In the Field : Sara Lingenfelter

April 29, 2016April 29, 2016 by Katie | 7 Comments

This post was originally published on April 25th, 2014. We’re republishing it today because it’s Arbor Day! Get out there and hug a tree, but first, read about someone who’s doing some awesome work to help save the American Chestnuts.

As we mentioned on Monday, today we’re introducing a new column called In the Field, where we tag along with someone doing interesting work. In this post we’re talking to Sara Lingenfelter (formerly Fitzsimmons), the regional science coordinator for the Pennsylvania Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). I think I can speak for both Sarah (my sister) and myself when saying that having an excuse to search out and talk to someone like Sara is just the sort of reason why we started Seasoned. I couldn’t wait to learn more about TACF’s mission and current projects as well as Sara’s research and the day-to-day aspects of her job!

Given that today is Seasoned’s first Arbor Day, we couldn’t think of a better tree to talk about than the American chestnut, Castanea dentata. Depending upon your age, you may have heard your parents, grandparents, and/or great-grandparents talk about the majesty of the American chestnut. These trees are native to the forests of the Eastern US, where they were considered extremely important for their role within the ecosystem and as a valuable economic resource.

How To: Fill and Hang a Hummingbird Feeder

April 28, 2016September 23, 2017 by Sarah | 9 Comments

Here is the feeder I have & here’s one double the size. Katie has one similar to this (because she’s shmancy). These feeders are extremely easy to fill, hang and clean. The red color attracts hummingbirds, but not stinging insects – bees, wasps, hornets, etc can’t see red, but are attracted to yellow. BTW we love bees, just not near our hummingbird feeder.

It’s that time of year again 🙂 hang up those feeders, plant flowers to attract pollinating insects and watch your yard come alive with activity. We originally posted this just about a year ago, but thought it was a fun reminder – so here it is again.

I spotted my first hummingbird of the season yesterday, which means it’s time to hang up the feeder. This post is kind of a no-brainer, but who knows, maybe you’ve never hung up a hummingbird feeder? Maybe you didn’t even think of doing it until this post and then you were like DUH, I should totally hang up a hummingbird feeder. Is that you? Cool, keep reading.

Creative Corner : Artist Benjamin Gazsi

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 by Katie | 2 Comments

We’re republishing one of our favorite artist interviews today – originally posted on April 22, 2014.

Ben Gazsi is an artist who may be best known for his eco-sculptures, but before we delve into his work, let’s get one thing out of the way. Yes, his given name really is Benjamin Gazsi; it’s a Hungarian name, not a political statement related to incidents in the Libyan city. And get this, he’s not the only Ben Ghazi (different spelling intentional) to be asked such questions. So, on with the art then?

I discovered Ben’s work while preparing for our camping trip to Cooper’s Rock State Forrest. I knew that his bear sculpture was still standing and was excited to see it and take a few pictures while we were there. As luck would have it, Ben was in the forest working on his next installation for Cooper’s Rock: a turtle that is being unveiled today, Earth Day 2014! Of course I couldn’t pass up the chance to photograph his process and ask a few questions.

Winter Photography Tips

April 18, 2016July 31, 2017 by Sarah | Leave a comment

Sarah is a professional freelance photographer – she’s always sharing tutorials. Learn how to find flattering natural light for selfies and portraits or catch tips on photographing kids and pets. See what camera Katie shoots with or check out my favorite lenses.

We agree, it’s a little bit strange to talk about Winter Photography Tips in mid-April, but did you see all the snow that fell in Boulder this past weekend? It wouldn’t stop! With a house full of food and relatives and the fire on full blast, we enjoyed every second of the snow. We even made it outside for a hike up the mountainside. If you’re still enjoying wintery snowscapes, here are a few practice pieces of advice for photographing in the snow. Continue reading …

Two Bits

April 15, 2016June 17, 2016 by Sarah | Leave a comment

We want to break down these internet barriers and invite you into our lives and we’re hoping you’ll do the same. You are welcome to share a bit of your week or day in the comments, or if they’re better represented by a photo, tag us on instagram @liveseasoned.

