Thursday, January 21, 2010

live in rooms full of light

yes, my darlings, follow the wisdom of cornelius celsus, and live in a room full of light from this awe inspiring lamp.



J Schatz's 'night flight to venus' pryamid lamp is incredible. it's one of those things i would like to think i could create myself (because the pricing is a little hefty for most of us - $875, and made to order) but i know i never could. it's really wonderful.


now in search of something comparable...and a little more affordable...

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

shoes


we were trying to find some fabulous quote about shoes and women and their shoes, but we think the simplicty of 'shoes' as the title for this post is perfectly acceptable and appropriate...and all of the above.

louise goldin. (who will be launching a shoe collection for topshop february 5th)



a picture really is worth 1,000 words.

spotted: jenna lyons

it seems that every time we post, it's is something we are just OBSESSING about, but in the world - this great wide wonderful world - how can we not obsess about most things?

you must realize that we love jenna lyons (mastermind behind jcrews fabulosity) and in our eyes she simply does no wrong (we've posted about her wonderful home here)

today we've spotted the ever-stylish jenna in december's lonny magazine, talking about the elements that she has taken directly from her home and into the jcrew collection store on madison avenue.

we might just have to re-do our lives house to get the lyons look!

1. playful fun pops of color and unexpected detail







2. vintage serge mouille light fixtures




3. antiqued brass fixtures




4. chalkboard paint



5. black and white striped bathroom (YES!)







new feature: typography tuesday


we are bonafied typography junkies here at the long way home. so we thought what better way to celebrate simply gorgeous letters that you want to eat with a spoon, than a weekly feature?

from gorgeous fonts, to letterpress, to designs-we-wish-we-thought-of, every tuesday will be: TYPOGRAPHY TUESDAY.


you can either blame or thank joanna swanson (swedish-american art director/stylist/blogger extraordinaire) of simpleblueprint not only for our new feature but also for the images in today's post.

the 7 rules to understanding design and designers prompted the commitment to our weekly feature (as did the lovely alliteration of typography tuesdays....though we suppose we could have chosen typography thursday for the same effect). we are loving not only the wittiness of this image, but also the layout and font use, and of course design.

1. designers are meant to be loved not to be understood 2. the purpose of design is to make the ordinary extraordinary 3. the best designers are the ones who find the good clients 4. design must seduce, shape & more importantly evoke an emotional response 5. good design can be planned but great design just happens 6. design the right things design the things right 7. imagination is more important than knowledge.


and we couldn't agree more.


also featured on joanna's blog was the cover of the australian financial review magazine:




there are so many reasons we are obsessing, lusting, drooling, and falling-in-love with this magazine cover. first and foremost, and we mean no offense by saying this, but the topic implied by the title of the magazine - australian financial review magazine - simply brings a tear to our eye- but not the good kind (the kind that generally results from sheer bordem).
HOWEVER, if they are trying to sell their magazine purely based on the cover, well then we can gurantee that we would purchase this magazine.

from the layout, to the font use, to the border use, to the bleeding of the colors, we are in love-love-love with it. it truly doesn't get much better than this.

the cover could be in a completely different language (well, it kind of is) and we would still find ourselves head over heels.


what say you, my lovelies?

Monday, January 11, 2010

tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day


we can no longer fight it - 2009 has come to an end, which means, among many growing lists of to do's, we must add 'buy 2010 calendar' to the list, and officially welcome the year into our planning.

so today we've wandered through the depths of etsy to bring you some of our top picks for 2010's calendars.

here are our top five picks (in no particular order):

1. Our first comes from printableprojects. Colorful and fun with their block animals, for $5 you can print out this great calendar and be ready to embrace 2010 right away.


(printableprojects is also worth checking out for their ready to print cards...and, well...other printable projects!


2. To embrace the french girl in all of us, our next favorite, and potentially the winner for this year's calendar is alidesign's mini french series printable calendar. (do you not just LOVE being able to print these calendars and instantly be ready to plan your year?!) for only $6, you can print this calendar on 2 pages and you're ready to go for the year!



get yours here!

3.




3. this calendar is worth every penny (2200 of them!). in its letterpress perfection (thanks to kirtlandhouse), we would have no hestiation displaying this calendar on our desks. but we would need another calendar that we could write on...this one is just too pretty!



get yours here (you should definitely check out the rest of kirtlandhouse's shop, they have the most gorgeous letterpress!)

