Big Project

a sneak peak of chris's apartment, 

which he generously and trustingly asked me to design.

after 6 weeks, we all but wrapped up the project last saturday, 

when he had 50 folks over for a holiday party and unveiling.

(this project was also the reason for lackadaisical posting lately)

expect a full photo tour when i return from switzerland.

..........

   

Christmas in Brooklyn

when we decided to go on a trip this christmas instead of going home, 

i thought i'd be able to jet off without getting nostalgic.

not so. i think its because i'm not going home that

it's hardly felt like christmastime this year.

and when i do think of christmas, i miss my california crew.

thankfully on tuesday, sebastian's family came over for an early christmas meal. 

there was roasted tomato soup and gifts from tracy's

recent trip to colombia, 

and nico was a precious, perfect doll in his elbow patches and jeans.

it was warm and merry, and the holiday spirit crept in.

..........

  

Rucola

last night aaron, mccall, lauren and i gathered for a holiday meal at rucola, 

a new northern italian restaurant in the neighborhood.

there was no wait.

we ordered about everything on the menu.

aaron brought us his famous christmas fudge.

lovely.
..........

 

Homemade Herb Oil

we made this herb oil for a lasagna a few weeks ago:

basically olive oil with sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, some salt blended in.

 it's going to be a new staple around here.

(the recipe says it keeps a week, but it may mean un-refrigerated.

we've had ours in the fridge, and its still great.)

even better? it firms up in the fridge, so it needs to be heated to get it back to a liquid.

and that just means: warm herb oil. delicious.

.........

   

The Children Are Bored on Sundays

also loving this oliver peoples short reel, 

"les enfants s'ennuient le dimanche" (the children are bored on sundays)

 by the same director as did the music video below.

the colors are bright, and its almost royal tenenbaums-esque.

..........
 

Mississippi Isabel

by king charles. love this song, love the music video's muted palette.

..........

 

Heaven?

i don't think i've ever fallen in love with a place so quickly, 

or have wanted to go somewhere so badly, in my entire life.

it's called urnatur, and it's a cottage-cluster eco-lodge and design sanctuary in sweden.

moss covered cabins, spiral staircases, tree-suspended walkways, bright green fields.

it presented itself to me via freecabinporn.com, (which came to me by way of sarah).

the urnatur blog is also magical,  and is filled with fog, 

"bark bread," crayfish, calves, birch sap, campfires, lake swims... and so on.

..........

 

More Poppy Christmas

plaid jingle bell collar, mailed from california.

..........

 

Real Snickerdoodles

growing up, i always thought "snickerdoodles" were cookies that had snickers candy bars inside of them. you'd make a simple peanut butter dough, stick a mini snickers bar inside of each cookie, bake them, and the candy bar would melt inside the cookie, creating a lovely gooey mess. they were often treats after soccer practice, or at a classroom holiday party-- served on a popsicle stick. while i now know that these cookies are not proper snickerdoodles, they are still some of my very favorites.

tonight i made them for the first time in years.
i recommend you try.

...........

Oscar's Christmas Sweater

a few weeks ago my mom sent poppy an argyle christmas sweater.

i think she forgets that poppy is no longer tiny: the sweater was little bitty.

fortunately, my coworker beth knows someone who is tiny, 

and also partial to argyle: her west highland terrier, oscar.

as you can see, oscar took quickly to his new, festive attire,

and eagerly modeled the sleep-inducing comfort of the its acrylic-cotton blend.

..........
 

Friday Morning

 sneakin for some poppyseeds.

..........

 

Vinnie's Iron Works

on friday i visited vinnie's italian iron works,
a place i have passed 100 times, but never anticipated visiting.

(i needed a chandelier's pole to be shortened from 21" down to 8".)

jimmy, presumably related to vinnie, and certainly the "boss" of the operation, 

was there to help. he works in this office, which i had to sneak a picture of.

look at that old brooklyn map!

...........

  

Amazing Needlepoint

and more tiny mike. from his recent trip home to chicago.

(give me that framed piece, please)

..........

 

Snacks from an Irish Contractor

damien does not shop local.

...........

 

Kale Garden

michelle says they smell bad. but they're the cutest.
..........
  

Comic Pillow

like. from room & board.

..........
 

Destination: Napanoch, NY

mccall just sent a link to this rental, which interestingly, i had looked at before too.

just love the hudson's bay blanket, green paint, paneled windows.

when we going?

.........
 

Etsy Favorites

it struck me its been a while since i posted etsy finds.

above, a round up of items i've recently marked "favorites."

..........

via etsy

The Weekend

 

saturday highlight: the best brunch of my life, from colonie.

sunday highlight: a darling old man, a stranger, sitting next to us at clark's restaurant,
randomly deciding to treat our breakfast,
(which made me well up because it was so kind).

..........
 

Grand Foyer, Baker Library, Dartmouth

the black and white marble tiles. that crown molding. 

the reason i moved 2,983 miles across country, 8 years ago.

..........

via c+s

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

the tree is up!

(in fact its been up for quite a few days.)

poppy's first christmas. she likes to lie next to the tree.

.........
 

Home/Made Mushroom Lasagna

mushroom lasagna with four cheeses, homemade herb oil, shallots and radicchio.

darn good, but also darn pricey.

if we make again, i think we'll probably add spinach or other greens.

the herb oil is perfection, and definitely something we'll keep around.

..........

 

Oversea Telephone Operators

the continental telephone exchange in faraday house, london. 1939

..........

via etsy

Swedish Christmas

i saw this precious photo on arianna's blog and requested the original to post on my own.

the buns are a swedish saffron bread called lussekatter. 

she made them for us once in brooklyn, and they were incredible.
(and she has promised to make us some more when she visits in january)

everything about this photo is perfect: the vintage table cloth, 

checkered curtains, and bright sunlight. the holidays! (in sweden!)

..........