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{thirsty thursday – beer journal #1}

i enjoy eating and drinking seasonally…

for example, you’ll hardly catch me eating asparagus in the fall or winter. and on the same side of that coin, you’ll hardly catch me drinking a porter in the spring or summer. i like having foods and beverages to look forward each season. it feels fun and better overall for me and my lifestyle to eat and drink foods that are in season, and drink beverages that blend well with each season.

in the summer – i prefer to drink ales, lagers, and IPAs.

here are some recent beers i’ve tried that go well with the season.

a classic all-time fav

a clean northwest style lager

i’m a fan of this one because i love galaxy hops

love this bright pale ale with hints of ginger

citric pale ale with hints of kaffir lime

easy drinking golden ale perfect for summer

another fav of mine though i tend to drink it more in spring

highly complex flavour profile in this unique APA

Tags: adult beverages, beer, beer journal, blogging, drinks, foodandfoto, foodnfoto, fun, ilovebeer, libations, lifestyle, local beer, microbrew, summer, thirsty thursday, thursdays

Comments 1 Comment
Categories beer, blogging, fun, lifestyle, the food, whatever

{DIY bath soak – with himalayan pink salt!}

4 Dec

i love a good soak in the tub!

… it’s so relaxing and comforting. i especially love to enjoy a hot bath when i have sore muscles or if i want to fight off icky feelings possibly related to a cold or germs, or LIFE, etc. i make time to enjoy a hot bath at least once a week, but i prefer to do it twice a week. it’s a crucial part of my self-care routine, and one i look forward to enjoying as frequently as possible.

i’ve been making my own bath soak for a while now. i choose to use himalayan pink salt because it is extremely mineral-rich. sometimes i add in epsom salts or magnesium salts for additional benefits.

soaking for about 20 minutes in a rich salt bath has many rewards. of course, it’s very relaxing but it’s also detoxifying and soothing to both the nerves and the skin.

i like to play around with different ingredient mixtures depending on the season or how i am feeling. sometimes i will make an oatmeal bath for extra moisturizing.

it’s very simple and easy to make your own bath soak, and you can get creative with the ingredients. there are a lot of different recipes out there, but this is my favourite go-to that i’ve been making for quite some time now.

——

2 cups himalayan pink salt
1/2 cup baking soda
8-10 drops lavender essential oil
2-3 drops vetiver essential oil

optional ingredients :

ginger powder (for detoxification)
dried lavender (for relaxation)
dried flowers
dried sage

Continue reading →

Tags: at home, audrey michelle, bath salts, bath soak, DIY, DIY bath soak, do it yourself, easy, fotographer, fotography, homemade, lifestyle, photographer, photography, relax, simple

Comments 1 Comment
Categories audrey michelle, beauty, blogging, crafts, DIY, lifestyle, photography, projects

{season’s first snowfall on the tiny house}

14 Nov

… at least it came a month later than last year!

Tags: audrey michelle, blogging, colorado, food and foto, iphoneography, life, lifestyle, minimalist lifestyle, mountain homes, mountain life, mountains, nature, nature photography, photography, seasons, snow, tiny home, tiny house, weekends, western slope, winter

Comments 8 Comments
Categories blogging, colorado, editorial, life, mountains, photography, tiny home, tiny house, whatever

{tiny tuesday : TH2 Update – days 9 and 10}

1 Jul

TH2 – wrapped!

the interior begins…

the owner of TH2, matt, seems to have great taste in appliances!!!!

it’s coming together!!

———

click here to see day one and two

click here to see day three and four

click here to see day five and six

click here to see day seven and eight

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL GALLERY

Tags: building, building projects, colorado, construction, legacy homes, legacy homes of aspen, lifestyle, mountain homes, mountain living, mountains, photography, pictures, TH2, tiny home, tiny house, tiny house movement, updates

Comments 2 Comments
Categories blogging, colorado, life, photography, tiny home, tiny house

{tiny tuesday : TH2 update}

24 Jun

DAY SEVEN :

TH2 : day seven

the view from my backyard…

wood and windows and walls – oh my!

———
DAY EIGHT :

i just love all the lines and stripes going on here…

TH2

sun sets on day eight..

click here to see day one & two

click here to see day three and four

click here to see day five and six

Tags: building, colorado, construction, editorial photography, legacy homes, legacy homes of aspen, lifestyle, minimalist, minimalist living, mountains, photography, simple, TH2, the tiny life, tiny home, tiny home movement, tiny house, tiny tuesday, updates

Comments 1 Comment
Categories blogging, colorado, photography, tiny home, tiny house

{tiny tuesday : TH2 update}

10 Jun

the house is coming along nicely. it looks really cute and i can’t wait to see it when it’s complete. watching it being built has me dreaming of having my own actual mobile tiny house someday… and i hope to make that happen!

