Eric and Amy

Sisters,

In honor of the Royal Wedding I did not watch today (though I have done a fair amount of internet stalking!) I want to share with you a video from one of my favorite weddings I've ever been to. Remember Amy? Last October she and her husband Eric got hitched on a farm in Cold Spring, NY. Check out their proposal story told in polaroids here and read about their love story here.

I will post with photos and the details of the wedding another day, but watch this beautiful video our friend Adam made for them ...

love from the east coast :)

Kate's Dress

Sisters,

I know I said I wasn't going WillKate crazy over here, but I couldn't resist looking at pictures and videos of the wedding over breakfast this morning. And just when I thought I could care less, I see her dress! It's perfect. What do you think?

Read this if you'd like to know more about how the dress was made and all of the intricate detailing :)

The Royal Wedding

Hi sisters,
I'm assuming you both got the same text from mom I did. The one that said "Are you buying a hat for the wedding?" And by "the wedding" she means THE wedding (capital T-H-E). I have to be honest, I don't think I'm going to drag myself out of bed early tomorrow morning to watch Will and Kate tie the knot, let alone buy a hat to do it. What about you?

I am loving this wacky wedding memorabilia list on Refinery 29 here.

Oh, and check out these nails!

Love from NYC :)

Spring Jeans: trimmed, tailored, and rolled

Sisters- As the weather gets warmer I am trying to figure out the perfect length for cropped jeans. Three of my favorite fashion blogs recently provided some inspiration.  These ladies have mastered the perfect length by trimming, rolling, or tailoring their jeans. I love the look in the Sartorialist photograph - I just might be wearing rolled jeans and wedges this weekend.

Love from the Windy City 

Jak&Jil

The Sartorialist

Hanneli Mustaparta

Bacon and Grape Chopped Salad

Sisters,
Nathan and I traveled up north to the Catskills the other month for a weekend away and happened upon this restaurant gem. I ended up ordering their 12 ingredient chopped salad and couldn't stop talking about it all weekend. The other night I tried to recreate something similar from whatever I had in the fridge. It ended up only being a 6 ingredient chopped salad, but it was delicious all the same! This has been added to my favorite spring and summer meals list.

It's so easy...

Ingredients
- bacon
- red grapes
- cucumbers
- lettuce
- feta
- yellow raisins
- fat free poppyseed dressing

Directions
Step 1.
- Cook bacon and let it sit on a paper towel to drain the grease
- Wash and dry grapes, cucumbers, and lettuce

Step 2.
- Finely chop grapes, cucumbers, lettuce, yellow raisins, and bacon

Step 3.
- Crumble feta into the salad
- Dress salad as desired and mix

With love from New York :)

Emerson Made

Sissies-

Have you heard of this adorable company? I am kind of obsessed with it/her right now. Emerson decided to leave the craziness of NYC and move to the country to start her company. Her clothes/accessories are pretty amazing! The idea of packing up and moving to a farm to start my own little brand sounds rather lovely right about now.

Check it out... I know you guys will love it! DawsonMade, anyone?

xoxo-
from san francisco

Frienship Bracelets Revisited

Sissies-

Remember how I posted about how friendship bracelets were making a comeback? Well, my friend and I bought a few while we were out shopping the other week. We both were sporting our look on Friday night!



Top: Katie, Bottom: Me!


XOXO, SF Sista

Happy Easter

photo by Eric Ryan Anderson

A Stuntman and his 30 Rock Debut

Vic and his girlfriend Becky at our friends wedding. 

Sisters,

Did you see our friend Victor on 30 Rock last night? Two of the things I love the most about living in New York City is the community of people I get to call my friends (some of whom were our friends in high school) and the fact that I am surrounded by people with the strangest jobs! Victor is a stuntman, which is no surprise for those of us who knew him in highschool, and has been in most of the major action films in the last few years. We're always excited to see him on fire, jumping out of a hummer falling off a bridge, or attacking Will Smith while falling off a building on the big screen, but we were so excited to see him get hit by Tracy Morgan last night on 30 Rock!!

Vic jumping off a cliff,

on fire,

jumping across buildings,

and Vic on TV on TV :)

With love from NYC

The Art of Self Confidence

Sissies-

As you both are well aware, I am pretty confident that I can be an artist. Remember a few years back when I made dad go out and buy me all the supplies so I could start my "career" as an oil painter? I know that didn't quite work out, BUT I am really sure I can do this...

(PS- I love the color scheme in this room)

This is how the artist, James Nares, paints...



I can totally do this!

