Love What You Do Blog

2013-02-19T20:56:00.002-05:00

A little something I designed following a (yes), particularly difficult day of writing. The only thing worse than the writing itself was the incessant little voice in my mind that kept saying, "Ah yes, but tomorrow... well, that will be much harder than this..."

catching dreams

2013-01-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

There was sun in my living room this morning. Sun! And the sky is blue today, and when I stepped outside to take the dog out, it was so not-freezing that I thought it was warm. I woke up with some sort of headache that isn't retreating (and it's been hours), but nevertheless, today is a good day. Sun!

Garret's out of town. Well, upstate (VT, that is. 'Upstate' used to mean I was in Brooklyn and he was in Albany or something). He's off meeting a new potential documentary subject, and then he's seeing our dear friend Evan afterwards. So, I'm on my own for the day (well, Murgy's with me). Days like this I tend to think I have *oh so much time* and then I end up using up all of it rather quickly. As in: can you believe it's 3pm already?

On a whim I started designing a new writing/design portfolio website for myself. Since I finally had an excuse to do so, I took to my favorite clip art resource, The Ink Nest, where I at long last purchased something I've been wanting for a while: the feather clip art bundle. I may have a terrible fear of birds (still. I know. I need to grow up.) but I've been really in love with feather art lately.

I wanted to use the feathers on their own but I also wanted to incorporate a dreamcatcher because I've also been in love with them, lately. My grandmother gave me one for Christmas last year, and I hung it in the window by my office. I know they're meant to hang where one sleeps, but enough dreaming goes on in my office, so it felt appropriate. I recently moved my desk to be right under that window, so now when I look up from my work to think, I'm looking through that dreamcatcher, out the window, to the woods. It's become a big part of my work life.

Anyway, I'm working on the site (and will be for a while), but I created this dreamcatcher as art for it, so I figured I'd share it.

Bohemian Summer Wedding Suite (Some of My Designs)

2012-12-31T11:59:00.001-05:00

Last night while I was snuggled up between an aging Christmas tree (one more day left, little buddy!) and the fireplace, all that I could think about was spring. Beautiful flowers, fresh cut grass, sunshine...

As I am counting down the days to warmth (should be only 1 million more to go, right?) I am super excited to share the newest suite that has arrived in my Etsy shop. I'm calling it "Jessie & Sam Spring & Summer Bouquet Suite". I really need to start coming up with more decisive names for my designs...! It has an indie spirit about it that I love, and something about the mixture of fonts for the lettering is reminding me of a vintage card I once saw at my Grandmother's house.

I'm just in love with the idea of these little pieces finding their way into a beautiful bohemian wedding!

Invitation + RSVP Postcard // Save the Date // Save the Date Magnet // Menu // Program // Printable Menu // Printable Program

Something That I Wrote (Saturday Walk in the Snow)

2012-12-30T16:58:00.005-05:00

Saturday Walk in The Snow

“This is hard,” I say, pathetically. The hill is steeper than I thought. Plus, I'm thirsty. And I'm wondering, on a scale of 1 to 10, how socially awkward it would be for me to stop and eat some of the freshly fallen snow.

“We can turn back,” he says. He's always more compassionate than I; I would have just said, “Suck it up.”

I point forward breathlessly. “No,” I say. “I want to make it to the stream.”

Steps later (trudges, really), we arrive. In warmer weather, this particular stream looks to me as though it has been plucked out of a museum. It's Nature's finest display of what perfect photo backdrops Earth is capable of creating. Today, it's even prettier than it has ever been. Water trickles beneath a ceiling of frozen summer days, which has a crystalizing effect that amplifies the beauty. It's summer, spring, fall, and winter all in one.

We stand and admire it: the entire scene. The stream, the trees, the snow, the quiet. The sound of the running water. Speaking of which, I am still thirsty, and stopping here has made me even more aware of the white, fluffy, potentially refreshing stuff that surrounds us.

What if I were to eat it, seriously, I ask myself. Would he think it was childish, maybe? Weird, at the very least? Even if he thought it, I really don't think he'd say anything. And, I mean, he has seen me at my worst: we are getting married, after all.

But what would he really be thinking? His parents have just departed from visiting us, and while they were here we did grown up things like drink wine and nibble on cheese and talk about fiscal cliffs. So what would it be, now, to eat snow? Even if he wasn't going to say something, what would he be thinking?

This back and forth about how such an action might be perceived tick tocks in my mind for a moment or two, but, soon it's out of my control I feel one of my hands slip a musty mitten off of the other.

The exposed hand plunges into the powdery goodness of a roadside snowpile near the pristine stream.

It melts in my mouth. It's solid and liquid all at once. Refreshing. Better than any glass of water anywhere ever.

It's wonderful.

A moment passes and I wonder if I should say something like, “Sorry, you are marrying a child. It was indeed immature and possibly gross of me to eat snow off of the side of a road, but I just couldn't help myself, I was thirsty, and...”

Oh, maybe I should just say nothing.

I look to the sophistocated snow-covered woods: The frosted trees are poetry in frozen motion. As I admire their regal stillness, I wonder who will say what next, or what he's thinking. Of me, or about anything.

But, then,

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as in one swift move, his hand plunges in and then reaches up toward his mouth. And just like that, he too takes a bite/sip of this silent, icy, beautiful afternoon.

“Man,” he says with a happy sigh. “I really love eating snow.”

I smile, and take another bite, and then so does he.

And it's refreshing; all of it.

Better than any glass of water, anywhere, ever.

A blog post I started on 10/5, and never finished. Now I wonder where it was going...

2012-12-30T10:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I was in the back of the house

Just found this and thought it was lovely (and true)...

