Yesterday morning when most people were enjoying an omelette or a Bloody Mary, I was making Beef and Mushroom Ragu With Pappardelle. Then photographing it and having some for breakfast. Because it’s what I do.
Pappardelle is my favorite pasta, but unfortunately all of Oklahoma City seemed to be out of stock and I had to settle for some serious linguine instead. All in all a very easy dish that would be perfect for a quick weeknight meal. I’ll definitely be making it again, probably doubling up on the vegetables and leaving out the meat since I don’t eat a lot of the stuff. (But if you are a beefasaurus here are 10 recipe ideas for ground beef.) You can check out Simply Stated for each day’s recipe and blog relay member, and say hello to my friend Kristin who writes it!
As a blogger opportunities occasionally come along that are so unbelievable that you literally stop and say out loud to yourself, “Do they have the right person?” And that’s exactly what happened when I was asked to be a member of Electrolux Design Lab‘s jury for their 2012 global competition taking place in Milan, Italy October 25th.
This year marks the competition’s 10th anniversary and challenged contestants to come up with a new and exciting way to engage our senses. The ultimate goal was to draw inspiration from professional experience creators (chefs, architects, interior designers, hotel designers, etc.) to design home appliances that will provide a fuller sensory experience. No small feat.
Ten finalists, who are industrial design students or recent graduates, have been invited to present their concepts to the four-person jury of Henrik Otto (Senior VP of Design for Electrolux), Davide Oldani (founder and chef of D’O Restaurant in Milan, Italy), Dante Donegani (Director of MA in design Domus Academy Milan, Italy), and myself. We’ll be judging the designs based on intuitive design, innovation, aesthetic qualities and consumer insight. First prize is a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design center and 5,000 Euros. A second prize of 3,000 Euros and third prize of 2,000 Euros will also be awarded. Not too shabby, right?
You can read full descriptions of each finalist on the Design Lab site, as well as see the list of 30 finalists before they were narrowed down. Stayed tuned for more up-to-date information as judgement day rolls closer!
This reversible collar necklace is inspired by geometry, versatility, and a subtle but whimsical color palette. Side A features hand-dyed silk and brass shapes cast from vintage pieces of glass from the Art Deco period. Side B features buttery soft lambskin and simple geometric pieces of brass. It’s a piece with many option as to how it’s worn and in that sense, can go with everything. Cursive Design is about creating playful and clever pieces of jewelry that can move with a woman’s ever changing wardrobe.
We showcased our necklace, along with the four other pairs of bloggers and designers and their creations, on the rooftop of the Mondrian SoHo last Thursday during New York Fashion Week.
The Bauhaus Leather Gown is made of leather, mesh, and jersey. The readers of Design Milk voted on the material and art movement which became the inspiration behind the design. Out of the five designs sketched, the Design Milk readers voted the Bauhaus Leather Gown as their favorite. While researching the Bauhaus era, the paintings of Moholy-Nagy resonated and inspired the creation of the gown.
Neon (Ne) is born in the night sky’s exploding stars. One of the universe’s most abundant elements; it is one of the rarest found here on Earth. Yet, neon ties us to favorite past time memories. Rebrew: Connecting our heritage of the hand-forged glass bottle to our un-voyaged future(s) across the horizon.
Inspired by the modern floral designs presented by Project Runway Season 10 designer, Ven Budhu, the Fashionable Floral wallpaper design takes a fresh approach to floral patterns and traditional English wallpaper designs. Just like on the runway, oversized blooms make a bold statement in this energizing print.
Life is a lush garden of possibility. Dont’cha think gardens and possibility look better with soft lighting? Look your best during outdoor festivities with Glo Planter! As Capree Kimball’s fans at Curbly voted, TUG Studio responded with their trademark enthusiasm. This planter was made from upcycled, recycled, and repurposed parts – even down to the concept of the soft glow immortalized by Cybil Shephard in Moonlighting! (pun intended)
You can even check out a short video of us all talking about our creations (in 90-something degree heat on a rooftop).
We shacked up at The NoMad Hotel in midtown, and I can’t recommend this place enough. There was even a claw foot bathtub in my room that overlooked Broadway. Everything about it was so good, from the individually designed room to the two bars.
While in town we also had the chance to attend the Project Runway 10 Year party at Lord & Taylor. I love a good opportunity to get sparkly!
A huge thank you to Sarah Fox of Cursive Design for partnering with me on this project, it was an honor to work with such talent! Thank you also to Jaime Derringer of Design Milk and HP for including me in such a fantastic collaborative project.
Disclaimer: HP provided both me and Sarah with a TouchSmart PC and Adobe provided Photoshop CS6 for use. All participants received a trip to New York Fashion Week. All content and opinions are my own.
Ghost chairs? Amazing. Ghost stools? Maybe even better. I’m having a serious visual love affair with the red and rose, and I love that they’re available in three different heights.
In celebration of Venice’s Biennale, artists Julius von Bismarck and Julian Charriere dyed the city’s pigeons in order to change their dirty bird perception into something of beauty. Yup, that’s the right. The birds were spray-painted with a specially formulated non-harmful dye. I’m still on the fence about the ethics of this project, but assuming no birds were harmed in its creation the results are definitely breathtaking. (via The Fox Is Black)
These moveable wooden dolls by artist Claire Oswalt are like paper dolls on steroids! The muted tones and light illustrating hand make you really focus on the shapes presented. And I’m so happy she went with multiples in the pieces. One would still be incredible but when grouped they almost take on a semi-creepy clone vibe which I love. (via the Jealous Curator)
At first glance my kitchen has white cabinets, mottled grey countertops, and red accents. But open up just one of the cabinets and you’ll see color everywhere – multi-colored Fiestware, graphic serving pieces, mugs aplenty. To me the kitchen is one of the easiest rooms to add personality to and these pieces definitely make the cut.
