Why, Hello!

I may be late on the scene, but I just spotted the book Hello, Cupcake while perusing the aisles of Target yesterday. The cover immediately caught my attention, and since we've got a birthday in our house coming up next week, I quickly flipped through it [baby girl does not like shopping there...she seriously starts crying the second we walk in the store]. I love the photography, and there are some good tips and ideas in it. I mean, who doesn't love a good cupcake?!

Has anyone out there tried any of these playful creations? I'd love to know if so!

[Hello, Cupcake available for $10.37 on Amazon]

Book Mobile

I'm totally digging the whole "book frozen in space" motif going on at the McNally Jackson Books cafe. So often ceilings are forgotten.

[via mocoloco]

2009 Yearbook

I've mentioned my fondness for Blurb before, and how I make a yearly photo book for our family with photos and blog entries from our family blog [last year's pictured here]. For me it is quicker and easier than making a scrapbook or ordering the pictures and putting them into an album. I can't say enough about the quality of these books, especially considering how reasonably priced they are.

This year, I wanted to make a little yearbook for the grandparents that captured our year in pictures. Fortunately for me, Blurb now lets you upload a PDF, which means that I can design my album in InDesign and then just upload it to the site. This brings me much happiness. Here are some snippets from this years photo yearbook [cover pictured above]...






And I did make another blog/photo album this year...here's the cover:

Next up, I'm going to try to figure out a clever way to store and save all the beautiful holiday cards we get every year...I just couldn't bear to throw away all those sweet pictures. Any suggestions?

Beachside

I wouldn't mind a getaway to this beach house over the long weekend! There's nothing like sweeping views of water and mountains...plus the surroundings of a California ranch that has been beautifully remodeled using eco-friendly practices...

[images from Dwell]

Hope your weekend is a good one!

Oh, Salt

Since Ina has gotten my sisters and I hooked on Kosher salt, I was excited to find this wrapped up under the tree for me from Weez. I've got it right next to the stove top now, so there will be no more fumbling with the salt box in the middle of cooking.

P.S. Here is my latest fave recipe of hers -- Brussels Sprouts [from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook; it's super easy and delish!]:

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
[*for the sake of full disclosure, I used regular pepper; I'm sure it would be even better with freshly ground, though!]

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt [NOTE FROM INA: I like these salty like French fries -- um, me too], and serve immediately.

Family Photo Shoot

Over the holidays, we had some pictures taken by my talented friend Laura Negri Childers. We went to college together, and she provides much of the beautiful photography on the b.wise papers website. I'm so excited to have these pictures of the family -- they make the exhausting chore of dressing an almost 4-yr-old who refuses to wear anything but pajamas well worth the effort!! Come to think of it, next time I should record the "before the pictures" sequence -- it would be most entertaining!

Here is a sampling of my favorites:





Thanks, Laura!!

Have You Seen...

...Lonny, a new online magazine started by some folks that worked at Domino? I just discovered this online treasure, which is now on it's second issue. Below are some images I thoroughly enjoyed -- catch the whole issue online [lonnymag.com].






I don't think that I could fully convert to online magazines because I enjoy holding the pages in my hands, but I do like the accessibility and the limited waste. Plus, I'll look at anything that resembles Domino! What do you think about online magazines?

Happy New Year!

Hello, friends! Happy 2010! We've been away for the holidays and are just getting back into the swing of things. We spent most of our time hanging around the house, just being together...



But, we did sneak away for a couple nights to the mountains with some friends, and had a blast...

I'm playing catch-up this week, but will hopefully be back soon!

You Know Dasher and Dancer...

Did you also know that male reindeer lose their antlers in early winter [late November to early December]? And that female reindeer don't lose their antlers until the spring? Hmmmm...ever met a gal named Rudolph?!

When Ben lived in London, he lived right next to Richmond Park [the former hunting grounds of King Charles I]. The park is home to some 650 free roaming deer. If you go there, you can see the markings on the trees from where the stags rub their antlers on them before they fall off.

What is it about antlers that are so beautiful?

[Images from Living Etc.;Cardboard Safari; Cookie; Design Public; DecorPad; Cookie -- an inflatable moose head!]

Recycling at it's best

Love a pair of reclaimed doors...

[not sure where this one is from -- let me know if you do!]

Black and White

Black walls v. white walls -- which do you prefer? In these two cases, I'll take them both!

[Full slide show of black house here; full slide show of white house here]

Domesticity

I went to Michael's the other day to look for wallet sized picture frames. While I was there, I happened upon these holiday cookie/treat boxes [pictured above and on sale] by Martha Stewart. I like her craft line. I do. I admit it. So, I had grand visions of whipping up all these different goodies to go in the boxes to give to my kids' teachers. HA! We did make chocolate peanut butter balls...

[the chocolate came later and was a HUGE mess, so the camera wasn't around!]
BUT they did not make it to school yesterday because I ran out of time, and while I always think that I will "just stay up a little later tonight", when 8:30PM rolls around I'm ready to hit the hay. So, we put one box to good use, and took some to our neighbors...

...and the others are stashed away until next year!

Do you have a favorite treat you make this time of year?

Winter Wonderland

All the white, silver, wood and greenery in this cottage makes me want to curl up by the fire with some hot coffee and a magazine...

I'm especially fond of the lighting -- those chandeliers in the kitchen are fantabulous!

[Find the full home tour on Living Etc. here]

The Cherry on Top

I received a precious pair of baby bloomers for Maggie from a friend of my mothers. Not only was the gift itself adorable, but the packaging brought a smile to my face -- on the outside of the bag, the seamstress had sewn the monogram that was used on the bloomers:

Definitely the cherry on top!

Here are some other ideas for spicing up all your packages this holiday season:




[From top to bottom: ormolu Christmas alphabet tags; farouche dandy tags; Petit Papetier envelope labels; PaperEclectiques naughty or nice tags]

I finally got around to wrapping some presents this weekend -- I'm so disappointed in my wrapping paper this year [not the one shown below; that's pretty much the only good roll I have] but considering all that has been going on, it's just going to have to do. I'll just hit the sales after Christmas to stock up for next year! Anyway, I figured if I designed a cute tag, then maybe the recipients wouldn't notice the tacky paper...hope it works!

To The Extreme

The big news in our neck of the woods this past week was the arrival of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition crew. They demolished and rebuilt a home for a local family who runs a non profit music school out of their house. We walked by yesterday to check out the progress:


No Ty sightings, but it was fun to take a peak!