Sisters- Get out your rock climbing ropes & harness. Dad- please buy me an extra large brush. You all are going to help me construct a contraption to accomplish his "style" of art. His work was just featured on Gossip Girl... so you know he is about to get big. I really think I am onto something here. You'll thank me when my art shows makes millions :)

xoxo-
from the west coast

Banana Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

Hi sisters,
I made banana cookies with brown sugar frosting the other week for my coworkers and they were a hit! They are pretty easy to make and a delicious twist to the more traditional banana bread  or muffin. These would make a great dessert to bring to an Easter gathering :)

Here's how to make them....


INGREDIENTS
Cookie
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 1/2 bananas)
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/2 cup of oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting
- 2 tablespoons of softened butter
- 3 tablespoons of firmly packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of milk
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS
Step 1.

- Heat oven to 350°F

- Combine 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar in large bowl

- Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy

- Add bananas, egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; continue beating until well mixed (it should be creamy)

- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

- Beat until well mixed

Step 2.

- Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets

- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned

- Cool completely

Step 3.

- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat

- Add 3 tablespoons brown sugar and milk

- Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil (1 to 2 minutes)

- Remove from heat

- Add powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat until well mixed

- Cool slightly

Step 4.

- Frost cooled cookies

- Serve to those you love!

With love from the East Coast :)

P.S. This is my favorite banana muffin recipe from Cat Can Cook!

Records to Rdio

Sissies,

We grew up listening to dad's records, loving mom's Madonna tapes (and making our own awesome mix tapes), buying N'Sync CDs, and then downloading mp3's.  Although we may lack music talent, despite years of choral instruction and dreams of stardom on the Disney channel, we have always loved listening to great music! Well, here is one more evolution in the way we can own and listen to the artists we love.

Rdio is a website that lets you listen to unlimited music online. You don't purchase the albums or singles, you pay for a subscription to the website. You can create a collection of albums, a playlist of songs, or put albums and songs in your que to create a stream of the songs of your choice. The Rdio collection is missing some classics and artists that are not so mainstream, but for the most part you can find what you are looking for in their database. This is not the only website of its kind, rumor has it Spotify is coming to the U.S. in the near future.

Here is Tech Crunch's review of Rdio from 2010. I think it's helpful, but two updates to note: Rdio is no longer by invite only, it's open to all and Apple has since approved the mobile app.

Love from Chicago

Chalk it up to good taste

Hi sisters,
Have I told you about my friend Dana yet? She is a graphic designer and custom chalk letterer who's been getting a lot of blog love lately. The image above is from her interview in 10 answers; Dana's on the left and the top right picture is an image of our friend's (Amy and Eric) apartment wall around the corner from us. I just found out she has a lettered full page opener in the newly redesigned May issue of Every Day with Rachel Ray!

Dana is just as endearing and engaging as her art, I'm so excited for her!

Check out her 10 answers interview here.

And her interview on the ByandBy along with an amazing video detailing how she does all of this by hand!

As well as her features on Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, and 100layer cake.

Yellow Fever

Sissies-

As you both know, I have a yellow obsession. It could be the ugliest thing in the world, but if it comes in yellow... I'll buy it.

I was inspired to share my love of yellow after my friend Katie recently posted a lot of great yellow inspiration!

Here are some of the MANY yellow images I have collected...

Our Grandma

A month ago, we lost a friend that we loved very much. This weekend our Grandma Val would have celebrated her 88th birthday. She was the mother of six children she raised on her own (during a time when single mothers were few and far between), the grandmother of twelve, and the great grandmother of four. As our grandma she has woven her character, heart, and deep love into each of our lives, and for that we are eternally grateful. We wanted to take a minute here to share just one of those threads with you, an example of the way she valued kindness. Although we can't begin to pay tribute to her with a few sentences on a silly blog, hopefully what is written remains a reminder to us of how to live, because while our words can't begin to do her justice, our hope is that our lives will.

KINDNESS
While growing up we often heard “Kill them with kindness girls” whenever we came home and were angry at someone. My Grandma said it and my mom repeated it. It was almost sung as it was being said, so clear that this wasn't just a trite saying to them - it was a way to live that was pressed into their lives. When we were kids, we misunderstood it. We thought that what she meant was that kindness was the best way to drive someone crazy. If they are mean to you, be nice back, and that will make them really angry because they didn’t get a rise out of you. Then, as we got older and continued to watch the way Grandma lived, we realized we had gotten it all wrong. Grandma’s kindness did the opposite. Somehow she understood that most people weren’t born mean, that they had probably become that way for a reason. So, when someone was mean; she simply responded to them as if she knew the person they were before the world got a hold of them. She “killed people with kindness” to restore their dignity. People who met our grandma walked away with a little of the soot on their soul brushed off. 

xxx,
Christina, Kathleen, and Megan

P.S. Call your grandparents :)

Hats off

image by the Sartorialist

Sisters,

I'm in love with this menswear trend I'm seeing all over the streets and am desperately seeking a hat like the one above. I'm going to scour some vintage and thrift shops in my neighborhood for one this weekend. Do you think I can pull it off?

