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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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Blog
The Summer It Turned Yummy
The Summer It Turned Yummy
about 3 weeks ago
Recess in Cape May
Recess in Cape May
about 3 months ago
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
about 4 months ago
Spring Things
Spring Things
about 5 months ago
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
about 6 months ago
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
about 6 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 6 months ago
Creating In Community
Creating In Community
about 7 months ago
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
about 7 months ago
Christmas Cookies 2024
Christmas Cookies 2024
about 9 months ago

INSTAGRAM

@AMYVENTURES
the life of a tomato girl โœจ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพโœจ

made the executive decision to harvest the rest of my tomatoes last week when we got our first fall freeze warning ๐Ÿฅถ went out there at 9 pm in the dark and filled up all 3 of my larger sheet pans ๐Ÿ˜‚ (they&r
one last dose of summer this weekend in one of our favorite places ๐ŸŒž new @taylorswift music blaring from my car’s speakers down the parkway โค๏ธ‍๐Ÿ”ฅ ocean beaches back open for the dogs ๐Ÿพ the clearest and bluest skies, water warm enough to s
so long september ๐Ÿ‚

the last days of summer and first glimpses of fall โœจ savoring every last tomato and flower in the garden (and collecting seeds for next year) ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ celebrated stewie’s 6th adoptiversary too… how quickly 6 year
first fall bake of the season โœ”๏ธ๐Ÿคญ๐ŸŽ an apple galette where I measured nothing ๐Ÿ˜… baked on a very foggy night ๐Ÿ‚

- 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) ๐ŸŒž

๐Ÿ‘ peach wineberry chia seed jam
๐Ÿ„ chicken of the woods mushrooms (various ways)
๐Ÿ• peach pizza
๐ŸŒถ๏ธ jalapeño garlic basil pesto 
๐Ÿ… cutting board salsa
๐Ÿซ bluebe
we’ll always have summer ๐ŸŒผ

#summer #endofsummer #summerdump #jerseycollective #rescueismyfavoritebreed #summergarden #summergardening
doing @sangennaronewjersey with your brother, boyfriend, dad, and cousin is the only proper way ๐Ÿ˜

๐Ÿ• pizza from @coneyislandpizza (included some photos from last year too)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น arancini (rice balls) from @thelittlesicilian
๐Ÿฅ” 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 ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ

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 ๐Ÿ˜†(and into a sunflower field) ๐Ÿฅน๐ŸŒปโ˜€๏ธ

why re-plant grass when you can have flowers instead? ๐Ÿ™ƒ 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 ๐Ÿฅน I always love taking an annual bounty photo when the biggest variety of things are growing and that time is now โœจ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ†๐Ÿฅ’๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

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 ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒฝ used @thefullhelping’s vegan recipe & topped with leftover crumb topping I had from a fruit crisp โœจ some things are worth turning th
hammered some of the flowers in my garden onto watercolor paper for fun ๐Ÿ˜ new favorite way to preserve the season unlocked ๐ŸŒผ

#flowerpounding #flowerhammering #tatakizome #hapazome #ecoprinting #gardening #flowerprint #plantdye #naturaldye #summer
the most fun day ๐Ÿฅน started off with the special TSOU blueberry matchas from @theelknyc and a couple treats from @libraebakery ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿฅ๐Ÿต (fuel for a crafternoon spent making our shirts for the night โœ‚๏ธ) we finished them just in time ๐Ÿ˜… grabbed a couple
happy #nationalicecreamday ๐Ÿ˜š๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿ“โœจ

#icecream #summer #jerseycollective #strawberryicecream #icecreamshop
summer arrivals @shopamyventures ๐ŸŒž๐Ÿšโ›ต๏ธ๐Ÿโœจ

