I'd just about given up on my Pipette Ornaments, but then I had the idea to make them smaller- cupcake sized! Now they are delightful cake toppers. I'm quite enchanted by these little showgirls. Don't you think they'd be adorable on a bachelorette cake? (Or a Go Glam or Go Home Birthday Party?) You can snatch them up here.

Strawberry, Lace and Cream Delight (A Riff on the Sundae)

Since we had our exciting news about Summer in Vienna, I've been determined to use up the contents of our pantry, freezer & fridge. (Is it just me, or is throwing away food the worst part of moving?)

This riff on a Sundae was one of the happy results. It's a simple oatmeal lace cookie ( a cinch to make, it only took me ten minutes! I left out the corn syrup because I didn't have any and they were just lovely.) a little cloud of whipped cream and some local strawberries from the farmer's market. I liked the lace cookies sitting atop my vinyl lace place mats from Urban Outfitters. I guess I have lace on the brain lately. What's cooking at your house lately?

P.S) Any tips for using up lentils? I have boatloads of them and only a month to go.

A Lacy Leather Bag for Summer

I just saw a very chic tourist carrying this tote at the beach the other day. She looked so elegant in her giant straw hat and white tunic. One would think leather at the beach would be too much, but the metallic sheen with the lazer cut lace pattern over the top of it seemed right at home in sand and surf. I managed to track it down- it the Garnet Shopper from Ivanka Trump (who knew she was doing bags?). The last thing I need is another giant bag, but I had to share it. So cool! What's catching your eye lately?

Make Your Own Mini Frozen Tart Shells

Why? Because they taste a million times better than the store bought ones. They cost pennies to make. You can whip them out at a moment's notice for an instant quiche or mini pie. And they are a cinch to make.

Start with basic pastry dough. (I've already showed you how to make it here!) After refrigerating, roll out thinly- 1/8" is nice if you can get it there. For mini quiche, I used a round fluted cookie cutter like one from this set and muffin tins. (Having many options is nice because you can choose the best size for the tartlet you'd like to make. Also, you could use the assorted sizes to make these adorable "tiered cake" cookies.)

Handling as little as possible, (to avoid tough dough) pop your dough circles into the bottom of the muffin tin. I did not spray my tins with Pam since they have so much butter in them and shrink when you bake them, but they will hold your tins hostage in the freezer if you don't. Lesson learned for next time.

Gently shape the dough to the bottom of the muffin tin.

Use the tines of a fork to gently puncture the bottom of your tarts to prevent air bubbles.

Now pop these babies in the freezer. When you are ready for them, fill with whatever tickles your fancy (I sometimes do a little dollop of jam for an instant mini dessert, but you could also do vegetables and a daub of butter and caramelized onions, some chopped nuts and chocolate, a smidge of eggs, chives and cheese for a little mini quiche or bake them first and then pipe in a bit of cream cheese. Be inventive!) Bake at 350 for around 20 minutes or until golden & bubbling. Enjoy! (And be sure to let me know what you make!)

Quirky Easter Decor via Ukraine, Etsy & Ebay!

For my Easter decor this year, I decided pastels were passé. Instead, I snapped up an instant collection of vintage wooden Ukrainian eggs on Etsy and Ebay. I love the rich, saturated color palette- especially the black with pops of bold cobalt, fuchsia and red. I also nabbed a selection of funny hand painted egg cup people. (I do love anything figural for my tabletop!) I think they look quite funny in their little caps- like little Popes or the Queen's Guard. I've also filled the whole house with lilies thanks to a flower arranging class at Donkey Mill Art Center. (More on that soon!) Do you decorate for Easter? What's your favorite tradition?

Falling in Love with Scandinavian Design

This movie, this blog and this vintage cookbook top the very long list of reasons I'm dying to go to Scandinavia and soak up every last molecule of culture and design, but now I'm adding this bed too. It's solid, restrained, effortless and, well, quite pretty. (And made with reclaimed wood- Hooray!) We'll be stopping in Sweden for a few days during our European adventure, but I already know it won't be enough. What culture's design sensibility speaks the most to your personal aesthetic?

