Photography by Tim Walker via Greedy Girl > Darling Darling.
(Vogue UK, May 2006)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
paper forest
Well it's no secret that I'm smitten with nature motifs and silhouettes...just take a look at my logo! So I fell in love with these delicate Wooden Pop-Up Boxes filled with small, hand-cut paper forests by paper artist Lizzie Thomas. So whimsical and pretty! {as seen in Lucky magazine; photos from Design*Sponge}
chocolate couture
Fashion...made of chocolate...am I dreaming?! Each year Cadbury holds Cadbury Couture - a chocolate fashion show where they team up with ten Canadian fashion designers who combine their love for cocoa and couture to create some sensational ensembles - each constructed using Cadbury chocolate! Here are some of my faves from past shows. Ok, now I'm having a major chocolate craving...gotta go!Guest post at The City Sage
P.S. Come over and visit me on Anne's lovely blog. I'm sharing a little project you haven't seen yet...
And if you're a City Sage reader who just popped over, welcome! Check out some crafty projects or some recipes, whatever suits you. Or just browse around a bit.
And if you're a City Sage reader who just popped over, welcome! Check out some crafty projects or some recipes, whatever suits you. Or just browse around a bit.
Recycled Tire Swing by guest Rachel McGinn
I mentioned in my first post that we may be moving. Our new house has a big, beautiful back yard and what I am most excited about is that I will finally be able to hang a tire swing! My friend has one similar to the one posted here. It is made from clean, recycled tires. It is easy and fun to be green after all.
Naan
We eat a lot of naan. Naan with lentils, naan pizza, naan with dip.
I should admit right away that I rarely make naan. We rely on the frozen naan from TJs, and it's amazing.
But every once in a while, I make naan for fun. It's a process, slightly tinged with danger, and I like it.
I use Madhur Jaffrey's recipe from World Vegetarian. Mix up your dough as directed, and divide it up into 6 - 8 balls. Let them rest for a bit. In the meantime, pick out the largest cast iron pan you have and put it on the stove.
Gently stretch the dough into naan-ish shapes. As you can tell, mine vary widely. I don't worry about it. Coat your hands with olive oil or butter during this process to avoid becoming a sticky mess.
This is the dangerous part. Heat your cast iron pan up and also have your oven open with the broiler going - set up a rack about 6 inches below the broiler. Shoo small children and animals out of the kitchen. Pick up a shaped naan and toss it on the pan on the stove. Allow it to cook for a minute or two. It will puff up beautifully.
Pull your oven mitts on and transfer the entire pan to the oven. The top should just start to brown (I overcooked mine this last time and they were tougher than I like). Pull the pan out, set it back on the stove, use a spatula to pull the cooked naan off and then slap an uncooked naan on. Repeat. Try not to run into anyone or trip over anything while you are rushing around the kitchen carrying a flaming hot, incredibly heavy pan.
This becomes a fun little dance. Have a dishtowel waiting on the counter next to the stove, as a landing place for your finished naan. You can re-heat them in the oven right before eating.
Maybe next time I'll make a double batch and undercook them slightly so I can freeze them and get us off our TJ's naan habit. We'll see.
Naan (makes 6 - 8 large naan, from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian)
I should admit right away that I rarely make naan. We rely on the frozen naan from TJs, and it's amazing.
But every once in a while, I make naan for fun. It's a process, slightly tinged with danger, and I like it.
I use Madhur Jaffrey's recipe from World Vegetarian. Mix up your dough as directed, and divide it up into 6 - 8 balls. Let them rest for a bit. In the meantime, pick out the largest cast iron pan you have and put it on the stove.
Gently stretch the dough into naan-ish shapes. As you can tell, mine vary widely. I don't worry about it. Coat your hands with olive oil or butter during this process to avoid becoming a sticky mess.
This is the dangerous part. Heat your cast iron pan up and also have your oven open with the broiler going - set up a rack about 6 inches below the broiler. Shoo small children and animals out of the kitchen. Pick up a shaped naan and toss it on the pan on the stove. Allow it to cook for a minute or two. It will puff up beautifully.
Pull your oven mitts on and transfer the entire pan to the oven. The top should just start to brown (I overcooked mine this last time and they were tougher than I like). Pull the pan out, set it back on the stove, use a spatula to pull the cooked naan off and then slap an uncooked naan on. Repeat. Try not to run into anyone or trip over anything while you are rushing around the kitchen carrying a flaming hot, incredibly heavy pan.
This becomes a fun little dance. Have a dishtowel waiting on the counter next to the stove, as a landing place for your finished naan. You can re-heat them in the oven right before eating.
Maybe next time I'll make a double batch and undercook them slightly so I can freeze them and get us off our TJ's naan habit. We'll see.
