Ingenious Inkling

Wisconsin Adventure Day 2

This morning we got up early, put on our rain jackets, and headed out in search of what I had been told was one of the best breakfasts in town ... and they weren't wrong.

We were early enough to get a table at Mickie's Dairy Bar without a wait.  We ordered from the breakfast menu posted on the wall ... a Scrambler & Banana Cinnamon Nut Pancakes.  I also ordered a piece of Apple Coffee Cake to go (for afternoon snack).

The servings were huge and the food was fantastic ... it should be a sign when the server asks if you want a single pancake (half-order) ... we put a good dent in the full order, but were far from finishing it.

Next, we headed to one of my favorite places ... Whole Foods ... to pick-up some local brews and yummy foods.

They have one of the best olive bars I'vever seen ... with which my husband was not impressed (it's one food group that I love ... and he hates).

Next we stopped at Penzey's to add some new spices to our cooking repertoire ... and then stopped at Wisconsin Cutlery and Kitchen Supply to get a new cheese knife.

After that it was lunch at Sa-Bai Thong ... always delicious.  We tried a new dish ... Seeda Longsong - Chicken Breast with Steamed Broccoli & Peanut Sauce, which had been recommended in a recent issue of Madison Magazine ... and it did not disappoint.

We spent the afternoon walking along State Street.

We shopped in lots of little stores along the street and found some fun purchases at Anthology (where I picked-up some fun rubber stamps & paper products), Driftless Studio, Little Luxuries, and A Room of One's Own ... an amazing Independent bookstore.

We loved all of the fun Valentine's Day window displays.

 We also picked-up some delicious fudge from Kilwins & toured the only open Exhibit (they were in the process of installing two new shows) at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

And no vacation would be complete without a new pair of shoes ... I found some great Keen SunRiver Snow Boots at Madison Sole ... perfect for hikes in the snowl.

After a little rest, we walked along Monroe Street ... shopping in Orange Tree Imports and enjoying a fantastic Wisconsin Fish Fry at Brochach ... baked cod and some of the best warm German Potato Salad I've ever eaten.

All-in-all another perfect Wisconsin day filled with art, shopping ... lots of walking ... and of course delicious eats.

Wisconsin Adventure Day 1

We hopped in the car yesterday morning & headed off on a little road trip to Wisconsin.  Our first stop was in Dubuque, Iowa where we picked-up lots of goodies at the Calico Bean Market.  They carry lots of bulk spices and unique foods and are a required visit if we're ever in the area.  You can also order online.

Next we walked down the street to the Outside the Lines Gallery, also a favorite stop.  They had some most-excellent yarn-bombing on their front porch.

We picked-up a fun little face made by Denise Greenwood and a great wooden block face from local artist Aaron Butcher, 

The next stop on our trek was Mineral Point, Wisconsin where we stopped at our favorite gallery, the Brewery Pottery Studio.  They weren't *officially* open due to winter hours, but they graciously let us come inside and pick-up a few things.

This enamal work is some of my favorite & I have one of those gorgeous light switch covers in my bedroom.  They also have the Johnston Gallery downtown where you can chat with their lovely daughter (and find more cool art).

We stopped for lunch at our favorite B&B restaurant, the Brewery Creek Brew Pub where we treated ourselves to some of their amazing Belgian Fries.

We also had the special of the day ... Beef Pasty with Corn Souffle (because afterall we're in Cornish Country).

Next we walked around downtown (because a walk is needed after all that wonderful food) and shopped at a few more galleries.  Loved this amazing outside art at the LongBranch Gallery.

Next we headed to Middleton, Wisconsin the home of the National Mustard Museum.  If you're a fan of mustard, you'll love it here.  They have a tasting bar where you can try any mustard they have in the shop, and they will make recommendations based on your preferences.  I picked-up several fruit-flavored mustards from Terrapin Ridge Farms ... Rod went with some stronger brat mustard and a Wasibi Mustard with quite a kick.

Next we made a donation and tried the Hoops for Koops' Mustard Ring Toss where I managed to score a bottle of Honey Mustard.

