it’s rare that i get a chance to post about two of my favorite things- design and food- in the same post. but today i’m thrilled to share an interview that not only combines both, but celebrates the idea of following your passion and turning it into a reality.

many of you know lindsay laricks from her work with brady vest at hammerpress- one of the most popular stationers around right now and a key member of the kansas city design scene (you might remember their sneak peek, too). in addition to her work with hammerpress, lindsay has been working on a side project which has now become a full-fledged business that combines her love of food, travel and organic farming.

fresher than fresh is lindsay’s fantastic new gourmet snowcone business that brings fresh, organic, natural treats to people via a customized (and painfully cute) 1957 shasta trailer. inspired by her own organic garden, lindsay started experimenting with flavored snowcones as a way to indulge in one of her passions- food. after testing out some really unique combinations like agave hibiscus, clemen*thyme, and blueberry sage, she decided to take her treats on the road and has been met with rave reviews ever since.

for me, lindsay’s new business is all about discovering what you love and finding a way to make it a reality. her story is both inspirational and relatable so i thought it would be fun to ask her a few questions about how she got started and what the process of starting her own business has been like. so i hope you’ll enjoy our interview and check out lindsay’s new snowcone business, fresher than fresh, right here. and if you’re lucky enough to be in lindsay’s neck of the woods, stop by her truck and have a snack. and don’t forget to say hi to snowie, her adorable mascot that sits on top of the trailer changing colors throughout the night.

CLICK HERE for lindsay’s full interview or just click “read more” below. [photography by sara farrar]

when it comes to cakes, few design them as well as elisa strauss, creator of confetti cakes in new york city. our summer intern christy kolar compiled a list of female entrepreneurs she wanted to interview this summer and elisa was at the very top of the list. so last week we jumped on the subway and headed over to confetti cakes‘ studio on the upper west side of manhattan. as someone who is about to get married, i’ve read my fair share of wedding magazines and elisa’s life-life sculptural cakes are always in the pages of modern bride, martha stewart, the knot and in style weddings- to name a few. in addition to being incredibly enthusiastic and a joy to talk to, elisa was kind enough to sit down with us to record a two part podcast to talk about her life, her business and keeping everything in balance. she even sent us home with delicious treats and a delicious cookie recipe to share on the site. so i hope you’ll enjoy part one and part two of our interview- thank you to elisa and everyone at confetti for letting us in on such a busy cake-making day and thank you to christy for arranging and conducting the interview. [photo above by rose callahan]

if you’re not familiar with elisa’s work here are a few links that might come in handy:

• elisa’s website and cake gallery
• elisa’s blog
• elisa’s books: the confetti cake cook and confetti cake for kids (out in november)
• don’t forget elisa’s recipe for chocolate cookies!

[image above via InStyle Weddings]

Part One: Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes (10 Minutes)

Part Two: Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes (11 Minutes)

[images above, left to right: Pink and Chocolate Embroidery cake via New York Weddings; Stiletto Cake with Shoebox by Alexandra Rowley]

i’m always thrilled to find out any of my favorite actors or actresses are secretly design-obsessed like i am. so i was excited to see a new ‘style compass‘ column on 1st dibs yesterday about the actress rachel griffiths. you may remember her most recently as brenda on hbo’s six feet under (i still think she should have ended up with nate over that quaker chick) but as it turns out- she’s a huge modern design fan. rachel put it best when she said, “it’s so much more exciting to think about dressing a room than dressing myself.” i couldn’t agree more- especially when you look at the photos (shot by richard powers) of her beautiful home. click here to check it out.

[stay tuned for a new product guide at 12 and two new city guides at 11 and 1pm]

kristina at three layer cake traveled to venice to visit designer kiki van eijk (i have a major girl crush on kiki- she’s the coolest). the result of their meeting is a fantastic interview you can check out right here. great work, kristina!

a while ago i asked you guys for some questions to ask designer kelly wearstler. well, everything finally came together and i’ve posted her full q+a (using your questions) interview right here! it was fun to see which top design contestant she’d let design her house (hint: it wasn’t the designer who won), which decade she finds the most influential and what she has to say about her fashion choices for top design. click here to check out the full piece. thanks to everyone who contributed questions!

i really enjoyed opening up the jay jeffers podcast to reader questions so i’ve decided to expand on that notion with a series called “15 questions with…”. i’ll be inviting some of our favorite designers to take place and answers questions that you ask. once a designer is introduced the comment section will be open for you to leave questions. next week i’ll be featuring designer todd oldham. todd hardly needs an introduction so instead i’ll open the floor for questions you might have for him. he’s done just about everything when it comes to design (product design, interiors, graphic design, photography, etc.) so feel free to ask away. i’ll choose my favorite 15 questions and hand them to todd tomorrow with answers running next week. have fun!

jonathan adler was kind enough to answer a few quick questions for me (including his favorite color combos) on injecting color and personality into your home. you can read the full piece right here- as always he’s full of great quips and a few thoughts on sanjaya’s ponyhawk.