honey living

colorblock gone wild

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000-05:00

obsessed with these all-in-one colorblock accessories. whole colorblock outfits can be a little...bold, so i love the idea of packing a bold punch in one piece like these. you like?

shoe links here, here and here; bag links here, here, here and here

midcentury love

2012-01-26T06:44:00.002-05:00

what's your feeling on the midcentury modern pieces that have become all but ubiquitous over the last few years? the two that come to mind immediately are the saarinen table (replete with tulip chairs as seen here) and the eames molded chair. although there's a part of me that desires them less because it seems everyone has them now, there's a larger, more pronounced part of me that feels like if i still love a piece regardless of how mainstream it's become, then who really cares?

are there items you've loved, only to love them less when you see them everywhere? does ubiquity water down something we love? does it have to? i think not. look at all the gorgeous ways these two iconic pieces can be used and enjoyed...the one thing i probably wouldn't do is use them together, but mixed with other special and not-so-special pieces? eclectic perfection.

i love the idea of a slightly less-oft seen take on these special pieces like the saarinen table with a marble top or in an oval shape, or the eames chair as a rocker in a punchy color.

p.s. this saarinen replica is under $200. just saying...ubiquity be damned.

images from here, here, here and linked sites

flower power

2012-01-24T08:15:00.000-05:00

have you ever seen flowering tea? it's the prettiest thing! though i think i've seen pictures, i first saw it in person at a business lunch here, and it was a sight to behold...simple, whimsical and other-worldly. i bought a pouch of the magical little balls at this tea shop in woodstock over the weekend.

the instructions say to let each ball steep in hot water for 5 minutes and then watch the beauty take shape. i can't wait to try them!

image, image

another great martha idea

2012-01-23T09:33:00.001-05:00

love this! here's the how-to.

getting ziggy with it

2012-01-20T07:43:00.000-05:00

i'm having a zigzag moment, majorly. since i'm dreaming of moving to a new place, it opens up all kinds of thoughts about new things...new colors, new patterns, new ways of mixing said colors and patterns...here are some of my favorite chevron/ziggy items right now.

there's the zig zag printed rug in so many fun colors, and it's so reasonably priced. i love the idea of the black and white one in a kitchen or entryway, and the serene light blue one would be perfect in a bedroom that dabbles in grays, whites and blues.

and then the zigzag duvet ... i love the gray version to be mixed with lots of white pillows and textiles, or the idea of the amazing saffron color in pillowcases against an otherwise solid or monochromatic bed.

and how about the ziggy chair? i love the thought of the navy one used in an otherwise preppy, nautical style room.

and then i die for this amazing print for a pair of x-benches or an awesome chair. does ballard designs not kill it?

obsessional over these gorg bangles...

and of course there can't be a complete conversation of zigzag without talking about missoni...have you seen the missoni for bugaboo stroller? check it.

are you getting ziggy with me?

flex your wrist

2012-01-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

have you seen flex watches? i love them! they don't ship until feb 1st but what a nice spot of brightness in the cold winter to look forward to! they're fun and playful, sporty and sleek. and they support good causes - eleven of them!

the watches (only $30 each) come in eleven colors and each supports a different cause - gray is for imerman angels, red is for mariners outreach, blue, which is my favorite, is for nika water. oooh and i love the black too. i love all of them, really. especially this light blue one. i guess i'd be a good candidate for the ten pack. the ten pack would be a great way to save $5 per for next year's holiday gifts or bridesmaids gifts. or for oneself. there's always that too...

they also sell just the bands for $15, so you could opt for the white or gray watch (silver face) and then get a few different color bands that would work with those faces. the possibilities are pretty much endless.

globe favorites

2012-01-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

who were your favorites?

salty and sweet

2012-01-12T07:30:00.004-05:00

are you being hosted this weekend? hostess gifts can be both easy to shop for and hard...on one hand, there are several quick, easy wins. a bottle of wine, a bunch of beautiful flowers, or a nicely presented plant can't go wrong and i'm a big fan of all those options. but then there are the times you want to go a little different. for times like that, i love the idea i saw on my baking addiction of giving homemade vanilla sea salt.

