someone...

wanted : not nostalgic now, but think of it as a future heirloom

In my last post I waxed poetic on old stuff. Yeah yeah yeah, that's lovely, but right now I am itching to get my hands on some brand spankin' new mass produced consumer goods, namely bedside tables. Oh, ok, and barstools, too. But I just love these tables!

Renee side table - Horchow

My plan is to paint the bedroom a mustardy yellow (it is currently and uninspiring shade of blue that Brett picked before we were married) and play up my chocolate brown suede headboard, the West Elm dresser we scored earlier this year and then, in an effort to avoid trying to match woods exactly and keep the room feeling light, add some white accents. Just loving these tables. They are a great modern shape but have a bit of traditional styling for good measure. And I love the nailhead accents. Um, they are a teeny bit expensive though! So I think they will be on the wanted list for a while...

wanted : nostalgia in a can

there were no cookies in our tin

While perusing a decor magazine today, I came across an old amaretti cookie tin being used in a cute office for storage. My grandparents had that same tin in their house for as long as I can remember. They used it for loose change, and it was always full and verrrry heavy (especially when you're 8). Sometimes they let us help lighten this load. Everyone gathered around the kitchen table (wood, covered with a round table-topping "coaster" that can best be described as a giant doily, and then covered with glass) and someone would lug it out from its shrine under the sink. We got to plunge our hand into the jar, digging deep down, up to the wrist, through coins packed tight like wet sand and then keep whatever we got in that greedy handful. Oh, and it was greedy. Sometimes I'd get lucky and there would be some "big ones," as we liked to call them, in my haul. How do grandparents always seem to have unusual denominations? Thick silver dollars, hefty fifty cent pieces, crinkled two dollar bills, tarnished wheat pennies. I don't remember if this game had a name, but it probably did. Something obvious and functional, like the name of their street, Tall Oaks Drive.

Recently they sold that house and I never got to go and say goodbye. I remember every square inch of it. Faux brick linoleum in the entry and the kitchen. The muffled sound the floor on the sun room made. Oversized pillows on the floor of the den, shiny cotton decorated with old timey cars. Pink tiled master bath. Tiny brag book photo albums resting in the night stand next to "my bed." And boxes. Just little department store boxes stashed in dresser drawers. Belk, Bells, Chappel's, Lord & Taylor, Sibley's. The sound a clock made on the hour, the half our, the quarter hour, even at night. So many sounds and smells and collections.

So, I am on a mission to find some of those tins. Especially a tall one like the one they had. Ebay has not been helpful so would you keep your eyes peeled for me when you find yourself antiquing? I'll even pay you back in big ones!

kitchen sneak peek

We are getting close on the kitchen! I have primed, painted, pored over, picked out and procured. Oh, and panicked. The contractors are installing counters and tile early next week. I am so excited, I have never had anything that's new and mine like this before, what a huge treat. But, it has not been without headaches. I think the painting of the cabinets took about 2 months total, between little touch ups and second coats. I am still finding areas that need a little help but maybe now I am just being picky. And the countertop decision was not an easy one. I am still not sure if I did the right thing but at this point, I am just going with it and letting the decor gods guide me.

Today when I got home it was like Santa Clause had come, driving a UPS truck instead of a sled. The coveted faucet has arrived... I LOVE it. The only concern I have is that it is sort of tall. Will it look too tall in comparison with the cabinet above it? Here's hoping not.

Here are a couple sneaky peeky pics and I cannot wait to be able to post some before and afters!

me and my shiny new toy. this may make washing dishes semi-fun!

Valspar Aspen Grey and Cath Kidston towel.

wedding work!

Scott and Liz are getting married! Their wedding is next summer so there is lots of time for beautiful details to come to life. Scott proposed on the Ferris wheel at a county fair (awwww), so there will be a fun fair vibe to their celebration. Liz and I met this week and I am so excited to be helping her make her day pop. Here is a look at the style file I am working on. Loving the colors and Liz's idea to give cotton candy as their favors!

ding ding ding

Sorry, Eames Hang-It-All not included.

We have a winner! June wins for her comment on the food/budget post. It was very scientific. There were 6 unique authors so I shouted at Brett when he was in the shower to pick a number between 1 and 6. Done. June, hope you like this cute insulated lunch bag! Also good for bringing drinks to the pool or on a picnic, etc. It comes with adorable mini plastic cutlery, too. Enjoy!

etsy shop

eyeheartorange now has an etsy shop! Right now I have some paintings in the gallery that people can view and then order their own custom piece. Check it out. I would love any feedback on how to make the descriptions better, etc. I will probably create a cute header eventually but for now I just wanted to get it up before I lost motivation... Maybe you could even heart my shop :)

eyeheartorange.etsy.com

a little Italy

Yesterday afternoon we were at the pool and saw a friend with her two year old nephew Enzo. He was the typical Italian flirt and charmed all the ladies. When Enzo and his mamma were leaving, she mentioned that they were going home to make meatballs and so I made the snap decision that we were, too. Luckily, per my post below about using the food we have, we had almost all the ingredients so it fit right into my new plan :)

Brett's brother Nick is now our upstairs neighbor and pretty much constant dinner companion so I told those guys that tonight is Italian night and that we should watch The Talented Mr. Ripley and salivate over the scenery and our supper. They had never even heard of this movie, one of my old favorites. I never get to pick the movie when those two are together. But I rattled off a really good, slightly racy quote from the movie and I think that impressed them, so they conceded. What is it with men and movie quotes?

