I voted! In and out in 10 minutes, I love my polling location.
Celebrated one year of CooperHouse!
Received the most thoughtful gift from Hank+Hunt.
Got crafty with Creature Comforts and Anthropologie.
Made cranberry curd (stay tuned for the recipe!).
Ate Thanksgiving leftovers for 5 days. It was awesome.
Put the fuzzy blanket on the bed, much to the cats’ delight.
Did a little holiday decoratin’.
I’m so excited to be a Merry Blogger for 24 Merry Days! Audrey from This Little Street is the mastermind who rounded up a great group of bloggers who will be doing a giveaway (or two) from December 1st through the 24th, brilliant right? After all, this is the time of year to spread a little cheer if there ever was one. The project’s site is lovely and gives you a heads up as to which giveaway is which day on which blog. (Mine is the 11th!) And let me tell you, we have some amazing sponsors giving away things you’ve been coveting all year. I’ll be tweeting which blog is doing the giveaway each day, so I hope you’ll follow along with me at @designcrush if you’re not already. I’m so ready to give away all of the things!!
Check out Jason Dean’s latest screen print, Day and Night at Christmas. It features a few well-known holiday movie scenes and glows when the lights go out, in true light up night fashion.
Baking Season! It’s here. And any baker worth his/her salt knows that organization makes for a smoother operation. I’m all about these Labeled Kitchen Storage Canisters from West Elm. I love the little spouts for easy pouring and the notched wooden lids for fast opening.
I’ve been writing out and sending Christmas cards since my early teens. What can I say, I love sending mail! In all those years I’ve never once ordered pre-printed cards, but I thought this might be the perfect year for it with how busy I’ve been. I immediately knew that Minted was my destination, their extensive collection of holidays cards is always top notch.
I chose this clean, modern design by Kelli Hall, I love the sentiment. Minted also offers an amazing triple thick paper as an option, it makes your cards feel like a million bucks!
The address wrap and kraft paper envelope option gave my cards just the feeling I was looking for. My only regret was not ordering an extra 25, seems I completely underestimated my mailing list!
I’m really excited about a new monthly feature I’m introducing to you this morning – Taste Tour! The premise behind it all? To highlight incredible eating establishments, starting with those in my current town of Oklahoma City. The only requirement is tasty food and a great environment where you wouldn’t mind whiling away an hour or two with family, friends, or a hot date.
First up is Red PrimeSteak, or Red Prime as it’s commonly called. It lives in the elegant 1911 Buick Building, making the incredible neon red interior that much more of a standout. Eighteen foot ceilings and skylights add even more to the modern, airy ambiance.
As you might have guessed from the name, red plays a major role at Red Prime. A cement walkway lined in floor to ceiling neon tube lighting bisects the interior, creating two main dining spaces and a focal point for their eighteen foot tall wall of wine.
As you can see, wine is just as much a part of the Red Prime culture as steak. In fact, I was so excited about it that I forgot to take my jacket off for all of dinner, whoops! I tried a lovely Pinot Noir and an equally delicious Riesling.
Red Prime’s wine collection is very impressive, so much so that when deciding which wine I’d like with my dinner I had the waiter choose for me. Always a great idea when you’re somewhere with such a vast knowledge and an overwhelming list.
My dinner date and I both settled upon the Prix Fixe. We had our choice from a sizable selection of salads, main courses, sides, and desserts. We both had the Chop House Salad as a starter. And with the first bite I think I made an audible YUM noise. Spinach, roasted corn, marinated tomatoes, cous cous, bacon, pepitas, asiago, cranberry, and buttermilk-pesto dressing. A combination I never would have thought of – which is why I’m not a chef – that totally made my taste buds sing.
For my dinner I selected the Beef Tenderloin Strogranoff, featuring exotic mushrooms and crispy onions. It was so precariously stacked upon arrival at the table that I didn’t want to mess it up! But that didn’t last long, and I’m pretty sure my eyes rolled back in my head a few times as I devoured it bite after bite. I also had a delicious side of fresh seared green beans that were so garlicky they burned (just like I like). My date ordered the 7 oz. filet and green-chili mac and it received rave reviews as well.
There wasn’t a lot of room left for dessert (part of my Strogranoff and green beans went home for lunch the next day), but in the name of Design Crush I forged on. To Pumpkin Brioche Bread Pudding. It wasn’t overly sweet, the ideal dessert after such a decadent meal. My date tried the Warm Chocolate Spoon Cake, which was also delicious.
Red PrimeSteak is a restaurant I’ve enjoyed several times, and I can’t recommend it enough. Delicious food, a fantastic selection of wine, attentive service. The atmosphere is dark and moody, perfect for date night or their exceptional Happy Hour. And during warmer months their sidewalk patio is a great place for people watching and enjoying the weather. Obviously I’m a fan, I’m willing to bet you would be too.
Luke Twyman‘s latest illustrations remind me of Antarctica, research grants, and scientific experiments. And I love that. Snowy wildernesses mixed with just a hint of humanity on a muted palette of color. I find myself wishing these were all available as prints! (via The Fox Is Black)