first, i think it's beyond lovely to give something you made, and what's different about this is that it's not a batch of brownies or a cake that's eaten and then over that day, one and done. this is more of a slow burn - something that can be kept in the pantry of the recipient and used many different ways over many weeks and months, and each time they taste it and discover a new use for the salty and sweet treat, they'll think of you and the lovely hosts they were on the night they got it from you. i love that!

if you're not fancy with a crafting tool that makes perfect labels, which is like a different language to me, i think a plain paper tag (even one neatly cut from a grocery bag) with a hand-scrawled "vanilla sea salt" is kind of more charming. and this way, there's no mistaking who made it...from your kitchen to theirs.

video conference

2012-01-11T07:30:00.001-05:00

there are so many videos constantly being emailed around and so much tv to watch on every screen that we're all on overload from time to time, right? add to that the fact that i work in television and am married to a television lover, i am often on MEDIA OVERLOAD. but there are certain videos that i still watch from time to time just because they make me feel good, and i wanted to share them with you this morning.

do you remember this awesome wedding entrance? i still get chills because it's just so fun and thinking about the amount of effort all their friends put in to learn it and step outside their comfort zone to actually do it. obsessed. plus it's a great song.

then there's this michael buble video that i just find contagious. first of all, i just love him so much. the song is so catchy, the video is so kitchy, and the horns...love those horns. and all the paper confetti reminds me of the paper confetti moments at my own wedding and at my sister's. priceless.

and you've seen the honey badger video right? omg. if you haven't, you're going to need to go somewhere where curses are okay, and watch it immediately.

oh, and one other music video. have you heard of lenka? i love this song of hers and the video is cute and quirky too. this is totally one of those songs that just makes me smile and tap my feet in a way that reminds me of my grandpa and makes me smile even bigger.

as lenka says, just enjoy the show! see you tomorrow.

top image, my wedding image, my sister's wedding image

special sips

2012-01-10T07:30:00.001-05:00

i'm always a big fan of having a special drink when people arrive at a wedding or another special event. at my sister's wedding, sparkling water with fresh raspberries punctuated the rosy, blushy hues of the day. at my own wedding, we offered guests water and sparkling apple and pear ciders to signify the fall season.

at a bridal shower i planned at work a couple years ago, chocolate was the theme so i did cups of chocolate and plain milk but made them look more special with bright pink straws, all tilted matchingly to the side. yeah, matchingly. made it up.

so...these wildflower ice cubes are begging to be tried, particularly at a spring party like a bridal shower or wedding, don't you think? they actually seem pretty doable based on martha's instructions, and you could employ the same method with any number of things...fresh herbs like mint to put in a mojito or a long island iced tea, or berries to put in a fruitier cocktail. love. this. idea.

top image, bottom image

favorite

2012-01-09T06:42:00.000-05:00

do you own an item that you just love so much you irrationally want another one? that's how i feel about the ikat scarf i got from h&m last year. i just DIE for it, over and over again, every time i look at it. when i'm not wearing it, i have it draped on my desk chair or over the side of the couch in my living room. the color story in it - blues, orange, pink, mustard...oh my god. i just can't.

what good would having a second one do me? none. it doesn't even make sense. i just love it that much. although....now that i'm giving it some thought, if i had an extra one, i could use it to reupholster the antique bench i rescued from a junk pile...

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layers of love

2012-01-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

the isla layered necklace from sarah chloe is, i think, my very favorite incarnation of the initials-on-a-pendant look i've seen. i have to admit it's partially because you don't have to choose what metal tone to go with (white, yellow, rose) and can instead use any combination of them you'd like. i think a rose and yellow combo would be pretty if you only needed two charms, and then who knows, maybe you'd have a white one to add later on!

of course, these more typical versions are very lovely too. and then there are these diamond little boy and girl charms. and i love love love the concept of this trio necklace because it looks collected over time and not too perfectly planned because of the way they overlap and touch.

