In preparation of a client wedding this weekend, I found myself daydreaming about the couples’ inspiration: Nantucket. They have been visiting the island for years and have infused their wedding day with touches and stylings reminiscent of their countless memories.
Despite my years of pleading and bargaining, I have yet to make it out there to experience the charm first hand. I know…I know…WHAT?!! Everyone who has been can’t believe that I not only haven’t been once…but more so that I don’t go on a regular basis…
I am obsessed with {what I imagine} Nantucket to be:
Worn buildings, stately light houses and gnarly brick walkways.
Casual feasts…of the freshest kind.
Ocean views, sprawling lawns, harbors and boats galore.
Original preppy style…{never trendy!}
Weathered accessories inside and out.
Beautiful beaches with fresh sea air and patchy dune grass.
Until a proper visit…I’ll just have to keep dreaming…Sniff, Sniff.
While I’m barely able to keep my head above water as I catch up from being away, I gaze longingly at the petite take-away card from one of my favorite pastry shops in San Francisco. Am I tormenting myself? Perhaps. But I must do this little shop justice and spend just a minute gushing…
We initially stumbled upon Miette in Hayes Valley – quite simply because we couldn’t miss it! Caroline’s apartment sits happily atop the charming storefront! {The other location is housed in the historic Ferry Building.} I know I use the word charm as an adjective quite a bit, but I must profess, this cutie little shop simply oozes charm and must have been part of the words origin!
Miette’s owner, Megan Ray, originally started the company at a farmers market. She notes influences from candy stores in Vienna to the wild blackberries growing around her home. Her ingredients {oh the joy of living in Northern California} come from local, family owned farms and mills and are most often organic and sustainably produced.
Miette is known for many things – among them their gorgeous house-made desserts: cakes, cupcakes, tarts, cookies to name a few. In fact, unbeknownst to my love-at-first-sight {and bite}, Conde Nast named Miette one of the Top Ten Pastry Shops in the World! Sweet Goodness – what an accolade!!!
Here is some more eye candy…
I am a sugar-candy lover! {Said loud and proud!} Beautiful jars of candy are displayed in an orderly fashion, waiting for the taking.
Oooh…the macarons. Even though famed Paulette Macaron is less than two blocks away, I have to say Miette’s macarons were absolutely noteworthy!
A childhood favorite: Cotton Candy! The adorable boutique also creates the crave-worthy airy confection made-to-order! My favorite was the vanilla bean.
These crispy house-made graham crackers were to die for with a chilled glass of milk!
{Sigh.} Well, lucky for me {and not my thighs}, their cookies, macarons and confections are all available for mail order. Perhaps we should make it a weekly delivery?
Sweet Dreaming…
{image credits} images taken from miette website. cotton candy image from martha stewart
After an absolute dreamy girls getaway to San Francisco, I’ve come back to Windy City realities…And while I’m usually quite obsessed and proud of our city – I find myself yearning for the mass amounts of charm that San Fran seems to offer around every corner, down every alley and in each sweet cafe.
It’s only been mere days, and I already miss the cutie shops and needed a fix of vintagey Frency finds – so a quick spin around San Francisco based shop Bell’occhio‘s general store-esq website must suffice. Here are some of my favorites finds of the moment…
Cutie black and white striped grosgrain ribbon is the perfect way to adorn signage, bind hemstitch napkins at your next dinner party or to knot around your keys to fashion a simple {and cheap!} key-chain.
These adorable ultra-mini scalloped cards and matching envelopes are the perfect way to inspire little notes of gratitude or amour.
This French ribbon would look beautiful binding the stems of a bridal bouquet of fluffy garden roses, ranunculus and peonies.
In. Love. with these perfect blackboard oilcloth mats. Use them to assign seating at your next dinner party or used on the buffet to label the elements of your unfussy feast.
Renny first turned me onto this charming red and white string. It looks fantastic wound around parcels, wax-paper wrapped sandwiches to-go or doing absolutely nothin’ but sitting on the shelf!
These petite letterpress frames can highlight a picture, a phrase or a fabric. I adore the girly embellishments!
Who needs to spend time fussing with fancy wrapping paper when these fantastic aqua and red boxes are available in varied shapes and sizes!
While I have already begun to dream of my next visit to San Fran {a branch of Bliss, perhaps?!}, it’s nice to know some of my favorite shops can still provide a remedy for an uninspired afternoon from afar.
