I'm taking care of the girls by myself as Ted has been in Chicago all week, so posts are appearing a little later than usual. Our apartment looks like a toy box exploded and our kitchen is piled high with dishes. I have to let these things go a little and snap them back to attention when the two little ones are slumbering. Of course then an hour into the next day everything is back out again ... sigh.
Interior design:
I love Dwell Studio's bedding and baby clothes and now that they are opening their flagship store on Wooster street in Soho tomorrow I'm going to have trouble not running down there during my lunch break. If I did I'd be unable to resist this lemon zebra pillow.
I liked this post today by Paloma over at La Dolce Vita about rules for your living room. She features photographs of several beautiful formal living rooms and talks about what is and isn't realistic about each room.
Fashion/style:
As usual, A Beautiful Mess has a huge giveaway for May. Their last giveaway inspired me to take my photography class at Bella Pop. Wonder what this one will do? You could win a prize package valued at over $1000! From bags to jewelry to gift cards, it's definitely one that I'm entering.
I want this red and white striped infinity neck scarf from Nurlu on Etsy. I think it would be perfect for a breezy summer evening or a chilly autumn day. Found via Swissmiss today.
Food:
I don't know about you, but I've never used my broiler. In fact, I'm not even sure where it is in my oven. Is it the drawer underneath or is it just the bottom level of the oven? Kate at From Me to You has inspired me to give it a try (once I find the bloody thing) with her recipe for Broiled Salmon and Asparagus with Feta.
Erin at The Forest Feast has wooed me again with a memorial day bbq meal including a Cauliflower Fennel Salad, two ingredients that I'm really into at the moment. I bet these two taste amazing together.
Curator Picks - 5/30
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Our air conditioning chose last night to die and I had to fling open the windows and let in whatever tiny gust of air there was out there. At 25 floors up we get a nice breeze coming off the East River, but it merely skirts the window and taunts us from outside. Luckily there was a large storm brewing (which also made Manhattanhenge a bust for me anyway) and that took some of the heat away.
Food:
And this right here is why I need an ice cream maker. I've resisted for so long because the last thing I need is another appliance cluttering my one square foot of kitchen counter space. Thanks to Hello Giggles and this insane recipe for Vegan Coconut Green Tea Ice Cream I just might be changing my mind.
Caitlin at Roost does it again with a gorgeous post on tacos, avocado shooters, and get this...watermelon mojito pops!! I want to live in Alabama and be her best friend. Everything in this post is raw and doesn't require you turning on the oven (which is always a good thing when your air conditioning decides to break).
Fashion/Style:
Big giveaway today at Cup of Jo for a $500 shopping spree at Beso if you create your own collection at Beso and then link to it in the comments of Jo's website. It really only takes a minute or two to create the collection and you have five days to enter.
Camilla at Effortless Style featured some really cute ballerina flats today. I want a pair!
I loved Mrs Lilien's feature today on Mrs. Fifty (of Fifty Shades of Grey fame). She has assembled all of the grey items that Ana would need. So clever!
Interior design:
Giveaway at I Heart Organizing of cute modern office supplies from Poppin.
Remember that Things I'm Afraid to Tell You movement that has been sweeping the blog world? I posted about it here. Well it was recently featured on the Huffington Post, and in honor of that, Jess at Makeunder My Life is doing a giveaway of one of her beautiful custom Be Brave prints which is totally in the same spirit as the movement. You have to leave a comment on her blog with something you've been afraid to tell the web before now. The comments are interesting, funny, and heartbreaking to read.
Food:
And this right here is why I need an ice cream maker. I've resisted for so long because the last thing I need is another appliance cluttering my one square foot of kitchen counter space. Thanks to Hello Giggles and this insane recipe for Vegan Coconut Green Tea Ice Cream I just might be changing my mind.
Caitlin at Roost does it again with a gorgeous post on tacos, avocado shooters, and get this...watermelon mojito pops!! I want to live in Alabama and be her best friend. Everything in this post is raw and doesn't require you turning on the oven (which is always a good thing when your air conditioning decides to break).
Fashion/Style:
Big giveaway today at Cup of Jo for a $500 shopping spree at Beso if you create your own collection at Beso and then link to it in the comments of Jo's website. It really only takes a minute or two to create the collection and you have five days to enter.
Camilla at Effortless Style featured some really cute ballerina flats today. I want a pair!
I loved Mrs Lilien's feature today on Mrs. Fifty (of Fifty Shades of Grey fame). She has assembled all of the grey items that Ana would need. So clever!
Interior design:
Giveaway at I Heart Organizing of cute modern office supplies from Poppin.
Remember that Things I'm Afraid to Tell You movement that has been sweeping the blog world? I posted about it here. Well it was recently featured on the Huffington Post, and in honor of that, Jess at Makeunder My Life is doing a giveaway of one of her beautiful custom Be Brave prints which is totally in the same spirit as the movement. You have to leave a comment on her blog with something you've been afraid to tell the web before now. The comments are interesting, funny, and heartbreaking to read.
Curator Picks - 5/29
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
So every year around this time I roll in to work, go online and realize that I missed Manhattanhenge yet again! But this will not happen to me this year. I swear it! Manhattanhenge is when the setting sun lines up with the Manhattan's street grid and shines a perfect line of light through the cross streets. The sun is only in this position twice a year (tonight and July 12th). Best spots to view it are on 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, and 57th streets (place yourself as far east as possible). It tends to attract quite a crowd. I love my idol Neil deGrasse Tyson's musings on what archaeologists of the future will think about Manhattan's gridlike layout when the city is dug up centuries from now. Thanks to Marie at 66 Square Feet for the reminder.
Fashion/style:
Loved this article today titled The Hunter and the Gatherer on Style.com about boyfriend/girlfriend powerhouse fashion bloggers Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist and Garance Dore.
Cup of Jo has a cute one-piece swimsuit lineup today.
Food:
I always try to think ahead for holiday baking and this Salted Caramel Roast Nut Tart from Adventures in Cooking caught my eye today as a cool riff on the usual pecan pie for Thanksgiving. I love this recipe too cause it gives gluten free options. But who says you have to wait until Thanksgiving?