My friend Des definitely can...

I love this hat on her!


With love from the East Coast :)

"Ski" Trip

Sissies-

I had quite the weekend. Let me tell you about it...

We decided last minute that we wanted to do a little spring skiing, so we grabbed Samara and Cody, hopped in the car and headed to Lake Tahoe. We had a great plan: drive up saturday morning, stay at the base of Heavenly Mountain, hit up the casinos, then ski all day sunday.

The drive up to Tahoe is quite easy and once you get close, the view is just gorgeous:

After the 3.5 hour drive, we arrive at the Marriot and check into our room. From that point on, we began partaking in some beverages. Altitude+beer+vodka = uh oh!

POINT OF NO RETURN: Samara and I thought that pillow covers would make a cute clutch. Please note our lovely orange, leather, pillow covers:

We then headed to Harrah's Casino. Let me tell you... I HATE GAMBLING. I never win!

After I lost all my money and threatened the dealer that I was going to call Dateline to report fraud (I really love a good Dateline exposé). Samara and I headed back to the hotel to go swimming.

We all woke up the next morning feeling like death, so we decided not to go skiing.

Samara and I hit the pavement and tried to sell our lift tickets. We were stopped by a very nice (but toothless) worker to let us know that what we were doing was against the law. I've been to the slammer once, I was not about to go back over a lift ticket.

At the end of the trip, this was about the closest we got to skiing:

Hopefully my upcoming weekend is a little bit more successful.

xoxo,
mountain mama
** photo credit goes to Samara Fetto and Cody Vidinich AND hipstamatic

Put a Bird on it

Sisters,
You know I have a design obsession with all things bird. Megan you gave me the beautiful plates above that I mix and match with some scalloped yellow plates I found at a thrift store. And Christina you designed my wedding programs with those lovely vintage bird images. So... you both not only know of this addiction, you enable it.

And you also know how much I hate real birds. They terrify me. Which is why I laughed for a good 10 minutes after I saw this sketch on Portlandia....

With love from NYC :)

How are you wearing scarves?

Dawson's love scarves! They add color, dress up an outfit, and serve as the perfect accessory for traveling.  However, I typically wear the same 5 scarves and I wear them all the same way. So here are a few famous ladies to get the creative juices flowing: I will be taking notes from SJP's and Rachel Bilson's wrap around.

Love from the Windy City!

Make new friends, but keep the old...

Sissies-
Dust off your kaboodles... you are going to need a place to store your friendship bracelets! That's right, they are making a comeback!

*images from tommy ton and sincerely jules

I hope mom still has my how-to books in the basement:



Lots of love, from the west coast

Bold Statement

Sissies-

I am loving the bold statement of brightly colored pants! What are your thoughts on this trend?

Lots of love from San Francisco!

Parmesan Kale Chips

Hi Sisters,

People have been singing kale's leafy green praises for a long time now; it's cholesterol lowering abilities, it's role in preventing five different types of cancer (bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate), and it's rich anti-oxidants. The first time I dabbled in kale was after reading this post from a Dawson sister favorite - TKTC. Christina, you have some pretty great friends over there in Chicago! Remember when the three of us walked over to Jessi's place so you could borrow a dress, and she had magically made a pie for us? Who whips up a pie when friends stop by? Jessi does, obviously. So when she said kale was a good tasting healthy food, I listened. 

I've eaten kale raw, steamed, or sauteed with garlic and olive oil, but I just learned how to roast it to a delicious crisp.

Sisters..... meet my new favorite thing- the kale chip! 

Here's how you make them:

INGREDIENTS

- a bundle of kale

- 3 tsp. olive oil

- kosher salt to taste

- grated parmesan to taste 

DIRECTIONS

Step 1.

- Heat oven to 300 degrees

- Pull apart one kale leaf at a time  

- Tear each leaf apart from the middle stem in 3-inch pieces, discard stem

Step 2.

- Place kale pieces onto a baking sheet

- Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil on top of pieces (I've made the mistake before of putting too much olive oil, trust me - 2 - 3 tablespoons is enough!)

- Toss the pieces, making sure to rub each leaf to guarantee the olive oil covers it

- Separate the pieces into a single layer on the baking sheet

Step 3.

- Place in oven for 20-25 minutes 

- Each oven is different, especially each city oven, so at 20 minutes check to see if each piece has crisped (no one likes soggy chips).

- When crisped let cool for 5-10 minutes

Step 4. 

- Lightly sprinkle kosher salt over leaves

- Grate fresh parmesan on top to taste

Step 5. 

- Enjoy a healthy snack or side dish!