of course i then piled on some books and tins and vases and then there was no more space for glasses. it looks pretty, though, doesn't it?
a stacked tin from song fang maison de thé in shanghai; framed matchbooks from chinatown restaurants; and coasters from goods of desire in hong kong.
some design-y books and second-hand finds. all the buildings in new york is a great one with drawings by james gulliver hancock. see if you can find your building!
this weekend, we hosted a baby party for our friends madeline and brandon. madeline is a friend from my hric days, where we bonded over binder-making and other ngo delights. and she is british, which makes her classier than all the rest of us. brandon is a super tall and super nice dude from ohio, who ran in the nyc marathon and sings in bars.
some handmade (not by me) crepe paper elephants.
baby-appropriate bunting.
they had the great idea of doing a time capsule, and asked guests to bring something from the present to "show a future human being what life was like before he got here." baby elliott miller will get to open it in 2030. there were also some pretty talented onesie-makers, who have ensured that baby e.m. will be stylishly clothed. (unfortunately i didn't get any photos!)
quiches.
cupcakes with tiny flags.
congratulations, madeline and brandon! hope you enjoyed your party. xoxo
brandon gives two thumbs up.
madeline, hua and nick at the grill.
above: amy and nina (who loves fruit).
left: friends enjoying food!
there was a party, so there are more flowers.
more of my favorites.
polka dot plants. these are so easy and only $1.50 per pint!
it's friday! i picked up this magazine in the city yesterday because i couldn't resist the colors.
i don't know who "sweet paul" is, and this magazine is already much craftier than i am, but i'm going to enjoy looking through it tomorrow morning with a cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant.
i adore eggs. (i may attempt this.)
some stripe-y fabrics that sweet paul probably made by himself. (i won't be doing this.)
i hope it gives me inspiration for the baby shower we're hosting tomorrow afternoon.
that looks like a good party.
my next-door neighbor introduced me to paperwhites when he brought some over as part of a very thoughtful holiday gift. they came in a bulb vase a lot like this one, and hadn't yet bloomed. as a result, hhh was convinced for weeks that they were scallions. the stalks kept growing until the plant was about twice as tall as the vase, and then tiny muslin blossoms appeared.
the bulb on the left was started about four weeks ago, and the one on the right just about a week ago.
the holiday paperwhites lasted quite a while, but eventually died off. i hadn't yet asked the internets what to do with the bulb after the flowers faded, so apparently did everything totally wrong and had to throw away the bulb. (what not to do: trim the stalks in hopes that more blossoms will come in. they will not.)
i find it weirdly delightful to watch the roots grow.
willa enjoying new smells.
then, i saw a whole basket of paperwhite bulbs for sale while we were in hudson last month. i grabbed a couple and vowed that i'd do everything right this time. i started one in the bulb vase, and waited a couple weeks to start the next bulb so that there would be some vertical diversity. since a lot of people have trouble with them toppling over, this tip might come in handy: you can add some gin (or tequila, vodka, whiskey or rum, for that matter) to the water. this stunts the growth of the leaves without affecting the flowers. (also, who knew there was a flower bulb research program at cornell university? i need to reevaluate my life choices.)
they are also reeeaally fragrant. some people love it, some people don't.
this time, i know to let the flowers die off before trimming and drying off the bulbs. then i'll store them in a cool, dark place until the dead of next winter, when i'll get them out and force them (ha!) to cheer me up again.
