Ruffle collar cardigan: TJ Maxx, Brooch: estate sale
Belt: second hand, Jeans: Old Navy, Shoes: Zara
Post title from the song "Slippery When Wet" by The Acorn
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Fallen leaves, fallen leaves, I count the colours at my feet
Post title from the song "Slippery When Wet" by The Acorn
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Neighbors to the North
Lately, a lot of my favorite music hails from Canada. Hmm, well, Canada is a pretty big place, so let me adjust that statement: Lately, a lot of my favorite music hails from Ontario. Last night I was able to see two of these favorites perform live: Basia Bulat and The Acorn.
Around 4:00pm, my beautiful friend, S, and I hopped in her car and left the Albany area headed for Brooklyn. The drive down I-87 was filled with sing-a-longs to the songs we were hoping most to hear. The sun beat down through the windows as the changing colors of Fall foliage blew past us. It was a nice beginning to the evening ahead.
The night concluded with a stellar performance by The Acorn. Their blend of vocals, guitar and at times two drum kits was mesmerizing. If you haven't heard them yet, I suggest you do. Indie rock at its finest!
Around 4:00pm, my beautiful friend, S, and I hopped in her car and left the Albany area headed for Brooklyn. The drive down I-87 was filled with sing-a-longs to the songs we were hoping most to hear. The sun beat down through the windows as the changing colors of Fall foliage blew past us. It was a nice beginning to the evening ahead.
( The song heard faintly in the background is "Little Waltz'' by Basia Bulat)
This was the second time this year we journeyed to see Basia Bulat play, the previous time being in March. This time, like the last, was perfectly charming and all-together wonderful. The only difference with last night's performance was the addition of more friends rounding out Basia's band. In March she was accompanied by just her brother on drums and a friend on viola. Last night, a friend on bass & upright bass and another on ukulele & keys joined in the fun. If you don't mind my shaky concert photos, here are a few glimpses of the show!The night concluded with a stellar performance by The Acorn. Their blend of vocals, guitar and at times two drum kits was mesmerizing. If you haven't heard them yet, I suggest you do. Indie rock at its finest!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saddle up!
Last month I was contacted by CSN Stores to do a product review. I knew almost instantly which item I wanted to select: a pair of Bass oxfords.
While perusing through the multitudes of merchandise offered through CSN a few months back, I happened upon the Bass classic black and white saddle shoe. This discovery excited me as I've always wanted a pair. Here's a quick little back-story: about 5 or so years ago, I ordered some saddle shoes from another shoe retailer only to find them too big once they arrived. I also didn't like their 3 lace-hole design all that much. Dismayed, I returned them and so ended my quest for saddle shoes... until I remembered about Bass.
What excited me even more than coming across a more sophisticated saddle shoe after my hopes had been dashed was the discovery that they come in a variety of colors. Oh my! For a while I was torn between which pair to get and would frequently visit ShoesGotSole.com (CSN's webstore for shoes, bags and accessories) in attempts to finalize my decision. As mentioned above, when I was presented with the opportunity to review an item from CSN, I knew I'd choose the Bass oxfords, but told myself to hurry up with the decision making! While the black and white pair are sweet and carry that classically cool attitude, I opted for the two-tone brown pair. The warm browns are perfect for an autumn color palette, but will also transition well into other seasons. A nice brown shoe looks good with anything, so says I! What I also found attractive was the 5 lace-hole design with contrasting metal eyelets. I find this gives the body of the shoe a balanced and more put-together look.
The shoe itself is comfortable and easy to walk in. The rubber sole is fun for stomping around, especially through tufts of grass and freshly fallen leaves, which I did yesterday at the park. Here is the photographic proof:
I couldn't help from admiring my new shoesies while taking these photos. Can you really blame me? ;)
It was quiet at the park and I roamed freely through a small field lined with golden rod and other late summer wildflowers. The sunlight was warm and gorgeous as it filtered down through the trees.
I've been really excited about these shoes and receiving them for a review, so I figured a few jumps were in order. Jump jump hooray!
Thank you CSN for this opportunity! The item reviewed is the Bass Footwear ''Enfield'' saddle oxford in Gobi/Driftwood.
