Easy and Affordable DIY Framing
We've recently become a fan of hanger frames. And we were trying to find a frame that would fit this precious paper from Japan and debated whether to send it to someone to be framed or frame ourselves.
Initially we were thinking of sending to Framebridge, rated best overall framing service on The Spruce, and having the work done for us. Then we got ansy and thought we’d save time and money and frame it ourselves.
HangerFrames Picture Hanger Frame
After going down a rabbit hole (pun intended) of finding the perfect frame and realizing that our paper size doesn’t easily fit most store-bought frames, we chose this easy and affordable option: a stylish magnetic wood hanger frame here on Etsy.
We picked a stain color in walnut (6 different colors are offered), figured out which width worked for the width of the paper using their handy “How To Choose a Hanger Frame Size” guide (sizes range from 6” to 49”), received it about a week later, and carefully sandwiched the paper between the magnetic pieces at both ends. Boom - we had a hanging print!
Oh, and we rewatched To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You on Netflix and lo and behold, a pretty paper in a hanger frame was just hanging out in the background of a scene with Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Stormy (Holland Taylor). So it kind of sealed the deal that we'd gone with something that worked!
Kit Kemp's "Design Thread"
At the start of her book “Design Thread,” Kit Kemp writes about Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” saying that it “left us with the valuable notion that, if you do not have a comfortable room and feel at ease with your surroundings, it is much more difficult to be creative.”
That sentiment is the basis of her book on “creating comfortable, functional, and well-designed interiors” - an art she calls “very often misunderstood and underrated.” For anyone who has spent time at one of the elegant and relaxing Firmdale Hotels designed by Kemp, the art of function and relaxation crossed with whimsy and ah-I-never-thought-of-those-things-together is paramount.
Her book is a tour de force of imaginative interiors from antique lamps with shades made from old maps and from “Much Ado” books to sunbursts of egg yolk yellow covering walls with “Sirenes” from the Pierre Frey Jean Lurcal collection.
For fans of The Whitby Hotel - and we count ourselves among them - Kemp lays out her design process for designing it. “New York can feel a bit like a battleground at times, so the feeling within our new hotel needed to be one that would pique the curiosity, delight all the senses in an adventurous and colorful way, and make visiting or staying with us worthwhile in every sense.” The book walks the reader meticulously through the myriad design “problems,” solutions and leaps of imagination for anyone captivated by the Whitby - including every single basket, hanging in an evocative jumble over the bar.
Shaken Not Stirred - Your 7 Home Bar Essentials
The “Honor Bar” at the Whitby Hotel
We love a good bar- the kind that makes you feel you could suavely concoct and shake any drink early Saturday evening and impress your friends. Inspiration for building your home bar doesn’t have to be the joint down the block but rather the lovely “honor bar” at the Whitby Hotel here in New York.
So what are the home bar essentials to shake a cocktail?
What we use the most: cobbler shaker, jigger/mini measuring cup, small citrus squeezer, fine mesh strainer, coupe glass, paring knife, and cutting board.
These are the seven essentials to mix, shake, and serve a drink.
Cobbler Cocktail Shakers
We have this basic cobbler shaker from Cocktail Kingdom at home. It’s not perfectly leakproof but we can vouch that we’ve made plenty of drinks using it and its lasted for a good long while! Made of stainless steel, 2-drink capacity.
Alternative 1: all-in-one shaker. Light-weight budget friendly cobbler shaker with a built-in strainer and a silicone seal for shaking. If you want to save money and little space, you can skip the jiggers below and just get this with the integrated one.
Alternative 2: all-in-one roomy shaker, also with a built-in measuring lid that allows you to make up to four drinks at one time and has a vacuum insulated tumbler which keeps the liquid ice cold but doesn’t freeze your hands. So again you can skip the jigger or measuring cup below.
2. Jigger or Mini Measuring Cup
If you want to get the industry standard and what pro bartenders like, check out this Japanese style jigger that has markings on the inside. You can flip from one side that holds 2 oz at its capacity to the other size that holds 1 oz at its capacity. We have this at home and use when entertaining.
This is so easy to use with its pour spout, transparency and easy-to-read measurement markings. We use this at home frequently.
3. Citrus Squeezer
More expensive than the one below, we’ve been using this citrus squeezer for several years and like the dual-gear mechanism for squeezing extra juice out of all those lemons & limes - can also use for a small orange. So we think it’s worth it!
Alternative: smaller & cheaper citrus press for squeezing lemons and limes.
We like to double-strain our cocktails with this fine mesh strainer to get rid of any extra pulp or ice bits.
5. Coupe Glass
A simple coupe glass makes for a beautiful serve for entertaining. This is a set of four so you’re ready to entertain.
6. Paring Knife
Easy to cut lemons and limes with this paring knife. Japanese stainless steel blade with nonstick coating, comes with a sheath/cover. We love this knife and have always had at least one on hand.