Cookie dough with no eggs? Now you don't have to feel guilty about eating that raw cookie dough. Bakerella has posted a great recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough (originally from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook - coming out June 5).
It's tomato time again and while I won't be turning on my oven if I can help it this week, I'd still like to try out some of these oven-roasted tomatoes via David Lebovitz.
Interior design:
I'm going to have to send my London-based sister to check out Atea Oceanie, a new interior design shop with a South Pacific theme recently opened by New Zealander Laura Meyer. Featured in Remodelista's Shopper's Diary today, the store looks like an amazing mix of handmade crafts and older antiques.
I had a beautiful weekend filled with plenty of family time. The highlight had to be a six hour picnic in Central Park on Monday. The Great Lawn was packed with groups of friends eating, sleeping, and reading. The group I was with had several children and they ran through the grass for hours, weaving their way through the picnic blankets with amazing precision. Collapsing at home at 9pm last night, I was immensely grateful for my life, where I get to spend it, and who I'm spending it with.
Fashion/style:
Loved this article today titled The Hunter and the Gatherer on Style.com about boyfriend/girlfriend powerhouse fashion bloggers Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist and Garance Dore.
Cup of Jo has a cute one-piece swimsuit lineup today.
Food:
I always try to think ahead for holiday baking and this Salted Caramel Roast Nut Tart from Adventures in Cooking caught my eye today as a cool riff on the usual pecan pie for Thanksgiving. I love this recipe too cause it gives gluten free options. But who says you have to wait until Thanksgiving?
Cookie dough with no eggs? Now you don't have to feel guilty about eating that raw cookie dough. Bakerella has posted a great recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough (originally from The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook - coming out June 5).
It's tomato time again and while I won't be turning on my oven if I can help it this week, I'd still like to try out some of these oven-roasted tomatoes via David Lebovitz.
Interior design:
I'm going to have to send my London-based sister to check out Atea Oceanie, a new interior design shop with a South Pacific theme recently opened by New Zealander Laura Meyer. Featured in Remodelista's Shopper's Diary today, the store looks like an amazing mix of handmade crafts and older antiques.
I had a beautiful weekend filled with plenty of family time. The highlight had to be a six hour picnic in Central Park on Monday. The Great Lawn was packed with groups of friends eating, sleeping, and reading. The group I was with had several children and they ran through the grass for hours, weaving their way through the picnic blankets with amazing precision. Collapsing at home at 9pm last night, I was immensely grateful for my life, where I get to spend it, and who I'm spending it with.
Curator Picks - holiday weekend edition
Friday, May 25, 2012
Hi all, hope you're gearing up for a nice holiday weekend (if you're in the US). Yayyy for the weekend! I'm sticking close to home and hoping to spend some time in Central Park with my family. Just a few quick picks for you today:
Fashion/Style:
Check out this awesome map print of Paris by Nichole at Little Brown Pen. Absolutely gorgeous.
I don't think my photography class is going to deal with color correcting. I'm going to take some tips from this Apartment Therapy post instead.
Also check out Apartment Therapy today for some pretty Kindle cases!
Food:
Luisa at The Wednesday Chef is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her first son. In an attempt to help her anemia she has posted a burger recipe ... looks refreshingly simple and I might try it this weekend.
This doesn't count as food, but she's a food blogger so I'm putting it here. Joy the Baker wrote a beautiful post on all that she's learned in her 30 years. I like the tip about no one keeping secrets, it's so true! Except maybe my sisters.
That's it - see you back here next week :)
Fashion/Style:
Check out this awesome map print of Paris by Nichole at Little Brown Pen. Absolutely gorgeous.
I don't think my photography class is going to deal with color correcting. I'm going to take some tips from this Apartment Therapy post instead.
Also check out Apartment Therapy today for some pretty Kindle cases!
Food:
Luisa at The Wednesday Chef is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her first son. In an attempt to help her anemia she has posted a burger recipe ... looks refreshingly simple and I might try it this weekend.
This doesn't count as food, but she's a food blogger so I'm putting it here. Joy the Baker wrote a beautiful post on all that she's learned in her 30 years. I like the tip about no one keeping secrets, it's so true! Except maybe my sisters.
That's it - see you back here next week :)
Have a lovely weekend
Just a quick note to let you know that I've put up a new recipe archive page on the top menu bar so you can easily find all the recipes I've curated. Hope you like it! Have a wonderful holiday weekend (if you're in the US).
Curator Picks - 5/24
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Rain, rain, rain. I made the mistake of trusting my iPhone today (it promised me there would be no actual rain, so I didn't bring an umbrella when leaving the apartment) and I've been caught in the rain twice now. Earlier I had to duck under the eaves of a building to wait out the heavy rain and it was kind of nice to just stand still. Sometimes I have to be forced to just be in the moment - no rushing on to the next task.
Food:
I loved the post by Helene at Tartelette on the pressure she feels to do her blog posts and she finishes up with this Thai soup with shrimp and coconut (and butternut squash!) recipe. She does suggest alternatives as squash is not in season at the moment.
Fashion/style:
Giveaway today on A Beautiful Mess to win a gift certificate to the shopping site Beso.com! This prize is worth $400 but the catch is you have to create your own shopping collection at Beso.com and then you win something from the collection. So, it's a little extra work, but probably worth it!
Another giveaway from Cup of Jo for a cute chambray smock dress from London-based boutique Couverture and The Garbstore.
Hmmmm, perhaps I should have a separate section for giveaways? There are two more from Design Mom today. One for three pieces of art from Modern Mural (worth $253!) and another for a $150 gift certificate to the beautiful Texas-based boutique Paloma's Nest.
Everyone seems to be talking about Chance, the clothing company that features mostly striped clothing. I can think of quite a few people (including myself) who wear stripes more than anything else and would love this brand. Yes, Luisa, I'm talking about you! The collection is currently for sale in Barneys.
Interior design:
Love this simple solution for storing all that wrapping paper you have in your home from Creature Comforts.
If I had the time (I think I say this every day), I'd be making these oh so pretty cupcake flower lights from Oh Happy Day to wind through the girls bedroom. This project actually wouldn't take that long at all and only involves some pretty cupcake papers, cutting tools, and twinkle lights. You could probably do it while watching The Bachelorette (not that I ever watch such drivel).
