Gatherings
Winter 2012
Magazine
The White Issue
Inspiring
Creative
Living
Letter from the Editor Please join me in celebration of this inaugral White IssueA fresh page, a new start to the doors of new opportunities in 2012~
Heather Creator, Founder, Editor and Designer Gatherings Magazine http://www.heatherspriggs.com/gatherings-magazine cover photo: Heather Spriggs inset photo this page: Jesse Gillespie
Happy New Year!
This year’s unfolding brings excitement and expectation as I eagerly await the arrival of my firstborn, a son, due in April. I’ve never met a new year with so much longing and refreshment at the forthcoming joy. There is still much to prepare as I create a nursery, continue my business and plan for the future in more ways than one. This White Issue has been lingering in my mind and heart for the past six months or so. Now that I see it before me I realize that it is not only all I had imagined as inspiration to fuel your creative stories this year, but my lovely contributors have once again come together in such a way to touch my own soul. With each issue of Gatherings (which I see as a collection of creative minds and hearts), I continue to gain new insights and inspiration for everyday living. Not only new recipes, gift-giving ideas, color stories, beautiful homes, and style ideas, but also accounts from real people choosing creativity. This issue brings together the stories of a master paper sculptor, moms who live out their creativity with their families, women passing down family recipes, and a truly inspirational story of life, hope and choosing to live a creative life inspite of heartache.
Contributors
Heather Anderson- Post Road Vintage Crafter, Blogger, Shop Owner
Iris-Irideeen Stylist, Blogger
Tina Fussell - Traveling Mama Freelance Writer, Blogger
Christina Martin- Soul Aperature Chef, Photographer
Kathi W. Mundigler- All Things White Vintage Collector, Shop Owner
Jessie Senese- Shop Sweet Lulu Food Stylist, Shop Owner,
Jennie Prince- Odessa Mae Society Stylist, Crafter, Blogger
Noel Solomon- Fanciful Designs Artist, Designer, Shop Owner
8-14
40-46
Snowy Sweet Sensations
Favorite Side Dishes become the Main Event on Game Night
16-24 Sculpting in White
26-37 A Traveling Tribe Living within a Canvas of White
48-55
A Vintage Collector Shares her passion for All Things White
56-65
Selecting the Right White
66-71
Table of Contents
Winter’s Faire Table
72-79
Verhuny for Valentine’s
80-93
Choosing the Creative Life
h
images: l-r heather spriggs, kathi mundigler, noel solomon, heather anderson
Snowy Sweet Sensations
by Jessie Senese
In the hands of Jessie Senese
A Table of Delights
everyday pantry items turn into a magical fairy tale.
Winter in the Midwestern United States means piles of
fluffy white snow, bare tree limbs dripping with icicles, and mugs of steaming hot cocoa enjoyed in front of a fire. These images inspired my Winter White Dessert Table. The offerings included powdery white donuts, fluffy coconut cake, enormous puffs of marshmallows dipped in dark chocolate, chocolate pirouette cookies, Oreos drenched in white fudge, white chocolate-covered pretzel rods, shimmery white chocolate candies, and of course, hot cocoa with marshmallows.
My approach to styling a dessert table is to keep it simple. I love to use easy-to-make (or easy to buy) desserts and accessorize tables with items that can be found around the house (easy for me to say, since I have a massive vintage collection and have an entire party supply shop at my disposal)! I stayed with the white theme, using various white cake stands and glass candy jars. I like to alternate heights, often stacking one cake stand on top of another for variation and visual interest. Lace doilies remind me of snowflakes in their beauty and simplicity, and I covered the table in doilies of every shape and size. I used bits of lace as ribbon ties for the marshmallow puffs, as well as lengths of various cocoa colored ribbons. While most of the table is white, I needed those little pops of dark chocolate for contrast.
