EOS Sponsor Party Resources has a new blog, and today I did a guest post over there about throwing a ladies only Mad Men party! Go check it out (and the other fab posts).
Archive for the ‘food and drink’ Category
As I sat alone in my apartment last night eating a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats for dinner (pairing it with a nice Sauvignon Blanc, after much deliberation about what wine goes with cereal-repulsive) I stumbled upon the Boston-based food blog La Tartine Gourmand. It instantly whipped up the lingering dreams I’ve always had of being a fantastic cook / domestic goddess (and caused me to cast a judgmental eye on my choice of dinner). I spent hours clicking my way through her blog, enamored by her stunning photographs of the preparation of meals, the delicious final products and the life that weaves it all together. How beautiful to combine a picture of a sunny cranberry bog next to a styled photo of a freshly baked upside down cranberry cake, no? Only someone with effortless French style (she grew up in France-jealous) could make it all look so chic.Her photographs showcase her flawless eye and ability to turn the most simple ingredient or landscape into something impossibly charming. Style is style, whether it’s food, photos, homes, fashion, dance, whatever.
Someday perhaps I will be the kind of girl who spends a rainy day making gourmet delicacies for my family from fresh farmers market goods served on hand-painted ceramics and fresh linens– but until then I will just visit Bea’s world (and await her cookbook in 2011!)
I am unabashedly going to geek out so hardcore today over the release of New Moon at midnight tonight! I’ve got a great event to go to first at Luna Boston, and then a pre-party with some equally excited women at which I’ll change from my “designer persona” duds into this little number and completely FREAK MY FREAK until midnight when I’ll be in the theaters with throngs of screaming ladies watching the movie! It’s like Christmas morning!
And you thought I was cool….
I did have a reader write me a while ago asking me if I would do a Twilight inspired room post. If any day is appropriate for me to do this, it’s today. I wanted it to reflect the dark moodiness of the movie, but not the typical “black and red” vampire color scheme. So instead I chose black, white and deep forest green, which reminds me of the mossy, damp town of Forks (wow, I can’t believe I’m writing this). And what better room to base on Edward and Twilight than a bedroom? (wink, wink) Since Edward is 100+ years old, I wanted the room to have a mix of antique styles from different decades-almost as if they were collected throughout time. Everything has a reference to the book (canopy bed, fur blanket, deer head, etc.) and I think all and all, it looks quite chic and not “Twilight” at all! The perfect room for the grown up Twi-hard who doesn’t want posters on her wall!
The room itself would be very much like Jenna Lyon’s bedroom- creamy marble mantle, black walls and great architectural detail. I’d make the focus piece this antiqued mirrored “True Romance” Neirmann Weeks bed (hey, vampires are loaded so budget isn’t a factor). I’d pop an alabaster deer head above the headboard for a really graphic, unexpected punch. And the room would smell of Diptyque’s Baies Noir candles…
An antique rug and deep green velvet drapes would create a really rich atmosphere.
Simple sleek white with black Yves Delorme bedding and a faux fur throw (hello Jacob) at the foot and mirrored pillows for a shimmery effect.
A mid-century chandelier to add some funk:
Alabaster lamps on top of Moorish inlaid tables giving it an eclectic, cultural look.
A antique dresser topped with bell jars covering plants and mosses and tons of candles in mercury holders.
Wall decor would be varied- a really large format photograph on one wall that looks oh-so appropriate, something modern and abstract on another (this is Amanda Talley) and a Venetian mirror above the dresser (to reflect the Italian component of the book)
In a seating area (with large photograph from above hung on wall) a Barcelona daybed with a pillow in Schumacher’s Shock Wave velvet with a green throw and petrified wood side table.
And by that, of course, Sapien bookshelves stacked with old books:
Of course I had to create a themed cocktail for the party leading up to the midnight showing, so here it is:
The Sparkly Vampire Martini
(a.k.a. the Cullentini, a.k.a. What Will Get Me Drunk Enough To Deal With Hordes of Screaming Teenagers at Midnight Tonight)
1 1/2 shots citrus vodka (you can make it 2 if you want to SEE sparkles)
splash of Chambord
1/2 shot simple syrup
1 shot pomegranate juice (POM is good)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
rub rim of lemon wedge around rim of glass and coat in sparkly sugar (mine is Stirrings Lemon Drop Sugar Rim)
Shake and pour into glass. Drink enough that when you get to the theater for the midnight New Moon showing you start kissing the Rob Pattinson cardboard cutout on display while your friends laugh/take pictures to post on Facebook.