do you love? i feel like sarah chloe is pretty much one-stop-shopping for all monogrammed and personalized jewelry. there's pretty much nothing in that realm that i've wanted (initial pendants, monogram pendants, even old-school nameplates in all different typefaces!) that they don't kill it on.

a chic coupling

2012-01-04T09:01:00.000-05:00

what do you think of blake's braided updo? i think it's so beautiful and chic, and i love how it's undone and polished in the same instant. here are instructions...

this look reminds me of another of my recent obsessions and you wouldn't normally make the association. a new colleague of mine has introduced me to the wonderfulness of these pencils, and i'm a total devotee now. she sticks them in her pulled-back hair. it's so effortless and bookish seeming - i wish i could do it without seeming like i'm single-white-femaling her, which i would be...

oh yeah, and she tops the pencils with these old schoolerasers. well maybe i'll get my own old school eraser like this pretty white one which i've often admired as i stock up on office supplies each time i get bored of my highlighter and post-it selections.

...although i don't think these erasers would look as chic in my hair, even with the chicest of braids.

kitchen whites

2012-01-03T10:35:00.000-05:00

i'm all aflutter with dreams of a white kitchen (with touches of blue). these dreams aren't new to me, just renewed because we're talking about moving so possibility is in the air. i'm already set on white dishes, but here are some of the white kitchen accents i think would be cheerful, even on a frozen day like today.

i love all the stoneware and ceramic egg crates i've seen so often recently, but my personal favorite is the one from anthropologie since it holds a full dozen. if i got this one or this one, though they're pretty, i'd still have a half empty carton of eggs each time i bought them until i got through the first six. not pretty.

i also really love the berry boxes because they're sweet looking and they just look so much like the real thing, even with the little puckers and dents and bends in the basket. even though i prefer them in white for my fantasy kitchen, you can see all the lovely little details in the green one here. aren't they lovely?

jayson home and garden has three different ones in white that's a nice mix and crate and barrel's are basic and inexpensive.

i'd also love a really simple set of white mixing bowls like these...

... and canisters, even with one special one like this thrown in (note: in this fantasy, i make cookies).

and even white can have whimsy with little pieces of art like these owl measuring cups.

i guess the nicest thing about these moments of white is that i might not be able to (read: will definitely not) have a dream white kitchen like this or this, but i can get some of these little accents and feel like i'm living a little piece of that wonderfully white dream.

top image

dawn of a new day

2012-01-02T07:30:00.001-05:00

it's a funny feeling to have a whole year ahead of us, isn't it? it seemed from facebook and the media and just the general sense of things, that 2011 was a hard year for a lot of people. it was an exceedingly hard year for me and mitchell, and we have spent the last couple days talking a lot about the hope...so much hope... for a better year ahead. hope is precarious in so many ways - it means you stand on a precipice and look out -- one eye open -- and choose to believe that you'll be okay. it takes faith and guts and a lot of trust. i know so many of you have had challenging years...some that started out that way and got tougher or maybe better...some that started out wonderful and strong and ended on a scary and uncertain note.

one thing i know for certain is that i'll be back here writing regularly again, which had gotten a little spotty, admittedly. so together, we'll meet 2012 with faith and guts and a lot of trust, okay? what's really the alternative, right? and while we're at it, we might as well make it look and smell lovely, taste good and make us happy. so here we go. a few thoughts to get us started.

i'm beyond thrilled that voluspa has brought back their best candle scent ever, baltic amber. apparently, i wasn't the only one miffed that they'd done away with it.

i made this classic spinach dip on new years eve just exactly the way the recipe says to, though i used light mayo and light sour cream. it was REALLY GOOD. and i totally did pack it into a bread bowl and served it with cubes of fresh sourdough. first rate.

a few weeks ago, my cousins and i had our semi-monthly cousins outing at a private "beauty bash" at the super girlie benefit boutique in soho which was so fun and such a steal! for $50, you get a brow service (thread, pluck or wax) and $50 of product credit PLUS drinks and snacks. new favorite benefit product? definitely this plum mascara.

and speaking of plum...i'm re-obsessed with essie sole mate for nails...i just feel happy every time i see my hands. heaven.

did you have any real favorite gifts this holiday season? i think these retro handsets for cell phones are hilarious and whimsical. i also love the footsie pajamas at target...i just worry a little about overheating and not having an easy exit plan...

i've watched every episode of up all night at least once this past week on my vacation, and i love it. i'm also completely caught up on tori and dean, blissfully netflix-ensconced in both mad men and parenthood and entirely excited for the return of pretty little liars, mob wives and gossip girl...WTF chuck??

bring it 2012.

