Today is Fastnacht Day. A Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of eating doughnuts the day before Ash Wednesday. It’s part of a German tradition of eating lots of good foods before Lent. It’s literal translation is “fast night”.
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this week’s color palette: spring greens, pinks and a bit of rust
What can I say besides I think everyone is more than ready for spring to arrive. We had another palette ready for you but after this morning’s snow we decided on this palette inspired by peonies instead. We love the shades of green with the pinks and we drew the rust from the color of the pollen which seems to elevate the palette just a bit. All paint colors are from Benjamin Moore.
salted caramel and nutella stuffed double chocolate chip cookies
We stumbled upon this enchanting blog called Top With Cinnamon, written by an 18 year old student named Izy, living in London. She makes her “mums” family recipes, mostly baked goods like these cookies. Another batch of cold weather is here on the East Coast, so it’s a good weekend to savor some time inside in the warm kitchen baking chocolate cookies, right? Here’s a link to the recipe.
If you love design, you’ll love pouring over McAlpine Tankersley’s work
Although I’ve always heard of the firm McAlpine Tankersley and seen them in all our favorite shelter magazines like Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Veranda etc., I didn’t intently peruse their work on their website until I was recently researching porte cocheres for a home I was consulting on in Southampton. Insead of giving you a long history of their firm and accomplishments, I urge you just to go over to their site and devour their work. Make sure you have a large cup of coffee and sit back and get ready to be completely and utterly inspired. – Lynn … Read more
country inspired wedding details
A sure way to make your wedding celebration (or any party for that matter) memorable is to take the time to infuse some of your interests or background into the event. Even if you are having a black tie reception in the city it doesn’t mean you can’t bring in a few unique details to personalize it, even if it’s a bit of country (or vise versa). We love these Mini Mason Jar Shot Glasses that can also be personalized from HomeWetBar.com, set of 4, $12.95. Directing your guests is always a good idea for any event, whether with … Read more
kit kat cheesecake bars, we’re in love
We just couldn’t resist sharing this recipe for Kit Kat Cheesecake bars via Bakers Royal. Remember a color palette doesn’t just have to lend itself to decorating your home. You can make your party look like the pages out of a magazine by weaving in your color palette where possible, not only with tablecloths and flowers but with desserts and drinks. And with Saint Patrick’s Day coming up soon, these Black and Tan Beer Pops from Betty Crocker are a great alternative rather than just serving up everything green.
this week’s color palette inspired by wild gazelle at the Natural History Museum
A trip to New York’s Natural History Museum inspired our color palette this week. The coloring on these gazelles was so stunning. I centered around Benjamin Moore’s Mt. Rainier Gray and Flint, part of their 2014 color trends and filled in the neutrals from there for one of our new favorite color palettes! (this photo was taken by Lynn Butler personally on her iPhone and it is NOT a stock photograph)
A dream wedding in France, The Marriage of Megan Schuster and Thomas Brodsky
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a beautiful and magical wedding. This marriage story actually began when Megan and Thomas were young. Megan and Thomas grew up right across the street from each other on 79th Street in Manhattan. Fast forward and Thomas proposed to Megan by waking her one morning a few days before her birthday with a 9 week old puppy that had a diamond ring on a ribbon tied around it’s neck. And if that’s not romantic enough, they chose the wedding to take place at ‘the most beautiful place we have ever been in … Read more
neutral tiles in your bath don’t have to be boring and they won’t break your budget
I think so many of us fear that we can’t renovate a room in our home, like the bathroom, the way we want without breaking the bank. But as far as tiles go, subway tiles and neutral porcelain and glass tiles in soft shades of neutrals can go a long way and they are very inexpensive. Here are a few tips to get the biggest bang for your buck. Choose an accent wall, a small pattern in the floor or just as a backsplash behind your sink for the more costly tile. Tiles come in lots of sizes, not just … Read more
our “mud australia” tableware is perfect for neutral table settings
If you aren’t familiar with the line of tableware we carry on the shop called Mud Australia I hope you’ll check it out. It’s glazed on the interior or tops of plates and bowls and matte on the outside. It’s beautifully minimal and goes well in most any setting, from a contemporary table to a rustic table. We carry the line in milk (cream) and slate (a deep gray, almost black) but there are many colors if you’d like us to special order another color. I love the shape of the bowls and the tiny lip on the plates. … Read more