balue

seen recently: late may 2012

Can you believe its June tomorrow?! The last couple weeks of May have been a blur of little home projects, trying new recipes (I especially liked this one), trying to get more sketching done, little weekend trips, taking an exhilarating performance driving class (I highly recommend it if you're in the Seattle area!), getting organized, and enjoying my new neighborhood restaurants. Whew! May was quite the month.

roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream

You guys, I had to bulk order ice cream pint containers.

That's the height my compulsion to make homemade ice cream has reached. I stayed up until 11 pm to finish making a batch of Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt the other night (quite a feat when you're required to get up at 5 am for work!). Thank you, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home, for contributing to my other newfound obsession, which is napping.

I think this Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk ice cream may take the cake as my favorite flavor I've made thus far. Roasting the berries really brings out their maximum in-yo-face flavor, while the buttermilk tempers the fruity brightness and mellows everything out into one creamy, delicious whole. Make this, and you may have the sudden overwhelming desire to buy up all of the strawberries you can get your little paws on within a 10 mile radius, just so you can stockpile pints for those dreary winter days.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

{If making your own isn't your thing, you can also buy it straight from the source.}

some new greenery

This morning my mom came to see my new apartment and walk around the Ballard Farmer's Market (one of my favorite Sunday morning traditions, along with coffee and a pastry at my favorite bakery, or maybe some dim sum). I've been needing to pick up some fresh flowers, but these sprigs of rosemary were too pretty (and fragrant) to pass up. One bunch is now perfuming the living room, as another brightens up my bedside table. And I finally got around to filling my terrarium... better late than never!

Long weekends, ahhh.

becoming home

When does a place go from being just a house, to your home?

These apartments were built in the 40's–sometimes I wonder how it feels about all the generations of people who have come and gone from it's rooms, decorating and living, and then packing up.

I'm slowly getting settled, and while there is still plenty of frantic digging through piles of stuff I've yet to organize, I'm also starting to notice little corners that are beginning to feel more like... me.

Many good memories are just waiting to be made here.

an evening walk

The other night after work I went for a walk along Lake Washington in the sunshine. It was kind of a astounding just how many types of flowers were in bloom. It seems like spring (or is it summer now?) totally snuck up on us this year here in Seattle. Better late than never.

Here's to more days – and nights – like this. Have a lovely weekend.

darkest chocolate raspberry ice cream

I've been meaning to try my hand at homemade ice cream for a while now, and when I recently got the gorgeous Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home by Ohio ice cream guru Jeni Britton Bauer, I knew it was about time. At the request of a special someone, my first batch was a combination of her Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World + the sweet and tart Raspberry Sauce (Two parts fresh raspberries to one part sugar, boiled 5-8 minutes, then either strained or left rustic with berry pieces and seeds, which is what I went with). The recipe was simple, and since all of her flavors are built off variations to the same base, would become easier and easier to whip up once you've got it down pat.

The ice cream uses no eggs, whose absence allows the pure flavor of the cream and chocolate to soar. At once crazy ridiculously rich, and yet light, it is intense chocolate through and through. I spooned it into containers along with big pockets of the raspberry sauce, and then sat down for a melty little cup of my own.

Quality control is very important, don't you know.

seen recently

Seattle has seemingly decided to join most of the rest of the country in the beginnings of summer, and it's about time. I spent all weekend outside in the sun, trying to soak up as much as I could before the work week sets in. Stopped to smell the flowers, went to the beach, and tired out the pooch in the waves.

Weekend = success.

comparison is the thief of joy

I feel very out of sorts this week. Not in a bad way, necessarily, just very... disrooted. I just moved into my own apartment in Seattle last week, and while I love it and am so excited to have my own space, I also find that in-between period when you've moved all the furniture in, but you're still unpacking boxes, to be a little frustrating. It's that 'I know I have this thing I need, but I have no earthly idea what box it could be in' feeling. Plus, not having the internet hooked up yet is kind of a major hindrance for my projects – hence me blogging this from my office on my lunch break.

In fact, all week I've been quickly blogging on my lunch break, and while I enjoy the topics I've posted about, I still wrestle with the desire to produce more original content, and the constant project of learning to self-edit what I'm presenting to the world. When I started this blog, I made a decision that I would blog once each day of the (work) week, and for the most part, I have kept up with that. There's a certain responsibility I feel to myself and to my readers (however many–or few–they may be) to post each day, but at what cost? I work a full-time job in addition to working on the Balue/Co. shop, and once in a while blogging simply can't be fit into the schedule. Sometimes I look at all the amazing bloggers out there who do this full-time and I think 'how will my blog ever be able to compete with theirs?' But you know what? It doesn't need to. Not right now, at least. The simple reality is that I cannot dedicate the amount of time that some others can, and that's okay. I'll get there someday.

In the meantime, you may not see new posts here every day, just for the sake of posting. However, what I do want to promise is that when I do post, the content will be thoughtful, meaningful, and more often than not, original.

That seems like a good place to start.

[Image above is not of my living room (I wish!). Found here.]

kinfolk journal

I'm loving Kinfolk's Journal lately. Their approach to casually beautiful entertaining is always impeccable.

animated gifs: the birth of a medium

The new video Animated GIFs: The Birth of a Medium takes a fascinating look at the history and evolution of animated GIFs. I especially love the direction Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg are taking the file format with their Cinemagraphs, which I've been a fan of for a long time now. They're so delicate and evoke so much emotion. A few of my favorites...