bonjour, paris!

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Sarah S.

After three different trains (The Netherlands, Belgium, France), I’ve made it to Paris! I’ve walked over nine miles today while exploring the city (in the rain). Tomorrow morning I’ll be up bright and early to head to the Catacombs before visiting the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (where Oscar Wilde in buried) as well a bike tour of the city.

Until then, à bientôt!

Sarah

This post is #34 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

running (free) through the bossche broek

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Sarah S.

If you’re a runner (or a triathlete), you know how easy it is to get hooked on data: GPS watches, tracking apps, heart rate monitors… Whatever device it is, there is something absolutely addicting about knowing your progress, mile for mile (and often publicly sharing that progress too). But getting caught up in numbers can take away the basic joy of running sometimes. Besides a casual 10k race at the end of this month and triathlon in September, I’m not currently in the throws of training. But still I monitor each run with more gusto than it’s worth. I start to judge the quality of the run based on its length and pace- even for my “fun runs,” which should, after all, be purely for fun.

So today, I left my GPS watch at home and took a (who knows how long!) run through the Bossche Broek. Without a watch, I took moments to pause, take a breath, and really enjoy the scenery. It’s a run like this one that reminds me why I run in the first place.

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #33 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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there is something about a place

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Sarah S.

there is something about a place

to gather

(maybe only with books and unused sugar packets)

windows open to spring breezes

or closed to icy chills

but always a coffee

(maybe a tea)

and silence for study

or the hiss of steam and clamor of old friends found

(maybe also a gasp when Elizabeth realizes Darcy’s truth)

from cities of steel

to snow

to harbours

to canals

there is (always) something about a place

for coffee

(maybe tea)

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #32 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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the freshest restaurant in amsterdam

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Sarah S.

Yesterday, my friends surprised me with the most fantastic brunch I have ever experienced. The Restaurant De Kas, which is situated outside Amsterdam’s bustling city center in a serene (but classy. Think: adorable frites stand and it’s own bird king.) park, serves the bounty of its onsite greenhouses on its every-changing menu. I could describe to you what exactly it was we ate, but no words will do the meal justice. Photographs might be second best to tasting the food for yourself…So “Eet smakelijk!”

As if the day couldn’t get better, we stopped at a vegan gummy store before ending the day with a Narnia-inspired ballet. Not to mention the simple joy of sitting back– coffee in hand–and taking in the enchanting sites of Amsterdam.

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #31 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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i <3 disko

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Sarah S.

Well, not that much. But I do love this (Jonathan Johnson) ring I found at the IJ-Hallen flea market this weekend in Amsterdam.

Jonathan Johnson Ring, Amsterdam Flea Market

More details (and photos!) to follow…

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #30 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

people are boring (but you’re something else)

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Sarah S.

People are boring

But you’re something else completely

Damn, let’s take our chances

-Father John Misty in Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)

It’s finally here! The 2015 edition of the Spring Mix Tape. As you know, I create a mix tape (i.e. a 2-3 albums of curated music as well as handcrafted cover art) twice a year- once for spring and another for fall. I ask my friends to submit songs that remind them of that particular season then curate their great music into “albums.” The music is always excellent and always of a wide variety (my favorite part!). But the best experience for me is creating the cover art, which has also varied widely: from screen printed canvas to watercolor to this season’s piece: collage. In fact, this season’s cover may be my favorite. I enjoyed the free form of the collage process as well as the structure of creating a “booklet” that literally stands on its own.

Copies of the mix tapes are for participants only, but luckily for you, I’ve put together public Spotify playlists for everyone to enjoy. Here’s to new music, art making, and above all else, the great friends to who make it happen, year after year…!

Album #1: People Are Boring

Album #2: But You’re Something Else Completely

Album #3: Damn, Let’s Take Our Chances

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #29 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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otherwise known as ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Sarah S.

This is certainly going to be the first of many posts on the charming Dutch town, Den Bosch (aka ‘s-Hertogenbosch). After all, this medieval city is my “home base” for my next couple months in Europe! Not surprisingly, I’ve been battling jet lag for the last couple of days, so yesterday, I packed the day with events around the town to keep me moving. I visited the bibliotheek (the library) which included a sizable cafe and modern design, local shops including sweet vintage stores, the breathtaking gothic church of St. John, and the impressive Het Noordbrabants museum. Today, I plan on taking a bike ride through the beautiful Bossche Broek.

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #28 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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recycled packaging for my etsy shop

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Sarah S.

I love to shop. Especially online. As a result, I end up with (an embarrassing amount of) used packaging. Thankfully, I had enough foresight to save two years worth of packing material, so when it came time to develop the packaging for my new vintage clothing Etsy shop, The Gibbson Girl, I had lots to work with.

To me, using recycled packaging is an obvious choice: it’s free, I have lots of it, and it’s friendlier to the environment. Instead of spending money creating new branded packaging, I went to my local resale craft store (Pittsburgh Center for Create Reuse) and picked up vintage wall paper and library catalog cards. The result is unique branded packing material with homemade character.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I was hesitant to handwrite my package inserts. But just the other day I received an encouraging compliment: “Library catalog cards! And I love that these are handwritten. They feel…so authentic.” So there you have it. I’m sticking with inexpensive, easy to make, recycled packaging for my Etsy shop!

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #27 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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tulip speculation

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Sarah S.

Yesterday afternoon I arrived in Amsterdam, and to conquer jet lag, my sister and I headed straight from the airport to the tulip fields of Holland. The site of the rainbow fields is like nothing I’ve ever seen (and will ever see anywhere else). We rented bicycles and explored the fields in true Dutch style. Along the way we spotted majestic blue herons, unexpected head winds, charming thatch-roofed homes, and, of course, fields of colors that tilted and blinked like kaleidoscopes as we rode past.

The Keukenhof tulip gardens were also an impressive site in their own right. With heavy winds and morning rain, the crowds were thin but the tulips were aplenty. Last year, the tulips peaked in April, so I was grateful to soak up a true prize of Holland in May!

Tot ziens!

Sarah

p.s. Did you know: the speculation of the tulip market in in the 1630s led to the first recorded economic bubble? People were paying serious money to get their hands on a tulip…

This post is #26 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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creative hurricane

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Sarah S.

It’s only a handful of days before I leave for Europe, so it’s down the wire on a couple creative projects I’m trying to complete. The first is posting new items in my Etsy vintage clothing shop, The Gibbson Girl. I’ve finally photographed every last piece in my inventory, so it’s time to get them measured and up on the shop!

The second project is my annual Spring Mix Tape. For this iteration, I’m creating collaged booklets. The concept was fairly simple but the execution is slow going (but worth it!).

With just a few days left to finish this all up, wish me serious luck!

Cheers!

Sarah

This post is #25 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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