Hanging Art- Part 1

My dear friend, Christine, will soon be putting together her own gallery-style wall full of amazing photographs. I've put together a collection of images, in three parts, to serve as inspiration.

This first set of photos features a bit of organized chaos; these groupings, with many different size and shape frames, give the appearance of being placed haphazardly, although, certainly, the placement is quite intentional.

House Beautiful

Domino

White and Wander

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

West Elm Gallery Frames

Stay tuned for Part Two and Part Three.

Art Gallery {Stella Alesi}

"Pomegranates"

Not only are Stella Alesi and her husband, Brian, talented wedding photographers, but they are both accomplished artists as well.

I am simply in love with this painting by Stella, which she posted on their blog yesterday. I kept the tab open all day and constantly found myself going back to stare at it again.

There is an ethereal beauty in the color and light of this composition. For me, it speaks to the joy of summer, and I can imagine the smile it would bring on a cold and dreary winter day.

Mississippi farewell

Photo from flickr user jwinfred

With a photo, captured in the Delta, and a classic Southern rock song, we'll close this trip to Mississippi. Thank you for coming along.

We may not win every game...

In the center of The University of Mississippi's campus lies the Grove, a beautiful park full of trees. On any given day, you may find students sitting at tables and lying on blankets, reading, studying, and socializing. A stream of people pass through the Grove during the day, as they walk between buildings on campus, but, despite the traffic, the park retains an air of peace and calm. While the Square is the heart of Oxford, the Grove, especially on a home football game day, is the heart of Ole Miss.

This is the Grove

Photo from flickr flannel.gary

This is the Grove on Game Day!

Photo from hottytoddyblog.blogspot.com

A favorite saying among Ole Miss fans is, "We may not win every game, but we've never lost a party." The Grove is where those parties take place on days of home football games, and the trees seem almost hidden by the tents that stretch as far as the eye can see (no cars allowed!) Shouts of "Hotty Toddy," the cheer and greeting used between Rebel fans, are heard frequently on football Saturdays.

Ole Miss fans have escalated tailgating to an art in the Grove. With elaborate food spreads in every tent, silver platters hold enough fare to serve the hosts and any guests who might stop to visit. Flower arrangements adorn tables covered with fine cloths, while candelabra and chandeliers provide lighting. None of this seems out of place against the backdrop, until you remember this is tailgating for a football game.

When I arrived at school as a freshman, I was unaccustomed to Game Day traditions. The unspoken requirements of game day attire baffled me completely; women wore heels and dresses, while men sported khakis and collared shirts. Dressing up for a football game? It sounded completely absurd.

On the day of the first home game that year, I found myself standing in a familiar place, yet staring at a scene that was completely foreign. The area I knew to be so peaceful and calm was suddenly overwhelming. I stared at the vast sea of tents dotting the horizon, and it felt as though the space had multiplied endlessly; finding a specific tent seemed a near impossible feat. I fumbled my way through that first hot Saturday, all the while cursing the blisters on my high-heeled feet.

After a few games, I realized that it no longer felt overwhelming to head to the Grove. Finding specific tents still proved difficult at times, but it was easier done with friends, and while I made my way through the maze of poles, I found myself taking in the beauty and unique atmosphere surrounding me.

I grew to love the fashion of game day; by the end of college, wearing jeans and sweatshirts to a game seemed as preposterous as the notion of wearing dresses and heels once had. The blisters? Those never seemed to get better. In all four years, no matter how comfortable the heels seemed, inevitably the end of a day spent "Groving" was met with searing pain in my feet. But I loved every minute of it.

