An evening aria

What a find! David Stark designed a glamorous evening (pictured below) to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Metropolitan Opera as well as the veteran tenor Placido Domingo’s 40th year of performing with the company.




Favorite details? The color scheme for sure. I also really love how the table numbers are incorporated seamlessly into the design; and I'm a HUGE fan of the program-wrapped candles. Old newspapers would have looked cool too.

Wedding obsessed?

Yeah, me too. For my fix, I've been hitting up 100 Layer Cake.

Beautiful design. Fab photos. DIY projects. And never ending inspiration.

Check out my favorite!

Seo cool

Thrilled to open my Philly Mag today and see a feature on Danny Seo. I'm just about to dig into it. I'll let you know how it is!

And be sure to check out Danny's blog.

Wishbone

Taking the night off from blogging. We have a big morning tomorrow, and I'm enjoying some tea and my sweat little heating pad. Wish us Luck!!

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Etsy Find: EmilieFriday

These little felted creatures are so charming. Great for a babies room or wedding cake topper.

Found via SHOP.talk (along with a slew of other great things...)

DIY contest

Have you checked out Style Me Pretty's DIY contest yet? If not, you're missing out!

What are you waiting for? Go see more pictures of my favorite entry!

ABCDEFG

It's very rare that I find baby bedding that I like. I saw this today on Project Nursery, and it caught my eye. Pretty neutral, right? And, pretty joyful.

Real Wedding: Purple and Yellow

I love this wedding, found today on Once Wed. The best part is how the wedding colors were coordinated to match that cool light fixture.

Raspberries & Chocolate

This too is a winner. A soft chocolate and raspberry tart with a nutty crust. It was a huge hit, quite easy to make, and delicious the second day too. I should know, I can't stop eating it!

Click here for the recipe.

(I also made the blueberry and brown sugar breakfast cake. We've been eating well in my 'hood lately.)

Some times you just happen upon a gem. A friend sent me to Kristybee's flickr stream today, and every image I click on is better than the last. Fo real. Check it out!

Natasha

The news this evening has made me very sad. I absolutely love Natasha Richardson. What a beauty.

Your design style

I discovered Sproost today and what fun! As much as I try to deny my preppy roots, it appears as though there is just no escaping it.

43% Nantucket style. I would love to argue with that, but then I saw the sample image below and it's so me. I love it. Pale blue with splashes of orange. Now, if only I had those floor to ceiling windows.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I don't have a bit of Irish in me, but I love beer, corned beef and pots of gold. I also love the color green. Hope you have a great one ... and a green pint for me!

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Green ruffles

A friend of mine wore this in New York last week under a really simple black sweater. It added such pizzaz to her outfit. I must get! (On sale now for $60!)

Little flags

Love these. The perfect colors.

Where I've been...

A little MIA the past few days. A quick little jaunt to New York had me quite busy. I attended a wonderful event a Christie's ... a panel discussion on the future of arts journalism. Truly fascinating ... and optimistic. And was a beautiful setting. Must admit, it was a little difficult coming back this morning.

Constant Comment

2:30 p.m. A big mug of "Constant Comment" and Newsweek. Such a nice break from work.
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DIY Tea bags

I am enamored with this tea bag project:

She wasn't kidding when she called them the "best"

It was a lovely evening with friends and chocolate chip cookies ... Dorie's to be exact.

I also packaged a few boxes up for some good friends.

Here's the recipe. You're going to want to replace that old Tollhouse one you have.

My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Dorie Greenspan Recipe

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 12 0z bittersweet chocolate or 2 cups of store bought chocolate chips
• 1 cup finely chopped nuts

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth (about 1 minute). Add sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended. Beat in vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula mix in the chocolate and nuts.Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on baking sheet for one minute before transfering to a cooling rack. Makes about 45 cookies.

I also made the oatmeal breakfast bread this week. I was an overacheiver because I was left to my own devices...Mark was finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Spring!

I am so ready for it! I could have posted photos of tulips (which seem to be everywhere) or another springy flower, but no. For me, it's about dining al fresco and fruity drinks. And my hammock. These are calling my name.

Pillows!

I am completely in love with this house found on Design*Sponge today. I've posted about Housemartin before, and now we get to see inside pam's house. It's definitely no surprise that it's lust-worthy. Those pillows are perfect, and I think I'm in love with the gray and pink.

Mysterious picture

I don't remember where this pic came from (forgive me), but I absolutely LOVE it!

Flower show

I went to the Philly Flower Show with my parents last night, and the highlight of the evening were these miniature landscapes. Aren't they incredible? I think my favorite is the tree house.

My favorite place on earth

Yep, it's Cape Cod! I would have killed to be married on the Cape, so I'm uber jealous of anyone who was. I love these save-the-dates from Albertine Press. They make me want to start counting down until my vacation this summer!

Thanks to my girl Mary for sending this beauty my way!

I'm making this

Found on Oh, Hello friend. I'm going to get the pattern tomorrow, purchase fabric on Saturday, and get to work on Sunday. I need a project this weekend.

(Or, you could click on the link above to Oh, Hello friend and enter her wicked cool contest!)

India Rose

I am completely and totally in love with this duvet. But, unfortunately, the $260 price tag isn't in my budget right now. Do you think I could spice up a simple white duvet? I think I might have to try.

Simply Lovely

How did I miss this blog for so long? Such inspiration! And, I'm sorry, but I can not resist her little girl!

Ferns

I LOVE this cake!


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New Year's resolutions

So, I know I'm a couple of months late for this post, but I blame it on my blogging absence. I've actually been quite good about keeping up with this year's resolutions.

One, I'm finding, is particularly popular with my family and friends. Rather than make my yearly promise to loose weigh (which is rarely an attainable goal for me), I decided instead to do a 180, throw caution to the wind, and bake! I've latched on to Tuesday's with Dorie, albeit a little late (I started in mid-January), and just on my terms: one recipe, once a week, any day of my choosing.

If you're in the market for the best baking book, be it for gift or a treat for yourself, this comes highly recommended.

Week 1: Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte

Week 2: Peanut Butter Torte

Week 3: Creme Brulee

Week 4: Brownie Buttons

Week 5: Carrot Spice Muffins

Week 6: French Pear Torte

Starting this week I will share my own creations with you!

And a few other resolutions - laugh if you must - 1)gym 3-4 days a week (Seriously, I'm eating a lot of baked goods); 2) read more (see previous entries!) 3) take a knife skills course (I cut myself frequently); 4) do puzzles (I love a big mug of tea and a puzzle, and I rarely take the time to myself); 5) knit more; and 6) cook a rack of lamb (my favorite meal that I've never attempted to make myself).