Anyway while they were gone shopping I inspected the fridge and made an onion, garlic, mushroom and white wine sauté with veggies that needed to be eaten. The boys dove right into that with some bread when they were back from the market. Movie was of course great. Don't watch this if you have even the slightest travel bug. Do watch it if you think you were probably born in the wrong decade and are hugely nostalgic for printed dresses, streamlined cars, the days before spf warnings and a time when men wore collared shirts, not ironic tees.

not a plastic cup or playmate cooler is sight.

Did you guess that maybe I am one of those people? The nostalgic type? Last weekend we went to a show at the High Museum called the Allure of the Automobile. Absolutely amazing. I have always been a fan of old cars, wooden boats, Vespas, etc. I used to love to walk through the vintage car show in Ives Park in Potsdam and see the cool upholstery and shiny knobs, levers and rims. But the cars at this show were way beyond the '57 Chevy. A few were owned by Clark Gable, one was a Mercedes that was a birthday present to a 16 year old baroness named Gisela. It sat in storage in NYC for decades, she refused to sell it even when she ended up dying in squalor surrounded by numerous cats.

Sorry, that was a huge side note. Italian food is good. Tonight we are going out for an Italian date, courtesy of my lack of attention to detail.

I had purchased a couple restaurant gift certificates from one of those half off websites, thinking we could give them as gifts. But when they arrived Brett noticed they were not valid Thursday through Saturday, a dead giveaway that they were some kind of shady bargain.

So, basically I need to stop being so cheap. But the upside is we have to go to this place twice. Poor us. Ciao!

baby bites

Last night we had two of our good couple friends over for our monthly game night. Usually I make something very bad and very delicious for snacking, like Buffalo chicken dip. But, I made that last weekend for another gathering and it disagreed with me, so it's riding the recipe bench for a while.

Instead, we had the fun idea to make sliders which then evolved into making baby sandwiches in honor of one of the game playing wives who is expecting their first. Here was the cutest menu ever that turned into a hit with our guests...

flank steak, avocado and jack cheese with spicy cilantro mayo on crusty wheat - the most delicious variety! I will be making this as a meal real soon.

grilled sharp cheddar cheese, ham and granny smith apple on very thin ciabatta - mmm, make sure to put cheese on both sides of the bread and just pop in the oven for 20 minutes or so right before your guests arrive.

pulled barbeque chicken with cole slaw on tiny cornbread squares - this was the biggest cheater sandwich since the chicken and cole slaw came from the Whole Foods barbeque bar.

fresh mozzerella (pasteurized so Mrs. Pregnant could partake), tomato and olive tapenade on grilled ciabatta - I also had chopped up some basil but we forgot it as we were gluttonously stuffing our faces.

banana and nutella on crusty wheat - this was originally going to be grilled peanut butter and banana but we made the switch to nutella when I remembered J can't eat pb right now since it might be linked to peanut allergies for the baby. Um, gee that's too bad, it was really hard forcing down all that nutella.

and don't lets forget about dessert: teensy ice cream sandwiches - I used the premade cookie dough that is cleverly marketed as mini, when really it is just cut differently. But hey, I bought it. Then smeared on some vanilla Hagen Dazs and called it a day. They were gross. Nobody even wanted to try one. JK, go make this right now.

btw, last night we plated the game Smartass. Very fun.

ladies who lunch?

I am calling on all you ladies who lunch, breakfast, dinner, snack, etc. We are having a bit of a food spending crisis. This year we have really been watching the Smith budget, because when we don't, trouble comes a calling :)

Okay, not trouble exactly, but when I think about what I used to spend money on? Ay yay yay. Bad news. Anyway, one thing I always want to cut back on is food spending. I have a bad habit of not planning meals in advance and running to the grocery a few times a week. It adds up. So does all of the eating out we do in these damn charming city restaurants, not to mention the food we end up throwing away.

So, I am asking you what you do. How do you plan? What are your go-to meals and ingredients? How do you force yourself to use what you have but not go crazy by eating a soon to expire jar of pasta sauce on orzo? Has anyone tried a meal planning service like eMeals or something like the Dinner Affair?

Leave a comment and I will randomly choose a winner. I have the CUTEST foodie prize to give away.