I'm longing for summer and this rainy, dreary week in the city isn't helping. Sometimes I take my mood cues from what's in the farmers market and seeing these tomatoes recently helped to perk me up.
Food:
I loved the post by Helene at Tartelette on the pressure she feels to do her blog posts and she finishes up with this Thai soup with shrimp and coconut (and butternut squash!) recipe. She does suggest alternatives as squash is not in season at the moment.
Fashion/style:
Giveaway today on A Beautiful Mess to win a gift certificate to the shopping site Beso.com! This prize is worth $400 but the catch is you have to create your own shopping collection at Beso.com and then you win something from the collection. So, it's a little extra work, but probably worth it!
Another giveaway from Cup of Jo for a cute chambray smock dress from London-based boutique Couverture and The Garbstore.
Hmmmm, perhaps I should have a separate section for giveaways? There are two more from Design Mom today. One for three pieces of art from Modern Mural (worth $253!) and another for a $150 gift certificate to the beautiful Texas-based boutique Paloma's Nest.
Everyone seems to be talking about Chance, the clothing company that features mostly striped clothing. I can think of quite a few people (including myself) who wear stripes more than anything else and would love this brand. Yes, Luisa, I'm talking about you! The collection is currently for sale in Barneys.
Interior design:
Love this simple solution for storing all that wrapping paper you have in your home from Creature Comforts.
If I had the time (I think I say this every day), I'd be making these oh so pretty cupcake flower lights from Oh Happy Day to wind through the girls bedroom. This project actually wouldn't take that long at all and only involves some pretty cupcake papers, cutting tools, and twinkle lights. You could probably do it while watching The Bachelorette (not that I ever watch such drivel).
I'm longing for summer and this rainy, dreary week in the city isn't helping. Sometimes I take my mood cues from what's in the farmers market and seeing these tomatoes recently helped to perk me up.
Curator Picks - 5/23
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Busy, busy day. Lots of amazing blog posts out there:
Interior design:
Giveaway today for some really cute SCOUT by Bungalow storage bins at I Heart Organizing. I could see myself using these for laundry or the myriad of stuffed animals that find their way into our living room by the end of the day. And even if you don't win, Jen provides a code (iheartorganizing20) to enter at checkout to get 20% off your order! So you still win :).
Ahhhh, I want a vintage trailer!! I wouldn't want to actually drive around in it though, and I'd probably need to have a driveway. But I still think they are so cute. Okay, perhaps I'll just look at them instead, check out Bonnie's rundown of pretty vintage trailers on Going Home to Roost.
Fashion/style:
The Wednesday giveaway at Cup of Jo is another good one. Enter to win a pleated skirt (worth $110) from San Francisco-based clothing line Curator (no relation!)
Hope by now you're following Kelly at The Glamourai and are as obsessed as I am with her (well, for lack of a better word) glamorous shots. Check out her diary of day 3 of her travels in Morocco.
Another editor in my office just sent this one my way. The Glow is a site that features fashionable moms (both celebrities and non celebrities) and their children. It reminds me a little of Elizabeth Street (they have a great app for the iPad - although you'll emerge from it feeling like you're not half as cool as those moms). Anyway, back to The Glow, I liked the feature on designer Rebecca Minkoff and her infant son Luca. (If you click on the photographs you'll get the text.)
Food:
I felt inspired by Tara's post on Seven Spoons today on grilled leeks with Romesco sauce so I went out and got some leeks to give it a shot. I don't have an outdoor space so I'm not sure yet how I'll achieve that grilled taste, but it looks so good I couldn't resist.
GAHHHHH what the what? I've always wanted to write that :) Anyway, you're doing to die when you see these dark chocolate pudding shots with cream and espelette on Stephmodo today. I don't even like pudding and I want these! Steph shares the recipe over at Cafe Zupas.
I'm really teasing you with sweet stuff today and I'm sorry. Well, I'm not really sorry. And you won't be either when you see these cappuccino pops from Cupcakes and Cashmere. Coffee on a stick? What could be better than that?
See you tomorrow!
Interior design:
Giveaway today for some really cute SCOUT by Bungalow storage bins at I Heart Organizing. I could see myself using these for laundry or the myriad of stuffed animals that find their way into our living room by the end of the day. And even if you don't win, Jen provides a code (iheartorganizing20) to enter at checkout to get 20% off your order! So you still win :).
Ahhhh, I want a vintage trailer!! I wouldn't want to actually drive around in it though, and I'd probably need to have a driveway. But I still think they are so cute. Okay, perhaps I'll just look at them instead, check out Bonnie's rundown of pretty vintage trailers on Going Home to Roost.
Fashion/style:
The Wednesday giveaway at Cup of Jo is another good one. Enter to win a pleated skirt (worth $110) from San Francisco-based clothing line Curator (no relation!)
Hope by now you're following Kelly at The Glamourai and are as obsessed as I am with her (well, for lack of a better word) glamorous shots. Check out her diary of day 3 of her travels in Morocco.
Another editor in my office just sent this one my way. The Glow is a site that features fashionable moms (both celebrities and non celebrities) and their children. It reminds me a little of Elizabeth Street (they have a great app for the iPad - although you'll emerge from it feeling like you're not half as cool as those moms). Anyway, back to The Glow, I liked the feature on designer Rebecca Minkoff and her infant son Luca. (If you click on the photographs you'll get the text.)
Food:
I felt inspired by Tara's post on Seven Spoons today on grilled leeks with Romesco sauce so I went out and got some leeks to give it a shot. I don't have an outdoor space so I'm not sure yet how I'll achieve that grilled taste, but it looks so good I couldn't resist.
GAHHHHH what the what? I've always wanted to write that :) Anyway, you're doing to die when you see these dark chocolate pudding shots with cream and espelette on Stephmodo today. I don't even like pudding and I want these! Steph shares the recipe over at Cafe Zupas.
I'm really teasing you with sweet stuff today and I'm sorry. Well, I'm not really sorry. And you won't be either when you see these cappuccino pops from Cupcakes and Cashmere. Coffee on a stick? What could be better than that?
See you tomorrow!
