52 Lists: Summer Goals

I've been getting really excited about summer lately!  Portland becomes so vibrant and alive in the summertime and my day planner is already starting to fill up with wonderful events and things to look forward to! 

I can't wait to go on some wonderful day trips and adventures with friends - this summer I hope to be able to go camping for the first time since I was a child, swim in the Sandy River, explore Tacoma (I hear there is a cute zoo & an amazing bridge of glass there), bungee jump, and just say yes to as many adventures as I can!  There may even be a visit with a a baby sloth in my future!!

Of course summer is also the perfect season for canning, gardening, and yard sales - 3 of my very favorite things.   The kitchen is a hard place to be in the heat, but I plan on using the heck out of the grill & I breaking out that new ice cream maker that I picked up last year.  

A lot of these goals of course correspond with my 30 before 30 list - 6 months to make it all happen!  I think I am well on my way!

This list totally has me amped for the next few months!   What are you looking forward to this summer?

My Colorful Patio!

My deck is one of favorite places in my house.  We use it every chance we get in the summer!   From big BBQs to quiet morning coffee in the sunshine...I feel really lucky to have such a cute outdoor oasis.       I thought it might be fun to share it with you all!

Because I love the space so much, it was really important to be to make it feel really joyful with every design and color is my favorite way to do that.   I also have a super tight budget, so I found a lot of really simple and inexpensive ways to add some pops of color.  I chose some vibrant colored panters, a pair of turquoise adirondack chairs for lounging, and a really simple outdoor table with a fun bright tablecloth.

I've been working on some really cute & easy outdoor project tutorials (including that adorable pennant banner below!) - so stay tuned for those later this week!

For some reason, this old bike was tucked away up on the roof of our storage shed when we moved in, so we decided to embrace it and stand it up for a fun display.

A rainbow of container gardening!  Carrots, zucchini, peppers, cucumber, tomato, and peas.  Amazing bonus: our  metal lattice works as a perfect support trellis for peas and cucumbers to vine up!  

New pennant banner - tutorial tomorrow!

Vertical gardening using some great planters from Target & awesome Bygel containers from Ikea.

A bright lemon yellow tablecloth is the perfect place for some cold lemonade

Pretty turquoise chairs for lounging and hanging out with the pup.

Just beyond the deck, we have some gorgeous rose bushes...they don't call this place Rose City for nothin!

Getting the deck ready makes me really excited for the summertime!  Do you have an outdoor space that you love?  I'd love to hear about it!

52 Lists : Things I Want to Be Known For

What do I want to be known for?

What a huge question, but I guess at the core of it this is something that sort of impacts every single action we take.  

Everyone that meets me has an impression and that is how that individual will know me.  I spent a lot of years obsessing over this idea that I needed to shape every person's view of me.  I struggle a bit each time I write a blog post to try to craft the way I want to represent myself to you.  I would like to do a little less worrying about this.  This is a lovely list because it is a nice reminder that these are things that I already have inside me and I just need to work on living my life more authentically rather than meticulously worrying about others views.  I may not be known like this by every single person I meet, but I just want to try to have as many positive interactions as I can and I want to always be working hard to be myself and live my values for the people that I love most.

 

What is on your list this week?

Crafty Wonderland : A Local Crafter Spotlight

Living in Portland, I feel so unbelievably lucky to be surrounded by such amazingly creative and talented people.  It is a huge part of what made me fall in love with this city 12 years ago.  Yesterday was the bi-annual Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale, so of course I couldn't resist the chance to go shop and get inspired.  Crafty Wonderland hosts over 225 artists, crafters, chefs, and vendors under one roof & it is one of my favorite regular events.

Though there were SO many amazingly talented people there, but I thought I would just share a few of the favorites that stood out & inspired me yesterday...

Lisa Chow

Lisa makes beautiful prints & notecards.  Her art has a sense of beauty and whimsey that reminds me of candy & childhood dreams.  It just made me really happy to look through her work.

Rose City Sweets

This year, I got to meet a lot of amazing local confectionary shops & Rose City Sweets was probably my favorite. Their darling branding + amazing smoked almond toffee + brown sugar fleur de sel caramels kind of blew my mind & I will probably crave more of them all week.

