This piggy bank from cb2 making saving pennies look easy. I love the glossy white and hand-cast stoneware (& cool feature: you can write on it like a dry erase board), it makes it nice enough to display anywhere in the house, which means I can have a friendly reminder to save my extra pennies everyday without having to look at the clutter of loose change.
“All of my creative output finds its inspiration in the intricate details of the natural world, while exploring the colors of humanity. My deceptively simple, nature-inspired style stems from a childhood romping through northern california orchards, and then going to art school in New York and San Francisco. Portland, oregon is now my home.” – Jill Bliss
Came across Jill Bliss’ work on Pokteko and immediately fell for her vibrant prints/stationary. Her work feels organic and cheerful to me, which I love. These prints would definitely brighten up the walls in my home… I think the The California Poppies Offset Poster (bottom left) will be the my first purchase.
Find her work here.
These mashed potatoes are so tasty and make a hearty dish, perfect for the cool weather. They go great with any meat, fish, roasted vegetables, or you can eat them on their own (we added them to Shepard’s Pie…I’ll share that recipe later in the week). The ingredients are simple and the recipe is even simpler. This is one of those dishes that can really impress a crowd, but won’t take all day.
INGREDIENTS: 2 bags of Yukon Gold potatoes skin on washed and quartered, 2 blubs of garlic, 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (you can use Gruyere), 4 tbsp of butter (we use Earth Balance instead), 1/2 cup of cream, 5 sprigs of rosemary finely chopped, 1 tsp truffle oil (available at Whole Foods, one small bottle lasts forever), salt and pepper to taste.
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 400. Cut tops off garlic bulbs exposing sliced cloves. In an oven safe dish drizzle garlic with olive oil, salt and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes or until garlic is soft. Set aside to cool.
While garlic is cooking, place potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and easily pierced by a fork. Drain in a colander and return potatoes to stock pot.
Once cool, remove roasted garlic from bulb and add to the potatoes.
Add cream, butter, rosemary, salt and pepper to potatoes. Use potato masher (or large fork) to mash everything together. Mash to the consistency of your liking, but don’t over do it, the potatoes will become gummy if they are overworked. I like leaving some small chunks.
Mix in Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to your liking. Try not to eat it all before you serve.
This cable knit maxi-sweater by Zara is high on my list of things I’m currently coveting. It looks beyond comfy, and it’s like Zara is saying it’s ok to wear a big blanket around all day… I’m sold. Also pretty amazing, this and this.
There are so many good examples of great design that use bold color and simple shapes. It was hard to choose favorites, but these four really grabbed my attention. I’m thinking I’ll create a space in my office that’s filled to the brim with these bold posters and prints. Maybe a full wall, floor to ceiling? Kind of like wallpaper….Too much? It would be incredibly overwhelming in color, but still super simple in lines and shapes. And what a great source for design inspiration in the office. This may be a terrible idea…I’m going to have to let this one simmer for a bit.
When looking for things to do in Western Mass for a weekend in mid October, I came across Nerd Nite at Mass MocCa. If you like the Discovery Channel and beer… then you’ll probably like Nerd Nite (or so says the Nerd Nite website).
“Nerds” present on a wide range of topics, at Mass MoCa they’ll talking about Mumblecore: The Film Movement that Didn’t Roar and Hey, Where’s My Robot Girlfriend? The Singularity, Sperm Bots and the Future of Sexual Technology to an audience of nerds and non-nerds. It started in Boston and now has taken place over 50 cities, have you been to one? I really want to go…. They also have Nerd Nite Podcasts.
I buy Tito’s Vodka all the time – it’s a great vodka for mixed drinks. And it’s made in small batches Austin TX, which I really like. Best of all, it’s super affordable. For $20 you can’t really beat it. Recently I decided to check out their website and found all these helpful video tutorials explaining how to infuse their vodka with different fruits and vegetables. My favorite - the Lemon and Jalapeno infused vodka, which sounds like a super tasty base for some great cocktails. The freshness of the lemon with the bite from the jalapeno…what to mix it with? I’m thinking it would probably be good with some simple club soda and fresh lemon over ice. Maybe some fresh cilantro and cucumber (if you like cilantro)? What would you make with lemon and jalapeno infused vodka?
Debbie Carlos‘ photography is at the top of my list of favorites. These two prints are titled Planet Poster 1 and Planet Poster 2. Wondering what planets are they? Look closer…..They’re actually both close ups of a moss garden. Incredible right? And such a good example of textures in nature being repeated in various scales. Debbie’s bio says her photos attempt to capture objects at their moments of greatest clarity. Funny that these photos of a moss garden look more like a satellite image of a planet. I think if I buy one I need both. I think they need to be together. You can buy them at Little Paper Planes (a great resource for prints under $50)
I’m on the hunt for a magazine rack and I kind of love the idea of finding something that I can hang or lean on my wall (since I need art, kind of kills two birds with one stone). I also like the idea of creating something myself, like turning a crib side rail or painting a ladder to use as a magazine rack. Maybe an upcoming weekend project? Adding to my to-do list for after our Blog Launch Party.
1.Crib Siderail into a Magazine Rack, Apartment Therapy
2. Arrow Magazine Rack, Apartment Therapy
3. Ladder Magazine Rack, The Lettered Cottage
4. Industrial Magazine Rack, Urban Outfitters
After super busy days, I’m always looking for new music that I can unwind with…. Cave Painting’s “Midnight Love’ and the Stars’ “Hold on When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give it” have been doing the trick lately….
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