Jewelry Organization: Revealed!

Hi Deweese,

I am SO impressed with your indoor garden! I can not wait to hear more. Also, I think its awesome those herbs just happen to be the ones that are easy to grow, cause those are some YUMMY flavors!

So, finally. A update on my jewelry organization. I can't wait to show you this completed project! Click here to view my previous situation (yikes).

After researching and weighing my options, I kept my cake stands and switched out my jewelry boxes for simple, big, bowls. I loved the look and felt it was just simple enough that it would actually work (and could be done on the cheap). I found bowls I liked for $3-$6 each at Pearl River in Soho. I kept them all blue and white for a cohesive look, but in different patterns for a collected vibe. I started by organizing the dishes in a composition I liked...

I then organized my jewelry by categories (rings, earrings, necklaces) for quick finding:

And cross-organized (is that a word?) them by frequency of use (in my old jewelry box I was pulling out my favorite earrings from under chunky necklaces I rarely wore). At the very top of the pyramid in the smallest cake stand are the pieces that I am wearing right now on a daily basis for easiest access:

In order to take better care of my stuff, I made sure to not over stuff any of the dishes:

I then moved to the wall...which was already a work in progress. I wanted a collected/altar-ish look that I wouldn't mind looking at everyday. I mapped out a collection of beautiful images/objects that have a lot of meaning to me:

Here's a breakdown of what's in the above two images:

• A photograph of my grandmother the day she got engaged
• A floral necklace given to me as a bridesmaids gift
• A flower I used to adorn my Derby hat a couple of years ago
• My mom's senior photo
• A photo of Deweese's stunning wedding bouquet 
• A photo booth strip from a beach trip Nick and I took about 10 years ago 

(The mirror is from Housing Works and the frames are from IKEA and Homegoods.)

I also had to ceremoniously get rid of my jewelry box that I've had since FRESHMAN year of college. The very ornate lid fell off years ago and the back was held together with packing tape.

So here's the final result, plus a few more detail shots:

Overall it feels fresh, clean, and new! Added bonus: spending this much time with my jewelry has allowed me to discover new combinations that I can't wait to start wearing!

Love,

PS: I still want a bust, but I couldn't find one I like in my budget. Someday.

PPS: You might have noticed that my bedroom walls are dark gray. This paint is six months old and I've been remiss in updating you! Here is teaser for a FULL update that will come very soon!

Indoor Herbing

Blythe!

Hope you had a fantastic long weekend. How was Brooklyn?

Jeff and I had a great time pool-hopping (Thank you Gardners and Englanders!), and we hit up a pretty cool strawberry festival too. More on that to come.

The one project I wanted to do this weekend was to plant some indoor herbs. I don't know how or why I got this idea in my head, but it seemed pretty cheap, and easy... right?

Jeff was game, so I did a little research last week and we set out Saturday to make all our herbing dreams come true. 5 Yuppie points please.

Here's what we came home with: Three, 6" terra-cotta pots with draining holes and saucers.

Three packs of organic seeds: Peppermint, Oregano and Cilantro. I chose these after reading several articles online describing which herbs are easiest to grow indoors. More info here and here.

Atticus is quite the helper and is obsessed with the smell of mint, which is apparently cousin to catnip. 

Silly me, I thought we could just plant the seeds in the pots, but another article online suggested we start the seeds in a smaller container like a yogurt cup or egg carton which we thankfully had. I cut off the top of the carton and poked 3-4 little holes in the bottom of each egg hole. More here.

Then I sandwiched a piece of plastic (gallon zip lock) in between the egg carton and the top of the egg carton. This helps maintain good moisture levels. Or so I'm told.

I'm trying to be organic as possible, but let's be honest, that can be a bit of a rabbit hole. I did a quick search online while I was at the hardware store trying to figure out which potting mix is best, AND organic.  Since there isn't usually a lot of truth in labeling, I knew just because something says 'organic', it doesn't mean it's actually organic (fall down rabbit hole here). The brand I chose below is OMRI Listed, so I went with it.

I added a little water to the soil so it was moist, but not dripping. Then added a couple scoops of the soil to  each egg hole.

The seeds were SO TINY! But I poked 3 little holes in the soil of each egg hole with a pencil and did my best to insert 3-4 seeds in each hole. No telling what actually made it in.

Here's the final product for now. My germination station. You're supposed to cover it with another plastic bag until the seeds start to sprout to maintain humidity, but I was weary of adding even more plastic, so I have it covered with a glass casserole dish. 

This was Saturday and so far...  Look at those lil' sprouts!!! Fingers crossed!!!

xo,

Happy Long Weekend!

Dear Deweese,

Wow! So, so green! I can't believe those were taken inside of a city limits. Literally, nature outside your doorstep... curvy-font trail signs and all. Amazing.

So. Who is ready for the holiday weekend?

What? Isn't that what "Easy Chair Reclining Highchairs" are for? This photo was taken during a vacation Deweese and I took together last Memorial Day (we rented a house outfitted for a baby, but there were no babies present, I promise!).  Turns out, high chair cup holders are the perfect height for a beer when standing at happy hours!

