the haystack needle

dream boat

I'm off to a friend's Brooklyn wedding and then we're moving on Sunday! I spotted this photograph in the latest Anthropologie catalog, and it spells happy, lazy weekend: hanging out on a boat under a fort of colorful blankets. Add a pitcher of lemonade and I'm there. A girl can daydream in between packing boxes and filling out change-of-address forms.

rockstar ride

My brother-in-law Larry is gearing up to ride 545 miles from San Francisco to LA, starting Sunday. Hello, is that even humanly possible? I'm so amazed. Larry (+ his sore legs) is riding to end AIDS and support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Larry, I'm rooting you on from New York! You are a rockstar.

And if I could meet you at the finish line, I'd give you this bike painting by Yellow Owl Workshop (isn't it super?) and, of course, a rockstar prize ribbon.

give pause

I'm someone who always likes to skip ahead to what's next. When I order dinner at a restaurant, I already have my plan for dessert. I really love when my favorite TV shows give you a sneak preview of next week's episode. So it's not surprising that my mind has been skipping over plans, ideas, and utter excitement for the new apartment where we're moving this weekend — and I even started a mental countdown of days till the big move. We turned sour on our current apartment months ago, when space became too tight, our landlord became more eccentric, and the everyday struggle of getting laundry to a laundromat and cooking in a crazy cramped kitchen started to wear on us. But it's only just hit me, a few days away from saying goodbye to our little second-story brownstone abode, that this apartment is much more than any old one-bedroom.

This is the first place Dan and I called our apartment. It's the kitchen where I first really stretched my love of cooking and where I randomly discovered the amazing taco recipe that is our special dish. It's the first space where I entertained as a grownup and found out quickly that simple dishes are best when you're hosting a dinner party. It's where Dan and I were exposed to the art of compromise in everything related to decorating. It's the apartment that houses my first brand-new sofa. It's the bedroom that is so small, our bed fills the space from wall-to-wall, yet it feels super cozy in its painted deep blue color (inspired by a Paris hotel where we stayed.) It's the apartment where I welcomed in the big 3-0 and where I surprised Dan with 30 notes strung from the ceiling when he passed that birthday milestone. It's the place where the love of my life proposed one fateful Christmas evening. And it's the living room floor where I crafted away for months before our Maine wedding, stamping tea towels and lining envelopes and hoarding blue mason jars for a day filled with homemade magic.

So I'm realizing why I've been reluctant to do the last big to-do before our move — paint our Moroccan blue bedroom back to boring white for the new tenants. With all of its flaws, this 650 square feet of space has been our home and it's packed with many, many wonderful memories. I think it's time I give pause to what the apartment has given us. 

p.s. the top photograph with handdrawn text is from a new Etsy shop, for me, for you. I'm loving this print in particular. And the artist Kate has a blog as well, which I follow.

glass storage jars

I stopped using plastic storage containers for leftovers about a year ago, mainly because I'd heard from enough green experts that all plastics can leach chemicals, especially when heated. I also found that my plastic containers were much too difficult to keep clean (with oily foods), since I don't have a dishwasher to deliver a pow of water. I'm quite happy with my Pyrex glass containers. But I have a crush on Heath Ceramic's glass storage jars, which are from Germany and definitely have that European style. I'd love to scoop up this set and dish out individual servings of pasta salad to friends at the next picnic. 

oh and one of my favorite wedding gifts was from Heath (use it all the time!). Heath offers a wedding registry if you're a bride looking for something special beyond department store registries.

danny seo: green tips for summer parties

I have a special video for you today. Last week, I interviewed environmental expert Danny Seo over the phone while he was taped in North Carolina. We chatted about summer entertaining and Danny shared a slew of practical, smart tips on green ways to get prepped for summer parties (including keeping away the mosquitos, grilling secrets, solar lighting, and more.) I learned a lot from talking to him, so I hope you enjoy the video, too.

One small note on your interviewer (c'est moi.) I get hopelessly nervous and awkward when I know I'm being filmed. Here I wasn't even being filmed, just taped over the phone — but still the nerves came out in full force. So you'll notice my voice sounds a bit like my nose is plugged, I ramble a couple times, and I used the word "awesome" a bunch (strange, since I don't use that word typically.) Oh, those nerves! Danny, on the other hand, is a pro on TV and he's the one delivering all the tips (thankfully!). Thanks, Danny for sharing your summer party ideas!

jam labels

This week, I've been so inspired by Brooke and Katrina who made their own homemade jam. Making your own jam — like homemade pie crust — is something I've had in my head as being too hard to do. But I plan to at least try making both in my new kitchen. We gave out blueberry jams by Spoon at our wedding. I wish I'd done a search for jam labels on Etsy back then, as these custom jam labels by Miss Pickles Press are so fantastic. And red gingham + summer jam just go swell together.

juno wine

Admittedly, I was drawn to this wine by the colorful, artsy label of women enjoying the vibrance of summer. I spotted Juno wine at our local wine shop, the Greene Grape. I've been a regular in the shop recently as the guys there have been sweet enough to supply me with nice, sturdy boxes for our move. I brought them a blueberry apple pie from the market over the weekend, because they've made our move so much easier. (If you're in the Brooklyn area, the Greene Grape is a fantastic little wine shop to check out, and they often host tastings. I'm going to miss that shop for sure.)

This South African wine will be my pick for our "we survived the move" wine after the movers have gone and we're left with many boxes to unpack. A move definitely calls for a little celebration, don't you think?