Archive for January, 2010

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

White and Whimsical

I stumbled across the above photo of Milla Jojovich on This is Glamorous and fell in love. The little girl in me squeals with excitement when I think about going at an oversized canvas in a whimsical “dress-up” dress. A childhood dream come true? From the colorful doodling to the white feathered fringe, you bet it is.
The collage below gives a bit of a peek into my imagination. It took me some time to get it right, but I think this sums up my girlish fantisies quite well.  If I were to throw a party in honor of daydreams, this eclectic and ethereal mix may just do them justice.

Clockwise from top left:

Painted netting installation by Emily Ann Nachison via Design*Sponge
Dreamy tiered coconut cake on Martha Stewart Weddings
Imperial yellow vases by Tozai Home on Organize.com ($324.99, set of 6)
Louis ghost chair by Phillipe Starck for Kartell on AllModern ($410)
Red coral chandelier from 1stdibs featured on Design Milk
Driftwood floral arrangement by Krislyn Meyer-Komarov
White coral sculpture from Basset Furniture ($69)
Tortoise large silver vase from Lamps Plus ($249.91)
Hand-blown glass votives in Cream and Pearl from Glassybaby ($40)
Pyrite cluster from Anthropologie ($38)
White anemone arrangement found on the WeddingBee
Fabric swatch of Marimekko‘s signature Unikko design
Verdant Acres dinnerware from Anthropologie ($10-$16)

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Spice it up

Spices! Oh how I love thee. From everyday flavors to fancy-shmancy culinary delights, a kitchen is hardly complete without a collection of herbs and spices. This DIY wall-mounted magnetic spice rack featured on The Kitchn is a great way to store your ingredients in accessible and aesthetically pleasing way. If you’re concerned about the amount of light exposure (which may hasten the expiration of spices), this system would also work well on the inside of a pantry door, or with opaque jars. No patience for gluing magnets to your lids? Try picking up a ready-to-use magnetic spice rack kit with glass honeycomb-shaped jars from Gneiss Spice on Etsy.

If you’re the kind of person (like me) that will go out and buy a new spice just to try a recipe, I’m sure you’ve amassed quite an arsenal by now. Using an entire supply of one uncommon spice can be a challenge if you aren’t sure how else to use it! I did some searching and came up with a bit of inspiration for dusting off the jars in the back of your rack. Below are some ideas for meals and snacks to help you incorporate a little more spice into your life (sorry, couldn’t help myself).

Recipes with spices and herbs

Clockwise from top-left:

Chicken kokkinisto by Jamie Oliver
Moroccan spiced cous cous recipe on All Recipes
Orange cardamom cookie recipe from Gourmet
Smoked paprika shredded pork with orange fennel marmalade from McCormick
Fennel ice cream recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Cumin coriander sirloin steak from Cooking Light on My Recipes
Parsnip spice cake with ginger cream cheese frosting on Epicurious
Shrimp and yellow squash on saffron mint rice from Eating Well
Indian spiced vegetable fritters on Smitten Kitchen
Black sesame seed and sea salt-encrusted salmon on Serious Eats
Onion-herb focaccia bread recipe from Food Network

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Dear Doily

porcelain doilies a

This post is inspired by an artist whose work was featured last month on Design*Sponge.  Kristen Wicklund’s doilies, shown here on exhibit at Greenwich House, are hand-crocheted, dipped in porcelain and fired. The cotton yarn burns away to leave behind a hollow porcelain shell, taking the beauty and delicacy of lace doilies to a whole new level.

I love doily patterns and hope to one day have the skill and patience necessary to make my own. In the meantime, I’m thinking of picking up one of Kristen’s creations from her shop on Etsy, called Forest Clearing. If you’re more of a fashion fiend than an art collector, the pieces below might fulfill your need for some doily-inspired fun.

Doily Collage

Clockwise from top-left:
DIY vintage doily embellished sweater featured on Country Living
Silver doily pendant by brooke1984 on Etsy ($60)
3.1 Phillip Lim crocheted bib tee on CUSP ($325)
Ivory lace mini skirt by BB Dakota on Ruche ($59.99)
“Snowflakes are falling” gray marle striped tank from perpetual3 on Etsy ($32.95)
Small doily earrings from sodafine ($38)
Hand-crocheted ivory flower mohair shawl in trendyknitting’s Etsy shop ($85)
Tote with silk-screened doily graphic from trackandfielddesigns on Etsy ($52)
Crocheted in-the-clouds scarf from Anthropologie ($168)
Handmade grey sparkle doily collar by sodafine on Etsy ($48)
Lace shift dress by 3.1 Phillip Lim via La Garconne ($750)
Doily-inspired flats from Charlotte Russe ($22.99)
Wooden doily brooch by States of Nature ($35)