Curator Picks - 5/22
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Here are some of my current faves:
Fashion/Style:
I think it's hard to find stylish (and affordable) boy/neutral clothes for my friends children so I was excited when Stephmodo posted this giveaway from Aven Clothing, the super cool clothing company. I'm loving their striped tshirts. I think I'll be shopping there for my friends and my girls too (who says girls can't wear darker colors?).
Interior design:
Curbed always makes me laugh with their Brokerbabble Glossary. Today's one is about that over used (and seldom understood) phrase: open feel.
I deeply love anything designed by London-based designer Orla Kiely and I've been dying to visit her Soho store. Victoria from SF Girl by Bay went there on a recent visit to NYC and her photographs make me want to check it out even more. What a great place to go to for a housewarming gift or a special treat for yourself. Also, Orla Kiely is doing a collection with Uniqlo. Awesome!
Food:
Onion soup is the bomb. Seriously. If you agree, then you'll love this recipe for Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. It's perfect for what promises to be a rainy week here in New York.
I have this ongoing debate with my husband about the brain freeze you get from eating ice cream (or drinking too cold water). He doesn't believe me that simply placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth will make the brain freeze go away (you have to make sure your tongue is warm though). Well I'm happy to link to Faith Durand's post on TheKitchn today talking about the scientific reasons behind the freezing of the soft palate and how you can solve it. I'm so right!! Ah, love it when that happens (the being right part, not the brain freeze part!).
I loved the dark, moody food photography roundup on Miss Moss today. Must learn how to shoot on a black background with this kind of cold dark lighting.
Tomorrow I'm off to a photo shoot for this girl's book. She was the two time winner on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars!! I'm hoping there will be some sweet treats for me to pinch.
Fashion/Style:
I think it's hard to find stylish (and affordable) boy/neutral clothes for my friends children so I was excited when Stephmodo posted this giveaway from Aven Clothing, the super cool clothing company. I'm loving their striped tshirts. I think I'll be shopping there for my friends and my girls too (who says girls can't wear darker colors?).
Interior design:
Curbed always makes me laugh with their Brokerbabble Glossary. Today's one is about that over used (and seldom understood) phrase: open feel.
I deeply love anything designed by London-based designer Orla Kiely and I've been dying to visit her Soho store. Victoria from SF Girl by Bay went there on a recent visit to NYC and her photographs make me want to check it out even more. What a great place to go to for a housewarming gift or a special treat for yourself. Also, Orla Kiely is doing a collection with Uniqlo. Awesome!
Food:
Onion soup is the bomb. Seriously. If you agree, then you'll love this recipe for Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. It's perfect for what promises to be a rainy week here in New York.
I have this ongoing debate with my husband about the brain freeze you get from eating ice cream (or drinking too cold water). He doesn't believe me that simply placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth will make the brain freeze go away (you have to make sure your tongue is warm though). Well I'm happy to link to Faith Durand's post on TheKitchn today talking about the scientific reasons behind the freezing of the soft palate and how you can solve it. I'm so right!! Ah, love it when that happens (the being right part, not the brain freeze part!).
I loved the dark, moody food photography roundup on Miss Moss today. Must learn how to shoot on a black background with this kind of cold dark lighting.
Tomorrow I'm off to a photo shoot for this girl's book. She was the two time winner on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars!! I'm hoping there will be some sweet treats for me to pinch.
Curator Picks - 5/21
Monday, May 21, 2012
Phew, I'm finally out from under a mountain of work emails and blog posts. As I was digging myself out, I had to stop and breathe every once in a while - do you ever forget to do that? Breathe? I do. All the time. So while you read these posts below, I'll just be over here breathing. Okay that sounded creepy.
Interior design:
I'm so making this Constellation Jar found today on Design Mom. I keep promising my three year old that I'll get her stars for her ceiling, but these seems like a much more fun project to do together.
I love that John and Sherry at Young House Love are so frank and forthright about the challenges they face in designing their home. A lot of the interiors blogs gloss over the decision making process and make you think they do it in a flash and just like that it's a gorgeous finished room. So, this post today about their indecision in bedroom design really resonated with me.
It's no secret that green is my favorite color, well I guess if you don't know me personally then yes it's a secret to you. So here you go, I love green! Remodelista has photos of a fantastic house in London with pops of green throughout (all in an effort to bring the outdoors in).
There is a large box from One Kings Lane lying in my entryway, daring me to open it. I know what's inside but I'm a little nervous to look. It will contain the baking dishes from the Albert Hadley estate sale. I vacillate between excitement at owning something that was his, and wondering if it's a little creepy to be handling his baking dishes. It's not, right?
On another Albert Hadley note, Habitually Chic has a lovely post on the Kips Bay Show House and the tribute to Hadley done by some of his former employees. Did you know he smoked until he was 91?
Food:
Need a little more green in your life? I'm talking about peas not money. Head over to Cannelle et Vanille to drink in her lush green photos - they had a calming effect on me today. This post was actually done last week while I was away, but I didn't want you to miss it.
Heading home now and hoping I'm not totally drowned by the rain. This morning I even had to go home for a fresh set of clothes! Some welcome back from the beach :)
Interior design:
I'm so making this Constellation Jar found today on Design Mom. I keep promising my three year old that I'll get her stars for her ceiling, but these seems like a much more fun project to do together.
I love that John and Sherry at Young House Love are so frank and forthright about the challenges they face in designing their home. A lot of the interiors blogs gloss over the decision making process and make you think they do it in a flash and just like that it's a gorgeous finished room. So, this post today about their indecision in bedroom design really resonated with me.
It's no secret that green is my favorite color, well I guess if you don't know me personally then yes it's a secret to you. So here you go, I love green! Remodelista has photos of a fantastic house in London with pops of green throughout (all in an effort to bring the outdoors in).
There is a large box from One Kings Lane lying in my entryway, daring me to open it. I know what's inside but I'm a little nervous to look. It will contain the baking dishes from the Albert Hadley estate sale. I vacillate between excitement at owning something that was his, and wondering if it's a little creepy to be handling his baking dishes. It's not, right?
On another Albert Hadley note, Habitually Chic has a lovely post on the Kips Bay Show House and the tribute to Hadley done by some of his former employees. Did you know he smoked until he was 91?
