_monday sees....salmela architecture_

For the first installment of Art/Architecture.. I wanted to show you a little from one of my favorite architects at the moment: David Salmela. He practices out of Duluth, Minnesota, in a little office at the back of his self-designed home perched high on the hill, overlooking the gorgeous expanse of Lake Superior.

My first encounter with his designs was his house for a father and son, called the Streeter House. Its simple, and well-sited, and beautiful. Now, simple may be bad you may think, but it is one of the most difficult things to design. And that is a generally good introduction to Salmela - he designs for specific place. None of his projects would be quite as brilliant if they were in a different place.

He designs with amazing an amazing poetic. Relationships of form and color and size, modern aesthetics but with a beautiful warmth. Not easy to do! Every project is unique, designed for specific clients on a specific site with specific materials, but none of the projects seem overworked. When learning about historical Scandinavian architecture the other day in class, it all fell in place. Salmela is Finnish, and his designs are very much linked to that background. With Minnesota being of primarily Scandinavian heritage, it makes sense that his work would be welcomed and fit well into the culture and the landscape.


I interviewed Salmela at the end of this summer (an amazing experience, for which I am very thankful for!), and he spoke of the importance of place. Architects do their best work when they are very familiar with a place, when they have developed from it, understand the culture, the history, the landscape, climate, etc. David Salmela is an excellent designer within Minnesota and the Midwest because he does understand all of the factors.

And he consciously re-frames familiar things within a modern design so that people must like them, because it is familiar and formerly loved. When learning about the great Finnish architect and designer, Alvar Aalto, it makes sense where Salmela developed his ideas. He obviously reads a lot, given his large library adjacent to his desk, and his references to writings and projects of a host of architects during conversation. And one of the best parts is that despite his great knowledge, skill, and success, he is undeniably down to earth.

You can find more of his work here. 


(My interview with David Salmela, as well as other architects and artists in Minnesota will soon be available on my interview blog. I will post a link when it is updated!)

_friday wears...autumnal things_

..some favorite autumn colors..

Because I don't quite have the closet.. or a photographer friend to take pictures of what I'm actually wearing, Fridays are probably going to be a curated wishlist of things I find relevant/exciting/etc. Recently I'm loving burnt oranges, silvers and grays, and a mashup of warm things with a pop of color:

BURNT ORANGE:

Zara knit top, $50

CALYPSO ST BARTH jersey tee, $49
Corduroy skirt, $50
Zara raffia bag, $40
Printed scarve, $175
Crossroads Beanie, $38

How gorgeous is that printed scarf? Too expensive for my budget, but I love the warmth within a geometric print.


SILVERS & GRAYS

Sperry, $80

Glitter flat shoes
Zara party handbag, $30
Mango woven handbag, £30
Sequin scarve, $188
Cable Knit Beanie - Scarves & Hats - Garage, $15

I don't wear glitter a lot, but there are a few fall pieces that would look great contrasted with other staples. Either the scarf and the loafer would look great with a dark sweater and skinny jeans, as long as you don't wear both sparkly pieces at the same time! The bag is a great catch-all with just the right amount of shine. And I'm always a fan of envelope-shaped things. Zara makes a great party clutch.




MIXED:

Long sleeve top, $15

J Crew fitted coat, $350
Stretchy jeans, $25
Zara fringe shoes, $90
ASOS clutch hand bag, $36
Zad woven jewelry, $14
Lauren Ralph Lauren gold tone jewelry, $32
Sheer shawl, $16

I love the fashion of fall and winter. Mostly I like wearing lots of layers.. which is much more difficult to do in summer months! It's especially wonderful right now - it's going to get cold this weekend, so I'm breaking out a lot of my coats, hats, scarves and gloves from storage. Unpacking things always feels like Christmas to me :)

Happy Friday!


     - AO

_thursday I'm thankful for...fall things_

So many things!

Ok, so the reason I decided to have a 'thankfulness' post on Thursdays because typically they are my most hectic, nerve-racking and tiring day within the week. I figured it was the best day to focus on thankfulness :)

Today, I am thankful for: 

FALL COLORS! Oh my word, the brilliance of the colors. And when I took this picture it was raining, so the grass was extra green. The fall colors weren't perhaps the most abundant I've ever seen (most of the leaves have fallen off due to rain), but the reds and oranges are inspiring. It's like God's coloring book. He's definitely using the most interesting Crayolas this year.

