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amy_chen_design_blog_winter_heart_crop.jpg

A Winter Love Letter: 6 Things To Look Forward To

December 21, 2018

Welcome winter! Today is the first *official* day of the coldest season of the four. I feel like most people do not look forward to this season - it’s dreaded by so many. So today - I thought I’d write a short but sweet post offering some fresh perspective - some reasons to LOVE winter. Mostly, I want something positive for myself to refer back to when it’s late stage winter and the holiday magic has long worn off and I’m desperate for it to end and get warmer again (like the rest of you!) 😂I remember last year’s winter feeling particularly long.. I couldn’t wait for it to be over and it felt like it would never end as we kept getting smacked with nor’easter after nor’easter towards the tail end.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the seasons - not just the seasons marked by nature and by the calendar — but seasons of life in general. How seasons come and go, ebb and flow, inevitably changing — and how that has an effect on me and (particularly) my creative process. The natural world is truly wild when you stop and think about! So here are some reasons to love everyone’s seemingly least favorite season:

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In wellness, wanderlust, real talk Tags winter

Candy Cane Christmas Cookies

December 25, 2015

Baking is one of my absolute favorite things to do around the holiday season. I always end up trying to make 70 different things, and it's my pride and joy to craft up the very best Christmas cookie platter that I can to bring over to my grandparents' house for dinner on Christmas day.

I was flipping through an old cookbook (Very Merry Cookie Party) I found the other day - and came across this recipe. I thought they were the perfect little festive cookies! The best part: no icing was involved to decorate - so it was very "fuss-free" and didn't require much skill to pull off at all. ;)

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In food Tags candy cane, Christmas, cookies, winter, baking

DIY Holiday Wreath

December 23, 2015

This year I made my first ever wreath! I've always wanted to try, and this year I finally did. For the last few weeks, I've been collecting various things (pinecones, berries, etc.) from hikes at our local parks and my backyard -- I finally put them to good use!

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In diy Tags crafting, Christmas, holiday, wreath, winter

DIY Sock Penguin 'Crafting It Forward' Collab

November 13, 2015

This month, I teamed up with Crafting It Forward to design this little DIY sock penguin craft. Each month, CIF creates a purchasable kid-friendly kit complete with all the supplies you need to make the new craft(s) for the month - and I helped to design the December kit! (FUN FACT: This little penguin requires ZERO sewing skills! *supa kid friendly*) 

After the craft is completed, CIF includes a mailing label so that it can be sent off to a child with cancer or a senior center! When they reached out to me to collaborate, I was really excited to be able to contribute to a project with such a great cause. I really wanted to create a craft that could not only function as a decoration but also as a cute toy. With the holiday season upon us, I really personally aimed to create something that would no doubt put a smile on people's faces (no matter what their age)!

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In diy Tags Crafting It Forward, CIF, crafting, penguin, kids craft, December, winter, collab

AMYVENTURES

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@AMYVENTURES
dinner at @scarrspizza 🍕, dessert at bananas @morgensternsnyc 🍦, and @rustonkelly (& @sam_macpherson) at @boweryballroom 🎶

some unexpected joys along the way: 🏮 at @stickyricenyc and 🥔 snack chandelier at @champagneproblemsnyc ✨

#nyc #lowe
kickstarted a fun saturday night in the city with the newly opened analog photobooth museum @autophoto 📸 was bummed the color film and wide format booths were out of commission 🥲 but I guess that just means a return trip is necessary in the future
we’ve encountered this young buck a few times in recent months on our walks, and he always lets me take his picture 🦌 - he seems more curious than scared (even when the dogs bark) and grazes so close to the path 😅 the last photo was from this
the life of a tomato girl ✨🍅👩🏻‍🌾✨

made the executive decision to harvest the rest of my tomatoes last week when we got our first fall freeze warning 🥶 went out there at 9 pm in the dark and filled up all 3 of my larger sheet pans 😂 (they&r
one last dose of summer this weekend in one of our favorite places 🌞 new @taylorswift music blaring from my car’s speakers down the parkway ❤️‍🔥 ocean beaches back open for the dogs 🐾 the clearest and bluest skies, water warm enough to s
so long september 🍂

the last days of summer and first glimpses of fall ✨ savoring every last tomato and flower in the garden (and collecting seeds for next year) 👩🏻‍🌾 celebrated stewie’s 6th adoptiversary too… how quickly 6 year
first fall bake of the season ✔️🤭🍎 an apple galette where I measured nothing 😅 baked on a very foggy night 🍂

- 3 apples, thinly sliced
- lemon juice, cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, corn starch, salt (tossed the apples in all of this)
- 1
rounded up all the yummy things I made this summer on substack (link in bio) 🌞

🍑 peach wineberry chia seed jam
🍄 chicken of the woods mushrooms (various ways)
🍕 peach pizza
🌶️ jalapeño garlic basil pesto 
🍅 cutting board salsa
🫐 bluebe
we’ll always have summer 🌼

#summer #endofsummer #summerdump #jerseycollective #rescueismyfavoritebreed #summergarden #summergardening
doing @sangennaronewjersey with your brother, boyfriend, dad, and cousin is the only proper way 😏

🍕 pizza from @coneyislandpizza (included some photos from last year too)
🇮🇹 arancini (rice balls) from @thelittlesicilian
🥔 tornado potato from @s
fall is in the air and chilly nights are here - which means tis the season for warm and cozy dinners again 😋🍂🍁