Food:
Need a little more green in your life? I'm talking about peas not money. Head over to Cannelle et Vanille to drink in her lush green photos - they had a calming effect on me today. This post was actually done last week while I was away, but I didn't want you to miss it.
Heading home now and hoping I'm not totally drowned by the rain. This morning I even had to go home for a fresh set of clothes! Some welcome back from the beach :)
Curator picks - roundup
I'm so excited to be back at my desk today. It was a lovely week filled with family time, relaxation by the ocean, barefoot running on the beach, and plenty of seafood -- but I'm ready to be home and back in my routine again. I also missed posting here more than I thought I would! Here is a quick roundup of what I loved last week:
Fashion/style:
Are you guys reading the insanely gorgeous fashion blogs of stylist Kelly at The Glamourai and photographer Jamie at From Me to You? These two friends recently travelled to Morocco and I was glued to their instagram feed all last week as shot after shot rolled in of the rugged landscape, the colorful Souk in Marrakech, and their drop dead amazing outfits (check Kelly's shots out online via Statigram).
Interior design:
Elsie at A Beautiful Mess gave me this great idea for displaying my Instagram photos (my handle is dervlakelly if you want to follow me). Check out her post on creating Instagram canvas wall art to display in your home. I think I'll put together a big board of our holiday shots.
A new discovery for me, Simply the Nest is the prettiest blog put together by an English girl renovating a Victorian home and planning an eventual move to France. Until she does that though, enjoy her posts on creating a colorful bedroom for her little girl.
Loving The Selby post last week on Brazilian furniture designer Sergio Rodrigues at his studio in Sao Paulo. The colors are insane and totally inspiring.
Gardening:
Ok, this is a totally biased post. Let me just say that straight away. I have the extreme pleasure to be working with Marie at the gardening blog 66 Square Feet on a lifestyle book coming out next year. She blogs about her tiny little 66 square feet garden in Brooklyn where she lives with her French photographer husband and sassy black cat. Anyway, she just announced the upcoming book on her blog last week and the announcement is so sweet I had to share it with you.
And just for a giggle, check out this very polite bear waving at some tourists.
I'll write later with Monday's best posts. So glad to be back and in the loop again with all of you!
Fashion/style:
Are you guys reading the insanely gorgeous fashion blogs of stylist Kelly at The Glamourai and photographer Jamie at From Me to You? These two friends recently travelled to Morocco and I was glued to their instagram feed all last week as shot after shot rolled in of the rugged landscape, the colorful Souk in Marrakech, and their drop dead amazing outfits (check Kelly's shots out online via Statigram).
Interior design:
Elsie at A Beautiful Mess gave me this great idea for displaying my Instagram photos (my handle is dervlakelly if you want to follow me). Check out her post on creating Instagram canvas wall art to display in your home. I think I'll put together a big board of our holiday shots.
A new discovery for me, Simply the Nest is the prettiest blog put together by an English girl renovating a Victorian home and planning an eventual move to France. Until she does that though, enjoy her posts on creating a colorful bedroom for her little girl.
Loving The Selby post last week on Brazilian furniture designer Sergio Rodrigues at his studio in Sao Paulo. The colors are insane and totally inspiring.
Gardening:
Ok, this is a totally biased post. Let me just say that straight away. I have the extreme pleasure to be working with Marie at the gardening blog 66 Square Feet on a lifestyle book coming out next year. She blogs about her tiny little 66 square feet garden in Brooklyn where she lives with her French photographer husband and sassy black cat. Anyway, she just announced the upcoming book on her blog last week and the announcement is so sweet I had to share it with you.
And just for a giggle, check out this very polite bear waving at some tourists.
I'll write later with Monday's best posts. So glad to be back and in the loop again with all of you!
Curator Picks - 5/14
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
So I totally thought I'd come to the beach and not think about life back in NYC, but it turns out I'm missing my blog reading, so I checked out some of my favorite blogs. And here is what I thought you should know about:
Interior design:
Sherry and John at Young House Love are celebrating their little one Clara's birthday today and in honor of her they've put up a great giveaway of two $200 prizes from customizable product store Sarah + Abraham and fun home goods store Oilo Studio. All you have to do is provide a funny story of something you (or a child you know) did or said as a two year old! Head over to YHL before Wednesday to enter.
Tina at Swissmiss just alerted me to the fact that the awesome design museum Cooper Hewitt now has an online design store. I foresee this being a very dangerous obsession for me.
Food:
Loving this flowery version of a fruit salad (and her musings on being a difficult daughter) from Joy the Baker. I've never liked fruit salads, they always look great, but disappoint with watery mushy fruit. This one with rose water and pistachios promises to taste different. Plus the clarity on her shots is just incredible.
Fashion/style:
Are you following Gabrielle Blair at Design Mom? She is putting together these awesome videos of the Blair children hosted by her third child Olive. The Blairs are currently living in France and the videos will depict her six children as they explore and learn French customs and culture. The series is just in preview stage at the moment, see the second one here.
Gabrielle's sister, Jordan, blogs at Oh Happy Day! She was also living in France but recently moved back to the US. Her French friends threw her a gorgeous goodbye to Paris party right on the Seine. See the heartwarming photos here.
I'll try and check in again soon!
Curator Picks - 5/10
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Interior design:
Yayyy, Lonny is out! It has a gorgeous feature on Marrakech including the stunning 12-acre Majorelle Garden in Morocco as well as a really great review of one of my favorite interior design books to work on this year, Good Bones, Great Pieces by the mother/daughter team of Suzanne and Lauren McGrath (authors of the blog by the same name).
Drooling over Coming Home to Roost and her gorgeous sunny California home. Wow, wow, wow. It's photo after photo of simple, colorful, and comfortable rooms. She hopes you'll visit and curl up with a cup of tea, but I pretty much just want to steal her house.
Design Mom has a really cool giveaway today for a $150 gift certificate to House 8810 - the super hip shop for home products.
Fashion/Style:
I'm bopping along to Emmylou by sister duo First Aid Kit. Introduced to me today by style blogger Anne at City Sage. Their sweet folksy sound is perfect as I wind down this Thursday night.
Giveaway on Cup of Jo for a cute travel tote. Kinda wish I had it now for my upcoming trip (see next paragraph!).
