All The White Horses - A Whimsical Christmas

Styling: Jana Roach, Vanessa Pleasants of The Vintage Whites Market,
www.vintagewhitesblog.com
Photography: Alicia Brown, www.aliciabrownphotography.com

Christmas is a magical time, especially in northwestern Montana when the snow is falling. Vanessa and I are both incredibly inspired by the colors and traditions surrounding the season, and we translated that into this bright and whimsical vintage Christmas shoot.

Carousel horses, painted white and glittered, adorned the table. Antique clocks ticked away in the tree, and sweet teddy bears kept us company as we ate. Candles flickered, and the smell of fresh juniper branches and spruce filled the air, rising from under our thick rope table runner. Our linens were wrapped with velvet bows to add warmth to the room. Vintage mismatched china in blue and gold create a warm Christmas tone for dinner. Blue is one of our favorite colors, especially for winter. We love a white winter wonderland, and blues add color without being too harsh or overpowering to a clean white palette. Nearly every Chirstmas, Vanessa decorates with some sort of blue in a house full of whites. This year, her Christmas is inspired by the vintage dishes she found, patterned with a very unique blue wheat print. While searching for vintage finds in a thrift store, Vanessa came across a carrousel horse and had a vision of one under a tree. That vision sparked the theme for the tablescape, and she later realized that the vision stemmed from the classic movie White Christmas, when the lead character opens a gift and inside is a beautiful white horse.

We used thick rope to create a runner that added great texture to the table. Simply trim a piece of cardboard to the length and width you want your runner to be, and hot glue rope strands to the cardboard until it is completely covered. You can vary your thickness if you want, but we love the look of thick rope in contrast with the soft, navy velvet bows.An old, painted dresser made a perfect buffet in the dining room. Since it is smaller than a buffet or hutch, it is the perfect match for a snug room. Store linens and silver in the drawers, and hang a wreath or garland on the mirror. Presents wrapped in craft paper, ruffled crepe paper, and velvet make for a beautiful landscape under the tree. Ribbon strung through an old watch adds a unique touch to the wrapping. Leaving bigger vintage toys unwrapped under the tree reminds us of the childlike joy and happiness of the season.

I’ve spent a majority of my winters in the northwest, which means plenty of cold weather and big winter coats. I remember the first year my family moved to Montana, we couldn’t see out of the windows because they were covered in snow. We had nine feet that year, and could sled off of our roof on to the thick piles of snow below. I can’t remember a Christmas where my parents didn’t do something special for us. They never start Christmas morning without a pot of coffee, thick pieces of bacon, or fluffy pancakes. For my brothers and I, this was torture because we had to wait until they were done eating before we could open presents. Everything was always wrapped in gorgeous coordinating colors, which inspired ideas for wrapping presents for this shoot. We always had a note from Santa hidden in the tree, and often one more surprise after all the gifts were unwrapped. I’m so thankful for the things my parents did to make Christmas special for my brother and I, and I am so excited to pass those things along to my kids one day.

Bringing the past to life with vintage touches made this shoot one of our favorites, and we were honored to use decorations that someone cherished years ago. Whether you’ve inherited or collected vintage over the years, recreate a Christmas from days gone by for a special holiday season! Wishing you and yours a merry Christmas from Vintage Whites!

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Where do I Want to Adventure to Next? — Mayank Thammalla

Why do you adventure / Why do you explore? I grew up in a small coastal town in New Zealand, exposed to nature and this has influenced me to always explore more of the natural world.  I had started to appreciate the outdoors more once I began to take photos about 7 years ago, so photography and adventure go hand in hand for me. Photography to me is a very therapeutic process. To be able to take away a framed memory of a certain place or moment comes with a certain privilege.

Why take risks in life? I think big strides forward can never be taken in the comfort zones of life.

Where are you from? Born: Hyderabad, India. Home: Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. Currently: London, UK.

What is your 9-5? Currently a Junior Architect working in London.

When you were growing up what or who did you want to be? I wanted to be astronomer. My grandmother bought me a telescope when I was 11 years old and I remember spending countless nights staring at the stars.

Favorite place you've visited? Very hard to answer because there are a few places that come to mind. Tongariro National Park in New Zealand is mind blowing. Iceland and the Faroe Islands were on the top of my bucket list and I finally visited a few months ago!

Place you most desperately want to visit? Northern Norway, Greenland and more of Iceland!

