pastel jars

here in asheville, it feels as though we went from cold winter temperatures to a few weeks of perfect spring, to boiling hot summer! 

here's an easy craft to keep the spring feeling alive just a little bit longer. really, you could paint the jars in any color you'd like to honor a particular season or holiday...maybe some neon or bright colors for summer: hot pink, lime green and banana yellow?

from here, via you are my fav

doily lamp

isn't this incredible?! shannon south, founder of remade usa, made this gorgeous lamp using her collection of vintage doilies. i'd love to make one myself, or maybe a few smaller ones in differing sizes and hang them together?

by remade usa, via craftgawker, via cortland :)

the beauty department

though i may not be her biggest fan, lauren conrad has been pumping out some pretty cute things in the style and beauty world. she, along with her hair stylist, kristin ess and make-up artist, amy nadine, have created the website the beauty department full of beauty tips, suggestions and tutorials. the video tutorials are really very good, with styles ranging from sweet + simple to glam + runway. good explanations and inspiring!

brava!

yesterday evening, molly, garth and michael introduced asheville to the rites project they had been working on for months. it was the perfect collaboration of artistic genius. the mural was stunning--no detail spared! the choreography fun, energetic and clever -- jerome would have been very proud. and michael and the musicians were a performance themselves. a beautiful and funky score -- perfectly composed for each dance step. 

congratulations you three! your hard work certainly paid off and our small city thanks you for an incredible performance!

xoxoxox

more photos found here!

photo styling

this past month, i learned about helene dujardin, an extraordinary food stylist. just as a good photo of food should, the pictures she takes would make anyone want to stick their hand in their computer screen for a bite of that decadent chocolate cake or perfectly ripe pear. 

as i continue to write for this blog, i become more and more interested in photo styling, always wanting to take that perfect picture that's going to make you readers want to eat, create or do what i'm doing. but i want to get better...
mais qu'est-ce que c'est ca?! what luck! helene just published a photo styling book, called plate to pixel, teaching readers how to take that delectable shot.

(from tartelette, found at creature comforts)

all photos posted with permission by the artist.

champagne bar + book exchange

one of the best spots in asheville is the champagne bar + book exchange in the grove arcade. the prices are right, the staff is friendly and they let you linger 'till your heart's content. the space is quite big now too, offering a variety of places to perch a while...really cozy spots all over. i love going with a couple friends, splitting a bottle of cava ($18!) and chatting while looking through books of all kinds.
next time, i must test out their cheese plate.

 

(i took these pictures using my new hipstamatic app for iphone!)

hannah in asheville

the other week, hannah finished up her contract of educating the youth, hopped home to connecticut,  jetted for a short visit to costa rica, then back to conn. and is now driving through virginia as we speak on her way down to asheville. 

i wanted hannah to get here to a room ready for her. up until three hours ago, my spare bedroom was completely empty, but i've since put in a bed (after making sure it was feng shui in position), purchased a cheap bedside table and set a few things on it to make her feel at home. 

spring is for bounce houses

in honor of spring, i threw a party in my back yard -- fun in the sun, good food + drinks and wonderful people. for an added bonus, i rented a castle bounce house (surprisingly for a very reasonable price) -- such a hit! i cannot remember the last time i bounced and it was a blast...but tiring! that was certainly my cardio for the day. i highly recommend it. 

i made a variation of this delicious pesto pasta recipe by the barefoot.

bouncing is exhausting!