Gifting with Olive & Cocoa

Have you heard of Olive & Cocoa? I'm not sure how I ended up with their catalog, but I adore their beautifully presented collection of giftables. Here are a few of my favorite finds.

If you were in the midst of a grey period, wouldn't this box of pretty yellow candies be like a sudden burst of sunshine? Nothing like turning lemons into well, you know, a cliché that's too tired to type.

All their floral arrangements are a welcome break from the usual FTD horrors, but I particularly like this one with it's cacophony of texture and harmonious colors. It looks so fresh and clean- perfect for spring.
These champagne flutes caught my eye at once. They are the perfectly casual, but with touch of mismatched-mad-hatter-whimsy. (And they would double as darling bud vases for the wildflowers that should be bursting up in the woods any minute!)

What's your usual go-to for sending flowers or gifts?

Bed In for Fun!

A few weeks back E and I decided to pull out the sleeper sofa and have a Bed In, just like John & Oko. We spent the whole day in our pajamas, loafing on the computer, drinking champagne, reading magazines, and fiddling around on the guitar and being incredibly lazy. It was wonderful. Isn't it funny how doing one tiny thing out of the ordinary makes a day suddenly quite special? I can't wait for the next one. How did you spend your weekend?

Eric's Birthday Dinner

For E's Birthday this year, I prepared a Nelson Family classic: Sauerkraut & Dumplings. This recipe was Diane's Mom's. By all accounts, she was an amazing cook, and every time I make this dish I feel like I am paying her a little tribute. Though I never got to meet her, I've been able to taste her cooking. That is the marvelous power of food.

The secret to the sauerkraut is to cook it with a seared pork loin so that it gets tender and begins to caramelize slightly. The pork roasts for hours in those vinegary juices until it is moist and falling apart. The bread dumplings are made with bread cubes, egg, milk and flour and then boiled till slightly puffed and chewy.

Birthday boy digs in!

His birthday cake? German chocolate of course. I used a mix for the cake, but did the frosting myself. It was SO much better than the vile stuff that comes in a can- without that chemical aftertaste! I always tease him about how his entire Birthday dinner is a variety of beige. Comfort food is wonderful stuff, don't you agree? What is your favorite family recipe?

Giddy Giveaway! Win a copy of Martha Stewart's Special Occasions!

Hello Lovelies! It's been far too long since my last giveaway, so here's a lovely one to celebrate Spring! I'm giving away a copy of Martha Stewart's Special Occasions to one lucky reader.

This book is crammed full of ideas on how to create a special event, whether it's a wedding or a dinner for two. If you've been a fan of Martha's magazines over the years, this is a veritable Best of the Best.
A backyard graduation party.

This darling tea party wedding is one of my all time favorite. So unfussy and yet so elegant!

And who could forget this amazing beach party? Divine!

To enter, please leave me a comment telling me about a favorite special occasion and one of the details that made it so memorable. Please leave a thoughtful entry since I'll be picking my favorite comments to win. Don't forget to include your e-mail address so I can get in touch if you are the lucky winner! (No email, no entry darlings. I can't chase you down to give you goodies!)

Happy Commenting!

Becky

Easter Bonnet: A Celebration of Le Chapeau!

I think it's a shame that hats have been relegated to the beach alone. They are such a whimsical addition to a wardrobe. If you are hat shy, there is no better occasion than Easter (closely followed by Derby Day!) to try one out. Here is a collection of Easter Bonnets to get you inspired for Sunday! Vive le Chapeau!

This Medusa Print is quite elegant. (Don't you love the idea of tying a scarf underneath a hat for a bit of extra panache?)

A trio of cheery red vintage Hat Stands to display your collection like the works of art they are.