PaperMama

I met Chelsey through the Portland Preservation Society (a monthly canning meetup & swap) and I've been following her adorable blog and instagram for a few months now and they are always full of adorable inspiration.  She makes these darling little handmade wooden pins of cute animals & they just melt my heart.

Idyll Enterprises

I am so impressed with the amazing crochet sculpture art that Jennifer makes!  She turns iconic Portland Bridges into amazing sculpture.

Betty Turbo

I've loved this crafter for awhile.  Every single time I go to Crafty Wonderland, her art just stands out in the room.  I just cannot get enough of her brightly colored art and witty ridiculousness.

S'Morrissey pillow? Amazing.

Mickleberry Gardens

I was pretty excited to find this vendor.  I've been struggling with my allergies big time for the past few weeks and I've been thinking about trying out local honey as a solution.   Imagine my delight to find an awesome honey tonic made with local honey, local bee pollen, and nettles all in one that taste amazing!  They make awesome products, but it turns out they have an awesome mission of sustainability and bee stewardship as well!   

Bishop Lennon Art

I am a sucker for Portland themed art and I think this artist does some of my favorites.  Not only does she make adorable clay magnets & Portland themed cards and artwork, she also made this gem of a card.  To be loved even more than all the adorable internet cats? Priceless.

Old School Stationers

I have been a fan of this letter press studio for awhile now and I just am always so happy to see what new prints and cards they've created for the Crafty Wonderland shows.  I have this amazing canning themed print in my kitchen and I just absolutely adore it.

52 Lists : Ways that I am energized

This week is all about getting energized!

I admit, a few weeks ago I was in a really weird funk...like I couldn't seem to focus or get things done the way I needed to.  I was lacking motivation and feeling a kind of blue & stagnate, but it's amazing what a little bit of sunshine & some great friends can do for me!

Spring is finally really in full bloom in Portland - the sun is shining, the flowers are in bloom, the farmers markets are filling with beautiful fresh produce, and the city is coming out of hibernation and coming back to life.  I absolutely love this time of year.  It fills me with a lot of energy and excitement & it seems to have kicked my funk!  The past few weeks have been full of amazing times with friends out in the sunshine and we are making plans for all of our summertime adventures & looking forward with hopeful anticipation.  It reminds me a lot of why I moved to Portland in the first place with all of it's limitless potential. 

Here are a few things that energize me and keep me feeling this way!

What energizes you?  What do you do when you are in a funk to get yourself out of it?

52 Lists: People I Admire

When I sat down to write this week's list, I realized it was much harder than I thought it would be.  The world is packed full of people that I admire.

I tend to surround myself with people that I admire in some way or another.  That is why I choose my friendships, why I read the things I read, go the the service providers that I go to.  How could I possibly make a quantitative list of people that I admire?  The answer kind of is...everyone (Well maybe not everyone, if you are a total jerk, I might not find reason to admire you).  I admire anyone who can make their passion a career, anyone who has a skill worth sharing, anyone who lives their life by their own terms, anyone who has struggled and moved past the struggle, anyone who has passion for life  - these qualities in people are the things that make me befriend them, hire them, follow their blog, etc.  How can I really even try to list all these people?

This is a very incomplete list, but here are just a few people I admire.