The Mustard Museum is in the basement of the building ... you can watch a film, take a trivia quiz (we scored 8 of 16, so we obviously need to brush-up on our Mustard trivia) or take your picture with a bottle of Mustard.

And of course I couldn't resist trying on a few Pickle Fingers ... because who doesn't want to play with their food.

Middleton also has great shopping including Archiver's where they had a mecca of 6" paper pads ... as well as new Hero Arts stamps and other fun goodies.

We ended our evening in downtown Madison with supper at The Old Fashioned.  We had tried to eat there on previous occasions, but the wait was always too long for our preference ... but early on a rainy Thursday  night turned out to be perfect timing. 

I have a rule at a restauarant ... if there's a dish on the menu named after the restaurant, you should probably try it ... so I went with the Old Fashioned Burger and Haystack Onion Strings (the #30 if you're ordering) ... it was fantastic ... who knew an egg on a burger would be so delicious (and no, I didn't even begin to eat the entire plate).

Today the weatherman is predicting near record high temperatures with a little rainfall, so we'll be heading out for another day of Wisconsin exploration.

Dining Highlights from Santa Fe

As always when we travel, we enjoy trying new restaurants.  Our first evening in Santa Fe, we dined at the Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery, which was within very close walking distance of our room at the Old Santa Fe Inn (one of the most pleasant surprises in Santa Fe was that almost everything was within walking distance).

Rod tried some of the Blue Corn Beer, and I treated myself to a Prickly Pear Marguerita ... both were deemed delicious (and Rod loved that he could get a six pack of their brew to take back to our room).

Rod tried the Blue Corn Tacos with beef, which he deemed some of the most delicious tacos he's had.  I had the Fry Bread Taco with beans and cheese that was also delicious.

We really loved our suite at the Old Santa Fe Inn ... the location could not have been any better, the king-size bed was comfortable, and the in-room fireplace was very nice on the cool New Mexico nights.  And, each morning, they have a burrito bar for breakfast (as well as homemade waffles and other breakfast choices) with wonderful green chili salsa.

On Saturday morning we headed to the Santa Fe Farmer's Market where we enjoyed lots of delicious samples, as well as picking-up some cheese curds, Raspberry Pinion Nut Bread and a piece of Cinnamon Pear Bread from the Intergalactic Bread Company that was truly out of this world.

For lunch, we followed the recommendaitons of the stamp store owner (because artists always seem to know the great cheap eats) and had lunch at Tia Sophia's.  We enjoyed the Saturday lunch special together with some of the best Sopapillas of the trip.

Supper was an amazing meal at Galisteo Bistro ... incredibly relaxing experience with amazing food.  Rod enjoyed the evening special which was a delicious piece of cod over seasoned vegetables.  I went with the Tapas menu starting with a Roasted Beet Carpaccio Salad and followed by Grilled Eggplant w/ Spanish Tomato Jam & Parmesan and Savory Squash Flan on a bed of sautéed baby spinach & caramelized onion. 

We ended our meal with french pressed coffee and a freshly made Raspberry Sorbet.

Sunday we headed to Taos, where after consulting TripAdvisor, we decided to have brunch at Graham's Grill.  I had Corn Grits with Cheese & Green Chilies topped with an egg, but it was Rod's Corned Beef Hash with Fried Egg and Hollandaise Sauce that really stole the show ... both came served with two tiny biscuits and jam.

Sunday night we ventured to Marble Brewery, where we dined on the rooftop enjoying delicious pizza and a wonderful view of the Plaza.  There were heaters on the rooftop, so it was very comfortable even on a cool night.

On Monday, we at lunch at El Farol on Canyon Road and again dined outside (are you noticing a theme ... I normally never eat outside because of heat & bugs, and we had neither on this trip).  Rod tried the Argentinean Burger topped with a fried egg, and I had the Crispy Avocado Bacon Sandwich.  We shared Tres Leches Cake for dessert (which had a wonderful coconut milk flavor) ... apparently I was too busy eating to remember to take any photos ... it was yummy.