Naan (makes 6 - 8 large naan, from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian)
5 to 6 cups flour (you can use whatever combination of white and whole wheat you like)
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 large egg
1 cup melted butter (I just used olive oil as necessary, much less than 1 cup)
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.In a different bowl, combine sugar and yogurt with electric mixer. Beat in milk and water, then gradually beat in 2 cups of the dry ingredients. When thoroughly mixed in, the batter will look a bit pasty. Beat in egg and then slowly add approximately 2 cups of additional flour. The batter should be thick and elastic.
Oil your hands. Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in about one more cup of flour. You can add more if necessary.
The dough will be slightly sticky. Divide into 6 - 8 balls and space evenly on baking sheet. Oil your hands again and flatten each ball. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 48 hours before making the bread.
Place cast iron skillet on stove over medium-high heat. Light your broiler and place the tray about six inches from the heat.
Working on the floured counter, place one dough circle on flour, dip hands in melted butter (or oil), and press down on / push dough to make a large tear shape, about 5 inches at the narrow end and 9 at the wide end. Continue stretching until the naan is about 7 by 12 inches. (I wasn't terribly fussy about this, as you can tell.)
Slap the naan on the hot skillet. Cook for 30 seconds, move around a bit so it browns evenly, and cook another 45 seconds.
Brush with a little butter (or oil) and place pan under broiler for one minute, until it gets a few reddish spots.
Remove from broiler, brush with more butter (if desired, I don't), and serve or wrap in towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining dough and serve or wrap in foil and refrigerate for later. To reheat, place foil-wrapped naan in 350 oven for 15 minutes.
Ms. Jaffrey recommends sprinkling the top of your naan with sesame seeds before cooking. Personally, I'm not a big sesame seed person, so I left them out, even though I'm sure it's delicious that way.
This is definitely not a recipe you break out on a weeknight unless you come home from work much more motivated than I do. Save it for a weekend and you'll thank me.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
vintage circus bridesmaid dress
So I finally found my outfit for Shayna's vintage circus wedding, and I'm so excited! I found this 1930s flapper dress at The Cat's Meow Couture , which is the most amazing vintage couture shop down at Avenue and Davenport, right by my favourite flower shops. I got it for $39 - what a steal! My grandma fixed up some of the beading that had fallen off, and now I've chosen my accessories and hair...what do you think so far?
And my hair like this:
And my super talented bloomin' cousin, Julia, who owns Frankly Fig, is going to make me a hairpiece like this, instead of a flower:
Also, Shayna just bought us a beautiful bracelet to match her own, which is also blue, and now just gotta find some shoes and a funky blue ribbon to tie around my waist!!
Think It Ink It by guest Rachel McGinn
With summer time fast approaching I start to panic about how to fill the kids days, especially Sara. Her mind is so active during the school year, I hate to see it turn to mush once June comes.
I read about thinkitinkitpublishing.com in Cookie Magazine. It is a wonderful activity for kids 4-12 who love to read and write. The company supplies a template with colorful, fun illustrations and kids get to create their own story. The book comes printed in hardback complete with your child's picture and bio on the book jacket. Sara got such a kick out of this and asks to do one once a month.
Banana Nut Muffins + Cupcake Liners
We made these yummy muffins this morning, they are scrumptious and perfect for guests. (Because of food allergies we substituted pecans for walnuts.) Every time they are made in our house they are gone in a snap. My favorite recipe and culinary guru shared them with me. Thanks Steph! Having guests in town, means trying out some old and new favorites recipes for more than just us to enjoy, love it.
Unfortunately I ran out of cute muffin/cupcake liners. Here are some ones I am looking at in the Bake it Pretty to have on hand for next time. Making things look pretty is all about the details, right?
anna olson fresh
I really love this logo for the 'Fresh with Anna Olson' cooking series on the Food Network. And I love the kitchen Anna cooks in. I always thought it was a set, but in April's issue of Canadian Home & Country magazine, her home was featured and the kitchen is in fact hers! I wish I had enough guts to paint a room this bold robin's egg blue. The paint colour is Benjamin Moore's Baby Boy Blue {#2056-50}. You can see more of Anna's colourful home here!
Peacock Wedding Invitation
This wedding invite is wild, bold and lots of fun. Another fine print job by Studio on Fire, designed by Sheraton Green over at CSA Design. See more...
Coconut curried red lentils
Will you kill me if I post yet another lentil recipe? I just don't get sick of them. It's an addiction.
Luckily, unlike many of my other addictions, this one is cheap and healthy. (Don't look at me like that - I'm talking about my love of expensive cookware and fluffy cupcakes).