Easy to wash, easy to use cutting board to prep your citrus.
Ready?! Now you’re set with the essential bar tools to make a shaken cocktail!
10 Vase Decorating Ideas
Vases can transform a table, a shelf, a book stack. They’re a simple and inexpensive way to upgrade your space. We’ve rounded up these ten that we think are worthy of your home. Happy decorating!
We love birch everything - it’s part of our loving to bring the outdoors in. This Serene Spaces vase is lovely outdoors or inside on a breezy summer afternoon or a wintry dinner with a roaring fire. All-purpose. All seasons. Good price.
These sturdy ceramic vases can be grouped together or placed apart for a unifying look as you go from room to room. We like using them as a centerpiece for the occasional dinner party and then dispersing back to their respective corners post-celebration. Also useful and pretty in every season!
Peak of chic ceramics - a lovely look in the living room or on the bookshelf.
A bit of a break from the black and white we’ve been favoring for a robin’s egg blue, a butter yellow, and a bit of pumpkin spice pizazz to brighten up your coffee table or window sill.
We’re really switching gears here from birch and ceramic to show-stopping Czech glass. But hey, it’s the Roaring 20s…isn’t it? What better centerpiece than this crimson vase!
A sinuous ceramic fit for every room - perfect for the mantel or grouped among candles on the coffee table. Feels like it’s the right mood with Le Labo’s Santal candle, Brooklyn Candle Studio’s Kyoto candle and/or Paddywax’s Ralph Waldo Emerson candle.
Faces, faces everywhere - a modern take with “all eyes” on the vase.
Neutral with just enough moodiness from taupe to pale white - blends in everywhere from a farmhouse look to a Japandi style. Great in every room.
Four beautiful bud vases that go from blue to gold - arrange together or apart. Use the same flowers across the disparate vases for a unifying look. A pretty addition to just about any room or your summer table.
Bring the spring inside with this fetching William Morris “expandable” vase - white roses or tulips would look lovely in this. Or reverse your bouquet - let William Morris take care of the flowers - and assemble greens to loom out of the vase. Love William Morris like we do? MORE WILLIAM MORRIS HERE…
Provence!
From “French Kiss” (who doesn’t want to spend a few hours with Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline and Jean Reno) to “A Good Year” (a learning-to-slow-down Russell Crowe, an ebullient Alberto Finney, a prickly Marion Cotillard), Provence onscreen is a seductive sell for grabbing a little movie glam for your own home.
We watched a lot of movies during Covid times the last few years so consider us inspired. Here are our top picks for right now for you to bring the sights, sounds, textures, textiles, and scent of the French region right into your own home.
This vintage linen hand towel from Couleur Nature is an easy and practical add to your kitchen right now.
This towel hook from Anthropologie is like a small bundle of lavender flowers that will beautify your bathroom wall.
Lavender dots the fields of Southern France - love this tablecloth from Couleur Nature that brings the lavender look right into your home. Hand-printed, machine washable. Every tablecloth we’ve used from Couleur Nature we have been happy with - longlasting and keeps their shape and look.
Peter Mayle spent years chronicling life in Provence ending with his last book “My Twenty-Five Years in Provence: Reflections on Then and Now” which starts at the oldest brasserie in Aix, Les Deux Garcons.
“An American in Provence” is an immersive read about photographer Jamie Beck’s life-changing move to Provence.
The Home Edit…edit!
We love Clea and Joanna - their instagram feed a constant source of inspiration, their streaming show is running on a loop here every time we do chores and their book is a complete how-to for using their methods to live a clutter-free, rainbow-involved, streamlined life.
Here’s our edit of… The Home Edit.
New Year, Blue Year!
Pantone named “Classic Blue” aka Pantone 19-4052 as their Color of the Year calling it a “timeless and enduring hued elegant its simplicity” that showcases our “desire for a dependable and stable foundation from which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”
From sky to sconce – we’re big fans of the color blue – for lamps; for rugs to pull the room together; for an accent wall to a full classic blue library or kitchen. Inspirations for us range from Albertine’s jawdropping celestial ceiling on the Upper East Side, where all manner of French books are carefully crammed in under a hand-painted zodiac – to the famous “Great Wave” of Kanagawa immortalized in a woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai.
Want to bring some blue into your life in 2020?
Our favorites right now -
HOME
If you’ve ever seen “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries,” we think this would be Phryne’s choice for the perfect silk-shade lamp - Electric Blue velvet art deco style lampshade.
ACCESSORIES
And for the person who really likes blue and horology - the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Automatic Chronograph Blue Dial means that you’re both classic and blue at all times.
Headed Into The Cocoon...
What we’re loving as the end of summer feels like it might be a little more…isolating…than we thought if the covid variant is on the rise and we are back to staying a little further apart.