Fancypants is probably one of my favorite (made up) words ever. So when I found this bakery named such (and Boston based) I did a little fancypants dance. I adore their ADORABLE Martha-esque cookies and super chic packaging (I am a total sucker for that). Perfect to send as a gift or bring to a party. Just wanted to share, I mean who doesn’t love cookies? And with an adorable selection for ANY ocassion you can’t miss.
On a side note- I hope to soon be bringing you E of S Weekend Editions. I’m going to be working with some guest editors to line up a post every weekend that will focus on more lifestyle type things like beauty, food, kids, music, pop culture, etc. Stay tuned!
I was reading the very clever Balustrade and Bitters and nearly dropped my coffee when viewing Colleen Rider’s gorgeous photos of the Tavern restaurant in L.A. It’s a magnificent interpretation of an English pub by design Jeffrey Alan Marks, who splits his time between those two locations (and is cute as a button himself). This will certainly be on my list of “must see’s” for my winter LA trip!
Design elements to note: the rivet edged metal tables, the rope detail on the lighting, the sofa-like tufted banquettes, the row of armchairs behind the bar stools in the bar (genius), the rough hewn flooring, the beautiful blue/grey wall color in the bar and the amazing chinoiserie wallpaper against the textured brick. All truly breathtaking!
Photos via Volleen Rider/Balustrade & bitters, JAM Design and Tavern LA.
So glad you guys all freaked about my boot purchase yesterday. I wore those babies all afternoon and unlike most new shoes, they did not hurt one bit. In fact, they felt like I had owned them for years! I am so beyond thrilled with my budget purchase!
As I was talking about them to my girlfriend last night I said “These boots make me want to be all country- and like, build outdoor fires, tend to farm animals and cook pumpkin based things!” Isn’t it funny how an item of clothing can inspire you to crave another life? Or a departure from your own just for a bit? As if perfectly aligned, I then clicked onto the Urban Grace blog and saw this posting about a farmhouse in the Catskills from the NY Times that would go PERFECTLY with my new boots. Because that’s the normal progression… to buy a house that goes with your Target boots.
Another part of my Target Boot Life- owning a country antique shop like the homeowner…
For an amazingly yummy dinner, make (while wearing the Target boots) Giada’s butternut squash lasagna (I substituted fresh sage for basil and it made it that much better). I made it once for Thanksgiving and it was INCREDIBLE.
A lot of you have been asking about where I stayed on my trip. This was a hugely stressful choice for me, as with most decisions in my life, I want them to be PERFECT. Unfortunately, the health of the dollar vs. the euro didn’t help my cause and all the great boutique hotels I wanted to stay in (L’Hotel , ahem!) were running about $600 a night for a normal room. Not in our budget. So after many hours of researching we decided on Hotel du Louvre , smack in the center of the city across from, you guessed it, the Louvre. I was being a bit of a spoiled brat and anticipating that this place was going to suck because it wasn’t a “high design” hotel (even though it was still about $400 a night!). I am happy to report those feeling were completely unfounded and that I deserved to be smacked for even thinking that. It was the PERFECT hotel for our first visit. The location was incredible- we never needed to take the Metro and could walk everywhere in the city we wanted to go. Our room was large by European standards (especially the bathroom- two sinks and a big bathtub) but all I really cared about were my FRENCH DOORS! I squealed when I saw our room had them overlooking a darling square of cafes, and whipped them open to let in the sounds and smells of Paris. The staff was lovely, spoke English very well and our room was spotless! I would certainly recommend it to those visiting Paris in the near future!
The room (had a desk, big closet and mini bar as well)
The large bathroom and adorable patio off the hotel’s restaurant
Now, I have so much to say and show from Paris but I have been dying to tell you about my favorite store in all of Paris. I read about it in the last issue of Town & Country and from the cute picture of the front of the store I knew it would be worth finding ( hello vintage red Mini Cooper Fiat 500!). And boy was it! Named Merci and found in the Marais, I can only equate it to a huge Anthropologie on French steroids.
Can you stand the cuteness?