Monday's supper was a fabulous meal at San Q Sushi & Tapas (can you ever go wrong dining at a restaurant that had a picture of Matt Damon & Jeff Bridges hanging in the window).  I started with a wonderfully strong Macha (green tea).

Rod tried Buta Kimchi from the Japas (Japanese Tapas) menu and declared it one of the best dishes of the trip.  We also enjoyed crispy Vegetable Tempura.

And of course ... sushi ... this was the Spicy Tuna Tataki roll which was very spicy.

On Tuesday, we had lunch at the Museum Hill Cafe between Museum visitsl.  Again, we dined outside in gorgeous weather.  We both tried Hibiscus Iced Tea, which was very different (much better with a bit of sweetener).  We also tried several specials ... Pumpkin Soup and a Pumpkin & Goat Cheese Quesadilla with Walnuts.  Rod had the Tommy's Reubicon Sandwhich ... all were very good (but not really that photogenic).  Unfortuantely, we were too full to try one of their fabulous looking desserts.

I hope you enjoyed our little dining tour through Santa Fe ... where every meal was fantastic.  We're hitting the road today for the next leg of our vacation adventure.

Thursday Link Love

Another fun week exploring blogland ... looks like I must of been hungry when I was surfing, because there are a bit more food links than usually ... then again, there are always so many more holiday food indulgences around us this time of year:

• My mom always makes the best peanut butter fudge for the holidays ... so this year I tried this recipe ... so easy & my husband gave it two thumbs up.
• I saved this recipe for Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal to try next month ... I'm always on the lookout for breakfast ideas that can be made ahead.
• Some free gift tags (if you're still wrapping) and a cool tutorial for printing directly onto paper sacks.
• I always find myself needing just a bit of ironing, so I put a towel on top of the dryer, rather than pull out the ironing board ... I'm going to have to see if my mother-in-law could make me one of these ironing mats.
• And I adore this Mistletoe Headband Tutorial (picture shown) ... too fun.
• I love to indulge in luxurious bath products ... here's a tutorial for making your own sugar scrubs ... so great for dry, itchy skin during the winter months.
• This Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter French Toast makes my mouth water just looking at it ... we always ate peanut butter on our French Toast and pancakes growing-up ... and still do ... and the addition of a cornflake crunch & drizzled chocolate sounds like nirvana to me.
• Gingerbread Diamonds ... a wonderful combination of gingerbread flavors in a pretty bar cookie.
• And if you're looking for a bit healthier indulgence, there are these No-Bake Fudgy Snow Balls made with dates and almonds.
• This recipe for jazzing up some sugar cookie mix with almonds, poppy seeds & lemon sounds yummy to me.
• One of my favorite vegetables, the Sweet Potato, has been named a hot food trend for 2011 ... ♥ it.
• These adorable elf tags make me smile.
• Love love love this Christmas Tree made of books ... my kind of holiday decoration.

Saturday in Kansas City

We could not have ordered any better weather for our trip to Kansas City.  Gorgeous sunshine ... cooling breezes ... perfect weather for driving with the windows down, sunglasses on, and the radio cranked ... my face hurts from smiling ... what a great feeling.

One of my favorite color combination pictures of the day ... yarn from Urban Arts & Crafts.

We ate scrumptious food including lunch at Ponak's (thanks Dawn), ice cream from Glace, and a relaxing supper at The Melting Pot.

We also had a fabulous time at Stuff in Brookside (super people and fabulous local artisan products ... sorry no pictures allowed) as well as scoring some great deals on Tim Holtz products at Tuesday Morning.

I also found lots of art to inspire at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, particularly the photograph exhibit which included this fabulous portrait ... love the overlay.

All-in-all, a truly magical day.

