SOCIAL MEDIA

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Wintry Scenes and Wonderful Sounds


Winter kitty and "Winter" by Joshua Radin


Monday, December 12, 2011

Frabjous Finds - Christmas Gift Guide

If you live in Sacramento, there are some amazing places to buy gifts!  But if you are discerning gift giver and you love charm, elegance and a homey feel with gads of awesome there is only one place to buy gifts -  and the best shoes ever! It's The Pink House run by sweet and savvy proprietor Peggy Orr. Peggy's first calling was non-profit and for those of you who remember she ran the Camellia Festival! Now, she curates this delightful store with oodles of style. The shoes she has are by well known design houses but are styles you simply cannot get at Nordstrom. Such brands include Seychelles, Irregular Choice, Naughty Monkey, Poetic License, Sasha London, J41, Mee Too and Nicole. She also carries wares from local designers and artisans.

ADA handbags and jewelry are by a local artisan whose compiled a collection of ladies decor that cannot be matched. Her handbags are supple and unique and her jewelry is contemporary and stylish. Plus, she has an amazing story. She is of Polish descent and was in Law School when she travelled to Argentina. She dropped out of law school to follow a calling for divine handbags.

The Pink house also carries Susan Knoff's felted pins seen on Peggy in the picture featured here. Recycled cashmere hates and scarves and Ann Deaver's hair accesories.

It was by accident that I found The Pink House but as cliche's go -- A Happy Accident. I'm headed there now for a pair of shoes that I simply can't stop thinking about! You should go too! Plus, Peggy provided sweet treats at the door! What's not to love?







ADA

ADA

ADA




The lovely and sophisticated Peggy Orr.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Just the Pretty

That's right! Sometimes it's all about the pretty. Pretty houses, pretty gardens, pretty clothes whatever. It's such a cliche pretty pretty pretty. I know other modifiers sure, but I'm a purest. Why say, "stunning." When really that's just the Lexus term for pretty. Pretty is irreplaceable. I just plain like it. I like magnificent and sensational, attractive, lovely and so on. But today, just the pretty.

A bicycle ride in Paris. Photo Source

The salmon colored chair and red walls are eclectic and...PRETTY! Photo Source

Photo Source

Photo Source

This is gorgeous and I would venture to guess, delicious as well. It's grapefruit infused rum.  Photo Source

Photo Source

Photo Source

What a pretty winter ensemble. Photo Source

Chestnut Soup. Warm and wonderful! And this photo - PRETTY! Photo Source

PRETTY! Photo Source

Photo Source



Thursday, December 8, 2011

Out To Lunch!

Cucumber Sandwich

Cucumber slices
Watercress or Mache
Goat cheese or Boucheron
Salt and Pepper to taste
On a toasted baguette with Dijon Mustard

Photographed by Monica Buck from Country Home July/August 2001

Before There Was Pinterest...

There was me!

I absolutely love Pinterest! It's an addiction that I feel pretty good about, in fact - I mean as far as addictions go. I'll spend and hour, sometimes two or an entire afternoon perusing the internet for pretty pictures to pin with my pinmarklet address bar pin tool. I'll use my app to pin and pin and pin - especially when I'm using the loo! But before there was Pinterest, I would while away a Sunday afternoon, long, long ago cutting up magazines and saving the prettiest and most interesting images.

Look at all the goodies I got through the years. I will periodically post pretty pictures from as far back as 1989. Those are photos from more than 20 years ago. I know it sounds out of date but literature, film, design and cuisine is often timeless! Join Pinterest and follow me there so I can follow you too! You have to apply for an invitation (Oh, such an exclusive club) then you sign up and that's that...you're hooked!









Saturday, December 3, 2011

Gourmet Chef

My husband is a gourmet chef. In our seven year relationship (thus far) he has shown me amazing delicacies that I otherwise never would've known. He is Turkish and it seems Turkish Cuisine is among  the undiscovered wonders by the rest of the world. If you taste this (and you should) I swear it will not disappoint!

This Quince Dessert (Ayva Talisi) is one of the best sweet treats I've ever tasted!


A quince is a sort of pear. It's a bit squattier and much more cloying when eaten raw than a pear is but when poached in a simple syrup and served chilled garnished with Kaymak (the Turkish version of Mascarpone) it is divinity. Photo Source



Ingredients:

3 Quinces halved and cored (reserve the seeds)
2 C sugar
6 whole cloves
1/2 C - 1 C water

Directions:

Place the quince core side up in a pan
cover with sugar
put the seeds in the bottom of the pan (this gives the stunning color)
add the cloves too (optional - my husband doesn't use them)
add the water 
cover and simmer checking often so as not to burn them

To serve (pictured above):
Place half a quince core side up in the middle of a plate
drizzle some of the pan syrup over the quince
add a generous dollop of Kaymak (if you cannot find Kaymak, 
Mascarpone is an acceptable substitute)

Friday, December 2, 2011

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

That's, perhaps, my favorite Christmas carol!  "I really can't stay - baby it's cold outside - I've got to go away - baby it's cold outside - This evening has been - been hoping that you'd drop in -So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice..."



So to keep your hands, your neck, your body from being like ice but still being sinfully stylish, I found a sweet little ditty on Etsy.

As most if you know, I love that place. I have a shop there soon to be followed by another to accompany Poppies and Paperbacks. I often go there to pass the time looking at things I covet and wish I was have the crafter that many of these people are!

Today I came across a coat that I simply must have. Because, it's winter and "Baby, it's cold outside!" It's created by Leanne Marshall who hails from Brooklyn, New York. It's not just cold outside there...It's freezing outside there. SO you know this lady knows what a coat should be like. This feminine little coat with a short swing peplum is Melton wool on the exterior with vintage plaid at the hems and lined inside with silver crinkle satin. Go visit her site, you won't be disappointed. And, bonus, she does much more than just coats. She makes dresses, skirts, shirts and other apparel all with her own signature of awesome!