What is the single greatest moment of human humanity you've experienced while traveling? Traveling through India with my parents in 2014, my dad wanted us to experience some authentic modes of getting around Jaipur; one being the man powered rickshaw. I was very uncomfortable with the idea, even more so when the cyclist of our rickshaw changed in the last minute to an elderly gentleman who would have easily been around 65-70 years old. I shared the rickshaw with my mom who was also felling very uncomfortable. Throughout the 15-minute journey I was trying jump off and help him to push us along or to make him stop but I didn’t.  It still makes me teary thinking about it. My mom and I decided that this was wrong, but it was his only source of an income; she grabbed his hand and closed them with a few notes in it. He gave us the warmest and whole-hearted smile and hugged my mother.

What has changed about you because of your adventures/ travels? Slow down and be in the present – that moment will never come back! I used to tend to always let my mind wonder and think about yesterday or plan for tomorrow when not realizing that the best moment you have is right now (sounds cliché I know but it’s true). It wasn’t until I heard the whispers of the mountains or the deafening silence of the woods that really got my attention and created moments where I lost track of time…  Made me realize how beautiful and rare our time is on this planet. I feel, the more you pause and awake to the present, you will realize how great your life is.

Who is the most dynamic and thought-provoking person you've ever met? For me, not one person has been most dynamic or thought provoking. My family and my very small knit of friends are all dynamic in their own way who have all impacted and shaped my life.

If you could travel with one person in history or in present who would it be and why? My grandfathers. I never got to spend too much time with them and it would be amazing to hear all their stories and adventures while going on an epic hike!

Must haves for travel: Sketch book, camera, open mind.

Based on your travels what is the single most needed improvement for humanity to be stronger? Be patriotic towards Earth as a whole. Not just what is good towards your country.

What would you say to someone who has never travelled before? Give it a go, you won’t regret it!

What is the single greatest lesson you've learned from someone that is different than you? No one is you, and that is your greatest power.

When did you feel you were most out of your comfort zone? What did you learn from that lesson? Doing a TED Talk in 2017! I had absolutely no prior experience or confidence speaking in front of people, let along a large crowd. But with months of work and practice, anything can be achieved if you are well prepared!

What would you say to your former self? Be you… The world will adjust…

What gives you hope? I have always believed in the ‘good’ in people. There is ‘good’ in everyone, if they like it or not.

Where to next? Eastern Europe and Tromsø, Norway!

Is flannel always in season? Always (wearing one now)!

Learn more about Mayank’s travels and a glimpse at their life at her website and their Instagram account!

A Conversation with Brandi Carlile

Christmas in August and a Music Crush Confirmed (or…)

Christmas Comes Early: A Magazine Writer and the Story She Will Be Telling For Years.

Liza Turner || August 2012

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She had me at “Cormac McCarthy”… or maybe “Dolly Parton”...

Oh, who am I kidding? In the most awesome movie cliché moment of my life, Brandi Carlile had me at “Hello.”

In August, I took a long lunch break – one justified with adoring phrases illogically strewn together in nervous excitement: “I love this woman. She is going to call… ME. I hope I don’t say something utterly foolish. Do I refer to her as Ms. Carlile? Her voice [insert any platitude about angels singing and/or music to my ears].” – and decided to spend the few minutes prior to my phone interview just practicing breathing…and securing my cell phone, the one I misplace about four times each day, close by my side.

You see, Brandi Carlile and Tim and Phil Hanseroth’s 2012 homage to the Seattle dairy barn-converted-into-studio production site, Bear Creek, has been on repeat in my car for months. I have been a huge fan of this Washington singer-songwriter since 2007. That year her second album The Story was released, which includes some of my favorite songs:

“Turpentine,” “Have You Ever,” and the title track. Her voice, smooth and pure and yet rich and haunting at times, stirs me. Her storytelling, descriptive of emotions we all experience, but articulated in a rare combination of beauty, intelligence, and occasional playfulness, confirms her status among those songwriting icons whose influence is apparent in her work: Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash. Her fluid positioning somewhere at the intersection of outlaw country, folk, Americana, bluegrass, and rock allows for creativity in sound and style.

I first encountered her comfortable and inviting stage presence in January 2009, at the Brown Theater concert in Louisville. Brandi remembers this concert as well because the crowd stood, entirely engaged, for two hours. Brandi seems smart and funny and simply “real” even as she and the Hanseroth twins do something pretty amazing on a stage many feet away.

When the opportunity came to interview Brandi, I exchanged multiple emails with her incredibly helpful, entirely unpretentious, press team, which brought me to my kitchen table, awaiting a call from “my” Brandi Carlile.

