October 31, 2006

happy halloween

monsterToes
look. monster toes. gross.

ingredients: cocktail wieners, 6-inch tortillas, ketchup, toothpicks
directions: heat the oven to 350 degrees. cut a wedge into the end of each cocktail wiener to make a toenail. cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. discard the ends. soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for 10 to 30 seconds. roll each wiener in a tortilla strip and secure with a toothpick. bake for 7 to 8 minutes. remove them from the oven, then fill the toenail with ketchup. remove the toothpicks before serving.

image and recipe from familyfun.com.

October 30, 2006

missing napkins

napkins
last week i spotted these adorable kerchief napkins at anthropologie. they're perfect for the wedding gift i'm putting together ... perfect color, perfect pattern ... perfect! trouble is, now that i'm ready to order, i can't find them! where did they go? why did i wait? aargh!

update: they are in the sale section. snap!

October 27, 2006

season's tweetings

seasonsTweetings
amy ruppel has out an entire line of christmas cards! i so know what i'm sending this year! they are precious, go see!

ps ... mark your calendars: amy's next online sale is set for friday, november 10. perfect timing for christmas gifts!

images from vigo cards.

October 26, 2006

calgon?

dreamBath
i so lost track of time this morning playing with the kohler design & create dream bathroom tool. wow. anyway, gotta run. eddie's got to go use his dream bathroom now ... the park!

October 25, 2006

sugarboo

sugarboo
atlanta's own rebecca puig (lucky atlanta!) is the mastermind behind these beautiful heirloom-in-the-making sugarboo photoboxes. sized nicely at 20x20x2 inches, the boxes have the most amazing, heartfelt quotes ... 33 to choose from ... and each hand-crafted, hand-painted piece can be finished one of 18 different colors. can't you feel the love?

image from sugarboo designs.

October 24, 2006

the thrill of the hunt

wendyMartin
i first saw the work of wendy martin earlier this summer, but at the time i did not know it was her. tripper and i were at a party and the hosts had an amazing painting hanging in their living room. they didn't know who had created it, only that they had purchased it from a former scad student.

so, i started my hunt. i went to the scad store in buckhead, which is pretty fantastic by the way, and tried to describe the painting i had seen. a few days later, i got a call with two possible names and a web address. i immediately went to check it out. as soon as i clicked on wendy martin, i knew it was her ... the composition, the colors. it was definitely her. hooray! unfortunately, there was no contact information. deflated, i did a fully exhaustive google search for wendy. no luck. i called back scad and they gave me a name of a gallery, the red gallery, in savannah that may be able to help. i talked to the lovely clare there and she told me she would investigate. a few days later she called me back. she had contacted wendy! a week later she sent some samples of wendy's pieces and i fell in love with the one above. oh i wish you could see her work in person ... so glossy and thick. true talent! anyway, the piece was already sold. *sad*

but, it turns out wendy is working on a whole series of new paintings and should have something to show in about a month (which is great because i definitely have to save up). i can't wait to see how this turns out! thank you so much to the two girls at the scad shop as well as clare at the red gallery. i'm so excited!

image © wendy martin, courtesy the red gallery in savannah, ga.

October 22, 2006

pinny

pinny
the second piece of our amy ruppel collection ...*pinny* ... has arrived. hooray! he makes the perfect companion for the sweet little chickadee in our first piece, called ice treasure. i love him so much. thank you, amy! pssst ... when's the next online sale? i'm hooked!

anniversary flowers

daisy
yesterday afternoon the doorbell rang and a man was standing there with a bunch of flowers. yay! they were from tripper's mom and dad for our anniversary. double yay! thank you so much, mom a and papa ger. they are lovely ... just like the gardens at the bellagio looked two years ago, the ones kit decided to nap in.

flowers

October 21, 2006

October 20, 2006

lulu's friends

luluFriends
i just signed up eddie to be a friend of lulu. fun!

image from mitchell gold + bob williams.

the baby bunch

babyBunch
this bunch of blooms is actually baby clothes! how cute is that? it's the perfect present to help new mums and dads get through baby's first few months. onesies, t-shirts, socks and bibs all rolled up into one beautiful bouquet. in pink and blue from wishingfish.com.

image from wishingfish.com. ps ... congratulations s&j!

October 19, 2006

got your number

5
i love this story ...

"lisa salzer had the good fortune to come across the original bronze door numbers, circa 1907, from [the legendary plaza] hotel rooms while seeking antique pieces to incorporate with her lulu frost jewelry. knowing that people would love a keepsake from the hotel, lisa bought the room numbers and incorporated them with antique chains and pearls, fashioning them into striking and poignant necklaces that allow a piece of the legendary plaza to be kept close. it is said that the numbers were about to be thrown away by the carpenters working on the renovation, but were salvaged at the last minute."

thank goodness for you, lisa!

image from barneys new york.

October 17, 2006

hooked.

fish
i got my first holiday e-mail today ... yay! and from anthropologie! i'm saving up the posts of all their super cute things, but couldn't wait to share these woolen koi ornaments, "splish-splashed with beads."

boo-yeah!

ghosts
it's scary how cute these little ghosts are! filled with hazelnut and dark chocolate ganache (yum), they are hand-dipped, then wrapped in a sheet of white chocolate (double yum). order from garnet hill by october 23 for delivery by halloween.

image from garnet hill. tip from kit. thanks, loof!

who cares about the stormy weather?

umbrella2
it's days like these ... wet, cold and gloomy ... that you wish kate spade made umbrellas. guess what? she does! kate spade's clear stick umbrella will have you singing in the rain in no time. available at neiman marcus. the day is looking brighter already, no?

image from neiman marcus.

2

great news!! i came in second place in the decor8/fabulous stationery workspace contest! yay! a huge, heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted for me! xox.

big picture

bigPicture
last week i got an email from daily candy announcing young photographer matt haffner’s new public art exhibit in atlanta. over the weekend, tripper and i went looking for it. matt's film noir-inspired wall art, adhered grafitti-style with wheat paste to building exteriors all over downtown and midtown, is hugely fun and a great way to spend a sunny saturday afternoon. you definitely need a car (and by car, i mean convertible), as the installation locations are not exactly pedestrian-friendly. tripper and i found three. next time we'll bring the map.

October 16, 2006

apartment therapy: store

it seems all the great design blogs are doing it. first design*sponge opened its fantastic shop and now apartment therapy has joined in the fun! check out the new apartment therapy store! snap!

no. 7: sold!

no7
i am so excited, i could pop. i sold my very first piece of artwork. to whom? i have no idea. for how much? i don't know. it was sold to the highest bidder (i'm so excited there was a highest bidder!!) on thursday night at a charity auction at the fox theater benefitting crossroads, an organization that helps the homeless of atlanta. i wanted to share earlier that i had been asked to donate, but i was too nervous! anyway, i'm so pleased my piece has found a home and that the proceeds will go to help an actual person find a home. happy day.

© copyright holly allen 2006.

swizzle factory fabulous

swizzleFactoryCoasters
i got the nicest present in the mail this weekend ... carbonated coasters from swizzle factory in red & cocoa dotty stripes and cocoa swirl (my personal favorite)! thank you so much, sherri ... i absolutely adore them. *yay!*

ps ... aside from having the cutest name ever, swizzle factory has some of the cutest products around. take a tour of the factory right here and while you're there, be sure to check out their collection of gumball notes and other cards as well as the coasters and tees!