HeartLand

New Blog!

2010-11-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I invite you to visit me at my new blog, The Rotary. Heartland was all about the great things in the Midwest and now you can follow along as I explore New England and find things to love here. I miss you all, so please stop by!

Bumblesea Jewelry Giveaway

2010-10-04T19:22:00.005-05:00

Getting my heart back to the Midwest with a post about a great Illinois designer. You may remember Jennifer of Bumblesea from my earlier post. Well, she has just released a new line of glass vial necklaces and you need to check them out! Maybe you'd like to win one for free? Is that a resounding Yes??!

Well then, enter the jewelry giveaway sponsored by Bumblesea indie jewelry / indie fashion blog.

This necklace is my favorite, I love the black and white...

Newburyport, MA

2010-09-18T10:06:00.004-05:00

Weeks of hectic days were starting to take their toll, so our first real weekend here we wanted a nice relaxing day strolling around. So we headed to Newburyport, on the coast. Apparently we're not the only ones to think this place is pretty great, the NYtimes definitely got to it first. But they are really onto something! The town really is picture perfect and the beaches on nearby Plum Island are beautiful!

Looking back

2010-09-10T09:18:00.007-05:00

We're here!! The move and settling in to Boston has taken SO much time and energy. I only recently got my computer up and running and I wanted to stop in for a few minutes to at least share a few photos from our last few days in Madison. More photos (of the ocean!) are coming soon.

There's an appreciation that you really just can't get for a place until you are leaving. The sunsets get a little richer, the food at your favorite restaurants tastes better and your friends and neighbors are even nicer. Madison definitely had that sparkle for the last couple of months, making it that much harder to go. Thank you to all of our family, friends and colleagues who gave us a lovely sendoff and had so many nice things to say about us. Who knew you liked us so much? ;) We already miss all of you.

The Memorial Union Terrace

One final brunch at Marigold. I'm really gonna miss those potatoes.

The Memorial Union Terrace, Lake Mendota in the background

Sunset over the Yahara River

Lake Monona

Final day of sale!

2010-08-16T10:28:00.002-05:00

Just a little reminder, today is the last day of the sales in the Habit and Pravina shops. Shops close tomorrow!

Meteor Shower

2010-08-13T18:10:00.006-05:00

The Perseid meteor shower was at its peak last night and luckily we had a beautifully clear summer night to enjoy it. I took my camera down to the lake to try capturing a few photos of meteors and I did get a couple of faint ones, but not too many. There were definitely about 100 mosquitoes for every 1 meteor, so I didn't last too long outside. One thing that I was reminded of though is how much I LOVE night photography. Clearly though, I need some practice at capturing good night photos. So I've vowed to take more photos of our neighborhood at night in the next week before we have to leave!

Just a reminder...check back next week for the unveiling of what's next for Heartland...

MOVING SALE!!!

2010-08-10T21:18:00.006-05:00

Thank you everyone for the well wishes!

The big move is coming up quickly... and we have to get to packing! Help us out by clearing out some inventory! I've reduced everything in the Pravina and Habit shops, some items are up to 50% off.

The sale lasts until Tuesday August 17th. After that date, both shops will be closed until September 1st for the move.

The Big News!!

2010-08-09T21:51:00.004-05:00

We are moving to Boston!! After being a Midwestern girl my entire life, I am now going to try out living on the east coast. We'll be arriving just in time for Fall, and I am so looking forward to many beautiful drives through New England. It is a very exciting change and I can't wait to get started. I've dreamt of living in New England ever since I grew up watching Who's the Boss. Yes, it's true! I mean, didn't everybody wish they were Samantha Micelli?

The downside of moving is that we have to leave behind beloved family and friends. It will be very hard being so far away, but we will definitely be back to visit very very often. I doubt anywhere else could ever truly feel like home.

Heartland will also have to go through some changes, since it really is all about life in the Midwest and I don't want to change that focus. But, don't you worry, I have something new in store for all of you! Just putting the final touches on it though, so check back in a few days!

Big news! But what could it be?

2010-08-08T07:04:00.000-05:00

I have some very big news to share with all of you! I can't let the secret out just yet but check back tomorrow...

Hint: it involves the ocean. And a sale. Any guesses?

Northern Lights

2010-08-05T22:11:00.003-05:00

Photo by Shawn Malone. Marquette, Michigan.

I am obsessed with the northern lights, or Aurora Borealis. I'm not sure if my fascination started when I wrote a paper for my Astronomy class in college. More likely it's just because they are truly amazing and surreal. This week there have been solar storms strong enough to make the northern lights visible as far south as the Midwest. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to see them. But others did...