2012-12-07T18:39:00.004-05:00

Hot Toddy Recipe

2012-10-03T11:49:00.000-04:00

It's been rainy and soggy here in Vermont for the past week. It looks as though Friday might clear up, but for now, it's gray. Seemingly in sync with the weather, I managed to get a sore throat/cold thing a few days ago. It's been lingering, and by the end of a long work day yesterday, my throat was in need of something warm and soothing. Enter: the hot toddy.

I'd heard about these for a long time, but I'd never actually had one. I read a few recipes online and then did what I usually do, which is come up with some amalgamation of what I read. A lot of the recipes just use hot water with honey and lemon, but that sounded gross to me... so I used tea (a lot of recipes do). Many say to use whiskey, but I didn't have any. What I did have was maple rum (I know, I know - I'm on a real maple kick lately! But to be fair it is autumn in Vermont), which worked rather wonderfully. Spiced rum would probably be good too.

My recipe is below.

Hot Toddy Recipe

You will need:
- Tea (black tea, herbal tea, or green tea would probably all be good. I didn't want caffeine, so I went with ginger peach)
- Half a lemon
- Honey
- Rum (or whiskey)

It's all pretty simple. Brew your tea in a mug. Leave a little room, since you'll be adding more liquid with the rum or whiskey.

Squeeze in the juice of half of a lemon - you can do more or less if you want.

Stir that up with a teaspoon of honey.

Add your rum or whiskey and stir it really well.

Sip and enjoy! This was really soothing and didn't taste overwhelmingly like any one of the ingredients. I enjoyed sitting by the fire and sipping away, and it really did make me feel better.

Of course for the work day, I'll just have to settle for tea with honey and lemon!

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

2012-10-01T12:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one of those rainy, cool, October-is-tomorrow kind of days. Garret and I spent Friday and Saturday at my mom's in Albany, so Sunday was our only Vermont weekend day this weekend. We had aspirations to drive a little, grab some chicken wings and a beer at a pub, and watch football. We don't really watch football, per say... but on a rainy Sunday, I like the experience of it. It reminds me of home.

Anyway, that was our aspiration. When it came time to actually go out and do all of this, we realized that a) we didn't really feel like eating chicken wings, we both wanted something healthy. And b) we didn't really want to do the drive that would be required of us to get to the place with the good wings. But I was still craving a seasonal-inspired afternoon that embraced the coolness in the air. So, instead, I decided to make a autumn "lunch out" at home: homemade maple balsamic vinaigrette over a salad with a pumpkin ale sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar mix.

I like to make "special" seasonal meals at home. It's easy to do, it just takes a little creativity. In the end, we got the same satisfaction we would have by going out and getting these seasonal foods at a restaurant, but we also got the warmth of our fireplace. Plus, we got to hang out with Murgs.

The recipe for maple balsamic vinaigrette is below. I highly recommend it -- it's not too sweet. Actually, the maple just offsets the acidity of the balsamic enough to make it just an all around more delicious version of normal balsamic vinaigrette.

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

You will need:

1/2 a cup of olive oil

1/4 a cup of balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons of maple syrup (serious maple syrup, not my beloved Mrs. Butterworth's)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 clove of garlic, pressed (or minced)

Making the dressing is easy: just throw it in a bowl and whisk away. I had a little bit of trouble getting it all to mix at first, so have patience. If all else fails, throw it in a bottle or jar and shake it up.

❤Lauren

Ladies and Gentleman... Meet Anoush!

2012-09-20T11:15:00.000-04:00

Anoush being written on at NYC's Fashion Week
in September.
Photo by Meena Sajwani Appleton.

I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Anoush Froundjian. Anoush and I met in college; where we were in a tiny screenwriting program together (we had all of our classes with the same 15 writers for all four years!). Recently she has embarked on a new project, "I Got Written Up". I love this project and think it's awesomely awesome that Anoush is doing it, so I wanted to share it (and her) with you.

"I Got Written Up" is an interactive project where Anoush covers herself in paper and goes to different places to get written on. She asks everyone a question and allows them to answer (on her) with the sharpies she provides. Previous questions have been "What do you want the most?" "What's your superhero name?" and "What do you think about when you're on the train?" Anoush starts the day completely blank and at the end it's, as she puts it, "the noisiest thing you've ever seen."

Anoush Froundjian is a writer, illustrator, and performer, who wants answers. She lives in New York City.

My interview with Anoush regarding "I Got Written Up" is below.

L: Hi! So, tell me about your project. What are you up to?

A: Hi Lauren! I've been doing a series of experiments where I go to different parts of the city while completely covered in paper. I walk up to people, ask them a question, and ask them to write their answer on me. The idea is to offer each person a blank slate to make it their own. The whole experiment becomes this big, interactive project.

L: What was the biggest/scariest thing you overcame to actually take to the streets and turn this idea into a project?

A: The first time I did this, I was in Union Square and I was scared out of my mind. I pinned all these papers to an extra large men's undershirt and wore a loose button-up shirt to cover it all. I planned to show my "costume" at 2pm, and was waiting for my friend to be there to document it. She was running late (L train) and couldn't answer her phone. So I was on my own. I realized there'd be a chance that this idea would not be absolutely, totally, fucking awesome, and that I'd have to face that reality while also looking like a dumb paper-idiot. I stood there playing with my top button, and I started to tremble.

Photo by Meena Sajwani Appleton

I called a friend, who is also an improviser, and she gave me advice that made sense. Something along the lines of "You have to just do it." Advice that sounded good on paper (Hah! Anyway...) but I needed more than that. The back of my neck was really hot and I was trembling even more. She reminded me that I have to be okay with looking stupid. If I'm not okay with looking stupid, I'm doing it wrong.