While perusing through the multitudes of merchandise offered through CSN a few months back, I happened upon the Bass classic black and white saddle shoe. This discovery excited me as I've always wanted a pair. Here's a quick little back-story: about 5 or so years ago, I ordered some saddle shoes from another shoe retailer only to find them too big once they arrived. I also didn't like their 3 lace-hole design all that much. Dismayed, I returned them and so ended my quest for saddle shoes... until I remembered about Bass.
What excited me even more than coming across a more sophisticated saddle shoe after my hopes had been dashed was the discovery that they come in a variety of colors. Oh my! For a while I was torn between which pair to get and would frequently visit ShoesGotSole.com (CSN's webstore for shoes, bags and accessories) in attempts to finalize my decision. As mentioned above, when I was presented with the opportunity to review an item from CSN, I knew I'd choose the Bass oxfords, but told myself to hurry up with the decision making! While the black and white pair are sweet and carry that classically cool attitude, I opted for the two-tone brown pair. The warm browns are perfect for an autumn color palette, but will also transition well into other seasons. A nice brown shoe looks good with anything, so says I! What I also found attractive was the 5 lace-hole design with contrasting metal eyelets. I find this gives the body of the shoe a balanced and more put-together look.
The shoe itself is comfortable and easy to walk in. The rubber sole is fun for stomping around, especially through tufts of grass and freshly fallen leaves, which I did yesterday at the park. Here is the photographic proof:
I couldn't help from admiring my new shoesies while taking these photos. Can you really blame me? ;)
It was quiet at the park and I roamed freely through a small field lined with golden rod and other late summer wildflowers. The sunlight was warm and gorgeous as it filtered down through the trees.
I've been really excited about these shoes and receiving them for a review, so I figured a few jumps were in order. Jump jump hooray!
Shirt: Target, Corduroys: J.Crew outlet, Belt: second hand
Thank you CSN for this opportunity! The item reviewed is the Bass Footwear ''Enfield'' saddle oxford in Gobi/Driftwood.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Home Sweet Home
After a spending a week away, I am home again. It feels so good to sleep in my own bed!
Did you enjoy the guest posts last week? I hope so! I want to extend another big thank you to Anna for sharing her incredible photos of Indonesia, Ariella for her scrumptious honey cake recipe, and Chelsea for giving us a peek at her gorgeous old book collection!
Where did my travels take me, you ask? Ocean City, Maryland!
My friends and I had a wonderful time. Our days were filled to the brim with equal parts fun and relaxation. Unbeknown to us, it was ''bike week'' down there. Oh my. It wasn't so bad, though. We decided that we'd rather hear the near constant rumble of motorcycles over screaming children any day. To be perfectly honest, Ocean City was actually a little too touristy for me. The condo we stayed in was further up the strip away from the boardwalk which I found to be a relief. I don't think I would have really enjoyed being closer to the noise and activity. That's not to say I didn't have a good time - I certainly did! The boardwalk was fun, but in small doses. Our condo was ocean-side which I loved. The walk to the beach was only half a block and the ocean was in sight all the time.
We took several day trips out of Ocean City which I'll share another time. I used 5 rolls of film while on vacation and I'm eager to get them developed! I'll be dropping them off tomorrow, so posts with those pictures should start popping up next week!
To tide (ha ha) you over, here is a silly little picture of me on the pier in Ocean City.
Yes, the fingers on my right hand are all wrapped up. I had an unfortunate incident while pouring a cup of tea last Saturday morning which resulted in some first and (minor) second degree burns across my hand. There's nothing like a trip to the emergency room the day before vacation, huh? I am a-ok and my fingers have been on the mend since.
Did you enjoy the guest posts last week? I hope so! I want to extend another big thank you to Anna for sharing her incredible photos of Indonesia, Ariella for her scrumptious honey cake recipe, and Chelsea for giving us a peek at her gorgeous old book collection!
Where did my travels take me, you ask? Ocean City, Maryland!
My friends and I had a wonderful time. Our days were filled to the brim with equal parts fun and relaxation. Unbeknown to us, it was ''bike week'' down there. Oh my. It wasn't so bad, though. We decided that we'd rather hear the near constant rumble of motorcycles over screaming children any day. To be perfectly honest, Ocean City was actually a little too touristy for me. The condo we stayed in was further up the strip away from the boardwalk which I found to be a relief. I don't think I would have really enjoyed being closer to the noise and activity. That's not to say I didn't have a good time - I certainly did! The boardwalk was fun, but in small doses. Our condo was ocean-side which I loved. The walk to the beach was only half a block and the ocean was in sight all the time.