Thursday Link Love

Another weekly walk through the blogosphere.  Since I've been traveling & away from my studio, I've had lots of blog reading time:

• I stumbled across a great little Etsy store for the Shepherd's Haven Day Center with lots of affordable little gifts ... and it supports a great cause too ... I think this gorgeous lovely leaf bowl may need to come live with me.
• What a great idea to photograph a collection every day ... so many fun ones.
• Love this amazing use of negative space.
• A fun tutorial to make a punchy fish.
• And a fun little template for some Lego Kirigami.
• I want to try this Quick & Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe.
• This fantastic masking technique using multiple stamps has so many possible future uses.
• Some awesome free downloadable stickers ... you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream.
• This card by Lea made me smile ... every single element works together so beautifully.
• Free printable Invitation templates to download.
• I've been thinking about other ideas for using the package of doilies I bought.  I love this great tutorial on how to transfer the pattern of a doily to paper using a Sharpie.  Here's another tutorial for doily flowers.  And another great idea is to dye them.
• A very unique cork button bracelet ... the tutorial makes it seem pretty easy to do.
• I love summer rolls; for some reason vegetables taste so much better when eaten this way ... this tutorial makes it look easy enough to try at home.
• I love bath bombs, but they're usually pretty expensive ... maybe I'll try making my own.

Enjoy the day

New York City ~ Day 4

I won't lie ... by day four, my feet were hurting and my brain was on a bit of sensory overload.  We started the day by walking to Grand Central Station ... quite an amazing place.  We bought a few gifts at the MTA Museum Annex Gift Store ... and a few more at Pylones.  Loved that place.

Next we hopped on the Subway again and headed to the American Folk Art Museum.  I was excited to see the Women Only: Folk Art by Female Hands exhibit.  This amazing Crazy Trousseau Robe was one of my favorite creations.  I just couldn't stop looking at all of the amazing details ... and thinking about how some of those design concepts could be translated into paper (another fabulous reason for traveling with another artist ... you can discuss how those design concepts could be translated into paper).

Our biggest surprise was to find that this Museum is home to The Henry Darger Study Center.  Unbeknown to us prior to this trip, Lauren & I had both watched In the Realms of the Unreal: The Mystery of Henry Darger and were familiar with his story & art.  What an unexpected treat to see it in person.

I also loved this very cool button tree.

 

Next we walked around the area searching for a lunch local.  We finally settled on Chom Chom where we had Kapas (Korean Tapas) that was as beautiful as it was delicious.  These are some of the vegetable rolls we tried, along with shrimp dumplings and Japchae (sautéed Korean sweet potato noodles with beef & assorted vegetables).

Our original plan was to head to The Frick & Asia Society, but I was pretty much museumed out at this point, so instead we did some shopping at the MOMA Design Store & Gift Shop (I found some awesome Washi Paper Masking Tape) and then headed to Momofuku for some pie & cookies to take back to the hotel with us.  

I opted for the infamous Crack Pie (toasted oat crust, gooey butter filling) and a Compost Cookie (pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, chocolate chips) for the plane ride home.  Lauren went for the Candy Bar Pie (chocolate crust, caramel, peanut butter nougat, pretzels).  Here's a picture of the FrankenPie (a pie made up of 2 slices of each pie).

We rested at the hotel for a while, enjoyed our pie, and got mostly packed for our morning departure.  Then we headed out for some shopping.  

Our first stop was Toho Shoji Craft and Parts.  That is where I got this very cool butterfly.

Our second stop was M&J Trimming ... talk about creativity overload.

:

I got some different colors of waxed linen thread and some very fun pom pom trim. 

Next we sat on a sidewalk ledge near our hotel for a while in the absolutely perfect cool evening air and watched the people walking home from work.  I was already getting a bit sad thinking about our fun adventure drawing to a close.  We finished with one more walk around the area and supper at an Irish restaurant (which was really our only so-so meal of the trip, and even it was good ... just not as fabulous as every single other food experience).  Here I am hanging out in Bryant Park.

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures fro the trip.  Loved these super cool pants I saw on a patron at the The Met (where even the patrons are works of art).

Self-portrait taken at The Met ... love that amazing textile behind the mirror.

This amazing metalwork from The Met.

 The Artists' Displays (and hot dog vendor) in front of The Guggenheim.

 Thank for sharing my very fun trip with me.

 PS ~ Jacksonbelle Embellishments has 25% off this weekend to celebrate National Scrapbook Day ... go forth & shop.