If you aren't brave enough to wear a dramatic hat, consult your reflection in this Pocket Mirror until you screw up your courage.

This Floral Hat is the perfect botanical specimen for spring. (It would look smashing with a pixie cut!)

I love the texture of this Woven Hat and the jaunty pop of the over sized pearl hat pin!

This Pink Cloche is perfection. Her modern smokey eye make up keeps it from looking too costumey.

Yellow Cabbage Flowers and tulle are a match made in heaven.

It's like a party- for your neck!

Are you bold enough to wear a necklace as wild as this one? I think I could pull it off- I've been so drawn to pops of coral red lately. (Also, it's on clearance and has the word "confetti" in the title. Sold.) What's on your wish list lately?

Poetry Corner: Gnostics on Trial

by Linda Gregg

Melon Print from the extraordinary shop Naturalist Collection.

Let us make the test. Say God wants you
to be unhappy. That there is no good.
That there are horrors in store for us
if we do manage to move toward Him.
Say you keep Art in its place, not too high.
And that everything, even eternity, is measurable.
Look at the photographs of the dead,
both natural (one by one) and unnatural
in masses. All tangled. You know about that.
And can put Beauty in its place. Not too high,
and passing. Make love our search for unhappiness,
which is His plan to help us.
Disregard that afternoon breeze from the Aegean
on a body almost asleep in the shuttered room.
Ignore melons, and talking with friends.
Try to keep from rejoicing. Try
to keep from happiness. Just try.

found via the always inspiring Writer's Almanac. Check out Linda Gregg's Books here.

Fezzes are Cool.

Fezzes are cool. Need more convincing? Check out my Fez collection! Add a smoking jacket and some velvet slippers and you're ready to relax. (I think it's the giant tassels that really get me!) Learn more about the history of the Fez here.

Book Report: Swamplandia!

Swamplandia! is the story of a family unraveling. They just happen to do their unraveling in the deep swamp islands off the coast of Florida in the midst of an alligator pit.

Swamplandia! is a tourist attraction in the swamp. Their mother, Hilola Bigtree, is the star of the show. She dives into a writhing green pit of alligators from a diving board night after night, emerging unscathed each time, until cancer rears it's ugly head and snatches her away from all of them with a stunning ferocity in a few short months.

This sends her family into a vortex of grief that none of them have the ability to talk about or deal with, especially as a group. Their father, The Chief, pretends that the park is the same and does his best to ignore the thinning crowds until foreclosure is pounding on their door. The oldest son, Kiwi, retreats into books about everything and anything and plans a secret escape to the mainland. The middle daughter, Osceola, finds a book about spiritism and starts holding seances in the swamp in the middle of the night and falls in love with a ghost. The youngest, Ava, observes all of them carefully and plans to take her mother's place as Swamplandia's champion alligator wrestler as soon as she is old enough.

As events unfold, each member of the family is separated from the others to undergo a painful and dangerous ordeal in order to realize that they do still want to be a family after all.

As I was reading, I experienced the same thing that often happens when I read fiction- especially current fiction- at first, I enjoy the story and the characters' thoughts, but as things build to climax something inside of me starts to cry "rat. rat. RAT!!"

Suspending disbelief is no problem for me- I love magical realism (from which this seems to borrow heavily) because it seems to offer a version of the universe where metaphors are tangible and beautiful. But when a writer falls in love with their own cleverness, I start to loose patience. Karen Russel does exactly that.

I felt that Kiwi was poorly drawn as a character. I know people who have grown up sheltered from mass culture- who are smart, but unevenly educated and totally out of touch with the shared experience of their peers. After a while, Kiwi just didn't jive for me. Every single emotion he felt was described and analyzed in a way I just don't believe. In my experience, even the most sensitive teen aged boys don't think that way. It's how girls think, maybe. I didn't have any problems with Ava's thinking or perception of the world. It made sense.

