Weekend Glimpse

 Clementines...darling ones.

They are like a bucket of sunshine in these dreary winter months.

 New tablecloth (Target), thrifted milkglass vase, light reading.

Open windows.

The rush of warm air incites bullying. Poor James.

Not pictured:

- a midnight stroll

- book-keeping stuff

- hours of scouring the internet for an upcoming design project

- popcorn and cream soda

- dawning realization that I want a tutu, a blush colored one with a gold sash.

- Valentine planning

Black + White Valentine Roundup

This year I'm really feeling the minimalist vibe when it comes to valentines. Here's some black + white notes of love...

 Who says valentines have to be a note card?
Give your sweetheart this darling garland and their heart will sing for joy.

Love is Splendid Word Thread by Royal Buffet, $13

 Have your message of love inscribed in gorgeous calligraphy.
What a sweet keepsake!

Custom Calligraphy Valentines by Hello Handmade, $30 (sold out already!)

A tiny letter packs a big punch.  The World's Smallest Postal Service will write and send your message in minuscule form, complete with a magnifying glass and a tiny wax seal.

Tiny Valentine by The World's Smallest Postal Service, $9

 Have a lot of Valentines? This eight-card set will take care of all of them.

Love Cards by In Haus Press, $16

 

This simple DIY is so sweet... stamp or write your message onto a long ribbon, then wind on a spool and let your Valentine unravel the message from your heart.

DIY Spool Valentine by papernstitch

 This letterpress eye chart contains a message of love...
and could double as piece of art.

Eye Chart Love by HawkGerber Ink, $5

Pink Crush

I guess I'm ready for Valentines Day, 

because I've been having a major pink crush lately.

Shoe vignette by Martha Stewart Living via design darling 

Sophia headpiece via Mrs. Press + pink dress via Tidepooler

Cake via the laundry room via Style Me Pretty

Headboard via oh joy

Poms via Snowy Bliss

Very Berry Tartlets

These sweet mini-pies are perfect for a party!

Very Berry Tartlets

enough pie dough to equal 3 crusts (I use 1.5 batches of this recipe)

4 c. mixed berries (I use strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries... and frozen is fine.)
2/3 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. whipping cream
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 T. fresh lime zest

Divide pie dough in half. Roll out one portion on a lightly floured surface, fairly thin. Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut 12 rounds.  Repeat with remaining dough. Lightly spray 2 regular sized-muffin tins with nonstick spray. Press rounds into muffin cups, pleating to fit. Poke each crust a couple times with a fork to reduce bubbling. Bake at 400 for 6-8 minute, or until crusts turn golden. Cool in muffin tins for a few minutes, then carefully remove tartlets and cool completely on a wire rack.

Combine 2/3 c. sugar and cornstarch. Combine sugar mixture and 2 c. mixed berries in a saucepan over med-high heat. Stirring frequently until mixture boils and thickens, remove from heat. Cool. Once cool, gently toss mixture with remaining 2 c. berries. Spoon berry mixture into tartlet shells.

Whip heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until fluffy.  Garnish each tartlet with a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkle with lime zest.

Yield: 24 servings

Marvelous Millinery

Let me state for the record that I am not a hat person. My skull is too big, or my hair doesn't fall right, or something, I just can't pull it off. But, that doesn't stop me from appreciating a milliner's work of art. And if I wore hats, I would wear these amazing creations by Behida Dolic.

1. Small and Beautiful, $400

2. Pink Accordion Cloche, $450

3. When Birds Were Hats, $275

4. Pink Autumn, $380

Weekend Glimpse

Not much sleep this past weekend, but lots of busy time and fun things. The busy times were too busy for photos, but here's some of the fun things.

Working on Valentimey decor, with a Martha Stewart crepe paper rose kit.

FYI... she could totally have had the pieces cut out already. For real, Martha.

What is black and white and red all over?
My kitchen table centerpiece... striped runner from here, milkglass vases, red berries snipped from Annie's house.

Cooking up some naan...and yes, it did get a little dark there... and yes, the smoke detector may have gone off twice thanks to some smokin' hot oil. But it was still so good, make it with Butter Chicken and sop up some goodness.

Not pictured:

- catered a brunch (hence, busy times)

- Jimmy John's

- found a gorgeous upholstered bench for a friend (in brown ikat!)

- procrastinating about sewing curtains

- lots of dishes

- When Harry Met Sally

She & Him

I don't know where I have been, but I had no clue that the ever-adorable Zooey Deschanel was in a band until d*s posted about it. One peek of her latest music video was all it took, and I fell hard.  I am now a She & Him junkie... I purchased their 2 CD's immediately and have been listening to them non-stop.


She & Him - Don't Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo.

 Download Volume 1 for $5, and Volume 2 for $7.99 from Amazon. 

(cheaper than iTunes!)

Cupcake Paper Projects

I knew my slightly-out-of control collection of cupcake papers would come in handy someday! Check out all these awesome DIY projects that use cupcake liners...