PPS ~ I was excited to see my Bubble Wrap Butterflies card was chosen as a Ginger Gem for the Take on a Tutorial Challenge at the Gingersnap Creations blog.

New York City ~ Day 3

Day Three in NYC began with an early morning ride on the Staten Island Ferry (which by the way had one of the best & cheapest gift shops we found on our trip ... great postcards).  The winds were cool, but I braved them and stood on the bow of the ferry for the entire ride out and back ... I loved it.  This is a shot of the other ferry heading back out to Staten Island with Lady Liberty in the background.

Here was my closest shot of the Statue.

And one of me with the wind in my hair.

And one of the view of NYC as we were heading back.

Next stop was Dim Sum Go Go to meet up with the rest of our crew for the Foods of New York tour of Chinatown.  This is me with our fabulous guide Raheem.

The dumplings we had at Dim Sum Go Go were worth the entire price of the tour ... seriously, best I've ever experienced.  If you live within driving distance ... Go Go there.  There are no carts here ... everything is made fresh to order, and it tastes that way.

We tried these five fabulous dumplings ...

With these three amazing sauces.  I refrained from licking the bowls, but I seriously thought about it.  Next we headed to  Peking Duck House for ... of course ... authentic Peking Duck.

We then had some bubble tea and learned about Chinese herbs and medicine.

Followed by barbecue pork, scallion pancakes, and a Chinese Tiger Roll for dessert.  We ended our tour with some delicious plum tea.  Very fun, delicious, and informative way to spend an afternoon.

We did some shopping at Pearl Paint (some beautiful handmade papers, but otherwise severely understocked) & Pearl River before heading to the West Village to check out The Ink Pad (seriously, did you think we wouldn't go there???).

I have never experienced such efficient use of retail space in my life.  Every possible corner (including ribbon rolls hanging from the ceiling was filled with creative goodness ... and they also shipped my goodies home to me.

And since we were already in the neighborhood, we headed to Tea & Sympathy for delicious supper.  Lauren was also able to get her Sticky Toffee Pudding fix ( I had my warm custard on delicious chocolate cake).

We decided to end our day with a night-time trip to the Top of the Rock.  The City lights are so magical at night.

A view toward the river.

Empire State building on the left ... the bright lights of Times Square on the right.

The view looking down to St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Lauren & I hanging out while a very nice lady not only took our picture, but who also took the time figure out how to make the flash work on my camera (I had it turned off for all of the museum photos & couldn't figure out how to make it work again).    

And one last artsy self-portrait taken in the reflection of the Swarovski Exhibit at the top of the rock.  What a very full & amazing day we had. 

   

New York City ~ Day 2

We ate breakfast at the hotel Sunday morning.  Lauren brought along some delicious dried cherries, which were the perfect add-in to our oatmeal.  After that we headed out to go explore some museums, but as we rounded the corner on 6th Avenue, this is what we saw (and heard) coming down the street.

It was a NYC Police Department parade complete with color guard and bagpipes.  We never did figure out the occasion for the display, but we think it may have been to celebrate the new class of graduates from the police academy.  

After the last officer marched buy, we headed to the subway to take us to the Guggenheim Museum.  Since I watched the Ken Burns film about the life of Frank Lloyd Wright, I have really wanted to experience this place in person, and it didn't disappoint. 

Unfortunately, no pictures in this museum either except from the ground floor.

The words on the posts were part of the "Contemplating the Void" exhibit in which the Guggenheim Museum invited nearly two hundred artists, architects, and designers to imagine their dream interventions in the rotunda space.

The main exhibit was a photography exhibit called Haunted.  We decided to start at the top of the museum and work out way down (which it turned out meant we viewed the exhibit in reverse order) ... it was such an amazing view to be able to see art 360 around you ... truly magical for me. 

