Rainy days

When you have a rainy day you need lots of color, right? I make my rainy days fun with bright umbrellas, interior design books (look at that wallpaper), and colorful treats like macarons!

Interior design:

Jenny at Little Green Notebook recently moved to Brooklyn to fulfill her dream of having more space (inside and outside) to raise her three daughters. To that end she has constructed a beautiful playhouse in her back garden for her children to play in. I kind of want to live in it myself! Also, while you're over at LGN make sure you enter to win 5 pairs of Shoemint shoes, yes that's right, I said 5 pairs!

Need more art for your home? Who doesn't? Head to Design Mom to enter a giveaway from the online art shop 20x200 to win a framed print of your choice from their gigantic shop!

Food:

Start your weekend off right with these lemon poppy seed pancakes from Joy the Baker. Her pancakes owe their fluffy texture to buttermilk but if you don't have it on hand she offers all sorts of substitutes. No excuses, get flipping.

I'm kind of tempted to make this gingerbread recipe from the recipe book of Beatrix Potter shown here on The Kitchn. Sold just a few days ago at auction after being rediscovered in some Potter ephemera, this would be a treasured book in my household. I heard it went for only 700 pounds, which really surprises me. I'd pay more for a book of Beatrix Potter handwritten recipes.

Chili is going to happen this weekend. It simply has to. And Alli at Hooray has given us a basic chili recipe to try. I like to pour a bottle of beer in there too. I love the flavor.

Fashion/style:

Emily at Cupcakes and Cashmere puts together a very helpful collection of 15 essential pieces for your work wardrobe. I've had my eye on that Madewell leather tote for a while now and this may just push me over the edge to purchase it.

Everyone has to check out The Vine, Diapers.com's newest shopping site. It's filled with completely green products for the home. Also, The Vine is headed up by Josh Dorfman, so I'm extra excited about it. I had the pleasure of working with Josh on his two books, The Lazy Environmentalist and The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget.


I hope you all have a great weekend. We're going apple picking bright and early tomorrow morning and I can't wait to share the photos of that. Good night!

Promises

The sky held the promise of rain all day, clouds sagging against the tops of the buildings with their swollen underbellies. But here I sit at midnight and not a drop has fallen. That's the funny thing about promises; they don't always materialize.

Food:

Need something drool-worthy to start out our links? Then check out this toasted oak ice cream with smoked sea salt and lapsang souchong caramel swirl from the uber talented Beth at local milk today. Hailing from Tennessee, she has just the right mix of interesting food choices with stunning photography and her Southern gothic sensibility makes me happy.

Yay for Katie of What Kate Ate! Her book has just been released in Australia and New Zealand and is coming to the US in two weeks. I can't wait. Head to her blog to say congrats, and while you're there participate in a giveaway for a Kitchen Aid stand mixer (if you're in Australia) or signed copies of her book (if you're in the US).

Interior design:

We got a gift of a nude painting years ago as a wedding present from some very dear friends and it's one of the most cherished pieces in our home. I think nudes are so graceful and really add style to a home. If you're looking for one for your home then check out these finds by Erin at Elements of Style today.

Want to see the best kitchen ever? Jeanine and Jack, of the popular cooking blog Love & Lemons, open up their kitchen to be photographed by The Kitchn today. I'd give my little finger to have a sliver of that bright light in my own place.

Fashion/style:

I'd dearly love to learn more about Photoshop and how to manipulate my images to truly bring out the life and light in them. So I'm entering this giveaway to win Photoshop Elements 11 from the ladies at A Beautiful Mess.

Awesome, fashionable, and best of all, affordable wristwatch roundup from Bonnie at Going Home to Roost. I love the double strap ones and even though I haven't worn a watch in years I'm tempted to get one of these for Autumn.

Reunited

Me and my phone, me and instagram, me and the New York Times crossword app.

We are together again.

That is all.

Sans phone

I have been existing without a phone since Saturday night.

