This faux bonsai Christmas tree caught my eye in this month’s Martha Stewart Living.
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From the yearly archives:
2009
These photographs from Anne Verlet are magical. Found on But Does It Float via a tip from Stephanie.
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Ah to be sitting in the park, with my paper, waiting to amble off for a midday cappuccino. From always talented Francesco Lagnese.
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I figured I should share with you where my brain cells are these days: I’m in a mad headlong rush to finish my Master’s thesis, due in January. I’m writing on the Japanese inspired silver made by the Whiting Manufacturing Company in the 1870s and 1880s. Both of these objects, a water pitcher up top, and a tea caddy below, were made by Whiting designers. Not much is none about the firm (I’m changing all that!) and most of its designers are unknown. I’ve been on a two year hunt to uncover who designed these incredible objects. I love this sort of detective work and have actually been able to find the names of some of the designers, which has been awesome!
Anyway, I thought you might enjoy seeing these beautiful objects, made by American craftsmen, but clearly inspired by the art of Japan. Just the way the blog world went nuts of Japanese masking tape last year, a hundred years ago everyone went nuts over Japanese prints and objects like these with Japanese motifs. As much as things change, they stay the same. Bonus: these objects were made entirely by hand and are sterling silver.
I’ll be done in January and then, loyal readers, you’ll have my full attention once again. I’ve reams of ideas, projects and images I can’t wait to share with you. Lots has been happening on the homefront; new art, new chairs, a brand new closet organization thanks to a fantastic stylist, plus lots of ideas for a new bedroom and six months of amazing images to scan.
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Congratulations Melisa! Devon is an absolute doll. The blog world is rich in brand new babies this month.
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Who doesn’t like a vintage bus roll? I’m still in the process of (cheaply) decorating our white walls and I’ve been thinking of making my very own bus roll using the “roadway” font at dafont.com and photoshop, and then Rasterbating the image. Remember this rasterbation project from our old apartment? PS I love the sea stones under the table in this image! If you don’t want to make your own, but like the idea of a custom bus roll, check out Etsy seller Hirondelle Rustique’s for $99.
Top image via AT, Bottom from Country Living.
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I’ve always been curious about the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel (the world’s oldest subway tunnel, rediscovered in the 80s). Now, Open House New York and the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association are hosting a special guided tour and happy hour on November 22nd.
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Becoming a mother has touched all parts of my life; for better and for worse. This latter category includes the devastation that is my shoe closet. I love shoes and had the perfect pair for every occasion (business shoes, date shoes, party shoes, pants shoes, weekend shoes, vacation shoes, shopping shoes, brunch shoes, driving shoes, travel shoes, cooking shoes — you begin to get the picture). It’s not that I have so many pairs, because I didn’t — it was that I had the PERFECT pair for whatever the occasion. Quality over quantity. Imagine the heartbreak of realizing that post pregnancy I’m now a solid size 8.5, which makes almost all my shoes too small. Note this doesn’t happen to every woman (so don’t panic if you’re pregnant!).
I nearly passed out the first time I wore my favorite pair of high heels (cocktail shoes!) to a charity cocktail thing, I couldn’t even make conversation they were so tight. I had to sit down with the old ladies and the waitstaff in a corner.
So, I’m resigned to slowly but surely buying an entire new shoe wardrobe. I started out with these two pairs of flats, one classic and one fun. The grey and black cap toe are from Bloch ($145) and the black and neon pink pair is from Matt Bernson ($165) from Moxsie (but they are offering 15% off, so I got them for $140). The Bloch shoes I bought at Bloomindales but they are sold out now.
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Tim cooked skirt steak with golden beets and stir-fried greens tonight and it was delicious (and took 30 minutes to prep and cook). If you’ve never had golden beets you are in for a treat. I HATE beets as a result of my grandparents forcing me to eat the red canned variety when I was 6 and I was so skeptical about these, but they are mellow and earthy, a perfect compliment to the steak. Skirt steak is an amazingly flavorful and CHEAP cut of meat, too. I had no idea.
This recipe is adapted from a great Everyday Food recipe. Everyday Food is one of my favorite magazines (I love it’s tiny size). I cook something new and delicious every month from this magazine. Since I now worry that every magazine I depend on is going to fold, I’ll say it: subscribe. It’s $12 dollars for the year and I promise you’ll find at least 12 great recipes to add to your repertoire and cook time and again.
Skirt Steak with Golden Beets and Stir-Fry Greens
4 yellow beets peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 skirt steak (1.5 lbs) cut into 4 equal pieces
Any combination of swiss chard, baby bok choi, mustards greens, chicory, kale, beet tops, spinach greens. Depending on which greens you like, I’d combine a few baby bok choi with a 6 or 7 swiss chard leaves with some kale for a total of 12 ozs of greens (or however much you can fit in your saute pan).
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or balsamic if you don’t have red wine vinegar)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets on a large sheet of tin foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and generous amount of salt and pepper Fold foil to make tent like packet over the beets. Place on baking sheet (rimmed if you have it) and roast until beets are tender, about 30 minutes.
While the beets are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high. Season steaks with salt and peeper and cook until medium rare 3-6 minutes a side (depending on thickness). Transfer to plate to rest.
Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel, return to store and heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium- high, add greens and cook until wilted, 2 minutes. Add beets and vinegar, season with salt and peeper and toss to combine. Thinly slice steak against the grain and serve with beets and greens.
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We were in D.C. for the weekend, visiting friends (with a sweet baby boy, Nate) and had so much fun handing out candy in a real house (there is something about trick or treating in an apartment building that is sort of sad). Alex was a penguin. (And I ate all his candy.)
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I spend a lot of my days on the floor with Alex and thought I’d share an action shot of him getting ready to take the living room by storm (he is so ready to crawl!). His striped outfit is from Polarn O. Pyret, a incredibly chic Swedish children’s clothing brand that has just started selling in the United States. The folks at Polarn O. Pyret were kind enough to send some clothes for me (or really, Alex) to review. Our thoughts: This is a great brand. The designs are classic, not precious, the cotton is delicious and thick, and the sizing is spot on, unlike many European brands that run really small (I’m talking to you Petite Bateau!). They have also worn well in the wash (not too much shrinkage).
The striped leggings ($35) are Alex’s favorite pants — He likes them because they are comfortable and I like them because they are easy to put on, and are designed beautifully to accommodate a bulky diaper (you’d be surprised how many brands somehow don’t design pants for baby plus a full diaper). He always gets comments from our neighbors in the elevator when he’s sporting these (which is more often than I might like to admit). The long sleeve onesie ($32) is perfect for the colder weather. I’ve also bought these mittens ($6.50) and jeans ($32) and been pleased.
PS: Alex’s baby gym is from Ikea ($25).
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