Give Me Zany!

Thanks to Ellen (Von Unwerth) for coloring my dull day.

image by Ellen Von Unwerth

Christine

The Marchesa Gown at the Academy Awards 2012

I have only watched the pre-shows and had to dvr the rest, but just wanted to quickly share my love for this Marchesa gown worn by George Clooney's girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, at the 2012 Oscars.  WOW.  The dress makes her seem like a grecian goddess sent from the planet of blonds-with-perfect-bodies, who was dipped in gold instead of chocolate, and just as edible. Yum.

And a couple of others I really liked.

 Images by Getty Images

Christine

Danskin Photo Shoot Video 2-24-12

Everyone did a great job!  Thanks for all the creative input and generosity, as this was a little engine that almost couldn't.





Kisses,

Christine

Angela for Danskin

Aida from Click Models hooked us up with Angela and we are shooting her for the Danskin hang tag today.  Yay!  She's so gorgeous!

And we're so luck to have snabbed a busy talent, Henry Lopez, to shoot for us!

www.henrylopezphotography.com

I will share the results in upcoming entries.

Dying of anticipation,

Christine

The Shoes of NY Fashion Week F/W 2012

Cool shoe trends found on Stylesight Blog: http://blog.stylesight.com/footwear/best-of-nyfw

 Rodarte

Proenza Schouler

Reed Krakoff

 Rag & Bone

Diesel

Stepping out,

Christine

Recycling Plain Glass Vases

In my often but puny effort to be eco-friendly, I take everyday items and muti-repurpose them.  I think I just made up that word! :)   One of the things I do is recycle glass candle holders into poupouri containers, or water glasses -- if they look nice enough.  At least reuse them before you get tired of it and want to throw it out. 

I found a great idea for recycling those atrocious glass vases the Valentine flowers came in.  Yes, you know exactly what I'm talking about!  Checkout the remedy here:

Read full story on Sugar and Charm Blog

Ah ha!

Christine

CD Cover Designs

I've designed numerous CD covers in the past and wanted to share a couple that I still like.  I dig the contrast between these two designs -- The Peter Malick Group and SNE.

Christine

In Good Company Pot Roast

It was already 3:30 PM on Saturday when I had completed my mission of helping my husband clean up a month old filth that had started to infiltrate our comfort zone.  It had gotten to a point where we could no longer pretend that the narly hair and dust-balled tumbleweed at our feet every time we climbed the stairs was just a minor setback to what would otherwise be a gloriously spotless household -- despite 2 dogs and a husband who thinks trash cans are nothing but room accents with a purpose that doesn't need to be filled all the time.  It was out of control.

Then suddenly, the king of chillaxing, a.k.a. my husband, proceeded to vacuum.  Upon hearing this mysterious sound coming from upstairs, I sprinted into action!  It took no time to finish cleaning the entire 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath town house together.  I felt like Cinderella, ready for the ball!

The only thing I could think of to compliment the occasion was to experiment with a new dish.  Since I didn't have much time to shop and cook for dinner, I sought my dutch oven to the rescue.  A perfect alternative to the Crock Pot (or Slow Cooker), and the ultimate flavor sealer.

This "Company Pot Roast" recipe (by Barefoot Contessa) is definitely going in my recipe book, and ranks easily in my top 3 cold-weather recipes of all time.  Warning: Not for vegetarians.

Additional tip: Use Cotes du Rhone, a young, full-bodies red wine, so amazing for dishes like this, and a V.S.O.P. Cognac -- don't go for cheap, ordinary if you want the full experience.


For anyone interested in trying this heavenly recipe, you will need a large dutch oven like this (I used the 9 qt Le Creuset dutch oven, which was a perfect size for this recipe):

Company Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks)
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy
• 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
• 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 3 branches fresh thyme
• 2 branches fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

YUM!

Christine

Nina Ricci Prefall 2012

This is a lovely collection by Nina Ricci for prefall 2012.  I'm not a flashy, trendy dresser.  My dream wardrobe would be something similar to Vera Wang's -- minimal and chic.  I love the comfortable, basic concepts that are feminine, with silhouettes that read just the right amount of trend and are cut to perfection.  Yea, kind of like every piece of item in this picture.

see more images from vogue.com

Perfection!

Christine

Magazine For Creative Souls

Whatever your fancy, I bet you can find something inspiring in this fabulous online mag called Rue.  These are a couple of gorgeous rooms I found, followed by pages from the latest issue of Rue Magazine.

Hurry to check out the Jan 2012 issue, which is still pretty fresh for that last minute detailing in your home or wardrobe before the guests arrive.  And again, gotta love the convenience of click-and-shop!

Love is in the details,

Christine

Great Valentine Gift Ideas 2012 by Style Sight

Compilation of great gift ideas by Stylesight.com.  My favorite is the Dior makeup case.  So gorgeous!  Wonder what I'll be getting for Valentines this year...

Still in love,

Christine

RIP Whitney Houston

So young at 48... :(

Read article

 Another icon gone too soon...

Christine

Singapore Model Du Juan

Love these photos of Du Juan featured in Style Singapore.

You go girl!

Christine

The Art of Conceptualizing with Julia Child

Conceptualizing I think is an art form on its own.  I mean, where do these ideas come from?  Most of my weekends are spent playing with words that makeup a trademark or a slogan for intimates products, like BRAvo...or give your sport a Smart & Sexy "Boost!"  And come up with a "look" and a logo that flies with the awesome product with the awesome tagline.  I do do my homework on market and social psychology status quo's, read authors like Malcolm Gladwell and Benjamin Barber..but I have to say, there is always an element of surprise in the thought process.  I realize if I hadn't been into subjects like Mastering the Art of French Cooking or Kourtney and Kim Take New York, I may not have had the breadth of knowledge to come up with some of the ideas.  For that, I say to the creatively lost -- look in unexpected places for the most inspiring concepts!  Or go take a shower..?

I found the most amazing depth and complexity in making a dish called, Coq Au Vin (w/ Cotes du Rhone).  It devirginized me.  I didn't know what "layers of flavor" really meant until experiencing this dish.  I experienced the "art" of cooking and it was delicious!  How did this dish affect my thought process?  One word:  BRAlicious!

Inspired,

Christine

Still on Jak & Jil

Found more amazing pics from Jak&Jil...all thing I LOVE: Paris, Jay-Z, LV, and NYC!!!

Prolific,

Christine

Brilliant Lingerie Trends 2012

These are great lingerie trend direction created by Concepts Paris for 2012.  A few of my faves..

Christine

Magic of Stills

It's a moment in time you will never get back.  A fixed frame in midst innumerable..out of context, floating around, leaving so much open for interpretation.  I love that.

With all this getting back to the roots business, I've bought myself a nice camera with video capabilities - SLR, Fujifilm.  Culprit for the obvious detrimental move is Jak and Jill.  It was one of those "when the student is ready, teacher appears" moment.  No word is necessary when you can say so much with a click of the shutter.

Cheers!

Christine