Archive for the ‘Blacks’ Category

June 4th, 2013 No Comments

our father’s day gift guide: 10 great gift ideas!

Father’s Day is fast approaching, it’s Sunday, June 16th! We thought we’d put a gift guide together for you in case you are stumped on what to get Dad. Here are a few suggestions that we’re loving right now: For the adventurous dad, how about surf or kiteboarding lessons from Main Beach Surf and Sport in the Hamptons. Dad can learn a new sport or the whole family can spend the day learning together. The Salted Caramel’s Big Top Sampler is perfect for the dad with a sweet tooth. Flavors like bacon bourbon caramel corn or salted bourbon caramel marshmallows … Read more

May 20th, 2013 No Comments

our color palettes & stories: a look back at a wonderful year

Time is flying!  We totally missed our one year anniversary of the blog we were so engrossed in our stories! Last year on April 9th our first post went up. It was one of my favorite color palettes of black, peach and pink (pictured below). Here is the link to read the full post. But soon after we posted this rich color palette of pinks (pictured above) from famous baker Ron Ben-Israel‘s sugar flowers. Yes, I said SUGAR flowers. Those flowers are hand crafted out of sugar by Ron. I worked with Ron on many cake stories for Weddings magazines and these … Read more

May 6th, 2013 No Comments

color palette: daffodil yellows & stem greens

The daffodils have been blooming here in New York for the past week or so. I brought these in from my garden and laid them on my counter… and this beautiful still- life was begging to be snapped. I love when this happens, it so rarely does, especially on photo shoots- where you lay something down and just the natural way that you put it down is stunning; You don’t want to touch it- you just want to capture the image with a photograph. I wish I was a better photographer but that’s something I’ll have to learn from some … Read more

April 18th, 2013 No Comments

interiors: spotlight on victoria hagan

When I’m talking about design and shopping for furniture, I am surprised that many people still don’t know about a great resource; So if you haven’t heard about 1stdibs.com, take time to check it out. It’s being able to sit in the comfort of your own home and see what intimate small shops have all around the world. Though since it’s start it’s expanded to vintage jewelry, clothing and even premiere real estate.  Today they have a spotlight on designer Victoria Hagan, here’s the link. I really enjoy reading their spotlights on designers. Above is a room Victoria … Read more

April 16th, 2013 No Comments

salted cherry blossoms: a recipe for sakura tea from andrea gentl of hungry ghost food and travel

Oh my god, how absolutely beautiful…is what I thought when I saw these photos from photographer Andrea Gentl. If these photos don’t take your breath away this morning, then I think maybe a cup of coffee is in order. This week Andrea posted these photos on her blog Hungry Ghost Food and Travel along with the recipe to make Sakura tea. She explains that Sakura tea (or Salted Cherry Blossom Tea) is often served at weddings in Japan. Andrea graciously allowed me to share some of her post below (so keep scrolling down!) For even a few more … Read more

April 15th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: inspired by lilacs

This week’s color palette was inspired by our floral contributor, Michael George, and his garden in upstate NY (His arrangement on his table shown below). Once Lilacs are done flowering you should snip the blooms off. Then keep watering and fertilize so that each spring you will have very fragrant blooms. Lilacs need a period of cold to bloom. So if you live in a locale that is warm all year, you should stop watering after September to force it into dormancy. Note: As we do every week with our color palettes, the names and numbers above are from Benjamin Moore … Read more

April 11th, 2013 No Comments

interiors: 2 great paint color tools from benjamin moore

If you are planning on a renovation or just like to paint rooms, furniture etc. every so often, I find a very helpful tool to have on hand is the Benjamin Moore Color Preview Fan Deck. For $25 it can save you trips to your local store for swatches and keeps them all together by color family for years and years. Also available in Fan Decks are their Color Stories, Classics & Historical and Affinity collections. You don’t have to be a designer or set decorator to keep one of these on your desk! Another great tool is the … Read more

March 26th, 2013 No Comments

time to update your kitchen? new dishes can freshen things up, here are my favorite picks

I have spent years covering the tabletop and entertaining markets and on my shop I carry my favorite pieces. If you saw my kitchen in yesterday’s post, you can see that you can make a big impact with dishes- even white dishes when displayed as a collection. You might have also noticed the black deep dishes, bowls etc. in the photos too and wondered where I got them. I sell those too on the shop! They are amazing. They are Black Clay Pottery from Columbia. You can take these dishes from oven to table and the presentation with food is … Read more

March 4th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette inspired by a bacon & zucchini tart

I am loving this site that I found called Daisy’s World (.net). Bacon has become so popular in foods over the past couple years and this is a traditional pairing of flavors. Daisy’s site is clean and clear in design and the photographs are really beautiful that accompany the recipes. She has several bacon recipes… her bacon macaroni looks delicious too!  Visit Daisy’s site for all original recipes and content, but I’ve shared the bacon and zucchini tart recipe here to save you time.  Let me know if you try it! -Lynn (Note: as usual I’ve selected the names of 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