Photo by Derek Weston. St. Germain, Wisconsin.

Photo by Mike Hollingshead. Little Sioux, IA.

Photo by Tom Pinkerton. Babbitt, Minnesota.

All photos courtesy of www.spaceweather.com

Summer

2010-07-27T22:23:00.005-05:00

Calm days and long nights, barbecuing with friends, bike rides at sunset, watermelon coolers, frozen custard, thunderstorms, bunny watching, blooming gardens...these are a few of my favorite summer things.

Travels, Part 2

2010-06-27T20:45:00.006-05:00

Moving further up the river to Dubuque Iowa! I was just driving through Dubuque but did stop for a couple of photos and a coffee at Jitterz, which it turns out has the best customer service of any coffeeshop I've ever been to. The barista was so great and I swear she knew everyone by name. Except for the out of towners like me.

My final destination was Galena, IL. For those of you unfamiliar with Galena, it is in one of the prettiest areas of Illinois, in the northwest corner near the Mississippi River. If you visit, bring your bike so you can really appreciate the scenery. Just make sure it isn't a fixed gear, because wow are there some crazy hills. Galena also certainly has no shortage of antique stores and icecream shops, because really isn't that what vacation is all about? Yum.

And to top it off, a hot air balloon show!

Travels, Part 1

2010-06-22T21:15:00.010-05:00

I've been traveling a bit lately and one of my recent trips was to Davenport Iowa. It's a very cute town on the banks of the Mississippi River, which, by the way, is filled with Pelicans?! So cool!

If you do find yourself in Davenport, be sure to stop by the Figge Art Museum, housed in a beautiful building designed by David Chipperfield. The exhibits were lovely, these pieces by Nicole Pietrantoni were some of my favorites.

What I cannot recommend is driving through this on your way out of Davenport.

We Are Family-Chicago Design Event

2010-05-21T11:55:00.002-05:00

Come by and say hello tonight at the We Are Family: Emerging Talent in Chicago event at the Family Room Gallery. Heartland's favorite graphic designer David Weik will be exhibiting his work along with eight other super talented artists. It is also a nice kickoff to Chicago Design Week. Hope to see you there!

BrookeArin Giveaway

2010-05-20T11:25:00.004-05:00

BrookeArin, aka GemmaFactrix, is the maker of my favorite pair of everyday earrings and I love her work. I was excited to see the blog Oh I Love That is hosting a giveaway of one of her Tiny Gem Necklaces. Head on over for your chance to win!

Ironworks Cafe

2010-05-18T18:20:00.005-05:00

I was just trying to think of where I wanted to go for dinner tonight when I realized I hadn't yet posted about The Ironworks Cafe in Madison. I had actually taken these photos pretty soon after Ironworks opened over a year (maybe even two years?) ago, but I never posted them. Better late than never, eh?

The food at Ironworks is inventive, almost always local, and most importantly, delicious. What's even more likable is the premise behind the cafe. It exists as part of the Goodman Community Center, which recently moved into a beautifully renovated historic building on the near east side. Fitting with the community service ideals of the center, the cafe is run entirely by teenagers under the guidance of restaurant professionals. The Ironworks Cafe is part of a teen employment program helping teens learn basic job skills, food and customer service skills, while seeing the ins and outs of managing a business.

Design Crush

2010-05-14T10:59:00.004-05:00

Fellow Mid-Westerner Kelly publishes the great blog, Design Crush. I am super excited that she featured Pravina Studio this morning! A great way to end the week.

Garmental Fashion Blog

2010-05-13T10:31:00.004-05:00

Garmental is a brand new blog based in Chicago's fashion scene. A new outfit is posted daily with all of the ensembles being from boutiques around Chicago. Find fresh fashion inspiration as well as discover some new shops!

Where have I been?

2010-05-10T21:39:00.008-05:00

Boston! Sorry for my accidental blog hiatus, I was in Boston for a long weekend and though I meant to post before leaving...well, that didn't pan out. I hope some photos and highlights from my trip will earn me forgiveness?

I spent a lot of time walking around exploring the different neighborhoods of Boston. These apartment buildings were in Mission Hill. During one of my walks, I was lucky enough to happen upon a student art sale here and purchased a couple of things.

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It was an incredible experience, unlike any other museum I've visited.

The view from inside the Institute for Contemporary Art was beautiful, even in the pouring rain.

Lobster roll at The Barking Crab!