And on that note, I'm signing off for 10 days! Heading off down south to a beach for a week. You'll see me back here on the 21st staggering under the weight of all the blog posts I'll have missed while I was away. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and week!
Yayyy, Lonny is out! It has a gorgeous feature on Marrakech including the stunning 12-acre Majorelle Garden in Morocco as well as a really great review of one of my favorite interior design books to work on this year, Good Bones, Great Pieces by the mother/daughter team of Suzanne and Lauren McGrath (authors of the blog by the same name).
Drooling over Coming Home to Roost and her gorgeous sunny California home. Wow, wow, wow. It's photo after photo of simple, colorful, and comfortable rooms. She hopes you'll visit and curl up with a cup of tea, but I pretty much just want to steal her house.
Design Mom has a really cool giveaway today for a $150 gift certificate to House 8810 - the super hip shop for home products.
Fashion/Style:
I'm bopping along to Emmylou by sister duo First Aid Kit. Introduced to me today by style blogger Anne at City Sage. Their sweet folksy sound is perfect as I wind down this Thursday night.
Giveaway on Cup of Jo for a cute travel tote. Kinda wish I had it now for my upcoming trip (see next paragraph!).
And on that note, I'm signing off for 10 days! Heading off down south to a beach for a week. You'll see me back here on the 21st staggering under the weight of all the blog posts I'll have missed while I was away. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and week!
Curator Picks - 5/9
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Dark days call for the soft sounds of the cello master Zoe Keating. But, really who am I kidding? Bright days call for her too. If you don't listen to her already, I hope you check her out. She's pretty incredible and her music has the power to transport.
Fashion/Style:
A new find for me, the lovely Kinsey over at Sincerely, Kinsey has a cute t-shirt giveaway from Zooey Magazine. Also if you purchase a t-shirt, Zooey will donate a portion to Friends of Animal Foundation, a no-kill shelter.
Food:
I'm definitely trying out this pizza topping combination this week: Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza on Annie's Eats. Annie was also the inspiration behind the black and white cookies you'll see in the next entry!
It took me a long time to come around to black and white cookies, they are such a New York tradition but always seemed so sickly sweet and heavy to me. Something changed recently (maybe I passed a magic threshold of time spent living in NYC?) and now I totally love them. A Beautiful Mess gave the traditional black and white cookie a twist today with a recipe for a brown version using butterscotch. Yum!
Interior Design:
Love the photos on i suwannee today (of the store Furbish in North Carolina) - and not only because she has a shot of Good Bones, Great Pieces by the lovely Suzanne and Lauren! On another note, not loving North Carolina's opinion on other things.
That's it for today!
Fashion/Style:
A new find for me, the lovely Kinsey over at Sincerely, Kinsey has a cute t-shirt giveaway from Zooey Magazine. Also if you purchase a t-shirt, Zooey will donate a portion to Friends of Animal Foundation, a no-kill shelter.
Food:
I'm definitely trying out this pizza topping combination this week: Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza on Annie's Eats. Annie was also the inspiration behind the black and white cookies you'll see in the next entry!
It took me a long time to come around to black and white cookies, they are such a New York tradition but always seemed so sickly sweet and heavy to me. Something changed recently (maybe I passed a magic threshold of time spent living in NYC?) and now I totally love them. A Beautiful Mess gave the traditional black and white cookie a twist today with a recipe for a brown version using butterscotch. Yum!
Interior Design:
Love the photos on i suwannee today (of the store Furbish in North Carolina) - and not only because she has a shot of Good Bones, Great Pieces by the lovely Suzanne and Lauren! On another note, not loving North Carolina's opinion on other things.
That's it for today!
Curator Picks - 5/8
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
I'm heartbroken over Maurice Sendak's passing today. He was truly one of the most gifted children's book authors and artists ever and I'll be reading our well worn version of Where the Wild Things are tonight with my daughter.
Fashion/Style:
Habitually Chic covers the best dressed at the Met Costume Institute Gala which took place last night. Check out her site to see some of the amazing and daring outfits.
I loved these Edward McGowan illustrations that I saw over at Pikaland today. So colorful - they'd look gorgeous as framed prints.
Interior design:
Chalk this project up as one I wish I had time to do but for now will just note it here. Jenny at Little Green Notebook repainted the trim of this mirror with chalkboard paint to give it a matte black look and it is so cool! As she says in her post, painting mirrors is the easiest project to do because the dried paint just wipes off the glass easily with a cloth.
The beautiful home of Marie at Dreamy Whites is being featured in the Better Homes and Gardens holiday issue but you can catch a sneak peak on her blog today.
Food:
One of the many reasons I love California: there is a 24 hour Sprinkles cupcake ATM in LA! Joy goes to check it out. They even play music while you wait for your cupcake to pop out of the ATM.
I'm seriously contemplating running home right now to make these Butterscotch Pots de Creme featured on Cupcakes and Cashmere. See actual recipe in LA Times here.
I love baking with olive oil. It gives your cake or bread a really creamy texture and makes me feel a bit healthier too. I'm going to try out this Almond Olive Oil Cake on Lottie + Doof as soon as I have a chance.
I'm not sure I'll actually make these but I'd love to have these homemade sugar cubes from A Beautiful Mess when I serve tea to visitors.
Other:
Stephmodo polled her readers for the best boy names when she was expecting her fourth child. She has compiled a list of the top 100 names. It was interesting to peruse.
Bleubird has chicks! Have you seen them yet? So cute! I WANT CHICKENS. On a sidenote, our neighbors down the hall had a baby chick as a pet in their apartment last year and I felt so so sorry for the little thing. They invited us over to meet it and it was peeping and cheeping and swimming around in its own poo. I wanted to scoop it up and run out the door. A week later I heard they gave it away to someone in the countryside, thank god. I'll never understand why people on the 25th floor of a building thought it was okay to own a farm animal.
Fashion/Style:
Habitually Chic covers the best dressed at the Met Costume Institute Gala which took place last night. Check out her site to see some of the amazing and daring outfits.
I loved these Edward McGowan illustrations that I saw over at Pikaland today. So colorful - they'd look gorgeous as framed prints.
Interior design:
Chalk this project up as one I wish I had time to do but for now will just note it here. Jenny at Little Green Notebook repainted the trim of this mirror with chalkboard paint to give it a matte black look and it is so cool! As she says in her post, painting mirrors is the easiest project to do because the dried paint just wipes off the glass easily with a cloth.
