Archive for February, 2013

February 15th, 2013 No Comments

as part of our valentine story series… “daddy’s girl” by kelly smith killian

“Daddy’s Girl” With apologies to my dear husband of almost 14 years, I’ve chosen to dedicate my Valentine’s love story to my father. To be clear: I love my husband. He’s the man who still finds ways to surprise me with gifts big and small, utterly practical (ah, that blender) or beautifully novel. After nearly two decades together, he continues to fascinate me, revealing endearing truths about himself (like a hidden talent for juggling I uncovered year nine) that keep me wanting to discover even more. Best of all, our boys ages 4 and 9—brilliant and intuitive creatures that they are—are convinced … Read more

February 14th, 2013 3 Comments

happy valentine’s day! a father’s valentine & a childhood valentine’s day remembered

Today we have two stories for you in celebration of Valentine’s Day- continuing our week of Love Stories. A Father’s Valentine I am a family man. Husband and father of two boys, I love my family. It makes me tick, gives me drive and challenges me. It makes me feel good but never let’s me forget my weaknesses. Looking at my children I see my past and their future merge and wrap, realizing there is only the present moment. That’s when I ask myself: why do I yell at them? Why am I impatient? Luckily, my 2 little zen masters … Read more

February 12th, 2013 No Comments

weddings with gail brill: this couple preserved their love story creatively, and you can too.

As an artist and invitation designer, my work with brides usually falls into certain parameters. The invitation has a prescribed wording. The cards are a certain size and color. In most cases, the boundaries of tradtion are well maintained. Occasionally I’ll work with a bride who wants a Dupioni silk lining to her envelopes, a sprig of evergreen on the invitation or turquoise ink on a chocolate brown card. Every invitation I design is a one-of-a-kind reflection of the bride and groom. But  sometimes, something extraordinary happens. In July of last year, I heard Julia Goren and Adrien Vlach’s love … Read more

February 11th, 2013 1 Comment

a week of love stories: today, “the last kiss”

As a special for Valentine’s week, I thought we’d take a pause from our usual color palettes to celebrate love stories-stories between couples, friends & family. To begin the week I wanted to start with a poem from my father to my mother. My father and mother met when they were in kindergarten, married at age 21 and 20 in 1954 and celebrated 56 anniversaries until my mother’s passing in 2010. My mother had Parkinsons for nearly 20 years and my father cared for her day in and day out at our family home and was at her side when … Read more

February 8th, 2013 No Comments

lynn’s picks: shopping for candy heart pastels

There are a lot of pretty pastels shown this spring, but I just picked a few favorites this week in our candy heart palette.  Alice & Olivia Arie Tied-Collar Blouse, $264, from Bergdorf Goodman, Featherweight Cashmere Shell in Microcheck, $178, from J.Crew, iphone covers from Bloomingdales, Cashmere long v-neck cardigan in pink, $39.90, from Uniqlo, Dior Beauty Cherie Bow Addict Lipstick in Charmante, $31, from Bergdorf Goodman, Tania High Heel Sandals, in Iced Coffee, $295, by Tory Burch, Set of 14 Pale Pink Pencils, $12, from Iomoi. (they have a lot of colors.. lavender, green, hot pink, etc. – … Read more

February 7th, 2013 No Comments

paint unexpected pops of color to brighten up your home this spring

Sometimes you might love a color but don’t want to commit to an entire room or wall. Painting underneath a table, doors, inside drawers, a closet… these are all unexpected places where pops of color can personalize your home. I painted the inside of our hallway closet in Benjamin Moore’s Calypso Blue 727 and it makes me happy everyday we open it to get our coats and bags. I also added a very inexpensive little lantern that hangs from the ceiling vs. the standard unattractive flush mount light that you usually find in closets. Our color palette this week … Read more

February 6th, 2013 No Comments

introducing our february wedding contributor gail brill: hand calligraphy and the printing process

Thank you Lynn for allowing me this space to do a little talking about my craft. I started working with Lynn when she was at Martha Stewart Living many moons ago. We have worked together on various projects since. In fact, you can see my hand lettering throughout Lynn’s blog template! I often joke that my career as a calligrapher began in 3rd grade when I had to write 500 times “I will make an effort to improve my conduct in the cafeteria” and it was an exercise I loved doing! The reason for why I had to write those … Read more

February 5th, 2013 No Comments

candy heart favor tins for each placesetting for a valentine party

Another little candy favor is these heart tins from Paper Mart for about $1.10 each. Fill with candy hearts or any candy of your choice. For a more sophisticated party, wrap each heart with a ribbon in the candy heart pastel palette. For a more youthful party try these candy heart stickers from Michaels Craft Stores centered on each lid. Either way the tin is a nice little keepsake. Note: you can get candy hearts in bulk for $2.99 per pound from economycandy.com.

February 4th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: candy heart hues

I thought it would be fun to talk about the colors of candy hearts this week, since we talked about Valentine red and pink all last week. The pastel palette of the candy hearts is showing up everywhere with spring right around the corner. Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing retailer that has stores in the US and a shop online has all of these colors for men, women and children. If you haven’t heard of them before, I hope you’ll check them out- we’re big fans of Uniqlo. Cashmere blend scarves are on sale for under $10, cashmere sweaters for … Read more

February 3rd, 2013 1 Comment

a special valentine from carmine minardi nyc

Carmine Minardi is offering us a very special Valentine! Thinking you need a FABULOUS haircut before the big day? Schedule anytime now until February 14th and you’ll receive $50 off your haircut with Carmine himself! Or $50 off highlights from any of his team members. All you have to do is mention my name “Lynn Butler Beling” when making your appointment- how great is that? Carmine just opened at his new location at 19 East 62nd Street, 3rd Floor, NYC (next to Amaranth restaurant). This is not just for the gals… men, take advantage- It’s like we’re putting … Read more