Of a Kind

Of a Kind is an online shop dedicated to finding and showcasing up-and-coming designers.  The site offers exclusive items in a limited quantity that ranges from 5 to 50 pieces.

Below are just a few of the cool items still available for purchase.  Better hurry up though, because once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Double Crystal Studs by Better Late Than Never



Fade Out Necklace by Cursive Design



Universal Striped Leather Vest by Veda



Trails Rucksack by Dusen Dusen
 
{images via Of a Kind}

Anthropologie's New Wedding Line

Last Monday (Valentine’s Day to be exact), Anthropologie launched their new online wedding shop called BHLDN (“beholden”).  The shop features everything you need to be in, or attend, a wedding from gorgeous dresses to shoes to accessories.  If you thought JCrew’s wedding line was impressive, wait until you see what BHLDN has to offer… totally swoon worthy!  The details are exquisite!   





{images via BHLDN}

papier mache

I have just recently discovered yet another amazing online magazine, called papier mache, a childrens magazine like no other.  In existence since May 2009, the magazine is produced in Sydney by The Convenience Store.  It very much has the crewcuts vibe to it (or possibly it’s vice versa), children as super stylish miniature adults.   





New online magazines seem to popping up pretty often these days, and it’s a very exciting time for them and for us the readers.  Here are a few more online publications you should check out.  Any other recommendations? 

• Lonnie
• Sweet Paul Magazine
• Anthology
• Adore Home Magazine
• Covet Garden
• Rue Magazine 

Oh and if you’re tired of spending a fortune for your favorite paper magazines (particularly the cool foreign ones like Living Etc. that run you $8.99 a copy), you should check out Zinio, where you can purchase a digital subscription for a fraction (ex: Living Etc. is approx. $2.68/digital issue) of the price you pay at the bookstore.  I’m not being paid nor do I know anyone who works for Zinio.  I do however want to be helpful when I can, and this is an excellent opportunity to save money and save paper.  Not to mention saving yourself from an unintentional appearance on an episode of "Hoarders", if you're like me and are continually adding stacks of magazines to your already existing stacks of magazines.  Yikes! 

{images via papier mache}

It’s Been Awhile

It’s been too long really.  But I haven’t forgotten about you.  There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about blogging.  I love it, and I love being a part of, and contributing to, the blogging community.  It’s just that work has been so crazy that I had nothing left to give at the end of the day (some very looong days at that), and well, weekends are for living out there in the world away from a computer…necessary more so now because I don’t see much of it during the week.

I don’t know if things will get better.  I certainly hope it does, and I certainly need it to.  Blogging is something that gives me immense pleasure, and I don’t intend to walk away from it.  It’s not a chore.  It’s something I do just for me.  That other people might enjoy it is the candle on the birthday cake.

So I’m back writing again.  Today anyway.  What have I been up to?  Well there was a big Super Bowl party that we threw for 20 or so of our friends and friends of friends (I must remember to post my vegetarian chili recipe someday… always a hit).  A trip to Tahoe while trying to recover from the flu, a trip to Ukiah to visit my family for Valentine’s Day, and after a long wet and chilly week, a weekend of cooking.
 
Last night I picked up some meyer lemons at the store and made the Lemon Cream recipe from my Tartine cookbook, which is one of my favorites (the book and the recipe).  I’ve been using it as a topping for my nonfat greek yogurt today.  The lemon cream isn’t tart, so it’s actually a nice balance to the tartness of the yogurt.  Try it, you’ll love it (and if you’re feeling really indulgent, you can throw some granola on top as well). 
 
Another recipe I made last night was an adaptation of Martha Stewart’s Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bar recipe.  Instead of cookie bars, I decided to make a tart.  I had made the bars before, but they were too messy to eat with your hands, and cutting them into the bars was no easy chore either.  However I loved the recipe, so I decided to make it work for me.

I followed the basic recipe, but instead of putting it into a 9in square pan, I put it into a 9in round tart pan (this left about a cup of the chocolate-caramel that didn’t fit in the tart pan, but I can just mix into some homemade ice cream later).  The other change I made was to top it off with chopped salted peanuts instead of the sea salt called for in the original recipe.  I love the extra crunch added by the nuts, and they had just the right amount of saltiness to them for that salted caramel taste.  



{Image by me}