The bebes are bound for their first beach today. And we get a little beach up in this too- Hoo-Ray. It has been way too long since I’ve seen sand much less an ocean, I’m so looking forward to it.

We’re headed to Siesta Key, Florida. Recently voted one of the best beaches in the land by Dr. Beach himself- apparently the nation’s foremost beach expert (who knew)- this beach wins awards all over the place, from tripadvisor to the Travel Channel. I grew up in Florida and have yet to step my toes into its award winning sand and thought that rather shameful, so I was inspired to plan an quick getaway.

I’ll let you all know if I agree with Dr. Beach. Happy Monday.

P.S.: Did you hear that this portrait of a topless Bea Arthur by John Currin sold for 1.9 million at a recent Christie’s auction? Painted in 1991, the Golden Girl never actually sat for the artist and it was controversial then and still is now. I kind of love it, I’m a big fan of Currin’s portraits and I think this is an interesting piece- it’s definitely a conversation piece. Whoever has this hanging in his or her house will have an instant icebreaker, “Bea Arthur Nude”- I mean come on.

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We served up a killer signature cocktail at our wedding back in ’08- wow it’s going to be 5 years  this year. We had our mixologist (aka the caterer’s bartender) create a lavender & lemon twist martini. We named it “The Contender” after our favorite scene from On the Waterfront. Watch the scene here- acting at its finest before Brando got bored with it. My bridesmaids all carried lavender in their bouquets and I used lavender, rosemary, some wild herbs and citrus (for my home state of Florida) throughout the ceremony and reception.

Our Contender was a big hit and I recently saw a similar cocktail recipe on A Beautiful Mess via Rue here. This recipe is almost identical to ours minus the limoncello- we just used the shaved lemon zest and a twist to infuse the lemon flavor. The zesty sugar rim really makes the drink and the lavender simple syrup recipe is the same. It was a beautiful light lavender color and a perfect summertime cocktail.

A Beautiful Mess’ similar Lavender & Lemon Martini:

Lavender and Lemon Drop Martini via A Beautiful Mess, makes 2. 

4 oz. vodka*
2 oz. limoncello
2 oz. lavender simple syrup (recipe below)
1 oz. fresh lemon juice

To make a citrus sugar rim mash together 1/4 cup sugar and the zest from one lemon. Dip your martini glass on to a shallow plate filled with water and then into the citrus sugar. Shake off any excess sugar. In a martini shaker filled with ice add the ingredients. Shake well and stain into two prepared glasses. Garnish with a lemon slice.

To make your own lavender simple syrup combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a small pot. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the water to a simmer. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon dried lavender buds or fresh lavender. Allow that to steep and reduce for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain out the lavender. If you want your simple syrup to be more purple in color add a little food dye.

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Bells are ringing and RSVP’s are lingering- put that stamp on it and send it in! What to get those lovely people in your lives who are tying the knot. You could just go off the registry- which they will undoubtedly appreciate- but if that’s not how you roll, here are a few things I thought were really beautiful, creative and fun.

How pretty and cool is this and what bride wouldn’t absolutely love it. Yes, you’ll have to figure something out for the groom because this isn’t exactly up his alley but she will adore it. What a beautiful way to remember and celebrate her bouquet. Lulie Wallace illustrates and creates commissioned renderings based on a photo of the bridal bouquet.

Create a custom crest for the lucky couple with illustrator Happy Menocal. I’m a big fan of her work and I think that her custom heraldry is just too much fun. What a quirky, beloved gift, and a great excuse to commission something from this talented artist. I want one.

Go old school and personalize some hostess linens but with a twist. Mark & Graham‘s typographic linens are stylish and fun. I love all the fonts.

A few fun pieces for the bar. A champagne tub for all that celebratory bubbly, his & hers old fashioned glasses, a topsy turvy swirly decanter and a classic ice bucket from Tiffany & Co.

Personalized stationery- all from etsy, all pretty and modern.

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What do you think? What’s the best wedding gift you ever received?