And the call came. A month later, my best friend Melissa and I stood outside a post-show meet-and-greet room in the basement of Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom, giant peel-and-stick guest passes adorning the shirts we spent far too much time picking out, talking to one of my idols. August and September 2012 will go down as two of my favorite months of my adult life.

And thus, I share with you bits and pieces of those conversations. Although part of me wishes you could hear the warmth, genuineness, and really damn funny, but good-spirited, sarcasm in her irrefutably distinctive voice, I can’t lie; a bigger (and without a doubt, more childish) part of me likes keeping that all to myself.

Q. What is one song, from any genre/artist, you wish you had written?

A. “Hallelujah,” by Leonard Cohen

Q. If you could perform a duet with or write a song with anyone, who would it be?

A. Dolly Parton (perform), Bernie Taupin (write).

Q. Favorite venue? Cities you’re particularly excited to visit this tour?

A. Favorite – Red Rocks; Excited to play – Beacon Theater in New York

Q. Describe a typical day when you’re on the road A. Wake up, down two cups of coffee, go for a walk with my fiancé [now wife] go explore the city we’re in, do a sound check, have dinner with the band, take a shot of whiskey, play the show, meet and greet afterward, movie on the bus with the band before bed.

Q. What are you currently reading and/or who are some of your favorite authors?

A. The Bible; Favorites – Cormac McCarthy (Outer Dark), Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild; Into Thin Air), Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis; Love Wins).

Q. How do you take your coffee?

A. Black – straight up trucker style.

Q. Favorite room in your house?

A. I’m kitchen-obsessed and particularly drawn to reds. All of my favorite kitchen tools and supplies are red.

Q. Favorite piece of art or furniture in your home?

A. Photo of Paul McCartney, taken by Linda McCartney, and given to my fiancé; piano from around 1900 that one of my best friends’ family members gave to me when I was 17. Two things that have traveled everywhere with me: a horse and a piano.

Q. What is the “Looking Out Foundation” all about? Other social issues of importance to you?

A. Growing up, I was a “fan’s fan.” I would follow people only when I loved everything about them. They had to be an activist who stood up for values I believed in. People like the Indigo Girls and Elton John set the bar high. I thought “if I ever get there, I want to give back some of the blessings I’ve been given by having this job.” The Looking Out Foundation serves to promote civil rights, environmental awareness and women’s empowerment.

Q. Describe the perfect Christmas morning. Do you consider yourself a good gift-giver?

A. God, kids, family: Waking up at my house, with my family all around, snow outside, coffee spiked with a little Bailey’s Irish whiskey, kids running everywhere. I’m an over-the-top, far-beyond-my-means gift giver. If I hear my dad say he wants a snowmobile, that’s all I can think about all year.

Q. What are some things few people know about you, but that you don’t mind sharing with us?

A. 1) I love to be humble and pious, but I drink champagne like soda pop. 2) I don’t know how to open a bottle of champagne. 3) I love to be laughed with, but hate to be laughed at. 4) I have eight animals – two chickens, a horse named Sovereign, two cats named Lanie and Blue, a Doberman pincher named Bailey and two goats named Tim and Phil.

Q. If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?

A. Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Jr., Freddie Mercury. I’d also be in a band with all three.

Q. I’ve read that when growing up, you felt ostracized by some of those in the church community. What is your relationship with the church like today?

A. The church has been a stumbling block to LGBTQ rights and there seems to be a tragic misunderstanding between those voices. I have a lingering “bad taste in my mouth,” but I personally see no contradiction between sexual orientation and religion.

Q. How do you decide the artistic direction of your videos, websites, publicity photos, CD covers?

A. We’re [Brandi and the Hanseroth twins] are heavily involved with the storyline/plot of the videos. Grammy-winner, Michelle Holme (Columbia Records) plays an important role in designing CD covers. I don’t worry about photos too much as long as they look unaltered and honest.

Five Alternative Uses for Fruitcake

Truman Capote’s 1956 short story “A Christmas Memory” opens on a chilly, late November morning to a young boy’s surrogate mother looking out the kitchen window. Her breath fogs the pane and “Oh my,” she exclaims to him, “it’s fruitcake weather!"

BY: D. GILSON

I’ve been thinking about this boy and this woman a lot recently, as my own breath fogs the frosty mornings and the local food co-op in our New England town puts out its annual order forms for fruitcake, displayed carefully between menorah candles and commemorative winter solstice prayer cards.