The beautiful home of Marie at Dreamy Whites is being featured in the Better Homes and Gardens holiday issue but you can catch a sneak peak on her blog today.
Food:
One of the many reasons I love California: there is a 24 hour Sprinkles cupcake ATM in LA! Joy goes to check it out. They even play music while you wait for your cupcake to pop out of the ATM.
I'm seriously contemplating running home right now to make these Butterscotch Pots de Creme featured on Cupcakes and Cashmere. See actual recipe in LA Times here.
I love baking with olive oil. It gives your cake or bread a really creamy texture and makes me feel a bit healthier too. I'm going to try out this Almond Olive Oil Cake on Lottie + Doof as soon as I have a chance.
I'm not sure I'll actually make these but I'd love to have these homemade sugar cubes from A Beautiful Mess when I serve tea to visitors.
Other:
Stephmodo polled her readers for the best boy names when she was expecting her fourth child. She has compiled a list of the top 100 names. It was interesting to peruse.
Bleubird has chicks! Have you seen them yet? So cute! I WANT CHICKENS. On a sidenote, our neighbors down the hall had a baby chick as a pet in their apartment last year and I felt so so sorry for the little thing. They invited us over to meet it and it was peeping and cheeping and swimming around in its own poo. I wanted to scoop it up and run out the door. A week later I heard they gave it away to someone in the countryside, thank god. I'll never understand why people on the 25th floor of a building thought it was okay to own a farm animal.
Curator Picks - 5/7
Monday, May 7, 2012
Food:
Strawberries are making their appearance at the farmers market, Union Square had some small ones today and in honor of their emergence Erin at The Forest Feast features a Strawberry Mint Julep on her site.
I think I've mentioned my enemy, meringue, before. Well it's only my enemy when I'm the one who has to make it, but if I could just find someone to make these pretty May Meringues featured in the first May edition of Playing with Food on Decor 8 then I'd be happy, happy, happy!
Do you read What Liberty Ate? Gabriela blogs from Romania and also puts together a digital magazine. Issue Two just came out and Holly over at Decor 8 was raving about it so I had to go check it out. She's truly an amazing photographer and her recipes look yummy too. I'm a fan of the blog but hadn't seen the magazine yet. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into this.
Fashion/style:
And finally, I love everything about this outfit on The Sartorialist. Tweed! Silver! Stripes!
Curator Picks - 5/4
Friday, May 4, 2012
Ok, I've calmed down from yesterday's excitement and I'm ready to get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Interior design:
Tune in to One Kings Lane tomorrow (5/5) for a very special tastemaker tag sale from Albert Hadley's estate. You could buy items from his Connecticut and Manhattan homes as well as his very own sketches! I'll be counting down the minutes for the chance at owning something from this interior design icon.
I'm seeing owls everywhere at the moment (just pinned a cute owl lamp from West Elm) so I was excited to see this review of Camilla Meijer's beautiful owl wallpaper and textiles on Design Sponge today.
The next issue of Rue is live! I'll be spending all weekend (when I'm not practicing my photography) drooling over it. And check out the gorgeous cover:
Fashion/style:
Oh my gosh, loving this gorgeous little camera on SF Girl By Bay. Speaking of cameras, my online photography class started last night at Bella Pop. I can't wait to dive into the first lesson this weekend and start posting images on the blog for you to see.
Food:
Some insane ice cream sauce recipes were posted at A Beautiful Mess today. If you're in the mood for ice cream this weekend (and who isn't?) check out the easy recipes for red wine chocolate sauce and sea salt + honey caramel sauce.
Other stuff:
Last week Ez at Creature Comforts posted a link to an article by Make Under My Life titled Things I'm Afraid to Tell You, that quickly got a twitter conversation going that quickly led back to a challenge from Ez to all bloggers to get a little more real with their posts. Here is Ez's take on things I'm afraid to tell you. She got several other bloggers to participate so you'll probably see Things I'm Afraid to Tell you pop up as posts on a lot of different blogs in the next few days. It's a challenge to bloggers to break down the facade and show some of their imperfections to readers.
Next on my list after 50 Shades of Blushing is Bringing up Bebe. I just saw a review of it on Oh Joy! and it's been recommended several times to me by others. I know opinions are polarized on this book (which is basically a review of French parenting methods and why they raise better behaved children than American parents), so I'm curious to check it out for myself.
Also had I posted yesterday, I would have mentioned the following:
Have a great weekend!
Interior design:
Tune in to One Kings Lane tomorrow (5/5) for a very special tastemaker tag sale from Albert Hadley's estate. You could buy items from his Connecticut and Manhattan homes as well as his very own sketches! I'll be counting down the minutes for the chance at owning something from this interior design icon.
I'm seeing owls everywhere at the moment (just pinned a cute owl lamp from West Elm) so I was excited to see this review of Camilla Meijer's beautiful owl wallpaper and textiles on Design Sponge today.
The next issue of Rue is live! I'll be spending all weekend (when I'm not practicing my photography) drooling over it. And check out the gorgeous cover:
Fashion/style:
Oh my gosh, loving this gorgeous little camera on SF Girl By Bay. Speaking of cameras, my online photography class started last night at Bella Pop. I can't wait to dive into the first lesson this weekend and start posting images on the blog for you to see.
Food:
Some insane ice cream sauce recipes were posted at A Beautiful Mess today. If you're in the mood for ice cream this weekend (and who isn't?) check out the easy recipes for red wine chocolate sauce and sea salt + honey caramel sauce.
Other stuff:
Last week Ez at Creature Comforts posted a link to an article by Make Under My Life titled Things I'm Afraid to Tell You, that quickly got a twitter conversation going that quickly led back to a challenge from Ez to all bloggers to get a little more real with their posts. Here is Ez's take on things I'm afraid to tell you. She got several other bloggers to participate so you'll probably see Things I'm Afraid to Tell you pop up as posts on a lot of different blogs in the next few days. It's a challenge to bloggers to break down the facade and show some of their imperfections to readers.
