Instagram

Do you instagram? Like most new social media things, I was slow to warm up to it, but the other day I thought why?  I love taking pictures, I love looking at other people's pictures and I really only look at Facebook for pictures.  Done... I'm now an instagrammer.  Not that this will replace my beloved DSLR, but the iPhone really does take great snapshots, especially in daylight, and it's just so convenient.  Here's a few from our weekend at the Farm, which are also now on the Tallulah and Vidalia sidebar if you want to follow.

Summer Cocktail Party

With summer unofficially here and officially right around the corner, I would love to slip into this dress and accessories for an outdoor cocktail party!



dress Halston Heritage Printed Stretch-Silk Dress // shoes BC Footwear Green Eyed Monster in Pewter // earrings Impero Drops // bracelets (top to bottom) J Crew Enamel-Stripe Crystal Bangle, Collection Martha Bracelet, Triple Stripe Bracelet // handbag Rebecca Minkoff Lizard-Embossed Leather Envelope Convertible Clutch

Weekend Recap: Memorial Day at the Farm

We had a wonderful long weekend at the Farm for Memorial Day.  Thanks so much to the tireless efforts of the men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces, we were able to enjoy an extra day off. It was a relaxing weekend thanks to all of Mom and Dad's preparations.

There was lots of this...


 
Followed by some intense games of Rack Rummi.


 
Taking a break from cocktails on the backporch to catch the early evening light.


 
And then doing what you do in the country-- target practice. We had some newbies with us who wanted to shoot. We're definitely safety first and Dad is the ideal teacher. Thankfully, I still have it and didn't embarrass myself. As Andy said, he better watch out!


 
Enjoying some of Dad's famous margaritas before taco night (and not just any taco night... might as well be at a taqueria in Texas... so good and authentic!).
 

 
And of course, cocktails on the screen-porch after dinner.


 
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Random Round-Up: Memorial Day

top Madewell silk dotty tangent tank // shorts Theory Yanima striped cotton-blend shorts // polish Essie Really Red // party flag Oriental Trading USA Flags // shoes Tory Burch Emmy Demi Wedge // plates Caspari Red Stripe Boarder Paper Plates // napkins Caspari Blue Stripe Boarder Paper Napkins // flatwear Bamboo 20 Piece Set at Cambridge Silversmiths // glasses Jonathan Adler Ikat Highball // bbq Petty's BBQ featured in Garden & Gun // cooler Crate & Barrel Picnic Cooler

Inspired by... Lindsey Ellis Beatty

This is the week of the banquette! I guess this isn't technically a banquette, but a good way to get the look without anything permanent. I have always loved this space by Lindsey Ellis Beatty. This stays true to the "inspired by..." concept as it's obviously not a "copy cat" of the space. All of the sources for the inspiration space are on Southern Living's website. Below is what I pulled together using the original space as inspiration. If I were re-doing our apartment, I would definitely incorporate this look into our omni-room!



inspiration image Designer: Lindsey Ellis Beatty // Photographer: Laurey Glenn // Styling by: Anne Turner Carroll // Featured in: Southern Living // pillow fabric Metropolitan in Azalea at Lewis & Sheron Fabric and Quadrille Zig Zag // chair fabric Schumacher Kiribati Ikat Print // curtain fabric Fioretto Sprout // sconces Thomas O'Brien Bryant Sconce at Circa Lighting // settee West Elm Elton Settee // dining table Ikea DOCKSTA Dining Table // dining chairs Marais Side Chair at Home Decorators // placemats Kim Seybert Beaded Placemat // flatwear West Elm Gold Flatwear

Potato Salad for Those That Don't Like Potato Salad

I'm not exactly sure when we came up with this recipe... I know it was when I was living in Dallas and Andy was in DC because I knew he liked it when he emailed me asking for the recipe. Success!


 
Potato Salad

Red New Potatoes
Regular New Potatoes
Red Onion
Fresh dill, lots of it, more than you think you'll want
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Wash the potatoes and cut them into bite size pieces. I like mine in bigger chunks rather than smaller pieces but to each his own. Also, I don't peel the potatoes, I leave the skin on. Put the cut potatoes into enough salted, room temperature water to cover. Turn the pot on and boil the potatoes until they are just fork tender-- don't over cook. Drain.

