friendsgiving

Eric and I have been hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for our friends for the past few years. We like to call it our "friendsgiving". As soon as fall rolls around (technically not fall yet, but don't you always think fall when you think of September?), I start thinking about it, getting excited about it, planning for it. This year it started a little earlier than most thanks to my friend Karen. She emailed me this photo that she found on Everything Fab:

Isn't it lovely? I want to be there. Look at those tomatoes! I want to grab one and take a big bite out of it. I never thought I would ever want to do that - just a few years ago I hated tomatoes. They brought back bad memories of my aunt forcing me and my sister to eat mushy tomato and cheese sandwiches when I was younger. I still can't eat a tomato and cheese sandwich but I do love tomatoes. Okay, back to the picture. That heirloom tomato centerpiece is so beautiful in the way that ugly heirloom tomatoes are beautiful. Everything feels so rustic and simple and effortless. Karen (who always helps me plan/set up for the dinner) thought we could do something similar to this but with apples. I think gourds would also be a good option. We have some time left to figure it out.

In the meantime, here are some photos of past Friendsgiving dinners:

See the rectangular candle holder below? I took a piece of yellow construction paper, traced the damask pattern that's on the plates, handcut the pattern, wrapped it around Ikea vases, and voila...a custom candle holder!

I had been using the same black and white damask plates for the past couple of dinners, so I wanted to switch it up. I couldn't afford to buy 14 new plates, so I decided to make large placecards in the shape of my original round plates to dress up the white plates. They had a chocolate brown background with a silhouette of either an Indian or pilgrim with the guest's name below. The most difficult part was finding a good profile image of an Indian/pilgrim online but after that all I did was use a bit of Photoshop and printed it out onto cardstock.

Because I didn't want to spend money on real flowers that year, I decided to test my origami skills. I made about 30-40 red and orange origami lillies. It took me a lot less time than you'd think - I think it only took me an evening? The lillies were then attached to tree branches I found at a park around the corner from my house. Leaves, also from the park, were spray painted gold and spread around the table.

images: eric heidel

philly fashion week

Monday night I went to the kick-off party for Philadelphia Fashion Week which is happening this week. The event was held at the Kenneth Cole store on Walnut Street and was in suppport of the Awearness Fund which was "created to stimulate change and tackle social issues such as HIV/AIDS; human rights; in our community by providing opportunities, encouraging volunteering, and fund raising efforts". There was a runway show (of Kenneth Cole clothes), food, champagne, and lots of fantastic people watching!

There were a ton of photographers!

Lots of interesting people...look at range of characters in this picture!

I don't typically shop at Kenneth Cole, but I thought this outfit was cute:


I wore one of my favorite outfits to the party (don't mind my shiny face - it was hot out!):


If you're in the Philly area and are interested in attending some of the fashion week events, you can find more info here.

bleed radio bleed

Besides being an awesome photographer AND architect, my boyfriend Eric is also a guitarist for a band called Bleed Radio Bleed. They describe their music as "post-punk rock with elements of psychedelia and Latin American music". They've gone through alot of changes over the years - bandmates leaving, new bandmates joining, old bandmates coming back - but I think they've really got an awesome group of guys together and they sound better than ever. They have been recording their album for what seems like forever and its now all done! You can catch them this Thursday at The Savage Rock School in Blackwood NJ - more info on their MySpace page. If you'll be busy eating Korean fried chicken (like I will be) and can't make it, mark your calenders for October 8th. You can see them playing at the North Star in Fairmount and can purchase tickets here. In the meantime, check out their MySpace page to listen to some of their music.

food challenge: 2 of 239

Last Thursday, Eric and I went to Meritage for dinner. I've walked by a million times and always comment about how cute it looks, but have never been until now. I'm so glad I finally decided to give it a try because it's now one of my favorite restaurants in the city!

The dish that was on the "list" were the dumplings. They were panned fried and stuffed with pork and shiitake mushrooms served with what tasted like a hoisin sauce. They were delicious, but I do have to say that they're not my favorite dumplings in the city. I personally love the dumplings at David's Mai Lai Wah in Chinatown - they come with this ginger sauce that is incredible.

We also got the scallops as an appetizer which were REALLY yummy. They were pan seared and came with sauteed Maitake mushrooms, bok choy and black truffle. They were perfectly cooked - Eric's favorite dish of our meal. I thought they were great, but my favorite part of the meal was....

...the Korean fried chicken dinner! Doesn't that picture make your mouth water? OMG, I want some right this second!! I've been telling everyone about it and can't stop having dreams about it! It's actually a dinner for two and includes six pieces of chicken, asian style cole slaw, sesame spinach, pickled carrots and daikon and an extra large can of Sapporo. And you get it all for $25 - that's only $12.50 per person! However, I probably wouldn't have been full if we hadn't also gotten the other dishes. But I can eat. A lot. So what makes the chicken so good? First off, its double fried so it's extra crispy. Then there's the sauce that I could probably eat by the spoonful - just kidding (maybe). It's this amazing combination of sweet and spicy - I was literally licking my fingers. This is not the first time I've had Korean fried chicken - I went with a few friends to Momofuku in NYC to try their fried chicken dinner which included Korean fried chicken as well as Old Bay seasoned frried chicken. I have to say that Meritage's chicken is just as good if not better! The downside is that this meal is only available on Thursday nights and its a summertime special and next week is the last week it will be offered:( So if you want to give this a try, make your reservation now! I did - I'm going back next week at 8!!

spinach w/pickled veggies

house love pt.3

Robin was my thesis advisor when I was in grad school for interior design. I loved working on my thesis and she played a big part in that - she was always encouraging and offered good constructive criticism. Plus she was really nice and fun - which is why we still keep in touch and she is now one of my friends! There are people who are good designers but aren't good critics, and there are people who are good critics but are so-so designers. Robin is neither of those - she has a talent for both. She lives in Pennsport (an area of South Philly) in a 2 story, 1,230 sq ft rowhome. It needed a ton of work when she first bought it:

I ripped out all the carpeting and refinished the floors, drywalled the entire house (there was wallpaper on plaster), drop ceilings in every room - got rid of those and drywalled, new front and back door, painted everything, new kitchen (knocked down walls), new bathroom (expanded), exposed brick wall going up stairs, new lighting everywhere.