Sarah here :

What a week! The weather here was so so, but it motivated me to get a bunch of work done before my trip to see Kate in Colorado next week. I spent long hours in the darkroom and in my home office, developing prints, paying taxes and getting everything squared away. Nothing too exciting. I did listen to some interesting podcasts that I’d like to share here. If you like the suggestions, I’ll keep them coming in future two bits posts.

Stuff You Should Know – How Makeup Works – Wow. This one was eyeopening! Did you know makeup hasn’t really been regulated since around 1938?! Insane! That was the real gem of this podcast, just knowing that we are all rubbing unregulated chemical concoctions into the largest organ on our body.. not good. Just like we were surprised to find out beaver castoreum is sometimes used in artificial vanilla flavoring, there are some pretty curious ingredients in common makeup products. Kate has taken a few mineral makeup classes and we’re hoping to share some of that information and a recipe or two in future here on the blog.

Stuff You Should Know – How Perfume Works – Not as disturbing as the makeup podcast, but equally informative, it was cool to hear what exactly goes into creating a perfume. I wanted to listen to this episode after Kate wrote the coolest post (in my opinion) on DIY perfume a few days ago. Check it out if you’re interested in making one of our custom scents, or maybe you have your own idea in mind?!

What else? We started the week reminiscing about a trip to Bali, Indonesia, shared our camera equipment mid-week and rounded it all out by talking about IUDs. Varied, but informative week here on Seasoned. Oh question, when learning new workouts and yoga sequences online, what do you prefer? Still images, videos, GIFs? We’d love to know. Happy weekend!

Sarah’s Mirena IUD experience

April 14, 2016November 9, 2018 by Sarah | 15 Comments

Coming at you with something pretty personal today, so if you’re a dude, or you don’t feel like hearing about birth control, this is your chance to tune out! We’re not trying to offend anyone so simply look away please, but be sure to visit us tomorrow 🙂

Hey ladies, I wanted to share a brief summary of my IUD (Intra-Uterine Device) experience here today. I had been contemplating writing this for a little over a week. I wasn’t sure if it was necessarily blog material, but really, what is blog material? What are all the things we avoid talking about because they’re not pretty and cute? So here I am, talking about my uterus on the internet. If this creeps you out or seems like TMI, I sincerely apologize. I think it’s important to talk about things that apply to half the population, hence our discussion about birth control here today.

Our Camera Equipment – Sarah’s Camera

April 13, 2016November 9, 2018 by Sarah | Leave a comment

We often get asked about the cameras we use to take pictures for the blog and our instagram account, so today we thought it would be fun to do a series of posts where we each talk about our equipment and how we use it. This won’t be a lesson in photography, rather just a discussion about what we use and why it’s worked for us.

Sarah here:

I use a Nikon D300s with 24-70mm f2.8 & a 35mm f2.

If I’m being honest, (which of course I’m always striving to be) I’m due for an upgrade. I’ve had this camera for over five years, but I truly love it so the years fly by and I keep clicking with this babe. The tricky thing about shooting with DSLR cameras is that the lenses are just as important (some would argue more important) than the camera body and the good lenses tend to cost more than the camera body itself, so it’s always a struggle, for a frugal freelancer like me.

Our Camera Equipment – Katie’s Camera

April 13, 2016November 9, 2018 by Katie | 1 Comment

Katie here :

I use the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7. And sometimes my iPhone 6s.

In the best of ways, I sort of fell into my camera. Calder gave it to me for a gift about five years ago (maybe longer!), and once I started using the LX7, I’ve never wanted anything else. Below I’m listing some of the selling points for me, together these may not seem worth the ticket price for this camera, but what I’ve left out is that this camera is just f’ing amazing for its size. It’s packed with features, and I’m only highlighting a handful.

