Most Lovely Things

identical twins

annie — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:18:55 +0000

Happy birthday to my twin sister Lynn! I adore that we share our birthday and of course we wish we were in the same city/state so we could celebrate together. A while back I saw this print on Design Mom. Gabrielle finds the greatest stuff from all over the world. The illustrator, Judy Kauffman is from Barcelona and when I mentioned that I am an identical twin, she sent me two! One for me and one for Lynn! How cool is that?Now we have been asked if we are for sure identical twins. I guess some people need proof. Here was our proof…not that we ever really doubted it. When Lynn’s son was about 2 years old I was visiting from St. Louis. Lynn had an early morning meeting and since I was in in town staying with them I stayed to be with Ryan when he woke up. When he did wake up we had breakfast and I read to him and we played with his train set. A few hours later Lynn walked in the door. He looked up from the book we were reading and then looked at me, then his mom…he could not believe it. He thought this entire morning that he was just hanging out with his mom. He was surprised and a little bewildered. It never occurred to me that he thought I was his mom and not his aunt. Flash forward 19 years and I’m helping him move out of his apartment at Fordham. And the elevator is broken. And he’s on the sixth floor. But that’s what twins do for each other. and their kids. Happy birthday Lynnie!

monograms

annie — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:26:56 +0000

It’s no secret that I love monograms. I think it adds that extra touch that makes it so …well, personal. I ordered these linen napkins from Rufflewood on Etsy and worked with kathy of BDG Embroidery to create a beautiful monogram for a wedding shower gift for my niece. I’ve worked with Kathy on a few projects and love her work. For this project we met at Le Pain Qoutidien and over a cappuccino we discussed our recent trips to Paris and we looked at monograms. She brought her laptop and was so willing to search for just the look I was looking for in a single letter monogram. I showed her a few photos from my Monogram Pinterest board and we came up with a beautiful letter “O” monogram. She can change the size, tweak it so that it’s just the way you want it. Many times when you choose a monogram, you decide if you are using a single, double or triple letter combination and you have maybe a dozen styles to choose from. Working with Kathy is completely different….She will work with you until it’s just the way you want it. She can print out the monogram in the correct size so that you can really get the idea how it will look. I think Courtney will love these!

A really simple DIY mother’s day card to make right now!

annie — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:11:57 +0000

My kids have always had zero interest in crafts…and I must say at their ages I have accepted that fact. But, I had no trouble getting them to write little notes on the back of these water color hearts we punched out. I actually painted the swatches and the kids punched them out. I love the ones that are two toned with a stripe. We put them in a vellum envelope sealed with a piece of washi tape and sent them to my mom with her mother’s day gifts. Sort of a group project in less than 5 minutes!

Bring a little spring indoors

annie — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:01:48 +0000

I love dogwood trees, both pink and creamy white so I thought why not enjoy them indoors as well as outside. I cut a few low branches and used the my tall Palmetto vase from Crate & Barrel. I love this vase because it’s heavy enough to hold just about anything.

DIY Color block gift tag inspired by the gift and a little bit of Nature

annie — Thu, 02 May 2013 23:59:30 +0000

I created a one-of-a-kind color block gift tag that was inspired by the gift itself. As I was thinking about wrapping my mom’s birthday gift I thought about the tag I would attach. Using just a few simple supplies like watercolor paper, my $6 watercolor paints and a few brushes I made a color block tag mixing paint colors that resembled the Cole Haan wallet. I almost always use kraft paper and some kind of twine and I found this perfect piece of ribbon in my box. As I was sitting on the terrace this morning with my paints I could not help but notice tulips that were the same colors. That’s the great thing about a new old house….lots of surprises in the garden that first spring.

DIY May Day baskets

annie — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:44:54 +0000

May 1st is May Day and depending where you grew up it can mean a lot of different things. I checked Wikipedia to see the definition and it was described just as I learned as a child growing up in Minnesota and later in Colorado. When we were young we made our baskets from winding ribbons through berry baskets or construction paper folded into a cone shape and a ribbon for a handle. We filled them with flowers and little treats and delivered them to unsuspecting neighbors by leaving the basket on their doorstep, ringing the bell and running away. I made these for a few girls with cups I found at the Goodwill store for $1.At Home Depot I found miniature boxwood basil plants. Each had four plants for $2. I planted them in tiny pots. I love using this kind of basil in place of a chiffonade. It’s beautiful on a watermelon salad or just about anything where you would add basil.I was surprised how easy it was to make the candles. I saw this post where she used mini latte bowls from Anthropologie. I purchased the candle wicks and wax from Michaels. Each box of soy based wax made 3 candles using my regular size cups. I used a pot that I found at Goodwill for $1 at the same time I found the cups. I scented the candles with sweet orange oil from Whole Foods. The wax melts very quickly and I poured it into the cups with the wicks taped to a chop stick to hold it in place. I always thought candle making was difficult…it’s not. Each basket was arranged with a candle, a package of shortbread cookies and a boxwood basil plant. Happy May Day!

after school snack + lemon cake with buttercream frosting

annie — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:43:11 +0000

For my son’s birthday I made this cake…but really, it’s lemon cake that he loves. So with a little more French butter I made a very delicious lemon cake (from a mix) with a lemon butter cream frosting that’s supposed to be the same recipe that Sprinkles uses. There’s comfort in knowing that you can still make your kids happy with a piece of cake. I timed it so that the cake was coming out of the oven as they walked in the door and let it cool just enough to add the icing.

stone fireplaces and amber bottles with spring blooms

annie — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:16:21 +0000

When we first purchased this house– before I even saw it (yes, we bought the house before I actually saw it a year later) I was determined to get rid of the fireplace. Looking at photos of the house I just couldn’t get used to the idea of a massive stone fireplace. It’s not what I had in mind for a house built in 1900. It was probably added years later, but no one really knows when. After talking to a stonemason about demoing and rebuilding we decided that we would paint it white and see what we think later. I have to say it’s growing on me. Painting everything white was the best thing…starting with a blank canvas. I took a walk through the yard today and found a bush blooming with little white flowers. I have no idea what they are…Jane will know. I like the delicate white flowers against the white painted stone. I think it’s here to stay…the fireplace that is.

French butter and shortbread cookies

annie — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:25:48 +0000

While we were in Paris I stopped at quite a few grocery stores (or whatever they call them in Paris) and I remember reading that Nichole, the author of Paris in Color buys butter whenever she’s in Paris and brings it home to New Jersey. So when on our last day I saw all that butter at the Le Grand Epicerie Paris ….I just knew some was coming home with me. Nichole actually has an entire Pinterest board devoted to French butter. I mean, I would have to agree…butter is amazing. I watched Julie & Julia on my ipad while traveling and there’s lots of talk about butter so not surprising it was on my mind. It’s an affordable luxury…and so with some of my French butter stash, I made shortbread cookies. Bon Appetite! I used Ina’s recipe, but with a touch of Lorna. Ina dips hers in dark chocolate and Lorna always used a lemon glaze and so that’s what I did.

home again

annie — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:06:41 +0000

It is comforting to be back home. Our hearts and prayers are with those that lost their lives, for those injured and of course their families…both in Boston and Texas. My friend Jane is having a FITH (that’s flowers in the house) and I’m joining the party. Head on over and check out her lovely flowers and those of her friends too. You can check it out here.