Mint

Alison, from This Homemade Life, is a woman after my own heart. She makes everything from scratch, even butter. But what I love most about her is the way she brings her boys into the kitchen. They’re usually standing next to her, rolling out the dough or picking fresh veggies from the garden. And sometimes cute little boy hands sneak their way into the pictures. When I grow up and become a momma, I want to be like Alison.
—Melissa

What is your best memory in the kitchen?
Last summer we planted one of our largest gardens to date. Walking out the back door, picking our own food and preparing it for a meal was a very fulfilling experience. My boys became more adventurous in trying new flavors simply because we had grown them in our backyard. We made so many memorable meals together.

Whats the best thing about your kitchen?
I love two things about our kitchen; the large blackboard where we write our calendar for the week and the harvest table my dad built for us. Our household pretty much revolves around those two things.

What is your favorite meal to prepare?  
I’d have to say grilled pizza, not very fancy I know, but my boys always jump in to help and I love that kind of time together, preparing a meal and talking about our day. Along with a big bowl of salad greens from our garden it’s just about a perfect meal.

What does your dream kitchen look like?  
It would have large windows bringing in lots of natural light and plenty of room to gather family and friends around the table.

What 3 guests would you like to have around your dinner table?  
Penny De Los Santos, Annie Griffins Belt and Michael Pollan

Bryan Nash Gill grew up on a farm in Connecticut, so it’s no surprise that his artwork explores the tree-filled environment in which he was raised. Each print in this beautiful book, Woodcut, is printed by hand, sometimes with the help of a spoon to press the ink into the paper.

Gill starts by cutting trees until he finds a cross-section that is of interest, then sands, burns, and seals the wood. Although he creates an edition of 10 or 15 prints from the block, each one is unique depending on the pressure applied during the printing process, and changes to the block of wood over time (Gill prints editions over months or years, rather than all at once). “To print a tree is another way of memorializing it. Perhaps I’m in the business of memorializing trees.”

Thanks to Princeton Architectural Press for providing a review copy.

—Ellie

I’ve been searching for the perfect one-piece swimsuit to wear to a friend’s engagement party. These are some of my favorite finds so far.

arvette maillot / rosartio one-piece / crimson crossed maillot / skinny-stripe bow underwire tank / isometric maillot / sweetheart patchwork maillot / sketchplaid tanksuit

—Bethany

Matthew Brannon is known for his simple, illustrated screen prints and letterpress prints of silhouetted everyday objects. But today, the color scheme in this 2011 installation has my attention. You can read an interview with Brannon on Art in America, and the New York Times as an interesting article about the intersection of art, poetry, and advertising in Brannon’s work.

—Ellie

I love Italian artist Giorgio Griffa’s acrylic on canvas works, represented by Casey Kaplan in New York.

—Ellie