You may now commence with the shock and horror.

My iphone died when I tried to upgrade to the new operating system. I think my overeager photo-taking may have killed it. The strange thing is, apart from the general annoyance over not being able to text my sisters in far flung countries (Cambodia/England), and my husband on the way home from work (pick up corn on the cob!), and not being able to instagram that perfect sliver of moon over Manhattan on Sunday night (it was like a silver sickle hanging in the sky), I'm not doing too badly. Don't get me wrong, I'll be in withdrawal soon enough and it's killing me that we had a day of perfect blue sky and fluffy clouds and I didn't get to instagram it, but it is nice to take a break from the incessant phone checking. Hopefully I'll be back in business tomorrow :) Genius Bar at the Apple store, I'm coming for you!

Food:

Are you ready for pumpkin in your diet yet? Maria and Josh at Two Peas and Their Pod have made me a believer with these brown butter pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting today. I mean, seriously? Who could resist those? We're going apple picking next weekend and those might be the perfect treat after a few hours of tree climbing.

And lest you think pumpkin should only be confined to desserts, check out this incredible looking savory version from Cassie at Bake Your Day. Looks like we're having pumpkin pasta with Parmesan and sage tomorrow night for dinner.

Another sumptuous post from Mimi over at Manger on chocolate swirl meringues - this post has inspired me to tackle my meringue issues once and for all. I will succeed at this dessert!

Interior design:

Jenny at Little Green Notebook is hosting a wonderful giveaway of $100 to spend at L&S Fabrics. You just have to tell her what you'd put that $100 towards and you're entered to win. I'd love to win cause we need to put up a curtain over the french door linking our two bedrooms.

I think I've seen some of the insane images from this Scandinavian home on Pinterest already but it bears another look on SF Girl by Bay. It's so white and dreamy and just when you're getting carried away with the white furniture and floors, there is a pop of color or quirky element that ties it all back down to earth.

This isn't really an interior design post, but a recommendation to read a book that evokes the rustic beauty and simplicity of cabin life. Apartment Therapy recommends The River Why by David James Duncan. It isn't one I've checked out before, but seems like it would a perfect autumn read.

Fashion:

This is one of those giveaways that I debated not telling you about. It's from the lovely James at Bleubird and it's a big one. You could win $200 to spend at the lovely online clothing and accessories store Lulu's. Just tell James what you'd spend it on (I'd pick up a pair of leaf-kicking, apple-picking boots) and you're entered to win.

Lexington Avenue was taken over for the 92nd St Y festival on Sunday. Who goes to a street fair and comes home with an oriental carpet? We did.

Goals

It has been a really long week, and I'm more excited than usual that the weekend is here. It could be because of the cooler (but not yet cold) weather. It could also be because I have some goals: I'd like to watch the Downton Abbey premiere and at the same time I'd like to get some more videos of my 3 year old dancing gangnam style (which has topped 235 million views by the way). I have to get outside for a run in Central Park and I want to get some quality reading in. If I get most of these done then I'll consider it a successful weekend. I'll settle for just one.

Food:

Bread pudding is the best, don't you think? It doesn't always look that attractive but it more than makes up for it with a creamy comforting texture that makes me want to curl up in front of a fire. Adrianna of A Cozy Kitchen takes your regular bread pudding up a notch with this pumpkin version.

On to a slightly more visually pleasing dessert with these strawberry shortcake cookies from Spoon Fork Bacon. I love baking with strawberries, they get this slightly stronger more bitter taste after being in the oven and coupled with the soft pastry I bet they're gorgeous.

It's all about dessert to end this long week and what better to usher in the official autumn season than this butter rum apple crisp tart from White on Rice Couple? It has the added bonus of using the visually gorgeous pink pearl apples that Diane has appropriately dubbed "cinderella apples," and I can see why.