{like almost all lentil recipes, it isn't particularly photogenic}
This recipe combines lentils and coconut milk, and creates an insanely delicious meal. It smells heavenly too. Like many Indian dishes, it has a somewhat intimidating list of ingredients, but if you pre-measure your spices you won't run into any problems.
This is what I think of as a weekend slow cooker recipe, because it only takes two hours so you can't go to work and leave it. If you're in a rush, I think you could easily just go ahead and simmer it gently in a pot on the stove. It will probably take approximately 45 minutes if you choose to do it this way.
Coconut, Tomato and Lentil Dhal (serves 4, from Best Ever Recipes for your Slow Cooker)
Naan recipe coming tomorrow...
Luckily, unlike many of my other addictions, this one is cheap and healthy. (Don't look at me like that - I'm talking about my love of expensive cookware and fluffy cupcakes).
{like almost all lentil recipes, it isn't particularly photogenic}
This recipe combines lentils and coconut milk, and creates an insanely delicious meal. It smells heavenly too. Like many Indian dishes, it has a somewhat intimidating list of ingredients, but if you pre-measure your spices you won't run into any problems.
This is what I think of as a weekend slow cooker recipe, because it only takes two hours so you can't go to work and leave it. If you're in a rush, I think you could easily just go ahead and simmer it gently in a pot on the stove. It will probably take approximately 45 minutes if you choose to do it this way.
Coconut, Tomato and Lentil Dhal (serves 4, from Best Ever Recipes for your Slow Cooker)
30 ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil*Good garam masala is the key to this recipe. The spice mixture is readily available at Indian markets. If you aren't lucky enough to have a source, you can read a recipe for the mixture here.
1 large onion, very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 carrot, diced
10 ml/2 tsp cumin seeds
10 ml/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
2.5 cm/1 inch piece fresh ginger root, grated
10 ml/2 tsp ground turmeric
5 ml/1 tsp mild chili powder
5 ml/1 tsp garam masala*
225g/8 oz/1 cup split red lentils
400 ml/14 fl oz/1 2/3 cups boiling vegetable stock
400 ml/14 flz oz/1 2/3 cups coconut milk (I used light and it was perfectly fine)
5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used one can of diced tomatoes instead)
juice of 2 limes
60 ml/4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and ground black pepper
25g/1 oz/1/4 cup sliced, toasted almonds
1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the garlic, carrot, cumin, mustard seeds and ginger to the pan. Cook for 3 -4 minutes, stirring, until the seeds begin to pop, the aromas are released and the carrot softens slightly.
3. Add the ground turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the flavors begin to mingle.
4. Tip the mixture into the ceramic cooking pot. Add the lentils, stock, coconut milk and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well and cover the pot with the lid.
5. Cook on high for 2 hours, or until the lentils are soft, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Stir the lime juice and the cilantro into the dhal, check the seasoning and cook for an additional 30 minutes (if you're making it on the stove, do this after about 35 minutes and cook for an additional 10 minutes). Serve with toasted almonds (I skipped this because I'm lazy).
Naan recipe coming tomorrow...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Blairs...
Looks like they are straight out of a crewcut catalog in the best of way, how adorable is Design Mom and her family? Incredibly inspiring. Good luck with the move! See more photos here.
(photos by Candice Stringham / styled by Brenda Barrett Taylor)
Kireina Paper Brooch Winner
Today got a little hectic, hence the late announcement of the winner. The Brooch giveaway winner is ..... #56 : Vanessa who said...beautiful! Vanessa please email me : blackeiffel@gmail ASAP so we can get your custom order in.
For those who didn't win, Kireina Paper is super kind to offer Black Eiffel readers a special $3.00 discount off their Mother's Day brooch. To receive, enter code "BLACKEIFFEL" at checkout, which makes them only $23! Thanks Kireina Paper!
Favorites of the Season by guest Rachel McGinn
The weather here in Philadelphia has been unseasonly warm. It has been 87 for the last 4 days! Days like these I rummage through the summer bins I stacked away last September and realize I am in desperate need of warm weather clothing. Of course I always buy for the kids first! Here are a few of my favorites for this season.
For me- Kate Spade Bloomington Daisy Top but I think Kate Spade should be a hot spot right??
For the girls- Melodie dress with anchor by Pears and Bears.
Some websites I buy from, others I visit for the photography. One of my favorites is Flora and Henri.
They have a new table linen line! This is my dream breakfast. So simple and sophisticated. I'd like to actually sit for a meal one of these days!
I came across the wildly talented photographer Stephanie Rausser while reading about Flora and Henri. She used to shoot the adorable catalog I can never throw away. I go back to it every now and again for inspiration before a kids shoot.
