chicken 'n waffles

 

a few weekends ago, some coworkers and i gathered together for a chicken and waffles brunch at the kingfish cafe. the poor cooks didn't know what hit them when a table of 7 ordered a plate of chicken n' waffles for each person! 

have you ever had this brilliant combination? some people purposefully separate their chicken and their waffle on the plate and eat one, then the other. but i think it's meant to all squish up next to each other, or on top of each other. the sweet maple syrup mixes up with the crunchy and salty chicken. there are chicken pieces in your waffle bites. it is great. and it is definitely an occasion. so, i suggest you gather some friends, make a date and find the closest place that serves chicken 'n waffles. you won't regret it.

happy saturday!

blog it forward: what inspires me

good morning! today i'm participating in the blog it forward mashup, put on by victoria of sfgirlbybay. thanks to ashley of that is all for passing the baton to me. and make sure to check out tomorow's post by shayna of the lovely the cabin house.  

alright. without further ado, here is what inspires me:

color

books, literature

paper

art

fresh and simple food

people, honesty

thanks victoria for organizing blog it forward!
don't forget to check out shayna's post tomorrow at the cabin house.

inside the studio

 

learning to letterpress at window pane press

letterpress printing: this is just the begining

oh, the letterpress printing class i took a few weekends ago was so so fun! i was excited to get these pictures back because they really do capture the grit, the beauty, and the organization that is behind this wonderful art form. i have another whole roll of film i shot in this studio, so get ready for more letterpress printing fun.

happy monday.

a bit of ferry

 

i got that roll of 100 film back from my trip last month, and they are great. i thought i might have been completely off base shooting 100 speed in winter, but i am amazed at how well they turned out: bold and saturated and clear. these three are my absolute fav from the roll. i love remembering that wonderful ferry ride.

i've been very scattered and distracted this week, so i hope to get a bit more grounded this weekend. sleeping in, breakfast at home and reading always help. it is that much needed quiet time to oneself.

have a good weekend!

the best kinds of cafes: essential bakery

 

a few weeks ago, i meet a friend for brunch at essential baking. we weren't really supposed to be taking pictures in there, so i just snapped these three. as you can see, a bit, one wall is stacked high of shelves holding beautiful bread. bread in all different shapes, with flour seeped into the different. this bread wall is by far my favorite thing about essential. it feels like a classic boulangerie in paris. or, like the bakery my dad used to work in on bainbridge island, where i remember coming in and seeing bread on display all the way to the ceiling, in shapes of alligators and mouses. 

the pastry case at essential contains everything from cookies and croissants to chocolate eclairs and fruit tarts. there is a huge chalkboard menu full of homemade sandwiches and soups. and, of course, there is an espresso machine. the wallingford location of essential is a great place to bike to, because it is near the burke-gilman trail. usually i stop there to get a sandwich or pick up a loaf of bread, but on this day i sat with my friend and had a nice latte and apple croissant.

february 15

today i had very good luck with picture developing. i dropped off a negative to print for a friends' birthday and my photo lab said it would done in 20 minutes. i also dropped off 3 rolls of film at the drug store and actually had time to pick it up after the promised hour. usually it has to sit for a day or two waiting for me. also, this fabulous lady let me borrow this fabulous polaroid and i took my first photo with it! it wasn't great, but it made me very giddy and excited. the thing i love about polaroid is that you can see your image right after you take it. that way, if you are doing something wrong you know right away, before you use up a whole roll of film. good luck getting your camera back, a.

i am poking around at getting an additional lens for my pentax, but don't really know where to start. any advice? your favorite focal lengths? (wow, that is a really dorky sentence). thanks!

letter press inspiration

 

photo from my grandparent's collection. the letters combine to make their children's initials.

this weekend i am taking a two-day letterpress printing workshop. to celebrate my excitement, i want to share some letter press and bookmaking inspiration.

a great post from heartfish blog showing how she made her live what you love print

heather smith jones' vander press

and check out these seriously awesome videos. seriously. 

take the time to watch them. their awesome.

 letterpress coasters by repeat press, video by quarter productions (found via pistachio press, another inspiring letterpress printer)

the complex of all these, by january press

the art of the book

 

"what if the book with all its wiles and daring were only mad resistance against the emptiness of the last page?" -edmond jabes

a few months ago i decided to treat myself to a letterpress printing class, which starts this weekend! i cannot tell you how excited i am to arrange type, to spread ink, to create text with a hand spun machine and paper. the simplicity and antiquity of it makes me giddy. i know a basic level of book binding and my dream is to one day create a book--text and all--by hand. how magical would that be?

in the spirit of my class, i will be back later this weekend to share some letterpress inspiration!

morning

hi there!
i spent part of my sick day yesterday re-organizing this space. i've added new pages at the top, the hardest of which was my about me. but now there is information up that i hope is both helpful and fun.

all information about me, about my cameras, about how to contact me, what is important to me and where else you can find me are in those upper tabs.

i've also added a little "projects" sidecar tab that i hope to expand. i'll add my cafe series once i can successfully call it a project and i hope to have more projects to add as time goes on.

let me know what you think, i will probably keep reworking as it takes awhile for me to be fully satisfied with new things like this.

i need some quiet time

these pictures make me feel very calm, and i could use more of that right now. this past week i was working at the northwest flower and garden show, selling books. it got me all fired up on putting in a garden in our new house. i miss our old house for it's almost farm-like plot of land, but i am excited this year by the prospect of edibles in containers!

at the moment, though, all i really want is a good night's sleep, a day off of work, a long slow walk with a few cameras and for this nagging sore throat to go away. maybe some hot tea and a bit of time to read my book, as well.

i'm trying to find a good local printer for my note cards. seattleites, know of any stationary printers?

*oh, and i know i am a bit behind on my cafe series, i hope to have a new cafe post this week.

weekend trip, 3

 

okay, after this post, i'm going to take a break from my san juan photos. i shot another roll and it is waiting to be processed. i don't quite know how that roll will come out because it was 100 speed! what was i thinking with 100 speed in january? the guy at the camera shop recommended it, saying it was great for landscape photography. did he mean in 6 months? i don't know, but i believed him. we'll see how it goes...

as for the film on these ones so far (alexandria asked what it was), i used both kodak portra 400 iso and kodak gold 400. i've been buying nicer film (the portra, not the gold) and playing around with what i like. so far, i really love fuji film pro 400--especially for my holga shots. but i'm giving this kodak portra thing a try.

one other really special thing about this trip is that i got jon to shoot a roll of film! we were so dorky walking around with old film cameras around our neck--it was the best. 

happy friday!

weekend trip, 2

a drive out to american camp on san juan island, just before the sun went down. we saw an owl on the way to this beautiful outlook.

a weekend trip, 1

a few weekends ago jon and i made a getaway to the san juan islands. we may have gotten some funny looks for going up there in january, but the 3 hour ferry lines and packed campsites in the summer really make the quiet and cold winter very appealing. the ferry ride is an hour long and almost a trip in itself. we played set and took pictures and walked laps around the boat. halfway through the ride i felt like i was going to some far away, exotic location with the way the ferry slowly weaved us through islands. here is my first set of pictures.