Friday, April 29, 2011

flowers for friday

well youre either sick of hearing about THE WEDDING or youre not, but all i can think is ... oh my god, poor shane connolly  he has designed all of the flowers for the wedding. i know how crazy it can be for like 90 people let alone the entire universe. 


just a few gorgeous bouquets seemed apropos in honor of the big day. all images are the from the amazingly talented anna kuperberg. she makes magic with the camera. 



flowers: unknown. anne appleman. unknown

Thursday, April 28, 2011

for love of: icart

as a little girl i was captivated by the dry point etchings of louis icart. its the first piece of art i remember seeing and wanting to poses - it was hanging on the post of an antiques dealer's tent at the brimfield show... i was probably about 8. fascinated, i spent the next bit of time researching and looking at his etchings. i loved the long delicate lines of the women and they were always dressed so beautifully with such a strong but feminine presence. in my 8 yr old mind, they were perfect....the fact that there were often dogs in his images didnt hurt either. my mother bought me a reproduction of one of his prints for my bedroom. some years later and it still hangs in my childhood bedroom. 
my tastes may have changed, and at this moment im not sure exactly where there would be a place for them in my decor...though if i had a very grand bathroom i would like just one there and nothing else at all. as i revisited many of his images for this post i was struck by the same things i was as an 8 yr old - elegance above all, long lean lines, confidence and beauty. but this time i couldnt help notice a slightly provocative darkness in them...  





  

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

interior inspiration

i came across this little photo montage at stylemadesimple - it perfectly executes my idea of simple, unfussy & is something ide like to curl up into. 


the pairings of worn weathered wood and texture. the natural earthy color pallet 


i love that curled arm of the white sofa and the pretty muted colors of the pillow and blanket 

wine list wednesday

this sunday sos and i celebrated 5 yrs of happily being together. to celebrate we had an amazing meal at flour + water - they make a mean wood fired wild mushroom pizza among other things. to celebrate and pair w. this delicious pizza we chose a 2006 Pine Ridge Cave 7 cabernet sauvignon. and it was knock my socks off good! 




since it was a five yr old vintage ;) it was super smooth and the tannins were nice and mellow - it was elegant, in a way that only aged cabs can be really. what was perfect though was the rich, and still quite juicy middle. hints of violet, blackberry and prune. followed by just a twinge of smoke at the end - it perfectly brought out the earthy quality of the mushrooms with out over powering their delicacy. i woulnt recommend just drinking this wine, its too refined i think and its goes so very well with food. 


clearly i enjoyed it! 


and as an added bonus we shared a glass of their 2007 landi, lacrima di morro d'alba doc. from passito, marche. paired with the chocolate bundino with espresso-caramel cream & sea salt. lemme just tell you i nearly die of happiness right then and their. the dundino is the lightest fudge-y like dessert. luscious and the pretty lightly blossom colored desert wine had a hint of raspberry, which when paired w. the dessert became like little chocolate dipped berries in your mouth. 


 pretty sure that yr 6 is off to a good start!!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Hunt Collection


i wanted to share some of the inspiration behind the Hunt Collection. named for the author of my favorite cook book of all time- Peter Hunt's Cape Cod Cookbook. Hunt was the artist behind peasant village & member of the provincetown community. the depth to which he was connected to his community is evident in this cookbook, which for me, is so full of magic it makes me catch my breath each time i crack its pages. the hunt collection is meant to embody the ease of summer living on cape cod. As chic as jackie o in the most light, breezy and effortless of ways. the collection lies somewhere between a day on a cape cod beach and a humid summer's evening in the back yard with gin&tonics and loads of good friends - 
a pallet of sun drenched & salt bleached days. 
 the marriage of rusticity and refinement, the quintesential new england charm. 
i hope you enjoy the collection


