A Day to Celebrate Every summer, I'll throw a big party. The guest list isn't so big as the thought and planning that goes into it. I'll call up my inner circle of overachieving crafty types and together, we'll pull out all the stops, dreaming up menus, creating handmade invitations and doing DIY decorations. Sometimes, we'll hold up in the…
I've shopped the Rose Bowl here and here, and also here, but this time I did it with my good friend Anna. She interned with me at Martha back in the day, cut her teeth at Kelly Wearstler and has since gone on to do fantastic things. We were both a little hungover tuckered out that morning, but after beelining to the…
I was in Pennsylvania last week, crossing the Wright's Ferry Bridge over the Susquehanna, when I stopped (abruptly, heart racing) at Burning Bridge Antiques in Columbia. Amid aisles of charming American-made antiques, this striped wonder caught my eye. I'm a sucker for antique linens, especially in their original boxes. Original Box (often but not always) = Never Used. Inside I…
Last weekend's storm cloaked Pine Hill Farm in white, leaving an icy chill in its wake. After a couple of selfies in the snow, my friend Austin and I were craving a hearty, warming pasta... ...and for that, I knew just where to go. Every Villarina's store feels like a beautifully curated pantry full of fresh, artisanal foods. The pasta and sauces…
I'd like to think that if all good things must end, even better and more beautiful things start right up again! 2013 brought changes at home and at work, with family and friends and, most of all, in our selves and the course ahead. After three and a half years of life in the country chronicling our adventures, shopping flea markets…
If there's one thing I learned living in our quiet patch of country, it's that a house is so much more than rafters and beams, windows and doors, wallpaper and paint. We go to such great lengths, you and I, inspring ourselves and others to decorate our homes more beautifully that sometimes, we forget to stop and share them, graciously…
If you haven't seen the new issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I have a fun, little story on how to throw a festive holiday fete with plenty of party flourishes to impress even your most finicky guests. It's everything you need to throw a stylish holiday cocktail party with quick and easy crafts you can make yourself. My favorite? Festive…
I love styling Thanksgiving tables, especially in colors that delight and surprise my guests. For an event at my friend Phoebe Howard’s store in Charlotte, I updated traditional brown transferware plates with bright pink runners made from inexpensive fabric from Jo-Ann’s. For our first Thanksgiving table at our old farmhouse in upstate New York, I paired a purple tartan blanket from the Goodwill with antique…
Sorry for the silence, everyone! A string of projects, shoots and events kept us from our duties. To make it up to you, here's a table setting full of bright, brilliant color we created for last month’s event at Travadavi in Atlanta. As soon as I saw this prismatic print from Lulu DK in candy-coated colors of coral, teal, navy and…
Have you seen the new special issue on organizing from Martha Stewart? I was surprised to find two projects I produced years ago as the Senior Style Editor at Living. For a bathroom without shelves in an apartment above Martha's carriage barn in Bedford, I had six brass shelf brackets nickel-plated, then paired them with lightweight lacquered trays for extra storage.…
If you want to go treasure hunting with me in D.C. or Atlanta, we still have a few spots left! I always love sharing my secrets on how to find (and reimagine!) the very best things at the flea market, including china, silver, linens, furniture, fabric and art. We're doing two trips to the Big D.C. Flea this weekend and…
Two colors I adore with pink: black and white. And who better to expound on the virtues of this iconic combination than celebrated interior designer Celerie Kemble? Celerie I've known for years, ever since my days as a decorating editor at House Beautiful. Charming, sweet and supremely talented, she's a bright star who's refreshingly down to earth. Jaithan and I…
Here's a cake sure to sweeten up the Valentines in your life. Pick up three boxes of your favorite white cake mix—or work from scratch if you have the time—along with a bottle of Wilton's Icing Color in petal pink. Split each box into two batches for a total of six, then add increasing amounts of dye little by little until…
Last summer's treasure hunt through the World's Longest Yard Sale has just inspired two more shopping expeditions in March, and I hope you'll join me! Our first stop will be on Sunday, March 4th in Chantilly, Virginia for one my favorite flea markets, the Big D.C. Flea, where I'll show you how to find (and style!) the very best things, including…
Under a cerulean blue sky, on the outer banks of North Carolina and about a million miles away from her busy life in High Point, Elizabeth Harris sat quietly alone, listening to the sea, when a call for entries I’d posted to Facebook and Twitter popped up on her phone. Summer had just begun, and I was on the hunt, this…
I've always loved white. It soothes and stirs the soul, and I never grow tired of its infinite subtlety. In my catering days, I cultivated a voracious appetite for ironstone platters, layering one upon other in precarious stacks that have since followed me from city to country. For inspiration and delight all about white, click here. Now, to you: How do…
We were in California last week, where Jaithan's mother Rani celebrated a birthday in the rose garden of their home north of San Diego. She was the mastermind behind the menu of Jaithan's party in July, so I decided to bake her a decadent birthday cake of her own. Her favorite, she said, was either an Italian almond or a…
Happy 2012, everyone! May this year be bigger, better, brighter, and more beautiful than the last!
Pop Pop loved everything about Christmas: Mom Mom's elaborate decorations, my mother Margie's pot roast, and my own bûche de noël or "Christmas Yule Log" I'd make especially for him. Christmas this year was my family's first without our sweet Pop Pop, resting in his favorite chair, his face filled with light when I presented my cake. He would have…
Here's another look at the holiday table, dessert buffet and bar I created for Casa Sugar! The fabric is from Quadrille, the peach lusterware is vintage, and the candy canes are from Gobstoppers. Most of the other items, including the plates, glasses, cake stands, trees, ornament bowls, and votives are all from Cindy Crawford's stylish (and affordable!) collection at JCPenney. Combine…
Today, I'm sending you over to our friends at Casa Sugar and Yum Sugar for a festive, super affordable holiday tablescape I created that's anything but red and green! Some of the vintage items, like the Fire King Peach Lusterware you can easily find on eBay, but most of the pieces, including that dazzling dinnerware are from Cindy Crawford's line at JCPenney.…
Sorry for the silence, everyone! The holidays have such a wonderful way of distracting me. I have about a hundred unread emails at the moment, and all I really want to do is bake, wrap presents and set my table for Christmas! Speaking of, if you're looking for a clever way to add glamour to your table, pick up a…
Remember the ornament wreath I made with a wire coat hanger bent into a circle? Kim from Three Peanuts just made one of the prettiest I've seen, using vintage ornaments she's been collecting ever since I posted the project three years ago! Well-done, Kim! And for those of you planning to try it this year, just remember to glue on the…
Famed decorator Carleton Varney is having another moment, this one bigger, brighter and more beautiful than the last. HIs latest book, Mr. Color, is a vibrant homage to two of his greatest projects, the Greenbrier in West Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. For a year now, we've had the honor of working with Mr.…