It’s still the heat of summer but autumn looms. And the seasons transition from iced tea to hot tea - which means you might need an extra sidetable for the teapot and mug. Love this West Elm side table for all seasons…
West Elm said this is made from naturally fallen cypress trees - each sidetable is solid wood - move it around wherever you want it today.
Terrain has a brand new merino wool herringbone throw the color of a rainy sky.
Pottery Barn out with these throws with a big chunky cable knit to help transition between the seasons.
This chunky throw measuring about 50” by 60” is machine washable, cable knit on one side a polyester sherpa on the other side.
Six Rugs on Sale This Presidents' Day Weekend...
A three-day weekend - especially one this cold in NYC - is a great time to shop. We’ve been looking for just the right rug for the foyer…and the living room…and could upgrade the one in the dining room. So here’s the best of what we’re seeing this weekend that could work for you too.
Overstock.com is having what they call a “blowout” sale this weekend - check out their selection of jute rugs from this 5’ x 5’ in natural to these runners from the 2’ x 12’ to the 2’6” x 14’ depending on your space - all running you under $100 with fast delivery.
From Overstock.com to Wayfair which has loads on sale including this gray area rug which is both practical and a little fanciful from Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse - and a great complement to lots of layouts.
Also from Wayfair - this Bungalow Rose take on silvery abstraction in a rug is good for little moodier take on tying a room together. And it looks like you’re walking on clouds.
Pottery Barn is also running a big sale on rugs this weekend - this Persian-style rug in a golden taupe with brick and sage accents could work well in so many rooms. PB touts it as being pure wool with a synthetic latex backing that will help extend the rug’s life.
At West Elm - which is also awash in rug sales this 3-day weekend - this distressed Printed Canopy Rug rocks the frost grey and golden pattern and ties in well with a room already using gold as an accent.
Shag rugs feel superb underfoot in all seasons. West Elm has just put a platinum “glam” shag rug on sale that will warm up the look of any room. Also - doesn’t shed. Try it in the bedroom or the living room.
No Drama, Just Llama in Your Kitchen...and Everywhere Else...
We can’t help it, we love a llama motif. And even though you might not be able to fit the llama that originally caught our eye here at ABC Carpet & Home…. or this beauty found on Etsy …
Here are 11 ways to “llama up the drama” all over your space…
These American-made dishcloths are a big paper towel saver (written as we’re eyeing the 18 rolls of paper towels we bought and thinking over my new resolution to ONLY use re-usable clothes like these) - in fact, the SWEDEdishcloths description claims what one cloth is equal to 17 rolls of paper towels plus they are 100 percent biodegradable. Rinse after using and air dry. And, plus they’re cute. (Our assessment.)
Como te llama? on the inside - just a good overall feeling on the outside. Perfect for hot chocolate, mint tea, your morning coffee - and a guaranteed smile. Contemplating sets of two as a holiday gift…
Yes, we aLLso LLove this LLots. Seriously, this is adorable. It’s flannel fleece on one side, “super warm polyester sherpa on the other.” It’s freezing in New York right now - we’re ordering this and also delighted it’s machine washable.
Monocle, check. Bowtie and bowler hat, check. We never knew we needed these accoutrements on a llama but now that we’ve seen them… perfect for your the child you know who has a sense of humour and already knows the word “monocle” by age 5.
Honestly, how did we not make this the first item in the post. Everyone needs this sweater for Christmas. Everyone.
Don’t we all…but if we can’t actually be a unicorn, we’ll take being a llama. This is 60 x 39 inches…and if that’s too much llama drama for you, there’s a smaller version at 31 x 20 inches. We think this is perfect pinch of humour on your mudroom floor. Soft and plush on your feet right after the shoes come off.
Speaking of “llama drama” - it’s just right on these house slippers. #1 bestseller right now in the “women’s slipper socks” category and we can see why!
Could not love these adorable measuring cups more. Plus you stack them in the cupboard or on the counter for a fun decorative element that’s also super functional.
Accio llama patronus t-shirt! No matter what house the Sorting Hat has put you in, your patronus still could be a llama. (Ours is an elephant which is a different matter altogether and won’t stop me from wearing this.) One of the many adorable Harry Potter-adjacent purchases that we’ve rounded for superfans. (More here.)
Uhhhh, this is 40"W x 72"H of amazing... Ordering for the office, stat! Could also play well at parties, selfie backgrounds, gag gift delivery to friends…where wouldn’t this work?
A timeless tale of a tyrannical toddler who will not, cannot, go to sleep. Also great fun to read to anyone of any age. Great for a baby shower…or a toddler’s birthday or to give as just an “empathy gift” to any parent struggling with the under-5 bedtimes.
Plate It...
The Laboratorio Paravicini - a Milanese workshop dedicated to tableware - handcrafts beautiful plates, dining set, tea and coffee servers, etc etc
A dream purchase is entire set of the constellation series - which we finally hunted down. It's now going on the wall and picks up the "red thread" of blue and white that runs through one of our apartments.
How to hang it? Simple platehanger here -