After that, we headed to Cafe Fledermaus in the basement of the Neue Galerie.  We had delicious Gulaschsuppe mit Erdäpfeln (Goulash Soup with Potatoes), Spätzle mit Schwammerln, Erbsen, Karotten & Estragon (Spätzle with Wild Mushrooms, Peas, Carrots and Tarragon), and Brezen & Händelmaier‟s (Pretzel with some of the best mustard I've ever had ... I refrained from licking the bowl).  We drank some delicious Mango – Ingwer Eistee (Mango-Ginger Iced Tea) ... and of course, we had to have dessert.

Yes, these tasted even better than they looked.  We tried the Rehrücken (Chocolate Marzipan Cake with house made Orange Confiture) and Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Chocolate Cake with Cream & Cherries) ... both scrumptious.

After our tummies were full, we headed to The Met to walk it off.  Here Lauren & I are hanging out with a Sphinx.

This was the most comprehensive museum I have ever experienced ... art from so many countries and periods.  This Tiffany Fountain was amazing. 

Even the storage at The Met was gorgeous.

I loved the modern art exhibit.  Here's Lauren hanging out with Mao.

 

and me with Lucas (by Chuck Close).

One of my favorite exhibits was a collection of works by Richard Hamilton.

After The Met, we walked to Ciao Bella for some delicious gelato.  We did some window shopping and stopped in Dean & Deluca before boarding the subway to head back to the hotel.

We decided on Hungarian food at Dervish for supper.  We had a wonderful meal of stuffed eggplant, stuffed grape leaves, and an appetizer sampler.

 
 Another fabulous, and very full day, exploring NYC.

New York, New York

My recent trip to New York City was amazing.  Ever since Lauren & I "met" on-line, we've talked about meeting up in real life.  It finally worked out this year, so we planned a New York City adventure.  And, as we knew it would be, real life was awesome.  

It's so cool to hang out with someone who doesn't look at you like you've got a third eye when you take pictures of wallpaper in the hotel and talk about how you think you could replicate a similar pattern using emboss resist ... or that a metal plate in the street reminds you of a card design ... or how you could translate concepts from art you see in museum art into paper crafts.

I'll share this trip in several posts, so you won't go on picture overload (or NYC envy overload).  This was our hotel & we would highly recommend it ... reasonable price (by NYC standards), good water pressure, free breakfast, relatively quiet and great location.  On the downside, only one very slooooow elevator & climbing the tight winding stairs made us dizzy (well, dizzier than we already are).

First stop on our adventure was the International Center of Photography Museum (where strangely enough they don't allow photography in the Museum).  I did snap a cool picture of this ultra-chic mannequin wearing an awesome skirt made of newspapers.  And as I was secretly hoping she would, Lauren surprised me with my very own travel scrapbook to fill with memories from the trip, so we began our ongoing scavenger hunt to find lots of fun things to include.

Next was a walk around Times Square, which was filled with people on a Saturday afternoon ... we'll, it was pretty much filled with people all of the time.

I loved all of the possibilities for cool reflection in photographs.

 

And of course the amazing St. Patrick's Cathedral.

 
After that, we enjoyed an amazing supper at La Bonne Soupe.  I had a smoked salmon and cream cheese crepe, which was scrumptious.  Lauren enjoyed one of her all-time favorite dishes ... Brandade, which was a puree of codfish and potatoes laced with garlic and olive oil (it was yummy too ... we pretty much shared all of our meals on the trip, which was an awesome way to try even more fabulous foods).

Next we schlepped off to Strand Book Store (where I was apparently so happy to see 18 miles of books that I didn't snap a single picture).  I have been searching for a long time for an affordable book of botanical illustrations, and I found one there.  We also found lots of cool artsy books that we'll be incorporating into future projects.  And the best news was that we didn't have to pay any sales tax (or carry the heavy books back on the subway) because we had them ship them all home for us.  How cool was it to have presents waiting for me when I returned.

We finished our day with delicious cake from Magnolia Bakery (Red Velvet for Lauren; Coconut for me) enjoyed in our hotel room while we worked on our Travel Books (we pretty much scarfed down the cake before we remembered to take a picture ... imagine us smiling with icing on our chins).

A perfect end to an amazing first day in NYC (I'm smiling now remembering it ... so much fun).   Lauren will be sharing her travelogue too, so you can check out both perspectives.