January 18, 2019

I LOVE LISTS

RIP, Mary Oliver
6 things tech world leaders fear the most (and they should)
How to revive a friendship
Oh look! A new coffee creamer flavor that shouldn’t exist.
I want a minimalist kitchen!
If you’re going to Las Vegas, my friend Gaby has some restaurant recommendations.
If you’re looking for a good book to read.
We watched the Hulu Fyre festival documentary first. It’s NUTS.
Now I want a glass table.
I’d love to make these keychains with Cooper.
What people are pinning from my blog lately
This is pretty- a giant spinning circle of ice!
Some amazing tattoo coverups using people’s scars.
To watch: an animated history of cheese!
How to make any business trip less boring.
Netflix is begging people to stop doing the Bird Box Challenge
Some amazing shots from the 2018 wildlife photographer of the year.
If you want to see what I looked like 10 years ago…
Intensive parenting is intense.
Will an Instant Pot solve all of your problems? Probably not. But I like mine!
I can’t wait to snuggle up to my new blanket & watch Netflix this weekend.
This might make you feel old yet nostalgic at the same time.
We signed up for Butcher Box this month because they’re giving away 2 free lbs. of wild Salmon!

If you want to join in on the fun, order your Currently 2019 Workbook now!

Read more about it in my post from yesterday.

More Food Journals in the shop!

Each one comes with a page to color in!

Inspiration

January 17, 2019

Currently 2019 WORKBOOK!

For the past 2 1/2 years, I’ve been working on updating my CURRENTLY posts here on Shutterbean. If you’re not familiar with the posts, check out my archives!

Each month, I sit down and reflect on the month and share what happened, here on my blog.

I make fun art with the month:

Sometimes I make it colorful:

I created a trusty list template so I could have something consistent to refer to in the future.

I like seeing what I was into and where my head was throughout the year.

Every month is different!!!!!!!

Sometimes I make a doodle for the month. It’s a good way to spend time off the computer or screen.

Every month brings new adventures.

And a new way to look at the month:

The column has been a valuable tool for processing life events. I have kept my creativity alive by actively looking for good things and making note of what makes my life full. I can’t even begin to tell you how I would have handled this year of grief without my art practice!

In the past year since I started The Handwriting Club, I have had countless people ask me how they could join the club and so I present you THE CURRENTLY 2019 WORKBOOK.

I’m bringing the blog into paper form with a workbook.

LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!

For those of you who want to join The Handwriting Club, fill out the first page and share it!

(tag me @thehandwritingclub and use the hashtag #itscurrently2019 )

In the book you can write out your Intentions for the Year:

If you like finding a word to meditate on during the year like I do, there’s room to do so.

Every month you can play around with the spread.

I want you to collage, color, draw, and paint in it.

ART IT UP!

Each month you can write down all of the good things that happened.

Fill in the blanks on the list for reference!

By the end of the year, you have something fun to look.

Like a chapter, of your own book!

Your future self will thank you, I’m sure.

I’ll be sharing my monthly spreads in my CURRENTLY posts here and on Instagram each month.

I hope you’ll join me in reflecting upon each passing month. I can’t wait to see how this adventure unfolds for you!!

Order yours here.

That’s right. I’m selling them through Blurb!

And if you are looking for my food journal, they are currently for sale in my Etsy shop, where I’ll be shipping them out personally.

I’m testing to see which process (blurb vs. etsy) works best for the amount of time I have for this project. If all goes well, I’ll be able to sell them both in one place, internationally.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE + SUPPORT.

XOXO

Tracy

recipes

January 16, 2019

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Orecchiette

I have a thing for sausage and mushroom. It’s always what my Mom ordered on her pizza and the combination became all-time favorite too. See also: pizza bowls This Creamy Mushroom Sausage Orecchiette dish is comfort in a bowl. It’s actually my cousin Elaine’s recipe, although I took the liberty and added a bunch of arugula to the mix.

It’s January. It’s practically salad now, huh?

My cousin Elaine has always been my cooking mentor. It’s probably because anytime my Mom went to visit her back east, she would launch into a “Tracy! You should have seen what Elaine made us!” conversation followed by her showing off a handwritten recipe from Elaine. She’d wave around the paper like Charlie with the golden ticket. My Mom really admired Elaine’s ease in the kitchen and how it never seemed to phase her having 20+ people over at her house. She can whip up anything at any time, just like my grandma could. In my eyes, my cousin Elaine is basically Martha Stewart.

After my Mom died my Dad’s cousins from New York came out for a week. It was like having cooking fairy godmothers come to visit. They stayed with my Dad and cooked for him, stocking up his freezer with meals for him to reheat in my Mom’s absence.

Elaine made my family this pasta dish that I COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF. It was something that both my parents loved and it felt so special that I got experience too. The mascarpone makes the pasta creamy and each bite is just wonderful. I didn’t want my bowl to end! I’m thinking that maybe mascarpone needs to make more of an appearance in our pasta life? Next time I have company, I’m going to wow them with this dish. Thank you, cousin!

LISTS

January 14, 2019

Intentions for the Week

Happy Monday!!

We had a pretty busy weekend with company and basketball! Made a quick cheeseboard, garlic rolls (from pizza dough in the fridge), Mom’s green salad and baked pasta.

We still have some wine glasses to clean up! Oof.

Yesterday I got my head in the game by doing #shutterbeanmealprep!

This is what I have in my fridge to work from!

Meal Prep this week includes:

Mint Iced Tea
Kombucha
Roasted Delicata
Sausage pasta (recipe soon)
veggie rice (made from leftover roasted vegetables)
croutons (from old bread)
cooked chicken (for salads)
cooked pasta (for lunches)
broccoli + radishes for snacking
hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot

This week my Dad is having surgery (send good thoughts!) and so my brother & I will be making sure he heals OK and is comfortable.

Besides that, here are my Intentions for the week!

my everyday life, Photography

January 13, 2019

My Everyday Life: Week 2

Here’s what this past week looked like- My Everyday Life Week 2

Packaging up orders!

Sold out in a few hours! Thanks for your food journal orders. I’ll have more soon!

Meanwhile, I’ve been tracking what I eat all week.

Follow more adventures on @thehandwritingclub on Instagram.

Steamy nighttime shower.

These ladies are in my office now. Look at that cat!

LISTS

January 11, 2019

I LOVE LISTS

around the home, favorites, Inspiration

January 9, 2019

Keeping a Sketchbook

Keeping a Sketchbook has become one of the greatest organizing/stress-relieving tools in my emotional toolkit. Even though I spend a lot of capturing my life through my blog via camera & writing, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of putting pen to paper. As much as I love playing around with my iPad and getting into a fun photoshop session, my brain prefers the simplicity and easy access to pen and paper.

What’s the best thing about having a sketchbook?

It doesn’t require batteries to be charged. You just need to make sure you carry enough around in your bag. I always do!

My goal last year was to MAKE MORE ART and if you’ve been around here, you’ve seen how I made art with kids, watercolored, expanded my bullet journal practice, and learned new creative skills all with the help of Skillshare,

The work I put into learning new creative skills in 2018 totally changed the way I keep a sketchbook. I’d like to share with you some of my creative explorations in my sketchbook today!

If you’re not familiar with Skillshare, it’s an online community for learning & teaching creative skills. Skillshare connects expert practitioners with students around the world who collaborate on everyday skills from culinary arts, photography to design.

Skillshare has kindly offered my readers TWO MONTHS free of Skillshare Premium! Thank you, Skillshare!