Thursday, November 29, 2012

{nice package} swedish dream sea salt soap

As the temperature is dropping and I am inside more, you are going to see my yearly shift from fashion/the great outdoors to cooking + lovely packaging - my mood changes with the sun's orbit, you see. [I obviously need a new winter hobby as I am watching Made in Chelsea and there is an abnormally tan man posting in a g-string outside + holding bananas in front of his privates.  And now I am talking about packages, funny how things are aligned]. 

Anyhoo, not only did this product grab my attention in my favorite store Foolish Ginger [more irony]  back home for the natural exfoliating powers that it possessed, but the package was just darling.  Such a very clean graphic style that seemed like a throwback to simplistic packaging.  







Wednesday, November 28, 2012

{holidays} Bumble

I don't usually share videos on here, but this one pulls at my heart strings.  My FAVORITE Christmas time movie is Rudolph, but most importantly, my favorite character is Bumble.  There's something about that big ole' guy that just makes me giddy.  So when I saw this Microsoft Phone commercial [which I have now watched like 20 times in 15 minutes], I nearly passed out with glee.  Not only is Bumble speed dating, but they brought back some of the standout toys from Misfit Land.

Ok, enough talking, just watch!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

{side by side} shimmering metallic


image 1, image 2

Monday, November 19, 2012

{diy} gold + wood coasters

When NYC went into Hurricane Sandy lock down a few weeks back, I knew I was going to have to be creative in ways to entertain myself through the working from home all week.  While I don't mind a work from home day every now + then, not having a choice in the matter makes me nuttier than I already am.  Luckily, I found some Martha Stewart gold metallic craft paint the first day + decided to spruce up some things.

This is probably the easiest DIY in the world.  I bought these wood coasters at Target a few months ago for no reason + since they are raw natural wood with beautiful imperfections, they were the perfect model.  All you need to do is create a straight line around said object with masking tape, add 2 coats of paint + let dry.  THAT'S IT.  


photos: Robin West


Monday, November 12, 2012

{in my kitchen} s'more bars

Every now and then you come across some genius recipe that is just screaming to be made, even if it involves baking patience that you may not really have. I have been craving s'mores for awhile now, and since I don't plan on camping by the fire anytime soon, this seemed like the next best thing.  AND, they aren't as messy!

The original recipe is from Lovin' From the Oven.   I made some alterations like using a different sized baking dish [wanted thinner crust like original graham crackers], some extra chocolate bars and 'eyed' the marshmallow creme part, but the best part about this type of recipe is that you can try it a few times and make it your own.  We'll let my co-workers be the judge.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (Nabisco graham crackers beaten on the counter will suffice)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 king-sized Hershey bars (2 for 8-inch square dish, regular Hershey bars probably work better with thinner crust)
Marshmallow creme (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9.5 x 11-inch baking dish for thinner crust or an 8-inch square baking pan for thicker consistency.

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar until evenly distributed.  Beat egg and vanilla together, blend with butter/sugar mixture. In a small bowl, whisk flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined.


Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of greased (butter) baking dish. Place chocolate bars side by side into a single layer over dough.  Spread marshmallow creme over chocolate bars - this is the time that I 'eyed' the measurements and you should use as much or as little as you want, like you would with a real s'more.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).  Here's a tip, I don't have a rolling pin so I flattened as much as I could on baking paper, folded the paper over onto the dough and pushed out with a measuring cup.  This makes a perfectly thin layer!

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned to perfection. You can cool and then cut into bars, but I prefer cutting right out of the oven and eating like it just came off the fire.  ENJOY!


photos: Robin West

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

{fauna} cabbage stalker

I love all flowers, as you probably know by now, so my way of not getting bored with them is choosing depending on the weather.  You know, kinda like fruits + veggies being in season, as are all types of fauna.  There is a great little deli/market a few blocks around the corner from my work on Prince St. that is kinda perfect for such a hunt.

Last month they stocked these velvety clouds of color that caught my attention.  This month was almost the complete opposite end of the spectrum with some sturdy stalks of cabbage flowers.  I actually got a kick out of people looking at me funny as to why I was protecting my veggies on the subway.  I mean, why not?  The colors, the texture, even the veiny details, were a pleasant change to bring a little bit of Fall into the digs.


photos: Robin West

Monday, November 5, 2012

{good eats} Fig & Olive brunch

I have always heard great things about Fig & Olive, wondering what this restaurant did to give so many New Yorkers addictions.  Well, now I know.  First off, it's one of those places that you can't sit + wait if you are hungry because the aromas could toy with your emotions immediately.  

We started big and got the Bread & Viennoiseries + these butcher blocked filled with goodies was the perfect hint of what was to come - simple + classic eats, made with the highest quality ingredients.  With the upmost respect.



Northern Italian Mushroom & Truffle Soup


Breads + Zucchini Carpaccio


South of France Poached Eggs with Salmon [hiding below those perfectly poached eggs, drool]

photos: Robin West

Friday, November 2, 2012

Hurricane Sandy

I am officially a Jersey Shore girl.  I grew up there and have lived in NJ a majority of my life, up until moving to NYC a year ago.  To say this past week is surreal + devastating to witness is a serious understatement. In my almost 30 years here, I have never experienced weather like the area did on Monday.  Luckily, I have only been inconvenienced in Queens - minus the subways being down + work still without power, my parents are unscathed, my electricity never went out, there was no damage to my car and I have been able to work from home in somewhat warmth. 

Obviously, not everyone else is so lucky.  Some people have lost everything that they have... houses + possessions swept to sea, town cut off from rescuers, loved ones gone... it has definitely put a lot of things in perspective for me.  I am doing what I can locally to help until I can get back home and if you are able to, you should too.  If you could spare $10, text REDCROSS to 90999 (or visit RedCross.org).

If you are in the NYC area, here's other ways you can help:

* The Brooklyn Kitchen is collecting supplies, food + clothing for The Rockaways
* Feeding America
* Salvation Army
* Blood Donation in NY




Thursday, November 1, 2012

{style} understated statements in Central Park

For me the weekends are totally for comfort, but it's also the perfect time to start experimenting with some of my favorite pieces.  When I chose to just throw on an easy cable knit sweater that I've been dying to wear, I knew it was the perfect time to take this MAJOR gold leaf necklace out as obviously, it is enough on it's own.

So what to do when you want to make a statement?  You try to make understatements with the rest of the outfit - easy, neutral pieces.  The other addition to add some 'luxe' to this ensemble was the bag.  You see, this was a purchase I fell in love with immediately + couldn't resist about 6 years ago.  The problem was that since it is such a subtle leather, it started to get dirty and I stopped using it, being sent away into the top of my closet never to be seen.  

I recently gave it a good spa day at the Leather Spa and, while I am still contemplating keeping or selling it, I figured a daytime brunch + stroll through the park was the perfect re-debut!



Military jacket + cable knit sweater H&M, coated skinnies Zara, Leaf Collar Oscar de la Renta necklace, vintage Givenchy brooch, Miu Miu Matelassé bag (similar), Sigerson Morrison for Target flats. 

See more STYLE posts here