Interior design: 

Have you heard of Makeshift Society yet? It's a clubhouse of sorts for creatives in San Francisco (in fact that's exactly what they refer to it as on their site). They've thought of everything, from bicycles that you can borrow to ride and pick up lunch to a lounging area with pillows and blankets so you can take a nap if you want to. I'm dying to visit it and Anthology just did a feature on it that makes it look even more attractive to me.

Emily Henderson gives her five secrets to good styling and decorating on her blog today. From trays to benches they are fairly obvious choices but she has added plenty of incredible inspiration photos that make this a droolworthy post.

Fashion/style:

I really love this polka dot pillowcase DIY project from Say Yes to Hoboken. Now if I could just find a second to put this pretty craft together. I think it would be the perfect solution to jazz up some white pillowcases that are starting to look a little dingy.

Joanna at Cup of Jo keeps singing the praises of dry shampoo and having been too lazy to wash my hair at least 2 of the last 7 days I think I should start investing in some. She promises that it makes for luxuriously soft hair and recommends this Klorane brand.


Have a wonderful weekend, guys!

Storm clouds

Spooky sky yesterday as I went home.

Food:

When I'm homesick for life in Ireland I turn to familiar foods from my childhood. A scalloped potato gratin was a recipe that I ate a lot, its creamy warmth instantly transports me to our Ballyvaughan kitchen table (where I usually sat at dinnertime surreptitiously trying to read the book balanced on my legs under the table). The lovely Bea of La Tartine Gourmande is married to an Irishman and in celebration of his grandmother's long and lovely life she posts a recipe for scalloped potatoes and turnips au gratin with onion and sage that I absolutely have to try.

I'm so excited for Aran's book (Small Plates, Sweet Treats) to come out. She recently filmed a kick-ass trailer for the book at the home of her friend Nadia of the gorgeous lifestyle blog La Porte Rouge. The trailer was filmed beautifully by Ryan Marshall of The Panic Room, check it out here on Nadia's blog.

Fashion/style:

The fall 2012 collection of Emerson Fry is out and everyone (including me) is loving it.

Do you love Minnetonka? You could win a super rad pair of knee-high lace up boots from A Beautiful Mess.

Just in case you're in the mood to shop at ASOS (and really who isn't) make sure you use the Cup of Jo discount of 20% off. Good until next Monday! Code is: 20ACUPOFJO

Interior design:

Abbey of the lovely lifestyle crafting blog Aesthetic Outburst has a new book, You Are Awesome, coming out, and to celebrate Design Sponge has posted a project today from the book. It's a stitched screen door! Now if I had a screen door I'd be taking a needle and thread to it pronto!

If you're in the mood to look at dreamy vintage modern living rooms today, head to SF Girl by Bay to get some inspiration from Victoria's well curated collection of images.

Brooke Astor's furnishings and art are going to auction at Sotheby's next week (9/24 and 9/25). While I'm not going to be bidding on anything of hers, her collection is open to the public until Sunday 9/23. But just in case you aren't in New York or can't make it up there, Heather from Habitually Chic has already taken a tour. Check out her photos here.

Sigh, am I the only one who is sad that Bachelor Pad is over?

1am dispatch

I put off lunch until about 3pm every day, not sure why I do that. But skittles help! I emptied them out over the layouts I'm editing and I loved the way they look like they are floating over the furniture.

Interior design:

I had the pleasure of working with the fabulous interior designer Amanda Nisbet on her book Dazzling Design. It officially goes on sale tomorrow, and to celebrate, the lovely Heather Clawson of Habitually Chic has written a wonderful review and photographed Amanda's office. So chic.

Lauren at Pure Style Home is about to embark upon a massive renovation of her new Virginia home. Jump in at the beginning and follow along. I love seeing the before and after shots and I just know she'll do a wonderful job. Her previous home was gorgeous. And get this, she's doing it all with a 3 month old addition to her family!

Fashion/style:

I love today's giveaway on Cup of Jo! You could win the cutest fox, raccoon, or bear from Walnut Animal Society. I would love to have Henry the fox sitting on my office bookshelves.

