Rainy nights

I love the sound of the rain - don't you? I love it when I'm warm and dry at home, and I love it when I'm out and it's pounding down on top of my umbrella (or, more often than not, my bare head). We rarely hear rain hit the windows in this apartment. It probably has something to do with the angle of the building and the proximity to other structures around us. So, on those rare days that I can hear the soft slap of rain against the glass, I'm quick to turn off all sound producing machines around me so I can press myself to the north end of our home and listen to that peaceful sound. 

I write this because we're having one of those rare evenings. It makes me want to stay up all night.

Food

Let's make smoothies every morning together, shall we? I'll settle for trying this one with coconut milk from Say Yes to Hoboken just once a week.

Just in case you've got more Meyer lemons to use up - check out this tasty looking recipe for mussels in Meyer lemon garlic broth from Caitlin at Roost. And while you're there, watch her beautiful beach video, it will calm you down.

My go-to soup in wintertime is cauliflower cheese soup but if potato soup is your jam, then try this one from Angela at Oh She Glows.

Interior design

Tori at That Pair of Crutches did a lovely roundup of nursery art for under $15!!

Suzanne and Lauren McGrath of Good Bones, Great Pieces are hosting a One Kings Lane tastemaker sale starting Thursday evening at 6pm. I'm excited!!

Habitually Chic suggests a replacement for Downton Abbey for all you Anglophiles: HBO's Parade's End.

Fashion/style

Emerson Fry launched their spring collection today but the servers crashed due to all the stylish people hanging out on the site. I'm hoping they'll be back up and running soon!

Are you looking for some new sneakers for the spring? Tell Anne at The City Sage what you've got your eye on and see her stylish choices too.

Sarah put together a good list of best and worst dressed at last Sunday's Oscars.

As This is Glamorous attests, Jennifer Lawrence is simply heaven.


Some shots of the past few days:

All shots via Instagram: @dervlakelly

In the clouds

I found myself pointing my camera at the sky a lot this week, finding my inspiration in the clouds. It's too cold to do anything else but look up and hope that there is some warmth coming soon. Here are a few links to send you into the weekend.

Food

Stay warm with this carrot mash shepherds pie from A Cozy Kitchen.

I might kick back this weekend with a blood orange margarita from Smitten. Maybe during the Oscars?

It's still cold, therefore it's still soup season. I'm loving the thought of this vegetarian west African peanut soup. It might bring me back to that semester I spent in Cameroon in college.

Interior design

Enter the West Elm competition to win a chair in their new buttercup ikat print.

Are you feeling sick or recovering from winter illness? Audrey at This Little Street has put together a
remedy roundup for whatever ails you.

Ok, I don't have a really large living room, but if I did I'd do everything Jenny says!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Chocolate cupcakes with coconut and rose whipped cream

I was super excited to be asked by the wonderful Sweet Paul to participate in their My Happy Dish feature this week! I made my trusted chocolate cupcake recipe and invented a light topping of whipped cream with rose and coconut oil for some sweet flavor. Head over to Sweet Paul for the recipe. Here are some of my favorite photos from the shoot.

Birthday weekend

Rana at Chelsea Market

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Apologies for the internet silence over here, I promise I had a good excuse. It was my birthday on Sunday! My wish was to head to Adorama for a new lens for my Nikon, walk over to the High Line, and then get lunch in Chelsea Market. We did all of those things, but in a different order. We ended up doing lunch first to warm up before we walked the High Line and ate at Rana - which I highly recommend. It was beautiful and delicious! Then we jumped up on the High Line and froze our faces off for 30 minutes. I'll post photos of that later on in the week when my fingers warm up.

Wait, before I start the barrage of links, can we pause for a second and discuss Downton's season finale? Actually, I'm not really capable of discussing it, as I'm so sad and shocked. I just want you to know I'm giving Crawley a moment of silence.

Ok, done.

Interior design

Planning on a bedroom makeover this year? Decorology has you covered with some pretty inspiration shots.

Abby has gone and some research on Etsy for you, and if you don't want to deal with wiring here is what you should be hanging over your dining room table! I'm kind of in love with the all-white options.