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keeping our heads on straight...three minute cleanup

2011-12-20T07:39:00.000-05:00

one of the things that never fails to make me pleased with myself rather quickly is the three minute cleanup. i just made that name up, but that pretty much says it in a nutshell. take this morning for example. as i stood in the bathroom getting ready for the day, i found myself annoyed by how cluttered the sink area was. where did all this come from? long-ago-finished magazines, clothing that - though once probably fine to be put away - now needs to be washed from makeup residue falling on it day after day...wrappers and packages everywhere - how does this happen??

if i were being as perfect as martha, this wouldn't ever happen, but luckily it doesn't take very long to gather up all the mess and put each thing in its rightful place. a quick swipe of the counter with a nice smelling wipe and it's over. done. the dawn of a new day, with even a place to put my coffee. such a nicer way to start the day.

into the woods

2011-12-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

i love the whole woodland christmas theme i've seen emerge over the last couple of years in the stores and catalogs -- it seems like everyone got the memo. the whole look makes me feel like i could be curled up in a lodge next to a fire with a piping cup of hot chocolate (or coffee if we're being real), listening to wonderful christmas crooning and just more or less living the christmas dream. you too?

i love this wonderful collection of ornaments from anthropologie which are, like everything at anthropologie, a little on the pricy side. still, though, not too bad if you're purchasing just a few special ones for a gift for yourself or a loved one.

and then these from crate and barrel:

and i love how west elm has gone the more plush, playful route, with several of them under $5:

pier 1 also has incredibly affordable ones, which is especially nice - most are under $2!

do you love? so cozy, right? i love the idea of combining these little textural critters with mercury glass, shimmery pine cones and lots of candlelight for a cozy, christmasy night in.

good morning

2011-12-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

this was today's daily thought from real simple (do you subscribe?) and i liked its simplicity and truth.

caffeine and inspiration

2011-12-07T09:52:00.000-05:00

i found starbucks to be full of inspiration this morning...maybe i'm lightheaded from lack of nutrition, or maybe it just was that inspiring...first, isn't the color story of the christmas blend packaging beautiful?

and don't you know people who get such joy from the red holiday cups? i know i do. get the joy, i mean, though i also know other people who do. it's a sure sign that the holidays are here, and so i love the idea of getting someone an ornament of that very cup! it's as perennial reminder of the holidays for some as the idea of a christmas tree, so why not go for synergy? they come in a set that includes the plain old white cups, or individually as the red ones. paired with a starbucks gift card, this makes the perfect stocking stuffer or thank you gift.

i also love the new selection of mugs, including the classic line which are clean and graphic with the starbucks sizes emblazoned on them (clearly the venti would be my choice) and even include a teeny, tiny, totally adorable tasting cup at 3 ounces, known as a demi in barista land. this one is so cute for when you just want a sip...or to serve at the end of an evening with mini biscotti and chocolate covered spoons. or if you want to feel like alice in wonderland.

i also love the ones with the sort of freestyle mug designs inspired by their italian roast. aren't they pretty? i like that they're so unbranded, so they'd look fine in anyone's home.

and how about this starbucks reserve mug that seems to be made just for me...at first, i was thinking "why would you buy this unless your last name starts with an R?" and then i realized, it doesn't matter, because mine DOES START WITH AN R!

p.s. did you know you could buy the starbucks flavored syrups? who knew?

all aglow

2011-12-05T09:05:00.000-05:00

i love the incredibly simple idea of lining a walkway or staircase with candles when having people over in the evening. it's perfect for a holiday soiree or even just a casual dinner with loved ones. i've thought about the homes of several people i know -- from big suburban houses to tiny city apartments -- and there isn't one of them that i don't think could execute this in a clean, hauntingly beautiful way. you could do in outside as your guests enter the home, or you could line an indoor hallway or set of stairs. or both.

