r.w.e.

time for joy & time for cheer

boudoir

Growing up in a household of six girls, my bedroom became somewhat of an escape from the hustle and bustle of American Girl doll tea parties, faux game show hosting duties, and intense games of Capture the Flag. It was the one spot in the house that was my very own, a little niche that I could decorate to my taste and fill with things I loved (yes, this did include horse wallpaper at one point...but it was my horse wallpaper.) My view of bedroom-as-sanctuary hasn't really changed much, and I have tried to make my current habitat one that not only reflects my personal tastes, but also makes me feel content and relaxed. 

That said, I'll give you a little peek at some of my favorite parts of my current room: 

My trusty necklace stands started to become a little crowded, so I thought these great glass knobs from Anthro would be the perfect spot for pieces that I wear regularly.

 Cannot get enough of colorful beads!

 I keep my daily jewelry--watch, earrings, bracelets, rings--in a cute little dish I found at Hazlenut.

 I've had this little Peanuts comic strip since 5th grade, after my Granny passed away. She also had a head full of curls and my mom thought it was only appropriate that this be passed along to me. It always makes me smile!

 Perfume collection on an etched glass tray from Hazelnut. I'm a big believer in mixing it up when it comes to fragrance.

Every day stand-bys: 

Thierry Mugler "Alien"

Marc Jacobs "Ivy" 

Kiehls "Original Musk"

Happ & Stahns "Rosa Alba" (with a pincushion cap...too cute)

Special Occasion Only:

Tom Ford "Black Orchid"

Comme des Garcons "White"

 My favorite photo of my sister Paige, on the right, and me. I look like I'm pouting a little bit, but I still love it. It was taken at the pool house of The Farm back when our only care in the world was when we'd have our next Welch's Grape Soda.

 Alicia Madali paintings, mirrors & painted metal findings from Mexico, Tissa Osborne painting, vintage print I found at Horsefeathers in Ingram, green clay New Orleans shotgun house.

 Love.

 My cute little screened-in porch, complete with hammock, rocking chair, and, thanks to my black thumb, dying plants.

 Diego Rivera print from 1936 that mom and I found at an estate sale outside of Kerrville. We freaked out for a second when we found it, thinking that it could possibly be an original. No matter, I still love it so much and think it was a fabulous find!

 Vintage map of Texas that belonged to my Granddad & probably weighs 40 pounds. Really fun trying to hang this bad boy all by myself. 

 I spy Kerrville!

 More Alicia Madali paintings that were in the kitchen of my old house but now hang above my bed. I absolutely adore the vibrant colors and happy flowers. She paints her pieces on old ceiling tiles, so not only are they beautiful, they're a little bit of ingenious recycling! The one on the right has been banged up a little from so many moves.

How do you decorate your room? Do you go all-out colorful and bright like me? Or more subdued and mellow?

Have a wonderful Thursday!

xoxo

rosemary shortbread cookies

My mom used to make these little treats and send them to me while I was in college and grad school..."study snacks" that were usually devoured in one sitting. They are rich, buttery, and the rosemary gives them such a unique flavor. I decided that maybe I'd try my hand at them, and when I emailed her for the recipe, she directed me to the domestic goddess of all goddesses herself, Martha. I followed Martha's recipe exactly (minus the walnuts...I added more rosemary instead) and the only trouble I had was the absence of a Kitchen Aid on my counter top. But hands work just as well as a paddle mixer and I smashed and kneaded the dough until even Ms. Stewart herself would never be able to tell that it was mixed by human hands.

You can find the recipe here

See? No fancy Kitchen Aid needed (this does not mean I'm not dying to own one, though!)

I'm bringing this batch (minus the two I snuck for myself...so tasty!) to work with me tomorrow to spread a little Barb Collins/Martha Stewart yumminess to the girls at Anthro. I made them very petite in size so two or three cookies equals the perfect portion. More batches are in the works and might just show up on unsuspecting doorsteps!

*One small tip when making these bad boys: take them out of the oven after the timer has gone off, even if they don't look "done." If you wait for them to brown too much, they'll be hard as a rock and will surely break your teeth. 

Happy Baking & Enjoy!

& good will toward men

 

 mission: track down the creator of this loveliness and bribe them to create christmas cards for me until the end of time.

 

(via EA)

finding inspiration with the sartorialist

love the sartorialist and all of the fashion inspiration scott schuman provides through his photographs

 

dear new orleans

Expect the Unexpected

From "Dear New Orleans at the Kingpin" 

12/4/10

If you haven't heard of Robert X. Fogarty and his incredible organization Dear New Orleans, and charity, evacuteer.org....click click click as fast as you can over to the Facebook page: Dear New Orleans.

baby, it's cold outside

Winter has arrived (sort of) in New Orleans, and the windy weather and chilly temperatures have me feeling a bit blah. Here are a few things that have kept me occupied while I snuggle under a warm blanket (and wish our only-for-show fireplace actually had a fire crackling in it)

 Leopard print? Yes. Statement Necklace? Yes. Lemon Yellow Skirt? Yes.

Such a divine combo. I have similar pieces in my closet and I will be hitting the streets in this look A-S-A-P!

 Really, really getting the urge to take a trip somewhere. As in, the travel bug is crawling all over me.

Paris in the winter would be just dandy:

 

 Or foggy London town...

A jaunt up the East Coast to NYC sounds wonderful (this one is actually a little more realistic...)

Being a service industry-er myself, I would say this applies not just to waiters, but to anyone helping you get what you want. Be kind to those who are trying their very hardest to get you that Italian dressing on the side, that top that you absolutely cannot live without even if the salesgirl has to track it down in New Jersey, or just someone making your coffee in the morning. A little bit of consideration goes a VERY long way.

Cuteness personified. Looks a lot like me and Mr. Ben this morning when he hopped up into bed with me at the crack of dawn for a few hours of snuggle time. 

Hello, Globe Chandelier. I would like you to live with me in my house, and hang from the ceiling of a very full and distinguished library.

And finally, two songs that I just love so much by artists that make me terribly happy:

(all images via my new tumblr obsession)

 

food as art

I recently came across an article about new book on The Huffington Post and after I had picked my jaw up off of the floor, decided I needed to share these amazing photos and videos. But first, little more about the book:

Modernist Cuisine comprises the work of Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, and Maxime Bilet into a six-volume 2,400-page book that Chef David Chang calls "the cook book to end all cook books." These chefs (slash-scientists) employ a scientific and technical approach to both their cooking and the way they've put the book together. Photographer Ryan Matthew Smith used advanced technology to illustrate their book (and their blog) with incredible photos and videos.

Prepare to be blown away:

A lineup of eggs being shot with a 308 sniper rifle at 6200 frames per second.

  Image of a fried egg.

High-speed video of popcorn popping. 6200 frames per second. 

The final image of the popcorn kernel, captured from at 6200 frames per second!

Oil ignites into flames on hot charcoal. 6280 fps. 

High Speed Video of a Water Balloon Popping @ 6200 fps

(all images via & via )

on love

The more familiar two people become, the more the language they speak together departs from that of the ordinary, dictionary-defined discourse. Familiarity creates a new language, an in-house language of intimacy that carries reference to the story the two are weaving together and that cannot be readily understood by others.

Alain de Botton, On Love

Feeling blessed this week that Mr. C & I have a wonderful mutual understanding of each other, a special companionship, and language all our own.