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Amy Chen

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A Spontaneous Sunday in Montauk

February 24, 2016

This past weekend, I trekked out to Long Island for a spontaneous getaway with some good friends. The weather forecast was supposed to be great and uncharacteristically warm for February (60 degrees) - unlike last weekend - so we took full advantage and drove out to Montauk on Sunday! I had been there before - a couple summers back - but had never been during the off season. It was such a last minute plan - but I'm so glad that we made it happen!

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In wanderlust Tags Montauk, Long Island, NY, Camp Hero State Park

NY Fashion Week Street Style 2016

February 19, 2016

I know it's been awhile since you've heard from me here (I took a liiiiiiittle bit of a break) but today the blog is BACK, and I'm sharing some NYFW photos that I took last Saturday!

For the last couple years, I've made the effort to shoot street style during fashion week at least one day out of the week. For any photographer (whether you're an amateur or a trained industry professional) - the photo op is just TOO good to pass up. It was super cold and windy on Saturday, but that didn't stop me or any of the other fellow crazy creatives I was surrounded by!

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In style, photography Tags NYFW, FW16, street style

Best of 2015 / Happy 2016!

January 1, 2016

HAPPY 2016!

Like everyone else on the planet rn, I'm taking a moment to look back on 2015 - I can't believe that it's over! It's crazy how fast time flies.. and naturally, it's a time to take a moment and reflect on "what was" and speculate "what will be."

Today, I wanted to quickly drop in and share some of my favorite posts from the year. 2015 was my first full year of blogging, and that's something I'm personally pretty proud of! While I may not have completed all of my 2015 resolutions (let's be real.. who has?), I'm glad that I stayed committed to regularly writing / creating blog posts. As I've mentioned before, a lot of time and energy goes into running a blog - and it's really nice to look back and see the year's content all in one place. These posts by no means cover every single thing that's happened to me in 2015, but I think they create a nice highlight reel:

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In design, diy, food, real talk, style, wanderlust, photography Tags 2016, New Year's, archive, 2015, happy new year

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

Museum of Feelings + Stars by Stella Artois

December 18, 2015

Last Saturday, I went to two incredible interactive installations: the Museum of Feelings (sponsored by Glade) and Stars (sponsored by Stella Artois).

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In wanderlust Tags Museum of Feelings, Stars, Stella Artois, interactive art, NY, NYC, #GiveBeautifully
amy_chen_design_brown_butter_pumpkin_pie_1.jpg

Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie

November 26, 2015

Last Thanksgiving, I made a salted caramel apple pie for the first time ever (and it was amazing btw), but this year I wanted to try making something totally different!  I decided to go with (druuumrooolll): brown butter pumpkin (!!!). I've never made a pumpkin pie before, but why not add brown butter to the mix as well? I meaaaaan, ya can't go wrong with b-r-o-w-n-b-u-t-t-e-r, amiright?

My go-to pie recipe book is the Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book (it's the same one I used for the salted caramel apple pie). Basically, it's the pie bible ... Everything sounds / looks amazing, and that's why I love challenging myself to make a new pie every chance I get!

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In food Tags Thanksgiving, autumn, pie

Riamede Farm

November 20, 2015

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is already next week - where did November go?! 

Today I just wanted to drop in and do a "photo dump" from a recent trip to one of our local farms: Riamede Farm. I visited back during October, but haven't gotten around to sharing on the blog until now!

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In wanderlust Tags Riamede Farm, NJ, New Jersey, Chester, autumn

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

#StudioDIYWallCrawl Collab: NYC Street Art

November 6, 2015

I recently collaborated with Kelly of Studio DIY for her #StudioDIYWallCrawl series to create a guide of my favorite NYC murals - and this week the post is LIVE! Head on over HERE for the full map that covers both Brooklyn and the Lower East Side!

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In wanderlust, photography Tags Kelly Mindell, studioDIYwallcrawl, Studio DIY, NY, NYC, street art, collab
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AMYVENTURES

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POPULAR POSTS

Blog
The Summer It Turned Yummy
The Summer It Turned Yummy
about 4 months ago
Recess in Cape May
Recess in Cape May
about 7 months ago
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
about 7 months ago
Spring Things
Spring Things
about 9 months ago
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
about 9 months ago
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
about 10 months ago
Reframing a "Mundane Chore" as an Adventure: Visiting a New Grocery Store
Reframing a "Mundane Chore" as an Adventure: Visiting a New Grocery Store
about 10 months ago
Creating In Community
Creating In Community
about 10 months ago
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
about 11 months ago
Christmas Cookies 2024
Christmas Cookies 2024
about a year ago

INSTAGRAM

@AMYVENTURES
a very fun โœจgirls dayโœจ / joint birthday celebration with @rebeccaedenphoto and @sarabryn ๐Ÿฅณ๐ŸŽˆ๐ŸŽ‚