Phew! Now, 3 years later, it looks incredible. Worth all the hard work!

Robin isn't afraid to change things around every so often. This set up is completey different than the layout I saw when I was over for a party at the beginning of the year. She used to have her home office set up where her dining table is now located and her sofa was in a different spot...I'm inspired to to rearrange my house now. Its such an easy and inexpensive way to redecorate!

One of my favorite things in her house are the lighting selections. She has a couple of these drum pendants throughout. I love how simple and modern they are. She also has a few fans from Modern Fan that I'm jealous of - unfortunately they don't show up in any of the shots.

Love the exposed brick running up the stairs!

Although her walls are a gray color, they have a warm tone to them that really works with the rest of the colors in the space. Here is what she says about her personal style:

I would say that I am definitely leaning towards contemporary design rather than traditional, but I don't generally love residential spaces that are extremely stark or sleek. For my home, I have definitely chosen products and furniture that are contemporary, but I have tried to stick with warm, earthy tones that seem to make me feel calm and very comfortable.

Her home is well designed but it certainly comes across as very comfortable and warm and laid back. Which is also very reflective of her personality.

This is her new home office location - aren't those desks great? I think they're from West Elm.

Her kitchen is fantastic! Can you believe the cabinets are from Ikea? They look so expensive! Everything works so beatifully together...the glossy cabinets with the matte counters, the colors, the lighting! I think its my favorite space in the house, as well as hers:

I think I have to say the entire kitchen is my favorite element of the house. I love the finishes (they're somewhat soothing to me) and I think it functions really well. I also love the adjacency to the back yard...sometimes I almost think of it as one space.

Ah, yes, her yard. Another space I'm extremely jealous of. I've already expressed my envy of it earlier this month...you can find that here.

Doesn't her bathroom feel like a spa? The colors have such a soft, soothing feel to them. I love white subway tiles - a classic option that always looks good and is affordable! I don't know if you can tell by the photos, but the penny tiles she chose to use as an accent on the walls are also on her floors.

Robin leads a very active lifestyle (you can often find her biking through the city) and she plays on a number of sports leagues including softball and bowling. When I asked her where her favorite local spot was she said:

I think right now my favorite spot is North Bowl. I practically live there between being in a league and practicing and just wanting to go and have fun.

North Bowl is awesome! The interiors is interesting, the food is pretty good and its cheap! Hmm, I should go there more often..

Thanks Robin for letting us into your home!!

food challenge: 1 of 239

Over a month ago I posted about the "food challenge" my friends and I are taking on over the next few months. We had plans to go to Village Whiskey to try their short rib and chedder french fries but conflicting schedules kept postponing our eating session. We finally made it over the other night and it was worth the wait...but not because of the fries. Don't get me wrong, the fries were definitley REALLY good - the addition of the short ribs was a fantastic idea. But we also ordered the Whiskey King Burger which includes: maple glazed bourbon cipollini, rogue blue cheese, applewood bacon and foie gras - and it might be the best burger I've ever had! It definitely overshadowed the fries. Even Colleen, who is not a big beef eater, loved it.

Here is a photo of the burger...sorry for the grainy photos. I forgot my camera so Coll had to take pictures with her iphone.


Shortrib and chedder fries!

Here is Suzie (my roomie) showing off the salad she ordered. We sat outside (which is why I can't really comment on the interiors) and it was drizzling - hence the napkin around Suzie's hair. Doesn't she kind of look like the flying nun?

my new miu miu's...er...forever 21 heels?!

Do you remember these Miu Miu platform mary-janes? I wanted a pair so badly (especially the pair with the cat print!!), but they sold out really quickly! Honestly, though, who am I kidding? Even if there was a pair left in my size, I can't justify spending over $600 on a pair of shoes right now (actually I'm not sure when I will be able to justify that...).

But now I have a pair and they only cost me $25.80! Okay, so they're not really Miu Miu's. They're actually from Forever 21 but the shape of the shoe is really close - if not identical- to the Miu Miu's! Here I am modeling them:

Remember, they are from Forever 21, so they're made of polyester and PVC. But for $25.80, I think I can deal. I wore them around the house last night to try to get used to the height (they have a 5 1/2" heel)...let's just say I won't be ready to wear them out this weekend. I'm pretty good in heels, but it's going to take some practice before I no longer feel like I'm going to topple over!

I also got this pair which were the same price...although I'm still not sure how I feel about them. I think the pattern is cute, but they could look really cheap in person. I should be getting them in the mail next week so I'll find out soon!

If you are one of the lucky ones that can actually afford the real thing (and are a size 9.5), there is one pair of blue satin Miu Miu mary-janes left on bluefly.com! They also have a pair of silver glittery mary janes and a pair of black satin ones. However, they don't have the platform, which to me makes the shoe. That and the amazing block heel.