Monthly Archives: April 2013

Spoonflower Introduces Design-Your-Own Wallpaper

12 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by in Accessories, D.I.Y., Parties, textiles

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Design Your Own, DIY Wrapping Paper, gift wrap, wrapping paper, Wrapping Paper Ideas

It wasn’t long ago that design-your-own fabric site Spoonflower, got us even more excited with design-your-own wallpaper. But this time they’ve really made me jump for joy with their new design-your-own wrapping paper feature. For $15 you can get 13 square feet (about enough to wrap four medium size gifts) of your own design printed on 48 lb wrapping paper in a matte or satin finish. The possibilities are endless! Whether you want to create your own fun pattern or just have your name or a message printed on the wrapping paper, create your own signature wrapping paper that will get everyone excited when they see a gift wrapped up in it. I can’t wait to give it a shot! What would you put on your wrapping paper?

MADHOUSE by Michael Aram

11 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in Celebrations, Parties, Tabletop

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entertaining, Michael Aram, Summer entertaining, The Party Closet

I can’t deny that even when I’m entertaining in the most casual way, I still really want things to look nice. This can often be a challenge, particularly when we’re hitting the beach for a summer dinner or heading to an outdoor concert or polo match. I don’t want to bring anything fancy, especially when it all just gets tossed in a basket when it’s time to pack up, but I the standard paper plates and cups just aren’t going to cut it either. That’s why I’m so excited to see Michael Aram’s new MADHOUSE collection. I’ve long been a fan of Aram’s work, and while this collection is very different than his fine dining pieces, I love it just as much. To start, the Triton tumbler and goblet are made from a copolymer that makes them look like crystal but that is much more durable.

Plastic flatware is so boring, or at least it used to be. This plastic twig cutlery takes one of Aram’s classic designs and makes it available for your next picnic. And at $6 for 4 3-piece place settings, if a piece gets lost in the shuffle, you won’t have to shed a tear.

These sea urchin (or ocean as they call them) paper plates may just be my favorite item in the collection. They don’t even look like paper, and I love the gold pattern which makes them seem so much more chic.

And the similar textured version in a melamine platter, dinner or dessert plate will serve an eternally useful purpose for all those summer parties you host or attend.

I think my party closet is about to get a few more things this summer!

5 Fabulous Outdoor Planters

05 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by in garden, Outdoor

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Entryways, Garden Planters, Landscaping

While it’s taken a little bit longer than planned (thank to Old Man Winter refusing to go away), the main phase of our new front yard is set to be finished up by the end of next week! That means we’ll have new gardens, new front steps, and the Dutch door will be installed. Yay! The project actually wraps around one side of the house and includes a large portion of the back of the yard too. It will all be a lot easier to show you rather than to explain. But back to the front. On my new front steps, I want to have two nice planters so I’ve been scouring the web to see what’s out there, and have narrowed it down. First up is the Orangerie planter from Walpole Woodworkers. I’m partial to square planters rather than round ones because I think they’re just a little more modern looking, but this one also really suits the cottage garden feel I’m going for, and will coordinate well with the garden gates and fencing I hope to have installed.

However, I also love teak and the way it weathers so this White Washed Teak Planter from Frontgate could also work really well.

And Restoration Hardware’s Zinc Planters offer a sleek look, but without being too modern which doesn’t suit my classic cape style home. Zinc will also stand the test of time without having to be painted every few years which I really like.

Of course, the classic styling of a stone urn always draws me in, but I worry that it’s too formal.

And lastly would be to continue my obsession with cobalt pots. You may remember the DIY version that have been gracing my front steps for the past few year. But if I’m going to put pots out there, I’d like to now have something that I can keep out all year long and change out seasonally, and the ceramic will not survive the cold New England winters so this one may not really be an option.