I’ve been making this curry noodle recipe on repeat using veggies & herbs from the garden (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucch
the summer I turned (half the backyard) pretty 😆(and into a sunflower field) 🥹🌻☀️

why re-plant grass when you can have flowers instead? 🙃 I’ve loved studying the way the sun hits them throughout different times of the day and seeing all th
mid august abundance from the garden 🥹 I always love taking an annual bounty photo when the biggest variety of things are growing and that time is now ✨👩🏻‍🌾🍅🍆🥒🌻🌶️

extra grateful for it all this year because flashback to this spring I wa
been wanting to bake blueberry cornbread muffins for what feels like weeks and finally did yesterday 😋🫐🌽 used @thefullhelping’s vegan recipe & topped with leftover crumb topping I had from a fruit crisp ✨ some things are worth turning th
a beautiful fall afternoon with @vacayjenny and her pup Frankenstein 🍂🐾 first stop was @hacklebarney_farm for apple cider and donuts 🍎 then we hiked at Hacklebarney State Park just down the road 🥾 the leaves are peaking and the weather was perfec
dinner at @scarrspizza 🍕, dessert at bananas @morgensternsnyc 🍦, and @rustonkelly (& @sam_macpherson) at @boweryballroom 🎶

some unexpected joys along the way: 🏮 at @stickyricenyc and 🥔 snack chandelier at @champagneproblemsnyc ✨

#nyc #lowe kickstarted a fun saturday night in the city with the newly opened analog photobooth museum @autophoto 📸 was bummed the color film and wide format booths were out of commission 🥲 but I guess that just means a return trip is necessary in the future
fall hikes with @takearecess and my best girl 🥰🍂🧡 my favorite flavor lately has been grapefruit tangerine 🍊 but they’re all so good ✨

you can use my code “amyventures” for 15% off 🫶
https://app.devotion.club/brand/recess/amyve
we’ve encountered this young buck a few times in recent months on our walks, and he always lets me take his picture 🦌 - he seems more curious than scared (even when the dogs bark) and grazes so close to the path 😅 the last photo was from this the life of a tomato girl ✨🍅👩🏻‍🌾✨

made the executive decision to harvest the rest of my tomatoes last week when we got our first fall freeze warning 🥶 went out there at 9 pm in the dark and filled up all 3 of my larger sheet pans 😂 (they&r one last dose of summer this weekend in one of our favorite places 🌞 new @taylorswift music blaring from my car’s speakers down the parkway ❤️‍🔥 ocean beaches back open for the dogs 🐾 the clearest and bluest skies, water warm enough to s so long september 🍂

the last days of summer and first glimpses of fall ✨ savoring every last tomato and flower in the garden (and collecting seeds for next year) 👩🏻‍🌾 celebrated stewie’s 6th adoptiversary too… how quickly 6 year first fall bake of the season ✔️🤭🍎 an apple galette where I measured nothing 😅 baked on a very foggy night 🍂

- 3 apples, thinly sliced
- lemon juice, cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, corn starch, salt (tossed the apples in all of this)
- 1 rounded up all the yummy things I made this summer on substack (link in bio) 🌞

🍑 peach wineberry chia seed jam
🍄 chicken of the woods mushrooms (various ways)
🍕 peach pizza
🌶️ jalapeño garlic basil pesto 
🍅 cutting board salsa
🫐 bluebe we’ll always have summer 🌼

#summer #endofsummer #summerdump #jerseycollective #rescueismyfavoritebreed #summergarden #summergardening doing @sangennaronewjersey with your brother, boyfriend, dad, and cousin is the only proper way 😏

🍕 pizza from @coneyislandpizza (included some photos from last year too)
🇮🇹 arancini (rice balls) from @thelittlesicilian
🥔 tornado potato from @s fall is in the air and chilly nights are here - which means tis the season for warm and cozy dinners again 😋🍂🍁

I’ve been making this curry noodle recipe on repeat using veggies & herbs from the garden (eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucch
a beautiful night enjoying golden hour at @riamedefarm earlier this week 😍🍎☀️ 

founded in 1952, Riamede is the oldest PYO apple orchard in NJ with 54 varieties growing on the historic property (owner Ashley & her team work hard to preserve its
the summer I turned (half the backyard) pretty 😆(and into a sunflower field) 🥹🌻☀️

why re-plant grass when you can have flowers instead? 🙃 I’ve loved studying the way the sun hits them throughout different times of the day and seeing all th
some scenes from my favorite place to be in august… home in the garden with the dogs 🥹🏡🌱🍅🌻👩🏻‍🌾🐾✨

#summer #august #garden #njgardening #njinbloom #jerseycollective #njisallgood #homegarden #home
ending summer the same way I started it (with @takearecess) 🌞🍹🌻💦✨

my code “amyventures” gets you 20% off through 9/2 for labor day weekend 🫶

https://app.devotion.club/brand/recess/amyventures

#takearecess #nonalcoholic #mocktail #
mid august abundance from the garden 🥹 I always love taking an annual bounty photo when the biggest variety of things are growing and that time is now ✨👩🏻‍🌾🍅🍆🥒🌻🌶️

extra grateful for it all this year because flashback to this spring I wa been wanting to bake blueberry cornbread muffins for what feels like weeks and finally did yesterday 😋🫐🌽 used @thefullhelping’s vegan recipe & topped with leftover crumb topping I had from a fruit crisp ✨ some things are worth turning th
the most magical moment with a monarch butterfly this morning 😭🦋🧡✨ can’t believe it didn’t fly away and we got to hang out for a bit 🥹

#jerseycollective #monarch #monarchbutterfly #summer #njisallgood #njisntboring #glimmer

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Amy Chen (unless otherwise stated). If you decide to reference anything from my blog / website, please give proper credit. Thank you! :)


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