Monday, April 19, 2010

The Search for Cakeplates

Dear Readers: I need help finding cake stands. Yes, I know, it is a dire situation, so please do help. I will have a small wedding cake or two, along with a couple of pies. I was hoping to have them all displayed on lovely assorted cake stands, in pinks, whites and greens. Even orange would do it.

I have always been obsessed with pedestal and footed dishes, so now I'm extra-obsessing over this. Which, frankly, is irritating. So the deal is, I have a couple beautiful cake stands, but I would have to ship them to NY and then my mom would have to ship them back to me. She never ships things back to me...so it's not a very good plan.

Doing the rounds online, I've found some gorgeous stands, but so far they're too pricey for me. Except for, of course, the two-tiered dessert stand by Liberty at Target, which is sold out. It's a tiny, family-only wedding, so I need to keep costs down.


From the top: Target, Bauer Pottery, Mosser Glass, and Whitney Smith Pottery.

Please send any ideas you have!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sunny Happy Weekend




Farmer's market, check.
Running, check.
Swimming, check.
5 mile hike in Marin, check.
Beautifying mani / pedi, check.
General feeling of luck for living in such a beautiful area, check.

What a lovely weekend. It was so warm and sunny here in the Bay Area. I took a glorious hike up Mt. Tam today and stupidly forgot my camera! Views from the top were of San Francisco, the East Bay all the way to Mt. Diablo, the Golden Gate bridge, Ocean Beach and the skyline of San Francisco, Richardson Bay, Tiburon...you get the point. Perfect everywhere I turned.

Pictures of the weekend from top:
- Awesome graffiti at my farmer's market
- Bartleby bird-watching
- Cous cous lunch with carrots and beef
- Sliced oranges with cinnamon for dessert

Tonight is my first official Sunday roast and I'm making chicken with onions, carrots and baby potatoes. Upon receiving some advice I put butter and herbs under the skin and sprinkled it all with sea salt, pepper, fresh thyme and rosemary. I'll let you know how it goes. Don't forget to give me your favorite roast ideas, please!

P.S. As I mentioned I've been adjusting to a lot of changes including a new schedule. But I've got lots of posts lined up for this week to make up for my absence!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Delicious Summer Ceramics



Heath Ceramics, based in Sausalito, CA, does a seasonal collection and the summer colors are making me nuts. I want the tray, the bowls, and everything else in this color combo!!!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Moroccan Mosaics!

Hello! I wrote a short article for "The City Traveler" about chasing beautiful tiles and mosaics through Morocco. Check it out when you've got time. It's a great site so don't stop at my story!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Sunday Roast



In England the neighborhood pubs do a Sunday roast. Families can go and hang out, along with their kids and dogs, eat a good meal, have a beer or a cup of tea, and just relax. I'm obsessed with this idea and perhaps it's because I especially love the social pub nature of England - that everyone's got a spot near their home to go to.

This is kind of a rambling post that has nothing to do with flowers or decor...but I'm going to start my own Sunday roast program in my apartment. Just for my fiance and myself, maybe some friends. Just for fun. You see, I've been very slowly learning to cook over the past couple of years - and believe me, it's been a painful process with many mishaps along the way.

But I have a fiance who is a super creative and healthy cook, and the way he approaches food is inspiring to me. While I used to think I didn't have the patience to cook well, I've crossed a line and can now relax into the food and enjoy the process - if I have time for it. I've learned to trust my intuition a bit more too, in the sense that I am not focused on following any one recipe when I make a dish. I tend to look at several and think about what will be most delicious together, for us.

On Easter, I made a prime rib with shallot sauce. This Sunday, I'm planning on roasting a chicken. If you've got any ideas, please send them my way! Part of my learning process has been that the more I invest in cooking - in terms of researching ideas and recipes, shopping at the farmer's market every Saturday, etc. - the more I tend to do it! So, pick your favorite and throw it into the comments, please!

P.S. Photos above from my favorite gastropub in London, The Engineer! Special shout out to Mara and Pat for taking me there the first time :-)

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Vivid Pink


Aren't these the most perfect shades of pink. Pink in its purest form. I'm obsessed with these prints by Jamie Shelman, found via Oh Joy! And no, I'm not embarrassed to post cat art! It's been a while, hasn't it?

Monday, April 5, 2010

Tilden




Tilden is a large regional park in the Berkeley hills. It has a lovely lake surrounded by trails. We took a sun bath on the large rock. Some cute dogs were also enjoying the sunshine.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Berkeley Rose Garden



Isn't that a cool arts & crafts-style sign? It's perfect for Berkeley which is full of adorable little craftsman bungalows. It's a bit early for roses but I did find one juicy pink one!

Yesterday was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon and today, Easter, feels like a monsoon. I am cooking Easter Dinner and had mentally prepared a light supper with roasted chicken and herbs, early asparagus with lemon, roasted potatoes.

It's way too cold and wintry for that. So instead I'm cooking roast beef with shallot sauce, potato gratin (no real cream though) and asparagus.

What did you make?

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Help!



I need the perfect dress for a tiny family-only casual wedding. Bohemian, lovely, romantic. And available STAT. But I can't find one. San Francisco is *not* a good town for dresses, since it's so casual here. All the stores have the same old, same old. I want just a lovely dress. White or cream is nice but not the only option.

Up there are a few dresses I ordered online and returned. That's why I hate shopping for clothes online, they never work out.

HELP ME! Do you have any suggestions?

From above: Alice by Temperley (love, love the sleeves, but dress was actually super bulky and pulled on over my head); Lilly Pulitzer (too straight, a bit preppy for me); Shoshanna (plunging neckline totally inappropriate for daytime...not bohemian at all).