I really have no interest in football (unless it's of the soccer kind) but if your partner is into football you'll like this giveaway. You could win $50 to spend on personalized sportswear for the team of your choice at Meesh & Mia from The Everygirl.

Food:

I'm on a major Mexican food kick lately. I just want tacos and fajitas all the time. I also love the act of assembling a meal at the table. Having your food in little bowls and plates and putting together your own unique creations makes me happy. I'd like to make these chipotle chicken fajitas with creamy black bean sauce for dinner some night this week.

I'm fascinated and intrigued by challah bread. The taste and consistency make me swoon. A few bloggers have posted recipes for challah loaves this week, but of course this sweet option with chocolate chunks and sea salt by Sassy Radish caught my sweet tooth eye (if there's such a thing). The braiding of dough intimidates me but I'm thinking about giving it a shot!

I'm super excited to be working with the uber talented Diane and Todd of White on Rice Couple on their first cookbook! I've been a fan of their photography and recipes for a long time so it's a thrill to be editing their book. It will be filled with their personal stories and lots of yummy vegetable centric recipes.


I need to go to bed already, what am I doing up? I try to go to bed before 1am every night/morning but it rarely happens. Then I feel like taking a nap in my office around 3pm every day. Night!

Lost 'n found

My wallet found its way home! It came home in that serendipitous way that lost things sometimes do. In the form of a kindly 85 year old woman who hugged me and presented me with my untouched wallet.

And so I made some lemon lavender bread to celebrate.

This is actually the third loaf I've made in a week. It's that good.

You know what else is good? Taking that lemon lavender bread and walking down to the park by the river and eating the entire thing while watching the sky darken and the bridges light up.

I hope you had a beautiful weekend. Find the recipe here.

You are the limitless blue sky

Ugh, you guys. I was having an okay day until I lost/had my wallet stolen on the way home! It's gone, totally gone. I think I dropped it and when I realized it was gone 5 minutes later it was too late. I retraced my steps, but whoever picked it up was long gone. I'm still hoping it will turn up, but have cancelled my cards just in case. The pain of the wallet episode is now being dulled by some chocolate and hopefully the weekend won't have any more surprises for me. Deep breaths: I am the limitless blue sky.

Food:

As Sarah of The Yellow House says, pears are the perfect transition fruit from the sweetness of summer berries to the crisp autumn apples. She demonstrates this with a beautiful looking pear pie.

Not Without Salt reflects on the age old question of happiness and where to find it. She questions whether you can truly find happiness while others around you are still searching. Perhaps it's in helping others achieve their own happiness that we will find our own? To help you on your way there, she posts this yummy recipe for cornmeal cake with blueberries and maple whipped cream. It would certainly make my household happy if I made this!

Icy Violet's Kitchen slays me with this lavender custard with blackberry wine glaze. What an amazing dessert to use up some of the lavender seeds that are floating around my kitchen.

Interior design:

We recently split our bedroom down the middle to create a second bedroom. The half we are sleeping in now has no closet, so we had a wardrobe built for our half. I'm in love with it and am excited to deck it out with some really funky drawer and door pulls from Anthropologie. I was thinking of these glamorous mirror pulls found on Remodelista today.

Ummm I've been forbidden from buying any more bedding for our household. But if I was on the lookout for a duvet cover, I'd head over to this entry on Apartment Therapy about picking the most affordable (but still fashionable) cover.

Fashion/style:

I love this idea of making your favorite instagram photos into magnets via The Everygirl.

There is a good review of the Tory Burch collection at fashion week on Quintessence.

Get an in-depth look at the super fashionable Erin from Apartment 34's closet here. She even includes solutions for shoe storage, which is something I'm personally always looking for. Also the wall decal on the closet is such a good idea. Might have to steal it :)


Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

Top left, green jeans and Keds from Madewell

Finales and thursday links

I'm watching the finale of Bachelor Pad as I type this. I like to save watching the finales of shows for as long as possible thus building anticipation for the show. And, wow, this one is not going to disappoint. I can't spoil it in case anyone else hasn't seen it yet, but seriously, CRAZINESS!