Anyway, readers, what are your plans this weekend? Nick and I are staycation-ing it and so excited. Tonight I'm making pesto. We also plan to spend a day in Brooklyn and later go out for a date at our favorite neighborhood restaurant.  And no doubt there will be park time!

Deweese has informed me that she plans to pool hop. Which makes me miss DC... the place where I lived in multiple apartment buildings that actually had pools. Sigh. Thank goodness I took advantage of it.

Hockney, The Bigger Splash, 1967
Image via Slashart. 

Here's some Memorial Day Candy to get you through the slow pre-holiday-weekend-Friday draaaag:

• You should probably make some ice cream in your food processor. I might!
• Last night, Nick and I split 'ino's Tuffled Egg Toast. Nick, after a couple of glasses of wine, coined it one of the best things ... he's EVER EATEN. Excuse me? Learn about it here: 



• With your ice cream and egg toast, you might want some music. While I was totally exhausted by it in the end, I have to admit, I miss The Voice. If you're like me, then you should spend the $1.29 and download Roxanne. You won't regret its annoying-at-first-and-then-totally-addictive-sound.
• Speaking of which, Nick and I brought back this addictive song on the blaring repeat in our abode. Again, Levine's whine is annoying at first, but then kind awesome in way that blends with others like, dare I say it, Stevie's?

Love,

PS: Also, I should tell you, I've been working really hard on my jewelry organization and would say I'm about 90% done. I can't wait to show you...along with more bedroom updates, SOON!

Victory in the front yard, too!

Blythe,

Your most recent post was cruel and unusual. Those photos! Those breads! Torture on a Monday morning! Sounds like a fantastic day. Add it to the list, and I'm still dying to hit the Brooklyn Flea Market!

A few weeks ago I told you about my backyard, now I want to fill you in on my front yard... a kinda new thing for me.

I've always known that Rock Creek Park was across the street, but for some reason in the FIVE YEARS that Jeff and I have lived in our apartment, we have not once ventured in. No good reason, we just never made it happen.

So Sunday we headed across Connecticut Ave for a little adventure. Here's what we found...

I can read this sign from my bedroom window!

Good to know.

The whole half mile trail looks like this. Amazing.

Awwwwwww! Do you think Jaime and Vicki are still together? Or is carving your names in a tree like getting a tattoo of your lover's name... the ultimate kiss of death.

The trail spits you out at a picnic area and the actual Rock Creek. Just lovely.

You know I've been craving nature for a while now, and I think the Gods are laughing at me considering it was across the street the whole time. I'm an idiot... but reformed. I think this lil' trail may be a new Sunday routine for us and I definitely want to do this, it's on my DC bucket list. So next time you're in DC, I'll take you on a hike!

xo,

PS... Have you seen the new trailer for Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby? I'm so psyched!

Smorgasburg

Hi Deweese,

Sorry I was so MIA last week -- what a week! I've been so busy with work and social stuff,  its been a whirlwind! I slept basically all weekend, finally watched the Social Network and hung out in the park for a bit.  Nothing really that amazing, which made it totally amazing!

Buut a few weekends ago Nick's parents were in town for the 5 Boro Bike Tour and during our free time we headed over to Smorgasburg, the food fair that takes over the outdoor Brooklyn Flea location every Saturday.

In short, Smorgasburg is awesome. We hopped on the East River Ferry and were there in no time, and in minutes were eating literally EVERYTHING under the sun and the majority of it was delicious!

Seriously, we had: coffee, donuts, pretzels, pulled pork sandwiches, brisket, lobster rolls, caprese salad, grilled cheese, and banana bread and homemade marshmallow s'mores.  Yup, all of that.

It was pretty cloudy which I think was actually a good thing because the lines weren't too brutal. Here are some shots...

The funniest thing about the day was that while waiting in line to board the ferry at 34th street, we realized we are going to ride over with Mario Batali and his family! They were visiting Smorgaburg, too, and were filming their visit! They literally hung out at Smorgasburg as long as we did and then we rode back to Manhattan together. Wild! His mom or mother-in-law (we weren't sure) was super friendly and chatted with us various times throughout the day.  The folks working the Smorgasburg were totally flustered, but shouldn't have been! The food was overall pretty darn delicious. Here's a shot...how awesome is it that this is Batali's JOB? Wow.

 With love and good eatin',

Missoni

Blythe,

Thanks for sharing the bike video! I can't even imagine the sensation of riding your bike around NYC unrestricted. What a bizarre feeling that must have been!

Yesterday I attended an event at the Washington Design Center featuring Luca Missoni, son of Missoni founders Ottavio and Rosita Missoni. Luca is the historian and curator for the family-owned business which marks its 60th anniversary next year. Not only do I love their designs, but I'm so impressed with a company that is family owned and operated for multiple generations and continues to stay so current. Remember when the Missoni for Target sale last fall crashed the Target website?

Ottavio and Rosita

Until recently I was most familiar with Missoni for their clothing, but I've become particularly obsessed with the Missoni Home collections. What would I give for this rug? My 'eye teeth' as my Mother would say!

And the brand continues to expand, check out the line of Missoni Hotels!

Luca was totally delightful and spoke a lot about his parents and how they built the company together. You can see Luca and his mother and father in the ad below. Adorable and so fashion forward! Ottavio turns 91 this year!

Yours in flame stitch,