Stuff I Like

Mmm, Summer Cocktails!

2009-07-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

I went out to the Hamptons this weekend, and wanted to make a pitcher of something sweet but not fruity to share (wine can get so tedious, no?) and so this is what I came up with. Any name ideas are welcome! I can't seem to do better than Basil Limeade Cooler.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, torn into large pieces
Lime Zest (one lime), in strips, if you can

Let the sugar, juice and water come to a boil together, dissolving the sugar. When the sugar is totally dissolved, steep the basil and lime zest for a few minutes. Let this cool entirely, then strain. This is your simple syrup, or beverage base. Mix this with vodka and sparkling water (the ratio is up to you!) in a pitcher with ice and garnish with a little basil. Serves 4 (ish). Also very good without the vodka.

Flip and...

2008-08-10T17:00:00.001-07:00

Special thanks to commenter Sommer for finding the name of this toy: Flip and Fold Fashion. Thank you, Sommer! Here I go ebay trawling...

The Eyes Have It

2008-08-10T16:30:00.001-07:00

I am heartachingly obsessed with these glasses. Ever since the ads for them came out in the early early spring, I have been carrying the pic around with me, walking in to opticians trying to find them. I finally found them, and I knew they'd be expensive, but they are a bit out of my league right now, even with my generous vision plan. Sigh. Maybe someday they will come up on eBay at a bargain-basement price. A girl can have unrealistic dreams, right? In case you want to send me a nice birthday gift, they are Chanel, style no. 1505. I prefer the silver/black ones (they also come in gold/black and silver/lavender).

Cyber Goo

2008-08-05T05:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure exactly what this is, but I want it. It looks like a spongy blob, but apparently, it cleans all that ick from all my electronics that always seem to have particulate matter from if-I-only-knew all over their crevasses and in between keys. It's precisely what I've been looking for, I'm pretty sure! I'll update this once I've tried it.

The Whole Kit

2008-01-31T09:10:00.000-08:00

My online chum, Tans, has given me yet another online obsession. This one is called Kaboodle, and it's a website where you can save lists of all the things you come across online that you love/want/plan to purchase/fantasize about. Here's how it works. You may either install a button or add "Add to Kaboodle" to your bookmarks/favorites. Then, when you run across, say, a pair of Laboutin sandals you cannot live without, you either right click (if you've installed the button) or click "Add to Kaboodle" in your favorites, and voila! You may then determine which list said sandals should be saved under, and then submit. The best part is, you can share your list with friends, and your friends can join Kaboodle and see your lists, and then they always know what you want when your birthday (mine's September 19), or say Valentine's Day (won't YOU be my Valentine?), rolls around. Find me under the user name HBomb!

Do-Over

2007-11-14T19:27:00.001-08:00

Okay, thank goodness I can change my team, but not until after this epi. Elisa, you are out! Who knew she'd end up with no will to compromise her dress or work on her finishing? I'm trading her in for Rami.

Fantasy Runway

2007-11-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

Oh, yes, people. It's time again for Project Runway and this time, fafarazzi.com is making it even more fun by letting you have a fantasy team. Get points when they win a challenge, if Tim Gunn tells them to "make it work" or if they cry.

Here's my team:

The girls look noteworthy this year, although I've only read bios so far. Hopefully I can change my team (or create a Junior Varsity team) in case these women don't work out. I chose Simone for her love and knowledge of vintage, Carmen because I'm a Harlem girl now, and Elisa because her love of many arts should keep things interesting for a while.

The group seems really experienced this season, should be a good one!

My big gay crush

2007-09-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

I am in love with Tim Gunn. I watched his new show, which I will not bother to review, but he is just so charming that it's conceivable these made over women are feeling better about life simply because they have spent the week with this delightful man. He has inspired me to speak more clearly and use less slang. He would be the perfect grandmother, no offense to mine or to my moms. I may keep watching his show just to remain inspired by his grace. Can a man be graceful?

Remember these?

2007-08-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

Hey, Mom, remember when you gave me Fashion Plates by Tomy? I loved these. You could create a million different outfits by putting the plates in place and then rubbing with crayon. The flip side of the plates had patterns on them so you could overlay the clothes with patterns. Then color in with pencils and voila!

There was another thing that was similar but came out in the 80s, where there was a figure that you could lay fabric over and when you closed the top, the fabric would form to little shorts or pants and tops, or if you pulled the bottom fabric out, it would be a skirt. What was that called? Anyone?

Scooty Puff Jr.

