Retail Therapy

I go through phases where I want to throw the complete contents of my closet into the back of my SUV and drive to the local Goodwill donation center.

Generally this closet ennui occurs mid-week, when I feel as if I've exhausted every possible outfit permutation. As I contemplate getting rid of my tired attire, I also imagine what might replace my heaps of sweater sets and pencil skirts.

Problem is---what I usually dream of are the least practical ensembles possible. Case in point, dreaming of a red gown (because clearly I could wear any of these numbers to Trader Joe's or to teach my classes):




Images borrowed from Buzz, FashionInspiration, Flickr, ImageShack/AudreyHepburnComplex, Img, & Fashion-More.

Inside the Blogger's Studio

Even though James Lipton borders on cantankerous as he haughtily interviews actors, I consistently enjoy the bit at the close of Inside the Actor's Studio when he asks each person the same series of questions. He indicates that this questionnaire originated from Bernard Pivot, a French talk show host (though initial credit is generally applied to novelist Marcel Proust).

Each time Mr. Lipton squirms in his seat and asks his guest identical questions, I find myself playing along. Thusly, here we go:

1. What is your favorite word? periwinkle
   
2. What is your least favorite word? slice
   
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? color
   
4. What turns you off? people without passion
   
5. What is your favorite curse word? cluster $@#&
   
6. What sound or noise do you love? Missouri rainstorms
   
7. What sound or noise do you hate? kid t.v. shows
   
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? radiology
   
9. What profession would you not like to do? airline gate agent
   
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Just in time for dinner

PS. For a real hi-lar-ious treat, watch Will Farrell's take on Lipton via SNL.

Taste Treats: Cupcake Edition

It would seem that America has experienced a cupcake Renaissance. Back when I was a little sugar-loving towhead, cupcakes were the stuff of elementary school birthday parties, not chi-chi-fou-fou events and fancy-pants bakeries.

I'm guessing this cakey craze all started back in 2004 with Sprinkles and those delectable $3.25 treats topped in thick, scrumptious frosting and elegant sugar dots. Since then, cupcake stores seem to be populating street corners faster than Starbucks.

I have to wonder if this trend will last. Are cupcakes to the 2000s what fro-yo was the the 1980s? I know this question keeps you awake at night. Hopefully all the charming little cupcakeries won't go the way of TCBY.

Every now and again, a girl needs a little cream cheese frostin' to make it through the week. Am I right or am I right?


Let us stop and have a moment of silence for the fabulous person who invented the cupcake.

If you find yourself in want of even more cupcakiness, be sure to visit CupCakesTakeTheCake.

Images borrowed from Sprinkles, MyModernMet, CakesandCups & GluttonyIsABliss.

How to End the Weekend Right

1. Pour vino into your favorite glass. Rosé, while given a bad reputation, is a lovely chilled libation. Blackjack Ranch's Rubies is what we poured on this particular evening. Yum.
2. Find a comfy chair outside, preferably of the Adirondack variety.
3. Light candles. Candles=ambiance.
4. Soak in the last bit of Sunday sun.
5. Do not think nor utter a word about Monday. Monday is like Voldemort. It shall not be mentioned.
6. Recline in said chair with said glass of vino. Chill. Out.

Photo by moi, on our gnome-sized porch. Spring 2010.

The Art of Design: Picasso

Despite the emotional anguish that fueled Pablo Picasso's Blue Period, his images from the early 1900s strangely take on a steely, cold beauty. These paintings appear at once haunting and enchanting. What would a room built around the austere gray and blue palette of Les Noces de Pierrette from 1905 look like? How can art serve as inspiration for our dwelling spaces?Images borrowed from InglenookDecor, TheLennoxx, DecorPad, CandiceOlsen,& MilesRedd.

Tea Time, Pinkies Up!

When I was a little girl, my mom hosted a tea party for my birthday. The invitations, typed on paper doilies, went out to a choice group of 2nd graders. A few weeks later, my little friends arrived decked out in their finest and frilliest frocks, borrowing mom's pearls and lipstick. I remember my hot pink velvet hat with netting (sourced from the local flea market). I remember awkwardly trying to maneuver my tea cup while wearing opera gloves. And, most of all, I remember the thrill of doing something so fancy, so ladylike and so special for my birthday.

Teatime is an afternoon ritual that I think I will add back into my life. The Brits definitely are on to something here. What's not to love about sipping warm tea out of fancy porcelain cups and nibbling tiny sandwiches and sweets? What's not to love about pausing in the middle of a frantic afternoon to revel in some epicurean delights?

Now if only I can find that pink velvet hat....

Images borrowed from Glam, BestWeekEver, WoodFordHoney, YoYoor & CreativeReview.

La vie en rose

I always need more pink in my life.

May you start to see life through rose colored glasses:Images borrowed from here, here, Flickr, Tiresome, AudreyHepburnComplex, WeHeartIt, & LaLaLaurie.

Weekend Wishes

Images borrowed from FFFFound & ChrisWake.

Derby Decadence

Happy Oaks and Derby weekend to my main Kentucky belle (that's you Howie!) and the rest of you with a taste for big hats and mint juleps.

Images borrowed from Superfected, TicketCity, here, Urbzen & Flickr.

Words to Live by

Now, go do the rooster strut around your living room like Mick Jagger.

Borrowed from ImgFave.

Fear Not the Soufflé

Certain culinary experiences are outright daunting: making croissants from scratch, roasting a medium-rare rack of lamb, creating a perfectly lemony Hollandaise sauce to top perfectly poached eggs. These are the recipes you read longingly in your cookbooks. These are the recipes that cause you to think, maybe one day.

At the top of my culinary avoidances list were soufflés. Then, I came across this simple and seamless recipe from Mark Bittman. My first ever soufflé go-round, and the result was absolute chocolaty perfection. I even felt so confident as to pull together an impromptu raspberry sauce.

So, go forth and conquer your kitchen fears (just be sure to practice these recipes on your hungry hubby before debuting them at your next dinner party). You do not want to have a Bridget Jones' blue soup incident on your hands.

Let There Be Light

"Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation." -James Turrell

Whether supporting fancy beeswax candles or ordinary incandescent bulbs, chandeliers can visually anchor most any room. Not merely for dangling above the dining table anymore, chandeliers have become a design-world favorite for all sorts of spaces---grand or intimate, lavish or quotidian.

Lighting designers have not limited their media to Murano glass or ubiquitous crystal pendants either. While the standard traditional chandelier styles are no doubt lovely, creative folks have even put silverware, acrylic gummy bears and river detritus to an elegant uses in recent lighting projects:Be sure to check out The Decorista's fabulous images of outdoor chandeliers for even more inspiration.

Images from TheFrisky, RoseMille, here, Murano, Evropashop, Makezine, Blavish, StuartDesign & ApartmentTherapy.

Top of Your Queue: A Movie Review

My Architect is not a recently-released documentary (2003); however, I just saw it for the first time and feel compelled to share it with you. It's that good.

The film focuses on the architecture of Louis Kahn, who is probably best known for designing the Kimbell Museum in Ft. Worth or the Salk Institute in La Jolla. However, the documentary is far from a dry catalog of his life and work. At times hysterical and at others quite tender, the documentary ranks among the best I've ever had the pleasure of viewing.