Jessie Senese is a mom, shop owner, and amateur baker that sews and loves flea markets and polka dots. She crochets while watching too much reality tv, likes to throw pretty parties, gets crafty whenever possible and loves to take pictures. You can visit her ‘pretty party shop’ at www.shopsweetlulu.com.
photos : fanciful designs, words: heather spriggs
S
culpting in
White
In the hands of artist/designer, Noel Solomon, ordinary paper springs to life. Each sheet softens into one of a kind petals, leaves, and scrolls, a veritable garden of delights. She creates these unique art pieces for weddings, children and even worldwide designers and exclusive retailers. In 2010 she created custom prototypes for Christian Dior Perfumes Paris, as well as a being featured in the October Issue of Romantic Homes. With a French flair and resource for inspiration, Solomon carefully fashions distinct pieces with a superior level of craftsmanship.
Solomon’s creations are found in her online shop, Fanciful Designs, where she not only offers her paper floral sculptures, but also hand crafted jewelry, paintings, stationary, and a carefully curated collection of vintage finds.
Vintage
Finds
“I love paper.
Finding exact freedom in this material through sculpting allows me to create with an unrestrained imagination. A transparent lightness and so delicate in appearance combined with a fanciful inner laced imagination turns paper in to a piece of art. My personal touch and a very high level of sophistication is my trademark.� - Noel Solomon
A Traveling Tribe
photos by Tina Fussell
living within a canvas of
White
For the Fussell family, home truly is where the heart is. This tribe has relocated from Spain to the US to Morrocco and currently resides in Denmark.
Tina Fussell, aka Traveling
Mama, is an American mom who spends most of her time traveling the globe and occasionally setting down roots along the way.
She and her
family have been living in Copenhagen, Denmark for a little over a year now after spending the previous three years living in Morocco. She shares her current apartment, which is a large, open plan with 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms, with her Traveling Tribe.
The Tribe
includes her husband, Jack, and their three children, Hailey (10), Parker (7), and Landon (3).
Although the shell of their home is a 17th century building, the interior is only about 5 years old, so they get all the charm of living in an old city, but all the amenities of a modern home. It probably will not come as a surprise to learn that Tina’s greatest decor inspiration comes from her travels, which can be seen throughout her home. Each little corner of her home is filled with treasures collected from around the world, though pulled together through a common color or textural theme.
Tina Fussell in her Copenhagen Kitchen
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by Christina Martin
Favorite side dishes
become the main event for game night.
“Normally I would serve these tasty dishes, along side roasted
meats or seafood, but on game night, these soul-warming dishes served together, make the perfect weeknight meal.
Dig deep into the cheese of the Cauliflower Gratin, enjoy the
White Beans With Rosemary on a toasted slice of French bread, and please your palate with the Roasted Potatoes With Fennel and Onion.�
Cauliflower Gratin 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk Salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg 3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain. Meanwhile, melt the 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Remove from the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan. Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. (I used personal-sized casserole dishes, and just divided the ingredients.) Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Finish with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere by sprinkling on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or a bit more nutmeg, for color. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot out of oven or at room temperature.
Let the domino games begin!
White Beans With Rosemary
1 can white beans, drained 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary (1 sprig rosemary for garnish) 1 clove garlic (smashed gently, leaving in one piece) 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon of salt Directions: Drain beans in strainer, rinse with cold water, place beans in small bowl. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil add garlic and rosemary. When the oil becomes fragrant, remove garlic and pour oil over beans. Add salt and toss gently. I serve these wonderful beans alongside toasted french bread. Enjoy!
Roasted Potatoes With Fennel And Onion 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1 onion, cut lengthwise Olive oil, for drizzling Salt and pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes, fennel, and onion in a large bowl. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, tossing well to coat. Spread vegetables on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for about 30-35 minutes, turning/stirring occasionally, until they are a golden brown.
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A Vintage Collector shares her passion for ....
All Things White by Kathi Wrensch Mundigler
white
I love that makes such a great base.
I can easily change out the look of a room by switching out a painting, throw pillow, or quilt.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in old things. I used to love spending time at my grandma’s house with its amazing high ceilings and lovely old woodwork. I remember her cool claw-foot tub, a wonderful white Hoosier cabinet and a repurposed wood bench. It was my favorite place to be.
