She's got an eye

like one of the best ones, seriously.

If there was only one person I could steal talent from it would be my friend Abby of Hi + Low. She is a graphic designer by profession but has amazing taste in decorating, collecting, and dressing. Just being around her is inspiring. But in addition to her impeccable taste, one of my favorite things about her is her modesty. For how talented she really is, she is one of the most unassuming people I know, and always gives credit to everyone around her.

This week, her apartment was featured on Design*Sponge. An honor that was rightly due. If I could hire her to decorate my apartment, or house I would. Every piece of furniture, art, or collectible is thoughtful, beautiful, and complimentary. I wish I had the vision to incorporate different design era's and elements the way she does.

And to top it all off, Abby is also very very thoughtful. Saturday night I came home to a package addressed from her, and inside was this beautiful ceramic pitcher.

Abby has a couple of these pitchers, and I have loved them since the first time I poured something out of one of them. I finally asked her where I could find one and found out they were made by Dansk, vintage, and very hard to come by. After losing a few bids on Ebay, I gave up. But now I have one of my very own, thanks to her, and now will probably start my obsession up again to find it a friend.

And another Abby gift, my own desk calendar. I love it and use it every day. It is designed by Abby for Kate Spade. I would really love to fill my life up with things made and picked out by Abby. 

*And for those that are anxious to see my hair, don't worry I will post. I just can't seem to take a decent picture of myself, darn camera.

Long overdue

I was planning on writing up this post a bit later today, but it's 6 o'clock am, and I can't sleep. Darn cold, I've had you for over 7 days now, why won't you leave me? why are you making me cough so hard my eyeballs are popping out of my skull, why won't you let me breathe out of my left nostril? why won't you let me sleep?  I'm begging you...sorry, sidenote.

Anyway, it's been five months since I have had my hair touched by any professional. I seem to always let this happen, I go and go, just until the point I can barely take it, I'm there now, and finally get myself in for some damage control. I have plenty of excuses, no babysitter, no money, no one I trust to touch it, and I use all of them, but I have gone as long as I possibly can, I'm way overdue. Even my husband is getting sick of ponytails and braids.

I have two folders on my desktop. One for clothing inspiration and one for hair. I love looking, dragging, and tearing for both. I always, always, bring at least a couple of the hair inspo clippings for my stylist.  The one time I didn't, I really ended up kicking myself, and almost the girl who cut it. I had a clear picture in my head, a cute, messy, a-line, very Maggie in Stranger Than Fiction, but I guess I somehow conveyed I wanted a bluntly cut chin length bob, cause that' s what I got. I didn't go back, and told all of my friends not to either. Which  sort-of ended up causing problems, us Brooklyners sort of stick together, and now a lot of them haven't had their hair professionally done in a long time either.

Well, tonight I am getting it done. Finally. A friend of mine, Nicole, is coming in from out of town, and I completely trust her. But I am still bringing pictures, probably too many. These are the online ones I have narrowed it down to, I also have a few in print too.

For the color: I am ready to go a bit darker. I get sick of color quickly, and have always wanted to try a really pretty chesnutty brown.  Shockingly, I have narrowed it down to these two brunette beauties.

And for the cut. I can't really make up my mind. I like the sideswept bang Williamsburg girl on the left, but also have always wanted to try the really thick blunt bang look. What do you think?

Either way, just a change will be refreshing, for everyone.

From this to this

I don't usually use tablecloths as the fabric of my garments, in fact this was the first time. It all started at Luke's birthday party. I wore one of my favorite A.P.C. dresses, actually sort of similar to the pattern on this tablecloth, and my friend Staci really took to it. She called me the next week to tell me about this tablecloth she found at TJ Maxx that she thought had the potential to be made into a similar shirt or dress. She didn't come out and ask me to make it, and I didn't volunteer either, but I recommended she buy it anyway in case she took up sewing.

The next week I found out her husband and friend were throwing her a
surprise birthday party, I knew I had to make the shirt for her. The problem
was I wasn't completely sure which table cloth it was or it it would
even still be there. The next morning I drove to TJ Maxx and picked out the most similar tablecloth to what she had described and what I had imagined. It was a bit heavier than the usual
cotton I use for blouses but I thought it could still work. The tricky
part was figuring out what pattern to use for the top that would fit
what she had wanted and work with the fabric. I finally decided on this
pattern, with a few adjustments.

I really like how it turned out. I love that it reminds me of my favorite book as a little girl, The Secret Garden.
Well maybe that's a stretch, but it does make me really want spring to get here, and quickly.

My favorite part about the shirt was being able to surprise the birthday girl. I think she went around the room and told the story at least six times, which I was happy with, but I had to draw the line at her wanting to try it on to model it for everyone. I couldn't take that kind of attention.

Finally getting his cake...

and eating it too!

For the last three years, maybe more, I can only remember back that far, Tom has asked me for a dark chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting. Being a non chocolate lover, I guess I just didn't think he really wanted this cake. It seemed so boring to me, with so many other options out there, I somehow talked him into a different cake. They were variations on the dark chocolate cake, last year I made a chocolate cake with twinkie filling and chocolate frosting, the year before that chocolate skor cake with whip cream frosting. I thought he would be completely satisfied, but as his birthday got closer each year he begged me to make the cake he really wanted. Well this year I did. I was skeptical, I couldn't imagine it could or would taste as good as my other fancy cakes, and not nearly as impressive, which is always something to consider. But I was wrong. It was delicious and actually harder to make than any other cake I've made. Partly the recipe, partly the fact I followed it exactly. I usually cut corners when making things, but I wanted it to be the best birthday cake he had ever had. I would like to say it was, it only took three days for it to be completely consumed, and a lot of it was by me.

I figured I better document this recipe where I can find it easily. It was from one of my mom's cookbooks, and it looks like I will be making it every year from here on out.

Best Ever Chocolate Cake
from better homes & gardens best recipe book

3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups four
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk

1. Allow buter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Lightly grease bottoms of three  8x11/2 round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper. Grease  and lightly flour waxed paper and sides of pans.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, soda, powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt;set aside.
3. Beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
4. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to beaten mixture, beating on low speed. Beat on medium speed for 20 more seconds. Spread evenly into pans.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes for round cake pans. Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Peel off waxed paper, and cool completely on wire racks.

Butter Cream Frosting
makes 3 1/2 cups of frosting ( I double it for this recipe)

8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
DON'T substitute margarine, it doesn't thicken as well, I made this mistake.
3 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
3-4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with a mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more.

Chocolate Curls

6 ounces of semi sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening

Melt chocolate with shortening. Line a small bread pan with either tin foil or wax paper. Pour chocolate into pan and chill for approximately 2 hours. Take chocolate out of pan and use a peeler to create curls.