"Hotty Toddy"

Row 1: L to R- Two images from Myrtle and Marjoram Photography, photo from flickr matt house, wired chandelier from Wisteria Summer '08
Row 2: Photo from flickr lowemasterpro, photo from Brides.com, photo from flickr matrianklw, photo from Brides.com
Row 3: Nicole Miller dress from edressme Summer '08, photo from Holland Photo Arts via Brides.com, photo from flickr CatchYaL8RG8R
Row 4: Photo from flickr Miss Bria, photo from JCrew, photo from flickr pellet13

Superheroes

These little superhero cookies are perfect for your Halloween superhero or for a birthday party!
To make cookies:

1. Using a #2 tip and yellow icing (or another hair color), pipe in the outline for hair and fill with piped icing. (AmeriColor Egg Yellow)
2. With red icing and using a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the shirt. (AmeriColor Super Red)
3. Along the bottom of the shirt, pipe an orange line using a #3 tip. (AmeriColor Orange)
4. With a #2 tip, pipe the bottoms/shorts outline with black icing. (Spectrum Super Black)
5. Using the red icing with the #2 tip, add the outline for the tights.
6. With a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the face and hands using a flesh tone icing. (AmeriColor Copper/Fleshtone)
7. Using the black icing with the #2 tip, pipe the outline of the cape and boots.
8. Thin black, red and flesh tone icing to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit several minutes.
9. One color at a time, stir gently to pop bubbles that have formed on top. Pour into a squeeze bottle and fill in outlines. Use a toothpick to coax the icing into all corners and to edges.
10. Allow the cookies to dry at least one hour.
11. With the black icing and a #2 tip, pipe details on cape and go over outline of the boots.
12. Switch black icing to a #1 tip and make eyes on the face. (If making a mask, pipe the eyes in a different color, then pipe the mask in black.)
13. With red icing and a #1 tip, pipe a smile on the face.
14. Using yellow icing a #2 or #3 tip, add a letter to the superhero shirt.
15. Let dry overnight, package and eat! :)

Chicken and Balsamic Peppers

One of our family's favorite (and easy!) baked chicken recipes.

This recipe has moved here.

The Land of the Delta Blues

Top L to R: photo from flickr Cherry ElCamino, photo from flickr wicked_chasiti

Bottom Image from flickr SoundsGood

One of my best friends from college grew up in the region of Mississippi known as "the Delta." During those college years, our group made numerous weekend trips to her parents' house, where we were always warmly welcomed.

Consumption of hushpuppies, catfish, and other southern foods was de rigueur during our stays, and evenings always seemed to be spent drinking beers around a bonfire, sheltered by a circle of pick-up trucks. Those nights always felt as southern as I could imagine any being, and having arrived at school as a non-Southerner, I loved being there, surrounded by my friends, and feeling complete acceptance.

Perhaps because of the warm welcome I received I was inclined to see the good, but I instantly found charm and serenity in the scenery of the Delta.

Top Row from L to R: photo from flickr jwinfred, photo by flickr Robert Pollack
Bottom Row: photo from flickr NatalieMaynor, photo by flickr Robert Pollack

The Mississippi Delta is a place with a troubled past; there has long been a disparity between the wealthy and the poor in this region, and poverty is wide-spread. Yet, there is also great beauty in this land and a culture that is rich and warm.

Top Row: photo from flickr jwinfred, photo from flickr Youri!
Bottom Row: photo from flickr Deltasly, photo from flickr MKBrock

From sorrow and hardship arose a uniquely American musical genre, the Blues; the Delta is infamously known for being its birthplace. This genre influenced and gave rise to many other styles of music, including jazz, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Juke joints dot the landscape throughout the Delta, and Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, owned in part by Morgan Freeman, is a larger establishment celebrating the music that was born here.

Top Row L to R: photo by flickr Frank Peters, Shack Up Inn photo by flickr stephee,

Bottom Row: Photos here and here by flickr jwinfred

Agriculture plays a key role for this area with fertile soil; cotton, soybeans, and rice are critical crops in the Delta, and catfish farms are also aplenty.

The Delta has much to offer visitors including a Viking Cooking School connected with The Alluvian Hotel and Spa, an upscale boutique hotel in Greenwood, Mississippi. In Clarksdale, in addition to Ground Zero, Morgan Freeman is also part owner of a fine dining establishment, Madidi. For those who want a unique lodging experience, just outside Clarksdale is the Shack Up Inn and the Cotton Gin Inn, both operated on the grounds of the former Hopson plantation.

If you make a trip to the land of the Delta blues, I imagine you will find a warm welcome awaiting.