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Amy Chen

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Best of 2016 / Happy 2017!

January 1, 2017

Hey there, stranger - HAPPY 2017! I can't believe it's a brand new year already.

I know it's been awhile since I've said anything in this space, but it feels good to be back today. I went on a little bit of a blog break these last few months (mainly so I could focus get my shop launched), and it was super refreshing.

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In real talk Tags 2016, 2017, happy new year, New Year's, archive

An Upstate Escape to Nyack

September 30, 2016

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is already the first day of October! Where has this year gone?! Before fall officially arrived, I spent my final few days of summer upstate in Nyack. It was my first time there, and it was the most beautiful and quaint little town. I had the best time. It was great to get away, unplug, and send off summer in style!

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In wanderlust Tags Nyack, NY, New York, The Time Nyack, Upstate NY

Refinery29's #29Rooms NYFW Installation 2016

September 23, 2016

A couple weekend's back, I got to experience this year's version of Refinery29's ultimate fashion / technology funhouse: 29Rooms. This is the second year that they've done it, and I'm sure it will continue to be an annual thing. I remember being completely blown away last year, and this year was equally as fulfilling. The visual stimulation of texture and color and overall interactive experience is just a real treat, and I'm already wondering what they will do next year!

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In design, wanderlust Tags Refinery29, R29, 29Rooms, fashion week, FW16, NYFW, interactive art, art, New York

Solo Trip 2016: Arizona (Part 4/4)

September 2, 2016

I nearly missed my flight out of Seattle (due to sleeping past my alarm by an hour) - but luckily I made it just in time! 

I had planned to sleep on the flight, but ended up having a great conversation with the girl next to me (who also almost missed takeoff). Her name was Chelsea, a Washington state native - and she told me that it was only her second time flying ever (which I could relate to - this being my first ever solo trip). She offered me a piece of gum, which I gladly took - because I certainly didn't have time to brush my teeth before leaving Amanda's apartment haha. We were both dying of thirst, and agreed we would definitely be taking up that free complimentary water once the flight attendants brought it around. When we landed, neither of us was prepared for the blast of 116 degree dry heat. (It was both of our first times in Arizona).

Immediately, I went to the bathroom to change into shorts and flip flops LOL. And not to sound like a sissy, but I also made a stop at the Starbucks in the airport because I desperately wanted something cold to drink. I couldn't believe how much cheaper my drink was (compared to NY). I found that over the course of the next few days - EVERYTHING seemed to be cheaper - and everyone was so nice.

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In wanderlust Tags solo trip 2016, solo travel, arizona, scottsdale, phoenix, grand canyon

Solo Trip 2016: Seattle (Part 3/4)

August 19, 2016

Seattle is the most popular connection for all domestic Alaska flights - so naturally, because I had never been to Seattle before - I decided to make the most of that inevitable stop. It was a similar experience to the one I had back in San Francisco because I was only there for a short time (1 day), and in that short time I tried to pack in seeing, doing, and eating as much as humanly possible. 

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In wanderlust Tags solo trip 2016, solo travel, travel, seattle, washington
amy_chen_design_alaska_1.jpg

Solo Trip 2016: Alaska (Part 2/4)

August 12, 2016

After San Francisco, it was off to ALASKA! Earlier, I talked about why I took this trip - and having this strong desire to stretch my comfort zone. Alaska did just that (and so much more). It was pretty ballsy (for me) to travel there solo, but it was truly a life changing experience.

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In wanderlust Tags solo trip 2016, solo travel, travel, alaska, anchorage, seward, palmer

Solo Trip 2016: San Francisco - (Part 1/4)

July 29, 2016

My first stop on my solo trip itinerary was San Francisco! I had never been to California before (this was my first time) - and I am SO glad I chose San Francisco to be my first "taste" of CA. I only had one day here, and I certainly packed in as much as humanly possible, (in true "amyventures" fashion). ;)

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In wanderlust Tags solo trip 2016, solo travel, travel, san francisco, california

Real Talk: Why You Need to Go On That Solo Trip RN (And Some Tips On How To Do It)

July 22, 2016

Hello... it's me! *cue Adele*

I know it's been quite awhile since you've heard from me on here, but I am BACK!! (and have so much to tell you!)

For the last couple months, I've been in quite a rut - feeling stuck and unsure what my next move should be. I felt uninspired, and lost my motivation / desire to write and generally create. Although for awhile I did stick to publishing one post a week - that trailed off when I felt I wasn't producing valuable content for you guys anymore. Instead of forcing myself to crank stuff out that I wasn't feeling or beating myself up for going off course, I took the time to acknowledge what my body needed - a damn break. I knew I was at the point of really needing to take a leap of faith of some kind. I took it upon myself to do something I've never done before: take a solo trip. It's been something I've been wanting to do since graduating over 2 years ago, and I finally scraped together enough money (and guts) to do it for myself. And I'm SO glad I did - because the experience was LIFE CHANGING.

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In real talk, wanderlust Tags travel, solo travel, solo trip 2016

Real Talk: Bring Out The Bold

April 28, 2016

Yesterday I had the opportunity to get an exclusive lab tour at the LISTERINEยฎ headquarters in Morris Plains, NJ. They just launched a new campaign last month called BRING OUT THE BOLDโ„ข. The brand is renowned for being the #1 mouthwash recommended by dentists and is dedicated to the bold research and science behind their product(s). It was so much fun spending the day at their offices learning about what they do!

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In real talk Tags Listerine, bloglovin, #BringOutTheBold

The Armory Show 2016

March 4, 2016

Last night, I got to attend this year's Armory Show for the #ArtsyArmoryMeet! If you're not familiar with the Armory Show, you can read up a bit on the history HERE.

This actually wasn't my first Armory Show - I went to one a couple years back while I was still in school. I took a 6 week course that focused entirely on the show and it's history - and ever since then, I anticipate it's return every year. Essentially, it's a giant smorgasbord of both contemporary and modern art. There's a LOT to see (drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, interactive installations, motion, etc) - every artist / art lover's dream, basically. If you decide to go, I recommend going early so that you allow yourself enough time to explore! I was there for an hour and a half yesterday, and definitely didn't get around to everything. I'm actually planning to go back again tomorrow to try to see some of what I missed, haha

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In design Tags art, interactive art, gallery, gallery hopping, Artsy, Armory Show
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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

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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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