I thanked her for the reminder and unbuttoned. The shirt came off, and I started talking to people, and the writing started. The L train finally brought my friend to Union Square and she started snapping pictures while people were already there. Her not being there in the beginning was actually a very, very good thing.

L: What was your biggest fear?

A: First, people thinking I'm crazy. Second, People thinking I'm just some artsy person trying to get unearned attention. Thirdly, people not thinking anything. Well... the people thing, pretty much.

L: What's been the most exciting thing that has happened as a result of this?

A: Something really great happened on my way home after the last time I did this. When I got to my floor of my apartment building, the elevator door opened, and maybe a nine-year-old girl ran up to me. She said she saw me on the street and had to take my picture. I didn't want to have my picture taken of me by myself because I didn't really think me alone with the paper all over me was all that interesting. So I asked her if she would like to write down something she really wanted to do and she said:

"Yes! Do you have a marker?"

(Yes, my child - I have a MILLION of them!)

She smiled and said while she wrote, "I really want to be famous."

I said, "Oh, you totally can. Just go and do a lot of stuff. GOOD stuff."

"Yeah," she said. "Good stuff."

"Are you a dancer, or...?"

"I like acting. I'm going to start taking classes when I move here."

"Oh, great. Yeah. Just go and do it. Wherever or whenever you want."

"I'm going to"

"It was really nice meeting you."

"You too!"

"Now, go be famous!"

While I turned the key to my apartment, I thought - that was a good thing that just happened...

Anoush at Grand Central.
Photo by Meena Sajwani Appleton

Another was when a woman on the subway, on my way home, asked if she could write something down. She told me that I was doing something very new and the it moved her to see someone create something that had to do with everyone else.

L: A lot of artists struggle with identity - who they are, what they do. You and I met at school for writing, and you've always had some performance mixed in, too. How do you introduce yourself at a cocktail party? What do you say you "do"? Do you put yourself in one category, or are you open to whatever happens?

A: I can't really afford to categorize myself - my name is already "Anoush Froundjian". Giving more information than that at once might cause an explosion (figurative!). I need to be patient and figure out how to relate to people first and then take it from there (and then bring up comedy). But I think if I go around telling people who I am and what my purpose is, (which I'm still figuring out), I'd never make any new discoveries.

That being said, if anyone has any questions about Armenia you know I'm always here to help.

L: What is the biggest thing you've learned through this process?

A: That I can talk to anyone about anything! Except sports...! And I was also surprised to learn how much people like being approached. I've also learned that when you're entertaining a group of people, sometimes it is better to let your audience do the talking (writing).

L: What's the next step for this project? What do you want to do but haven't done yet with it?

A: My plan is to create a bigger project from all of this with each physical piece of writing.

So far, I document everyone's responses here: http://igotwrittenup.wordpress.com. The photos were taken by Meena Sajwani Appleton, who has been accompanying me on these adventures.

Also, please go to my Facebook page and become a fan (or if you're just curious): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anoush-Got-Written-Up/528229813869545?ref=ts.

I hope to get you to write something soon!

L: Any new projects or other pursuits we should look forward to?

A: I do a few things in addition to this. I have a web comic called "Anoush talks to stuff at http://anoushtalkstostuff.tumblr.com. It's about me and the inanimate objects I live with and talk to.

I also design t-shirts called Monster Eats T-Shirts. About different foods that hate people. That's over at: http://www.cafepress.com/monster_eats

I also have a collection of monster drawings that I post here at: http://teethandeyeballs.blogspot.com. It's a lot of teeth and a lot of eyeballs.

L: Thank you for doing this!
A: Thank you for asking me to do this! This was fun. I have a question -- do you still do voice impressions, when you're not writing movies? I remember your English accent being really, really good. I was just curious. You can leave this part out if you want. Actually... don't :)

L: Sometimes... I do... [talks in a British accent for the rest of the day].

Anoush being written on in Union Square.
Photo by Meena Sajwani Appleton

Cheerio :)

(Successful) Food Experiment: Peanut Butter & Banana on Pumpernickel & Rye

2012-09-18T12:34:00.000-04:00

It's rainy today. I don't mean just rainy I mean like, the Hollywood version of a rainy day. It's dark - so dark I need to have lamps on in every room - and there's a delightful pitter-pattering outside that's providing a nice soundtrack to my work.

One thing that I can't avoid on a day like today is a desire for warm and hearty food. Mid-morning, I got it in my head that I should make a warm grilled sandwich. It was too early for grilled cheese; I wanted something sweet. And so my mind immediately turned to one of my old favorites: grilled peanut butter and banana.

I discovered grilled peanut butter and banana sometime in high school. There's a cool little restaurant in a town near my house that makes it. It quickly became a staple in my life - a warm cozy blanket I rely on three times a year or so to deliver a delicious serving of satisfying comfort. Usually, I make it like a grilled cheese - white bread, butter, peanut butter, and bananas. But today I didn't have any white bread. Once I get an idea in my head though, I have to go for it, so instead of giving up the dream of this sandwich, I decided to experiment with what I did have: marble bread - rye and pumpernickel.

This was actually quite delicious. The flavors of the rye and pumpernickel actually undercut the sweetness of the banana and peanut butter in a way that was rather perfect. I'd definitely suggest trying this, regardless of whether you have some white bread in the house! This really added new depth to an old classic. And it somehow felt a little more "grown up", too.

Instructions for this sandwich are below.