*photos: unknown. esquire. flickr. cottagefarm;hunt collection

Monday, April 25, 2011

farmers market. the sweet taste of summer

strawberries. synonymous with all things summer. they are finally ready. for the last few weeks we have been waiting and tasting the samples, but they werent ready. didnt have that sweet juicy ripeness that only the proper amount of summer sun can bring. so patient we had to be. yesterday however, all the sun and starts had aligned in the strawberry world and they were ready. 
they were still quite dear though, 3.50$ for a small pint, but the reward was worth it. i managed to get a photo before the were gobbled up - over yogurt with fresh local honey. 
next week i am hoping to make some sort of dessert, im still waiting for them to be at the market in abundance. but im thinking something with strawberries, basil and rich dark balsamic. maybe cheese cake. also isnt the linen i photographed them on divine. a huge thick linen kitchen towel, coming to the shop this week. 
i also found this beautiful food blog. My New Roots over at thecitysage. the recipes look gorgeous. i can not wait to try a few of the grain related ones. we arent vegetarians but eat meat only about once a week, if that so i am always looking for smart healthy new recipes. snow peas and pea tendrils and mint are also raging at the farmers market so i think i might make some of this simple mint pea dip and have it on toasts with a soft boiled egg one night for dinner.  

Friday, April 22, 2011

flowers for friday

ive been a little excited, since wednesday, to share todays post. its topiaries!!! miniature tree topiaries to be exact - one is an olive tree and the other a dwarf euonymus - arent they simply charming~


topiary is an ancient art, and has seen many changes and adaptations over time. the word topiary derives from the latin name of an ornamental landscape gardener, topiarus, or creator of topia(places). i love this little factoid because that is precisely what these tiny beauties are doing - creating a sense of place- like a tiny secret garden. if you are celebrating easter with a meal wouldn't these topiary down a long burlap runner mixed with naturally hued eggs be the loveliest spring tablescape. 


As you can imagine the topiary art came to america from the palace and cottage gardens of england. they came into particular favor in the colonial revival gardens of the upper class during the american renaissance 


there are loads of books and other sources of information on this wonderful tradition so you can read lots more info if your curiosity has been piqued.  




images: topiaries;cottage farm. eggs;readingmytealeaves 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

retail therapy

i have been very very good for a long time, but these last two weeks i broke my shopping dry spell for a few vintage pieces -  

to wear with cropped navy pants or jeans to the flea on sunday's. cause sf is cold in the summer. 
to wear with a light linen navy cargo shirt and topsiders to run errands. masculine/feminine my fav. combo and i love the colors & the skirt's got great texture. 
to add to my collection. 
to wear out on my 5yr anniversary, or 30th birthday, or a friends wedding - or all. i just couldn't pass up something that beautiful - it will make my closet much much happier. 

to wear with jean shorts, a striped T and my beloved two tone grey vans with crazy retro custom laces- and make up for the one i passed on at a flea market a few months ago. still kicking myself over it. 

and now i shall return to retail hibernation for the next 6 months. 

under dress -ed

 fashion week continues here at Cottage Farm. watch out bryant park! i purchased this delectable dress at the alameda flea market a few weekends ago. the seller and i discussed the piece & both thought it was probably from the 70's, mostly because it has these (slightly hideous) white polly ties and buttons - but when i got it home and really looked it over i actually think its much older- like 30's or maybe even earlier and that. someone must have put these silly others on after the fact.
 So im on the hunt for some pretty shell buttons and vintage ribbon to remake the ties. im thinking a champagne color perhaps. But my big conundrum- what to undress it with. i have a vintage slip, exactly like this but cream & i though would work but it most certainly does not! 
so dear friends...im on the hunt for the perfect under dress and i have no idea what it is...any thoughts??

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

style envy


i like to get dressed. i think this habit is part growing up in a boarding school with a strict dress code and part my grandmothers influence. even at 86 years old she gets meticulously dressed each and every morning. i always love to see what she will be wearing because i think she has some of the best fashion sense of anyone i have ever met. 
working from home sometimes precipitates the urge to throw on jeans and a tshirt, but i make myself get dressed. its a daily ritual that i, in fact, revel in. i love vintage, dresses, old hollywood and my collection of costume jewelry. so i wear them, even if i know im only going to the post office that day. 
 i (finally) came across FromMeToYou's tumbler of "daily outfits" im not sure how i havent seen it before, but its just gorgeous, gorgeous. inspiring and just the outfits i want to be wearing, all day everyday. im inspired to hunt a little harder at the thift stores to see if i can turn up some new gems for my closet. 

my favorite is the grace kelly, obviously.
but i most identify with the lauren bacall. you??

there are so many more captivating photos. see them here.
 

wine list wednesday

all of the fresh spring vegetable are bursting from the farmer's market - snow peas, mint, pea tendrils and lots of lemons - and so a crisp bright wines was most certainly the only option - 
Terra Robles made by the Robert Hall vineyard. 
its bright on the tongue - perhaps just a hair too acidic, but has nice citrus, grapefruit and pairs nicely with food. what i particularly liked about the terra robles is the lovely mouthful of orange blossom and honey - quite unexpected but very welcome - 
delightfully priced at 9$
pair with fresh pea and mint risotto. 

