a little lunchtime indulgence

Never could resist a bold statement necklace.

Splurged on this beauty over my lunch break.

I'm mad about the orange, but it also comes in a striking shade of cobalt blue.


Lunchtime indulgences like these are one of the many dangers associated with working almost directly above a J. Crew.

Evil window...

in between days

Don't you love this girl's look? It's ideal for those not quite summer, not quite fall days that begin appearing around Labor Day here in NYC.

You know those sorts of days, right? When the air is slightly chilly in the morning, but warm enough by afternoon to pretend that summer isn't almost over.

I love the idea of achieving this look by layering. Combine the pieces below for your own "in between day" ensemble.

1. J. Crew Factory Cotton Shift Dress, $98

2. Urban Outfitters Boxy Mustard Sweater, $79.99 (on sale!)

3. Tory Burch Small Jaden Tote, $195

4. Steven Demtra Fuschia Suede Pumps, $89.99

5. Hammered Metal Cuff, Intermix, $260

6. Warby Parker Thatcher sunglasses, $95

baxter knowlton

S and I were devastated to learn a few years ago that our favorite Oxford restaurant (and site of many of our early dinner dates) had closed.

L & M's was a wonderfully authentic, rustic Italian restaurant and salumeria on the town square. Sadly, their website is still kicking even if the kitchen isn't...

The restaurant had a wonderful ambience with deep mustard colored walls covered with oil paintings from Little Rock-based artist Baxter Knowlton.

I would love to save up and purchase one of Knowlton's pieces for our home one day. Not only do I love his work, but I'd love for us to dine under those same great pieces that overheard our first dinner conversations years ago.

Here are a few samples of Knowlton's works. Does anyone know a gallery where they are sold?

(images courtesy l & m's and arkansas arts council)

great news!

This week is nearly gone, gone, gone!

What better way to celebrate than Nikki Lane's funky little ditty discovered by my secretly trendy hubs last weekend.

I love this song and video. It's like John Waters "Cry Baby," an old Dusty Springfield television performance, Alli McGraw's 70's style and Feist's video for "I Feel It All" tied up all together in a pretty bow.

That makes for a randomly fun combo of references if you ask me...

Bottom line? I'd like to sing while holding a baby goat.

Happy weekend, dears. Stay safe and watch out for that beastly Irene.

spicy sriracha

I, like many people, have mad love for the spicy Thai sauce sriracha. Named for the coastal city Si Racha in Thailand, this sauce is composed chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt.

For any of you who haven't tried it, it makes a pretty killer universal hot sauce for everything from scramled eggs to buffalo wings.

The Sriracha Cookbook: 50 "Rooster Sauce" Recipes that Pack a Punch takes love for the hot sauce to a whole new level. The cookbook even has a blog all about...sriracha! How fun is that?


Excited to try some of the recipes that run the gamut from pesto and glazed salmon to burgers and

ceviche. Spicy!

(images courtesy the burnt pot, apartment therapy and amazon)

fern hair accessories

As a child in Mississippi, my great grandmother Vivian always had an exquisite collection of ferns. I remember them being so striking and beautiful placed both inside and outside of her home.

Independent jewelers Conroy & Wilcox's fern collection takes me back to visits there. Aren't their silver hair pieces lovely? A very nifty touch for a special occassion.

My personal favorite is the hair pin, but


a pair of fern barettes and the headband aren't bad either.

(images courtesy belle decor and conry & wilcox)

retro table

Stumbled across this gorgeous 1960 retro dining table on Etsy this morning.

Typically, I gravitate toward a totally different aesthestic, but something about this piece's sleek modern lines and shiny wood top have me swooning.

In case I wasn't already missing Mad Men, this gorgeous vintage piece would feel right at home in the newly formed offices of Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Price.

As well it should...it originally lived in the Phillip Morris headquarters back in the day.

(images courtesy etsy and flickr)

bow shoes

Carven's Resort 2012 collection is swell. Their prim, laylike pieces really make me smile, but the brand's suede shoes with heel bows take the cake.

The cobalt heels above make a killer statement, and the orange and electric yellow flats below aren't playing around!

Bows 4 life.

(images courtesy adore-vintage the daily truffle and vogue)

arizona

We just returned from somewhat of an impromptu trip to Arizona. Wow. What a beautiful place...

I'm completely obsessed with the desert, the mountains and most of all the cacti (best word ever). Check out these gorgeous snaps.

While in Phoenix/Scottsdale we were lucky enough to check out local favorite America's Taco Shop.

