Keep Dreaming...

By Natalie

With so many different decorating styles and personalities out there, it’s always a bit of a surprise to find someone whose aesthetic tendencies match almost exactly with your own. That’s how I felt when I stumbled upon one of Apartment Therapy’s recent articles featuring Margaret Roach’s Upstate Garden Home. I have to say, my initial surprise and delight upon finding these pictures were almost immediately replaced with sheer, all-consuming envy.

Can someone please tell Ms. Roach that I would like to own her house, and all of the things inside of it? I could offer her about $100 for the whole thing, which I happen to think is a pretty good deal.

Sigh.

While I keep dreaming, check out these photos which came from the Apartment Therapy Website. If you’d like to see more, and read a little about the place, click here. Hope you enjoy it!

The Girl…

by Emi

If you’ve been living in a literary cave for the past year or so you might have somehow missed hearing about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It is actually a series of three books, the other’s being The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. The author Larsson was Swedish, so the books were translated from Swedish and take place there as well. Larsson actually died shortly after delivering the three books to his publisher, Random House/Knopf. The books are centered around two characters Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Bloomkvist. Salander is a young, super petite, “alternative” living, social outcast who specializes in computer hacking and private investigating. Bloomkvist is a respected middle aged investigative journalist. The stories are a mix of mystery and thrillers. Each book is around 600 pages, and can be a little dense at times, but overall are very entertaining. They are a great “summer/beach” read, or perfect with a cup of coffee (you’ll understand that reference if you’ve read the books). I’ve been lugging my copy of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest on the train against my better judgment, but now I’m too engrossed in the story to not use my hour of train reading everyday on it. Books two and three are not continuations of the first plot line, but having the background knowledge of the characters and their relationship is helpful when reading the other books. Also I think you need to know the first plot because you won’t be sympathetic to the characters without it. I’m currently 1/3 of the way through the last book, and I know Natalie starting reading the second book recently..

I don’t want to get into the plot because it can be rather complicated, and I don’t want to give anything away, but if your intrigued you can start with the movie version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is a foreign film in Swedish now streaming on Netflix. The movie is pretty close to the original story, leaving out some of the slower parts of the book. You won’t recognize any of the actors in the film unless your quite familiar with native Swedish actors, but the movie is good. The plot is a little twisted, so if you’re the sensitive type, maybe this isn’t the story for you, but I would give it a shot. Soon Hollywood is going to remake the first movie. I’m really hoping it doesn’t suck as much as the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Both of those Dan Brown books were super entertaining, and in theory should be great movies, but it just did not translate. I’m already skeptical about the supposed casting of Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth is supposed to a super petite, flat chested, black haired, goth dressed girl with lots of tattoos. I thought the Swedish actress was pretty spot on, but I’ve heard rumors that they’ve casted Carey Mulligan, who is a cute little English rose, and doesn’t look nearly tough enough for the part. I’ll wait to pass judgment until I see the film because as well all know a little bit of costume and make up can do wonders with a great actor, but as is usually the case, the films are never as good as the books. So my suggestion is read it! It’s better than watching reruns on TV.

Looks like she would have a dragon tatoo...

Doesn't look like she would have a dragon tattoo...

Italy.

by Emily

This summer seems like a whirlwind of weddings, humid days, long hours at the office and very little downtime. And suddenly I've found myself going to Italy next month. We have no plan to speak of, and it's terrifying, yet exciting. We're going to Rome, Florence and Venice. I'm scrambling to figure out what to see, eat, and experience since it will be my first trip there. Any suggestions? All of this thinking makes me hungry...

Photos courtesy of avasfoodcritic.com and myrecipes.com

My New Obsession

by Natalie

I recently discovered the website called ModCloth, which specializes in retro and vintage style clothing. Oh my god. I am telling you, I have wasted literally hours falling head over heels for almost every piece of clothing they have on their site, especially the dresses. Here are some of my current favorites:

One of the best parts of this site is that they update their stock constantly, and there are always new goodies to find. The only downside? I don't really need any new dresses! You all should buy some, so I can live vicariously through you.

If I can do it...

by Liz

I came across this wonderful summer dessert idea a couple weeks ago and can't begin to express how great it is. You are well aware I am a dessert fiend, so when I find something a little bit healthier than the norm, I fully embrace it.

Banana ice cream! With only one (or two) ingredients!

Basically all you do is cut up bananas, freeze them, then dump them in the food processor and you have a tasty treat. There are even step-by-step instructions here for those of you who like me, lack the required skill sets to cook like a normal person (they even specify that you should peel the banana first).

Naturally I put WAY too much peanut butter in my first batch so I'll have to give it another go this weekend. Seriously though, you should really try this. It rules.

(Photos by The Kitchn)

For Future Collecting

by Emi

If you’ve read one of my previous posts, then you’ll already know I’m really into silkscreened posters and screen printing. I like the craft of printing, and I like the generally modern playful subjects. For Christmas this past year I even gifted a beautiful bird collage from Natalies' sister's BF Kevin, aka Art Arracht, and another random silk screen artist I found at the Union Square Christmas Market (who's name I shamefully don't remember!). This past weekend though while going through my usual blogs I noticed some really beautiful and fun prints from some really talented illustration artists. I also came across some beautiful book collaborations for Penguin Books. I would love to start collecting some of these art prints to mix up my poster collection, but I’ll probably have to build some more walls first…

Anna Bond "Hat Collection"

Jim Tierney "King Azaz"

Jim Tierney "Cheese Lover"

Stan Chow "Headless"

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Part of the Penguin Hardcover Classics
Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith

My One and Only Tribute to Frankies

by Emily

If you live in NYC, and tend to read food blogs/publications pertaining to local eateries, you've most definitely heard of Frankies Spuntino. Conveniently enough, my boyfriend resided in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn for two years, so we had the pleasure of eating at their Brooklyn establishment on occasion.

I like Frankies. I do. Do I LOVE Frankies, like everyone else seems to? Mehhhh....I tend to be more enthused by menus that actually change, and incorporate more of a seasonal approach, with varied ingredients.

There is something to be said, however, for their appreciation of really basic, enduring dishes. And one of the more memorable things I've had the pleasure of eating over the years is their tomato sauce.

Recently, they published a cookbook of their recipes for avid fans and devote patrons who just can't seem to get enough. Luckily, I don't need to buy it to get the one recipe that my boyfriend and I garner as a simple, yet show-stopping dish.

Behold Frankies' Tomato Sauce, which we patiently "mothered" for 4 hours over medium heat, and then sealed into jars for the coming months.

Love This Look

by Liz

Remember that time I posted about how much I love the simplicity of a French woman's style? Just scratch that, because I'm all about this look. I love the piles of jewelry. It somehow works, the trench tones it down just enough. My only concern is that I'd manage to look like a little girl playing dress up instead of awesome like her.

Check out her ring! Just like the one I posted a few weeks ago.

(Photo by The Sartorialist)