Moon + Jupiter

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My husband and I enjoyed a fun trip to Dallas, and now we’re both back into the whirlwind of work before Christmas.  I’m swamped at work, so just one post for the week... this is an Instagram photo of the moon and Jupiter that I took last night.

A few notes:

I am incredibly excited to have a few orders of my first Minted design trickling in.  A big thank you to my first crop of “official” customers!

I didn’t participate in Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but did decide to treat myself to a lovely Instagram calendar by one of my favorite photographers, Alice Gao.  Twenty-five percent of November purchases will go to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is my favorite holiday.  I realize that Thanksgiving is followed by Black Friday and what is essentially the official start of holiday shopping madness, but for me this day still feels stripped down to the things that truly matter – being grateful for my wonderful family, my friends, and the good fortune that I’ve had in my life.

The photos in this post are from “Philly Thanksgiving” that we hosted back in 2010.  It was a fun and delicious potluck (pre-actual Thanksgiving) dinner with a group of good friends.  The flowers are an arrangement that I bought for the dinner.  I asked the florist for something that felt autumnal, and even two years later, I think she captured it perfectly.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

A Dressed-Up Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and I thought I would kick off the week with some inspiration for a fancy Thanksgiving dinner party, spectacular letterpress invitations and all.  I’m not usually drawn to blush colors, but recently I found myself Pinning one pale blush image after another, and this inspiration “board” came together in my mind.

Image sources:
Paper Love: woven paper & Balzac cards
Decor: wine, garland, balloons, & table setting
Dress: BHLDN regalia & chrysanthemum  

Seeking Calm

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it feels like the holiday season is officially in full swing.  The end of the year always feels a bit frenzied, and I have to remind myself to take a few moments to relax and clear my mind.  I love the bright, serene feel of the room below.

Image source

Happy weekend!

On the Menu | 1

I enjoy cooking, and wish that I had more time during the week to prepare our dinners.  While I’ve been trying to gather new recipes that are “quick and easy,” it’s still fun to dream about more complicated, involved meals.  Below is the first in a series of dream menus that I’ll be sharing with you on the blog.  I’m hoping to make the crispy brussels sprouts with garlic aioli tonight!

Sources:

(1) elderflower champagne cocktail

(2) crispy brussels sprouts with garlic aioli

(3) spinach gnocchi

(4) chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting

Snaps: Snowfall in the City

We’ve been subjected to quite the stretch of extreme weather here in New York City.  It was a bit difficult to comprehend a snowy nor’easter so soon on the heels of Hurricane Sandy, but this past Wednesday arrived with a hefty dose of wind, rain, slush, and snow.  It made for a cold and slippery, yet beautiful (I love the atmosphere of the first image), walk to the Roosevelt Island tram.  I had to pause to snap a few iPhone photos along the wintry commute home.

Happy weekend!

Vote

On this Election Day I hope that all of you who are eligible will go out and vote.  I still remember the excitement and pride I felt when I was able to vote in my first Presidential Election.  The election was during my sophomore year of college, and unfortunately, I had missed the deadline to request an absentee ballot.  However, not voting was not an option, so I made the trip back to my hometown (luckily in the same state) to cast my ballot.  This year, I will be at my polling place bright and early before heading out to work.

For New Yorkers who have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy, Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an executive order that allows individuals to vote by affidavit ballot at any polling place (however, only the Presidential and US Senate races will be on the ballot).