We took several day trips out of Ocean City which I'll share another time. I used 5 rolls of film while on vacation and I'm eager to get them developed! I'll be dropping them off tomorrow, so posts with those pictures should start popping up next week!
To tide (ha ha) you over, here is a silly little picture of me on the pier in Ocean City.
Yes, the fingers on my right hand are all wrapped up. I had an unfortunate incident while pouring a cup of tea last Saturday morning which resulted in some first and (minor) second degree burns across my hand. There's nothing like a trip to the emergency room the day before vacation, huh? I am a-ok and my fingers have been on the mend since. On our last day we woke up early to see the sunrise on the beach. It was the perfect send-off.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Ex Libris Dearilou
Guest post by Chelsea of Dearilou
I know that Emily and I share a love of old books. The kinds without dust covers. Books with creamy pages and maybe a little bit of writing in them. When Emily asked me to do a guest post I thought "A ha! A perfect opportunity to show her (and those who read her blog) my old book shelf!"
I just love how all these worn books look together. Leaning on each other like old friends with some woodland creatures here and there. And yes, that is a meerschaum pipe.
Most of my lovelies I picked up in Washington, but my newest addition is from the bookstore I now work at. The greatest thing about working at an independent used bookshop is being able to snag the best stuff first, like this collection of Dorothy Parker's short stories.
My favorite part of old books is the details left by the old owner.
The pride of my old book collection are my Shakespeare plays.
Apparently Max collected old Shakespeare plays too, as his stamp is in the front of a couple of my books.
This copy of Macbeth is probably my favorite.It looks all homely and nondescript on the outside...
But inside is full of wonderful treasures.
Including:
What is your favorite thing about old books? Do you own any? Do you wish you did? A whole bookshelf or room of bookshelves full would be a dream for me.
I know that Emily and I share a love of old books. The kinds without dust covers. Books with creamy pages and maybe a little bit of writing in them. When Emily asked me to do a guest post I thought "A ha! A perfect opportunity to show her (and those who read her blog) my old book shelf!"
I just love how all these worn books look together. Leaning on each other like old friends with some woodland creatures here and there. And yes, that is a meerschaum pipe.
Most of my lovelies I picked up in Washington, but my newest addition is from the bookstore I now work at. The greatest thing about working at an independent used bookshop is being able to snag the best stuff first, like this collection of Dorothy Parker's short stories.
My favorite part of old books is the details left by the old owner.
The pride of my old book collection are my Shakespeare plays.
Apparently Max collected old Shakespeare plays too, as his stamp is in the front of a couple of my books.
This copy of Macbeth is probably my favorite.It looks all homely and nondescript on the outside...
But inside is full of wonderful treasures.
Including:
What is your favorite thing about old books? Do you own any? Do you wish you did? A whole bookshelf or room of bookshelves full would be a dream for me.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Honey cake recipe
Hello, my name is Ariella and some of you might know me from my blog Pearls In Your Hair. When Emily asked me to guest blog for her while she is on holiday I was really excited since I've never written a guest post before. At first I couldn't come up with a good idea for what to blog about, but then, as I was asked to bake a honey cake for the Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) dinner we went to last Wednesday, I thought it could be nice to share the recipe with you. I think honey cake is an excellent autumn cake that, with it's sweet taste, goes wonderfully together with a cup of warm tea, or coffee if you like.
Now, the recipe:
The ingredients you need are: 1 1/2 cup (350 ml) of honey,1 1/2 cup (300 grams) of sugar, 3 3/4 cups (470 grams) of flour, 3 teaspoons of baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 3 teaspoons of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, 3/4 cup (180 ml) of raspseed oil or coconut oil, 4 eggs, an orange or a lemon and a little bit of milk.
1. You begin with mixing the dry ingredients, apart from the sugar, together: the baking powder and baking soda, the cinnamon, the salt and the flour in a bowl.
2. Then you mix the liquid ingredients - the eggs, the oil as well as the sugar in a large bowl. You should also add the honey, but as honey can be difficult to work with when it's a little stiff, warming it for a short moment in a pan will make it nice and runny.