This place has three levels and several “wings” and every inch of this store is so creatively curated it almost looks too good to disrupt by checking things out! In the entryway there is floral shop with walls painted black so the flowers really pop (which I forgot to shoot and am kicking myself for). You then come into a huge vintage cabinet with art above and inside each cubby is a little diarama of small goodies! In the main space there are coffee cups and mugs hanging from the ceiling by strings and I totally flipped over this, of course.
I of course plucked a coffee cup down and am drinking my coffee out of it right now.
On the second level is clothing, which i also forgot to shoot because I was distracted by a Stella McCartney blazer. Up even further is the furniture and decor area. Bonjour.
In one little wing is a kids section- beyond darling- loving the brach hanging from the ceiling with lights!
In the basement is a section selling cooking supplies and a gorgeous cafe that was PACKED. The big glass windows look out into a gorgeous courtyard with ivy growing everywhere.
The lower cafe is below left, it was SO amazing. On the main level you can walk down a hall with floor to ceiling antique books for sale and find another smaller casual cafe! The lighting and wall color was SPECTACULAR.
After all that beauty I needed a break so went in search of an outdoor cafe because it was such a gorgeous day. I have no idea where we went but it was our best lunch- we had amazing salads with huge chunks of homemade mozzarella and yummy ham and thought we had ordered two GLASSES of wine but instead we got this.
Damn metric system will get ya every time. Needless to say, after this lunch we were nearly skipping (stumbling?) through the Marais like true idiot tourists.
While I’m talking of shopping, I guess I’ll mention a few others. Also while in the Marais (amazing for shopping) we walked by this shop with a window full of gorgeous green bottles stacked floor to ceiling. I had to go in to find out what they were for. It was an olive oil shop, Oliviers & Co., with the sweetest man who had us taste about 6 different varieties (and some mixtures with gourmet balsamic vinegars too) and taught us all about them. We were totally enchanted and bought like $75 worth of stuff. Come to find out, there is one on Newbury Street. I felt like a bit of a dumbass, but it was such a fun little experience and the shop was gorgeous!
I also got to go into a smaller Flamant store, which i had blogged about a while ago. It was so lovely, but we were so tired and our feet hurt so much I barely took it in. But it did seem very WS Home meets Restoration meets an antique shop.
I think our favorite breakfast was at Eric Kayser in the Saint Germain neighborhood. It was a drop dead gorgeous bakery full of such amazing things you wanted to try every single one.
But a cafe au lait, fresh squeezed OJ and an almost chocolate croissant did me JUST fine!
And for the very best part of our trip. Andrew booked a dinner cruise on the Seine all by himself (pat on the back) and it was the most spectacular thing I’ve done in a long time. We rode in style in a glass roofed boat at what had to be the best table in the joint!
We were greeted with a bottle of champagne…
AND a bottle of red wine, which thrilled Andrew. Clearly.
I was pretty pleased myself.
We took a 3 hour cruise at dusk and in the darkness of the Seine and it was absolutely BREATHTAKING and worth every penny.
When the Eiffel Tower lit up in twinkly lights I almost cried.
It’s impossible to capture the beauty of this since my camera needed to not be on flash and therefor blurred a lot of the pictures. But if you go to Paris, DO THIS. I insist 110%.
People were camped all up and down the Seine having impromtu picnics or making out wildly, like this last couple.
And we even passed this random huge group of people dancing to classical music! it was like out of a movie (most of Paris is so unbelievable that it seems like a movie…)
Seeing all these pictures again makes me miss it so much.
Last week I was perusing some of my bookmarked blogs and came upon this entry over at Orange Beautiful. She had gone to NYC and toured the wine boutique Pasanella and Son and I instantly fell in love. Not only because I love me some vino, but the design of the shop is beyond charming, right down to the cork business cards! Come to find out, it’s run by a couple, one half of which is the senior home editor at Martha Stewart Living. I am beyond enchanted by their life- living in an apartment above their shop in NYC (loving that kitchen with the ladder and open shelving). So I’ve created a new category inspired byt them called Lifestyle Lust. I always see stories liek this that make me admire someone’s whole lifestyle, not just their space of their clothes.
Perhaps you recall this amazing wine tasting dinner spread from Blueprint magazine? I remember lusting after this space AND the table setting!
A vintage car, right in the center of the shop- also loving the craft paper rolls on the wall for signage!
A display and a gorgeous wing chair shot by Orange Beautiful.