MY BIKE! So I had a bit of a bike mishap this year, and then I had a bit of a bike miracle soon after. I was given a bike. Given. I have wheels! And I know it's just a bike, but it's still pretty fantastic. It has a very old-school look to it, and a bright chromatic green. And it has a basket - bonus! It's actually been really handy. My commute time is a third of what it is on foot, and it's always fun to cruise down the hill and blow past everyone else. ...What I do have to get used to is the fact that my eyes always water when I ride downhill. And my legs always burn when I bike uphill. I will be so happy when I can get to the top and not feel like my legs are rubbery. Actually that might not happen. So I will be thankful for when I can get to the top of the hill, and be going faster than someone on foot :)

HATS! Okay, I don't wear a lot of hats.. but winter hats I love. I was given this hat last spring (when it was much too warm to be wearing hats) by my friend's mom (Thanks Linda!). How she knew that I have been wearing and loving red more and more is beyond me. But the hat is pretty fantastic, and it makes me wish I had similar crocheting skills. It also kept my head really warm today when I was out in the cold for class for  a few hours straight!

This was a while ago, but this rainbow (which turned into a double rainbow!) came after a big rainstorm. And it was so gorgeous and pure and bright. Sometimes these things catch you off guard with their beauty. It reminds me that there is hope at the end of the storm, however cold and dark and gross and slushy it is.

PANINI PRESS!! I love my panini press. It's one of my favorite tools in my kitchen and again, a gift from a family member. I hadn't had it at school until this semester, and now I use it for everything. Mostly for breakfasts and quick lunches. Best thing I've had lately? Smoked cheddar and spinach grilled cheese on peasant bread, served with a nice hot bowl of creamy roasted tomato soup. And breakfast? Wheat bread with peanut butter and banana. One of the most fantastic discoveries was figuring out when you put a peanut butter/banana sandwich in a panini press, the bananas become the sweetest melting deliciousness. They almost become this airy texture like a marshmallow. Yum!

SNOW!! It has been snowing since around 2 this afternoon. I LOVE snow. I turn into a 3-year-old when it starts snowing. I came home, and did a dance. and then made tea. and then decided to make cookies.  I can't believe this is what it looks like out my back door right now. It's October! Not even Halloween yet!

Without pictures to go along with them, I am also thankful for:

Ginger Tea,
Mukluks,
Warm Rain Boots,
An amazing Sister,
A 'Healthy' Recipe for Chocolate Cake,
Homemade Trail Mix,
Fresh Fall Apples,
Down Comforters,
Good Group Members,
A New Job,
The Morning Newspaper,
Fellowship.

_wednesday tastes like...chocolate cake_

Cake! Actually it originally had what I thought was a great mysterious name, but then I translated it, and it translated as 'Cake.' Lame. So a new name perhaps? How about Broiled Ten Layer Zebra Cake? Would that get your attention? It got mine! Yes BROILED. Have you ever heard of that? I hadn't. It actually wasn't too hard, you just have to be hovering over your oven for a while. ...which I don't mind. As long as I have a hefty pot of tea :) 

Recipe:

Baumkuchen (Cake) .. or.. Broiled Ten Layer Zebra Cake. 

Vanilla and chocolate layer cake, baked layer by layer using the broiler. 

Ingredients: 

_250 g butter

_250 g sugar

_1 pinch salt

_7 eggs

_150 eggs (whites and yolks separated)

_100 g corn starch

_1 tsp vanilla

_9.35 oz (235g) chocolate chips - bittersweet

_1 cup water

Process: 

1_ Preheat broiler

2_ Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

3_ Add egg yolks one at a time

4_ Then combine flour and starch, I sifted them together, then sifted them over the top.

5_ In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form, then fold the whites into the rest of the mixture.

6_ Divide the batter into two parts. In one part add vanilla extract, add the cocoa to the other half.

7_ Grease and flour a 9" baking pan (I used a springform pan).