You will need:

- Two slices of rye/pumpernickel marble bread

- 1 banana (less ripe can be better so it's not too sweet)

- 2 tbs of peanut butter

- A tiny bit of butter

- A frying pan

Heat your frying pan to medium. Don't go any higher - it may cook faster, but slow and steady wins the race here.

Put your butter in the frying pan and melt it. While that's melting, assemble your sandwich by putting the peanut butter on the bread and cutting the banana into "chips". Put the banana chips in the peanut butter and put the other slice of bread on top.

Throw your sandwich into the butter and let it grill slowly. It should take about three minutes on each side. There's nothing to really cook here - it's all about the bread toasting and the peanut butter melting.

Enjoy! I like to eat the leftover banana chips that didn't fit into the sandwich on the side. A nice cold glass of milk is also a nice accompaniment.

What's your favorite rainy day food?

❤Lauren

Penne a la Vodka Receipe

2012-09-12T16:10:00.001-04:00

So, years ago, when Garret and I first moved to Brooklyn, we lived in a "small town" within Brooklyn called Bay Ridge. Brooklyn has many neighborhoods within it, and Bay Ridge has a very tucked away feeling. It has streets with brownstones and avenues with shops, restaurant, bakeries, and meat markets. It also has parks and baseball fields and rows of normal houses with yards. It really does feel like a secret little small town within the greater space of Brooklyn. And parts of it - certain streets, corners, and shops - almost feel frozen in time. I'd go for walks in the morning there and at certain points within my walk, I could have been 2010 me, or I easily could have instead been a much more stylish 1960's version of myself, headed to my job at Sterling Cooper.

[P.S. I am obsessed with Peggy Olsen (the character) and she (the character) is from Bay Ridge!]

Anyway, on the corner near our house was this very frozen-in-time catering place:

This picture is weird because I did Google Street View to find it
and then took a screen cap. HEY, technology!

I have no idea what the story is with it (but trust me, I made up plenty). Nobody ever went in and nobody ever came out. There were usually garbage bags out front as pictured above. Most of the time, it just sat there and let my imagination run wild, inventing all sorts of [creepy] scenarios for what could be going on inside. But sometimes - like, three times a year - the most delicious smells would emanate from this place.

One crisp fall day I could smell penne a la vodka being cooked. I'd never actually eaten penne a la vodka, but I'd seen/smelled it plenty and I knew it was delicious. So I became obsessed with eating it and looked up a recipe and made it.

Delicious.

I made that recipe for a while, but this was years ago and I lost track of it. The last few times I've wanted to make it I've spent fifteen minutes or so scouring the internet for the recipe, and I haven't been able to find it. So, I've come up with my own version, which I thought I'd share!

Penne a la Vodka Recipe

You will need:
- 2 cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1 can of tomato paste
- 1 can of tomato sauce
- 1 vidalia (sweet) onion
- 5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced (pressed gives you more flavor!)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
- 3 oz of vodka
- 3/4 a cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 a stick of butter (oh, by the way - this sauce isn't exactly healthy)
- 1 box of Penne

Here's What to Do:

I should say that this recipe takes a while: 3-4 hours from start to finish. So it's not great for a weeknight dinner, but it is perfect for one of those cold winter days when you just want to stay in the house and be embraced by delicious smells.

So, first slice your onion so that you have a lot of thin onion rings. Throw a bit of olive oil in a pan and cook the onions over medium/medium-low head (depending on your stove). Cook them for about ten minutes, until they begin to become translucent.

Add your garlic to the pan and cook it for a minute or so, until the scent of the garlic is released into the air. Turn the heat down to low.

Now add your tomato products - two cans of crushed tomatoes, one can of tomato paste, and one can of tomato sauce. Stir it all up and let the mixture get warm.

When your sauce is reaching the "warm" point, rip up your basil leaves and stir them into the pot. Use salt and pepper to season the sauce now, too.

Now you're going to simmer the sauce for a long time. Like, three hours. Stir it every thirty minutes or so and if it's starting to bubble, turn it lower. For me, the last hour is usually spent cooking on the lowest setting possible.

Once the sauce has been cooking for three hours, you have about an hour to go. Now is the time to stir your vodka in so that it has time to cook off.

Let the sauce with the vodka cook for 45 minutes. Next you're going to cube your butter and throw that in, stirring it up. The sauce will get a shimmer to it once the butter is added.

Once the butter is stirred in, it's time to add your cream. Stir it in - this is what gives the sauce its signature orangeish pink look.

While that's cooking together (twelve minutes or so) cook up your pasta according to the package directions.

Enjoy!

Ripped up basil in the sauce.

Hurry Up and Give it a Go

2012-09-11T10:36:00.000-04:00

Last night I couldn't sleep. I mean I couldn't sleep in a serious way. I spent several hours watching old talk show interviews on YouTube, I started re-reading The Scarlet Letter (and didn't get very far, because apparently when your English teacher isn't assigning that text... it's easy to put down) and then I clicked on a PDF that I had forgotten I had downloaded a while back: The Greatest Writer In The World by Dallas Clayton. Then, my sleepless night became my can't sleep but this sure is wonderful, night.

Dallas Clayton is a writer and artist. His website's bio reads:

My name is Dallas Clayton. A few years ago I wrote a kids book for my son. That book changed my entire life. Now I spend my days writing stories, drawing pictures, having big ideas and traveling the world sharing them with people of all ages.

Dallas Clayton seems like an all around awesome guy. I love that such inspiring and wonderful words could have been born out of something so simple -- he wanted to write a book for his son. Now he shares ideas and inspiration with kids (and grown ups) all over the place. You can view the text of his books on his website, and he shares daily pictures, ideas and thoughts, too.

One of his poems in particular really stood out to me as I was reading last night, so I thought I would share it with you here. Here's how it looks in the book.