Food:

Deb at Smitten shares the most incredible looking recipe for fig, olive oil, and sea salt challah. I want to run into my kitchen right now (like RIGHT THIS SECOND) and make this. Ok, no more all caps, I promise.

Hand pies make me think of something from 19th century England. Like I should be eating these apple and onion hand pies with cheddar and sage from Reading My Tea Leaves while ducking out of the rain on some cobblestoned street in London.

Autumn makes me crave a warmer breakfast but sometimes my oatmeal just isn't up to snuff. Check out these 3 tips from The Kitchn today to help your oatmeal be the perfect meal.

Thanks to Kate from Cookie + Kate, I have dinner figured out for tomorrow night. I'm going to try out this spicy sun-dried tomato and broccoli pasta.

Head over to Turntable Kitchen to congratulate Kasey and Matt on 3 years of marriage and enjoy the recipe for chocolate, cardamom, and vanilla bean ice cream sandwiches.

Interior design:

Enter Jenny's giveaway to win a copy of the interior design book, Good Bones, Great Pieces by Suzanne and Lauren McGrath at Little Green Notebook. It's a really great book (although I'm slightly biased because they are my authors).

Living in New York City as I do, I never get to stay in any of the amazing hotels in this city. But if I were traveling here, I'd think about this Chelsea stunner billed as a glamorous retreat for modern mad men on Remodelista.

I don't usually travel to Heather of Dooce for advice on what to hang on my walls, but I might just take her up on this tip to look at these botanical photographs from the Etsy store Miles of Light.

Fashion/style:

I'm a huge fan of the animal trend going on right now in fashion. So I loved this roundup by Jessica over at Bedknobs & Baubles of the top 10 animal sweaters. I think we should all own at least one.

Cup of Jo's Wednesday giveaway is for a full size moisturizer from Orlean (worth $165!). This is one I'd definitely like to win as this changing weather can wreak havoc on the skin.

That's it for tonight, see you tomorrow. Yawn.

This

There is a wall in the Union Square subway station with rows and rows of names. You'd walk past them at first and think they were just stickers on a wall. You probably wouldn't give them a second glance. One day I decided to look closer and realized that these hundreds of stickers lining the wall had names and dates on them. And every date was the same. So now every time I walk past, I try to read a new person's name. It will take me almost 3,000 days to read them all.

I just want to hug the city a little tighter today.

So blue

Today it actually felt like autumn, the sky was a clear boundless blue and the wind whipped eagerly against our faces as we walked towards the train. I know it's supposed to get back up into the mid 80s by the end of the week so autumn will retreat for now, but it's enough to know it's there, lurking at the edges of our days.

Interior design:

The September issue of Lonny is out. I probably don't need to say more than that, but it is packed with great stories including one on my author, Amanda Nisbet and her upcoming book, Dazzling Design.

I am usually drawn to pure white bedrooms with pops of pink or yellow here and there but this bedroom featured on Remodelista with moody dark accents (belonging to fashion blogger and author Lizzie of Tomboy Style) really attracted me. Too bad there is only one photo of the bedroom, I'd love a breakdown of the different elements.

The House of Fifty fall issue is here. This issue celebrates women, interiors, and fashion - so looks like an entertaining read.

Food:

I have these memories of walking through the mall in my parents small town in Pennsylvania with the smell of greasy pretzels floating down the marbled hallways. Here is a grown-up recipe for homemade cinnamon sugar pretzels from Say Yes to Hoboken. They certainly don't look like the greasy, soggy things I remember from my youth.

I have been craving sweet potatoes in all forms lately. So you can bet I was jumping up and down when I saw photos of these smokey sweet potato burgers with roasted garlic cream and avocado from How Sweet it Is. I mean, seriously??!! Talk about heaven.