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

hats off to the milliner

this is shaping up to be a very fashion driven week so far ..... but over the weekend i had a chat with some girlfriends and we all agreed that we would like to bring hats back - they seem a wasted fashion opportunity at this stage - 


throughout history the hat has been a very visible canvas for fashion and i just dont see why our generation should be deprived - im not suggesting that we reintroduce it as any sort of mandatory cultural practice as it once was or a just for weddings type of deal either... simply it seems that on any give day a hat could really top off the 'auld outfit - an im not thinking about straw fedoras either .... 
i was thrilled!! to see a stunning selection at anthropologie and this sent me into a sort of tail spin... in search of a gorgeous hat.... now i just have to figure out what size my head is. 

 i also loved these two vintage hats from etsy sellers: vintage straw derby hat; ethanollie (top photo). 1920's straw cloche; saffroncoloredpeony. ladies straw wide brim sun hat; ralphswarehouse.  

Monday, April 18, 2011

modern lady


ive been a bit obsessed with the edwardian period as of recently - watching downton abbey quite obsessively to drink up as much of the costume/clothing as possible. while i must admit i would have no hesitation walking the streets in a true edwardian dress, they are a bit hard to come by - but when i saw these skirts
i couldnt help but notice how perfectly they captured the romance of the edwardian clothing but with a distinctly modern sensibility - so now im not the hunt for something similar - i was thinking one of these long pale and flowing skirts would be divine paired with a blue chambray button-down and big leather belt
 
what do you think? would you rock one?



Friday, April 15, 2011

flower for friday


 to usher in spring - the prettiest bunch of ornithogalum or "star of bethlehem". elegantly slender stalks, individual star-like flowers in a contemporary shaped vase that reminds me a bit of the alvar aalto design
lovely to stare at, so peculiar. they last & last. the little black dress for your desk arrangement. 
& a treasury of chinoiserie 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

for love of: janine antoni



im sure many of you are familiar with the amazing work of janine antoni. she is a sculpture/performance artist who's work explores, among other things ideas of femininity and rituals of the everyday. 


Cradle, and im sorry for the image angle, but it begins with a tiny silver baby spoon resting inside an entire graduate of other spoons until it ends with the shovel of a backhoe excavator. 


i love how often she incorporates family relationships, objects and history. Umbilical is a silver cast of family heirloom silver, the artist mouth and her mothers hand. truly her work gives me goose bumps, i would love to experience a pice first hand but for now videos and photographs will have to suffice. this is a great ART21 video interview with antoni about the piece in the photograph below 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

sneak peek

i havent prepared the usual wine list wednesday so instead i thought i would give a little shop preview of whats to come at Cottage Farm in the next few days. 


with summer fast approaching strawberries will soon be here! i can not wait to make my first rhubarb and strawberry tart ........ these vintage baking and serving pieces are all provencally inspired for your kitchen. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

the book shelf, revisited.


i finished the last book i was reading, the great house, a while ago and have since been with out. i do sometimes like to take a little reading break but im feeling the itch again for an hour or so in the evening to sit and read. i received a kindle for christmas and while it took me a bit to warm-up to the idea i rather love it now for some types of books, mostly novels and non-fiction. 


have you read any good books lately? ones that you just wish everyone else would read so you could talk about them over a few glasses of wine? please do tell. 
im thinking i might pick up the classic Susan Sontag essay collection On Photography  i read it in graduate school but with all that was going on i think i missed a few things. 





On another reading list - im thrilled! beyond belief to have acquired a full set of domino magazines. i came a little late to the party and only had a few so now, thanks to christine at thepostageservice i will be pouring over these until my little hearts content!! the word excited really doesnt express the extent of my joy..... 


images Irina Troitskaya and Decor8