Tag: Covette

There She Goes: Phoenix

Published on by Jenna HutsonLeave a comment

The fickle Minneapolis winter is devouring my soul. On any day, it could be 15 degrees and snowing, or 60 and sunny. My hopes for relief from the frigid morning commute, raised by signs of warming and melt, are dashed with every lazy snow flurry. “I just want to be warm,” is steadily becoming my catchphrase.

Bleak though my current situation may be, there was a beacon of hope. The upcoming wedding of two friends in Phoenix, Arizona. Let me just repeat those glorious words  for you; Phoenix, Arizona.. land of warm. Much like the mythical phoenix, I would leave my old, cold self in Minneapolis, and be reborn in the blazing sun of Phoenix. Too much? Little heavy handed there? Sorry… not sorry. This is what consecutive months of below freezing temps does to my brain. Deal with it, but please keep reading. It’s picture time.

 

DSC07291

It’s good to get away…

Absorb a some culture…

Navigate outside of your comfort zone…

stars

Sink into the city vibe…

DSC07279

Soak up the sunshine…

And get real cozy with the locals…

Fozzy

 

Sites of my joyous thawcation:

–Phoenix Art Museum: You Who are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies 2005 by Yayoi Kusama

-Superstition Mountains in the Tonto National Forest

–Boyce Thompson Arboretum

–The Chuckbox in Tempe

– The Clarendon Hotel and Spa

…and an exceedingly creepy The Last Supper staged with disturbing dolls in the basement of Hanny’s pub, I feel the most was made of my brief adventure to prevent my heart from freezing into a solid ice block.

I would highly suggest all of these locales for someone looking to get away from Minneapolis, or anywhere really…but my experience is limited to escaping Minneapolis, which I hope to do soon… permanently.

Valentinery

Published on by Jenna HutsonLeave a comment

It has been my tradition since I was 16 to make valentines for the important people in my life. I don’t buy them from Target, I don’t email a hilarious Oatmeal comic (though they are awesome!)… I sit my ass down and use my brain to produce a little piece of artwork designed purely for the joy of making someone I care about feel like they are known and understood. Appreciated. Loved.

This annual endeavor was inspired by an afternoon visit to a childhood friend’s house. Her father was an artist, a sculptor by trade, from France… the most romantic of career choices. As we wandered upstairs to her room, I noticed that the hallway was lined with cards that her father had given her mother, I believe they were Christmas cards… but this was a long long time ago so I scarcely remember any details. Only that they were so sweet, hand drawn, crafted to embolden their affection. A spark grew from those cards, to turn my reverence for the people in my life into tangible relics.

Why Valentine’s Day? I mean really, what a commercial… materialistic… disheartening charade of lovey dovey bullshit. Certainly ANY other day would due.. or maybe, every day should be a day to celebrate one’s devotion to saying ‘thank you for making me feel wonderful.’ I hear that one a lot, that I every single day is a chance to be grateful.. and that is a lovely idea. Honestly, I’m not grateful every day. Some days I am barely capable of brushing my own teeth properly, let alone flossing or adequately expressing my deep reverence for other human beings. Please don’t tell my dentist about the flossing thing, that is a lie I intend to perpetuate forever.

I make pretty things to show I care. People have convinced me that I need to start documenting them. So, I took a few pictures of the 20+ I mailed out this year. I didn’t bring many art supplies to Minneapolis, so they are rather simple in construction. Just black card stock, and Prismacolor doodles, with a side of calligraphy… and glitter. I maintain that a proper Valentine must have glitter. Somewhere. In some capacity, as to transfer your love like a despicable carpet virus; just when you think you’ve vacuumed it all up… a glimmer always remains… like the herpes of craft supplies. Enjoy!

donutscanoodle

 

peas

otterbe
Inside: “my Valentine”

 

If you’re wondering why I waited so long to post this blog, it’s because I had to wait for people to receive them before posting everything. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

PS. If you don’t see your valentine in my crazy picture parade, it’s likely that I forgot to take a picture before it was sent out. This happens when you are trying to keep track of a lot of cards and get them all in the mail in time to arrive at or before Feb. 14th. Hooray!

It’s so cold, I wanna die

Published on by Jenna HutsonLeave a comment

Reporting from Minneapolis, Minnesota… and for the first time in weeks, the temperature is promising to rise above 10 degrees today. We could even get to the mid-twenties this week! HEATWAVE!

..but seriously, I’m not sure how people around here cope with the searingly cold temperatures. My inclination to leave the perfectly acclimatized 70ish degree haven of this ridiculous mansion has fallen away. I’m content to snuggles cats and devolve into a depressed state watching Making a Murderer.

Luckily, people have lured me out of the apartment on a few instances with promises of beautiful sites/sights;

The Walker Arts Center

Wandering through the various exhibits, I was impressed by the scale of some of the works. Feeling dwarfed by pieces that are meant to captivate is one of the few sure-fire suppliers of goosebumps. 09-11-2001 by Jack Whitten had the desired affect.people free

Yves Klein “Mondo Cane Shroud (1961)
Jack Whitten
Victor Moscoso

If you are as intrigued by the Yves Klein blue bodies as I was… yes, real ladies painted blue were used to get the proper silhouettes. Looks like a hoot.

The Basilica of St. Mary

DSC05728DSC05745

It’s impressive how closely the azure paint matches the true color of the blue sky.

Loring Park

tree

 

There are a plethora of pure white and black squirrels in Loring. I’m seriously considering grabbing that little guy and bringing him home. I know it’s not legal, and he would be ‘wild’ or whatever… but I would have a wee black squirrel. *Squee*

Random of Stuff

I still have a list of things I need to do… but I think I’ll wait until it warms up… to not so cold I want to impale myself on an icicle.

Cartoonery; COOKIES!

Published on by Jenna HutsonLeave a comment

Hello…I love cookies…cookies

I tried my first recipe from the Momofuku Milk Cookbook...

All hail Christina Tosi!

I attempted the Corn Cookies last night and although I was concerned that they would be uninteresting ..or too corny… or whatever silly nonsense it is that keeps us from venturing into the unknown, they are anything but lackluster. I tasted the batter, I always do, it was sweet and complex with a good amount of salty aftertaste. Like the crunchy corn bread crust that sometimes forms at the edges of the pan. You know as well as I do that is always the best part of the cornbread. I was sold. It was on. All the best idioms! I cannot recommend this recipe enough!

corn cookie retouch

Get yourself a copy of that book. Seriously. Now. 

I added a little bit of glaze just to add a hint of strawberry. Here’s a quick run down if  you want to try it;

Strawberry Glaze

2 tablespoons powdered strawberry *

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon strawberry jam

milk to thin to desired consistency

Whisk together all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Do as you see fit… I plopped it into a small ziplock bag and snipped the corner. Zig-zag, swirl, or go all Jackson Pollock on those cookies while still warm. They will take a few hours to dry so the glaze is no longer sticky.

*Powdered strawberries? Yes. Taking a page from Tosi, I grabbed some freeze dried strawberries from my local Whole Foods and used a mortar/pestle to grind them into a powder. Took 20 seconds at most. Worth the extra effort to boost the strawberry flavor in your glaze and give you that insane shade of crazy Barbie pink.

Which recipe to try next…