We said our goodbyes yesterday...goodbye to Martha's Vineyard, goodbye to farm fresh peaches and heirloom tomatoes, goodbye to the boats rocking silently in the harbor, goodbye to the storm that enveloped us during our final vacation days and goodbye to summer.
Tomorrow is September 1...I have to keep repeating that fact, it just doesn't feel real. Summer has ended, fall is under way. When did time start passing so quickly?
Today I spent the afternoon chatting with Susan Gibbs, shepherdess extraordinaire and owner of Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm. She has a fascinating story to tell and I am working hard to find a great publication for it. We had a chance to visit her flock and they were so adorable...the angora kids were the cutest!
Beach inspired silverware and sweetly packaged fresh butter...simple and lovely!
There is little need to leave our sweet little beach house, except to go to the fabulous farm stands that dot the roadsides here on the vineyard. Tonight's dinner features a roasted free-range chicken, dressed with garlic, fresh sweet cream butter, sea salt and pepper. Side dishes include freshly baked seven grain bread, and a caprici salad with heirloom tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella. This trip is sustaining me on so many levels!
The best part about country fairs...the neon-signed games and rides. Who wouldn't want to pay $5 for a single shot on the water gun, in which you might win a giant frightening teddy bear?!
We started our morning with a trip to the farmer's market, which absolutely oozed with personality. There was so much more to see than the normal produce offerings one might expect at a market. There were adorable succulent arrangements, bright tin cans of fresh flowers, island-grown lavender sachets, gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, freshly crushed raspberry ice, mouthwatering pies (we took home a peach raspberry pie!)...oh it was simply divine. Now it's off to the Agricultural Fair to see prizewinning chickens, strong ox competitions and the fiber tent, filled with hand spun yarns. I can't wait to share all of my pictures...you know I will be snapping away!
And I will leave you with this, a small sign of the growing, palpable excitement as the Vineyard awaits the arrival of the President!
The Obama's don't get to have all the fun this summer...we happen to be on Martha's Vineyard too! That would be why my posting has been a bit sporadic...I have been packing, wrapping up assignments, and cleaning house all to get ready for our 10 day trip! This is a working vacation for my amazing husband, he is teaching squash lessons to earn our keep here. But oh my, we have the most beautiful cottage, with our own private beach. Pinch me...or on second thought, don't! Tune in tomorrow, I am heading to the county fair. This is the event of the summer, I can't hardly wait.
Even though it is hotter than blazes here today, I still get the feeling that fall is right around the corner. Maybe it's the shop windows that are already displaying cozy sweaters and crisp jeans. Although it is always bittersweet when summer starts to fade, I love the changing seasons. I am excited to use our fireplace, which we never had the chance to try since we bought the house in late March. I am also excited to get back to crocheting, which always feels more like a fall/winter pastime to me. I started exploring my yarn stash today searching for inspiration for my new project. I haven't quite decided what it will be, but I kind of hope it will require new yarn since the trip to the yarn shop is always the best part of a project!
Hello there...I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! We went to the farmers market, hung out at the beach and took in a matinee showing of The Time Traveler's Wife (a wee bit of a letdown, as all books-to-movies are, but omg, the house they move into about halfway through the movie is so gorgeous that it justifies seeing this in the theater!).
Anyway, I am working on a few new assignments, and I need a bit of help finding the perfect subject. I am looking for an artist/blogger/crafter from the UK who embodies the idea of living a handmade life. So scroll through your blogroll, skim through your back issues of SewHip! and report back immediately!!
You guys are the best!
(photo is an old piece of my embroidery work that seems to embody the 'handmade home' theme)
I think I say this every week, but this time I really do mean it...today's farmers market was the best, most colorful one of the year. I love how the color of the blooms was echoed in the produce... the luscious purple eggplants, the bright red tomatoes, the sweet yellow corn. What a tasty bouquet!
*loving the use of banners at this stall, which is always the most popular with its decedent baked goods and freshly baked breads!
Oh so good, like the perfect mix between custard and cake. The plumper and sweeter the berries the better. I actually had a slice for breakfast this morning, reasoning that this is basically a fruit omelet!
I used this recipe, but substituted blueberries for pear and 1/2 and 1/2 for heavy cream. I also left out the pear brandy and creme fraiche. It is super easy to make and the perfect recipe for using up all those extra berries that you couldn't resist buying at the farmer's market.
