happy 4th of july!

Wouldn't you just love to bring a stunner like this to a 4th of July fete? Maybe next year *wink* Click here for the reciple if you're feeling very Martha Stewart-esque. Have a great time barbequing and watching the sparkly skies!

baby talk

Woke up today to the wonderful news that some good friends of mine are expecting a little bundle of joy very soon! I won't divulge the names here because I'm sure they'd like to spread the news themselves. I'm so so happy for them and the news sure puts me in the mood for dreaming up baby shower ideas. Marthastewart.com has this adorable baby bird shower theme that I so want to try out. I hope we land a great apartment so I can throw the shower there!

pretty baked

I haven't baked in yeeeears because the apartment I've been living in only has a convection oven and I have no clue how to use it. But we're trying to move really soon (if only I could find a place already, grrr!) and from the apartments I've seen in the East Village, I foresee having a proper oven in my future. When I do, you betcha I'm gonna make something fun using supercute items from Bake It Pretty. Realistically, I'll probably use the adorable baking cups they have, like the Poppy Designer Cups above. But I'd love to find a reason to get some stitched suitcases to carry baked goodies in or find the motivation to create a cake for these cool turntable toppers. Soon I hope!

happy easter!

I hope next Easter to contribute more to the family feast. Maybe something as awesome as these Bird's Nest Cookies, which involve chocolate cookies, coconut strips dipped in ganache, and miniature chocolate eggs. Maybe. This year I'm just going to pig out. Happy Easter and good eating!

egg on

Now I'm no Martha Stewart. The most Easter-related things hanging out in my apartment right now are dust bunnies, and that's reeeeally stretching it, doncha think? But I have dreams. I hope that one day I'll be together enough to have one of those hyperorganized and coordinated apartments we used to see on the now defunct Domino (*tear*). And I also hope to one day have the culinary skills and Bree Hodge-type compulsiveness to whip up extraordinary fetes. So, for those with inner Bree's dying to get out, some great Easter ideas.

I love these eggshell flower arrangements at Marthastewart.com. Cuts down costs because you need fewer, smaller flowers but so elegant!

These robin's egg placecards at Epicurious.com are too cute also. I'm not sure I would ever have the patience to do this for a party (I mean, I don't think I could even have one with assigned seating, much less placecards), but it's a really cute idea.

At Epicurious, there's also an Easter feast arranged by Colin Cowie from the decor to the menu. I can't even begin to dream about executing the menu but I looooove how he spruced up the table with the clever use of wheatgrass.

And now some lovely ideas for how to decorate Easter eggs. My favorites are these lace eggs at Marthastewart.com.
And finally, some fun eggs for the kids that Easter egg hunts were made for: bird eggs, ladybug eggs, bunny eggs and pig eggs, all at Marthastewart.com, of course.