for now, i am enjoying living in this great tiny home and watching one being built right next door – pretty sweet stuff!

here are some more fotos of the project, still currently underway…

———

DAY FIVE

another day on site…

hard at work…

quite literally “men at work” …

😉

first wall goes up…

first wall is UP!

end of day five…

by the way, later that day… this happened :

{that’s hail!}

i couldn’t run out to grab a foto of the tiny house because that would be crazy, so this will have to suffice 😉

———

DAY SIX:

day six… walls all over the place!

click here to see day one & two

click here to see day three and four

Tags: blogging, building, colorado, construction, cool, fun, legacy homes, legacy homes of aspen, life, lifestyle, photography, TH2, tiny home, tiny house, tiny house movement, updates

Comments 4 Comments
Categories colorado, photography, tiny home, tiny house

{tiny tuesday : TH2 update}

20 May

just an update on TH2 : the tiny house project by legacy homes. {which also happens to be my new next-door-neighbour…}

DAY THREE :

{the view from the back of MY tiny home…}

{see it?!}

😉

getting creative with craftsman…

{setting the foundation…}

{TH2}

{end of day three}

———

DAY FOUR

{boss is on the site}

{perfect building weather}

{boards and beams}

{“stand here while i do this…”}

{foundation initiated}

{end of day four}

click here to see day one and two

Tags: building, colorado, construction, editorial photography, legacy homes, lifestyle, mountain life, mountains, photography, TH2, tiny home, tiny house, tiny tuesday, update

Comments 5 Comments
Categories colorado, life, photography, the foto, tiny home, tiny house

{TH2 – a new tiny house project!}

13 May

so – as it turns out, the owner/builder of my awesome tiny home has recently begun a new project for another soon-to-be tiny house dweller seeking a life less ordinary. of course, i asked if i could fotograph the process {and thank goodness my new “neighbour” is totally cool with that}.

i’ll do my best to update as time goes on… thankfully when i saw the big trailer pull up with this old unit on it, i was home and had free time, and i immediately ran to grab a camera.

this platform will be cut in half… and although the new tiny house {which we are referring to as “TH2”} will be half the size of this, it will still be twice the size of my home… so approximately 300-400 square feet.

i had never really fotographed the decay of a building before… and i gotta say, i kinda loved it. i can’t really explain why – but some of these images are so interesting to me… maybe the contrast of colour and exposed walls or floors… i don’t know. but there is something about “urban decay” i’ve always been somehow attracted to as an artist.

here are some recent fotos of the project from the beginning…

———

DAY ONE – deconstruction

oh, hi.

plenty of material was recycled – yay!

———

DAY TWO – deconstruction

stay tuned next week for pictures of the beginning of the actual construction!

Tags: blogging, building, colorado, construction, food and foto, life, lifestyle, minimalist, minimalist living, photography, photos, rocky mountains, TH2, the tiny life, tiny home, tiny house, tiny tuesday

Comments 9 Comments
Categories colorado, life, photography, tiny home, tiny house

{tiny tuesday : a tour inside my tiny home}

15 Apr

it’s been far too long since i posted an update on my tiny home… like, four months too long! 😉

it really amazes me how much this “movement” has taken off!

i’ve made quite a few changes around the tiny home, and i’m rather happy with the way things look, now… i feel like it’s finally coming together. my next project is working on the upstairs bedroom/loft area… i need to maximize space and upgrade the whole “college dorm room” feel currently happening… 😉

upon entering my tiny home, you first see my personalized dresser from the target closetmaid collection… it’s actually two pieces stacked on top of each other, and i’ve managed to fit most of my clothing inside! just to the left of the dresser, i keep the ladder to my loft propped against the wall. as you may recall, this attaches to that black beam for easy access to the loft, and quick removal when not in use!

on the right is the kitchen table, which is where my desk used to be. i just felt like it opened up the house more with the setup this way… Continue reading →

Tags: audrey michelle, colorado, food and foto, lifestyle, minimalist life, minimalist living, mountains, simple, small house, small houses, tiny home, tiny house, tiny house movement, viking, viking range

Comments 43 Comments
Categories the food

{things i’m loving right now – bath sand}

12 Apr

this was a christmas gift from my awesome landlord/neighbour and i’ve been super enjoying it during this ~~winter and spring~~ longest season ever.

it’s been so relentlessly cold here… dark, cold, snowy, damp… did i mention cold?

nothing warms my bones like a hot salt bath. we all know how much i luuuurrve himalayan pink salt, and i do sometimes throw it in my warm bath water. but since i have had these wonderful {hand-made} bath sand satchels, i have been using them to soak in lots of healing from the powerful dead sea salts and essential oils these adorable packages are filled with.

i just love salt; it has amazing healing properties in so many ways.