Next on my list after 50 Shades of Blushing is Bringing up Bebe. I just saw a review of it on Oh Joy! and it's been recommended several times to me by others. I know opinions are polarized on this book (which is basically a review of French parenting methods and why they raise better behaved children than American parents), so I'm curious to check it out for myself.
Also had I posted yesterday, I would have mentioned the following:
Matchbook Magazine is live! Can't wait to dive in.
Stephmodo covered the most amazing horse ranch in northern California run by Maria at the blog and online farmhouse antique store Dreamy Whites. So inspiring and beautiful and I'm kind of dying over the fact that she maintains this lovely home, with horses, and homeschools her children!
If I were near my mother for mother's day I would prepare this thoughtful breakfast in bed posted by Victoria at A Subtle Revelry.
If I were near my mother for mother's day I would prepare this thoughtful breakfast in bed posted by Victoria at A Subtle Revelry.
Have a great weekend!
Too excited to post my picks!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
I'm taking a break from posting my picks today because I'm too busy celebrating the fact that I Brake for Yard Sales by Lara Spencer hit the New York Times bestseller list last night!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I'm drinking too much bubbly to be coherent so I'll be back tomorrow with more best posts from around the blog world.
Curator Picks - 5/2
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
New Yorkers: have you seen the current exhibition along Park Avenue by Venezuelan artist Rafael Barrios? They are these insanely mind bending 3D sculptures that are really thin when you get up close but seem to be a totally different shape from far away. I appreciated them as I whizzed down Park Avenue in a taxi that smelled like cinnamon and ginger. It made for a bit of a mind altering experience this morning.
Interior Design:
Do you guys shop on One Kings Lane? It's a seriously tempting sale website where you can get the best brands in curated collections for a lot cheaper than in stores. Anyway, their current sale is all about getting the Domino look using the power of neutrals. I'm digging the Nathan Turner spencer sofa in grey. The sale ends in 2 days.
Changing up the look and feel of a bathroom could be as simple as changing out the shower curtain. This post on 10 cool shower curtains for Apartment Therapy inspired me to run across the street to West Elm today.
Seriously, fuck that Michael Graves for Alessi kettle with the (most adorable) bird-shaped whistle (and where can i find one?)
I'm excited for the May/June issue of Rue to go live tomorrow.
Food:
Bakerella did a review of her favorite baking books of the moment. I wish I had half of these! You can also enter on her site to win a $150 Amazon gift certificate if you comment on the post and tell her which book she should bake from first.
Fashion/Style:
Victoria at A Subtle Revelry has a giveaway for a pretty personalized clutch from Angee W (see the rest of her collection on Etsy). You can have it printed with your favorite photograph so when you open the clutch you see your loved one (or loved pet, or favorite scene etc.). Perfect gift for Mothers Day!
The Wednesday giveaway over at A Cup of Jo is from Terrain, that fabulous home and garden shop based in Pennsylvania. You could win a $200 gift certificate to buy whatever you want in their store. I'd use it to get this gorgeous enamelware bake set that I've been eyeing for weeks!
Interior Design:
Do you guys shop on One Kings Lane? It's a seriously tempting sale website where you can get the best brands in curated collections for a lot cheaper than in stores. Anyway, their current sale is all about getting the Domino look using the power of neutrals. I'm digging the Nathan Turner spencer sofa in grey. The sale ends in 2 days.
Changing up the look and feel of a bathroom could be as simple as changing out the shower curtain. This post on 10 cool shower curtains for Apartment Therapy inspired me to run across the street to West Elm today.
Seriously, fuck that Michael Graves for Alessi kettle with the (most adorable) bird-shaped whistle (and where can i find one?)
I'm excited for the May/June issue of Rue to go live tomorrow.
Food:
Bakerella did a review of her favorite baking books of the moment. I wish I had half of these! You can also enter on her site to win a $150 Amazon gift certificate if you comment on the post and tell her which book she should bake from first.
Fashion/Style:
Victoria at A Subtle Revelry has a giveaway for a pretty personalized clutch from Angee W (see the rest of her collection on Etsy). You can have it printed with your favorite photograph so when you open the clutch you see your loved one (or loved pet, or favorite scene etc.). Perfect gift for Mothers Day!
The Wednesday giveaway over at A Cup of Jo is from Terrain, that fabulous home and garden shop based in Pennsylvania. You could win a $200 gift certificate to buy whatever you want in their store. I'd use it to get this gorgeous enamelware bake set that I've been eyeing for weeks!
Curator Picks - 5/1
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Well, hello May! I didn't even have time to walk outside and feel if the May day felt any different than yesterday because I was so busy at my desk. I'm not going to lie, I even had a vending machine lunch (which reminds me, are the new Raisinets bags smaller or am I crazy?)
Food:
Loving the sound of this Cardamom Pistachio Quickbread from A Cozy Kitchen. Cardamom is one of my favorite spices/flavors, and I've tried this flavor combination before with much success, although not in a bread. For Christmas 2009 I made Mary Ellen Rae's Cardamom Pistachio Cookies posted by Luisa at The Wednesday Chef (an extra special post because it was her last one before she moved from NYC to Berlin to write her upcoming book, yay!). I packaged them up in cute boxes and gave them to the doormen in my building for the holidays.
Tara at Seven Spoons is celebrating her 7 year blog anniversary today. And celebrate she does, with a glorious recipe for Hazelnut and Strawberry celebration cake and some beautiful musings on Jack Kerouac. She calls it "a gussied up version of a Victoria Sponge." Sounds yummy to me and perhaps the perfect cake for an upcoming birthday I will have to bake for.
Interior Design:
I was recently introduced to this home organizing blog and it has quickly become a staple in my organizing arsenal. IHeart Organizing is run by the awesome Jen and she has three boys. Her organizing skills are tip top and very inspiring. This most recent post is about her playroom organization. She turned two IKEA Expedit bookshelves on their sides to form benches and then filled the shelves with pretty Target baskets. So clever.
Organizing must be in the air because Young House Love also did their own take on how to deal with all of the toys that end up scattered on the floor at the end of the day (or pretty much five minutes after you get up).
Fashion/Style:
Check out decor8's post on 5 clever ways to display your Instagram photos. This comes on the heel of her earlier post (which I also blogged about about) about preserving your photographs and not just sending them out into the unknown.