• art,  creativity,  design,  fashion,  local,  madison,  style,  wisconsin

    Read(y) to Wear Benefit Fashion Show

    Most of the time, being a writer is decidedly NOT glamorous. I shudder to think how many hours I’ve spent sitting in front of my laptop, shoulders hunched over the keyboard, with coffee stains on my leggings. But every now and then, the author life opens the door to a “pinch me I’m dreaming” type of opportunity. The Read(y) to Wear fashion benefit was one of such opportunities. On April 29, 2017, I got to “model” a paper dress made by fellow writer Holly Tierney-Bedord, and walk the runway with several lovely literary and design-minded people from Madison and surrounding areas. Proceeds from ticket sales went to Madison Reading Project, a…

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  • authors,  beauty,  debut author,  fashion,  local,  madison,  vintage,  wisconsin

    Check “Cover Girl” Off the Bucket List

    BRAVA magazine chose VINTAGE as its literary salon selection for October 2014. In addition to holding an lovely vintage-themed author event at A La Crate Vintage Rentals, they interviewed me and did a photo shoot. It was a dream come true to show up and see racks of lovely vintage clothes and accessories laid out for me in my size! To read the interview on books, writing, and all things vintage, click here.

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  • authors,  book launch,  books,  entertaining,  local,  madison,  vintage

    Vintage Launch Party Pictures

    Last Saturday was the book launch party for my debut novel, VINTAGE, held at the High Noon Saloon in Madison. We had a great turnout, with most guests arriving dressed in vintage attire. Madison bookseller A Room of One’s Own sold over 100 copies of VINTAGE at the event. Thank you to all who attended! Click on any image to see a larger version.  

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  • coffee,  creativity,  desserts,  food,  local,  seasonal,  sweets

    Of Creativity and Cupcakes

    This fall, Edible Madison editor Jamie Lamonde contacted me to ask if I was interested in writing a feature on Bloom Bake Shop and its owner, Annemarie Spitznagle, for the winter issue. Bloom is a small-batch dessert bakery in Middleton, Wis. that uses local, seasonal, and organic ingredients.  Of course I wasted no time in saying, “OH MY GOD, YES!” I mean, who wouldn’t love to sample and write about cupcakes, whoopie pies, and to-die-for French press coffee?   The afternoon I spent at Bloom was about so much more than cupcakes, though. Annemarie and I talked about goals, determination, and finding the place where work and passion intersect. You can read the…

  • art,  edible madison,  farmers market,  farms,  food,  local

    Art in Unexpected Places

    For my first article for Edible Madison magazine in fall 2010 (which was, in fact, my first published piece of food writing), I visited Fountain Prairie Inn and Farms. I had a lovely time meeting and interviewing John and Dorothy Priske about their herd of Highland Cattle, which they raise for grass-fed beef on their sustainable farm.  You can imagine my surprise and delight, then, when I went to drop off a package at the post office in downtown Madison and saw an art installation featuring pictures of the long, curly horns of the Priskes’ cattle, in very Georgia O’Keefe-like style. I love finding art in unexpected places, especially when it…

  • drink,  edible madison,  kombucha,  local,  recipes,  writing

    The Flavors of Summer

    The summer issue of Edible Madison magazine is out, both in print and online. For this issue, I met with the fun and fabulous ladies behind NessAlla Kombucha. I didn’t know a whole lot about kombucha before interviewing them for the article, so I learned a ton, including how to home-brew kombucha. You can get a recipe and read all about it here.

  • beer,  blogging,  booze,  food,  local,  microbrews

    Craft Beer Week: Drink it in

    It’s craft beer week here in Madison, which means that there are tastings, dinners, and “meet the brewmaster” events all over town. It’s an embarrassment of riches, really, and I’d need a whole team of bloggers–and a string of babysitters–to be able to do justice to even a fraction of the flavors on tap throughout the week. Despite having neither, I’ve managed to sample a few things, and I’m noticing a theme emerge– I’ve been enjoying some things that I normally wouldn’t order. I tend to be an ale kind of girl, particularly IPAs. So it’s been good to sample some things out of my comfort zone. The best of…

  • booze,  food,  local,  nature,  seasonal

    Last Scenes of Summer

    As September settles in with sweater weather and the smell of wood smoke from chimneys, I thought I’d offer here on my blog one last glimpse of summer. It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I’ve been busy with a number of endeavors, including tending to a smiling but always hungry two-month-old and tackling another revision of my book. In all the busyness, summer has started to slip away, quietly, as it always does, like a guest leaving a party without saying good-bye so as not to interrupt the fun. A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to taste the spectrum of summer’s final, peak flavors at Milkweed, a private family farm…

  • fashion,  local,  style,  upcycling,  vintage

    Pop-Up Vintage

    Last weekend, I went to a pop-up vintage sale held at Zip Dang on Monroe Street. Because I have a newborn baby and therefore a short attention span, I like the idea of a pop-up sale, which is essentially retail’s answer to a flash mob. Since pop-up sales are carefully curated and arranged, I can go in with a mission and usually find what I’m looking for, which, in this case, was anything unique that fit my post-pregnancy body (read: A-line dresses). Zip Dang normally carries some vintage apparel, but also carries upcycled items, one of-a-kind art and clothing, cheeky stationery, and kitschy-cool household goods. The event this past weekend, which…

  • budget-friendly,  decor,  design,  fashion,  food,  green living,  local,  style,  upcycling

    A Green Wedding Fit for a Queen

    Today is the last post from college guest blogger Dorothy Munholland. She’s braving her last round of finals before moving on to graduation and beyond. Best of luck to you, Dorothy, and thank you for your contributions to Glossing Over It. Hope to see more of your writing in the blogosphere soon! A GREEN WEDDING FIT FOR A QUEEN By Guest Blogger, Dorothy Munholland I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I was awake at 4am on the day of the royal wedding, anxiously awaiting the first glimpse of bride Kate Middleton, while at the same time conducting an extensive Google search on Prince Harry’s relationship status. I say only…