winter lonny.

the new winter lonny magazine is out. look at it here. gosh, i wish this was in print so i could tear out every other page!

i swear everything jenna lyons touches turns to gold, including this bathroom at the new J. Crew Collection store in NYC that's featured in this issue. they also did a spread on the NYC Kate Spade store that makes me swoon.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

we're having a christmas party tonight! lindsey, ellie and i decked the halls in our apartment and can't wait to celebrate the holidays with our friends.

you can't really tell, but mom and i got high on paint fumes over thanksgiving spray painting mixed nuts in metallic spray paint that are in the hurricanes with candles.

lindsey got his first REAL christmas tree. we had so much fun stringing the lights and hanging the ornaments. still searching for a perfect star for the top!

chain gang.

(please excuse the low quality photos. it was early in the morning, ok?)

found an old silver chain necklace in a jewelry box of vintage jewelry this morning and decided to turn it into something that i would actually wear.


i took some black satin ribbon and "sewed" it between the chain links. and, voila:


i think i may try another one with a more fun colored ribbon than black. whatcha think?

saturday morning breakfast.

my roommate lindsey always seems to be cooking for me, so i thought it was about time to pay him back and get my tush in the kitchen. i tore out this recipe from the williams-sonoma catalog about a year ago and finally got around to making this breakfast tart.

puff pastry + gruyere cheese + bacon = deliciousness.

while the breakfast tart was in the oven, i also made some of these pesto palmiers with the left over puff pastry and stuck them in the freezer to bake tomorrow with dinner. i'll let you know how they turn out.

if only i was this domestic all the time...

christmas time is here (almost).

i am having a very hard time recently restraining myself from listening to christmas music. i usually try to hold firm and not listen to any carols until i have fully digested my yearly tryptophan intake.

but this year this little album re-released on vinyl at urban outfitters has really got me tempted to start listening now. a classic christmas album in the melloy family rotation.

it just seems appropriate to listen to the a charlie brown christmas by vince guaraldi trio on the turntable and bake christmas cookies. (so if anyone is looking to buy me an early xmas present...hint, hint...nudge, nudge)

the district.

just returned from an amazing trip to washington, d.c. to visit my sister and bro-in-law. they were wonderful hosts.

i had lots of fun having them show me around their new city.

if forced to rate the weekend, it gets a 9.99 out of 10.

open road.

just drove back iowa yesterday. watched the sunrise over the open road. it was a great way to end a great weekend spent with loving family and friends.

highlights of the weekend:

holding baby will while he slept in my arms.

making grandma's molasses cookies with dad.

getting some quality sister time.

walking our pup teddy with my mom through the fall leaves.

independent woman.

love the most recent photograph brought to us by 20x200.

just makes me think of a young, strong, independent woman taking on the big city.

tres jolie, non?

music to my ears.

the weather has finally changed here in saint louis and so has my music.

whipped up a new mix cd for those chilly, sunny days of october that i love.

throw on some tights and boots and head outdoors to enjoy these beautiful crisp fall days.

bt's fall mix 2009:

dinosaur on the ark - the very best
sunshine goodtime - minnutes
strange overtones - david byrne and brian eno
1901 - phoenix
moth's wing - passion pit
samba de mon coeur qui bat - coralie clemente
sweet disposition - the temper trap
you and i - wilco
lisztomania - phoenix
sunny sunday - leona naess
pulling our weight - radio dept.
beautiful - goldfrappgideon - my morning jacket
it's cool to love your family - feist
now and always - david gray

it's cookie time.

i tried out this recipe for salted shortbread cookies maybe two weeks ago....and think i between then and now i have made about 5 batches.

so easy and so delicious. salty and sweet, just how i like it!

takes less than 10 minutes to make, not including baking time. great with coffee, tea, wine and pumpkin ice cream!

lonny, lonny, lonny!

dear domino lovers,

our prayers have finally been answered. many of the collaborators of domino have yet again joined forces and produced the new lonny online magazine. find it here.

it is almost as fantastic and inspiring as domino itself. my only criticism is i want it in print!

i am now thinking about painting all my furniture white...

check it out and thank me later.

much love,
b

citygarden

the other night one of my girlfriends and i went to a cardinals game to see the cards dominate the brewers. on our way back to the car i finally checked out the new citygarden in downtown saint louis.

two full city blocks in the heart of downtown designated as a sculpture park. it was incredible, can't wait to see it in the daytime. definitely worth a visit next time you are downtown.

smash.

recently heard about this store in des moines, smash, that has hilarious iowa t-shirts.

this one may be my favorite.

that's right. don't meth with iowa!

in case you can't read this -- it says, "iowa: wave next time you fly over."

pumpkin spice and everything nice.

pumpkin spice latte is baaaaccck!

even though it is supposed to reach 80 degrees today, this morning at 7:45 and about 63 degrees you better believe i was sipping on one of these. oh, the first glorious signs of fall!

image courtesy of starbucks.com

provisions and libations: napa valley

tomorrow katie and bryan hit napa on their trip across america. again, unsolicited i thought i would throw my two cents in from my trip to sf/napa in june.

rubicon

we loved rubicon for its' atmosphere. owned by the coppola family, this winery had gorgeous facility and rustic italian feel to it. on the second story of the main building is display cases full of movie memorabilia from francis ford coppola's films.

st. supery

st. supery was a blast. they had by far the friendliest and most entertaining employees that love talking about their wine. this winery also had the best tasting white wines of the wineries we visited.

bouchon

my friend kate who is originally from napa had told me about bouchon a long time ago. this restaurant was beautiful with the huge bouquet of red gladiolus when you walk in the door. we just wanted a little food to nosh on and soak up some of the wine so we sat at their gorgeous zinc bar. the food was incredible -- highly recommend the mac and cheese, it was so rich and delicious. while eating a full meal there would rack up a high bill, sitting at the bar drinking more wine and a few appetizers is quite feasible and strongly recommended.

after watching "best thing i ever ate" the other night on food network, i wish i would have ordered their salmon rillettes. do i really know what salmon rillettes are? no! but it did look like rich salmon-ey deliciousness you spread on bread. katie, if you go here order this!

san francisco guide

i was recently looking through my pictures from our great trip to san fran back in june. it was probably the best trip that AT and i have taken together and we had so much fun spending quality time with fabulous people who make us laugh so hard.

my sister and bro-in-law are still on their great american roadtrip and an upcoming stop is SF. i thought i would offer them some unsolicited advice on AT and i's favorite stops in the city.

