Archive for October, 2012

October 31st, 2012 No Comments

fern & woodland inspired cake

One of my favorite wedding cakes is this fern and woodland inspired cake that writer and editor, Celia Barbour had at her wedding on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. The cake is made of smooth buttercream-frosted tiers. Buttercream piped ferns, real acorns and oak leaves adorn the layers. Many printing companies can add almost any icon of your choice to tie all your details of your wedding together. Pictured below is an example of a fern invitation from minted.com. You could also use the icon on matchbooks, napkins and programs. Ferns and woodland elements (such as moss, leaves and … Read more

October 30th, 2012 No Comments

simple fern placesetting

Having friends over at the last minute and want to dress up your table setting? Place a beautiful fern in the center of your table and snip off some leaves to dress up each placesetting. Most of us have a fern either in our homes or on our patio, so you might not even have to run to the florist or store for fresh flowers. I placed two fern limbs secured with a ribbon at the base at each placesetting on top of a crisp white linen napkin. If you don’t have green ribbon handy even some kitchen twine would … Read more

October 29th, 2012 No Comments

this week’s color palette: fern greens

October 26th, 2012 No Comments

we’re loving RH’s faux fur for holiday gifts

Restoration Hardware has some great faux fur gifts this year…at great prices! We snagged several of these faux fur wine bags for just $9 each and faux fur scarves for just $29 each. We also love their faux fur blankets (bigger than a throw) that cover the entire bed, on sale now for $199 (originally $250). It feels so decadent to snuggle up in this soft fur. It not only makes a great holiday gift- but also a wonderful anniversary gift.

October 25th, 2012 No Comments

House Beautiful’s ‘bath of the month’

We had the honor of being featured in House Beautiful Magazine this month for their “Bath of the Month” article. This bath’s color palette was inspired by the stone fireplace and wood beam mantel that we posted on monday to launch this week’s color palette.

October 24th, 2012 No Comments

books: the last course by claudia fleming

Claudia Fleming, pastry chef and co-owner of North Fork Table and Inn wrote a book back in 2001 with writer Melissa Clark called “The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern” when Claudia was the pastry chef there.  Claudia is a winner of the James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef Award. There are a few copies on Amazon.com, and well worth the investment if you love making your own unique desserts for entertaining. I particularly love her Chocolate Caramel Tarts with sea salt (see photo below).  This book is a perfect gift for someone that loves to bake or just … Read more

October 23rd, 2012 No Comments

add layers of texture to your table setting

By layering different textures when setting a table you can add visual interest. Here I set a deep gray wood table with charcoal gray felt placemats. Then I added horn handled flatware and glazed china with a fine gauge gray linen napkin. A little whimsy never hurts either. I love to use these faux birds (see photos below) which you can find at most any craft store. I placed a bird in a cup of peanuts leaning over a glass tumbler like he’s going to take a drink. Individual little cups at each placesetting are a nice detail- whether you … Read more

October 22nd, 2012 No Comments

this week’s color palette: whites, creams, browns & grays

A color palette can be inspired from anything. Look around and you can find inspiration most anywhere- from nature, a unique colored glass, a package or label, or even materials found around your own home. My stone fireplace in my bedroom with a wood beam mantel inspired the color palette in my master bath. I have two old ornate ceiling tiles leaned against the stone wall on my matel that I found at the old 26th Street antiques market in NYC years ago.  The panels add even more texture and the creams in the square panels break up the heavy … Read more

October 12th, 2012 No Comments

count your steps: decal numbers for stairs

A fun idea for your stairs, especially if you have young children, is to add wall decal numbers to the risers of your stairs. This is much easier than painting on a stencil and they are easily removable. I usually use the company Wall Words for any decal project I do. For this one I used “Garamond” type in 2.5 inches in height and the color I chose was “Wedgewood Blue”. When I entered the custom order I just made sure to put enough spaces in between the numbers so I would be sure to have enough room to … Read more

October 11th, 2012 No Comments

beach house color palette

Throughout the beach house I used Benjamin Moore’s, Blue Note, Westcott Navy, Seafoam, Ice Mist, Ocean Air, Gossamer Blue, Jamestown Blue, Rendezvous Bay and Calypso Blue. The formal dining/living/family room is painted in blue note- it’s warm and cozy and the black flat screen tv disappears against it. You almost feel like you are in a movie theatre. The casual breakfast room is painted in decorator’s white but the painter dropped about 2 drops of blue note into the white to make a beautiful blue gray. The hallways are painted in sea foam. The kitchen and … Read more