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Today I’m couch tripping in the land of the Baja’s newest sensation- the Valle de Guadalupe- a killer wine country led by pioneering winemakers churning out some terrific juice and serving it alongside innovative eats. It sounds more like California than Mexico. But this is the Baja baby and winemakers like Hugo d’Acosto have arrived equipped with years of experience in France, Italy and Napa, determined to make a name for Mexican vino. As if I’m not already totally geeked out, add this hotel to the mix and I’m sold. Faux ticket bought, faux reservation made and I’m off.

The lobby and winery are the first things you see upon entering the hotel. Talk about dramatic- well done, Endémico. To top it off, they hand their guests a glass of their house wine upon arrival. Ok, I know this is a simple and small detail but man does it go a long way. If I ever own a hotel, I will be passing out drinks all over that lobby. Nothing makes a weary traveler happier than a fresh, free cocktail or copa di vino.

My shoulders drop just looking at these photos.

Here’s what I’m packing:

All I want to do on this couch trip is traipse around in fabulous caftans and dresses with great heels (thank you Emerson Fry for dressing me on this faux vacay). I’ll read Bruce Berger’s travelogue about the Baja and throw on my floppy straw hat poolside in my one piece- ha, sounds good, right- all the while sipping on local vino from the region like this little beauty:

Cin Cin!

Hotel Endémico, doubles from $167

{Images from Hotel Endémico}

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A few things for mom that are all about her. I would love any of these things and wouldn’t allow myself to buy any one of them (except for the soap- which I LOVE- nothing like a coffee scrub first thing in the morning). Brunch is always nice too.

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I’m also loving these cute custom cards from Scout and Whistle. I love the grandma personalization too.

A nice bouquet, a beautiful card and maybe breakfast in bed or brunch at her favorite place are always a winning combination. And if all else fails, get her a spa treatment. You really can’t go wrong with one of those.

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I thought this was kind of fun. A rendering of some chic shelf styling by artist, Bella Foster. I saw her illustration and then found this shelf styled by Emily Henderson. They resemble each other and I love the idea of Foster’s illustration- a still life for the styling set. You can buy the print here. Here are 22 shelf styling ideas from Real Simple.

I took this photo at an amazing vintage and antique shop in Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue last summer in Provence. These amazing objects were just sitting on the shelf perfectly styled like so. Thrown together, they’re perfect. You couldn’t style anything to look this cool, I love the horse head in the vase. If you are headed to Provence, you absolutely cannot miss the Sunday market in Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, 3rd only to Portobello Road and Paris’ Les Puces de Saint-Ouen Market, this is not your everyday flea market. It is a tastemaker’s paradise. Design folks come from all over the world to peruse, find inspiration and buy at this market. The shops that line the South end of town near the train station are kind of mind blowing. Oversized vintage metal desks and clocks, petite club chairs with just the right worn in patina- it’s the kind of stuff that you see Restoration Hardware and ABC Home try to knock off, sometimes successfully, but there’s no substitute for the real artifacts. I pretty much drooled my way through town.

If you spend the day in Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, make sure you make a reservation for a long, blissful lunch at Daniel Hebet’s Le Jardin du Quai. Maybe one of the best lunches I’ve ever had- honestly. Dine outside on stone tables while partaking in some seriously divine French food and wash it all down with a local rosé. I love their wine glasses so much, I tried to buy them but alas, no sale. I settled for these instead- pretty cute.

{Image: Emily Henderson’s shelf: TeriLyn Fisher}

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Jane Birkin in the kitchen with her kids. I love this.

Happy Weekend to you all! We’ll be Amtraking it back from NYC to hang with the grandparents CiCi (aka my mom), Papa Jacques (aka my father-in-law) and the bebes. We’ve got lots of fun plans- brunch at DC’s Tabard Inn, (this place eludes me, got a rezzie a month in advance) another wine class at Grape + Bean (love these guys: this time Brunellos and Super Tuscans including Casanova di Neri- y.u.m.) and a day trip to Annapolis to visit my niece who is studying at St. John’s and partake in some Maryland crabs at Cantler’s Riverside Inn. It is action packed- just the way I like it.

A Little Link Love:

This Brooklyn hotel looks amazing, love the signage.

Talk about a conversation piece. This DIY runner makes for some good table talk.

Sign me up for this wine tasting weekend in Bordeaux!

