Redddddd This!

Lisbeth Zwerger is my favorite illustrator. She. Is. Amazing. Please buy all her books so she never stops. One of my favorites is her Wizard of Oz. There's a full spread of the characters in a field of red poppies that is so beautiful and whimsical and strange. It makes me want to live in her books.



Clockwise from top left
Dress from Alberta Ferretti's Spring 2010 show
Embroidery from Neville Trickett's Flickr
Red Hunter Wellies from Shelba's Flickr
Old Red Hat letterpress pieces
Hoboken Pie Store
Thank You card from Pop + Shorty
Martha Stewart butterfly straw toppers
Living room from stylist/textile designer Marieke van Proosdij
RedruM photo frames
Ulrika May pillows

Take-out Flowers

I loved this photo from a set titled "Take-out flowers" by Jiseon Park and Eunho Kim (on SDesign Unit  via Apartment Therapy). Their clever use of ice cream cones and other everyday objects for transporting and displaying delicate arrangements strikes a fine balance between cutesy and quirky.

My approach to this post was to create a complementary setting for this shot--a room with a wall just begging for a large framed print of waffle cones, brimming with colorful wildflowers.  While embracing the bright palette, I also chose to select some neutral tones and organic materials that mirrored the playful juxtaposition presented above. Cute and quirky, just the way I like 'em.

Clockwise from top left:
Birdcage pendant lamp on Dutch By Design (£45)
Early 20th century industrial cage lights from Rewire 
Miner's bottle in Amber from Anthropologie ($14)
Yellow tuxedo ruffle curtain at Urban Outfitters ($42)
Amethyst votive holder from ABC Home ($75)
Cooled globes lamp by Anthropologie ($298)
Trumpet flowers in Emerald from Love by Amy Butler 
Pillow cover in Pink Coriander by Amy Butler from Lilybethgoodies on Etsy ($14)
Lima alpaca throw in fuschia from Crate and Barrel ($169)
PJÄS basket with base from Ikea ($12.99)
Coming and going coat rack from Urban Outfitters ($68)
Antoinette fainting sofa in Aubergine from Urban Outfitters ($575)
Round parasol rug by Thomas Paul 
David Stark gold flower candle lanterns for West Elm ($12-$34)

Houndstooth and Tweed Prints

My Vintage Vogue is an awesome website with a collection of images that chronicle fashions from the 1920's to 1960's.  I've always loved vintage fashion photography, and this site is a great resource for inspiration! The photo above titled "Race Track Fashions" by Nina Leen is from a 1958 issue of LIFE Magazine.  Check out the My Vintage Vogue blog  for more photos.

I'm totally digging the clothing in this picture. The mixed check, houndstooth and plaid prints are still in style- just check out the modern interpretations of this retro fad below!

Clockwise from top left:

Houndstooth ring from littlebrownbox on Etsy ($7)

Tweed check purse from Topshop ($36)

Alexander McQueen houndstooth check pencil dress on Net-a-porter ($1,845) 

Sequin t-shirt dress by French Connection via Figleaves ($270)

Houndstooth gloves from Michael Kors ($150)

Ashton Michael adjustable bowtie on 80's Purple ($88)

Buffalo check ruffle knit scarf by Arden B. ($19.50)

Moschino houndstooth heels via Shoewawa 

Gumdrop T-strap flats by oh DEER! on Endless ($53.70)

Plaid wool gauze dress from Lark & Wolf by Steven Alan on Urban Outfitters ($78)

Kimchi Blue vintage tweed dress from Urban Outfitters ($68)

Houndstooth ZJN satchel in winter white from Juicy Couture on Urban Minx ($450)

Houndstooth cardigan by Caroline Rose at Neiman Marcus ($395)

Dessert Buffet: Chocolate & Cream

Dessert and candy buffets are all the rage at weddings and events this year. Photos of stylized buffets, like this one above from a Martha Weddings magazine spread, are almost unavoidable when doing party planning research. As someone who likes to bake and decorate, I've yet to come across a buffet of treats that seems difficult to replicate.

This blue, brown and wintery white tablescape is no exception. The linens are simple, the cake stands are plain, candies are in clear glass vases and the display pedastals for bite-sized goodies are clean and modest. This modern style uses enough basic pieces to allow even those with a tight budget to find a perfect match.

Below are some easy recipes for elegant-looking desserts that you can whip up in your own kitchen. For a smaller crowd, downsize your table and swap out some of the tiered cakes shown above for tiered platters with cupcakes or petit fours.

Clockwise from top left:

Whoopie pies from Gourmet magazine via Epicurious 

Chocolate marbled meringue recipe from BBC GoodFood 

Chocolate-dipped pretzels, photo by Schakolad, recipe from Robin Miller via Food Network

Chocolate ganache truffles by Culinate 

Foolproof chocolate fudge recipe on Hubpages  

Mini vanilla cupcakes by Mary Bakes 

Jordan almonds with a bronze candy coating from Patchi 

"Hot" chocolate cake spiced with cinnamon and cayenne pepper by Country Living 

Hazelnut chocolate linzer cookies from the LA Times 

English buttermints and brown sugar licorice from Fiona's Sweetshoppe 

Boston cream pie recipe from Country Living 

Homemade marshmallows with toasted coconut by recipe by Ina Garten  

A Crazy Week!

Apologies for the lack of posts this past week!

It's been more hectic than usual, but I had the pleasure of working on both the Martha Weddings 15th anniversary party with Matthew Robbins Design and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Kids for Kids Family Carnival with the lovely crew at David Stark Design. 

Tons of fun, but barely any time for sleep, let alone blogging!

We'll be back to our normal posting pace starting tomorrow, so get psyched!

Best,
Anjelica

Origami Folds

I really loved the composition of this photo by Snorkiesnork on Flickr (via oh joy! ). Not sure what the image is from, but the colorful cranes are adorable and seem especially fitting for an outdoor party. I think it's the bright assortment of clothespins that really seals the deal-- regular wooden clothespins wouldn't make half the statement!

I've always loved origami. Cheap decorations, good for killing time in a meeting, and if you happen to get really good at it, you could always try your hand at recreating some of the gorgeous items below. The paper lamp shade and the earrings are my personal favorites, along with the sadly-still-just-a-concept paper crane tea bags. I'd absolutely love to make a quilt out of squares like the ones from Hanna Nyman and Marie Dreiman! Maybe when I retire..

Clockwise from top left: 

Folded "Propellerheads" paper tesselation from EricGjerde's photostream on Flickr 

DIY paper table lanterns by Design*Sponge (simple tutorial)

Origami print tumblers by soule on Etsy via Apartment Therapy 

Large white pendant shade by Claire Norcross for Habitat (£65.00)

Lucky wheel origami earrings in funnysky's Etsy store ($5, hundreds of other origami items!)

Structured origami skirt in purple from Topshop ($80)

Silver origami windmill necklace from Origami Bijou ($60)

Folded fabric for a Bogesunds Vaveri tradebooth by Hanna Nyman and Marie Dreiman 

Hand-folded origami dish from EndemicWorld ($145)

Paper crane origami teabag design by Natalia Ponomareva via Emily Chang 

Origami table design by Matthias Demacker for van Esch