3. Then grate either one teaspoon of lemon zest, or one table spoon of orange zest if you are using that.
4. Now you should carefully beat in the dry ingredients with the liquid until you have a batter. If the batter feels a little stiff you can add some milk if you like.
5. When the batter is ready it's time to pour it into a pan, or cupcake molds like I did. Then you bake it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 175 degrees Celsius. The baking time depends on the size of pan you are using (if baking the cake as cupcakes they should take about 25 minutes, and as a cake in a pan about 45 minutes) so check on the cake with a toothpick now and then to see if it's ready.
6. Ta-dah! The honey cake is ready. However, as you can see, I put a bit too much batter in my cupcake molds, so be careful not to fill them all the way up.
7. The honey cake cupcakes after I'd sprinkled some powder sugar on them (and cut off some of the excess dough, mind you). Delicious!
Now, the recipe:
The ingredients you need are: 1 1/2 cup (350 ml) of honey,1 1/2 cup (300 grams) of sugar, 3 3/4 cups (470 grams) of flour, 3 teaspoons of baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 3 teaspoons of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, 3/4 cup (180 ml) of raspseed oil or coconut oil, 4 eggs, an orange or a lemon and a little bit of milk.
1. You begin with mixing the dry ingredients, apart from the sugar, together: the baking powder and baking soda, the cinnamon, the salt and the flour in a bowl.
2. Then you mix the liquid ingredients - the eggs, the oil as well as the sugar in a large bowl. You should also add the honey, but as honey can be difficult to work with when it's a little stiff, warming it for a short moment in a pan will make it nice and runny.
3. Then grate either one teaspoon of lemon zest, or one table spoon of orange zest if you are using that.
4. Now you should carefully beat in the dry ingredients with the liquid until you have a batter. If the batter feels a little stiff you can add some milk if you like.
5. When the batter is ready it's time to pour it into a pan, or cupcake molds like I did. Then you bake it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 175 degrees Celsius. The baking time depends on the size of pan you are using (if baking the cake as cupcakes they should take about 25 minutes, and as a cake in a pan about 45 minutes) so check on the cake with a toothpick now and then to see if it's ready.
6. Ta-dah! The honey cake is ready. However, as you can see, I put a bit too much batter in my cupcake molds, so be careful not to fill them all the way up.
7. The honey cake cupcakes after I'd sprinkled some powder sugar on them (and cut off some of the excess dough, mind you). Delicious!
Monday, September 13, 2010
A Slice of Indonesia
Hello Resplendent Tranquility readers! My name is Anna, from the blog Much Love, and I'm doing a guest post here while Emily is away. Emily is one of my dearest blog friends, and one of the things we have in common is our love for analog (film) photography. So for that reason, I thought I'd share some of my own film photos for you.
These were taken on my recent trip home to Indonesia. My friends and I went to a gorgeous museum named Ullen Sentalu. It's a museum about the Javanese culture, with artwork relating to ancient kingdoms, with plenty of fascinating and mythical stories that goes along with it. These photos were taken at the museum's gardens, which was rather amazing itself. It had just rained heavily that day, so everything was wet and dark, which I thought added to the mysterious charm of the place. With the magnificent towering trees, the lush tropical plants everywhere, and the old architecture of the buildings surrounding us, we almost felt like we were transported a century back to the days of the old Javanese kings.
Camera: compact 35mm point and shoot. Film: Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia 200.
I hope you enjoyed my guest post :)
Thank you so much for having me here Emily!
These were taken on my recent trip home to Indonesia. My friends and I went to a gorgeous museum named Ullen Sentalu. It's a museum about the Javanese culture, with artwork relating to ancient kingdoms, with plenty of fascinating and mythical stories that goes along with it. These photos were taken at the museum's gardens, which was rather amazing itself. It had just rained heavily that day, so everything was wet and dark, which I thought added to the mysterious charm of the place. With the magnificent towering trees, the lush tropical plants everywhere, and the old architecture of the buildings surrounding us, we almost felt like we were transported a century back to the days of the old Javanese kings.
Camera: compact 35mm point and shoot. Film: Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia 200.
I hope you enjoyed my guest post :)
Thank you so much for having me here Emily!
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