Of course, price will probably end up being the main factor, but there are a wide variety of planters similar to these styles available so these might not be the exact ones I go for. You’ll have to stay tuned and see what I end up selecting, but feel free to vote for your favorite by leaving a comment below!

Dinner Party Photo Shoot for Newport Life Home

04 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in Celebrations, Dining Room, Inspiration, Kitchen, Parties, Tabletop

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Dinner Party Ideas, Easy Entertaining

Those of you who follow us on may remember that back in January I wrote and styled a photo shoot for Newport Life Home‘s 2013 issue. The story was particularly special to me because it’s about the Wednesday Night Dinner Club which my friends and I began 12 years ago and that we still gather for. You can find out a little more about that by reading the article, but I wanted to share some more pictures from the shoot (which we did at my sister’s house) that didn’t make it into the magazine.

First, there was the prep of setting up the bar…

the flower and appetizers…

the menu and dessert table…

and the table. The goal of the shoot was to prove how easy it is to host a large group for dinner so I kept things super simple by using stemless wine glasses for vases with a single tulip in each one…

and footed glass pedestals filled with limes surrounding a large glass hurricane. I also used the Kitchen Papers crab placemats which are so much fun (and come in an easy tear-off pad of 50 so you’re ready no matter what the size of your party!).

Just a simple piece of twine ties each place setting together.

Then it was time to dig into the appetizers and drinks as the guests began to arrive.

My son was so excited to be a part of a photo shoot that he couldn’t wait to get his blue blazer on!

And while my daughter helped stir the pot (she’s really good at that!)…

my son and nephew were getting into trouble with the dessert.

My friend Ted (a.k.a. The Professional Amateur Chef) whipped up amazing Mexican Pot Roast Tacos (the recipe in the article).

Yum!

And for dessert we indulged in a to die for margarita pie from The Newport Sweet Shoppe!

Even Rio approved! I’m so lucky to have this amazing group of friends that has been gathering for so many years. Remember that entertaining doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple and gather your friends together as often as you can because spending quality time with the people you love is what life is all about!

For more information on the items used and other great home design stories, pick up the 2013 issue of Newport Life Home.

All Images: Maaike Bernstrom Photography

Back to the Homestead with Agrarian

02 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in garden, Inspiration, Outdoor

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Garden Tools, gardening, Homesteading, Outdoor Planters

Have you seen Williams-Sonoma’s new catalog, Agrarian? When Pamela and I opened it recently, we found ourselves discussing where we’d put our chicken coops and what gear we’ll need to make our own honey. I want to crawl inside the catalog and channel my inner Martha! But then I remember that I don’t have a full staff, and considering I barely find the time to pull the weeds in my garden (which is about to get a lot bigger), I probably shouldn’t take on caring for anymore live animals (except for maybe a goat because they’re really good at eating all the grass so that we don’t have to mow it!). So I’m going to stick to gardening and cooking, and maybe even a little bit of canning, and while I’m sure I’ll continue to dream of a chicken coop, these are the Agrarian items I think I might actually use!

I love the idea of a whole bunch of these Galvanized Tub Planters in my garden.

Although this Willow Planter is quite tempting as well.

And I’d probably be more apt to attack those weeds if I had an awesome Wicker Utility Caddy like this one to head out to the garden with.

I’ve been wanting a rain barrel for a really long time, and this Vintage Wine Cask Barrel is so much more attractive than those plastic barrels, and compliments my affection for vino.

Oh, and it would be divine to have a lovely potting bench!

I’m pretty tired of our ugly plastic composter too so this Redwood Cylindrical Composter would be much more attractive and easier to use!

And isn’t this Beekman Seeds for Canning gift set the great gift for a gardener?!

They have lots of other fruit and veggie plants available too, but I’m got my eye on the potted Meyer Lemon Tree, maybe for my new kitchen!

And of course I’ll need something to preserve all those garden goodies in so I love these Weck Jars.

Now, if the darn New England weather would just cooperate so that I could get out into the garden!