Home Decor Score

 

I am obsessed with the clean, mod work of designer Massimo Vignelli. He is most recognized for his Heller kitchenware, although the body of work by him and his wife is vast and worth the research. Growing up my mom had these fantastic Heller kitchen canisters, and my Nana had this navy blue pitcher and mug set (pictured below). I also have a canary yellow pitcher, mug, and tray set that belonged to my Nana that are all perfect for outdoor summer meals.

I have been hunting down pieces on Etsy and Ebay for years, and after a month-long hostage-like situation at the post office due to an error in a change-of-address form, I finally have my recent pastel purchase home where it belongs. Our new kitchen needed some colorful new mugs/cups, so when I spotted this set of pastel Heller Maxmugs on ebay, I finally found the perfect new addition for the spring and summer seasons. I could just eat up the clean, mod lines and the whimsical pastel palette, and am now counting down the days until I have the space and money for Vignelli's *modular white shelves. Until then, I'll keep hunting for a white Heller record rack like this one.

* I scoured the internet and could not locate a photo of these shelves. But those of you who've watched Thirtysomething have seem them in Ellyn's apartment and KNOW what I'm talking about. MOD PERSONIFIED.

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Score 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Episode 9 // DIY Donut Art

This week on HGTV Handmade we dive into a little paper pop art for our home and make some colorful and playful donuts. See how in the video below:

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Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5 / Episode 6 / Episode 7 / Episode 8

This/That: Mid-Week Edition

*This week's This/That is delayed, thanks to the lovely and all-too-reliable Time Warner Cable. Yeah, TWC, I'm talkin' to YOU. You, who goes out for no reason at all making it impossible to work on the internet. We are now mos def switching to Fios. 

This/last weekend I...

+ Set our little kitchen table with this adorable CLOUD napkin holder. Why is it so cute?

+ Art directed the kitchen linens. Now this hand towel is having a design dialogue with this rug.

+ Made and labeled this and this. Both gluten-free and both DELICIOUS. I swear, if you use coconut oil anything gluten-free is a heavenly treat. Also, this.

+ Found the perfect co-worker companion spot for Gracie Mansion. I am not totally into the fabric so am thinking a reupholstery situation might be in order. 

This/That: Thanksgiving Style

This past holiday weekend I...

Juiced these delicious apples, oranges, and lemons / Ground this pink himalayan sea salt + mixed it with ground cloves / Poured these delicious mocktails

Made TWO types of gluten-free stuffing, Gillian's + Glutino, and held a taste test. The preferred result: A COMBO OF THE TWO

MADE THIS. MY FIRST TURKEY! I prepared it on my own (yikes!) and with the help of my husband Will and best buddy Dejon, we basted and roasted this delicious Trader Joe's turkey to herbed perfection. It was, and it's leftovers remain, DELICIOUS. 

Dressed the table with these simple berries. After days of prep and shopping, and a full day of non-stop cooking, we savored every morsel of our Thanksgiving dinner reward. I hope your holiday was warm, wonderful, and filled with loved ones. 

3 Delicious Places to Eat in NYC

Yesterday's blog post was thwarted by an emergency trip to the vet, squeezed in between work and babysitting my tiny bestie. So here's a re-cap:

The weekend was absolutely GORGEOUS here in New York City, and was made even more beautiful by the visit from my parents. We had the best time in perfect weather and ate like kings. We walked all through Central Park making a special stop for my dad and I at Strawberry Fields, ate lunch at A.G. Kitchen (OMG that pomegranate seed guac!), had dinner at Jolie Cantina (definitely try the lobster tacos), and had slices of NYC pizza per my dad's request. My parents were so happy for us and our new home, new neighborhood, and new lease on life. In keeping with the tradition of new beginnings, my spider plant sprouted a new little baby plant for the first time in YEARS. A good sign? I choose to believe so. 

The Cutest Baked Good in the World

I cooked the most adorable mini muffins the other day and can't believe I neglected to use the pan responsible for them in the last 5 years. I used this recipe in this muffin pan that I received as a shower gift and it renders the cutest baked goods in the entire world. These would make a great addition to any brunch table, or be a nice hostess gift for a dinner or holiday party. Too bad I ate them so fast I barely had time to admire their lovely appearance.

Plans

 This weekend I plan on....

+ Dreaming about this wallpaper.

+ Eating these banana nut muffins I baked. 

+ Mulling these aromatic spices.

+ Wearing these fall essentials.

+ Wish I had this above my bed.