Visit Kathi’s Shop: allthingswhite. etsy.com
My husband, Dave, also grew up with a family that loved antiques and hunting for treasures. We have been antiquing together for over 30 years! Our collections have begun to take over our tiny 100 year old house, which is what lead us to start selling. Allie, my youngest daughter, was the first to discover Etsy and start selling her vintage items. I knew I wanted to as well but needed to find my niche. I finally decided to sell what I love most, and I opened my shop All Things White. My house is filled with white- the walls, the cabinets, a new white couch and way too many white dishes. I love that white makes such a great base and that I can easily change out the look of a room by switching out a painting, throw pillow, or quilt. If you peek into my closet you will find at least 20 white shirts.
Selling on Etsy has become a family affair. My oldest daughter, Annie, opened her shop about a year ago and just a few months ago my husband opened his. We spend many Saturdays getting up at the wee hours of the morning to get in line for estate sales and love to rummage, thrift and junk together. Our weekends consist of hauling van loads of vintage goods back to our house, sorting, logging, cleaning, photographing, measuring, researching, pricing.... working hard and loving every second of it!
Selecting
The Right White
by Heather Spriggs
What Is White? Your Dictionary Definition
General: having the color of pure snow or milk; of the color of radiated, transmitted, or reflected light containing all of the visible rays of the spectrum; opposite to black
In light, white is the transmission of all color rays together. That is why when white light is refracted through a prism it splits, forming a rainbow. However, in paint there are few pure whites. Color manufacturers produce whites from lead, zinc or titanium. Most of the whites we paint our walls with are tints of a color (white added to a color on the color wheel). Thus, we end up with a large range of whites when handed a paint store color fan deck. That’s usually when the head scratching begins. What to do with all those whites?
1.
4. 2. 3. Paints on Plate: 1.Sherwin Williams- Cottage Cream 2.Sherwin Williams- Wool Skein 3.Sherwin Williams- Biscuit 4.Benjamin Moore- Lambskin Paint on Spoon- Same as No. 1
The Warm and Cool of It Cool colors recede while warm colors come forward. Traditionally landscape painters use cool hues (green, blue, violet) in their palette to create distance and warm colors (red, yellow, orange) to form an illusion that objects in the picture plane are nearer to the viewer. Imagine the cool grays and purples of mountains in the distance of a landscape. It gets tricky when black or white is added to those basic colors on the color wheel (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet). Black + Color = Shade of that color
White + Color = Tint of that color
Black + White + Color = Tone (or Gray+ Color)
Paints on Plate: 1.Benjamin Moore- Winters Ice 2.Benjamin Moore- Sheep’s Wool 3.Benjamin Moore- Blue Veil 4.Benjamin Moore- Baby’s Breath Paint on Spoon- Same as No. 1
1.
2. 3.
4.
When selecting the right white,begin by asking yourself if you want a cool white or a warm white. Then decide on how much gray you want in your white. (Tone of a color). Do you want a tint of blue? Or a true light gray? Or do you prefer a tone of yellow/gold tinted to its lightest possible hue, for just a hint of warmth and glow?
As a general rule of thumb, test with samples before commiting to gallons of paint. Remember, ligthing is everything. Since white light is the transmitted rays of all visible colors use it to your advantage and check your white paint samples in daylight. Take sample swatches outside. Lamp or incandescent lighting will affect white as well, especially with a colored shade. So test those whites in all lighting situations! Once your white paint is selected, carry swatches with you as you pick out other finishes in the room. A pocket mood board or booklet will help you remember the white palette with which you are working. White is quickly becoming a growing design trend for interiors, from cabinetry to floors. If the idea of white is new to you, remember that white mixed with a rainbow of hues offers a varety of possiblities.
Winter’s Faire
Table
styling and photography: Iris of Irideeen
A faire Winter’s table delights the senses with a layered palette of whites and gentle nod to the natural world. Iris, a stylist and blogger from The Netherlands, has created a unique tablescape inspired by her love of the natural world combined with her penchant for white. Textures rule within this simplified color scheme as an invitation to relax away the evening. This enchanted woodland vignette awakens the heart’s desire for a mid-winter feast by fire and candlelight. For more of Iris’ Modern Romantic stylings and design inspirations visit her blog, Irideeen.