8_ Add a couple tablespoons of the white batter, and spread a thin layer across the bottom of the pan.

9_ Broil the layer for approximately 2-3 minutes until the top layer is golden. (My broiler took about 2.5 for golden brown. DO NOT BURN THE TOP. Just watch it like a hawk. Drink tea. Set timers. Listen to music and dance in the kitchen.. whatever helps you to keep that nice and golden brown and not burnt). 

10_ Take the pan out of the oven, and spread a few more tablespoons of chocolate batter on top of the first layer, then repeat the whole process until all of the batter is used up. 

11_ Prepare the chocolate ganache. Actually - as an edit to the original recipe, I opted for making a chocolate ganache sans cream and butter. Sound crazy? It is. Crazy good.  It ends up being pure chocolate, yet is so light and fluffy. Here is how you do it... 

   11a_Melt chocolate and water over a double broiler until melted through and smooth. Prepare a bowl of ice larger than the double boiler bowl. Set bowl on top and whisk until thickened. Eventually the chocolate will act almost like whipped cream because of the freezing of the water within it. If it doesn't thicken enough to act like a whipped cream or an icing, you can add more cocoa... the taste is just more chocolaty. If you wish, you can add sugar if dark chocolate isn't your thing. Beware that it might affect the texture. Want better directions? Look at this link, and they go into more detail.  Or, if you want to go the boring route.. make a normal ganache. It's tasty too. 

12_With whatever chocolate loveliness you are putting on your cake, make sure you wait until the cake is only a little warm, then frost on the top and sides. 

13_ For the impatient (like me) serve immediately. Or you can let i set up in the fridge for an hour or two.

Then serve. Enjoy! 

original recipe found here. 

_tuesday sounds like...mutemath_

MuteMath!

They are old to some, new to others, but all-around good. They have some electro-pop, rock, and even a little funk and blues fit in there. The guy has some pipes, the drummer is unbelievable (and ridiculously entertaining). I first found them.. maybe my freshman year of high school? (wow..that's a long time ago). And I saw them in concert just a month ago. I was nervous they were going to be one of those more mainstream bands who sound great recorded, but awful live. I was wrong! And it seems like they can handle both the small and large venues. AND, they incorporate unmatched excitement within the band and improvisation. Two key elements for a good live performance. Icing on the cake? Their lyrics are thoughtful, poignant, and honorable.

And old, classic goodie. (Their first music video.. amazing. They learned the whole song, lyrics, drums, guitars and all backwards...so that when they played the video backwards it would create this great cross-over: backwards actions with forwards music. Brilliant)

Then, a new one that involves a bit more rock and blues. Another great video, and also good performed live.

And another to get you dancing.. or at least tapping your toes violently.

Alright, just one more. One of the best parts of seeing them live is the drama of their entry. In Albany, they paraded through the crowd with drums in front of them or on their heads, marching band style, and then the drummer, the excellent Darren King, strap his headphones to his head with ductape and go crazy. This may not be the perfect video, but you might get the general picture.

So enjoy the links, or save them for later. Especially for those days when you need a little something to pump you up or make your foot tap.

                  - AO

_I decided to blog again!

Soo.. it's been a while! I've honestly had no motivation to blog. 1) I tell myself I don't have time, which is partially true. 2) I have had no inspiration with which to write, and 3) I've been doing more reading of blogs than writing ...

Solution! I just remembered how much I loved to write, regardless of if I'm actually good at it or not. I'm going to rejuvenate the blog a little.. and give it a bit of direction. I'm a super creative type... but I work the best under a little structure. I also have a lot of differing interests, all of them which add up to make me who I am. That said, I'll have a day for most of the things I love. It's like a Pinterest where I get to post less but elaborate more. (and yes, Pinterest is such an amazing..and addictive..tool for me).

MONDAY: Architecture/Art
TUESDAY: Music
WEDNESDAY: Food & Baking
THURSDAY: Thankfulness
FRIDAY: Fashion
SATURDAY: Life.

I can't promise I will post a ton, and there are definitely days when it isn't going to happen. But hang with me, and let me know what you like, new things to look at, and a little of the parts that make you, and I think this shall be a grand adventure :)