In case you can't read it above, the text reads:

POINTS

Did you win the Superbowl yesterday?

If so
congratulations!

If not
let's work on that.
You've got an entire year.

Unless of course
you are not eligible
because of your age,
size,
determination,
or the fact that you don't like or play football.

If that's the case,
let's find something else to win.

There are plenty of things:
Games
Awards
Lotteries
Hearts
Life

Just pick something,
whatever it is,
and hurry up and give it a go.

So this time next year
the rest of us can cheer you on
and possibly dump beverages on you
because we are so happy
that we can't control ourselves
and that is the only thing that makes sense to do
to celebrate.

Here are some of my other favorites from Dallas's website. You should really go check it out for yourself, though -- www.dallasclayton.com.

Source: www.dallasclayton.com

❤Lauren

Finding Beautiful Announcements That Fit Your Style

2012-09-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

My twenty-something years have been filled with good news. Engagements, weddings, babies, new jobs, graduations, new homes. It seems like new chapters are always unfolding for the people I love. It's nice to have so much fun, exciting, good news in the air!

One of my favorite parts about fun life moments is the opportunity to send out an announcement (and receive them!). A save the date on the fridge is a constant reminder that something fun and exciting is coming up. And, because they accompany our biggest and most intimate life moments, announcements are a perfect thing to infuse with your own personality, style, and character.

When my fiance Garret and I got engaged, we knew that we wanted to design something that was very "us". Garret and I are both artists, and art has always been something we share. So, it makes sense that when it came time to announce something together, we wanted a card that was a reflection of our shared artsy minds. Even more exciting was that it could be something we created together.

We ended up designing these announcements/engagement party invites:

Our engagement announcements/party invites. Garret drew us,
and then I tweaked me to look more like "me". We designed the
back of the card together.

Even if you aren't a designer yourself, though, there are tons of options out there for finding announcements that fit your particular personality, style, and that reflect the moment you're experiencing.

Here are some tips for finding announcements that embrace who you are:

1. Pay attention to emotion and humor. How do you want people to feel when they get your announcement? Light? Happy? Proud? Humored? Different styles say different things - embrace the feeling you want to evoke.

2. Fonts are key. I'm obsessed with fonts. They add so much character information to a word! Since an announcement is largely about the words on the page, you'll want a font that fits your character.

3. Say what you want to say how you want to say it. Most designs on the web are really customizable. You don't have to stick with the old stand-bys ("Together with their parents...") if you don't want to. There's nothing better than getting beautiful correspondence from someone and feeling like they themselves created it.

Most of all: have fun! Announcements are a reflection of the fact that something really fun and exciting is happening in your life. Let them be as happy and elated as you are!

❤ Lauren

How To Make One Glass of Lemonade

2012-09-07T09:50:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, there is nothing better than a glass of fresh lemonade. Particularly on an afternoon when I'm feeling kind of sluggish, pure citrus like lemon is refreshing and rejuvenating. Usually I'll rely on a slice or two of lemon in a glass of water, but every now and then I want to go all the way with a tall glass of lemonade.

Of course, making a whole pitcher is time consuming and I don't always want that much. Until recently, my solution was to make one glass using the powdered stuff. Then I started experimenting and found out using one lemon, some sugar, and some water, I can actually make delicious fresh-squeezed lemonade one glass at a time!

To make one glass of lemonade you will need:

1 Lemon

4 ounces of water

2 tablespoons of sugar (to taste)

Ice cubes

What to do:

It's simple! Squeeze your lemon into a glass. I have a great citrus juicer that I found a thrift store, but you could do it by hand or use another tool too. You'll end up with about 1/8 a cup of juice.

Add water to the juice. You're only filling your glass about halfway with water - 4 oz or so. I use warm water for this part so that my sugar will dissolve better.

Add the sugar to the lemon/water mixture. I use two tablespoons of sugar. It's a lot, but I very rarely drink sweet drinks, so I don't mind. You may want more or less depending on how sour you like your lemonade.

Stir away! Next, add ice until the cup is full.

Enjoy!

P.S.: For a particularly refreshing twist, rip up some basil leaves and throw them in the lemonade. Delicious!

❤Lauren

Feel What You Wear: Calm Art

2012-09-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

I find that what I'm wearing can really affect my mood, productivity, and general energy. Sometimes you need to dress a certain part. Today I knew that I needed to get really creative with various projects that I'm working on. I needed to feel inspired and comfortable, and I also needed to stay level-headed. I needed to feel like an artist who's letting ideas come as they will. Nothing forced, nothing high-energy... just dabbling.

I ended up wearing a pair of super flowy black linen pants, a long brownish purple Buddha shirt, a dark green sweater, and my favorite necklace - a hand sculpted clay Buddha made by a local artist, Chris London. Mid-day I needed a break from my notebooks, so I took a few pictures inspired by how my day is going: Buddha, flowy paints, and mugs of tea (I think I may be getting a cold).

What's your outfit inspiring you to feel like today?

❤ Lauren

Oh, That's... Pinteresting...

2012-09-06T09:28:00.000-04:00

Someone once told me that if you think of yourself as deserving a good world and life, you keep your house clean and nice. That's obviously a big statement and it comes with a lot of baggage, but if you think about it, it has some semblance of something to it. A clean and well-maintained space does, at least for me, provide a more stable playground for creativity and life in general.

Lately I got to thinking about my online "spaces". Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and Pinterest are kind of like separate spaces for our online selves (you were onto something, MySpace!), and the truth is we spend a lot of time in those spaces. They all serve different purposes, too. Facebook is a space for my "real life". This blog is the space where some of my ideas are presented. Pinterest is the space where I collect inspiration for those ideas. It's also where I collect ideas for my house, for my design work, for my writing, for food, for entertaining, for my wedding... Pinterest is like my catch-all creative studio of madness.