The genius cards…
Let’s not forget that they sell great wine! From a selections called “As Good As They Look“, which provides choices based on the bottles AND the taste (I buy lots of wine based on if the label and bottle is pretty) to great gift packages perfect for housewarmings and celebrations.
I personally love the “Hot Date” which includes a bottle of sparkling wine, two etched glasses, a candle and a poem!
These gift baskets elimate the scary shrink wrapped cheese and sausages you find in most gift baskets and instead uses a theme to create a memorable (and classy) gift- like the Ski Weekend, which includes a bottle of Armagnac, two pairs of cashmere socks and lip balm.
For a really luxurious wedding gift you can send the couple a wine and wookbook of the month subscription or they will box up five bottles of sparkling wine, one for each of the first five years of marriage, labeled with the couples names and date on which they should open it! J’adore!!!
Images via Blueprint, Food & Wine and Orange Beautiful.
There are a lot of exciting and dynamic places to live in Boston- the bustling and luxurious Back Bay, the European feeling South End, gritty turned glam Southie or green and funky Jamaica Plain. But the hottest new area to be developed is Fort Point Channel. Bridging the financial district and the waterfront, this industrialized area has condo and apartment buildings popping up left and right- but none as heralded as FP3. Designed by the prolific and oft-published Hacin+ Associates, this new condo building offers up sleek modern space in the heart of this exciting “new” area of Boston. And just to show it off a bit more, they have teamed up with Boston Magazine to design a concept home in one of the penthouses with some of Boston’s best home design vendors. And here is a sneak peek into the space! Be sure to check out the Concept Home site for lists of events that will be coming up in the penthouse! Who wouldn’t want to attend a party here?
The building:
The kitchen, featuring a very unique raw edge stone backsplash.
Dining area combining the detail of a traditionally styled chandelier with modern wall treatment and dining furniture.
Living area and stairs.
Master bedroom, complete with my new obsession, black walls (which look open and not imposing when paired ith the huge windows).
Master bathrrom complete with drool-worthy bubble chandelier.
The boys room (starring the cutest little Schnauzer! Does he come with the penthouse?)
The patio off the boys room featuring a cool window graphic for privacy.
An 8 track themed bathroom!
The HUGE terrace (I’ve seen it in person and it is HUUUUUUGE) makes any city dweller sigh in awe- I can easily imagine a lovely early fall evening evening with friends and lots of wine out there!
On the main floor of the building world renowned chef Barbara Lynch has opened two incredible spaces well worth checking out. Sportello is a modern, high-style “diner” featuring amazing dishes like a grown up version of grilled cheese and tomato soup (I’ve had it, amazing). There’s a little market for gourmet goodies and a dessert counter as well!
Below street level is Barbara’s speakeasy style bar, aptly named Drink. I fell madly in love for this bar when I went not only for the design (not a bottle in sight, all kept below the amazing bar), but also because the bartenders whip up unique concotions based on what flavors and liquors you tell them you like. I have no idea what i had, but it was toe-curlingly delicious. Did I mention they serve the drinks in vintage glassware? Yeah, that’ll make anything taste even better in my opinion!
(P.S. I die over the logo. DIE.)
When do my moving trucks arrive?
Check out the September issue of Boston Magazine for more info!
Photos by Kent Dayton
Frog’s Leap is one of my favorite wines (God knows I like my vino)- not only because it bears my nickname, but because when we visited Napa I had a colossal design meltdown over the winery itself. There was a lot of “ohmygodthisisamaaazzzinnngg!!!” being yelled as I ran about, wine in hand. If Martha Stewart herself were to build a winery it would look JUST. LIKE. THIS. The reason I’m posting this? Because I saw that on Rue La La today they are having a Frog’s Leap sale!!! Go here to join and buy! Cheers!
Pics of the drop dead gorgeous winery (my own pics are on some laptop I gave up on years ago now collecting dust in my closet, sadly). These do not do it an ounce of justice.
The “living room” area is a deep warm grey color and it is spectacular. The upper level overlooks it and gives the room so much height!
Off this room is the dining area with a wall of fold able glass doors that open it right up to a large covered porch! I cannot imagine how spectacular this would be for a private dinner party!!!!
Even the kitchen is straight outta MS Living!
If you go to Napa you MUST (I repeat, MUST) go here.
Until then, buy a bottle of wine and dream!