Secondly, There was an awful lot of plot crammed into one little novel. There were many moving parts and you could see the train coming down the track way ahead of time. (Kiwi just happens to be completing his pilot's license at the same moment his sisters happen to be lost in the swamp? This is the thing with fiction- it could certainly happen that way in real life. Stranger things happen all the time. But when it is the linchpin to the climax of a novel, I can't help but cry RAT.)

Also, having two narrators- one omniscient and one first person, created an unnecessary drag on a story already bogged down with plot and heart wrenching subject matter; grief, loss, confusion, isolation. Things are not going well for the Bigtree family. I'm not saying that a story needs to be all cheer and goodwill for me to enjoy it, but even misery has a way out. The whole thing felt soft and heavy- much like a swamp! (Perhaps I owe Ms. Russel more credit for creating metaphor than I thought.)

I thought this book could have lost several subplots to it's great benefit. The entire section with the grandfather and the Swamp Witch both spring to mind. When a writer falls in love with her own writing, there tends to be extra material for the reader to wade through.

All told, this was an interesting read, full of vivid details about life in rural Florida, loss and a family's longing for something better. While parts of it felt sloppy, the story was compelling and the characters were rich and complex. But I think I'll return to non-fiction with my next read.

What are you reading lately? Any suggestions?

Banishing the Blues: Five things I'm Digging Right this Second

As you may have guessed by the slow posting (and the melancholy tone of late!) I've got a little case of the blues. Nothing serious- it happens from time to time to us all, but I thought I'd write down five things I'm grateful for to banish them:

1) Thanks to our exciting news, I'm doing lots of daydreaming about cycling around Italy wearing a silk scarf and these shades. (Do you think they might mistake me for a local?)

2) A visit from my lovely Mum! She's the easiest house guest ever- perfectly content to sit in my sunny backyard, chit chat with me, cook up lovely nibbles and stick her toes in the sand.

3) I've been watching Jamie At Home thanks to my tivo and am crazy, madly in love with him. Everything about it is wonderful- his relaxed, confident style, the gorgeous ingredients, the extreme close ups of that gorgeous food moving and gooshing around on the plate, looking so alive and succulent, his slight and adorable lisp, his hobbit hole of a kitchen with bundles of herbs hanging from the earthen walls and mismatched crockery- even his preposterous hair- I love it all. I can't wait to try a few of his recipes.

4) I've just had an order for 20 Dachshund Party Dogs for a birthday bash in a few months. Doesn't that sound like a fun celebration?

5) I'm loving the instant collection of wooden Ukranian Easter Eggs I scored on Ebay. Their electric color palate pops against their shiny black shells and looks both traditional and radical at once. No pastels in sight!

Wanna play? What are you feeling gratitude for right this second?

The Journey Continues: Summer in Austria!

Hello My Dears-

We have news! Eric has won a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to study Mozart in Vienna, Austria this summer! We are busy making preparations and trying to decide how this trip will fit into our plans. We are hoping to make stops in Italy and England as well.

He applied for two grants but this one is feeling more and more like a match made in heaven. Eric spent a year living in Frieburg Germany in college, and has some (rusty!) German language skills. This program ends just before the Hawaiian school year starts up again (in late July, quite soon really!) And he is constantly tinkering around on various instruments around the house- over the years he's learned to play songs on the accordion, guitar, ukulele and piano.

And for the perfect cherry on top, our local Kona Music Society is celebrating Mozart with a special screening of the excellent film Amadeus this weekend and a performance of Requiem in May. Is that a sign or what?

I am so proud of my husband's ability to seek out and capture opportunities for growth. I have to confess, at times I feel anxious about what will happen next and can't see how it will all come together. I am learning to worry less by staying present in the moment, but I still feel doubt sometimes. He is steadfast in his faith in himself and continues to teach me what it means to have confidence in the journey. Congratulations my love and thank you for sharing this crazy adventure with me.