Countdown to Summer #5

Alright- enough is enough! I am ready for summer- actually I was ready for summer like 2 months ago. I spotted these adorable Claudia Pearson dachshund plates at West Elm last week and they're taking the #5 spot on my Summer Countdown list. 

We have serious dachshund love going on in my house. 

These are porcelain and priced at $16 a piece. Love the price! 

These are great for summer BBQs but I envision them cutest hung on a wall (I'm obsessed with hanging EVERYTHING on the wall). You could totally hang these up in a boy's room, screened-in porch or other quirky space. 

Can be bought here!  Next Tuesday I'll have my #4 pick for my Countdown to Summer. Check back in tomorrow as Wrathleen will be blogging fresh shiz for you!

-Grace

Delicious Impostors

Avocado Chocolate Mousse recipe here. 

I spend a lot of time on Pinterest in the middle of the night while Graham is blissed out breastfeeding, and I've been pinning up a veritable storm of sweets lately. While scrolling through my collection to find something quick to cook the other day, I discovered a minor but noticeable trend among my interests: food disguised as other food. Which is not to be confused with the Sneaky Chef movement, a sentiment I am wholly against—how are you supposed to teach kids healthy eating habits when you aren't telling them what you're slipping into their chicken nuggets? No, this comes from the same magical land of cauliflower pizza dough and spaghetti squash pasta. Keep those nutritious ingredients right up in front, I say! I whipped up the avocado chocolate mousse for our anniversary picnic on Sunday and have to admit it tasted wonderfully decadent considering it had none of the heavy cream, sugar, or egg yolks the dessert typically calls for—nothing but good fats here. Next on the docket: raw egg-less bean-full chocolate chip cookie dough!

Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip recipe here.

Flourless Double Chocolate Black Bean Brownie recipe here. 

- Cathleen

[Images and recipes courtesy of Refinery29, Chocolate-Covered Katie and Chowdivine]

Redo in Blue

So the color blue isn’t usually in my wheelhouse when in comes to decorating. I always admire it in other people’s spaces but it never occurs to me to try it in my own. But yesterday Jenny posted a kitchen renovation that seriously “blue” my mind! (Ha!)

One King’s Lane Kitchen redo

I think what makes it for me is the brass finishes everywhere. The pulls on the drawers and the cabinets are just so sleek and pretty and contrasty against the blue.

I need these pulls in my life somewhere.

Not to mention the lighting, which is gorgeous and looks so fresh and modern against the blue.

Pendant Light with Edison bulb- who doesn’t love a good Edison bulb?

And who doesn’t love brass?

So, I could just post every single image from the redo or you could go and check it out yourself, which you should. And get a good blue start to your weekend. In a good way.

Happy Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa

Homemade Wrapping Paper

I was on my way up to NYC to visit baby Graham and baby Lucy. I had some presents for them, but lo and behold, the night before we were going to leave I realized I didn't have any wrapping paper. Yowzers! Some quick thinking solved the problem:

I pulled out my daughter's roll of white craft paper, ripped off two sheets and got busy. I painted the one for Graham with red hearts and the one for Lucy with red flowers. I then pulled a Brittany Watson Jepsen and made some paper flowers (per her tutorials of course!). And voila! Presents were wrapped and they looked cute! 

Problem solved!

-Grace

Artist of the Week: Diane Savona

Domestic Armor 

Diane Savona is a textile and fiber artist who uncovers and exalts the domestic handiwork of the past in her own soft sculpture and 2 dimensional work. People don't mend things anymore, they don't learn complicated embroidery techniques from their mothers, or lacemaking at their grandmothers' knees. Diane exhumes these forgotten practices and artifacts,  garments that were made to last and be passed down from generation to generation, and reemphasizes their worth by deconstructing and repurposing the pieces into something that a new generation can relate to. You can see her hand in every scrap she sews together, and the hands of every woman who darned before her, as if she is holding a magnifying glass up to each French knot and split stitch detail. I especially appreciate the idea of pot holders and aprons as protection and armor. She takes these kitchen garments and tools and elevates them to the level of self-defense for women in the face of their always challenging everyday battles.

