first came love

elsewhere

I've taken to instagram again since updating my phone recently.  I'm sure with it's convenience, I will be over there a lot during maternity leave.  Feel free to follow along ~ firstcamelove

sunday files

Edward and I decided to take a trip to Fort Tryon Park over the weekend and explore a part of the city that people rarely get to see.  It's a little bit off the beaten path but worth the trip.  We did some exploring until my legs and hips let me know that was all for today. We were alone for the most of the weekend which is rare but so necessary.  We reflected on our nine years together and how our lives will change in a matter of days.  I was able to decompress from many internal conflicts and sleep like it was luxury.  I feel so at peace today and ready to meet our child.  There's no rush ,but when she is ready, there are many open hearts waiting. 

brooklyn spot // moon river chattel

 

This weekend the mister and I headed down to ISA for brunch and then went for a stroll in the neighborhood.  I went to some of my favorite little shops including Beautiful Dreamers and Golden Calf.  Further down the road, I discovered a store that I had never visited: Moon River Chattel. It was love at first sight.  The store is full of kitchen, gardening and home goods stripped down to only the essentials: simple advertising and well curated quality goods.  The vibe is nostalgic of a simpler way of life that seems to be enjoying a renaissance in our neck of the woods.  Across the way, they also house an inventory of antique furniture that is available to browse upon request.  In the end, we selected some beautiful childrens' books, some pots for our tiny indoor greenhouse this winter and some handmade soaps. The good news is they plan to set up an online shop soon so be sure to stop by their site. 

featured artist // lauren moffatt

I was more than a little excited to be invited to Lauren Moffatt's Spring 13 presentation.  I'm a big fan of her color palettes and her unique balance between whimsy and sophisticated.  Yesterday's preview was full of delicate nuances, confident shapes, bold corals and soft blues. The introduction card put it best:

"For her Spring 2013 collection, Lauren Moffatt draws inspiration from the prim and the proper lawn tennis outfits of the 1960's & the contrasting colorful mayhem of the neighborhood public pool. Breezy silks with leather accents, floral printed denim, and shifts with unexpected cut-outs reveal a collection that is at once traditional, modern and fresh."

In a world of over abundance, shock value and information fatigue, Lauren gives us a moment of respite and a reminder of qualities from the past that we should continue to anniversary:

modesty, femininity and grace

all photos by alyce gorch

 

sunday files

There's something about Labor Day that makes me a little melancholy.  It's the official end to summer and the beginning of earlier sunsets.  The beaches close and the swimsuits go into the closet.  However, I love fall.  I love the changing seasons of New England accompanied by bonfires, baking and keeping close against the chill.  What makes me sad about the end of summer is the closing of a chapter.  This is also my last chapter before becoming a mother.  I will remember it as being surrounded by good friends, great food and every day looking into the mirror with anticipation.

triannual project

This weekend we were in the catskills and my goal was to start a triannual project where we revisit one of the sites from our wedding to take an updated picture.  It's a little silly but I think as the project expands with children it could become pretty interesting.  The angle is a little off but not bad considering we did this one alone with a remote control. We are at the 35 week mark and time is starting to fly. ...

photo on left by Belathee (2009)

lemon cukes

I was up early this morning and decided to check for anything in the garden ready to be picked.  There were about a dozen lemon cucumbers beneath the gnarly vines that have taken over much of the space. We had a good harvest last year of eggplant and a few squash so this year we got adventurous and planted some vegetables we're not used to.  These cukes look similar in size, shape and color to lemons and taste like a slightly sweeter green cucumber.  If anyone can learn from our mistake: only plant a few!  These are climbing plants and they will grow across several feet and grab onto whatever they come across. The vines are quite prickly too. Anyway, if anyone has any good recipes for these gorgeous vegetables let me know. I may even try my hand at pickling.

happy weekend

featured artist // lisa hedge

I was intrigued by Lisa Hedge when I came across this save the date on Miss Moss.  It was so beautiful that you would want to keep and frame it.  I had never seen a mailing piece so elevated which brought me over to her site.  It then became clear that her breadth of talent was much farther reaching than this one piece. Her work expands across graphic design, illustration, photography, and collage.  The work I was especially drawn to was Papercuts. (shown above)  

"A selection of work themed around the idea of image creation through detraction and reordering. Pieces of the images are cut away or become windows into the content below. The process manipulates the images in their original format, maintaining stacks of magazine pages to allow for an unpredictable end result. The unveiled content begins to take shape, rendering a new image in relationship to its contextual content." - Lisa Hedge

What I appreciate is the way the cut outs dissolve some of the seriousness of the original subject matter. The juxtapositions ease some of the tension and make the connecting angles and parts more soothing and enjoyable. Go deeper; and it presents the idea of change and promise. Just lovely.

etsy finds

{my favorite etsy finds}

1.  california poems scarf  $96   leah goren   2.  peach fade vessel  $46   up in the air somewhere

3.  coral leather ballet flats  $70   the white ribbon     4.  peach branch with tassels  $45   fleur lux 

sunday files

We spent the better half of the weekend visiting friends up along the hudson valley.  We brought them strawberry rhubarb pie from our favorite local bakery; Blue Stove.  I've been meaning to take a photo of the ever protruding belly but didn't manage to get in front of the camera. It's taken on quite a bit of real estate. This body is continuing to change in ways I didn't fully realize were possible.  It entertains me to ponder on what else it might be capable of doing. Some latent ability waiting; still to be discovered...