happy happy!

happy happy birthday, elle!!!!

love you.

miss your face.

JILL

baseball tee circa 2006

the other day sydney, of the day book blog,

posted how the quintessentially-summer baseball tee is a major part

of her summer wardrobe.

she gave three examples of how she sports it:

(pun intended. har har)

i love her mixing and almost non-matching, and find her style quite similar to my own.

i take that back, i find her style to be similar to what mine is in my head. it doesn't always come out the way it's planned.

then it had me thinking about one of the first times out of college when i went to visit jo and elle in ny. i had this crazy idea that i wanted to sport a head scarf. so we found a bright pink floral scarf and i proceeded to wear it on my head. in all the wrong ways. there are so many more, cooler-for-sure ways to wear said head scarf... but i digress.

that same night, elle wore her very own baseball tee out with me.

(she's going to kill me)

but i looked through a bajillion of my old photos last night and found it:

so ahead of the trends. well, at least she was ;)

happy tuesday.

JILL

talented: steven gambrel

i preordered steven gambrel's new book from amazon, then recently went to a book signing to get a few more copies to share with friends. it is such a beautiful display of his work with amazing photography by the very talented, eric piasecki. one of my very favorite interior images, if not my favorite, is one i shared on this blog the day we started it. if you haven't had a chance to see his work- or realize it is him- take a little time to check it out. here is a sneak peak....

 my fave!!

xoxo

elle.

monday morning blues

after a gorgeous weekend of sunshine and warm weather today is a reality check. especially since the nice weather continues with a high in the 80's today!!! 

xoxo

elle.

right on

here are three spring outfits that are perfectly expressive of how i aspire to look this spring.

now if we could just get those warm days back!!

xoxo

elle 

flowers for friday #85A

just a little bonus arrangement in honor of this amazing spring weather!! looks like a sunny weekend here!

our puppy, commodore, got his last vaccination yesterday so he is ready to take on NYC :) we are off to the dog park to wear this little guy out.

xoxo

elle.

dressed to impress

with this gorgeous, elegant venetian mirror it doesn't matter what you wear!!!

the cozy cashmere throw, crisp white sheets, and worn leather chair happily add to the distraction as well.

xoxo

elle.

shades of white

i thought all of these women looked amazing in their shades of white last night!!!

 xoxo

elle.

distracted

i have been quite distracted this week as we got our new puppy on sunday. wow, the lack of sleep and constant trips outside to get this house training down have caused both my husband and i to be completely out of it!!! we rush to bed at 10:30pm now knowing we have several wake ups through out the night. someone the other day said "when you have a new puppy really you should take the first week off!"i totally agree. anyways,  in honor of the addition to our little family here are a few rooms made better with the frenchie :)

and here is our little man, commodore :)

xoxo

flowers for friday #81

subtle and soft

a much needed THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!

thank goodness.

xoxo

elle.

a long weekend cozy up dish

my husband made this for me on valentine's day which was such a treat!!! it is ideal for a cozy weekend night in enjoying the company of your favorite people. 

from the kitchn

braised french onion chicken with gruyère

serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pounds onions, sliced into thin half-moons

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 small sprigs thyme, leaves only

4-inch sprig rosemary

2 cups chicken broth, divided

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 ounces Gruyère cheese, finely grated or shaved (about 1 cup)

Melt the butter in a deep 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted completely and foams up, add the onions. They will fill the pan to the top, at this point. Stir as you add the onions to coat them in the butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook the onions for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic, thyme leaves, and whole rosemary sprig, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You want dark, slightly burnt spots to appear on the onions, and for them to develop a rich mahogany color. When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of the beef or chicken broth. Add it slowly, stirring and scraping the pan vigorously to scrape up any burnt or stuck-on bits. When the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until it is somewhat reduced.

Take the onions off the heat and pour them into a 3-quart oven-safe dish with a lid. (If you don't have a Dutch oven or another oven-safe dish with a lid, you can use a 9x13-inch baking dish. Just cover it tightly with a double layer of foil.)

Heat the oven to 325°F.

While the onions are cooking, brown the chicken. Heat another 10-inch or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. When the skillet is hot, add the thighs and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, 6 minutes total. When they've developed a golden-brown crust, remove from the pan and set on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish.

Add the remaining 1 cup broth to the pan. Stir vigorously, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Pour this sauce over the chicken and onions, and put the lid on the baking dish. The chicken and onions will look quite saucy; there will be plenty of liquid in the baking dish.

(At this point you can refrigerate the dish for up to 48 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before baking, or else add about 5 minutes to the bake time.)

Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the heat up to broil. Take the lid off the baking dish, and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the chicken. When the broiler has heated up, return the dish to the oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden on top.

xoxo

elle.

the perfect bright but light but purply but bubble gummy pink lipstick

1. Revlon in Gentlemen Prefer Pink 2. NARS in Roman Holiday 3. CoverGirl in Hot Pink Shine 4. MAC in Saint Germain 5. YSL in Pink Mauve 6. Nicki Minaj for MAC in Pink Friday 7. Chanel in Rose Comete 8. Estee Lauder in Pink Champagne 9. Givenchy in Secret Pink 10. Dior in Singuliere

{via brunch at saks}

i have been on a mission since jill posted this pink lipstick to find a winner for myself and i came across two!! i just got mac in st. germain (4) and ysl in pink mauve (5). check out several other options here...

these give life to that mid winter porcelain pale skin

xoxo

elle.

who is excited?

looking forward to the domino quick fixes comeback in april!!

xoxo

elle.

no explanation

 i am all over the board. 

Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer

thom filicia

emma jane pilkington

a few things to get us all off to a creative, inspiring, positive, thought provoking start this week.

xoxo

elle.