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There are more new things in my shop! I am so excited for the holidays and my Open House!
In continuing to tour the Minnesota Wineries, a trek was made out to Wild Mountain Winery. It was a bit of a drive but the land around it is quite beautiful. The same day I spent part of the day in the town of Taylors Falls, Minnesota. Taking a boat ride and shopping in a great beads and gems store. The stop at the winery lasted a couple of hours most of the time spent exploring the grounds. We did a tasting as well and there was a wine on the menu that tasted just like lettuce. No kidding. It was quite odd. I do so enjoy a great deal of the Minnesota whites and here was no exception. The one thing I'd say as with some of the other ones I've been to, they really rush your tasting and that gets a bit tiresome. We usually end up asking for them to slow down so we can savour and enjoy what we have. Regardless of this, visiting the Minnesota winieries is turning into one of my favorite things to do.
Some pictures from my day trip to a great town called Taylors Falls. I took a paddleboat ride on the river and walked around the main street. It's such a pretty area and a lot of people were out and about(these pictures were taken in the middle of August). There is a good deal of geological history in this part of Minnesota. Without earthquakes nor major erosion some of the rock formations in the midwest are millions of years old. You'd never know how much history is around here as Minnesota is a very polite and unassuming place. Mostly.
I went to TC Vegfest last year and had a great time, this year was even better. I knew more what to expect and got there early-
though it was super crazy busy this year. From vegan donuts to vegan gyros, I ate the best food, got lots of freebies and even bought the cutest pair of earrings. I already can't wait to go again. I am so glad it was so busy. I appreciate so much people improving their relationships with food and animals.
I do a post about this every year now. My annual visit to the MN Ren Fest. This year for the fairy festival and perfect for a Minnesota Monday. Here is a billion pictures of the fairy house contest, the grounds, rainbows, details and really all the things that make Ren Fest so wonderful!
A sneak peek at some new things going up in my shop very soon.
These will be listed in my shop in the next week with many more pretties. I'd love it if you stopped by!
Things I have made...I am very influenced by fairy tales, myth, fables...the lessons hidden in dangerous beauty...
I am all about new things the last year. I mean I've never shunned them anyway but I've been actively seeking new experiences this past year. One of the new experiences I've had recently was to attend my first camp-out music and art festival. I had no clue what to expect and it was the first year of this particular festival. Cosmic Ascension turned out to be a pretty great and memorable experience. From camping with 6 of my friends to an amazing performance by Beats Antique. There was about 1500 people present for the three day event. I was so impressed by how nice and happy everyone was-I did not see or hear a single raised voice except in excitement. It was such a pleasant atmosphere. The land was breathtaking being on the White Earth Reservation, absolutely pristine. We had amazing food by Asase Yaa, who I can't wait to see again at TC Vegfest in a few weeks. There was cooking out, games, art, music and of course our two camp set ups. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, right?
I'm in the process of adding 40 new pieces to my shop. I'd love it if you stopped by!
Just a few pleasant images for this Friday. Have a great weekend!
I have been crafting like mad and I am starting to list the many new pieces I've created in my shop. I'd love it if you had a moment to stop by.
I went out to see a beautiful large glass art exhibit at the MN Landscape Arboretum. I went in the early part of the morning when it was quiet and deserted. It was a really nice way to start the day.
Fall is coming and the Arboretum is probably a great place to go experience it. Minnesota is never more beautiful than when the leaves change.
A long time favorite place of mine for breakfast. Especially if you made a few bad decisions the night before. As it's usually cool inside and dimly lit. Triple Rock has an extensive vegan menu that includes vegan Kalhua pancakes and a glorious dish known as the Mother Biker. Tofu scramble covered in spicy vegan nacho cheese. They also have plenty for dinner such as a Vegan Po-Boy. Quite Tasty. It's a punk bar so don't expect it to be fancy. But you can expect very good service and excellent food. They also offer the Mug Mimosa which is a coffee cup full of champagne and oj. What more could you ask for on a morning with a slight headache?
Fire Noodles at Namaste Cafe.
I recently saw a big poster that said EAT WELL TRAVEL OFTEN and I thought-YES! I have taken on the very big task of truly organizing my photos and it's taking a long time but it's also showing me things I've long forgotten about. One thing I have been trying to get better at is my photos of food. As someone who tries to share what is important to me about my diet i.e. meat-free, healthy and adventurous, I think having terrible food photos would most certainly not communicate that and they would possibly end up in places such as Somebody Ate That and completely defeat the purpose of taking food photos. Here are a few that I came across recently that I thought looked pretty yummy.
