Happy Weekend dear readers. ‘Tis the season for apple cider donuts. I might try my hand at these little beauties handmade by Smitten Kitchen. Or, I might just pick some up at the Del Ray Farmer’s Market on Saturday, they are awfully good. I hope you are all off to a fun weekend. Any big plans? My hubby is out of town this weekend on a writing retreat so I’ll be hanging solo with the bebes. This part of the country is loaded down with fall festivals galore at this time of year (seriously, it’s kind of out of control)[…]

  

Let’s talk shelter. Have you heard that Domino is back? Woohoo. Michelle Adams is taking over the helm at the editor’s desk which explains her sly exit from Lonny, the online shelter mag that she founded with Patrick Cline. That’s her pictured above in her official announcement to the world via Instagram. Domino will be published quarterly at $12/an issue which has already generated criticism from folks like Design Sponge’s Grace Bonney, who told the New York Times she wished the magazine was “more substantial” at that price tag. There could be a conflict of editorial integrity as the magazine[…]

  

It’s time to get your pumpkin on. I’m a big fan of the bright orange gourd and love making pumpkin bread, pumpkin fudge (sans marshmallow creme) and may need to try my hand at these pumpkin bars. I don’t have the patience for precision, so proper baking tends to elude me but things usually turns out pretty tasty whether that 1/3 cup of brown sugar was precisely measured or not. If you all have any favorite pumpkin recipes, please send them my way. Now to the sip at hand, I’m enjoying a few different pumpkin brews as of late, specifically[…]

  

We headed out to Arcadia Farm in Alexandria this weekend to partake in the feast and wonder that is, Outstanding in the Field. I’ve been swooning over images of this touring outdoor dinner party for years and this year we decided to treat ourselves. We met some fantastic new friends and dined in perfect weather among the greens, beehives, chickens and ripe produce of the farm. The Arcadia leg of the Outstanding tour has showcased the culinary talents of Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac of DC’s Birch and Barley for the past three years, this year being their three-peat. We[…]

  

For My Arm: The perfect fold-over clutch by Clare Vivier. It’s backordered but worth the wait. For My Dopamine Levels: Fruition Dark Milk Chocolate with Fleur de Sel. For My Couch: Vintage Kilim pillow by Leif. I love these colors and am a sucker for anything that sings of the Southwest. For His Feet: Julius Snuff boots by Peter Nappi. For My Feet: Cross-Buckle Booties by Seychelles- I am the proud owner of these supe- comfy-go-with-everything booties. {Images: clutch- House in the Hills, chocolate- James Ransom} Related posts:Notes from the WeekendHappy Weekend!Thursday Thrift

  

Ha. Ha. Modern day mean girls. Happy Weekend dear readers. I hope you all are off to a spectacular and fun-filled fall weekend. We are heading out to the Outstanding in the Field dinner at Alexandria’s Arcadia Farms this afternoon. I have been wanting to do this for a few years now and we finally decided to treat ourselves for our fifth anniversary. The guys from DC’s Birch and Barley (yum) are headlining the event with Chef Kyle Bailey and Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac at the helm- we’ll be in good hands. This particular dinner features a craft beer pairing[…]

  

It’s no secret that I love a brushstroke and a splotch… and a drip and a blot. But I also love a dot, especially the polka kind and especially when it comes in watercolor form. Yao Cheng is busting out some seriously pretty polkas in her new series appropriately titled- you guessed it- Dots. I spied her work on one of my favorite affordable art sites, Buy Some Damn Art. Ms. Cheng is going places. A RISD grad, she has recently set up shop where she creates abstract, floral and landscape designs as well as custom calligraphy. Visit her here.[…]

  

When one of my best girls sent me photos of her recent birthday dinner, I knew I had to share. This is not your ordinary birthday dinner folks. Nope. But it can be- and that’s why I wanted to post. My girl Kristen’s friends asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she told them: “An outdoor dinner- friends, husbands, babysitters, candles, potluck style”. So these girls joined forces to create a spectacular evening for Kristen on their neighborhood beach in Rowayton, Connecticut. Now let’s talk about Rowayton aka Pleasantville, as I like to call it. This place is[…]

  

I love the painterly thing- maybe because deep down I’m really a frustrated and unrealized abstract painter. I don’t know, I’ve never shown any talent and I’m certainly not studied but I do love a brushstroke. I’m dreaming of my future garage/shed/artist’s studio that I”ll furnish with my giant easel and paints so pretty I’ll want to eat them. In the meantime, I’ll settle for a splotch or a drip from a more skilled hand, especially when it’s blotted on something other than a canvas. That wallpaper is killing me- it is duly noted and pinned to my bath board for[…]

  

How pretty is this little breakfast nook. Those doors and that fixture- so simple and pretty, I could manage my cup of coffee and morning emails at that table. Happy Weekend to you all, dear readers! I hope you are all off to some fun and festive fall activities. We going on a fall family vacation with friends to a Dirty Dancing-style resort in West Virginia. I CAN NOT wait. A full report and post to come. What’s in the planning for you all? A little link love and a few things that caught my eye: 1. A D.J. school for babies-[…]