I joined Pinterest when it first came out and on a bit of a whim. My original thought was kind of that I had enough online "spaces" to manage and I didn't need another. But then, like many people, I got sucked in! There are so many great ideas out there, I couldn't help but get involved in the Pinterest world. Plus, it's an awesome way to collect visual ideas for something like a wedding or shower.

But since I joined kind of haphazardly and then got sucked in all of a sudden, I basically went in with no plan whatsoever. As a result created a lot of random pinboards that have no real sense behind them. Pins upon pins were lost under headings like "Cool!" which could seriously apply to anything at all. Then I'd go back to find a pin and have no idea where I put it - under cool, or under awesome?

I decided to organize my pinboards. If you're like me and joined Pinterest on a whim and then found yourself obsessed, I can't recommend doing this enough.

Here's what my Pinterest looked like before my re-vamp:

I mean, Love, Cute Ideas, Art Projects to Try, and Interesting were all kind of the same thing!

So I got to work creating much more descriptive, organized pins. Here's how the boards are organized now:

These are organized by what the pins are either functioning as or providing inspiration for. Gift ideas, design inspiration, home inspiration, wedding inspiration, etc.

I'll admit that Weird/Funny/Awesome is still a little vague, but come on! How else could I have possibly categorized this:

❤ Lauren

Getting Lost In Wise Words

2012-09-05T16:26:00.000-04:00

I often find myself getting lost in visualizations of wise words. There's something about beautiful words being made visual that makes them all the more... well, beautiful! I like to decorate my workspace with these little reminders and points of inspiration so that when I'm pausing in my writing, tapping my pen on my notebook and looking around, these little morsels of goodness find their way into my brain.

I recently became enthralled with Lisa Congdon's work. Lisa is an artist with a blog that has one of the best titles I've ever seen: "Today Is Going To Be Awesome". She's doing a project called 365 Days of Hand Lettering, and the results are captivating. In many of them, she's taken little phrases, art in their own right, and turned them into visual art. I'm hoping to fill my space with some of her work via her Etsy shop once she is back from vacation!

Here are some of my favorites:

Source: http://lisacongdon.com/blog

What words of wisdom do you keep around your workspace?

❤ Lauren

10 Creative Uses for Ball Jars

2012-09-05T09:06:00.000-04:00

As anyone who has been to my house in the past year knows, I love ball jars. I know they're not for everyone but if they fit your style, a set of 12oz ball jars can be a great stand-in for a set of drinking glasses.

When we moved last year, I knew I wanted to do just that: fill my cabinet with these jars instead of drinking glasses. But, over the year, I've found many other great uses for them, too.

Ten Uses for Ball Jars

1. Pencil & Pen Cup: Display away! Everything is easier to find when it's organized, and this can give a fun look to a simple, rustic, creative space (like my home office!).

2. Frosted beer glass: Since they're resilient and come in large packs, throw a bunch of ball jars in the freezer next time you're having a party. Your guests will enjoy a stylish frosted beer glass!

3. Storage: Because they each come with an accompanying screw-on top, the greatest use for a ball jar is the one it was originally intended for: storage! I find them to be especially great for loose stuff like rice, pasta, and nuts.

4. Vase: Depending on the flowers, fill a ball jar with water and you've got yourself a perfect vase.

5. Cotton Balls & Q-Tips: This is especially great for a guest bathroom. Throw cotton balls and Q-tips in a jar and display them on a countertop surface in the bathroom. The jar gives the cottony goods almost an apothecary-esque look.

6. Snacks & Candy: Great to use at a party in place of bowls. You can fill these up, screw on the lids, and place them where they'll be for the party without worrying about the dog getting into them. Right before the party starts, take the lids off, and you're good to go.

7. Candle: Stick a tealight or even pillar candle in one of these jars and you have a lovely glow that can go anywhere. Particularly great for rustic weddings.

8. Iced Coffee: Leftover coffee in the morning? Pour whatever's left in a jar, screw on the lid, and throw it in the fridge. In the afternoon, fill it up with ice and pour some milk over it and you've got yourself a perfect iced coffee.

9. Measuring Cup: Ounces are actually marked on the sides of the jars. If you're like me, you only have one, maybe two, proper measuring cups in the house. Which can be a real bummer when it comes to measuring dry & wet stuff at the same time. Ball jars to the rescue!

10. Drinking Glasses: Of course, my original intention! These jars are great for anytime drinking, and they make a glass of lemonade or iced tea feel just a little more special.

* * *

What is your most creative use for a ball/mason jar?

❤ Lauren

Love What You Do

2012-09-04T11:33:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, my fiance and I moved from Brooklyn to Vermont. When we made the decision to move, we experienced several puzzled expressions on the faces of friends and family members. "But... why? Aren't you supposed to live in New York City? You're a writer and a filmmaker. What's in Vermont?"

The move from Brooklyn to Vermont was about a lot of things for me, but one of the biggest ones was hitting a "reset" button on my passion as an artist and on my spirit as a person. A lot of the things that make me inspired weren't present in Brooklyn. For an artist, that's dangerous territory. We survive on inspiration - it is the marrow of our livelihood. And the subsequent absence of the royal jelly called dreaming was taking its toll on me in a big way.