Resources-
Table: Ligne Roset Chairs, fleece, large vase: Ikea Table cloth: H&M Home White cup on fire place: Lenneke Wispelwey Ladder: Lego Bird vase: &Klevering Lace ribbon: House Doctor All other: vintage or source unknown
Verhuny for Valentine’s by Jennie Prince
When my Grandma Anna was alive (originally from Odessa, Ukraine) we
celebrated a second Christmas (the Russian Orthodox Christmas) with her every January 7th. After her passing, the tradition remained. Now every January 7th, my sister and I cook up a small Ukrainian feast for our family and Verhuny is our dessert. It’s versatily and lightness make a perfect treat for Valentine’s.
Verhuny Recipe: 3 eggs 2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 cups sifted flour Confectioners’ sugar Beat the eggs and the egg yolks until they are very light. Beat in the sugar, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla. Stir in the flour. Knead lightly in a bowl. Cover the dough and let it stand for 10 minutes. Using only half the dough roll the dough out very thin, about 1/8 inch, on a floured surface. Be sure to keep the remaining dough covered until you’re ready to roll it out. Once your dough is rolled out, use a pastry cutter to cut out long 1 1/4 inch wide strips. Next cut the long strips into 2 1/2 to 4 inch length (or any length you prefer). Slit each piece in the center and pull one end through it to form a loose loop. Bring a pot of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F (I use a candy thermometer) and fry the dough in small batches of 3-4 until the dough is a golden brown. Once out of the oil, place the fried dough on paper towels to absorb extra oil. Once the Verhuny is cool, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Enjoy!
Packaging: After making a batch of Verhuny, pass them along as a Valentine treat with this simple packaging. Using a strip of parchment paper, fold it in half and sew the sides and bottom. Fill the parchment envelop with Verhuny. Fold a lace or paper doily at the envelop opening and sew it closed. Tie a ribbon around the package and gift away!
Credits: Recipe adapted from “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery� by Savella Stechishin
Choosing
the Creative
Life
Heather Anderson of Post Road Vintage shares her personal journey of living the creative dream. by Heather Anderson
L
iving a creative life while raising a young family can be extremely challenging yet unbelievably rewarding. It depends which way you aim to see it when your feet hit the ground in the morning. For me there is no other way I could live my life. Growing up in a big family, I always knew I wanted a bunch of kids and an awesome husband. So you can bet your socks, I am floored that these dreams have come true!
What about my other dreams? The dreams I have of being creative every single day, or sharing my creativity with others and helping to support my family through this gift by running a business from home.
I know life happens.
It gets in the way and sometimes dreams are shattered. I know this because, I lost my first baby girl at only three hours old. We were shattered and our heart’s were broken, but my daughter gave me a precious gift that I will always remember. She gave me the power to believe, not only in my faith, but also in myself. Have you ever stopped to think what that means? Do you remember what if felt like to be young and innocent before the “life stuff” happened? Before anyone told you that what you wanted to be or do was not realistic? Or it wasn’t practical, it wasn’t possible, and it wasn’t for you? Or worse yet, you began telling yourself these things? Now don’t get me wrong, being a mom of 5 little kids and running a creative business isn’t for everyone. It’s a ton of hard work, but I am really passionate about sharing my experience with others. It is my heart’s desire to share with others that life does not have to be perfect (whose is?) to start living out creative dreams.
When I arrived home from the hospital empty and broken I really saw my life as having two choices. I could choose to make excuses and delay pursuing my dreams because my life was not perfect, or I could just start, because life is short and precious. Oh, there are frustrating days, but I would say having kids does not change that. My kids fuel my imagination and my creativity. The challenges bring opportunities, because challenges call for change. And there are no rule books. The more I am able to love on my babies and my art, the more my heart sings. My life is not perfect, but every day is a chance to believe and sing this song called life.
Post Road Vintage
My life is not perfect, but every day is a chance to believe and sing this song called life.
Gatherings Magazine is now accepting contributors for the following catagories
Copy Editor Writers Photographers Artists Crafters For more info email Heather : gatheringsmag@yahoo.com
Next Issue
-Spring 2012Feathering Your Nest A Vintage Travel Themed Nursery Review of Selina Lake’s New Book: ‘Homespun Style’ .... and much more!!
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