my parents... have struggled a lot in their lives, but they still push on and they have always tried their best & sacrificed to care for my sister & I.
my husband... is the most patient person I know.  He is creative and undyingly supportive no matter what and I am lucky to be married to him.
Annie... is one of the most courageous & positive people I know.  She had a dream of starting a resale store to help make plus sized clothing more accessible and joyful & she has worked her tail off to make that dream a reality.  She is also an all around amazing friend.  I admire her passion & commitment.
Heather... is not only a really great friend who supports me through a lot of dark times and celebrates our friendship with cute thoughtful notecards out of the blue, but she also has dedicated her life to help support children as a youth therapist.
Kelly... is the former foster care coordinator at the shelter I volunteer for.  She is also one of the most positive and perky people I've ever met...which is extra amazing considering her job centers around baring witness to some heartbreaking instances of animal cruelty.
Cristina... is an amazing therapist that has given me so much insight and helped me grow tremendously.
HQ... is talented is so many areas from screen printing to film making, and she is always working on amazing projects that inspire me.
Kaci... is a total go-getter and is always striving to achieve more in her life.  She is also super organized & rational.
Katy... has an eye for special things and a wonderful appreciation for nature and adventure.
Nicole... has made a life for herself from her art and gets involved in the community to share her passion.
Janel... is so wholeheartedly committed to being a mom & she seems to have just absolutely found her true passion in that.
Whitney... is a cancer survivor, but she never for a moment let's that hold her back or take away one ounce of her positive, bubbly outlook on life.
Beth Ditto... is a total fat fashion icon who has inspired me since the first time I saw her play when I was 18.  She is unapologetically fat and absolutely glamorous and talented.
Felicia Day... gets paid to live out her nerdy & creative dreams via youtube & makes some really rad content.
Tina Fey... is so talented & creative.  She has made her living as force to be reckoned with in a male dominated industry.
Margret Cho... is hilarious & also lives her life on her own terms with no apologies.
Kathleen Hanna... was one of the voices of Riot Grrrl that started a spark inside of me and inspired me to own my femininity, be proud of who I am, and seek out the community of amazing women that changed my life.

Just a few of the amazing bloggers that inspire me all the time:
Jules @ The Life of a Cupcake
Sarah @ Yes & Yes
Krissy @ Ponyboy Press & Plain Language Marketing
Elizabeth @ The Young Retiree
Jen & Brian @ That Long Yellow Line
Shell @ Kitty and Buck
Katherine @ Of Corgis & Cocktails
Rachel @ One Pretty Thing
Jessica @ How About Orange
Bonnie @ Going Home to Roost & Roost Tribe
....and so many more!

If we are friends, if I follow your blog, if you are living a life that you want to be living...I probably admire you too.

A Lovely Gluten-free Brunch : Coconut Pancakes & Crustless Mini Quiche!

My friend Krissy (of Ponyboy Press & Plain Language Marketing) came over last week for a lovely spring brunch date.  She has recently went gluten-free, so I wanted to challenge myself to create something special for her.

I picked up some gf coconut flour from the bulk section of Winco and I was really excited to work with it for the first time!  It is very different than traditional flour, it absorbs liquid much quicker and needs a bit of help to get to the right consistency, but it ended up making some absolutely delicious pancakes!  I also made some mini quiches (because everything is better in miniature!)  that took advantage of asparagus season and also allowed me to make them up ahead of time.

Krissy brought these beautiful strawberries filled with lavender & black pepper cream cheese!  They were amazing and elegant and you should definitely go to her site and get the recipe!

Gluten-Free Coconut Pancakes

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup finely shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup milk (any kind you like)

Beat eggs with milk & cream.  Add remaining wet ingredients & then slowly incorporate dry ingredients.  Blend until you have a nice batter that can spread on it's own.  It will be a little thicker than a traditional pancake batter, but that is just fine.  You can add a bit more milk until you have the consistency you like.
Using an icecream scoop, portion batter onto a hot oiled skillet.  Give the skillet a bit of a turn (as you would with crepe batter) to help the thick batter spread more evenly.  Cook for a few minutes per side until both sides are browned.

Top with your favorite toppings!  I was lucky enough to have some amazing mango topping from the Portland Preservation Soceity canning swap and it was heavenly!  I also added some roasted coconut chips from Trader Joe's, but they would also be lovely with agave, jams or plain old maple syrup.

Asparagus, Mushroom, & Goat Cheese Mini Quiche

6 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup goat cheese
3/4 cup chopped asparagus (about 7-10 stalks)
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms (about 3-4 large mushrooms)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & grease a muffin tin with butter or oil.
Saute asparagus & mushrooms in a pan with a bit of oil until they soften up (don't cook them completely since they will still be going in the oven) - about 5 minutes. Beat eggs, cream, & salt in a bowl or an electric mixer. Cut the goat cheese into small pieces.
Assmeble quiche by dividing your vegetable mixture evenly into each cup of the muffin tin (about 1/2-3/4 tablespoon per tin), cover with egg mixture so that the tins are about 2/3 full, drop a few peices of goat cheese into each one.
Bake for about 20-30 until the middle of each quiche no longer has any jiggle to it.