Paul Revere walked here. I love how much history there is everywhere you look in Boston. Following the Freedom Trail through the North End is a nice introduction to some of Boston's past. And you can actually walk around Paul Revere's house? Amazing.

Ofcourse, there had to be a stop at Harvard in Cambridge. What a great town that is!

Mini cupcakes from Sweet, the cutest cupcake shop ever.

The interior of the historic Boston Library building is breathtaking. How great are all of those green bankers style lights?

And the view from the hotel room window was also pretty neat.

Potters Artisan Crackers

2010-05-04T21:10:00.006-05:00

Nancy Potter and her son Peter truly are cracker artisans. I recently got a bag of Potters Crackers (toasted sesame seed, in case you're wondering) and finished them off almost immediately. These divine little crackers are baked just up the road from me and they are made from locally milled whole-wheat flour, sweet Wisconsin butter and farmstead milk. How much more fresh and local can they get?

I usually find Potters Crackers at the Madison farmers markets. They are also available at a good amount of stores in the Midwest and for those of you outside of the area, order some online, you'll love them!

Elsie Marley

2010-05-03T11:56:00.006-05:00

Congrats to Meg who had her adorable Madison WI home featured on Etsy's Storque! It's a great showcase of a family living efficiently (and beautifully) in a small space. PS, also check out her great little shop, Elsie Marley.

Spring PARA pouches

2010-04-29T21:24:00.003-05:00

The spring line of PARA pouches have arrived in the Pravina shop!! And now featuring a lovely dark cocoa brown!

Pearl & Marmalade Stationary

2010-04-27T16:46:00.003-05:00

Beautiful letterpress from Pearl & Marmalade.

Of Salads and Sundays

2010-04-25T14:36:00.004-05:00

It's a chilly, rain-soaked day here in Madison. The perfect Sunday to stay inside in my studio, working with the new machine. It has been a little frustrating at times but I'm hoping to make some more progress this afternoon. Maybe after a cup of tea.

During a little lunch break, I made a salad with the hopes of making up for a decadent dinner at Eldorado last night. I tried this dressing for the first time today and liked it, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Grapefruit vinaigrette
1/4 cup pink grapefruit juice
1 TB rice vingear (I bet a fruity one would be tasty too)
1 tsp minced shallots (I actually used freeze dried ones from Penzeys)
2 TB olive oil
Salt

Shake it all up, add salt to taste.

Hamilton Wood Type Font Fund

2010-04-21T16:04:00.004-05:00

The Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in Two Rivers WI is the only museum dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type. Existing since 1880 and housing 1.5 million pieces of wood type, Hamilton's collection is one of the premier wood type collections in the world. About 3 hours from Chicago, the museum is well worth a visit. Admission is even free!

The museum is run only by two volunteers of the Two Rivers Historical Society and really needs your support in obtaining important grant funding. Please consider contributing to the Hamilton Font Fund, every dollar makes a difference.

From the Hamilton Font Fund Facebook page:
Help protect a Printing Treasure: Hamilton Urgently Needs Your Help.

Dear friends of wood type,
Hamilton has an unprecedented opportunity to qualify for a dollar-for-dollar matching grant from the "Save America's Treasures" program which has a deadline of May 20th, 2010.

This gives Hamilton 30 days to raise enough money to apply for a $25,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. We're excited to have already raised over $5000 for this vital program that will help us archive, preserve and digitally document our collection of over 2000 vintage advertising plates and our 1.5 million-piece type collection.

But we can’t do it without you.

What can you do? We have 3 ways for you to give:

1. Become a member of the Hamilton Wood Type Museum online today (http://www.woodtype.org/museum_information_membership.shtml). There are 4 levels to choose from with sweet incentives that let you take a little slice of Two Rivers back to your home or office wall. Your membership dollars go a long way toward helping the museum fulfill its mission of preserving this amazing piece of printing history. All new membership dollars generated between now and the grant deadline will go directly to our matching funds effort.

2. If you're already a member you can simply donate at a level that suits your budget! Our recommended donation base is $50 and every dollar you give goes to protecting this typographic gem. (http://www.woodtype.org/museum_information_membership.shtml)

3. Shop at our Etsy Store! All proceeds for the next 30 days go directly to Hamilton’s “Save America’s Treasures” efforts and we'll be adding more merchandise soon. (http://www.etsy.com/shop/HamiltonWoodType)

Finally, we ask that you pass this message along to at least 2 people you think might become friends of Hamilton. Time is of the essence. We'll be keeping you updated with our progress in the coming month. Thanks for supporting wood type.

Sincerely Jim and Bill Moran