@12.matcha - for matcha lattes (duh), matcha / hojicha / mango ice cream, and yuzu madeleine ๐Ÿต
@liz.christy.garden - was so surprised to see the snowdro
a look back on 2025 through my junk journal (I finally finished the last few holiday spreads last night ๐ŸŽ€) - I’ve kept written journals my whole life, but this was my first full year of journaling in this format, and it is really fun to flip t
this year’s christmas cookies officially wrapped ๐Ÿช๐ŸŽ€โœจ each year I feel like I’m always refining the line up ๐Ÿ˜ this year included:

- classic gingerbread 
- brown butter salted chocolate chunk
- peppermint chocolate s’more
- chewy
the most beautiful post-christmas snow day ๐Ÿฅนโ„๏ธโœจ

#snowday #jerseycollective #winterwonderland
last weekend’s snow day itinerary in nyc โ„๏ธ

1-3 @rockefellercenter tree & fountains were so magical dusted in snow ๐Ÿฅน
4-5 @radiocitymusichall for #rockettes100 ๐Ÿ’ƒ
6-9 @newyorkpalace - be sure to stop into the lobby and see the gingerbread
sunday is for sweet treats ๐Ÿ˜ (especially when nothing else is open yet in the morning ๐Ÿ˜…) 

โ˜ƒ๏ธ @chachamatcha peppermint matcha lattes (hot & iced)
๐Ÿฅ @libraebakery halvah chocolate croissant (cut in halvah to share)
๐Ÿ™ƒ @supermoonbakehouse scalli
a round up of (mostly christmas) cookies from the archive for #nationalcookieday ๐Ÿค—๐Ÿช๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐Ÿณ currently scheming this year’s cookies (the list of what I want to make seems to grow every year) ๐Ÿ™ƒ it’s kinda wild to look back on some of
some bits of november ๐Ÿ‚ enjoyed every last bloom before hard frost ๐ŸŒธ, every drop of sunlight before darkness at 4:30 ๐Ÿฅฒ, frolicking in the first snow(s) โ„๏ธ, and welcoming cozy crafting / cooking / couch season ๐Ÿ˜โœ‚๏ธ๐Ÿช hard to believe it’s alre
october in new jersey ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ๐Ÿงกโœจ

#jerseycollective #october #njinbloom #northjerseyadventures #fall #autumn
couldn’t have asked for a better last day of the fall festival at @riamedefarm ๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿ‚๐ŸŽ thanks for having us, and congrats on wrapping a great season! ๐Ÿซถ

next weekend, it’s Christmas at the farm โœจ๐ŸŽ„โœจ stop by and shop 70+ local artisan vend
ate like we just ran the nyc marathon ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿฅ“๐Ÿฅž๐Ÿ”๐Ÿฅ” (none of us ran the marathon) ๐Ÿ˜… thanks for a top tier sunday brunch @billslunch ๐Ÿ˜‹

#sundaybrunch #chesternj #northjerseyeats #diner #billsluncheonette #njeats #jerseycollective #brunch
go go juice from @chachamatcha and dinner at @sarabryn’s go to casual thai spot @nanathaistreet before seeing @sabrinacarpenter at @thegarden ๐Ÿ’‹(night 1/5) @oliviadeano was a treat as one of the openers ๐Ÿซถ still not over the skyline bodysuit ๐ŸŒƒ
this lopsided pumpkin was at the bottom of the bin (left behind after all the more perfect pumpkins had been chosen) ๐Ÿฅฒ - I decided to take him home and turn him into the ๐Ÿซ  emoji (feels particularly fitting for 2025 ๐Ÿ˜…)

happy halloween! โœจ๐ŸŽƒโœจ

#pump
a couple spooky sights from a walk with @bigntoasty this past weekend ๐Ÿ‘ป on our way to the new @inciardimachines at @bloomingdales ๐Ÿ›๏ธ (played $18 of quarters… and pretty sure ballerina man is even more of a myth than the headless horseman ๐Ÿ’€?
a very fun โœจgirls dayโœจ / joint birthday celebration with @rebeccaedenphoto and @sarabryn ๐Ÿฅณ๐ŸŽˆ๐ŸŽ‚

@12.matcha - for matcha lattes (duh), matcha / hojicha / mango ice cream, and yuzu madeleine ๐Ÿต
@liz.christy.garden - was so surprised to see the snowdro
love a good rainy day to deep clean the kitchen ๐Ÿซง๐Ÿ˜Œ๐ŸŒง๏ธ๐Ÿงผโœจ … can’t remember the last time the sink was free from dirty dishes or the counter was this spotless ๐Ÿ˜… - thanks @mrsmeyerscleanday for the assist (and making the house smell like
a look back on 2025 through my junk journal (I finally finished the last few holiday spreads last night ๐ŸŽ€) - I’ve kept written journals my whole life, but this was my first full year of journaling in this format, and it is really fun to flip t this year’s christmas cookies officially wrapped ๐Ÿช๐ŸŽ€โœจ each year I feel like I’m always refining the line up ๐Ÿ˜ this year included:

- classic gingerbread 
- brown butter salted chocolate chunk
- peppermint chocolate s’more
- chewy the most beautiful post-christmas snow day ๐Ÿฅนโ„๏ธโœจ

#snowday #jerseycollective #winterwonderland
do you want the cookie box tour? ๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿช๐ŸŽ€

#christmascookies #holidaybaking #cookiebox
last weekend’s snow day itinerary in nyc โ„๏ธ

1-3 @rockefellercenter tree & fountains were so magical dusted in snow ๐Ÿฅน
4-5 @radiocitymusichall for #rockettes100 ๐Ÿ’ƒ
6-9 @newyorkpalace - be sure to stop into the lobby and see the gingerbread
nothing more magical than nyc at christmas time in the snow ๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿ™๏ธโ„๏ธ๐ŸŽ„๐ŸฆŒโœจโ˜•๏ธ 

#rockettes100 #rockefellerchristmastree #nycchristmas radio city music hall, rockettes, rockefeller center, bryant park, macys, no chewing allowed hot cocoa
Christmas crafting with @takearecess craft mocktail peppermint bark’tini โœ‚๏ธ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿฅ‚๐ŸŽ€โœจ

15% off with code “amyventures”

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

#origamitutorial #christmascraft #origamiart diy christmas deco
sunday is for sweet treats ๐Ÿ˜ (especially when nothing else is open yet in the morning ๐Ÿ˜…) 

โ˜ƒ๏ธ @chachamatcha peppermint matcha lattes (hot & iced)
๐Ÿฅ @libraebakery halvah chocolate croissant (cut in halvah to share)
๐Ÿ™ƒ @supermoonbakehouse scalli
my emotional support savory pastry of choice for all holiday gatherings / functions: curry puffs ๐Ÿ™ƒ if you’ve been following me for awhile, you’ve probably seen them before ๐Ÿ˜… I thought it was long overdue time to show you how to make the
a round up of (mostly christmas) cookies from the archive for #nationalcookieday ๐Ÿค—๐Ÿช๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐Ÿณ currently scheming this year’s cookies (the list of what I want to make seems to grow every year) ๐Ÿ™ƒ it’s kinda wild to look back on some of some bits of november ๐Ÿ‚ enjoyed every last bloom before hard frost ๐ŸŒธ, every drop of sunlight before darkness at 4:30 ๐Ÿฅฒ, frolicking in the first snow(s) โ„๏ธ, and welcoming cozy crafting / cooking / couch season ๐Ÿ˜โœ‚๏ธ๐Ÿช hard to believe it’s alre
put up the tree this week in honor of our first snow flurries โ„๏ธ (and to cope with it getting dark now before 5 pm ๐Ÿฅฒ)

sipped on @takearecess’s new (very yummy) holiday mocktail โœจ peppermint bark ‘tini โœจ while I decorated ๐ŸŽ„ garnished wi
october in new jersey ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ๐Ÿงกโœจ

#jerseycollective #october #njinbloom #northjerseyadventures #fall #autumn couldn’t have asked for a better last day of the fall festival at @riamedefarm ๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿ‚๐ŸŽ thanks for having us, and congrats on wrapping a great season! ๐Ÿซถ

next weekend, it’s Christmas at the farm โœจ๐ŸŽ„โœจ stop by and shop 70+ local artisan vend ate like we just ran the nyc marathon ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿฅ“๐Ÿฅž๐Ÿ”๐Ÿฅ” (none of us ran the marathon) ๐Ÿ˜… thanks for a top tier sunday brunch @billslunch ๐Ÿ˜‹

#sundaybrunch #chesternj #northjerseyeats #diner #billsluncheonette #njeats #jerseycollective #brunch go go juice from @chachamatcha and dinner at @sarabryn’s go to casual thai spot @nanathaistreet before seeing @sabrinacarpenter at @thegarden ๐Ÿ’‹(night 1/5) @oliviadeano was a treat as one of the openers ๐Ÿซถ still not over the skyline bodysuit ๐ŸŒƒ this lopsided pumpkin was at the bottom of the bin (left behind after all the more perfect pumpkins had been chosen) ๐Ÿฅฒ - I decided to take him home and turn him into the ๐Ÿซ  emoji (feels particularly fitting for 2025 ๐Ÿ˜…)

happy halloween! โœจ๐ŸŽƒโœจ

#pump a couple spooky sights from a walk with @bigntoasty this past weekend ๐Ÿ‘ป on our way to the new @inciardimachines at @bloomingdales ๐Ÿ›๏ธ (played $18 of quarters… and pretty sure ballerina man is even more of a myth than the headless horseman ๐Ÿ’€?

All photos / content were created solely for / by
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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