While I would love to say how happy I am to be home, I have to be quite honest – over two weeks traveling the Sydney surroundings, exploring the outback and Ayers Rock and sunning and swimming in the Barrier Reef just wasn’t enough!
I’m sure I’ll have a few posts inspired by our travels, but I’ll focus on Sydney today…
Sydney has it all. Stunning beaches of plenty. Charming neighborhoods that make Lincoln Park seem unkempt. Rolling hills that remind my thighs of San Francisco. Lush, verdant greenery to soften every landscape. Harbors and water-views around every corner. Dining and nightlife to give every socialite something to do for a year…Other than the {possibly now understandable?} gasp-worthy price tag of everything – I am starting to think that Sydney is one of my absolute favorite cities in the world.
Upon our arrival in Sydney, we tried to fight the jetlag by getting some fresh air. My dear friend, bridesmaid and host while in Sydney, Charlotte picked up the boys and I for a gorgeous drive up the coast. Char simply pulled off the side of the road for this drop-dead-gorgeous view. These stunning vistas seem to be a dime a dozen to locals…but, oh how we immediately fell in love.
From there, Charlotte took us to the famed Bondi Beach for a walk, hike and a snack.
The boys favorite beach was for sure Manly. Edged with pine trees soaring overhead, this long, wide beach was teeming with people, gorgeous boutiques and charming cafes.
For a more peaceful beachy experience, we visited Balmoral one afternoon. A quaint beach located in the gorgeous neighborhood of Mosman, Balmoral is a hidden gem to recharge and re-inspire.
BUT…enough about daytime activities!
One of our favorite evenings of the trip was a night out, in celebration of Charlotte’s 30th. Charlotte and Rob {her dreamy husband} took us to Ivy. An unreal, multi-level collection of bars, lounges and restaurants housed in one complex. Located on George Street, in the heart of CBD, Ivy is one of the hottest and most exclusive venues for socializing.
The interior design {by renowned design firm Hecker Phelan Guthrie} left me speechless. Forget the bold, striking and familiar! color palette of yellow, black and white – the shapes, the textures, the humor and sophistication were awe-inspiring. While every restaurant, bar and nook was distinctively different in the complex – there was an interesting common thread of color palette, glamour and style that must have made this interior design job a challenging dream. Here are just a few examples of some of the highlights of Ivy:
We started with drinks in one of the private cabanas at Pool Club, the sun was shining and there were plenty of beautiful people padding around the deck, drinks in hand to keep our eyes busy.
So beautiful!
So fun!
On our way to dinner in one of the award-winning eateries, we passed through The Lawn, another bar area for people to relax and even cool off with their over-sized showers suspended above a manicured grassy landing.
For dinner, we were seated at this communal table at Tappanyaki – a modern Japanese restaurant at Ivy. The meal was devoured, drinks were delicious and our night was not disappointing.
Our urban playground led us on a trip down to the first floor where we had {more?!} cocktails comfortably in the open-air courtyard.
The charming Ivy Bar. Ferns. Obsessed.
The adjacent Ivy Lounge. Palms. Love.
The adorable Mad Cow restaurant. {They even have covetable vegetarian options!}
The upscale Italian eatery Uccello overlooks the Pool and delivers mouthwatering southern Italian flavors and an impressive wine list.
If your travels ever lead to you Sydney – with your husband, your girlfriends or even family {like me!} you must make a night {or perhaps seven} out of Ivy – you certainly won’t go board, hungry or thirsty…and the Wearstler-esq interior design will keep you dreaming!
A special thanks to Charlotte and Rob for introducing to us to all that Sydney has to offer. We loved sharing it all with you!
I am so proud to introduce you to a brilliant new concept created by dear, dear friend Kate Duff along with Alexi Mintz.
3floz.com is fit for brides that are given strict packing instructions from her groom before soaring off to Capri, for girls sneaking away to Palm Beach for the weekend, for any ‘ole jet-setting frequent flier, or for anyone that simply has a hard time deciding on which product to try next.
3floz.com is an online boutique selling luxe beauty products – all in sizes of 3 fluid ounces or less!
Their website officially launches later this week, we know it will be an absolute smashing success. In fact, Star Magazine just named the boutique as one of their Hot Websites!
Congratulations, Kate and Alexi, we absolutely can’t wait to see what’s next!
