flour sack

photo by kristen bach

shoreline abstracts

i was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday in my favorite place, edisto island. october is so wonderful there that i feel like i've been hoodwinked all these years into going to the beach in the summer. we walked the wild beaches for hours, and took lots of beauty pics. here's a series of shoreline abstracts in the sand.

words and photographs by rebecca wood

fall colors

when i first met rebecca in 1995, she was making leaf arrangements similar to these...she would gather leaves of a similar shape or hue and make little compositions that filled the frame of her photographs. when i recently found myself surrounded by beautiful leaves, i decided to do the same...enjoy!

words & photographs by rinne allen

edisto beauty

edisto island has miles of uninhabited shoreline and primeval forests that are so wild and beautiful. we stayed for a weekend in october and had the whole place to ourselves. we finally headed back to the car as the sun set, and i got these dreamy pastel landscapes pics.

words and photographs by rebecca wood

autumn pumpkins

photograph by rinne allen

fall beauties

this week, we rounded up of some of our favorite fall arrangements from years past...most of these were made by rinne, but there is one in here from mandy and one from rebecca, too...enjoy!

photographs by rinne allen

pink fall grasses

photograph by rebecca wood

spicy gingersnaps

in college i had a friend that would always bring her spicy ginger snaps to pot lucks and everyone went crazy for them!  every fall i begin to crave them.  there is a bit of a kick from the fresh ginger and cayenne that warms you up.  my daughter and i made a batch yesterday and enjoyed them outside on the lovely crisp fall sunday!

spicy gingersnaps

-pre- heat oven to 375 degrees

-in a mixing bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup black strap molasses, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 TBSP fresh ginger, diced 

-in a separate bowl mix up the dry ingredients:  add 2 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt,1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves,1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want them, i prefer 1 teaspoon!)

-slowly add the dry ingredients...bit by bit to the sugar mixture

-when the dough is mixed make 1 teaspoon balls and roll them around in a bowl filled with 1/2 cup turbinado sugar

-place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes

-enjoy on a crisp fall day and share them!

photos and recipe by kristen bach

fall grasses

photograph by rinne allen

a world away

this is a repost from december 2012...our friend nancy is having her world away market this weekend...tonight from 5 to 9 p.m. and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m....enjoy!

our friend nancy held a special market on the grounds of her new home. it was nestled in the piney woods at the rear of her property. there were ornaments hanging in the privet; holiday lights tangled in with the vines; and friendly faces everywhere. friends like tin cup, rachel sleppy, leslie snipes, kenneth kase, capman, zack & anna belle wood, and of course, nancy, were there selling their beautiful things. and, catie adams was icing a cake, and emily hall set up her tin type photo booth in the woods too. our friend james & others helped nancy create the space for the market over many months, and part of the proceeds went to her neighbors kat & susan's sweet olive farm. hopefully this will become an annual event. it was not to be missed.

words and photographs by rinne allen

sky lines

photograph by rinne allen

the nolan house

recently, I revisited one of our favorite spots...just outside of town. This house is abandoned, but someone has taken the time to board up the windows since my last visit. While it makes for dim light within the house, it will help it stay a little more protected.

words and photographs by rinne allen

wispy beauty

photo by kristen bach

vickers

as we wrote yesterday, we always enjoy a road trip to our friends' dahlia farm in nearby greene county...the frost hit last weekend, so the dahlias are gone until next year. so, please enjoy this dash of color and some animal life from a recent visit to their farm!

words and photographs by rinne allen

green persimmon

photograph by rinne allen

the last of the dahlias...for this year

i came home the other day to find a small bouquet of dahlias at our door from our friends who grow dahlias, the vickers...they were the last of this year's harvest before the frost came this weekend. i brought them into my studio and made this little arrangement with some dogwood leaves from along our street...such pretty colors...

words, arrangement, & photographs by rinne allen

web and dew

photograph by rinne allen

vegetable stock

i woke up to frost this morning.  i think that the weather has officially turned to chilly....no more surprise 80 degree days. 

our dutch oven has been making a daily appearance with all of our soups, stews, and other comfort meals on our menu.  this year i have been making my own stocks with all of the discarded vegetables.  it is so simple and really enhances your home cooked meals.  they also freeze well so you can use them when needed.  

vegetable stock

-save all of the ends and pieces of vegetables that you use throughout the week.  broccoli stalks, tough pieces of your greens, radish tops, carrot ends, etc. 

-in a large dutch oven or large pan, sauté 1 large diced yellow onion, 2 stalks of celery, and 1 diced carrot

-add your vegetables

-cover with water and bring to a boil

-add 1 TBSP salt (adjust to your preference), fresh herbs,  and 2 bay leaves

-simmer for 2 hours

-cool and put in freezer bags if you want to freeze or store in fridge for a week. 

-enjoy!!

photo and recipe by kristen bach