May 27th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: seashell inspired tans, pinks & neutrals

As the official start of the summer season starts today we were inspired by seashells. Nature is a wonderful place to start when you are looking for a color palette. It can be from the colors in an object, like this shell, or a larger landscape in general- for instance if you are looking at the ocean you have the sky, the many colors of blue in the sea, the white or tan sand, the green or straw beach grass- these can all inspire a palette. We have selected Benjamin Moore colors to help you apply this palette to … Read more

May 24th, 2013 No Comments

we’re loving these tubs for organizing just about everything!

TUBTRUGS containers have been our new best friends lately. From large tubs that can hold wood to all different sized tubs to hold toys, games, pillows, blankets, food… anything you want really and they come in great colors! Our last purchase was the little Microtubs for $2.50 each which we plan to use to hold each of the fixings on our Memorial Day sundae bar. Because they are food safe we think we can use them this weekend to hold dips and salsa too. They could also be great to hold the kids ice-cream, popcorn for outdoor movies, snacks … Read more

May 23rd, 2013 No Comments

main street matters, 20 towns will be chosen, painted and revitalized-cast your vote!

Benjamin Moore has launched an initiative to revitalize 20 Main Streets. It is called “Main Street Matters”. More than 100 cities have been nominated in North America and you get to vote on which 20 will be revitalized. Go to www.paintwhatmatters.com for more information, to see the cities and to vote up to once a day until June 30th, 2013 for your favorite. Once the cities are chosen the work will begin this summer and go throughout the year. You will be able to follow along on the site. Many partners are involved with Benjamin Moore from local Chamber … Read more

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

May 16th, 2013 No Comments

the blue book from house beautiful, 350 inspiring ways to decorate with blue

House Beautiful’s little BLUE book is a great decorating reference. Measuring only 5 1/2 inches by 7 inches in size, this a totable book that you can keep in your bag. It doesn’t just give you inspirational photos of rooms, but designer’s tips and paint suggestions that they have actually used. It also goes room by room on how to interject blues to their best advantage in every area of your home. Suggestions and examples of color pairings, like blue and yellow are also very helpful.  

May 15th, 2013 1 Comment

a blueberry cake for a wedding? why not!

Deciding on a cake for any celebration is a pretty fun process. Usually the baker lets you try all the flavors they make. I always loved this blueberry and lemon cake that I styled, made by Jim Smeal of South Carolina and photographed for InStyle magazine by Monica Buck. (Probably because my own wedding cake was the same flavor) This cake looks beautiful with the layers of blueberry, but you can ask about making different tiers of your wedding cake different flavors, or having the filling be a different flavor. This usually works better with a cake that is … Read more

May 14th, 2013 No Comments

blue patterned ceramics make a beautiful table setting any time of the year

Blue and white dinnerware can be beautiful for any occasion and in my experience appeals to both men and women.  I have a great source for inexpensive blue patterned ceramics like these bowls. If you are in New York City visit Pearl River Mart on Broadway and have a fun afternoon shopping for all kinds of things from bowls, vases and plates to paper parasols and lanterns. Blue patterned ceramic bowls and plates above, from Pearl River. Large porcelain jars and vases are available from Gump’s and beautiful blue tumblers and stemware from Baccarat. For plates take peek at … Read more