i wanted to end this week with an image that’s been in my head, and on my desktop, for a few weeks now. it’s one of the beautiful outdoor tents at paws up, a beautiful wilderness resort montana that i’m hoping will be the location of our honeymoon this year, budget and weather permitting. i’m not normally a huge outdoors girl, but i think anyone who lives in a city can agree that sometimes the most relaxing vacation is the one that politely forces you to disconnect from the rest of the world, and this spot looks dreamy. i’m still looking for honeymoon recommendations over at the ms weddings blog if anyone has any suggestions, but in the meantime, i’m going to wrap up the week and keep staring at this photo, hoping to enjoy the view in person one day.
also, i wanted to make a quick note about the server change-i know a lot of you had a hard time loading the site earlier this week (i’m so sorry) because of the change but it looks like we’re mostly back on track now. if you have any remaining issues with the new server or your reading please don’t hesitate to email me. thanks so much for your patience.
i’m off to work on some fun budget-friendly content for monday so until then, have a wonderful weekend and check out the summary of this week’s highlights below- especially if you missed monday-wednesday because of server migration issues. xo, d*s.
I found Helen, aka “Tartelette“, on flickr one day somehow, I can’t remember, but I’m glad I did. Before I knew that a trained pastry chef was behind all the food in the images, I remember thinking that the food in was always way too perfect to be made at home. I’m not the only fan of Helen’s though, as she was recently named one of the world’s best food bloggers by the UK Times Online. Her blog Tartelette is enticing in every way, and we are so very happy she shared her bacon and onion tartlet recipe with us. Everything is better with bacon on it! (Vegetarians, don’t get too mad at me!) The beauty of the tart, however, is that you can make endless substitutions to suit your palate. The most important thing is to have an excellent crust, and Helen has provided just that! Enjoy! -Kristina
About Helen: I am Helen, a French expatriate living in Charleston, SC with my Irish-American husband. I have been here for over 10 years. After quitting a Ph.D in History, I became the executive pastry chef of a local French restaurant where I stayed for 6 years. I bake and cook for patrons either privately or during catering functions. My first pastry cookbook which will be released in Fall 2009 (Fleming Ink Publishers) for which I did the recipe writing, food styling and food photography. I am also a regular contributor to Desserts Magazine where I often write about the ins and outs of French traditional desserts like soufflés or macarons.
CLICK HERE for Helen’s recipe for Bacon and Onion Tartlets after the jump…
if you’re looking for something to set help set a modern, romantic table this weekend, look no further than jean pelle’s newest candle holders- dorit and joyce. these beautiful wooden holders join jean’s billie and tod candleholders and continue with her love of gold and white gold. i love the way the joyce candeholders have a bright white filling poured into the wood cracks. so fun. click here to check out the full collection and shop ($28-$50) online. [thanks, jean!]
living in recession times means i’ve had to shut off that part of me that says “ooh! that’s cute- where do i click to buy?” but today i’ve politely told the “don’t buy anything” voice in my head to shove it while i order one of these beautiful custom wooden address stamps from paperwink. justification #1: they’re only $18. justification #2: i need to write addresses for wedding thank yous at some point anyway. justification #3: they’ll save me time (and avoid using paper labels) when i inevitably am the one who ends up writing thank yous till my hand starts to go numb or fall off (whichever comes first). so currently i’m deciding between ’sunburst’, ‘telegram’, ’stars’ and ’slant’. which one will it be? i’m so excited. click here to check out paperwink’s full selection of address stamps. [thanks, darcey and tara!]
well hello, lovely cards on which i want to write everyone i know a note! i love a sparingly used flourish, and lord knows i love a good metallic ink/foil so these cards are right up my alley. sarah at truly smitten recently released these beautiful letterpressed notecards and now i’m dying to find a reason to send thank yous. maybe i’ll just hold on to them for after the wedding. in the meantime, you can pick up a set of 6 cards and envelopes right here for $18. [thanks, sarah!]
ps: for any top chef-ers who love carla as much as i do (hootie!), read this and get ready to feel your blood boil. casey is now on my you-know-what list. grrrr….this sponge is angry.
ever since design by the book wrapped, i’ve been obsessed with watching videos of artists actually making things. i know so little about certain materials and methods, that i find it fascinating to see how something so beautiful actually comes together. so i was thrilled to hear from ayumi horie about this cool video of her dry throwing a bowl (shot by joe lutton). the music is fun, the footage is upbeat and cool- what more could you ask for? oh wait, there’s a cute dog in it, too. now what more could you ask for? click play above to watch, or click here to watch on myspace.
and, speaking of learning about ceramics- the lovely amy adams of perch design is now offering classes out of her red hook studio. the goal of the first class is to teach basic mold making and slip casting. amy will cover the basics of ceramics (this is only about slip casting, not handbuilding or throwing) and no prior ceramics knowledge is necessary. by the end of the series you will learn how to make a two part plaster mold of an existing form and end the class with 4-6 finished pieces. the classes with be over 3 weekends (6 2-3 hour morning sessions). and amy will provide all the materials (except some glazes) and will fire your pieces. each class is $425 and will be capped at 10 or 12 people so contact amy here to reserve a spot.
Thank you to Grace and all the readers for a really nice week full of hand-lettering show-n-tell, I hope that you will come visit me at Miller Cormier and Oatmeal & Cinnamon.