For me- Kate Spade Bloomington Daisy Top but I think Kate Spade should be a hot spot right??
For the girls- Melodie dress with anchor by Pears and Bears.
Some websites I buy from, others I visit for the photography. One of my favorites is Flora and Henri.
They have a new table linen line! This is my dream breakfast. So simple and sophisticated. I'd like to actually sit for a meal one of these days!
I came across the wildly talented photographer Stephanie Rausser while reading about Flora and Henri. She used to shoot the adorable catalog I can never throw away. I go back to it every now and again for inspiration before a kids shoot.
tiny jar inspiration
What can I say, we are inspired by tiny jars of single flower blooms, all lined up in a single row. So pretty, so simple...looking. But, one thing it's important to realize before you decide to do it yourself: Coming from an event designer's perspective, achieving this look is not actually so simple and not as inexpensive as it looks! There is a lot of work that goes into making things looks simple, clean and adorable. Careful consideration has to go into choosing the right vases, the right sizes of the different vases, the spacing, the height of the cut flowers, the colours of the flowers and the colour of the decor on the tables to give it some punch, but not too much of an overbearing punch at the same time. And alot of the time, you'll also need to purchase a strong flower that makes the right statement, one that can stand alone in it's beauty - normally more expensive than just any old carnation or rose! Phew, that's a lot of work for something so pretty and simple...
{Pic #1 from Martha Stewart, Pic #2 & 3 I can't remember...oops, Pic #4 from Freckgirl76's wedding on Flickr}
Good luck at Goodwill
You already know that I frequently haunt thrift stores looking for sheets for my sewing projects. Which I realize sounds a little gross, but it isn't. Okay, I did find it icky at first. But I've learned which stores thoroughly wash and then hang their sheets, which makes the experience much more pleasant.
I scored last week.
That one in the front is a great print that reminds of tiki style things. And you can see a hint of the pink stripey one I found. I also got some plain jane white and yellow ones that are really good cotton and will be lovely to work with.
And for the first time in years, I wandered into the clothing section, lured in by this sweet little corduroy jacket. It is so well made and it has tiny puffs at the sleeves and cuffs. I love it. And then I found a dress, which I remember seeing at Urban a while back.
{the jacket + a little pleated dress}
It quickly devolved into a two hour Goodwill rampage, and I walked out $60 poorer but in possession of both the jacket and the dress, along with two fabulous tunic tops, an Italian spring weight wool coat (currently at the dry cleaners), and my 5 sets of sheets, all crammed into a giant trash bag.
The only sad part is that I then had to make the one mile (slightly uphill) walk home cradling said giant trash bag, and my arms ached for two days. Ouch.
I scored last week.
{you'll be seeing these fabrics in various forms for a few months}
That one in the front is a great print that reminds of tiki style things. And you can see a hint of the pink stripey one I found. I also got some plain jane white and yellow ones that are really good cotton and will be lovely to work with.
And for the first time in years, I wandered into the clothing section, lured in by this sweet little corduroy jacket. It is so well made and it has tiny puffs at the sleeves and cuffs. I love it. And then I found a dress, which I remember seeing at Urban a while back.
{the jacket + a little pleated dress}
It quickly devolved into a two hour Goodwill rampage, and I walked out $60 poorer but in possession of both the jacket and the dress, along with two fabulous tunic tops, an Italian spring weight wool coat (currently at the dry cleaners), and my 5 sets of sheets, all crammed into a giant trash bag.
The only sad part is that I then had to make the one mile (slightly uphill) walk home cradling said giant trash bag, and my arms ached for two days. Ouch.
A Few Movies....
This weekend I finally got around to watching 2 films on my list. Helvetica... which is a must see for the graphic designer type or anyone interested in typography, pretty cool.
and Son of Rambow, which made me laugh multiple times. If you are looking for an imaginative, artistic, takes place in England circa 1980s, feel like a kid again flick... add it to your list.
What are you watching?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Holt's Birthday by guest: Rachel McGinn
Today is my son's second birthday. He is such a joy to have around and everything I think a little boy should be. Usually I would make a fuss and create a fun kids party but with the tanking economy and a move for us ahead we decided to keep things light. I will never skimp on cake however especially the cake pictured here. It is from one of my favorite old school bakeries in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania called the Bakery House. For my New York City gal pals it is the equivalent to Magnolia Bakery. Something about the icing just makes me melt.
2. I had high hopes to have a party for Holt and was looking for ideas in one of my new favorite publications from Williams Sonoma- Kid's Parties
3. Another great source for kids photographs comes from my favorite photographer Thayer Allison Gowdy. Visit her Kids portfolio and go GAGA! I hope to reach her status someday.
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