My mother doesn’t bake. But lo-and-behold, every holiday season a fruitcake adorned the giant red sideboard next to our kitchen table. My mother and I would drive to the local Sam’s Club, grab Diet Cokes from the hot dog stand, peruse the aisles of colossal cheese and salami trays, gallon jugs of Jack Daniels, permafrost boxes of Hot Pockets and Pizza Rolls capable of feeding a small legion of junior high boys for the better part of a month. We’d end at the bakery, plop a shrink-wrapped, over-sized fruitcake into our cart, and make for home. Freshness isn’t an issue with fruitcake, the food that, along with Twinkies, may very well feed us in a post-nuclear apocalypse. 

Our fruitcake held court upon the vintage milk glass cake stand for a month or so, a month when we’d peck at it until New Year’s, when my mother would throw what remained in the backyard, where stray cats and birds would finish what we couldn’t.

Yes, it’s popular to hate on fruitcake. And though I don’t particularly like it — even the artisanal ones this site will inevitably link to, made by hipster bakers with pretty blogs and thick framed glasses smudged with organic, locally-sourced, hand-ground flour — I want to offer you five uses for fruitcake that don’t require eating them.

XO,

D.

Rise to social media stardom. Jesus is not the reason for the season, and Santa is drunk on a beach in Cancun. This leaves room for a new holiday star: you. Bake a fruitcake (or buy one, it doesn’t matter). Snap a picture of it next to your bare ass. Tag with #FruitCAKE. Drop to Insta, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit (even trolling, closeted Republicans need holiday eye candy). Watch your likes grow and your star rise, bringing many a wise man to lay in your manger.

Win the passive-aggressive winter Olympics. That racist cousin whose name you always draw for the family gift exchange? That co-worker who sends you “Long Live Lady Gaga” playlists on Spotify? That guy who gave you chlamydia junior year but is now married to a rich patron with a Lower East Side loft and cabin in Asheville? Yeah, fuck ‘em with kindness. Bake the driest fruitcake you can, wrap it in butcher paper, tie it with twine, add a sprig of spruce, and send it alongside the happiest holiday card you can muster. Up goes your karma count, no one can say you didn’t try, and hey, maybe your untouched fruitcake will draw rats to their well-appointed kitchen.

Plan a date. Tell your crush to bring dried fruit and the door will be open. Splay yourself upon the counter, covered with flour, eggs, butter…whatever else goes in a fruitcake. See what happens.

Throw a costume party. Invite every gay man and every woman you know to a Fruitcake Party. Dress: ho ho ho. Décor: low lighting. Drink: liquid fruitcake (orange zest, a cinnamon stick, but mostly gin). Distraction: Love Actually on loop. Don’t forget: carb and gluten free fruitcake bites and plenty of mistletoe.

Reconnect with your mother. You don’t call enough. You haven’t given her grandchildren. You live so far away in that city now. And yet, you are naturally her favorite. Spend an afternoon baking with your mother, margaritas in your cups and Dolly Parton on the stereo. Tell her about the boy who broke your heart last month. Let her tell you he wasn’t good enough anyway.

D. Gilson is the author of I Will Say This Exactly One Time: Essays (Sibling Rivalry, 2015) and Crush with Will Stockton (Punctum Books, 2014). He is an Assistant Professor of English at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and his work has appeared in Threepenny Review, PANK, The Indiana Review, The Rumpus, and as a notable essay in Best American Essays. Find D. at dgilson.com or on Instagram @dgilson.

Common Thread

 

COMMON THREADS

AN ESSAY BY MELISSA MCARDLE 

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Her hands work effortlessly as she turns a skein of yarn into an afghan her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will warm themselves with on countless occasions…a piece of crafted art, a piece of her, a blanket filled with love and memories of the selfless woman who gave her everything for her family. Whenever a loving couple commits to happily ever after, a birth is announced, or a home is new to cherish, she creates an afghan for that occasion, a keepsake that becomes an instant heirloom in our hearts and homes. It is the one gift we all look forward to receiving, and when she requests the colors of our desire, we choose with thoughtful consideration. A colorful spectrum of soft woolen fiber fills the homes of her descendents, linking us together by one common thread, her loving handiwork, her patterns...a compilation of comfort in every loop, knot and row.