Overgrown Fossil, 68"x 49"

Domestic Markings, 32.5"x 20"

Preserved corsets and girdles from Soft-Bodied Specimens

First Apron Excavation, 50"x 33"

Exhibition photograph from her solo show Closet Archeology at The Hermitage Museum in 2010

All images courtesy of the artist's website: www.dianesavonaart.com

- Cathleen 

Throwback Cleaning Supplies

I read an article yesterday about a new line Crate & Barrel is launching called Clean Slate. The line features high-end throwback style cleaning supplies. Before viewing the line I was unimpressed with the concept- I mean didn't Restoration Hardware do this same thing 10 years ago? Ambivalently I logged onto the Crate & Barrel website to check out the new line. Here's what I saw:

I have to say I was very impressed with the line! Fresh looks that seems consistent with C&B's contemporary style. Prices are fair and if you don't live near a C&B they are offering free shipping (hooray!). Check out the rest of the line here. 

Let's Toast!

I really want to eat toast on this toast plate

by Charlotte Mei

- Cathleen 

Just in Case...

...I was ever inclined to forget who the Queen of DIY is, Jenny Komenda reminds me on a daily basis.

Jenny's Blog: Little Green Notebook

Yesterday, she reminded me of her genius with a super easy tutorial on spray painting lampshades. This definitely spoke to me as a girl who is in constant need of cheap lampshades.

In progress...

Finished! I’d never have known it was painted!

Jenny posts at least one brilliant project that she has accomplished every week such as periwinkle multi-armed chandeliers, velvet upholstered bed frames, and a perfectly decorated kid’s playhouse. Whereas I, on the other hand, have been meaning to paint the same pair of bookshelves for three years. THREE YEARS. 

So, in case you were in need of a kick in the shorts to get your weekend started productively... 

here it is. 

Otherwise, I’ll reserve it for myself, because I definitely need it! Hopefully, I’ll see you back here next week with some fresh bookshelves and maybe a gold lampshade or two.

Happy Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa

Computer Problems

Hi all! I'm having serious computer problems so I'm posting from my iPad. And of course, my iPad won't let me upload pics.

Happy Thursday everyone! Alissa’s on for tomorrow!

-Grace

Nice Mug

Inkblot Series I Mug, $33.66

via www.everythingbegins.com

When I was little we had a vast mug collection. There were Ziggy mugs and Get Along Gang mugs and Care Bear mugs and mugs that completed my mother's prized blue and white M. A. Hadley set. They were all proudly displayed on an accordion peg rack in the hallway leading to the kitchen. Then one day we came home and all of the mugs were gone. Every last one! We discovered later that our occasional cleaning lady had accidentally bumped into the assembled mass and knocked them to the floor, smashing all of our hot cocoa hopes and chamomile tea dreams. Or at least that's what we surmised when we found their remains in the dumpster out back. The real rub though was that she threw the entire lot out without acknowledging what happened and even tossed ones that only had minor chips in them. What did she think? We were MADE of mugs?

Micky and I have started to accumulate a few mugs since we joined forces, and while we tend to use the same two cups morning after morning, I have dreams of expanding our brood one day. And I think these are just the right mugs for the job.

Fiess Mug, $35 

via www.liefshop.com

Vintage Moonglow Federal Glass Mug, $8

via DancingMooney on Etsy

Vintage Hobnail Turquoise Glass mug, $9.50

via hensfeathers on Etsy

Game of Thrones Mug Set, $35

via www.uncovet.com

- Cathleen 

New Crush: Todd Reed

Just came across the work of jeweler Todd Reed yesterday and I am in full-fledged, head over heels love. I mean L.O.V.E. Sorry, Brian. 

A quote which is basically a thesis statement about his work: "I want to make jewelry that is exquisite in every way, jewelry that is powerful and humble, jewelry that is simply... the best." 

Here's a sampling of his work - all my favorites: 

All pictures via Reed's website which can be found here. 

I like that his work has a micro-mosaic element to it, but redesigned with a toned-down palette. 

Reed's signature. Ooo lala - fancy. 

- Grace