Alt Summit recap

Well last week was quite the whirlwind! The kind folks over at Vecco Studio invited me to come along with them to Alt Summit in Salt Lake City. I have to admit it wasn't something I would have gone to on my own volition. Mostly because I feel so out of touch as a blogger and social media maven and wasn't sure I'd fit in or know the hottest/ latest that everyone was talking about. But I am glad I did. It was intimidating at first to feel stylish and important enough to even announce what you do. And my simple letterpress business cards weren't really up to par with all the bells and whistles that crafty bloggers are churning out these days. But in the end it doesn't matter. I made some good connections, I got inspired to simply do more stuff, return to writing and just keep in contact with like minded folks. There were so many great sessions and talks, some of which I couldn't attend because I was busy setting up parties for Vecco, but I think the point is that everybody comes away from Alt with a different experience. Even though I don't feel so cutting edge I still feel like I have something to offer and even if  no one ever reads my blog it still is therapeutic to me to have the outlet whenever I feel like it. 

And then there's the rabbit hole... At one point I looked up from my phone and said to my friend Elise, "I'm going down the social media rabbit hole." I was tweeting, instagramming and facebooking all at once, opening apps, closing them when they wouldn't load fast enough.. my eyes were going wonky and I didn't recognize myself. I honestly don't know how some of these bloggers do it. The hashtag maze and the liking and following and updating and posting can get so addictive, not to mention exhausting. I guess that reminded me why blogging doesn't bring me the kind of pleasure it used to. I always feel behind the times. And maybe that's the big lesson for me. Don't inundate yourself with what others are doing. Jealously is the fatal enemy of creativity. Practice moderation and remember to have a life away from the computer as well. Every now and again look at something beautiful and take it in instead of photographing it. Use your imagination, and use your hands to make things. Power down the iPhone instead of checking your email unecessarily until the battery dies. Don't go down that rabbit hole.

Phew! Now that I got all that off my chest I will say that the folks at Alt Summit run an extremely well oiled machine and I will definitely be going back. It was great to meet people who understand what I do and have a passion for similar things, plus it was incredibly inspiring. I got home anxious to try out my new Photoshop skills and reorganize my life. Which is something that I'm always itching to do every January but never carve out time for it. And by the way... the Vecco event was a hit, if I do say so myself! Here's some photos from the party I styled, and from my lovely time at Alt Summit:

Picasso at the Guggenheim

Last week I went to see the picasso exhibit at the Guggenheim. If you are in NY it is definitely worth checking out. Very inspiring to think of how he saw the world, and what a great quote via Gin Wallpaper.

Found hearts

Texas rocks

street hearts

orange bell pepper

Campari spill

Yay hearts are finding me again!

Crafting Prep for Alt summit

Welp tomorrow I'm heading out for Alt summit in SLC. It feels a bit ironic to go to a bloggers convention when I dont feel so tapped into my blogoshpere as of late. However the folks at Vecco have asked me to help them organize two events there so how could I say no? I am very thrilled to be part of it. I just pray that my outfits are up to snuff for all the photoboothing, conferencing, shmoozing and shivering I'm about to do. Here are a few sneek peeks of the projects I have been working on over the past week. Will share so much more apon my return. Or follow my adventures on instagram or twitter!

Fireworks in reverse

Source: youtube.com via Photojojo on Pinterest

Happy New Year everyone! I hope to be on here a lot more in 2013. Hopefully my writers block is coming to an end.. xo B

Adirondack Wedding

Heres snippet of wedding I did in the Adirondacks this September. The couple is so in love and the day couldn't have been more perfect! For more info check out Brita Olsen Creative.

Mine vs Martha's- Plum frangipane tart

The word frangipane seems intimidating at first. How do you say it? What is it? Do people like it? Seems like a fancy Parisian patisserie thing that would take all day to make.. But it is surprising easy with a subtle flavor of almonds.

Just to give you a little background on my own personal relationship with frangipane, I tested this recipe as a nice volunteer thing to do for my fave food website Food52. I brought it to work and a French woman told me it was the best pastry she ever ate. A french woman. From Paris. Best pastry, people. While I'm not entirely sure she wasn't embellishing the compliment a tad, the idea was not lost on me. People like frangipane and they don't even know it! So when I saw this recipe for a plum tart, I figured I would give it a go and see if it yielded similar results. Completely different crowd, completely different occasion (the early November Nor'Easter snow in) and while the audience did happen to be largely intoxicated this time, the reaction was the same; "I think this is the best thing I've ever had," said Vanessa plainly. All this leads me to one profound truth: it is not me, it is not Martha, or the plums or the figs, its the damn frangipane.

 

The only changes I made to the recipe were that I used raspberry jam in lieu of plum, and added more sliced plums so that I could use my rectangular tart pan instead of a round one. The photos didnt come out that great but it is a recipe I will definitely make again!

Mine vs Martha's- Ham, zucchini and gruyere frittata

Welcome to the second installation of mine vs marthas. It is not meant to be a competition so much as a riff on the classics. This week I threw together a very simple to prepare frittata with ham, gruyere and zucchini. A great thing to make for a brunch or a big group for breakfast. The only alterations I made to Martha's recipe were a 1/2 cup of half and half to the egg mixture and one diced shallot. It came out very well and was yummy gobbled up hot with a crisp arugula salad. But she may have bested me on the photo.. what do you think?