4.  starrybluesky's 12 city calendar is absolutely fabulous. we are love love loving this calendar. it truly speaks for itself. for $28 (and worth it), you can pick up yours here




5. our final pick is from ruffhouseart's shop. their 2010 desktop calendar is fun and bold, and we are simply put, just loving it.



get yours here!

so if you haven't picked up your 2010 calendar, grab one of our picks for this year!



*quote, shakespeare

wish i had time for just one more bowl of chili

this past weekend we took an extra long way home - instead of going home on friday evening (to cozy up on a warm couch, with a warm blanket, and a warm cup of soup) we made the trek all the way to cincinnati. (the trip was also a spelling lesson (two n's one t), as i frequently destroy the city's name, and thus abbreviate to cincy.)

in honor of this 20 hour driving detour (10 there, 10 back), we thought it would be nice to share with you a skyline chili recipe - also known as cincinnati chili.




the only way we would agree to drive all the way to cincy in winter with one headlight out and guranteed to hit snow was for the promise of skyline chili.

now, having gone to college in ohio, it seems blasphemous that several years out of college, we still had not had a skyline chili experience. it was, therefore, of the utmost importance to have one of the city's most famous dishes.


unfortunately, we missed the skyline chili restaurant on the backside of the hotel, and had to settle for burgers for dinner (nothing to write home about, so we'll keep going). in the morning, we looked out the window and saw it. and we were sad.

so in honor of missing this famous chili, we will share with you the famous recipe!



ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
2 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablepsoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

directions:
1. heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 6 minutes.
2. add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned
3. add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, beef broth, tomato sauce, cider vinegar, and red pepper. stir to mix well. bring to a boil. reduce heat to low. cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. refrigerate overnight.
5. remove bay leaf. reheat gently over medium heat. serve over hot, drained spaghetti. top with shredded cheddar cheese.

tips and tricks:
1. absolutely make this, with the knowledge, of course, that you pretty much forgo the traditional expectation of a dish that is hotter than the fires of hell (which is actually how we all prefer our chili at the long way home).
2. i've been told that the consistency of traditional cincy chili is more like a sauce. the meat isn't chunky at all, and there shouldn't be any chunks of anything anywhere in the dish. i'm not sure how else to explain it, other than what i've been told, since i've never had it. the only chunky part is if you have it the 5 way, which leads us to our next tip/trick....
3. try it the classic 5 way: spaghetti with chili on top, topped with shredded cheddar, with diced onions and red beans.












we're thinking we need a nice big, warm bowl of cincy chili tonight to get rid of the bone cold chill from the little detour we've made this past weekend.




let us know if you've made it and if you've tried anything a little different in the recipe!

(if you don't want to make it, you can order it right here!)


*quote, kit carson

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

throw on a striped, boatneck shirt in an effort to grab a little of the nonchalant chic that French women seem to be born with.


having spent a summer in paris when i was in high school, i can attest to those that have not had the chance to make it there that the women are effortlessly chic and do, in fact, rock stripes.


(a la audrey tautou as coco)





so this post started with the discovery of these shoes:











and then this bag:







and then the rug in this picture:









and i came to the conclusion that i love the stripes because they're unexpected and dramatic and add a sense of glamour to a room (or an outfit). i do love anything black and white, including the quirky, whimsical, girly fun of the polka dotted room:













i would pair the boldness of black and white stripes with a marie antoinette blue (continuing on our french theme), a raspberry pink, or a pop of chartruse. i would personally stay away from red only because to my eye it distracts from the stripes.





created on herlongwayhome's polyvore 


other black and white interiors that may strike your fancy:



















we are loving this kitchen! it perfectly combines our love of white, light, exposed shelving, and bold black and white stripes that draw our attention to the beautiful hardwood floors.





we can't help but love this beachy dining room. while it isn't exactly black and white stripes, it has the marie antoinette blues...and perfect windows!





















what more could we ask for than this room? in fact, it may be a must-have in our next home. cute polka dots, bold black and white striped seating, and that perfect shade of blue on the window (and wide paneled hard wood floors...and a white shag rug....need we say more?)



if you don't want to completely redecorate your home by now, try decorating with the black and white stripes in subtle ways.















now, if you know us, you will know by now three things: 1. love of black and white stripes (if you haven't picked up on this, go to jail - do not pass go, do not collect $200) 2. a love love LOVE of white 3. a warm spot for zebra (what's better than cooky black and white stripes?) this entrance nails all three.