A Visual (and Edible) Tour of San Diego

This April we packed up the fam and decided to head across this fair country and visit beautiful San Diego. We survived the four hour plus plane ride with the babe and arrived feeling jet lagged but excited to see as much of the city as possible in four days. 

Views from the hotel room.

The bar and breakfast at Cafe Chloe.  This place was delicious and we highly recommend it for breakfast and brunch.

Cafe Chloe 721 9th Avenue San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 232-3242

The duck ragout and decor at Cucina Urbana.  (Sorry the pictures are blurry- we had the better half of a delicious bottle of wine this night and needless to say we had quite a lot of fun and giggles.   On the way home we hailed a cabby that drove like a maniac. I am sure there were no shocks on his van taxi and every time we went over a bump the interior lights turned on and the radio turned off. He would readjust the settings each time and never flinched. Meanwhile, I laughed so hard that I lost all control of my bladder.  Memories. )  Cucina Urbana may have been my favorite meal in San Diego and this says a lot because we ate at some wonderful places.  The ambiance was romantic yet unpretentious.  We walked in with our giant stroller bus and baby in tow and they were so accommodating despite our lack of reservation.  The server was fabulous and friendly and the food was exceptional.  Two big thumbs up.

Cucina Urbana Banker's Hill San Diego, CA (619) 239-2222

Sunrise. 

Fabulous wares in Coronado.

Cotier 1053 B Avenue, Coronado, CA (619) 435-0791

The enchanting and beautiful Hotel del Coronado.  I would love to stay here next time, but it's haunted and after The Planter's Inn in Savannah, I don't do haunted.  This place is amazing and right on the beach.  Worth visiting if you're in the area.

Hotel del Coronado 1500 Orange Avenue Coronado, CA 92118 (800) 468-3533

Women making tortillas in Old Town.

Immaculate Conception Church, Old Town San Diego

Trinkets and cacti in Old Town.

Papel picado at Casa Guadalajara restaurant in Old Town.  We were told this was the best place to eat good Mexican food in Old Town and we were very pleased.

Casa Guadalajara 4105 Taylor Street San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 295-5111

Food and decor at Brian Malarkey's Searsucker restaurant in the Gaslamp quarter.  I loved the decor and the food, but found the place to be a little stuffy.  Would still recommend it, but leave the kids at home. 

Searsucker 611 Fifth Avenue San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 233-7327

All in all San Diego was very kid friendly and people were extremely accommodating. 

Kudos, San Diego.  You are quite a town.

B&A: Rope Lamp

I was in need of some instant gratification this weekend and decided to take on a quick and easy Saturday project.  I had some rope that I bought at Home Depot weeks ago, a glue gun and a lamp that I wasn't feelin'.  Here are the results...

BEFORE

AFTER

 

 



The BroFam Castle

Hello blog.  I've been away for too long and oh how I've missed you.  Fortunately, I have been knee deep in fabulousness.  I have begun work on the home of my first client and I'm having a blast and learning a ton.  Ashley and Bill live in Sumter with their three beautiful children.  They are a fun young family wanting a change of scenery- a home update that will be edgy enough for adults and spill-proof enough for kids.  Ashley is an artist herself and it's been fascinating working with such a creative person.  I've enjoyed the collaboration thus far and can't wait to see how it all turns out.  No real changes have been made yet, but I thought I would share my first take mood boards.

This Weekend, I Ate

My weekend was fabulously lazy and unproductive. It was a welcome change after a busy week. But sometime, in between the Lifetime movies, I baked, I pickled and I ate. A lot. Here are two original recipes guaranteed to whet your whistle.

Bread and Butter Pickles


Ingredients
1½ cups distilled white vinegar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup kosher salt
2 cups white sugar
6 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced red onion
1 cup sliced banana peppers
3½ tsp mustard seed
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon Mulling Spices
½ tsp turmeric

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt, sugar and all the spices to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
2. Place the cucumbers, onions and peppers sterile jars. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Seal immediately and transfer to the refrigerator.