Homemade Coconut Curry-recipe soon!
Homemade Green Beans-SO EASY! Wash, snap off ends, heat wok up pretty hot, flash fry them with tamari and chopped garlic. Takes about 10 minutes total and most of that time is washing.
Instagram snap of vegan donuts from Glam Doll Donuts.
Epic salad bar at Q Cumbers. Very Veg Friendly.
Homegrown basil on top of Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauce. Served with bow tie pasta(my favorite) with soy chicken strips and pine nuts. YUM YUM YUM.
I'll be making these tonight: Tofu Fajitas loosely based on this recipe: Tofu Fajitas. I make mine more spicy and use all vegan products. NO sour cream cuts the fat intake.
Potatoes from Mill City Farmer's Market, homegrown rosemary with herbs from Penzey's Spices (Bavarian Seasoning is the name of the blend), olive oil, all chopped and placed in foil then cooked on the grill. Easy and very tasty.
My favorite pizza from Punch Pizza. The Gigi: olive oil, garlic, basil, cherry tomatoes. Simple and perfect.
Have a tasty day!
A visit to Minnehaha Falls, a favorite place.
Listing new pieces, going through photos of past pieces, I love making jewelry.
I have been reintoduced to a pizza place here in Minneapolis the last couple of months. When Galactic Pizza first opened, I was pretty excited about having another vegan pizza option. I went there three times before giving up on it. I would have terrible experiences all three times. Bad service, long wait times, undercooked pizzas. It was a shame really, they have a great mission of making high quality pizzas, using electric cars for delivery and quite charmingly having their delivery people dress like superheroes. Including at one point some years ago one of the delivery people famously stopping a thief in their superhero outfit. Fast forward about 5 years and a friend wants to go eat there. I hesitate but then go with it and I am so glad I did. Whatever problems they had in the past, Galactic Pizza is AWESOME now.
They have great, unique vegan pizza options, the whole space has been redone and is very nice. I didn't get a picture of the outside but the patio they have set up is cute. The service is ten times better and the food was to-die-for. Especially the vegan bianca pizza. Also, 3-D pizza menus. I can't recommend it enough now. And save room for vegan strawberry cheesecake. YUM.
I actually saw this exhibit of Matisse about two months ago. But with working on my book and launch party, I've been unable to share it. The exhibit was at the M.I.A. and I went on the same day to see the The Art in Bloom exhibit for 2014(which I love). I knew a little about Matisse and I do like some of his work. It's a bit out of the realm of art I favour as I tend to be more in love with the romantic and fantastical. There are pieces in his fauvism work I do enjoy and of course, like so many-his paper-cuts. Here are some snaps from the exhibit.
I have been one very busy lady. But I am so happy and proud of what I've been doing. Over the last 8-9 years I've been slowly putting together ideas for a new young adult science-fiction series of books. I never really sat down too much to write a whole lot till the last year. I've had notes on scraps of paper, napkins and even a chapter written on my iPhone. I finally was given the opportunity to work full-time on getting the first book out and well, I leapt in with excitement. My first book Ella Cerulean, Book 1 of The Connective is now out and available on multiple websites. I will note that these currently available editions will change a bit as we wanted to get the story up and out in time for a party we hosted at the local convention CONvergence (separate post to come). The party we had was based on the last three chapters of my book. It is so amazing to me how much work several people in my life put into making this happen. We worked countless hours to make this come to life and I couldn't possibly be happier. The paperback version is available on Lulu.com and the digital versions are on Apple (this version is free and includes a mini-movie) and Amazon (which is currently .99 but will go up in price). The book is also available internationally. I am so pleased to tell you that the first week it was out it sat in the top 100 of Young Adult Sci-Fi books for a week. I couldn't believe it! It was on the list with The Hunger Games and Divergent! Allow me to share with you photos of the book cover and of the party we created and hosted for three nights in a row based on the book!
We served homemade blue champagne!
I didn't know too much about papercuts. I've seen smaller ones and have always thought they were cool. Of course, when we are kids we try our hand at making paper snowflakes. Recently, I went to one of my favorite places in Minneapolis, the American Swedish Institute. I love going here because I see art I've not experienced anywhere else. On this particular visit it was not very crowded for once and I was able to examine details in the mansion I haven't been able to see before. I only wish the cafe was a bit vegan friendly. The gift shop is very cute and I have bought many gifts for people from it for various holidays.