This is a really great simple recipe because it can be altered to fit your tastes & it is also great to make ahead of time. I cooked the quiche up the night before and then put them in the fridge so I just had to get them reheated in the oven before my guest arrived. These would also freeze really well to have a special pre-portioned breakfast waiting for you any time you need it!


I really love being able to spend these lovely spring afternoons with the amazing people in my life and putting together a perfect table and meal for them just makes my heart soar.

52 Lists: Favorite Books (and Zines!)

I have a confession.  I am not a big reader these days.

As a kid, I would read everything and anything I could get my hands on. I loved R.L. Stine, Francesca Lia Block, and all kinds of fantasy books. I would spend hours tucked away in my room reading books. They were in many ways my safe haven & escape.

As I got older, I started to trade in my love of novels for a love of zines and I would spend hours listening to records and paging through tattered photocopied pages of text and art instead.   I made my own zine for 10+ years.  Zines have always given me a sense of belonging and connection and they have influenced so much about who I am - I've learned so much, I moved to Portland largely because of the zine scene here, I spent 5 years helping to organize the nation's largest zine conventions, I have one of my old zine covers tattooed to my arm, and most importantly I have a lot of wonderful, deep friendships that I can attribute to zines.

Because zines are really the homemade literary pieces of work that have really inspired me most in my life, I've decided to expand my list beyond just my favorite books and I took some time today to dig into my big collection of zines & document a few of my all time favorites (and my favorite indie comics as well).

There was also a time in my adulthood when I also traded in the love of fantasy for interest in non-fiction.  For that reason, I think my favorite books are very telling about my family, my struggles, and my beliefs.  Many of these books are my favorites not for their literary brilliance, but for the way that they spoke to me in just the right way at the right time.

Eco Emi Giveaway!

PSSSSSST....

To celebrate Earth Day, I am hosting a giveaway over at The Young Retiree to win a month subscription to Eco Emi!  Sunday is the last day to enter, so be sure to check it out!

P.S. - Thanks to Blog Giveaway Directory for the share!

Pacific Rim Mango Chutney

I've been luck enough to have the chance to try out a few products from Blue Heron Herbary - they are really wonderful herb farm just outside of Portland & have recently released a line of infused vinegars. One of my favorite infusions it the Pacific Rim - it's a blend of rice wine vinegar, fennel, green chives, lemon grass, licorice root, star anise, and ginger. As soon as I smelled it, I immediately thought chutney!

I adore mango chutney because it is sweet, but still really stands up to anything you add it to and mangoes just so happen to be in season right now! Chutney is really versitile. It is traditionally served as a sweet balancing side dish for a spicy curry dishes, but you can use it for a number of things.  I made a delicious fruity salad by mixing chutney a bit with lime juice, olive oil, and a touch of honey - perfect dish for those spring days.  It's also lovely with meats, cheeses (cream, blue, or goat are my favorites), or as a condiment for your leftover turkey sandwich!

Pacific Rim Mango Chutney
Makes 3 pints
2 cups sugar
1 cup Pacific Rim vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice or citric acid
6 cups of peeled & chopped mangoes - slightly underripe (about 6 mangoes)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tablespoons ginger paste)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground star anise (or ground cloves)
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (add more or less depending on your heat preference)

Combine sugar, vinegar, & lemon juice in a large pot. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for about an hour to an hour and a half. The longer you cook it, the thicker your chutney will be, so the time is all about your preference (remember that it will thicken a bit more once cooled), but you want it to at least get all the ingredients nice and softened & get a bit of a syrupy texture.
Ladle hot mixture into sterilized jars & process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

Note: You could substitute a regular rice wine or white vinegar for the Pacific Rim, but you will loose a bit of flavor.  If you choose to do white or apple cider vinegar, you could omit the lemon juice or citric acid since those vingers contain a higher acid level than rice wine vinegar.  I do think the rice wine vinegar & lemon juice combination creates are more well-rounded soft flavor that is a bit less abrasive than other vinegars.