Jonathan Adler- new products and in the press

We were thrilled to see some of our Jonathan Adler pieces in two great magazines. House Beautiful loves the zebra melamine plate - we do too. There is also a dessert plate and really cool high quality plastic rocks and hi-ball glass to coordinate. His whole outdoor tabletop collection is amazing!

We also love the new Carnaby series. Elle Decor chose the set of three blue nesting trays. They are made from glazed porcelain and come as a set of three in blue or pink and orange. See also the fabulous new Carnaby mugs. The graphic design and color combinations are so retro and fun. My pick is the yellow / grey. I love that combination of colors. But the other two are quite awesome also!

Introducing Camp Cirrus

We would like to introduce you to our newest vendor...Camp Cirrus. They are a Swedish design company with great personality. They describe themselves as curious and friendly with a genuine interest in people and their everyday life. Their roots are from the Scandinavian design tradition, and their influences come from all over the world. They have been mentioned on some of the best design blogs such as:
decor8
Print & Pattern
Bloesem

Camp Cirrus carries accessories for you and your home. From Camp Cirrus..."We believe that our products appeal to those who want to add some colour and style to everyday life. These trays are laminated birch and the process to make them is truly crafty! All material is cut into squares and placed in a press. By heating and applying high pressure the printed paper and birch wood are turned into a tray. To get the soft edges and to improve resistance a milling-cutter is used. Wax is then applied to the edges to withstand washing. All this fantastic craftsmanship is taking place in a factory on the island of Oland in the Baltic Sea. We also believe that beautiful and practical things make us all a little bit happier."

Which is exactly why we picked them! Doesn't everyone want to be just a little bit happier? We are loving the Spring-ish weather in CT and can't wait to start entertaining outside. We're not sure about you...but we have kids in our houses, so we are always on the lookout for fun, bright (and child-safe) serving pieces!

At your next BBQ, why not serve your hot-dogs and hamburgers on a beautiful Camp Cirrus tray? Better yet, serve yourself breakfast in bed on the floral tray...what could possibly make you happier?

Designer Spotlight: Bailey Doesn't Bark

I've always been attracted to beautifully handmade pottery and of course I fell in love with the sophisticated work of Re Jin of the wonderfully named, Bailey Doesn't Bark. Her work is "inspired by memories, dreams and nature." She "strives to create simple yet uniquely witty designs to be enjoyed throughout everyday life." Since 2008, she has been committed to making eco and ethically conscious decisions from design to production. It is her intent "to inspire not only with my designs but with the philosophy infused in the production."

We love her mugs because there is so much thought that has gone into the making of them. These mugs are really pleasant to hold as they were designed with tea/coffee drinkers in mind. Re Jin did extensive research for two years to develop her idea of a 'perfect' mug. It was important to her to create a mug that would not weigh tons once adding the drink (like conventional mugs) and not be too fragile like many handmade fine porcelain wares, but look and feel completely organic and delicate. Re Jin said that "many of my customers have mentioned the positive difference they felt when drinking from BDB mugs. Some didn't even notice until they went back to their old mugs. Which I appreciate because I'd like the mug to be part of the drink and not something you notice or are aware of because it's clunky, heavy or too fragile to handle."

This video shows the making of one of her mugs. So much thought, love and care goes into the design and production of these pieces. It really makes it a special mug- one to cherish for years!

To Make A Mug - A Bailey Doesn't Bark Mug from Bailey Doesn't Bark on Vimeo.

New Acai necklaces and a great video

The Andean Collection has already been a great line for us and we think it's the perfect summer jewelry collection! We just got in these gorgeous five strand Acai necklaces in four colors- tangerine, sea green, light gray and multi and they are only $55! The colors are gorgeous and it is such an easy necklace to wear with a tee shirt, tank top, shirt or a simple summer blouse.

Acai (pronounced "ah-sai-ee") seeds come from the Acai palm which is found in the lush rainforests of South America. These trees grow predominantly in swamps and in floodplains and reach heights of approximately 45-90 feet tall. Small dark purple berries grow in dense clusters on the palm and each contains a single seed about .25-.4 inches in diameter. The fruit is harvested for food and is most often served as a beverage. It has gained global fame in recent years due to its high antioxidant and energizing properties. In addition, Acai leaves are used to make various handcrafts such as hats and baskets and Acai wood is often used in construction.

We found this video that beautifully shows the process of harvesting, carving and dying the seeds. You also see the making of the jewelry by the local artisans and then the end result of supporting and educating the community. There are no words but it is easy to see the joy the artisans feel in being able to support themselves. Learn more here. It's a lovely video that tells a wonderfully uplifting story. The more I learn about this company and Amanda Judge, the founder- the more I love it!

The Andean Project from Guru on Vimeo.

Chan Luu spring collection and cool video

We are heading to a tradeshow in NYC on Monday and thought you'd enjoy this fun video showing the set-up and breakdown of the Chan Luu booth. They are always one of the busiest booth and they have so many pieces to choose from, I can't imagine how exhausted everyone is after a show. It is pretty amazing.