What are your plans? Have a wonderful weekend! 

New Digs: Kitchen

Take a little look into our new kitchen situation that is improving on the daily. We recently found the most perfect lucite chairs to go with our vintage Knoll Studio table and I am obsessed with the combination. The clear, modern seats are totally comfortable and you can SEE THROUGH THEM, making them perfect for small spaces. 

My other favorite elements of this room: 

+ it has original tin ceilings

+ the dark gray tile floor

+ it is flooded with light

+ it is filled with greenery

+ it opens up to our balcony and backyard

+ the dip dye lampshade

Vacation Photos: State College, PA

Before we traveled to the Catskills, we drove to State College, Pennsylvania to visit my mom and step dad in their lovely home. A short but warm welcome was just what we needed before heading into the woods for a week. Here are our photos from the weekend.

My mom is the absolute sweetest for washing ALL of Will's work shirts.

My mom's no-cook strawberry jam is to-die-for delicious.

A sweet summer afternoon Shoe-nap.

The perfect late-summer seafood feast!

Evenings on a screened-in porch calls for atmospheric votives.

Ate This/Made This

This weekend I...

+ Ate chocolate chip pancakes made with this. 

+ Babysat this with this newborn natural.

+ Caught up on this.

+ Made this. More in a video on MACC soooooon!

+ Smelled this.

+ Snuggled with this.

 

Ate This/Made This

This weekend I...

+ Ate this.

+ Dined at this delicious restaurant.

+ Hung out with this DIY genius.

+ Lounged under this dream fort.

 Morgan Hungerford West, of Panda Head Blog, for BYT

+ Made these for this sweetheart.

+ Posted this new video.

+ Went to this and this.

+ Wore these. 

Home Decor Score

I've been hardcore crushing on these Marimekko tumblers since I added them to my Amazon wishlist last fall. In wishlist-time, that is officially FOREVER ago. I am just into them in a weird way, imagining one an arm's reach away on my bedside table, coffee table, ALL of my tables. Not a one has magically come my way and just as I was going to bite the over-priced bullet I saw Ikea's version of the design. I am no math wiz but they are like a bagillion dollars less and quite comparable in design, so they will tide me over until the crush fades or I score a set of the originals. 

A big bonus to the Ikea version: avoiding a major heart attack when I inevitably break the glass. When it comes to me and spilling, it's a love affair that started long ago and will continue forevs. Me + Spilling + Breaking = Together forever. It's not a question of if, it's when. So that $1.50 price helps prevent a heart attack more than a daily dose of Bayer.

Also: Pikasso shirt I need you Flamingo glass you're too cute for summer.

Our Kitchen: Plants as Curtains

I love the Plants as Curtains look and have been wanting to create a plantalones screen in the kitchen that would allow light in but keep neighbors eyes out. For a while, I was digging the glass shelves idea seen here, but our windows don't allow for that with their molding (PLUS) and juxtaposition to our armoir (minus). My friends have heard me verbally and lazily plot this idea for years, and this weekend we finally took the short steps necessary to bring this idea into fruition. 

While I was useless and clutching this to my tummy-ache, my handsome/able-bodied/non-cramp-having husband did the dirty work.

STEPS:

1- Measure and locate the center of the window using a measuring tape.
2- Measure 10-12" inches out from the wall, give or take depending on the width of your plant.
3- Screw a ceiling swag hook into the ceiling. If you have a drop ceiling or can't locate a stud, you'll need to use a spring toggle wing (it opens up to be a T-shape) as shown in this kit.

We started with these two plants from the sunroom in my parent's sold D.C. home, and we'll keep adding to create a more dense and lush look to the wall. It's a great green start to a kitchen that has plants as curtains!

// More Kitchen //

Our Kitchen / Kitchen Organization / Our Kitchen: Dishware Special / Morgan's Kitchen Sink Series / Color-Coded Kitchen Towels / Pastels in the Kitchen

Kitchen Must-Have

To ensure that my meals are next-level-delicious WHILE being totally respectful to my bank account AND easy to accomplish with my workaholic schedule, I pre-ordered the Working Class Foodies cookbook by Rebecca Lando. Lando is a culinary genius and is always the cool chick who arrives casually to a party with the most delectable dish in hand. This book gets us all one step closer to being that girl. In the meantime, you can watch her excellent recipes live in video form here.

// More: Rebecca and I make vegetarian pot pies. //

Last Night's Dinner

Lemon tilapia / Sauteed brussel sprouts / Organic vine ripened tomatoes