The Apartment Therapy Homie award results are in! And Little Green Notebook swept the two home categories! Not surprising, really. Congratulations, Jenny :)

Although it's hard to romanticize something so bleak, I absolutely loved this inspiration post about District 12 from The Hunger Games on Remodelista today.

Check out the log cabin of my dreams on My Scandinavian Home.

Food

I've never tried French Silk Pie (it has a pecan crust), and it's featured on Herriott Grace today. Yum.

I know I always overload on the sweet recipes on this blog. I cannot help it! Sugar is my life! But, just in case it's not yours, here is a savory recipe on noodles with peanut-lime vinaigrette from the lovely Lemons & Anchovies. Plus you can look at some awesome photos of Death Valley too.

I have a sister living in Cambodia who tortures me with stories of her daily breakfasts of sticky rice and mango. I want that breakfast. I could recreate it with this recipe for mango and coconut rice pudding from Cook Republic.

Apart from my usual slice of pound cake or tea bread with my afternoon cup of Earl Grey, a scone might not be a bad option. And specifically, these rosemary, lemon, and greek yogurt scones from A Thought for Food.


Back with an extra special exciting post tomorrow!

Fading

The snow is fading fast from the city, leaving behind only a gritty, grey substance that I kick along with my boots as I walk to work in the mornings, my breath drawing misty circles in the air. Everything seems to fade fast these days. Time. Light. My patience. February is the shortest month, but seems to drag on for the longest time. I remind myself that this is the home stretch, that spring can't be too far away. I'm seeing the first signs - some timid bunches of flowers were waving at me as I stepped on to Union Square this morning. 

Surely, this is all I need.

  Food

More fabulous pizza combinations from Jessica at How Sweet it Is.

I'm a whistling tea kettle kind of girl myself, but am tempted to try out the electric variety once in a while. Enter to win a Hamilton Beach electric kettle from Marisa at Food in Jars.

If you're feeling like going all out for Valentine's Day tomorrow, then go for these oyster fritters with wasabi cream dip at Manger.

I'll probably tuck in to this macaroni and cheese from Design Sponge instead and save the fancy meal for the weekend.

Fashion/style

Heather from Habitually Chic is keeping me informed about fashion week with her awesome posts. I feel like I'm in the front row with her!

I'm continually amazed by the power of the internet and what it can do when harnessed towards a specific goal. International craft blogger, Pia Jane Bijkerk has raised enough money through her generous readers to self-publish her book!!

Flowers are so cheering, aren't they? There is a beautiful arrangement chilling on my desk at work (from a lovely author) that makes me smile every morning. Check out Emily Henderson's chic post on styling flowers in an affordable and colorful way to brighten up your home.

Interior design

Will of Bright Bazaar is doing a book! I cannot wait to get my hands on this colorful little volume. Head over to Bright Bazaar to say congrats.

Mandi of Vintage Revivals rescued and refurbished this mid-century dresser for her daughter's room. I'm totally in love with it.

Need to shop for art for a child's room? Check out some great finds by Kirsten at 6th Street Design School.

I'm drooling over the outtakes of John Derian's fabulous home featured in Anthology Issue no. 10.

It's the last day to vote in the Apartment Therapy Homies - make sure you support your favorite blogs!



Also, I cannot stop watching this Budweiser commercial from the Superbowl. Like, TEARS. Every single time.

A snowy park

Some scenes from the weekend:

Wishes come true

So, apparently we're bracing here for a big snowstorm, of EPIC proportions. I'm trying to resist the urge to stock up on milk and eggs (cause really, I can always walk down the block for more!) and the urge to run to the kitchen and bake like the apocalypse is upon us. I'm planning on walking up to Central Park early on Saturday morning to revel in the silence that descends upon the city during a snowstorm.

Didn't I just wish to be snowed in last week?

Yep, I did.

Just in case you're snowed in with me, I've prepared a bumper crop of links for you to peruse.

Interior design

I'm dying over art curator and LA in Bloom blogger Heather Taylor's gorgeous home. It was featured on The Glitter Guide today.

And then travel over to Paris to check out Lee Radziwill's apartment on This is Glamorous (and glamorous it certainly is).

Joy shares the important things to spurge on for your home when you're in your 30s.

I want to make this terrarium posted on Designing Around.

