COCKTAILS AT SIX: THE LAVENDER HONEY CREAM

There is a certain sophistication added to food + drink when a touch of lavender is worked into the recipe...

Mix in a dash of honey + cream, and you’ll soon be experiencing a taste of the Spring botanicals that will be budding in the not too distant future.

The Lavender Honey Cream

1.5 oz. Square One Botanical Vodka
1 oz. heavy cream
1 oz. egg white (pasteurized - or leave out, but it will change the consistency a bit)
1 oz. lavender honey simple syrup
lavender blossoms for garnish

First let’s make the simple syrup by combining 1/4 cup lavender honey with 1/4 cup boiling water. Stir gently until honey is dissolved. Let cool and store in a squeeze bottle.

For the cocktail - Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker & fill with ice. Shake gently for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a few lavender blossoms. Serves 1.


of le petit happy

* image & recipe via [liquor.com, & we heart it here & here]

HAPPY (NOT AT ALT) WEEKEND

Am I the only one not at Alt Summit this weekend? It's sure feeling like it! Even my bestie decided to ditch me for another (fabulous) roomie! And, of course the better half of our Rue team, Anne + Crystal, are representing...

Following all the tweets (at #altsummit), I'm already jealous of the fun girl time and wealth of knowledge pouring out of the amazing lineup of speakers!

Not to mention pajama parties! But, for those of you (like me) who were unable to make it this year, I'm hoping to collect a few of my favorite bloggers best takeaways from the conference, so stay tuned for those next week!

And in the meantime... have a fabulous weekend wherever you are!! I think I might don my furry winter hat just to join in on the fun...

xo,
cassandra

*images via tumblr. source unknown.

FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE...

Is it spring yet??? We still have a few months to get through before the weather even slightly resembles warm weather around here, but that's not going to discourage me from lusting after some decidedly spring-inspired pieces for the the home + wardrobe...

Yes, please and thank you to all of the above!

*dress by yigal azrouel, heels brian atwood, missoni throw, and  alexandra table lamp at burke décor

FRED SHAND FOR ANTHROPOLOGIE

One of my most favorite collaborators at Anthropologie is the designer Fred Shand - I'm completely enamoured by her graphic yet organic designs. So I was really excited to see this exclusive collection created with artists from Dehli, London and NYC...

The quilts (there are also pillows) are true pieces of art (and priced accordingly!). I wouldn't hesitate to hang one on my wall, if I could afford to! They're absolutely dreamy...


*see the full collection in 'the gallery' at anthropologie.com

INTERIORS TO INSPIRE: BOHO CHIC

Hello everyone! Julie here from Chapman Interiors, and I am absolutely swooning in delight over this space, today! It's rocking a mix of design with performing an amazing balancing act between casual and formal styles... 

In the living room, a casually slip-covered chair is just loungin' next to the very square settee (with ladylike posture).  The fancy trim and tall bookcase *might* be looking down at all the fun furniture, but the large piece of light, modern art is putting the stuffy moulding in its rightful place. Leave it to a round ottoman to say "let's all be friends" by pulling the pieces together.

And over here? Well, the sleek and curvaceous Panton chairs are having a heyday with the hard nosed dining table that doubles as a desk (note table lamp).

The mixing + mingling continues in the bedroom which offers a chic and simple place to catch up on sleep. Those oval windows are the bee-knees. (Side note, a big, bold coverlet allows you instantly transform your space... imagine this bedroom without the fun magenta addition. It would still be quite nice but a totally different vibe, yes?)

Let's go shopping and get this look for our very own:

So fun! I'm loving the casual-mod and formal combination. We got crafty by adding the salvaged architectural column topper as a side table to channel the formality of the crown moulding in the inspiration image. And the suzani on that sofa would make it SO much more inviting. 

What do you think? Could you mix styles or do you prefer a more streamlined approach?

Cheers!
-Julie


*images via nuevo estilo) resources: leather butterfly chair, coralie bickford smith books (you'll have these forever, go ahead and buy them now!), classic urn lamp, Oly's Issac sofa, hide rug, suzani pillow, wire side tables.

BRIGHT (BEDROOM) IDEAS

I've been pondering these two little pieces of inspiration for guest bedrooms this week...

This lovingly painted door feels so special... if you could handle your halls being brightened up by such lovely whimsy, I think is would be a very sweet way to welcome guests to your home!

I've also been wondering if painting a ceiling in bright red, just for the soft pink glow it brings to the white walls, is crazy or genius. I'm not usually a fan of red in bedrooms, but in a guest room with tall ceilings an minimal decor...? I'm kinda digging it!

Could you, would you?

*doorway via design*sponge,  bedroom photography by magnus anesund

DOUBLY DREAMY

Dreaming of the arrival of spring has left me in a soft + hazy state of mind lately...

Like this editorial + flowing pieces from the Luisa Beccaria Spring collection...


Their gauzy + ghostly silhouettes suit that feeling of being stuck between seasons...

And the hope that new romance + sunshine is on the way...


*editorial by paul de luna

I LOVE...

We all know everything looks better in good lighting... but how about in glamorous, faceted, colors-so-good-you-want-to-sink-your-teeth-into-them lighting?

I can't imagine the kind of gorgeous glow that illuminates from these stunners! But... where to hang them? I'd almost want them dramatically low so you could admire them up close and personal...

*design by studio bel vetro

FOODIE FASHIONISTA: ON THE RED CARPET

Hello readers! Crissie from bug&Bear here, and I am thrilled that it is award season again, aren't you? I adore watching what the stars choose to wear down the red carpet - spotting the trends, gushing over the best dressed and ruthlessly mocking the worst.

The Golden Globes gave us a few lovely colors that thrilled me with their easy translation to the table. Gowns in gorgeous emerald greens and sweet, soft blushes mix wonderfully into a simple (yet unexpected!) shrimp soup....

What were your favorite gowns of the Globes?

*Emma Stone in Calvin Klein Collection (Getty Images); Catherine Zeta Jones in Monique Lhuillier (Getty); Elisabeth Moss in Donna Karan (Getty Images); Claire Danes in Calvin Klein Collection (Steve Granitz/WireImage)
*Foodtography by Cannelle et Vanille

LILAC TO LEOPARD: THE MAKING OF AN INSPIRATION

Over this past weekend I finally made myself get out to the huge Picasso exhibit going on here in Seattle, and as I wandered through rooms of sketches and paintings I started wondering about the crazy creative processes that artists go through in their head...

The way we each take things in and then put them back out into the world is so unique. For me, my eye is constantly drawn to color, texture, and patterns - drawing them out and putting them together into something that makes sense. I take pieces of inspiration and connect the dots to create a larger idea...

And what does that look like in my mind? Well, something like this actually. Jumping from the first photo to the second, it's the colors that bring them together, but in the second photo, it's the leopard print shoes that really pop out to me, which brings us to this lovely shot below...

Put them all together in little pieces of inspiration, and this is what you get!

Lots of lovely lilac highlighted by shots of orange and yellow, mixed in with unexpected leopard and some ethnic stripes. Saying that out loud, it sounds a bit jumbled and crazy, but looking at it all together, you can see how it works. And, voila! Inspiration for a room, a tabletop, or even today's ensemble.

How does your eye see it?

*images via the selby, photography by zoey grossman, via jacklyn paige