DIY Fragrances

April 12, 2016January 16, 2018 by Katie | 12 Comments

Vanilla is our ingredient of the season. So far we’ve made some vanilla-infused vodka (great for milkshakes!), a double vanilla cake, and a savory roasted chicken with vanilla bean. And this is just one in a series of essential oil posts. Check out the rest here.

The idea of creating my own fragrance slowly developed over the past year or so after buying a vial of Victory Wolf. A few things about that purchase : a. it does smell just like a campfire! b. I would have never thought to create a fragrance that smells like smoke, but that inspired me to think outside of the “normal” perfume scents, c. I always thought that perfumes contained a bit of hocus pocus, and maybe they do, but with that purchase I realized that they can be just essential oils in a carrier oil.

This is our first foray into blending essential oils, so we are by no means experts, but happily, our three blends turned out beautifully and we’re excited to share them today. Throughout the post we provide links to a few resources we found helpful for learning about blending essential oils to create fragrances.

With vanilla as our ingredient of the season, we thought it would be the perfect base note to build upon while trying to create some DIY fragrances. Going into this project, my plan was to create three distinct scents: something minty/fresh, something floral, and something spicy & citrus.

Travel to Bali Indonesia

April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 by Sarah | 4 Comments

Back in 2012 I traveled to nine countries in Asia. I’m starting to share all my adventures under the travel section. Want a cheap and beautiful destination? Head to Laos. Still trying to save up to travel? Here are a few tips! Also, several images from Bali are for sale digitally here.

Happy Monday! Last week, I shared a Seasoned View of Bali because exactly four years ago that’s where my little feet landed. What a magical week! Before going to Bali, I balked at the idea. I had thought of Bali as one huge resort. That’s just the vibe I got from the few times I heard about it. Well, I was hella wrong. Yes, there’s a couple overcrowded and commercialized areas on the southern tip of Bali, but other than that the island is my definition of paradise. I only had a week to explore Bali, so I headed straight for the heart of it, Ubud, and what I experienced captivated me. I haven’t stopped thinking about Bali since. I can’t wait to go back and explore the entire island (especially the northern parts) by motorbike. One day, one day, these are what my daydreams are made of…

A nature-inspired lifestyle blog.

Monthly Archives: April 2016

In the Field : Sara Lingenfelter

This post was originally published on April 25th, 2014. We’re republishing it today because it’s Arbor Day! Get out there and hug a tree, but first, read about someone who’s doing some awesome work to help save the American Chestnuts.

How To: Fill and Hang a Hummingbird Feeder

Creative Corner : Artist Benjamin Gazsi

We’re republishing one of our favorite artist interviews today – originally posted on April 22, 2014.

Winter Photography Tips

Sarah is a professional freelance photographer – she’s always sharing tutorials. Learn how to find flattering natural light for selfies and portraits or catch tips on photographing kids and pets. See what camera Katie shoots with or check out my favorite lenses.

Two Bits

We want to break down these internet barriers and invite you into our lives and we’re hoping you’ll do the same. You are welcome to share a bit of your week or day in the comments, or if they’re better represented by a photo, tag us on instagram @liveseasoned.

Sarah here :

Sarah’s Mirena IUD experience

Coming at you with something pretty personal today, so if you’re a dude, or you don’t feel like hearing about birth control, this is your chance to tune out! We’re not trying to offend anyone so simply look away please, but be sure to visit us tomorrow 🙂

Our Camera Equipment – Sarah’s Camera

Sarah here:

Our Camera Equipment – Katie’s Camera

Katie here :

DIY Fragrances

Vanilla is our ingredient of the season. So far we’ve made some vanilla-infused vodka (great for milkshakes!), a double vanilla cake, and a savory roasted chicken with vanilla bean. And this is just one in a series of essential oil posts. Check out the rest here.

Travel to Bali Indonesia

Back in 2012 I traveled to nine countries in Asia. I’m starting to share all my adventures under the travel section. Want a cheap and beautiful destination? Head to Laos. Still trying to save up to travel? Here are a few tips! Also, several images from Bali are for sale digitally here.