The seemingly patriotic name actually comes from the restaurant's founder. The mastermind behind all of its delicious dishes is named America Corrales. America grew up cooking the same dishes with her mother and six brothers and sisters in Culiacán, Sinaloa in Mexico.

If ever I meet this woman, I might hug her. No kidding. Everything was that tasty.

We really dug this legit local flavor. Consistently voted "the best carne asada in the Valley", we dove right into the carne asada tacos

as well as the homemade agua frescas.

The horchata (third from right below) was cinnamon-y and sweet. S couldn't get enough of the jamaica/hibiscus (pictured second from right below).

(image courtesy the hot sheet and phoenix new times)

Thanks, AZ!

kurt vile

Can't stop listening to Philadelphia-born rocker Kurt Vile on this hectic Wednesday afternoon.

Check out "Freeway" and

"He's Alright."

Yee-ah.

(image courtesy prefix)

P.S. Has anyone seen Kurt live? Contemplating getting tix for his November show at Webster Hall...

currently cooking: s's summer pasta

The hubs and I spent the weekend laying pretty low. Somwhere between traveling for the past twelve weekends straight and getting my wisdom teeth out on Friday, we felt like taking it easy.

Lucky for me, S was in the mood to cook one of his awesome pasta dishes. The only requirement? It had to be soft enough that my sad little mouth could handle it.

He settled on this rocking recipe: Pasta with Proscuitto, Snap Peas, Mint and Cream.

It was obviously tasty, but to score himself even more points in the "best dude ever" category he snapped these clever pics of his handy work while he cooked. Cute overload.

He took a succulent freshly sliced cut of proscuitto from our local gourmet shop from this

to this.

Mmmm!

Adding the proscuitto to the skillet with shallot and garlic made the kitchen smell divine.

An important note? Don't let the cream sauce throw you off. The mint and peas keep this meal from feeling too heavy. They produce a wonderful, fresh summery flavor.

Enjoy!

(image courtesy food 52 and sam)

polka dot ring

I adore a light and dainty band. I also adore polka dots. Put them together and what do ya got?

This pretty spotted ring by Satomi Kawakita.

Stack with this "tiny city band"


or these rose gold beauties.

Mama likes!

(images courtesy catbird)

new look

So, readers, what do you think of la dee dah's new look? I, for one, am floored.

It's a facelift so legit that I think even Joan Rivers would be proud.

This gorgeous redesign is courtesy of my dear friend Laura whose design work never ceases to amaze all who view it.

Check out her clever tumblr regarding design where L takes existing ideas/designs and gives them them quite the makeover.

I can't get enough of her fresh, interesting take on everything from wine labels to John Hughes films. Take a gander and enjoy!

Thanks again for working your magic here, L!

(image courtesy serious movie lover)

stand by...

for some fun and exciting updates to la dee dah!

Change is a good thing, right? Bowie certainly thinks so.

Also, I can't hear Bowie without giving a massive shout out to these Bowie paper dolls! How wonderfully absurd.

I spotted these in Claudio Varosio's Etsy shop the other day. Remember her quirky movie posters?

Loving the paper dolls? She also offers (for your nerdy pleasure) playful versions of Margot Tenenbaum, Edie Beale and The Dude.

fancy ice pops

Apart from a weakness for Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack, I can usually "take it or leave it" when it comes to ice cream. Popsicles, however? Completely different story.

Leave it to the always awesome Mark Bittman to come up with a wide variety of recipes to take the ice pop to an all-new level.

Go "Fruity" with Strawberry-Basil, Cherry-Vanilla and Peach-Ginger.

Boldly try "Savory" flavors like Avocado-Cilantro, Tomato-Cucumber or Coconut Curry.

Party it up with "Boozy" offerings like Grapefruit-Campari, Fennel-Pernod or Mojito (that one's for you, Mom).


Bittman also offers ideas for sweet and creamy options, but those just aren't my bag.

One of the main reasons I love the whole artisnal popsicle movement is because the flavors are often much lighter and healthier than ice cream.

For example, one flavor not included on Bittman's list is my current fav flav Hibiscus Mint (recently sampled at Las Paletas in Nashville). Check out the recipe here.

P.S. Want to make creating ice pops even easier? Check out this bad boy.

Some of our pals just picked up this little contraption a few weeks ago. It has since been added to the list of kitchen gagdets to acquire up once we have a kitchen that's a bit more storage friendly...and has a full sized freezer.

(images courtesy mirth and motivation, the new york times, bon appetit and mommy pr)