Hindsight makes me seem worse than [I hope] I actually was, but by last spring, I was getting really anxious about the fact that without inspiration, my artist self was slipping away. An artsy, weird, nerdy little girl I once knew was being replaced by a grumpy, frustrated, jaded weirdo. The result was a ball of confusion that was unfortunately housed in my body and was interacting with other people as me. And clarity as to what was causing it was getting less and less obtainable with every day I spent away from sweeping parks, the sound of crickets, and the smell of firewood in winter air. I'd been consistently away from the things that fuel my inspiration for so long that I had forgotten their potential effect on me. Instead, I was starting to think mean and grumpy was just "how I was".

This was a make or break moment, really. A few more months and that once inspired little girl might have been permanently trapped inside a furrowed brow, destined to ride subways for the rest of time. But then one day on a train that was crawling up the Hudson, the former version of myself, the artist, sat down next to me. She whispered something to me that I can't believe I heard.

What if to revive that artsy nerdy girl, I needed to go in pursuit of the things that made me tick? What if I could be inspired again? What if I just needed to let myself be?

She whispered her idea directly into my consciousness. Then that piece of me - the artist - disappeared into a melting sunset.

But she wasn't gone, yet. I just had go to find her.

Over the past year, I have been teaching myself to discover and embrace the things that make me "me". The things that make my artist heart flutter and stir a pen to sprawl romantic flights of fancy onto a page. For me, that ongoing discovery has been driven by being away from where I was. While I was there, I couldn't see it. Riding the subway, I couldn't know that if I were to instead take some of my favorite songs for a long drive in the countryside, I'd remember that winding roads and beautiful music are an inspiring combination to me. I couldn't know, in apartment air filled with the conversations of passersby and neighbors, that it's only in pure quiet that I can hear my characters speak. My hungry stomach couldn't remember that although delivered pad thai is indeed quite good, a homemade tomato cream sauce that takes hours to create is oh so good. I had to come here and do those things in order for them to work their way back into my soul.

But this blog really isn't (I say after so many words,) about Brooklyn or Vermont. That's just what contributed to all of it for me. Nevertheless, it feels appropriate that on this first day of my second year here, I am officially re-launching the Love What You Do blog. In its new iteration, this blog is fully dedicated to the idea that the more we embrace the things we each love, the more fulfilled our spirits will be. That fulfillment is what lets us dance, laugh, and sing. It's what lets us enjoy one another. When inspiration meets inspiration, magic happens. Happiness happens. We happen.

Love What You Do is a creative space dedicated to inspiration. It is a collection of things that inspired me and projects, foods, recipes, and ideas that might inspire you.

In life and in writing, I am (now, again,) all about the details. I think it's the little stuff in life that makes our world colorful and exciting. From appreciating the poetry in tiny moments to making something as simple as breakfast at home feel special, I strive to embrace the details in my life. I hope to inspire readers of this blog to do so too.

❤Lauren

new look & new material

2012-08-14T14:35:00.001-04:00

Fall is upon us, and even though I am several years out of school, I can't help but get inspired by the rows and rows of school supplies that emerge at stores around this time of year. I think there is no better time than the fall to dive into something new.

On September 4, 2012, I am going to launch the new Love What You Do blog site. I have a bunch of new posts, ideas, and approaches cooking.

As part of that, I'll be tweaking the appearance of the site in the coming weeks. Please excuse my virtual dust!

found in my childhood bedroom

2012-08-06T15:32:00.002-04:00

I'm living at my mom's this week. My childhood best friend is getting married, and I'm her maid of honor. I'm in town helping her prep for the big day, so I've taken up residency in my old room with my old things.

Today I did a little snooping into the things my former self kept in this room.

Snow White and Alice from Alice in Wonderland.
These were my mom's and my aunt's. I ended up with them as a kid.

I got the mirror in my room at a garage sale when I was around 12. It has a mushroom at the top. Probably some fabulous 70's teenager's at one point. This is where I hung my tassel when I graduated high school.

In an old box of letters from my great uncle to me, I found a letter from my mom's
childhood pen pal to her. It specifies: written in 1975. Her pen pal was in Australia.

More of my mom's letter from her pen pal circa 1975. Her pen pal wrote out a short story she had
written for English class. I love that she wrote it out and used different color inks for the title, etc.

One of the many saved letters from my great uncle to me. This one is from 1995. He always included
newspaper clippings that he thought I might find interesting. He always typed the letters on a typewriter
but signed his name in ink.

A snowman mug I made in ceramics class. My mom keeps jewelry, etc. in it now.

The cover and inside pages of, "The Goodnight Book". Which was apparently my 'favrit' book. So much so
that I put my (old) phone number and started to write my address. You know, just in case I... left it somewhere.

I always loved the line "Good night footsteps passing in the hall..." from "The Goodnight Book"

One of my many copies of my favorite book, The BFG. I love Roald Dahl's imagination.
I have a copy of this in my current (grown up) bedroom, my office, and in my childhood bedroom.
Sometimes I just like to open to a random page and experience the way he formed his sentences.

I haven't changed much, really. My room is still full of books and words!

Hello Giggles!

2012-07-23T14:27:00.001-04:00

Over the past few months, I've been giving myself time to actually sit down and engage in the very many awesome things that are happening on the internet. One of those things is Hello Giggles, a particularly wonderful website that is described by itself as "..the ultimate entertainment destination for smart, independent, and creative females." In a dream future, I would write regularly for Hello Giggles.

I've read some great pieces on the site that were contributed by readers. They're not just little write-in things, they're real articles written by real people. I find that really exciting, and when an idea for a particular piece of writing came to me, I decided to give it a shot and submit it to Hello Giggles for consideration. Well, guess what! They published it!

Click the image of the website to go to the actual article!

Woohoo!! So exciting! What's even more exciting is the amount of fun warm thoughts I've been getting from Facebook friends about the piece. Which is, essentially, the point of the piece!