While the potatoes are cooking, slice the red onion into very thin slices. Next, make the vinaigrette. Wash and roughly chop the dill. In a jar or container with a water-tight lid, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, red onion, salt, pepper and dill. I do 1 part Red Wine Vinegar to 2 parts Olive Oil (i.e. 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar to 1 cup Olive Oil). Use as much dill as you want, but since it's the primary flavor, make sure you use enough! Shake until combined. Taste the vinaigrette to make sure the seasoning is right.

Pour the vinaigrette over the warm potatoes and toss to coat. Refrigerate overnight and test the seasoning the next day. Adjust accordingly.

Leftover Tip: the potato salad is delicious roasted in the oven or in a skillet and served as a warm side dish!

Banquettes

When house hunting, some have on their "must-have list" an upgraded kitchen or new bathrooms but not me... all I ask for is a spot for a kitchen banquette!



clockwise from top left // one Eco Eat-In Kitchen featured in House & Home May 2008 Issue // Photographer: Donna Griffith // two Benjamin Dhong Interior Design - Mill Valley Renovation // Photographer: David Duncan Livingston // three Darcy Miller Nussbaum's Kitchen featured in Architectural Digest // Architect: David Mann // Photographer: Nikolas Koenig // Produced by: Robert Rufino // four Annsley Interiors via La Dolce Vita




clockwise from top left // one The Dunmore // as previously blogged about here // featured in Coastal Living // Photographer: Tria Giovan // Interior Design: Amanda Lindroth // two Spectacular Dining Room Display // Designer: Les Ensembliers // Photographer: Jean Longpré // Source: Maison & Demeure November 2010 Issue // three Dining Nook featured on Nest Egg Blog by Rachel Halvorson // four Kate & Andy Spade's Apartment // Photographer: Todd Selby // Found via Sacramento Street




clockwise from top left // one Orrick and Company // two Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy // three Ken Linsteadt Architects via Houzz // four Charming Country Dining Area // Designer: Moutarde Design // Photographer: Jean Longpré // Source: Maison & Demeure December 2009 Issue  




clockwise from top left // one House & Home via Pink Persimmon Tumblr // two Jamie Meares of Furbish Studio // three Casual Dining Area // Designer: Emma Kenley // Photographer: Ashley Tonner // Source: House & Home October 2011 issue // four Style at Home Editor Erin McLaughlin's Home // Photography: Virginia Macdonald // via Black&Eiffel via la belle vie

Weekend Recap

I needed this weekend.  I'm one of those bizarre people who relaxes by getting things done at home, catching up on to-dos and as I used to say "clean my room".  We had a relaxing weekend last week in Florida but I still needed a weekend at home to regroup and that I did.

It was a perfect spring weekend in DC with the perfect weather.  Andy and I took our dinner outside to the rooftop on Friday.  I was trying to use what we had in the fridge so it was pasta with pesto, mozz and roasted cherry tomatoes.


 
I walked to Georgetown to do some errands on Saturday. It's so nice to walk a route that I drive almost everyday because you notice things that I usually take for granted. And I could snap picture of two of my favorite houses.
 

 
On Saturday we attended a lovely reception for some friends who married in California last August. In honor of the groom, the boys wore purple... not planned beforehand!
 

 
And brunch at District Commons with the crew on Sunday... the Pig Plate! I asked the waiter about it before I ordered and he said "I don't really get it, it's just biscuits, butter and ham. Apparently it's a southern thing." I said "I'll take it and a side of grits." It was perfect.

The Sock Bun

Knowing that Andy would immediately put the top back on our convertible as we headed down I-95 for an hour drive, I needed a sturdy hair 'do.  Enter the sock-bun.  It's a remarkable thing that can turn a puny ponytail into a full and glamorous bun!



Click on the picture above to go to the tutorial on Three Pink Dots where I learned to do the sock-bun (photos by Sarah Baker Photography).  If it doesn't work for you the first time, just try again.  I tried a few times, quitting halfway through the process thinking "this isn't going to work" but if you just keep rolling, eventually it does with no bobby pins needed!

Weekend Recap

Note to self-- start taking pictures again! I don't know what's gotten into me but my photography is certainly lacking. We had a great trip to Florida this weekend! Andy's friend Mark and his wife Lisa were our gracious host and hostess at Mark's parents' house in Palm Coast. The weekend was filled with perfect weather, delicious cocktails, fun with new friends and of course, a trip to the spa! We started the trip off right by renting a convertible which was better than I expected. I could get used to 75 degrees, sunny and zipping around in a convertible!