Cupcake Paper Carnations by Martha Stewart

Light Embellishments by Real Simple

Quick Jar Covers by Martha Stewart

Hanging Bubbly Ball Decorations by Martha Stewart

Cupcake Liner Flower Tree by Paper Crave

Valentine Cupcake Goodies by Martha Stewart

Cupcake Liner Garland by 100 Layer Cake

Miss Selfridge

I happened upon a fabulous shop, Miss Selfridge. This UK-based retailer offers a great mix of retro-feminine styles with some modern edgy-ness thrown in. And yes, they do ship worldwide for very reasonable fees. Here's the styles I would choose:

Nude Diamond Dress, £30.00

Lace Corsage Headband, £3.50

Cream Lace Edge Umbrella, £12.00

Black Lace Trim 2 For Dress, £17.00

Ochre Chiffon Sleeve Top, £28.00

Crystal Wrap Ring, £5.00

Stone Waterfall Cardi, £20.00

Circle Pointelle Waistcoat, £38.00

Petites Fur Trim Duffle Jacket, £40.00

Leopard Makeup Bag, £10.00

Grey Loop Trapper, £7.00

Red Patent Closed Toe Wedge, £48.00

Pink Pleat Chiffon Neck Top, £28.00

Calendar Deliberations

People, I need your help. I have been pouring over options for calendars the last 3 days and cannot make a decision. Yes, I know it's nearly the end of January already... I'm a little late to the calendar game.

Here are my top choices:

1. Wall Calendar by Snow and Graham, $30

2. Letterpress Calendar Card by Parrott Design Studio, $5

3. Printable Calendar by Lisa Samartino Atelier, $10

4. Screen-printed Calendar by Beau Ideal

5. Letterpress Wall Calendar by Parrott Design Studio, $22.50

6. Letterpress Wall Calendar by Sycamore Street Press, $35

7. Printable Nature Calendar by Blue Tricycle, $5

Aren't they all lovely options? Every time I think I've decided and I'm about to hit the purchase button, I change my mind. To be honest, none of them are 100% perfect... each one has that little something that I wish were different. And yes, I've considered making my own, but until Vintage Printable get's their website in a usable state, it's not going to happen.

So what you think? Or do you know of another lovely calendar I should consider?

Weekend Glimpse

It was a good weekend.

 Fabric for Cory's new studio curtains + cushions.

Now I just have to sew them. Blech.

 Purchased a daybed off craiglist, now working on some inspiration for the refinishing.

How badly to I love the silver embossed rattlesnake fabric? Soooo bad.

Present tower, belatedly celebrating Julia's birthday.

Behind the scenes footage!

This is what's really happening during a photo shoot. Cats, so impressed and involved. Presents, stacked on a pedestal, perched on a overturned drawer, placed on a floor that needs to be cleaned. Curtain rods in the corner waiting to be hung.

This is as real as it get, folks.

Not pictured:

- finally emerging from my cave-home after the snowstorm

- BBQ from Sonny's

- a little cleaning

- a little procrastinating

- steak dinner

- so much fun had with good friends, my face still hurts from laughing.

Gifts Given: Heather's Book

I wanted to post this separately, so I could properly show it off. Remember Heather's surprise birthday party? Part of the reason I hired Oliva to photograph it is so I could make a book with the images to give to Heather.

Here it is!

 I used photos of Heather with the girls, and included a note from each of them. I also included photos of the actual party time and some gorgeous images Olivia took of Heather with her beautiful baby belly. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it's such a special gift to give.

I used Blurb for the book printing. Their BookSmart software was so easy to use, and I loved the flexibility of editing the page templates. The only slight issue I had was that the colors seemed to print a little hot. But other than that, I am completely happy with their service. I had a ton of fun making it, and the process was kind of addicting. I can't wait to make more photo books!

Gifts Received

I received so many lovely and thoughtful gifts this past Christmas, I have been completely spoiled.

A few favorites...

A whole stack of glorious home decor and crafting books!

Paper + Craft, Happy Chic Colors, Happy Chic Accessorizing, 

Crafting a Meaningful Home, Silhouette Art, Style and Substance

 Papercutting print by the amazing Elsita. I am so inspired by her work, I can hardly stand it. Cory also gave me her papercutting kit for beginners and an xacto knife set. But best of all, he asked her to send a personal note to me, and like a dear, she did... with sweet words of encouragement.

Print...Kit...Xacto Set

Sorry, I got lazy and didn't take a photo of these gifts in action.

Wonderful salt and pepper shakers by Jonathan Adler from my awesome sister-in-law. She knows my addiction to s+p!

My new favorite kitchen gadget: a Cuisinart imersion blender from my sweet mother-in-law.

Fancy-shmancy luggage from my parents (they actually gave this to us early so we could use it for our Europe trip). I never thought I could love luggage so much, but I have a serious crush on my Heys airgliders. I can never go back. (BTW, if you're in the market for new luggage, check out TJMaxx. Amazing quality for regular prices.)

Gifts Given

Here's a few of the gifts I gave this past Christmas...

First up, a custom necklace for Cory's mom with the silhouettes of her son and daughter.

Made by Ashley Buchanan.

A lovely erudite necklace for Annie on an extra-long chain.

Made by Floridity.

 The awesome Totoro for Cory that you already got a sneak peek of.

Made by Three Bad Seeds.

 A set of vintage Smurfs complete with mushroom cottages for Cory.

Found on eBay.

Next up, the oh-so-wonderful gifts I was given.