the haystack needle

out & about: inspired by vintage floral wallpaper

There's a shop in Williamsburg that's stolen my heart. The boutique is decorated with a mix of woods, creamy whites, and a few walls of vintage floral wallpaper. It pulls you in from the sidewalk, this wallpaper is so gorgeous. And I heard word yesterday that Jumelle will be carrying Shabd's spring line (and I'm completely in love with her entire collection of pastel tie-dye pieces!). Once I get more skilled with my camera (had some issues with light yesterday trying to shoot the wall by the window), you'll likely be seeing more peeks from this gorgeous shop, Jumelle. The vintage wallpaper is perfection.

images (from top center): wallpaper escort tags from Grace's wedding, via design*sponge; Liberty of London for Target wallet; my photograph inside Jumelle; vintage floral pillows; Walnut birdtree wallpaper; Linda & Harriett recycled flower pins; Rifle Design botanical cards; Cath Kidston towels; Saipua soap.

what's Out & About? find out here.

jill bliss iphone case

I'm still in love with the special felt pouch I picked out for my iPhone from this fantastic Etsy shop. But that didn't stop me from spending almost an hour playing around with the Jill Bliss patterns available to design your own shell for your iPhone, iPad, or blackberry on Uncommon. You can play around with scale and positioning of each pattern — so it's truly customizable. Jill Bliss is one of my favorite artists, and I can't think of a better way to personalize (and protect) your phone than one of these whimsical illustrations. Which would you choose? I think I would go with one of the house illustrations.

gluten-free blueberry muffins

On Friday, I finally picked up some of the special flours I need to try out the gluten-free baked goods in the Babycakes cookbook. Sunday morning, I woke up early and baked blueberry muffins for my gluten-allergic hubs. What came as a surprise, I loved these muffins (and I can eat all the gluten I want.) They definitely have a different taste and texture from my go-to Martha Stewart blueberry muffins, but they were delicious — straight from the oven and a day later. I substituted frozen blueberries I had on hand for fresh berries — I wouldn't make that switch again because the berries were less sweet. And I used our regular lowfat milk rather than rice milk (we're not vegan) and that seemed to work out just fine. These muffins smell amazing as they're baking, as there's real lemon extract in the recipe — I loved the kick of lemon mixed with the blueberries. They taste like a healthier muffin for sure, but I'm relieved to discover Dan can still enjoy a batch of blueberry muffins minus the gluten. (Thanks again for all your tips for going gluten-free!)

(Hammocks & High Tea tea towel; JK Adams wood plate; photograph by me)

friday pause

(photograph by kayte terry)

This week flew by for me. Thanks for stopping by here! Some links of what I've been stumbling on and loving:

+ Look closely and you'll see Kayte captured a couple kissing in front of the original Liberty on her recent UK trip! Speaking of Liberty's line, what was your favorite purchase? I love my new oilcloth wallet. On a more emotional note, I also recommend checking out the Emily Prince exhibit that Kayte saw in London, which is truly moving.

+ I found it. My dream bedroom is in Italy (see last photo).

+ Another reason to love chalkboards. 

+ My new favorite Etsy shop. I want that bunting!!

+ I'm still thinking on this great conversation about the ethics and harmful effects on business when people duplicate other artists' work.

+ I'd love to adopt this tote bag that Anabela found. And then I'd love to hit the beach with a Polaroid camera, like Melanie.

+ Can you imagine how amazing it'd be to get married in a greenhouse? The scent of all those plants and flowers would be filling the air.

ps. For those of you who've been following along, I'll be back with Out & About next week. My camera lesson this week was of another sort: namely discovering that the photos I'd taken had been erased by a corrupted memory card. Upsetting to say the least. I'll have to be more careful about uploading and saving my photos right away.  

I'm leaving you with my favorite Bonnie "Prince" Billy song (and I love that there's a Super8 video to go along with it!). The lyrics are also quite beautiful in Dan's favorite: Raining in Darling. Discovered thanks to D (who I'll have to stop crediting since, really, he's introduced me to most of the music I've loved since I was 19.)

fey handmade

If you're looking for a little pick-me-up for your walls, Fey Handmade has so many lovely options for affordable art, with prints from $15 to $28. I'm stuck on Mr. Bear.

interior stylist matthew gleason

My friend Matthew has his impressive styling portfolio up on a new site. It made me so happy to see this image included, photographed by Lucas Allen, from a shoot I produced that we worked on together. I still love that shot — and I still adore yellow in the home.

We've known each other for years, but Matthew and I truly bonded for life on an intense home makeover project. I laughed my way through many stressful days thanks to him. I love working with Matthew because he has great instincts when it comes to decorating and design, but he's also incredibly detail-oriented with the important choices. We've sat by a window with a color fan deck for an hour, trying to decide on the right blue to paint. Matthew used to work at Martha Stewart Living, which I think has to be one of the best places to hone your styling skills. I'm a little envious that he now splits his time between an apartment in the East Village and a country home in Connecticut that he's working on renovating. (I can't wait to see his house sometime soon!) Check out Matthew's portfolio for a big dose of inspiration. You're such a talent, Matthew — I'm so happy our paths crossed.

 

(all images via matthew gleason; top photograph by lucas allen)

horseradish cream

Yesterday, I made my own makeshift version of a horseradish cream (some mayo, some Dijon mustard, and a big dollop of horseradish.) The creamy sauce tasted heavenly paired with some chorizo sausage from Marlow & Daughters. I've been on a horseradish kick and I'm looking to find the best version of this sauce. I may have found it. Kate made horseradish cream and Guiness mustard for her St. Patty's Day feast, and both look like must-try condiments to me.

(photograph via the parsley thief)