everyday minerals: collection 2

Collection Two:

This time, I was inspired by Japanese design. I played around with soft fuzzy shapes and shadows that reflect the image of cherry blossoms. I left the overall aesthetic simple. I wanted a feeling of purity.

everyday minerals: collection 1

I just started doing freelance product shots, and have been enjoying the process. Styling the image is a tug and pull between negative & positive space.  Having entire control over the image, you can really seek to achieve balance in creative ways. 

For me, this particular series was all about making the make-up feel romantic, natural, and soft. The collection is Everyday Minerals' color corrector series, all made with a jojoba oil base, and all natural ingredients. I wanted the attitude of the shots to reflect the ethos.

It was a fun artistic experience to take a product and translate it into a photograph. How do you make the photos evoke something? It's a fun game to play around with. I'm all about bringing the inanimate to life. 

current work

It's no secret, I've been horrible about updating lately. Instead of re-running old posts, I thought I'd give everyone a little reading. Below is a recap of the work I've been up to in the past month or so. I may not be putting together a ton of content for Numie, but I promise, I've been making the magic happen somewhere. 

Lilah Nick & The House of the Setting Sun

Home tour with two talented artists and makers. They constructed a summer home with their own two hands, and it has an entire wall made from found windows so they can watch the sun set each night. This post also includes an interview with Lilah that - I hope - will fill you with as much inspiration as I felt meeting her and her beau in person.

Read It Here

Chilled Pea & Garlic Scape Soup

Adam & I constructed this refreshing recipe for our friends at Greensgrow. It's zesty, lemony, and perfect for hot weather.

Read It Here

Food & Ferments: The Kombucha & Beet Kvass Experts

I highlighted one of my favorite local Philadelphia vendors, Food & Ferments, for the Free People blog. Get a peek into their world + basic Kombucha and Beet Kvass how-to's.

Read It Here

DIY Fresh Flower Wreath

I let my hands get busy with some of nature's most beautiful objects, and wrote up a step-by-step for trying out the project yourself.

Read It Here

Recipe: Ginger Kohlrabi Slaw

This is a recipe that I got obsessed with making when kohlrabi was plentiful in the CSA. I brought it to a 4th of July party, and was later told by a friend that he had a, "coming to jesus moment," while eating it. Enough said?

Read It Here

DIY Sunglasses Case

I've been using this little bag like crazy - both for sunglasses and my cell phone. I love it. The bonus? It is a great use for scrap fabric. 

Read It Here

Blueberry, Peach, & Ginger Fruit Leather

Another recipe that Adam & I pulled together for the Greensgrow blog. This one is great for brining along on a summer hike. It's lightweight, won't squish, and tastes mighty great after a long day of walking through the woods.

Read It Here

Greensgrow Instagram

While I haven't been doing it as much as before, I've still been contributing to the Greensgrow Instagram from time to time. Be sure to follow along if you're interested in urban farming, gardening, farm-to-table, or artisinal foods. 

Follow Greensgrow Here

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Now, I'd love to see some of the work you all have been doing. I'm finding that most of you are pretty darn inspiring, and I'd love to get to know you better. Leave a comment below and tell me what you're up to!

rose infused honey

Note: This post was previously published as a part of my freelance work here.

Rose, it has captured the hearts of humans throughout history, and has come to be known as the global symbol for romance. When combined with honey, another substance so renowned it was buried with ancient pharaohs, many amazing things can happen. Before I delve into how to make this magical elixir and what it can be used for, let me tell you the basic benefits to both of its ingredients.

Rose: Rose is packed with vitamin-C, it contains even more than oranges. This means that it is great for the immune system as well as combating toxins. It is also considered to be a cooling herb, which gives it the natural powers to relieve cold and flu symptoms.

Honey: Consuming local honey is thought to help allergy symptoms by building up your natural tolerance to pollens in your area. Studies have been done showing its ability to kill bacteria and heal wounds, and it is great at soothing a sore throat or bad cough.

Now, let me teach you how to combine the two.

You’ll Need:

-          1.5 Lbs. Honey – preferably local

-          ¾ Cup Rose Petals – loosely packed (you can experiment with the quantity to play around with flavor)

-          1 Large Jar

-          Long Spoon for Mixing

-          Dark Cupboard or Space to Store

Directions:

1.       You’ll first need to pull the petals off of your flower buds.

2.       Once you have enough, toss them into a jar with your honey, and stir up well.

3.       Store in a dark cupboard for about two weeks, stirring it up every few days.

4.       Strain the petals out through a colander, and pour the honey into a new jar. It’s now ready to use.

3 Ideas Of How to Use Your Honey:

1.       Pour it over yogurt to make an allergy fighting & immune strengthening parfait (with amazing flavor).

2.       Make your own cough drops to soothe a sore throat or cough (try this recipe)

3.       Mix together a facemask to combat free radicals and inject your face with vitamin-C (try this recipe)

diy succulent mobile

Note: This post was previously published as a part of my freelance work here

Obsession confession: house plants. You can never have enough. They are the silent companions, the life teachers, and the friends who will always put a smile on your face.

Double obsession confession: succulents. They will never get mad at you for forgetting to water them, and they look like Mother Nature’s coolest alien.

Now here’s a fun new DIY to celebrate the obsession and fill your house with hanging succulents.

You’ll Need:

-          Sculpt It (air hardening sculpting material)

-          5 Old Jars (I used a mixture of jars from spices and preserves that varied in size)

-          5 Inches of stiff wire

-          String

-          Pointed clay tool or safety pin to poke holes

-          Paint color of your choice

-          Paint Brush

-          Cup & Water for painting

-          Painter’s tape

-          5 Small succulents & soil

Directions:

1.       Taking a small piece of sculpt it and roll it into a ball.

2.       Being flattening the ball into a round sheet with your fingers

3.       Mold the flattened piece around the bottom of a jar.

4.       Polk two holes on opposites sides of the clay where you will feed your strings through.

5.       Poke another hole in the center bottom for string as well.

6.       Let your sculpt it dry completely. Part way through, pull it off the jars and let it sit to continue drying. The whole drying process takes about one day or two. Be patient.

7.       Once your clay is dry, tape off the top half with painters tape.

8.       Thoroughly paint the bottom half and let dry.

9.       String two strings through the holes on either side of each planter, and knot them the inside to secure. Leave the strings on the smallest and second to biggest planters fairly long so that you can choose how low they will hang.

10.       To begin putting everything together, figure out which succulent you want to put in which container, and line them up smallest to biggest.

11.       Plant the biggest container first. Then, pick up the strings so you can find where it hangs centered. Once you’ve found the spot, tie a knot and feed the strandsthrough the bottom hole of the next planter, tying another knot to secure.

12.       Plant your second to largest pot next and set the two to the side.

13.       Plant the next three planters on their own using the same method. So you will have one strand of two planters, and another of three.

14.       Hang both strands from the ceiling so that the hole of one hangs next to the knot above the other. Stick a piece of wire in the hole and wrap it around the knot of the other to keep them separated like a mobile.

15.       And you’re done!

contributing at everyday minerals

I'm now freelancing for the all natural beauty brand, Every Day Minerals. I'll be contributing more Numie-ness with a focus on DIY's. Be sure to check it out & follow along. First up: how to make this yoga bag!