The winter months are when I dust off my needles and sort through the bag of yarns, easing my fingers back into the practice of knitting. It’s a hobby which remains dormant in the sun-filled months, yet tends to warm my heart during the long dark chilled evenings of the crisper seasons. My grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet, both skills I hold dear; a family-tree connection that I am beginning to pass down to my little girl. Recalling the early days, when I was eager to learn and dreamed of being creative like my grandmother; patiently, she watched as my unskilled fingers tried over and over to grasp the yarn and produce an outcome beyond a tangled mess of string. Rhythmic movements of her hands in complete synchronicity, forming a pattern, creating a comforting gift, she could have done it all with her eyes closed. Now that I’m older, I believe I understand why she enjoys this method of crafting: One’s thoughts tend to wander in a peaceful state as the rhythm unfolds and the final outcome of the creative consistency is a practical gift filled with joy and love. Whether I’m practicing my own handwork or wrapped up in one of her gifted afghans, I am reminded of her – warm, loving and safe, an endearing way to carry her with me forever and always.

True Country

ESSAY BY: BLAKE PACK

When people dream of living in the country, I imagine they don't give much thought to the flies, pollen, grain chaff, and heat; the smell, wind, or dust. Growing up, the five-hundred head of livestock we owned consumed several tons of grain, hay, and corn each day; Let's just say not all of our dust was made of dirt. I don't know how the West was won, but I can imagine it probably conquered a few indomitable wills along the way.

I worked with these cattle in these conditions and I couldn't fathom thatthis land, this plain, was someone's romanticized dream of country life. I hated the work most. You couldn't escape the filthy combination of dust and grime, of animal and earth. When Grandpa said to be at the barn by seven, he didn't mean 0700, you were expected be there at 6:45 A.M. The cows wouldn't milk themselves at four in the morning, nor would the grain irrigate itself. The calves had to be fed, and the horses caught, all before nine if we were going to get to horse breaking.

I will admit the chore of breaking mostly fell to my Grandpa and father, but my brother and I had the privilege of holding the ropes as the colts kicked up the aforementioned dust. After several days of this repetition, the time came for my brother and me to run the horses like we were being chased by hellfire. It will never fail to amaze me how a colt in full sprint can reach back and bite his rider's shin without ever breaking stride.

I won't say it didn't have its rewards. We had our fair share of trips to the Palisades and Grand Tetons. Even if the trips required a wake-up call at five in the morning to catch horses, pack saddles, and load trailers. Six butts crammed into an extended cab '88 Chevy Dually for a two-hour drive, it wasn't ideal but it was all about the destination.

After several hours of riding, in these watercolor landscapes usually right about the time the pain from the saddle fell numb we'd return to the truck and, in reverse order, undo all the work of saddling the horses, repack, cram our butts back into the truck, and return home. Only this time, we'd stop by the first gas station we met where Dad would buy us whatever treat we wanted. At the end of our drive we'd drop the cousins and uncles off at their homes, leaving the work of unpacking to my brother, father, and me. Only when we had unpacked the horse trailer could we waddle home with our saddle-sore thighs and crawl into bed; Just to repeat it all the next day.

When people dream of living in the country, I don't imagine them giving much thought to the work and sweat that goes with a true country life, but that's just what I'll never forget.

Ashley Sullivan | In Her Own Words

ASHLEY SULLIVAN

IN HER OWN WORDS

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I grew up in Maryland, a sort of grounded daydreamer. I have always been creative, so I decided that I would study interior design. In school I learned a lot about the foundations of design, processes, and shaping space. I have always drawn inspiration from the seasons, natural light, textures—and their contrast. I love linens and silks, birch bark, flower petals, worn cobblestones...anything I can find pattern and texture in inspires me.

I started a blog five years ago as a creative outlet for my design and began experimenting more with photography. I spent time developing my technical and composition skills and finding my own style. Today I specialize in food, still life, and travel photography.

I've always been filled with a global curiosity, and I feel most alive when traveling and exploring the world. I'm fascinated by foreign cultures and traditions and how people live. The details and textures that can be found while traveling are amazingly intricate, if you take the time to notice. I use these details like puzzle pieces in my design, each one an important element in the final product.

My husband, our bulldog Kane, and I recently relocated to Minneapolis. We're thrilled about the adventure, and although the winters are a lot to bear, there is a vibrancy to the culture here. I've made some great friends in the creative community, and am energized by the maker spirit. I started a series on my blog about Minnesota makers with trades like glassblowing, leather-working, woodworking, and painting. There are many fantastic goods that are made right here in our community, and I love sharing their stories.

In addition to having a deep passion for travel, I have a great yearning for the calm life at home. Slow mornings with coffee and a good book or sunny afternoons with an open bottle of wine. I love throwing on Frank Sinatra and creating a meal with my husband...these are the moments that make up our lives, and I think being intentional about how we spend our moments is truly important.

— www.ashley-sullivan.com