sometimes nothing will comfort me like a hot salt bath. to detox the skin, the body, the pores, the aches and pains… and what i love about these great little packages is how my skin feels when i leave the water… so super soft and smooth, and smelly-good, too! 😉 ❤

Tags: artisan, bath salts, bath sand, colorado, gifts, homemade, life, lifestyle, local, photography, product photography, products, relaxing, whatever, whatever wednesday

Comments 12 Comments
Categories the food

{a community post : who is my “health hero” – and please don’t think i’m egotistical}

24 Mar

how is everyone doing? i hope your week is off to a beautiful start. i have been feeling SO GOOD with the change in seasons rapidly approaching, and the evening light sticking around longer. i just feel so much better when spring gets here. i do believe i sometimes feel “SAD” – you know, “Seasonal Affective Disorder” – that is a definite real thing. it was so dark and cold this winter {especially for colorado} and i struggled on some days to even get out of bed.

i received an email recently, asking if i wanted to participate in a new campaign on a new site that is dedicated to offering simple information regarding all things health-related. i tend to be a little hesitant with stuff like that, but after researching the company, i realized that it falls in line with my own values and so i was happy to connect with them.

american recall center is running a campaign titled “who is your health hero?” and i’ve been asked to write a post about just that. so, here we go…

———

this is where the second part of my blogpost title comes in – i am my own health hero.

Continue reading →

Tags: american recall center, blogging, community, eating, food, health, health hero, healthy, lifestyle, organics, thoughts, writing

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories the food, the foodie, writing

{thirsty thursday – “snapshot”}

27 Feb

this doesn’t really need words… right?!

*click click*

*glug glug*

it’s like, the beer for fotographers.

and it is soooooo good!!! 😀

Tags: beer, blogging, drinks, food and foto, food photography, fun, life, lifestyle, new belgium, new belgium brewery, photography, seasonal, seasonal beers, snapshot, thirsty thursday

Comments 5 Comments
Categories the food

{tiny-home tuesday : the interior}

17 Sep

last week i introduced you to the cutest tiny-home ever.

this delightful minimalist house isn’t quite complete – a few final touches are still in the works from the amazing builder… but as promised, here are some fotos of the interior. and i will share more soon, and even more down the road… when it’s fully complete and decorated inside!

🙂

—

the front door opens into a small foyer with shelving to the left and a place to hang coats, etc.

ladder to sleeping loft is removable…

main living space – to the right is a window and a kitchen table… Continue reading →

Tags: audrey michelle, blogging, colorado, cool, life, lifestyle, mini home, minimal living, minimalist, mountain living, mountains, rocky mountains, simple, simple life, tiny house, tiny tuesday, western slope

Comments 9 Comments
Categories the foto

{foto friday – minimalist lifestyle : the cutest tiny home ever.}

13 Sep

i love a minimalist lifestyle.

ever since i sold all my stuff and moved to NYC in 2008, the idea of a minimalist lifestyle started to appeal to me more and more. as years have progressed, i’ve found myself actually downsizing even more. it’s very liberating to be able to fit everything you own into a 5-piece suitcase set and the back of your subaru.

🙂

i’ll have a story to tell soon behind this little house… for now, i just want to share the fotos of where i stayed on vacation last weekend on the beautiful western slope of the rocky mountains. this home sits on private property with the roaring hills steps away, as its backyard. i am not certain of the square footage, but it i’m guessing it’s around 300, including the loft. the living space is maybe 200 square-feet? but it is so well-designed, one still feels open within the space. plus, all you have to do is open the door and you’re in the biggest open-space ever… 😀

i just fell in love with this place.

how could you not?!

complete with patio and furniture, outside heater… Continue reading →

Tags: audrey michelle, blogging, colorado, fotography, houses, life, lifestyle, living, mini home, minimal living, minimalist, minimalist lifestyle, mountain homes, mountain living, mountains, moving, photography, photos, roaring fork, simple living, tiny house, western slope

Comments 13 Comments
Categories the foto

{adult tea parties : way better than when you were a kid!}

3 Sep

just be aware : this post is very foto-heavy! 🙂

hope you had a nice holiday weekend! welcome september!!

———

so, i had a little tea party with some girlfriends last week… and it was just so charming…

my favourite quote from the day was from my friend mary who said, “i didn’t even know that could happen!” i also overheard my friend noel say, “this is WAY better than when you were a kid!”

😉

it truly was a magical day! and my camera was there to document the entire event. the guest of honour?! my mom :

judi.

a few months ago, while unpacking some storage stuff, i found this beautiful china set – almost completely intact. as it turns out, it was my mama’s. i had been keeping it stored with her stuff ever since she passed away. now 20 years later, i decided to dust if off, sparkle it up, and honour her life by having a party for her on her birthday – august 21st.

she would’ve been 60 years old!

Continue reading →