#shopsmall #vintagehome #etsyvintage #summer
the life of a tomato girl โœจ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพโœจ

made the executive decision to harvest the rest of my tomatoes last week when we got our first fall freeze warning ๐Ÿฅถ went out there at 9 pm in the dark and filled up all 3 of my larger sheet pans ๐Ÿ˜‚ (they&r one last dose of summer this weekend in one of our favorite places ๐ŸŒž new @taylorswift music blaring from my car’s speakers down the parkway โค๏ธ‍๐Ÿ”ฅ ocean beaches back open for the dogs ๐Ÿพ the clearest and bluest skies, water warm enough to s so long september ๐Ÿ‚

the last days of summer and first glimpses of fall โœจ savoring every last tomato and flower in the garden (and collecting seeds for next year) ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ celebrated stewie’s 6th adoptiversary too… how quickly 6 year first fall bake of the season โœ”๏ธ๐Ÿคญ๐ŸŽ an apple galette where I measured nothing ๐Ÿ˜… baked on a very foggy night ๐Ÿ‚

- 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) ๐ŸŒž

๐Ÿ‘ peach wineberry chia seed jam
๐Ÿ„ chicken of the woods mushrooms (various ways)
๐Ÿ• peach pizza
๐ŸŒถ๏ธ jalapeño garlic basil pesto 
๐Ÿ… cutting board salsa
๐Ÿซ bluebe we’ll always have summer ๐ŸŒผ

#summer #endofsummer #summerdump #jerseycollective #rescueismyfavoritebreed #summergarden #summergardening doing @sangennaronewjersey with your brother, boyfriend, dad, and cousin is the only proper way ๐Ÿ˜

๐Ÿ• pizza from @coneyislandpizza (included some photos from last year too)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น arancini (rice balls) from @thelittlesicilian
๐Ÿฅ” 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 ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ

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 ๐Ÿ˜๐ŸŽโ˜€๏ธ 

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 ๐Ÿ˜†(and into a sunflower field) ๐Ÿฅน๐ŸŒปโ˜€๏ธ

why re-plant grass when you can have flowers instead? ๐Ÿ™ƒ 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 ๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿก๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ…๐ŸŒป๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿพโœจ

#summer #august #garden #njgardening #njinbloom #jerseycollective #njisallgood #homegarden #home
ending summer the same way I started it (with @takearecess) ๐ŸŒž๐Ÿน๐ŸŒป๐Ÿ’ฆโœจ

my code “amyventures” gets you 20% off through 9/2 for labor day weekend ๐Ÿซถ

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

#takearecess #nonalcoholic #mocktail #
mid august abundance from the garden ๐Ÿฅน I always love taking an annual bounty photo when the biggest variety of things are growing and that time is now โœจ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿ…๐Ÿ†๐Ÿฅ’๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

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 ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒฝ used @thefullhelping’s vegan recipe & topped with leftover crumb topping I had from a fruit crisp โœจ some things are worth turning th
the most magical moment with a monarch butterfly this morning ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿงกโœจ can’t believe it didn’t fly away and we got to hang out for a bit ๐Ÿฅน

#jerseycollective #monarch #monarchbutterfly #summer #njisallgood #njisntboring #glimmer
hammered some of the flowers in my garden onto watercolor paper for fun ๐Ÿ˜ new favorite way to preserve the season unlocked ๐ŸŒผ

#flowerpounding #flowerhammering #tatakizome #hapazome #ecoprinting #gardening #flowerprint #plantdye #naturaldye #summer the most fun day ๐Ÿฅน started off with the special TSOU blueberry matchas from @theelknyc and a couple treats from @libraebakery ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿฅ๐Ÿต (fuel for a crafternoon spent making our shirts for the night โœ‚๏ธ) we finished them just in time ๐Ÿ˜… grabbed a couple happy #nationalicecreamday ๐Ÿ˜š๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿ“โœจ

#icecream #summer #jerseycollective #strawberryicecream #icecreamshop
take me back ๐Ÿฅฒ

#capemay #capemaynj #capemaypoint #capemaybeach #jerseycollective #southjerseyadventures #summer
summer arrivals @shopamyventures ๐ŸŒž๐Ÿšโ›ต๏ธ๐Ÿโœจ

#shopsmall #vintagehome #etsyvintage #summer

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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