Simply dying over these antique French cheese boards from the Dreamy Whites shop. They'd be amazing piled high with French cheeses, olives, and bread.

Fashion:

New York fashion week is happening at the moment and I loved this review and photographs of the Lela Rose show on Quintessence.

Check out I Suwannee to win several pink items from the awesome North Carolina store, Furbish including a pretty pink Tessa necklace.

Happy happy weekend

Sometimes I stop the middle of my passage across 5th avenue and I gape at the beauty of this city.

Interior design:

I can't even tell you what my favorite part of this Swedish home seen on My Scandinavian Home is today, except that I'm in love and want to live here. It has the perfect mix of white walls, floors, and furniture and splashes of accent color. I mean, check out the blue doors.

Win a set of sheets from the famed Italian brand, Vero Linens from Cote de Texas.

Food:

The autumn issue of Sweet Paul is out today! Download your copy here or head to the nearest Anthropologie to pick up a print edition. It's filled with recipes for those colder months (are they coming soon?) and halloween crafts. Also, check out Sweet Paul's guest post for Victoria at SF Girl by Bay and take note of his recipe for a seriously decadent-looking rum and chocolate cake in a jar.

I have an issue with the word "m-o-i-s-t" it's so, well, icky. So I'll just refer to it as "m" from now on. So, sometimes banana bread and other pound cake kind of loafs are too "m" and if you agree then you'll like this recipe for a drier chocolate pecan tea bread from Life's a Feast. Jamie's recipe looks insanely good and a perfect bread to accompany my multiple cups of tea a day.

Fashion/style:

If you have a few minutes this weekend, spend some time at La Porte Rouge. Some of the most beautiful photography and writing on life and love I've had the pleasure to stumble across.


A good cup of tea and some even better episodes of Doctor Who await. See you on Monday!

Short and sweet

It's a rather truncated post today; just some favorite interior design posts and some shots from my past few days. Something about the arrival of September makes me want to buy school supplies (even though I'm not attending school)! Don't you feel the same way? I satisfied the craving by choosing colorful pens and pencils at the Muji store near my office. I could spend all day in there - the air is always filled with some kind of lavender or rose scent and I just love their cool minimalist designs. 

Oh, and speaking of lavender, I'm going to hit up the lavender stand at the farmers market tomorrow and get some dried seeds to try out in that lemon lavender pound cake that I linked to yesterday. I'll be sure to report back with taste analysis and photographic results! 

Interior design:

I'm blown away by this home in Ibiza via Erin at House of Turquoise. Just in case you thought summer was dead. I'd be in heaven sitting by that pool.

Abbey (of the interiors blog, Abbey goes Design Scouting) and her beautiful home on the Upper West Side are profiled on Cup of Jo today.

I want to visit this amazing library in Texas that was converted from an abandoned Walmart store.



Some shots from my past few days (see more on instagram, user name @dervlakelly):

Taking the time

From my living room window tonight I can see the moon hanging heavy in the sky, it is waning gibbous, a moon of endings and beginnings. I could sit on my windowsill all night watching it cut a silver swath through the East River. I don't take the time to just look out the window as much as I should.  I'm too busy rushing around my apartment and I forget to take the time to appreciate that I can see the George Washington Bridge twinkling in the distance from one window, and the East River from another. So tonight, I'm taking a few minutes to look. 

Food:

Head to The Baker Chick to congratulate Audra on her recent marriage and celebrate with a yummy looking recipe for lemon lavender pound cake.

I need someone to make these these salted caramel cake shots on Sugar & Cloth for me.

Meg at A Sweet Spoonful has written a lovely post about saying yes and no to certain things in her life. I love the sentiment and wish I could be more disciplined about it. I'm going to try and keep her advice in mind. Oh, and there's a recipe for black coffee ice cream with toasted almonds and chocolate flecks.

Interior design:

Anna at the interiors blog Door 16 has started a new feature called "Yeah I Could Live There" and to start off she has chosen some incredible Stockholm rowhouses to show us. I'll be checking in to see her features often.