i always know i really love an idea when i continually rediscover it in different iterations and seasons...when i was looking for beautiful images of this idea, i stumbled upon my own post from early spring about this same notion, but with a decidedly springy, summery feel.

image, image, last two images

wrapping in bold and brassy style

2011-12-01T07:30:00.001-05:00

so yesterday, we talked about the cleanest, most classic papers i love from the container store for holiday wrapping, and today, i'm going in the other direction. as much as i love the festive and warm styling of yesterday's papers, i love the bold and brass of these too. i love how they engage some classic hints of christmas cheer, but they do it through a psychedelic, neon filter. do you love?

wrapping in clean and classic style

2011-11-30T07:30:00.001-05:00

i know i've been atrociously bad about blogging recently, and it isn't that i haven't been thinking and dreaming about things to share - i have! i've just been pulled in many directions and my writing has fallen by the wayside for the last couple weeks. i am promising here and now to be better. it's funny the things that move us to action, and in today's case, it's the simply beautiful wrapping papers at the container store. not that i've ever been a stranger to giftwrap porn.

first, i love the idea of mixing a few different striped papers. it's such a great way to be festive and add a little contained chaos, but in the most orderly of ways.

and i'm always a sucker for really clean, classic prints that are christmasy and festive in an old-timey way. with just the right combination of reds and greens and graphic christmas imagery, it's like the christmas fantasy i've always dreamed of (pay no attention to the latke grease on my apron).

i envision buying a few prints and wrapping all the gifts under the tree (read: menorah) in just those few papers.

it's a fantasy, but an attainable one, don't you agree?

a green table

2011-11-22T07:30:00.001-05:00

are you at your limit with holiday plans and clever ideas? i have such an easy centerpiece or general decor idea for you. wherever you're shopping for your last minute chestnuts or cheesecloth or cider, look out for the cute little rosemary trees that seem to be everywhere these days (definitely at trader joe's and whole foods, i know for sure). if you can't find those, just go for mini pine trees. if they come in cute pots or bowls, perfect. if not, wrap them in a pretty tissue paper and secure with a raffia ribbon or any old ribbon you have leftover in your junk drawer.

to take the idea in a slightly different direction, but a few bunches of herbs at the grocery store, snip the bottoms like fresh cut flowers and stick them in glasses filled with water. how bountiful and harvesty and earthy.

either option would look perfect dotting a long table or adorning different surfaces around the house, wouldn't they?

image, image

falling for fall

2011-11-21T07:30:00.001-05:00

are you enjoying the beautiful fall colors and relishing the coziness that is true fall? the colors seem to be at their peak over the last few days where i am, and i'm trying to savor every single moment.

i'm off from work this week, and inside the house i'm burning harvesty scented candles for their scent and their glow, and i'm boiling whole cinnamon sticks on the stove to squeeze out every drop of their aroma. how do you take your fall? are you loving it?

bird is the word

2011-11-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

let's all take a few moments (between planning your menu, dreaming up table settings and designing thanksgiving day decor) to think about pretty ways to display the turkey (or tofurkey or turducken) itself next thursday...most of us have some version of this enormous turkey platter and if you don't, make a quick stop at bed bath and beyond and use this coupon or one of the many you probably have in your glove compartment to save 20%...

but aside from the platter, what will you put on it? last year, i set our platter with thyme sprigs and whole cranberries...simple, but pretty. here are some other thoughts, courtesy of ms. martha...i love the idea of sliced or whole fruits, sprigs of all kinds of herbs, nuts, berries...anything emblematic of the season. also, though, i like the idea of using items whose flavors appear in your feast...there's something nice about people being able to visually identify the flavors they're experiencing...so if you're using walnuts or figs in your stuffing, slap some of those babies on the platter and call it a day.

decorating the platter that bears a delicious meal is an almost effortless way of elevating the meal to something more than that. at least i think so. what do you think?