Just in case you're not a snow fan, check out this gorgeous post on Sri Lanka by Slim Paley.

Australian interiors magazine Adore is one of the best out there (they're even trying to raise money to put together a home book!). It's full of bold, bright, and fresh design, and is never afraid to push the envelope. Desire to Inspire posted some of the amazing shots from their latest issue - which is all about color. It couldn't come at a better time for my winter inspiration needs.

Food

Have you got some Meyer lemons at home? (I've got 3 on my kitchen counter.) Marisa at Food in Jars gives you eight ways to preserve them. I've got my eye on the Meyer lemon caramel!

Perhaps on saturday morning I'll replace my usual pancakes with these seeded popovers from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks.

The always lovely Caitlin at Roost writes that these toasted fennel and orange mini cakes are perfect for breakfast, but I'd eat them any time of the day.

Lunch could be this delicious looking egg salad with sun dried tomatoes from Adrienne at A Cozy Kitchen.

I don't know why I'm obsessed with rose scent and taste, I love it as a body oil or dropped into a bath. Next frontier is putting rose in my food. This recipe for rose granola from Luxirare looks amazing.

For those health-conscious readers, Sarah at A House in the Hills shares a recipe for a vegan and gluten-free apple tart with sliced almonds.

Fashion/style

I want these plaid pillows that Alli at Hooray made but if I actually have to stitch them myself then it's probably going to take a bit.

Alex and Taru are sailing around the world and documenting it through gorgeous photographs. They have just landed in South America and I love following their journey.

I heart Spoonflower

Do you guys know of Spoonflower? They are an amazing company based in North Carolina that allows you to upload your own designs and then they print and ship you your very own fabric! They even do wallpaper and wall decals (and wrapping paper in the holiday seasons). I was so excited to have the opportunity to visit their offices while in Chapel Hill last week.

Everywhere you look, you see designs from the Spoonflower community being used as art on the walls or even covering the furniture. I was beyond inspired.

Imagine wrapping paper made of your own designs? So gorgeous.

My trip to North Carolina was only 2 days long but it was filled with light and fresh ideas. I cannot wait to use Spoonflower soon to create my own designs and print my own fabric!

The weekend is here!

It's been one insane week. Between a trip to North Carolina to visit the Spoonflower offices (more about that in a later post) and attending a big publishing event last night, my week was packed full. I'm looking forward to staying close to home this weekend (and by that I mean not moving from a 10 block radius around my apartment.)

Fashion/style

Enter to win this cute pair of Jacques Levine slippers from A Piece of Toast. I'd be tempted to wear these as regular outdoor shoes too!

Jamie Beck got to go to the Inauguration, and her photographs of the event are incredible. The dress = insane.

We really don't see many stars here in the city, perhaps one or two glimmering in the cold winter sky above the East River. Nevertheless I love this printable of stargazing events in 2013 from Bonnie at Going Home to Roost.

I need new glasses very badly. I totally broke my one and only pair when I stepped out of bed right onto them. Ouch. So, I'm entering to two pairs of supercute Fetch glasses from Honey Kennedy.

Interior design

If I had windows in my bathroom I'd arrange them like this Apartment Therapy post suggests.

I have a living room painting fantasy but am just not able to pull the trigger. This color post from Katie Bower at Bower Power is helping me get closer to making a paint choice by linking to the new color my room project which allows you to upload a photograph of your room and try out different paint colors on the walls.

Remember how I said on Monday that I want to be snowed in? Well, My Scandinavian Home just found me the perfect Finnish cabin in which to enjoy the winter weather.

Food

One of my favorite online magazines, Rue, has added a daily feature to their site. I'm excited to try out this espresso and walnut dark chocolate cake with rose scented whipped cream! Have more beautiful words ever been put together before?

Here's my weekend sandwich (bacon + apple + cheese) via Cassie at Bake Your Day.

Should I even give the slightest care about the Superbowl (which I don't), I think I'd be serving these delicious sounding beef short ribs in cabernet sauce made in the slow cooker by Jenna at Eat, Live, Run.

And should be unlike me and totally care about the Superbowl and what to serve? Then check out this post from The New Potato with a few different menus for the big day.


Have a beautiful weekend, you guys!