Some other thoughts:

I've revived Bricks to Sticks! I'm going to be doing a lot of work on Love What You Do in the coming weeks. I want to create a really creative, fun, wild space here. So, I'll be putting most of my reflections-on-Vermont pieces there, instead. There'll definitely be so overlapping, but nevertheless, Bricks to Sticks is back!

I'll be back again in a couple of days! I'm getting together some fun projects, recipes, etc. to start launching this website as what I think it can be in its best form!

the drive-ins!

2012-07-06T11:28:00.003-04:00

last night we did something i haven't gotten to do in a long time: we went to the drive-ins! hathaway's drive-in is just outside of bennington, so it was about a 45-50 minute drive for us (believe it or not, here, that is not a long time!) because it was a weeknight they weren't showing a double feature, so we only got to see spiderman (sorry: 'the amazing spider-man') which is okay because even that didn't end until 11:15. it gets dark late these days!

we brought a blanket and pillows and turned the back of our car into a comfortable little laying pod (one benefit to having a 14-year-old station wagon!). i forgot how awesome it is to lay in the open air and watch a movie. and i had really forgotten how weirdly cool it feels to walk toward and under the screen while a movie is playing. i departed the car to go to the bathroom at one point and there i was in this open field walking toward a movie screen. i don't know why it felt so cool but it did. i guess because it's not something you usually get to do.

anyway, here's a few photos i snapped.

the sun setting next to the screen. the funny thing is that when i showed garret this picture,
he had actually just taken the exact same one with his phone.

murgy and i settle in while garret grabs us some dinner from the snack bar.

it begins! this is actually a trailer, not spiderman ;)
murgy, who has never been to the movies before, was rather alarmed when it started.
she eventually settled down and i think thought our car was actually our bed.

daydreaming

2012-07-05T18:20:00.000-04:00

I've had a fun/inspiring day so far today. I woke up to a message that someone wanted to put in a custom order for a pregnancy announcement through my Etsy shop! It's so exciting to be putting this little bit of art out into the world, and to realize that my photos, words, and ideas are going to play a role in such important and exciting correspondence for someone. Twenty people I don't know are going to receive my work in the mail, and it's going to deliver exciting sentiments to them. How fun is that!

The sale inspired me to sit down and create some new card designs, which I did for a few hours this morning. I came up with seven or so new cards, which I ordered photos for. I'm excited that I'll be able to offer new designs as soon as the photos start coming in!

Afterwards, I headed to a big open field in our neighborhood (pictured above with some words embedded). I've been doing a lot of writing outside lately. Not only is it beautiful out, but being isolated outdoors with no internet and just a notebook tends to boost my productivity/focus. Instead of clicking away at Facebook during pen pauses, I glance around at my surroundings and think about the work. It's simple but it really does make a big difference.

Each day I'm here I fall more in love with the tiny little details of "life in Vermont". Sitting in that field is one of them. Out there it was nothing but the sun, a swingset, and a sheet I was sitting on. It reminded me of the playground at Latham Ridge, my elementary school. Of course, we had a big [particularly awesome] playground that was much more than a simple swingset, but for some reason every time my friends and I would find ourselves there, we'd retreat to this one solitary swingset. We'd sit on the swings and talk for hours. Big ideas and daydreams were exchanged. I did some great imagining there - about other people, about what my future would hold, and about who I was. And semi-full circle, it seems, here I am again in a field, near a swingset. Wondering about who I am and what I'll do, reflecting on all I've done.

I think that back when I was on those swingsets at school, I thought that by now - 27 - I'd be living some fancy fabulous life and that I'd have it all figured out. I'm starting to realize, I think, that there's no such thing as having it all figured out. There's just daydreaming and wondering and ice cream cones with rainbow sprinkles. Which is just fine, if you ask me.

inspired in the morning

2012-06-28T11:11:00.001-04:00

This morning I woke up and sat on the deck. There was something in the air - something sweet that I associate with the ocean. It's been rainy and cool here lately, so maybe it was just the scent of the damp earth warming up. I drink my coffee black - no milk, no sugar, nothin' - but there's this distinct sugary steam that settles itself even in black coffee when that warm, moist, salty air sweetness is present. Until today I'd only tasted it at the beach (or near the beach), but somehow, this morning, it found its way to the mountain.

It was coincidence that before settling on the deck, I poured my muddy coffee into my Cape Ann Motor Inn mug. The Cape Ann Motor Inn is a little three-story motel on a small beach (Cape Ann) in Gloucester, MA. When I was a little kid, my parents and brothers and I would go there. Now, my aunt, cousin, mom and I take an annual trip there in October. Last year, my grandma came, too. We're usually there right as the air is getting cold for winter, but I'm always hellbent on drinking my morning coffee out on the deck. They have plastic chairs that are so old they're edging on flimsy, and there are usually traces of sand on the hard, red-painted wooden deck. Below me, on the beach, the ocean swirls against the sand and I breathe in, ecstatic in the calmest way possible. They have these giant donuts for the guests in the morning. I don't eat donuts often, but boy do those ones taste good, accompanied by air-sweetened black coffee.

I could feel myself, in the past couple of weeks, falling into some pseudo-routine. Wake up, sit on the couch, take out the computer, go in my home office, and get to work. The trees are in full bloom and as a result, the back guest room I use as my office is darker now than it was in the winter. It feels gloomy in there, which I usually give myself over to, because gloomy days are good for writing. This morning I made the decision to forgo the "routine" and just sit on the deck. So now I'm getting to work with warmth and sunshine and sweet coffee and inspiration.

Why don't I do this every day?

.lsm.