happy 26th birthday, sissy!

such a ham, that kid!

 

{kara in 1987}

the royal wedding

anybody else getting into the royal wedding? I just can't help it. maybe it's because I really wanted to marry prince william in high school. but once I saw how happy he & kate were together, I accepted fate. sigh. I actually happen to love kate & feel a bit sorry for her & all the scrutiny she's under (don't you love that I talk about her like she's my bff?). I think this wedding graffiti rocks. 

happy good friday + easter

happy good friday & happy easter! here are some easter cupcakes that I made last year. enjoy the long weekend!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”  - John 3:16-17

kara's vintage collection: gloves

thanks so very much to all of you sweet readers for following along with kara's vintage collections. I had so much fun photographing her collections & she enjoyed writing about why she loves them so dearly. knowing my sister, in another year she'll have started collecting all kinds of new things and hopefully we can do this all over again. 

a word from my sister:

my favorite, ever-expanding collection is my delicate and dainty glove collection.  about four years ago I purchased my first pair at an antique store, admiring the tiny fit and detailed stitching. they also happened to fit me perfectly, as I have very petite hands.

my collection has grown so much since then that I now have a glove for every possible occasion: the opera, church, an evening drive, tea & cocktail parties. though some pairs look practically new, most of my gloves have been well worn. I’m fascinated when I find a lipstick stain or cigarette burn and wonder how many parties, love affairs and social events each pair has lived.

my newest addition, given to me by a friend, is a beautiful red leather pair with black piping, size six and a perfect fit. my glove collection now stands at sixty four!

"the big salad"

this is the lettuce that we have left from the tour de farm last weekend! reminds me of that episode of seinfeld where george's girlfriend takes credit for "the big salad" that george bought elaine. 

tour de farm

on sunday robert & I participated in slow food first coast's tour de farm. about two dozen farms from different counties in northeast florida opened their doors to the public. we got to tour the fields, talk to farmers, sample organic produce & learn about sustainable food production. obviously, the farms are all pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, so we were only able to make it to four different places. but we had such a wonderful afternoon.

{we bought some delicious herbs at maggie's herb farm. this huge rosemary bush smelled fantastic}

{fresh eggs at terk's scres goat farm. they also sold goat cheese, yogurt & milk}

{we got to pet this baby goat that was only a few weeks old}

 {and sampled homemade organic sorbet}

 {the farmers explained this amazing system of growing produce using hydroponics at fresh start hydroponics farm}

 {for $2 we got this giant bag & got to go around the farm cutting our own lettuce}

 {dinner!}

kara's vintage collection: broaches

garage sale finds

hope you guys had a lovely weekend. they just aren't ever long enough, are they? on saturday my mom & I went to our local fine arts fair in the park, followed by some good finds at a garage sale. I got these white & yellow linens, this sweet cap (for my sister's hat collection) & this cute little teal & gold fish-pattern glass. 

avocado tacos

it's already grillin' weather here in florida. we've been making these avocado tacos like nobody's business. they are super easy. the grill is optional to warm your avocados & tortillas. then just add some lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, cheese & some fresh-squeezed lime. be sure to season your tomatoes & avocados with some pepper & garlic salt. such a healthy & delicious meal (oh geeze, I just sounded like rachel ray. sorry).

kara's vintage collection: scarves

a word from my sister:

walking past a trunk full of scarves everyday puts a smile on my face.  there’s something so feminine about the vintage silks, each with very different prints, patterns & details, that attracts me to collecting scarves.  keeping them out & on display helps me grab one when I’m feeling the need to add a touch of color to my outfit or bag.  the “trend” of wearing scarves as an accessory reappears from time to time in fashion, & when it does, I’m fully prepared. my favorite use of scarves is wrapping up my delicate garments individually in my luggage when I travel. 

I read a book, “alligators, old mink and new money,” when I first started collecting vintage & the author spoke of her beloved hermes scarves.  since then, I am constantly seeing hermes scarves in magazine articles, blogs & street fashion.  although I have not yet discovered one, I do have some exceptional signed scarves including diane von furstenberg, nicole miller, bill blass, halston, christian dior & lanvin.  

march cake: caramel whipped cream layer cake

well, I'm not gonna lie. my first "march cake" was a disaster. I attempted a blueberry crumb poundcake & while it was actually delicious, it totally crumbled apart to the point where I couldn't even photograph it. so I took that as a sign that I should re-make a "march cake". I'd been drooling over a fabulous recipe for a caramel whipped cream layer cake that I found in "the modern baker" book that my friend gave me. it looks impressive but was actually pretty simple to make. it's very airy, soft & light, which means it's ok to eat it for breakfast. 

{caramel whipped cream layer cake from nick malgieri's "the modern baker"}

american apparel 100% off sale

I just bought $62 worth of clothes for $12 at american apparel today! if you spend $10, there's a list of items you can choose from for free. not bad. these baby tanks (free) make great baby gifts! go here to check it out... today only!