Someone very near and dear to me is on a bit of a mission; she is trying to find what it is she wants to do with her life. She is currently a stay-at-home mom of two and she has her teaching degree. She is passionate about the environment, serving those in need, creative teaching methods and her family. She is a writer, artist, mother and health cooking expert! She has an incredibly creative, generous and conscious spirit.
I want to put together an inspirational care package, full of great reading material to help her on this journey (shown are just a few that came to mind). I would also love to make a custom blog reading list for her to explore while her babes nap. I think she would like any blogs having to do with environmental education, inspirational teaching methods (such as itty bitty love, one of my faves!), creative family living (like enchanted mama's blog) and career-path guidance.
So will you help me? Can you suggest reading material that will help this incredible woman find her true calling...it's a big task, but I think you are up for the challenge! I am so excited to see what you suggest!
It is fascinating how this big old world of ours works. Last week I was reeling from a harsh rejection and this week I am on cloud nine! I have had four stories accepted this week...that is a huge personal record! I am also on deadline for three others...busy, busy, but all good!
I really appreciated all of your comments last week encouraging me to keep my head up and continue down this path I have chosen for myself. About a year ago, when we moved to Providence, I told my husband that I wanted to try to make it as a freelance writer. I had no experience and no idea what I was doing. I checked out a ton of books on freelance magazine writing and began querying. I have published seven articles as of this month, and I have contracts for about 7 more coming up. When I type those numbers, I can hardly believe it. I am proud of how far I have come. But freelance writing is a difficult beast to conquer. Rejections far out way acceptances, and when you are beginning your career, you are often working for pennies. Which brings me to the title of this post- Creativity or Cash?
Here is a little example of the freelance writing cycle-
January: submit query
February: after following up, you hear back, if accepted a due date will be assigned
April: article due
July: article published
August: check received
I think you see where I am going with this...it is very difficult to make money as a freelance writer, especially if you are trying to write for magazines (grant writing and copy writing are completely different). I am INCREDIBLY lucky to have a supportive husband, who didn't even bat an eye when I told him I would be starting a career I knew nothing about! But I am at the point now where I would like to be contributing a bit more. I am looking at teaching some magazine writing classes, possibly taking on some grant writing (ughh), but I would love to hear from all of you. Many of you are working artists, stay-at-home moms and entrepreneurs...so I ask you: what do you do to bring in a little extra income?
I don't want to give up this unbelievably creative, fulfilling job, but I would like to find a way to bring home a bit of bacon! I know that it is possible for creativity and cash to co-exist...or is it?
Have I mentioned that I am attending Squam Art Workshops again in September...I don't think I have. How could this be? What an oversight considering how unbelievably excited I am! I can't wait for campfires, cabins, lakes and woods. Not to mention photography, songwriting, mixed media art and collage. September's session is more focused on these art forms, as opposed to the fiber arts...equally exciting, don't you agree?
I am looking forward to seeing returning campers from June (hi Kellen!), meeting new campers and greeting the new crop of talent (hello Hula Seventy!). I will not be taking classes this time, I will be there as a helper and observer (meaning, I have another Squam article in the works!). Are any of you making the journey to SAW this September?? It's not too late to sign up!
Thank you for all of your comments on yesterdays post. I am feeling much better today and as long as I keep taking out my frustrations on my quilt, we will have the most beautiful linens in the whole world! Really though, you guys are the best...so thoughtful and encouraging!
I always keep my Blackberry next to my bed, on my nightstand. In the mornings, I reach over and turn it on. I check my emails and if there is nothing urgent, I catch a few more minutes of sleep! This morning, an email from the ladies over at Two Talk caught my eye. Two Talk is a blog devoted to sharing pictures of these ladies charity work with SOS Children's Villages. They asked me to get the word out about their project and I was happy to help. I get these emails on occasion from different small business' and companies debuting new products but I don't usually feel that they have a place on my blog. This is different.
In my 'previous' life, when I was single and living in Chicago, I worked in the non-profit sector, running after-school programs for low-income youth. One such job allowed me to have my summers off, and so I saved up for a trip to Africa. I went to Ghana for one month as a volunteer kindergarten teacher at an orphanage about two hours outside of Accra, the major city in Ghana. It was an incredible experience, one that will stay with me for my entire life. That picture above is me with John Peter Paul, the cutest kid in all of Ghana. This experience solidified my decision to adopt, something we will do in the very near future, and it opened my eyes to the amazing work that is being done by some of the non-profits in Africa (I volunteered with Orphan Aid Africa).
Anyway, I suppose that is why I wanted to share this new project with you. Please, click on over to check it out! At the very least, there are some beautiful images!
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