Archive for the ‘Whites’ Category

May 22nd, 2013 No Comments

Weddings: Sugar Flower Cakes

Since we featured baker, Ron Ben-Israel’s Sugar Peony Cake color palette on Monday I thought I’d show you the entire cake from that story I worked on with Ron that appeared in InStyle Weddings magazine. It’s just so hard to believe they are sugar flowers, isn’t it? The photographer didn’t even realize they were sugar until she came up close to move one of the flowers! (The original cake body fondant was a lavender/pink color and the magazine paper printed a bit more blue in color- which was unfortunate.) If your baker is talented enough to make sugar flowers … Read more

May 21st, 2013 No Comments

easy as 1-2-3, invest in 3 vases and make your centerpieces a breeze all summer long!

If you are expecting a long summer of entertaining friends at home, here is something simple to keep your table looking elegant, but easy. Invest in 3 vases in  the same material (or color) in varying heights to cluster together. These white porcelain vases are from our little blue dish shop and actually look beautiful on their own as well. But even just filling them with 3 flowers looks pulled together. It literally only took about two minutes to do, especially if you can pull flower cuttings from your own garden. Now of course you can fill the vases … 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 17th, 2013 No Comments

Benjamin Moore introduces a new paint line: The Williamsburg Color Collection

Exciting news for paint and design enthusiasts. Benjamin Moore and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation have collaborated on a new collection of paints, featuring 144 colors that were actual hues from the 18th and 19th century called The Williamsburg Color Collection. Together they researched historic paint production methods and relied on 90 years of paint research that has been done to recreate colors that appeared more than 250 years ago. Sales of the Williamsburg products support the preservation, research and educational programs of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the not-for-profit center for history and citizenship. This foundation was responsible for the restoration … Read more

April 30th, 2013 No Comments

setting a table: turn your knife in towards your plate (if you are dining with friends)

Did you know that back in the day when men carried knives and weapons around with them all the time they would put their knives up on the table when sitting down to eat. If they were amongst friends, they would put the sharp edge of the blade in towards the plate to show that they did not mean to threaten their friends. This has stayed true throughout the centuries. When setting the table the knife blade should be turned in. The water glass should sit directly above the knife. Your plate and silverware should be about 1″ from the … Read more

April 29th, 2013 No Comments

color palette: gray, greens & neutrals

Inspiration can come from anywhere. It can come from nature, a piece of fabric, art, fashion.. and in this case a little bit of all of those. Turning through magazines you might run into an ad that you just stop and stare at for a moment. When I turned to this Celine ad I immediately loved the color palette. First the strong gray paired with a neutral bag. Then as I studied a little more it was also the greens, both light and very deep that framed the model that I loved. As I selected Benjamin Moore paints that … 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 25th, 2013 4 Comments

this week’s color palette: seaside blues and white in my farmhouse kitchen by the beach

House Beautiful published my kitchen in their April 2013 issue. I’m honored that they chose it as their “Kitchen of the Month”. I thought I’d share with you the photos from the magazine & link you to the story so you can read it yourself. There are several tips for small spaces- like under-counter refrigeration and a vent for the stove that pops up from behind the range- freeing the space of a giant hood.  I’d also like to share with you the Benjamin Moore paint colors of this kitchen in case you like the blues. … Read more

March 15th, 2013 No Comments

we’re loving the simplicity of click and grow- especially for basil

Ok- a “smartpot” that waters and fertilizes plants electronically so you don’t have to? We want it! I for one do not have a green thumb- so Click and Grow takes the guess work out of growing beautiful plants and vegetables. The design of the flowerpot is simple and clean white (which we love!), though you will be able to personalize your flowerpot soon. Then all you need after purchasing the flowerpot is a plant cartridge of your choice. I’m going to start with their basil starter kit. You need batteries and water to start, but after that … Read more