Trail Mix Cookies

Ingredients

1 stick of butter (softened)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 large egg
1½ cups bread flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup Guittard’s white chocolate vanilla chips
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
1½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, and egg on low speed until creamed.
3. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low until blended. Do not over beat.
4. Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Spoon generous dollops of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden.

Hello Nurse: Fun at the Medical Supply Store

When I was young, I used to ride my bike to the hometown hardware store to buy candy and I would always go up and down the quiet aisles, stepping softly on the old wood floors, and check out all of the gadgets.  At the time, I had no real use for any of the things I saw, I only liked to look, but as I got older I would peruse the old hardware shop in search of vintage-y finds or utilitarian beauties.  In France, I loved popping in the "hardware" store and would almost certainly uncover at least one little gem with an alternative use.  While visiting Cagliari, Sardinia, I found adorable wine carafes at the hardware and would have stuffed my suitcase full of them to bring back for friends and family had I not run out of space. 
Another unlikely place I like to scour for home decor is the medical supply store.  Although I often come across my share of icky things that I don't want to think about, I also always discover fabulous furniture and decor.  Here are ten of my favorite medical supply finds:

I love cart.  I think it has something to do with the gene that requires me to carry at least two bags wherever I go.   It's the bag lady/hoarder/I like junk stores gene and I got it bad.  What's better than a cart to haul all your shenanigans around?  Nothing.  Except for a wagon maybe.  But for real, I love these little carts on either side of the bed as nightstands.  With a plant and an earthy looking lamp.  Yumm.

China cabinet? Anyone?  Anyone?  Not for actually storing China, of course.  I saw a similar one used to hold books and magazines and I loved it as a bookcase.  It could also be quite smart if used to display a collection of, let's say, cameras or binoculars or perhaps something softer like pitchers or milk glass vases... Just a thought.  I would line a wall with these tall handsomes filled with books and juxtapose the look with an antique velvet sofa.

I might put this little fella atop a stack of books on a console table or bookshelf for some quirky visual interest.  It's sculptural and colorful and a little bit strange.  Me likes.

I never met a glass jar I didn't like.  I've always loved these jars and I notice them whenever I go to the doctor or vet's office.  They make for cute bathroom storage and also come unlabeled.

The uses are endless.  This is actually the exact work desk going in my mom's kitchen that I am currently redesigning.  I would love this desk anywhere: kitchen, workspace, bedroom, office.

This eye chart would be fetching as part of a grouping of photos, prints and paintings. 

A red locker?  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!  If I had a mudroom, I would love to put one of these in both corners and put shelves, hooks and a bench in between.  Some red toile wallpaper or maybe some carnival stripes would soften these right up.

Measuring in at a whopping 2 1/8" by 2 5/8", I would buy these little buggers in mass and line them up on mantles, windowsills and the like holding buds and various yard clippin's.  They also come in a size that would be perfect for holding frequently used kitchen utensils.

Trays are like shoes- you can never have too many and these stainless steel trays go with everything and since they are stainless they can go almost anywhere.  I would use the small one atop the back of the toilet to corral cologne, shaving gear and other oft-used bathroom products.

I love this German anatomy chart.  I would frame it in a modern white frame and put it somewhere I needed a pop of red or orange. Every room needs at least one quirky bit and this would certainly do the trick.  Sagenhaft! 

All products from http://www.medical-supplies-equipment-company.com/ .

Before and After, Sneak Peek

So many before and afters, so little time.  I have a lot to document and virtually no motivation, but here's a sneak peak.

BEFORE



AFTER



Mamoul-Mia!

This weekend we headed down to South Florida for my sister-in-law's baby shower.  It was a long and tedious journey down I-95 with two young in the backseat (Lilly and my nephew Ewan), but eleven hours and more bathroom breaks later we arrived in Boca Raton and didn't stop moving until 8:30 last night when we got home.  In addition to being lovely, as always, to visit with family and enjoy the tropical Florida weather poolside, it was a surprising culinary adventure!  My brother's wife Rayna is from Lebanon and her mother is a phenomenal cook and, lucky for us, she fed us until my pants no longer fit comfortably!  We had homemade hummus, tabbouleh, felafel and many more dishes that I wish I knew the names and recipes for!  One bite I particularly liked was a small date-filled cookie called Mamoul. 

