy and the entirety of Peter Jackon's Lord of the Rings collection-extended version. My energy did not return for well over a week. There was no way that I was going to complete a year of photos this way...

My time away from my trusty DSLR was also a period of withdrawal for me. You see, I take pictures EVERYDAY and EVERYWHERE. Partly because I'm in love with the world and I want to capture every part of my little slice of it. Also, I archive the state of things when it comes to flora, seasons, you name it. These types of pictures have really come in handy with research, scrapbooking, and several books I have contributed to. Long story short? It's not really a challenge for me to take a picture every day.

In the time that I spent on this project I began to feel like I was forcing myself to snap shots I didn't even like. So it was decided that I should not feel bad for missing a week of shots. Instead I learned that I need to seek a new challenge. What will that be? Je ne sais pas...

Meanwhile I have been getting back in touch with some of my old faves - texture and color processing. Here are a few of my recent pieces:


I developed a series of layers last summer that I just adore. I tweak them here an there depending on the photo. Although I try other textures, I keep coming back to the same old scratchy one I know and love. Like an old friend...


Some think they are dark or even 'creepy', but I never do. Then again, give me rain and fog and I am most inspired and happy. Go figure. I like to think that they are a connection to the past, maybe a window into a moment too quickly lost so long ago.

And, of course, it is the ocean that truly has my heart. It has shaped my life, my love, my career.




See, I don't need no stinkin' project. I'm just fine without!

I need to get outside...

{day 49}
and twirl in the rain;




{day 48}
walk off the many pizzas I've eaten over the last few months (warm food=happiness in winter);




{day 47}
and see some wildlife, even if it is just a squirrel!

what a good weekend!

{day 46}

Had a proper Sunday brunch with family and friends...




{day 45}

...and celebrated the Willimantic Coop's 29th birthday with free music and free food. Of course we said hello to the sentinel frogs of the Frog Bridge.