Tartine

kate and chelsey took us to this cute little bakery in the heart of the mission district. it was packed on a friday afternoon with people on coffee dates.

we ate the BEST bread pudding i have ever had with peaches and currants. great way to refuel after walking all over the city and also a terrific place to sit and people watch. we started to play "spot the hipster" but quickly realized we were pointing out every other person on the street.

Ferry Building and Taylor's

thank goodness i don't live in SF or else i would have dropped a ton of cash at the ferry building. a huge farmer's market in the back and a building full of interesting epicurean shops, what's not to love?

Taylor's, inside the ferry building, is a contemporary take on your classic burger and milkshake joint. high quality food including ahi tuna burgers, garlic fries and black and white milkshakes. perfect for lunch.

the buzzers also provide endless entertainment.

Valencia Street

valencia street has great shopping. curiosity shoppe was a highlight. i don't know how many times i have been to their website looking at their great products like mustaches on a stick and diana cameras. their small storefront lives up to all my expectations with clever posters for sale alongside tchotchkes like porcelain keys.

another highlight was 826 Valencia aka the Pirate Shop. (sorry for the horrible photo) 826 Valencia is a nonprofit store front that sells pirate themed products, such as; kitten gang planks, eye patches and medication for scurvy. all the profits support author Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia writing program --tutoring and empowering students with essential writing skills.

roadtrip.

you all have to check out my sister's new blog: On The Road Again

my sister and bro-in-law just quit their jobs and are moving to DC in september, but before they do that they are going on a wild west roadtrip and bringing us along through the blogosphere.


also, they are wanting to change the name of their blog and are having a contest. if you think of the winning name, you get a nifty souvenir from their travels.

ponies.

long time, no blog. returned from vacation this week. you will be see a whole lot more posts around here.

 had a wonderful time with my parents and some family friends on the outer banks. above is a picture of the wild horses that we saw on the north end of the island.

mash ups.

oh youtube, how i can waste hours upon hours perusing you. one of my favorite things on youtube to watch/listen to are mash ups.

first there was r. kelly + broken social scene = i'm a flirt 7/4 shoreline

(please ignore the scandalous video, i mean it still is r. kelly...)

then there was the police + snow patrol = every car you chase

but my all time favorite is this one:

radiohead + dave brubeck = five step

how can this not be amazing?!

what $10 bought me today.

today i had an hour to kill in between work appointments in the central west end.

ten dollars later i had:

1) a new book for my beach vacation next week

2) a midday cupcake date with AT.

fantastic day for two of my favorite stops in the CWE: left bank books and the cupcakery

twinkle.

one of the summer projects i have been working on has been a little backyard improvement. first there was the new grill, a few potted plants, then added some twinkly lights around the fence. linds added a nice wicker bench and coffee table. it's looking pretty good so far.

we have a growing mulberry tree in one corner that needed something. i saw these DIY mason jar lanterns over at renest and thought they would look great.

i made 6 lanterns last night with a little help from AT and will be collecting more jars to make more. no need for mason jars, i used just random glass jars i had been collecting. you can find the directions on how to make your own here.

or if you are not much into DIY, alyssa ettinger has there gorgeous porcelain mason jar lanterns that can be found here.

pb&j.

i've been taking a lot of pb&js for lunch to work lately. they are just so easy and delicious.

i've also been trying to cut down on the amount of plastic i use. i first found these at home eco on macklind ave. and then online and i think these little reusable lunch bags called lunchskins from 3greenmoms are too cute.


you can buy them here or here.

why jane anne rocks.

my mom and pops came down yesterday to help with making a stressful grown-up decision--buying a new car.

to ease the stress of making all these adult decisions, my mom suprised me with this wonderful gift to harness my kindergarten creativity.

charley harper coloring book! i love charley harper's illustrations and what better way to destress than to color.

you can buy the coloring book here and don't forget the crayons!

summer cocktail.

i have a new favorite summer cocktail from the wonderful matthew and patrick. they had us over for dinner the last saturday on one of the balmiest, stickiest t. louis nights and were perfect hosts.

after walking in the door i was happily greeted with one of these:

moscow mule

this is a perfectly refreshing drink for the summer. AT and i recreated it the other night and they were just as wonderful as the first time. the cucumber is really flavorful and makes it very summery.

M&P's Moscow Mules:
fill glass with ice
1 shot of vodka
splash of lime juice
fill rest of glass with ginger ale
orange slice
cucumber slice

after a little investigation, most people make it with vodka + ginger beer(not ginger ale) + lime. probably delicious as well, just haven't tried it.

perfect car + handbag...yes, please!

while searching for the perfect new car, i am beginning to realize more and more that i am in love with cars from the 70s. 

at the very top of my list is the amc pacer. yes, some people may think it's hideous, but i think they look so fun and retro.

and of course, if i purchased a pacer i would have to get the matching purse. check out these great bags by kim white. she takes vintage car upholstery and turns them into absolutely lovely bags!

this clutch is made from a 1975 amc pacer.