We are also thrilled with the spring collection. They offered their well-known leather wrap bracelet but in new gorgeous colors - like turquoise, olive, white and bronze leather.




We loved the mixing of stones and gem colors. There are so many beautiful combinations, it's quite hard to chose! We love the wrap bracelet look with a plain white tee shirt or white button down shirt and shorts or jeans in the summer- simple and sexy. We also love their new fabric wraps with silver and gold nuggets.



The color combinations are perfect for summer and the lightness of the bracelet is so appealing. We of course could not resist the beaded bracelets in these three yummy colors. They look like candy, no? Coral, turquoise and jade. The beads are sewn together into a three rows that sit beautifully on your wrist and tie underneath. It's a modern, clean way to wear colorful faceted stones. We love!



And check out this great "behind the scenes" video of their spring 2011 photo shoot. It makes you want summer right now, right? It's right around the corner!

Jonathan Adler's new melamine tabletop!

Oh how we love Jonathan Adler's new melamine and outdoor entertaining tabletop- let us give you 5 reasons why we think this collection is quite fabulous!

Food Blogs, our mouth watering favorites!

Rarely do I have time to watch TV cooking shows but I do remember how much I loved them; cooking is truly an art and really enjoyable to watch. I also love perusing a good cookbook with beautiful photography and my favorite activity recently is reading food blogs. There are so many good ones; I picked 5 of my favorites. They are great to inspire you before a weekly shopping trip or before you plan a party. Because it's a blog, the writer has plenty of space to not just explain the recipe but also the memories the recipe stirs up of her childhood or of a family gathering. Food is such an important part of our culture and history and many of the blogs really express that. For the recipe choices, I focused on healthy dinners because that is when I do most of my cooking and I included one dessert that is perfect for May. Click on the photos or recipe titles to get step-by-step information on the recipe.

1. The Parsley Thief:
I met Katie, last year, working next to her at our school carnival's bake sale that she organized. Her blog has amazing recipes that are not only interesting but look delicious like her Guiness Beef Stew or Cranberry Bean Hummus and one of my favorites is Rigitoni with Zucchini, Sausage and Goat Cheese. Not only a great cook, Katie also has a design background so her photography is amazing. Her close-up (and beautiful) shots are so helpful. This blog also has a very easy to use index and printable recipes. I'll be making this Spring risotto this week!



2. Green Kitchen Stories:
I am not a vegetarian but I aspire to be one someday! I have certainly made in effort to drastically reduce meat (red meat especially) consumption in our home for health reasons but it sneaks in here and there. Green Kitchen Stories is written by a couple, David and Luise who love vegetarian cooking and who choose to refrain from eating gluten, dairy and sugar (not because of allergies but because it makes them feel better). I do believe that reducing these three types of food can help a person's health. I personally love bread and cheese way too much to be successful at that kind of diet! Luise focuses on the healthy eating, David is the vegetarian, food stylist and photographer. This a gorgeous blog with really delicious recipes. My favorite is the Morrocan Quinoa Salad. Talk about a hearty vegetarian meal!





3. Kitchn:
Yes, it's spelled without the "e." It is an amazing food blog (1 of 5 on the well-known Apartment Therapy blog). It was founded by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, wife to Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, founder of Apartment Therapy. This blog has great recipes, beautiful photography, kitchen tours, wine articles and articles on the proper tools needed for cooking. I go to this blog often. The recipes span from basic to fancy and in between. I cook a lot of fish (especially salmon) and I love this recipe, Salmon with Couscous and Cilantro Vinaigrette. I love their mission statement: It is for those who care about the quality of their food, and how it affects the health of themselves and the planet. It is also for those who want to cook more, but are shy in the kitchen. It’s a place to dive in deep, and embrace the joy of one of our basic needs: food.



4. Oh Joy Eats:
Joy Deangdeerlert Cho is the ultimate arbiter of taste! Her blog Oh Joy is just a delight to the eyes. She writes about interior design, stationery design, fashion, photography, jewelry and food. Her newish blog called Oh Joy Eats is dedicated to all things delicious (and pretty). She writes about restaurants she's been to, recipes she's made, great design found in the kitchen and my favorite, what she is currently snacking on. Her photography and recipes are fantastic. I was most interested in the Mini Spinach Dip Bowls as a great appetizer for a party (certainly not low-fat) but yummy looking!




5. Smitten Kitchen:
The creation of witty and intelligent Deb Perelman has received numerous acclaims since 2007 and I am equally smitten with this beautifully written and photographed blog. She is definitely fond of baking so if you have a sweet tooth, this is a great site for you. She is also quite ambitious with her kid-friendly cooking with her homemade pop tarts, oreos and whole wheat gold fish to name a few. I was most interested in this Strawberry Shortcakes Recipe because when I think of spring and summer, this is the kind of dessert I crave. Also, my husband cannot eat chocolate (a horror, I know) so this is a great dessert for him. Smitten Kitchen also has a very easy recipe index to use that is categories by food, cuisine, season and "freezer friendly" among others. Click on the pictures to see the whole step-by-step recipe.