I loved this feature on style icon Dorothy Draper on Apartment Therapy today. Most well-known for decorating The Greenbrier in West Virginia, she was probably the most amazing interior designer when it came to use of color and pattern in furnishings.

Fashion/style:

There are lots of fashion week posts starting to pop up on the fashion blogs and most of them are the same. But here is a different one: The Glamourai interviews and photographs popular and gorgeous DJ Chelsea Leyland. Her clothes (and perfect eyebrows) are to die for.

Head to Cup of Jo to win the perfect autumn bag from Jenny N. Design.

Me and the kitchen sink

You know how you have that thing you do that calms you down? For me, it's having a clean kitchen sink. It's weird, I know, but having a brightly scrubbed kitchen sink at the end of the day makes me feel like something was accomplished (even if nothing else was). I can live to fight another day.

Interior design:

Imagine looking out over Puget Sound from the windows of this incredible home featured today on Design Milk. The 12 foot high glass walls just invite the outdoors in and you'd feel a little like you were living in the lush verdant woods of Washington state.

Get a sneak peek at Emily Henderson's One King's Lane sale happening on September 18th. I'm coveting this peacock blue velvet couch she recovered, although I can't see myself paying $3400 for it!

I'd love to go to MOMA and see the collection of Frank Lloyd Wright models that are being moved there from his headquarters (the drawings and papers are being displayed at Columbia University).

Travel to Aesthetic Outburst to win a signed copy of Abbey's not-yet-released book, You are Awesome: 21 Crafts to Make You Happy, and a handmade surprise.

Food:

Raspberries are emitting their dying gasp at my farmers' market and I might just use them for this Raspberry Pie from Eva at Adventures in Cooking. Also, Eva overestimated the amount of seeds she'd need for her winter planting and is giving away tons of them. If you have a garden and need some seeds (like squash, lettuce, and pumpkin) then post a comment to win them.

Lottie + Doof is turning 4! Head over to congratulate Tim on four years of a wonderful blog. To celebrate this week, Lottie + Doof will have lots of fun guest contributors so be sure to check back.

Jamie at My Baking Addiction posted the cutest mini lemon meringue pies. They look structurally perfect and as I gazed at them today I was starting to feel a little inadequate as a baker, but thankfully she admits that she didn't create the meringue from scratch but used a meringue mix instead. I must try this. Creating a stable meringue is a thorn in my side.

Warning: new season ahead

It always feels weird ending one season and beginning another. Or at least I think I always expect it to feel like something. Like there is one definite end to summer and a definite beginning to autumn. But that's not the case at all, and this holiday weekend dawned hot and muggy and similar to all the other days of the week. It didn't feel like September should feel, but I certainly wasn't wishing the heat away. Not just yet. Let it last for just a few more weekends, please. A few more perfect weekends where I can relax on the Great Lawn under a cloudy sky.

Interior design:

I'm working on a book about American farmhouses and their eccentric interiors. It's super interesting and inspiring for my own home aspirations. But then I saw this dreamy post on Italian farmhouses from This is Glamorous and I started to rethink the way I want my future home to look. I love the rustic ease and thin veil between indoor and outdoor living in these farmhouses.

Clearly you know I'm obsessed with Instagram, so I was excited to enter this giveaway from Young House Love to win $300 to spend at Canvaspop, a company that specializes in creating wall art from your Instagram shots. This one is mine, people!

Food:

Do you guys read Kinfolk Magazine? Along with producing a gorgeous magazine that brings together a community of like-minded artists and entertainers, they host these incredible dinners across the country and world. I dream of joining one day. Their latest dinner (or picnic rather) was in Paris right under the twinkling lights of The Eiffel Tower! Check out the photos and find out what they ate here.

Use up the last of your summer peaches with these mini peach pavlovas on Oh Joy!


Back to work tomorrow, see you there!