Fishs Eddy

One of my favorite store in NYC is hands down Fishs Eddy. It has everything I love: beautiful dishes, vintage dishes and canning supplies. When I was invited to an event to style a table setting with their fabulous vintage dishes, to put it mildly I was super excited. For those of you who know me, you understand my obsession for vintage. I love the hunt for items that were previously undiscovered. Then the organization and presentation of random vintage items to make a whole. I imagine them as lost lovers being reunited. The idea of being able to look through all of Fishs Eddy's vintage dishes was irresistible. I saw Grace Bonney and Maxwell Tielman from Design Sponge styling their tables settings which you can see here. The dapper Todd Oldham also stopped by to style a setting. 

For my table setting, I challenged myself to pick a plate with some color (I know, I love me some black and white style). The patten on the plate reminded me of chinoiserie, which is a style close to my heart. I'm drawn to Chinoiserie because it tells a story with picture and pattern, and feels familiar. The plate I picked, had an accent of black, and left me a perfect excuse to add a black dinner plate. To add another layer and accent the yellow in the plate, I used a yellow and white striped cotton napkin as a placemat that draped off the side of the table. Having a great napkin collection can go a long way when looking at ways to layer a table.

One of the items I am always challenged with when shopping vintage is figuring out how I'm going to get a table to look coherent, and not too mismatched. I look for two common elements: color and scale. This can be challenging to learn and figure out while you are shopping, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy. I'm really into pink right now and selected a number of pink patterned plates. Who doesn't love these for a spring lunch? Similar color and scale of different plates makes them feel like a set. I also assemble my transferware collection the same way. It's all mismatch vintage, but feels like a collection through color and scale.

Even though we look at these items for our modern lifestyle, I love that they represent a time when America manufactured. I can imagine American's working in the factory making items that would have a lasting impression on the classic American aesthetic. I like their sturdiness that reflects their original purpose of being used in a restaurant, or maybe a dining club. Some of the vintage plates are fancy with thin ceramic, while others are thick ceramic and unbreakable. I hope you have a chance to swing by Fishs Eddy next time you're in New York City.

After Easter Eggs

It's the day after Easter and you open the fridge to find a half a dozen hard-boiled eggs left over. Do I just crack them open and eat them whole with a little salt and pepper? Do I get a little more involved and make deviled eggs? Or do I just need a break from the half a dozen I ate the day before. Well if you fall into the last category I have a great idea for you, pickle them!

If you have never had a pickled egg you are completely missing out. The white texture of the egg gets a little firmer and there is the sweet acidic taste of the pickling liquid, it's divine. You can eat them whole or cut them up and put them in salads.

I first heard about pickled eggs after Susan had given a gift of pickled beets to my stepfather Dave. Dave started telling us about how much he loved pickled beets and that after they were all gone he would take hard-boiled eggs and put them in the pickling juice to make beet pickled eggs. "Put them in the fridge for about a week and you are ready to go", Dave said. And man if he wasn't right! The eggs start to take on a ruby like color and become pickling delicious. Once you have one, your hooked.

So if you don't have a prized jar of Susan's pickled beets, you can likely pick up a jar from the grocery store. Have a little beet snack and save the liquid and jar. Hard-boil about 5 to 6 eggs and peel them. Drop them in the jar and put them in the fridge for about a week and they are ready for eating. Alternatively you can heat the beet pickling juice to a low boil. Slightly crack the hard-boiled eggs with the back of a spoon and them add them to the liquid. Turn down the heat to a simmer and let them go for about 10-15 minutes, then turn the heat off and cover the pot and let sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. Refrigerate and eat chilled.

Enjoy.

New York Times Magazine: Bittman Dim Sum

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working on a great Dim Sum story for the New York Times Magazine. We were photographing Dim Sum recipies by Mark Bittman, with the help of food stylist Suzanne Lenzer and prop stylist Theo Vamvounakis. And I have to say the asparagus was amazing! Take a look at the recipies here.

One Kings Lane: Tastemaker Tag Sale

I am beyond excited to share the One Kings Lane Tastemaker Tag Sale with you. I've had the pleasure of collecting and curating goodies over the past few months that are part of the sale. As you probably know, I'm a huge fan of vintage in all forms. If something is over used and carries character, I love it more. I've picked pieces with patina and history attached, and they might not be perfect for their original purpose but will do perfectly in a new life we give them. The pitcher and little sugar pot above make excellent vases. 

The teapot above has seen better days. I imagine it in a grand dining room with fancy velvet drapes and couples dining as the sun goes down.

In the picture above, there is a set of three petite vases, collected spoons, and an all time favorite of mine, a pick set for entertaining. I use the pick set all the time, it is my go-to fancy item when we have people over I can always count on. The picks are plastic and easy to care for, and the container is plastic as well. We should work on making more plastic items as beautiful as this one, wouldn't you agree?

This table is just plain beautiful, and who doesn't need a gold flower table in their life?

Another favorite of mine, this rosewood flatware set comes out when I need to put together a quick dinner party. 

True confessions: I hope no one buys this so I can keep it. I love not only the beauty but the functionality of this platter. 

Another go-to entertaining item are these beautiful cheese boards from Atelier Fonteneau. They are hand crafted in Virginia and their makes an impact on any table. There are three unique boards available. 

Have fun browsing the sale!

Copyright for Bloggers: Alt Summit Online Class

We are excited to teach a class through Alt Channel called "What you really need to know about photos and copyright". Sign up here and join us for a discussion on using photography on blogs. We will discuss two scenarios: bloggers who create their own images and bloggers using others images. 

Also check out these posts on the Alt Summit blog about the topic:

- What you REALLY Need to know about Photography and Copyright

- Resource Guide for Photography Copyright

- Developing a Photography Policy for Your Blog

We are excited to share this information with you. Alt Channel has a lot of amazing classes you can check out here. 

See you tomorrow night!