They are as delicious as they are beautiful and the recipe is en route via Rayna's mama. In the meantime, here is a recipe from food.com .



From the Estate of Mme. Betsy Breckinridge...

Yesterday, I received an email about an estate sale that Estate Liquidators called, "One of their grandest sales to date!"  So this morning ma soeur et moi, along with all three young, headed out to Oak Bluff Court to see what the buzz was about.  My standards are high normally, but since our house is already brimming with wedding stuff and hidden clutter, I decided I wouldn't buy anything unless I absolutely loved it and couldn't live my life without it.  I didn't even bring my money in because I was determined to be discerning and downright persnickety!  FAIL!  Thirty minutes and one story in, I was running to the car to get my cash and asking myself, "Would $50 be enough?"  I just can't resist old shit with a story.  It's a weakness of mine.  While my sister was methodically sorting through Eastern ephemera and Asiatique planters and prints, I was stockpiling what my mom would call a bunch of junk.  So here are my treasures, they aren't worth much, but I sure do like 'em.

The man taking the money explained to me that this was the home of local celebrity Betsy Breckinridge and the paintings were done by her mother, Carolyn Wells, "in her younger years."  In addition to this quirky lady, I bought a landscape painting that reminds me of the Midwest in the '50s.

Enamelware!... and another Ball jar.  I can't help myself.

I thought this terra cotta pot had fabulous form and I liked it so much, I bought two.

  I buy scarves everywhere I go in hopes of one day framing them or making them into pillows.  Rarely I wear them, but I particularly loved the MC Escher-ish one with the navy blue houses.

These two dolls were a last minute find and I think they'll be cute as part of a hanging collage of framed pictures and things.

That's all for now,  I gotta run and hide all of this stuff before the old man gets home.  It's best that he discover these little treasures after they've been nestled into their proper places.  More to come...

I'm baaack.

The post wedding melancholies have descended upon me and I have decided to finally pay a visit to my long lost friend, The Avarice.  I have been gone so long, I have almost forgotten how this goes and how good it feels.  I am now ready to focus [almost] all of my attention on what I want to be when I grow up.  Did you hear that universe?  I'm ready!  Send those clients my way. 
My wedding weekend was fabulous and beautiful and gone too fast.  In addition to being a perfect celebration of a long-time-comin' union, it was full of little glimpses of what was to come and got me thinking that perhaps the universe had heard my requests and was finally ready for me to come out from under the wedding planning rock and do what makes me happy! 
Two friends mentioned using my "services" after seeing what I'd done with my own home.  It's possible that they were just being nice, but I will choose to think otherwise.  One of these fabulous friends was my wedding photographer, Ashley Brokop, who has become one of my all time favorite people and a truely inspiring creative who is enjoying wonderful success doing what she loves to do- she's inspiring and awesome to be around.  (Check out her blog http://www.ashleybrokop.com/blog/ )  Ashley was a photographer in the military and her husband is still in the service, so when she said she would love for me to come to her house and help her, I immediately thought red, white, and blue.  It sounds cheesy and contrived, I know, but the red, white and blue I pictured was clean and bright and done right.  This is probably not what she is looking for, in fact, it is very likely not, but it was nice to be inspired by something other than wedding goop for a change and it got me searching for some patriotic inspiration, if you will.  When I first started looking I found a lot of Americana-ish style, for instance:

Yuck. Period.  Sorry to offend, but this is not my cup of tea and not what I pictured when I thought red, white, and blue.  Further searching revealed some fresh and lovely options...

houzz.com

Images courtesy Domino Magazine

M Design Interiors

Domino Magazine

ELLE Decor

House Beautiful

ELLE Decor

House Beautiful

via Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

Lonny Magazine

Desire to Inspire

Red, white and blue go together like Stabler and Benson.  I dig it and I'm so glad to be back.  I have done quite a bit to our little home and I can't wait to reveal it all in the coming weeks. 

Stay tuned...