Beach Style

We're off to Florida today-- time to kick off summer! Wish I was packing this outfit in my bag!


 

Cover-up: Tory Burch // Hat: Gap // Swimsuit: J Crew
Towel: Lacoste // Tote: Rebecca Minkoff // Sandals: Sam Edelman

Monograms

Not much of a weekend recap this weekend, but that's not to say we didn't have a great weekend!  Just means that I must get back into the habit of snapping photos.

Not sure if it's my southern upbringing or what, but I do love a good monogram, especially on linens. We have some linen, hemstitched napkins from our wedding that are just waiting on me to decide on the perfect monogram.  I love how Kevin Sharkey has the same monogram for his linens-- such a cohesive household look!  And then there's Leotine Linens.  I die. Will have to start saving for those now...



 
TOP LEFT: Kevin Sharkey's Apartment // featured by Martha Stewart // photo by Paul Costello
TOP RIGHT: Leotine Linens - Rayford
MIDDLE LEFT: Leotine Linens - Addison + Grace
MIDDLE RIGHT: Elizabeth Bauer Design // via La Dolce Vita (our initials!)
BOTTOM LEFT: Matouk - Mirasol
BOTTOM RIGHT: Kevin Sharkey's Apartment // featured by Martha Stewart

Boat Style

The Easter Bunny (yep, the Easter Bunny still visits me... actually now two Easter Bunnies!) brought Andy and I each a pair of boat shoes for a little happy this year, and I think I've found a new obsession. They are quite comfy and perfect when you need a pair of closed toe flats. I anticipate and look forward to many days on Dalliance and of course I want to be dressed appropriately! Before the true swim suit season is here, here's an outfit that would be perfect for an afternoon on the boat.

Top//Madewell Fairgame Rugby Shirt Shorts//CURRENT/ELLIOTT The Boyfriend

Boat Shoes//Sperry Top-Sider Women's Authentic Original Metallic Boat Shoe 

Sunglasses//Kate Spade Lulu P Boat Bag//LLBean Waterbottle//Camelbak

Dalliance's Maiden Voyage

What's the saying? It's great to have friends that own a boat, just as long as it's not yours.  Well, does it count when it's your parents that own the boat?  Mom and Dad recently purchased a beautiful wooden hull boat. This has been on their want-to-do list for years... ever since they sold their sailboat after sailing it from the Chesapeake Bay to the Bahamas, long before me! Hopefully it will give me the opportunity to learn a thing about boating as my lack of boat knowledge (it's a whole different language in there) is quite an embarrassment to them!

A few weekends ago, she went on her maiden voyage (at least for the new owners).  Dad needed to move her from Tolchester, Maryland to the boatyard where she's being beautified in Oxford, Maryland.  After a snafu with the captain that was supposed to help Dad with the journey, Andy and his best friend Ben were tagged as first and second mates.  While I dressed the part in my new boat shoes, my duty was on dry land... driving the car from Point A to Point B with Mom.



 
Thankfully Ben knows a thing or two about boating (that's an understatement) and Andy was more than willing to learn. As they set off, I think they were both a bit surprised when Dad declared that this was his first time taking the boat out! At this point though, he had navigated his way out of the harbor which involved quite a few turns so I think he'd earned some confidence.



 
Mom and I cruised along, making a pit stop for some crab cakes and outlet shopping before greeting them upon their arrival in Oxford.  Doesn't the front deck just look perfect for sun bathing (with SPF 50 for me, obviously)?





 
As you can see in the first picture, her current name is Miss Priss although a renaming ceremony, complete with champagne will be held to rename her Dalliance, in honor of Mom and Dad's sailboat.  But that didn't stop Dad from saying, "maybe we can save some money and not get a new transom.  When someone asks about the name I'll just say, 'I named her after my daughter'". Hmph!

And a few instagrams from the journey courtesy of Ben.



BTW, did you know that snafu is really an acronym for "Situation Normal, All F'd Up"?  I certainly didn't until I just googled it to make sure I was spelling it right.  Per Wikipedia the acronym, "dating probably before World War II, Oxford English Dictionary defines it as 'an expression conveying the common soldier's laconic acceptance of the disorder of war and the ineptitude of his superiors'. It began to enter the everyday American lexicon shortly after the war." Lesson of the day.