Suffering from insomnia or just can’t get back to sleep after your little one wakes you? Apartment Therapy names this the most relaxing song ever.

I love these metallic storage bins.

This photo of this darling bambina inspires me to become a better photographer.

This new Sundance Channel show created by Ray McKinnon of Deadwood and from the producers of Breaking Bad sounds interesting.

The stock market gets spooked by social media, this is a little scary.

A mango and strawberry paleta in Tulum- yum. If you’re not headed to Mexico anytime soon, make your own. The Pineapple-Chile paleta sounds fab.

Make your own sparkling herbal water or infuse your still water with Jaime Oliver’s quick and easy recipes.

I’m so DIY’ing this updated take on Julia Child’s pots and pans pegboard in my next kitchen. Love the grey paint with the bright white shadows.

And ok, I just had to include this. This is the most insanely ridiculous thing I have ever read and now heard. Read by Michael Shannon, this is the letter that the University of Maryland sorority present actually emailed to her sisters. What. Is. Happening. This chick needs a hobby. WARNING: big time profanity.

Cin Cin and Happy Weekend! What are you all up to?

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My May issue of Sunset Magazine arrived yesterday in the mail (yes, I still subscribe the old fashioned way) and I opened it to find my dream backyard- although the Ten/Houston family garden seen here is actually their front yard. A classic movie lover’s retreat- modern, efficient, comfortable, beautiful and so fun. Perfect for a Tuesday night viewing of North by Northwest on a summer’s eve (mom- you’ll have to be in town for that one!) or great as a backdrop for a blowout bash.

I had visions of scenes from our favorite films projected on the outside of the hacienda wall at our wedding in Taos. A torrential downpour interrupted that dream although we did manage to project those scenes inside, which was actually pretty cool. One of our all time favorite movie moments, that great subtitled scene from Annie Hall, below and my maid of honor Molly perfectly lit in the archway. I love this picture.

Back to the movie-lover’s yard at hand. I love how these guys made such great use of their space creating a comfy outdoor living room with clever storage and beautiful accents. The kids play their PlayStation on the outdoor screen as well. Hey, at least they’re playing outside. The family’s Friday night movie nights have made them lots of new friends in the neighborhood.

For those of us not ready to break ground on our movie gardens (let’s face it, I’m still an urban apartment dweller with no backyard to speak of), we can rent projectors, speakers and all the goods necessary to set up shop indoors or outdoors. If you’ve got a large wall and a dvd player you’re good to go, you can rent the rest at funflicks.com. Read the full story on Sunset Mag here.

{Images: Jennifer Cheung}

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I love this. I’ve been singing lots of Do-Re-Mi to the bebes lately. They love it (and so do I), there’s nothing like those Von Trapps to brighten your day.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I am going to see one of my ballet students in ABT’s Le Corsaire at the Kennedy Center- go Ryan- so proud of him. Otherwise, we are laying low and hanging out.

I heard this great 8 minute history on Johnny Cash’s recording career this week. A fun listen coinciding with the release of the his complete Columbia Records recordings- a 63 cd box set. I love the “If I Were A Carpenter” duet with June. P.S.: Who knew Johnny Cash was so into gospel.

Also discovered this new affordable art site, Buy Some Damn Art- gotta love the name. Since it seems 20×200 is closed (boo), I’ve been looking for new outlets to buy affordable art. This one showcases a small selection of rotating collections. Pretty stuff.

While we’re talking about art, I spied this post, a collection of art appreciators appreciating, on Miss Moss via Joanna Goddard’s Cup of Jo. A fun look.

And this is an interesting article on the power of talking to your babe. Worth a read. I like the illustrations.

{Image above via notetosarah tumblr}

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I am just loving these illustrations by Margaret Bloy Graham from Gene Zion’s 1956 book, Really Spring. These drawings make me swoon for springtime in NYC. We’ll be there come May- can’t get there soon enough. I love her drawings of the rooftop gardens and water towers. One of the first things I do when I get to the city is look up at those friendly water towers that dot the rooftops- the skyline from Houston and Lafayette is prime viewing- there are tons of them in all different shapes and sizes, each with their own personality. So pretty on a April evening.

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