2007-08-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Ever since Italy, I've been rather obsessed with the idea of having a scooter. It's been hard for me to decide which color I'd like best, and I was sort of settled on off white. But then I saw a bright yellow one, and that one tickled my fancy. But I thought the white would be too hard to keep clean and the yellow one might clash with some outfits. But today I found the answer. Someone had parked a light yellow Vespa down the block from us. It was a vision. It even had a leopard helmet hanging from the handlebars. These are not it, but they are a facsimile, and my new dream transport.

Steampunk

2007-07-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on a new style/genre today that appeals to me very much, called Steampunk. It is basically a merge of modern and Victorian, as in when steam still powered things. Apparently, according to Wikipedia at least, it is a sci-fi/fantasy subgenre, which also appeals to me. I'll let you read that entry if you're interested. No need to reiterate the entire article here, what you all want, I'm sure, are pictures! This was featured on the Popular Science website, but the Steampunk Workshop is very expansive and fun too look at. I'm not sure how many people are involved so I will just say "he." He takes modern things and makes them look completely old fashioned. Check out the monitor and keyboard below. Yes, they really work. That is the whole point. Very modern things like computers tend to go out of style very quickly (remember those giant macs in transparent gumdrop colors?) and I think this is an excellent way to stylize things so that they will never go out of style. The problem remains that they will be technologically obsolete in a few years, but at least they will look good until then.

Poiret

2007-06-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was in New York this weekend, and went to the Met to see the exhibit of Paul Poiret, the fashion designer from the early 1900s. He was among the modernists, eschewing the corset in favor of more angular shapes, although because of his love of ornament, was often overlooked as a modernist and clumped in with the Orientalist movement. He was not a tailor, in fact he could barely sew a dress. His talent was in his ability to take a plain piece of fabric and drape it directly on the body, creating dramatic shapes. Coco Chanel worked in Paris at the same time, and her shapes were similar, yet the designers never saw eye to eye. At one legendary meeting, Poiret spotted Chanel in her signature black and said to her, "Madam, for whom do you mourn?" and she replied, "For you, monsieur." Here are just a few tidbits from the Met website (I was not allowed to take my own photos).

rainbows+books=love

2007-06-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

I wonder if Joe would let me do this to our bookshelves? We have everything arranged by topic right now...it's handy for finding things, but this just looks sooooo purty. Photo from a Domino Magazine reader on their website.

Vacuum chic?

2007-06-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Is this possible? Everyone needs a dustbuster, especially those of us with cats who cut hair at home sometimes and with a penchant to drop/spill/break stuff. Dirt Devil has come up with a great looking hand vac, called KONE. Annoyingly, their ad staff thought it would be a good idea to spell everything on it with a K. Klean, Konvenient, you see. It's awful. At any rate, the vac is good looking enough that you don't really have to put it "away." It comes in many "designer" colors, check Dirt Devil website for the full range. I like the champagne color best.

Easy summer dinner

2007-06-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a recipe Joe and I make quite often. It's a great side dish, or it can be a main dish for lunch. It's very good cold the next day. Enjoy!

ORZO WITH ARTICHOKES AND PINE NUTS

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups orzo (10 oz)
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 (14-oz) can whole artichoke hearts (not marinated)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

Cook orzo in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander.

While orzo cooks, lightly toast pine nuts in a dry small skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 1 minute, then coarsely chop.

Drain artichoke hearts in a large sieve and rinse well. Pull off leaves from bases of hearts and quarter bases. Rinse leaves and bases well, then drain thoroughly.

Stir together oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add orzo, pine nuts, artichokes (leaves and bases), parsley, and zest and toss to combine.

Disclaimer: This recipe is not my own. Find it and other deliciousness on epicurious.com

Color updates

2007-06-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking that when we move, it will be time to update our living room color palette of aqua and brown. I'd like to pull in some red and yellow, but not regular yellow, it should have a greenish tint to it like it's not quite ripe. I'm thinking mostly throw pillows will achieve this effect, but maybe some lamps and other accessories too. Here are a few things I've found that will help.

Pillows:

Lamps:

Maybe a rug or a chair:

Perhaps an end table or two, to hold the lamps:

Of course, it all depends on where we go, and what our budget is, but let's not let reality get in the way of our style dreams.

Dresses for my work fantasies

2007-06-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

The joy of a dress, especially for work, is that it's one piece. You don't have to make sure three or four components of your ensemble are all clean and wrinkle free, and go together. These are a few dresses that feature in my daydreams about going to a real office in New York City, where I am an efficient, stylish, well paid and happy office worker.
Target, both Isaac Mizrahi:

These are from Dillards.com

Wouldn't these all look great with a Starbucks-to-go and a great leather bag stuffed with manuscripts? Ooh, I'll need to look for a bag next...it's so much easier to find good work clothes than good work.