Vacation

The photo above symbolizes the vacation I have decided to take from the blog.  I need to recharge my thoughts and during my brief break, I will be collecting new ideas and will be back Labor Day weekend.  Thanks for your patience and see you then!

Fun with Treasuries...

My friend from PaulaProduct turned me onto to creating treasuries on Etsy - check it out!

Equestrian Inspired

Pause

Excuse the pause...but I am in the midst of some work on our bathroom. 

Stay tuned for images of the progress!

Burgers...

Photo by EatItAtlanta

Trends in cooking and restaurants are as common as trends in fashion and while I am certainly not a trend forecaster it is easy to see that one of the newest restaurant trends is focusing on the burger.  My first encounter with a "designer burger" was in New York City, where we ate at Pop Burger. Pop Burger provided burgers that went back to basics and also helped to further the trend of the slider.  Sure enough, as trends trickle down, Atlanta soon had one of its first designer burger joints, called Flip.  Flip was opened by Richard Blais who, at the time, had gained major notoriety after competing on Top Chef.  The menu contains simple selections mixed in an innovative style and quality ingredients.  This place is a major hit and I have enjoyed my food every time I have eaten there.  However, I will say, that while the food is quite delicious, I am not always willing to wait an 1 1/2 for a burger.  Atlanta has several other burger boutiques, Farm Burger in Decatur and the recently opened Yeah! Burger in Midtown two of note.  I have not been to either of these but friends have had nice things to say about both.  My personal favorite spot for a burger in Atlanta is Grindhouse in the Sweet Auburn Market.  The burger is the perfect makeup, not too greasy as to soak your bun, but just enough to feel like you are indulging in a guilty pleasure.  It also provides more of an urban setting with a great mix of people set within a busy market - my kind-of place.  Whether your craving is a burger with bone marrow or blue cheese,  Atlanta now offers plenty of choices to satisfy your stomach.

Inspiration #9

Prim But Not Proper

Louis Vuitton

I was reading Cathy Horyn's latest post on her blog, On the Runway for the New York Times, regarding Fall runway's return to the  prim and proper dress of the past.  She mentioned how she wasn't sure whether a literal interpretation of the frocks of the 1950s was the right move for the current fashion public.  Another reader posted a comment regarding Coco Chanel and how she hated the 1950s because she and her design house had worked so hard liberating women from dressing conventions of her day.  Women of Chanel's time were fashion forward because they wore pants and comfortable riding clothes which at the time were only considered appropriate for men.  I can't help but believe this to be true.  I found this an interesting article and I agree with Ms. Horyn.  I love design inspired by the past but not a literal interpretation.  I also love the return to minimalism for Fall, especially Philo's collection for Celine and Stella McCartney's collection with their simple yet sophisticated silhouettes.  These collections are interpretations and expressions of the designers inspirations not a mimic of a style from a begone era.  Their collections may have hinted to the past but they were firmly placed in the future.

Celine

Stella McCartney

 photos from style.com

Notes on a Kitchen

Have you ever thought about renovating your kitchen?  If you have, or even if you have not, you may realize that purchasing new kitchen cabinets can be the most costly item of a renovation.  In addition, if you are looking for something that has a more modern look, you options are more limited if you are concerned with affordability.  This why I am so excited by the new and affordable line by Bulthaup.  Not only does it have the same modern sensibility that Bulthaup always brings, but it has opened itself to a new and younger market.  I am looking forward to pricing this out for my own kitchen renovation!

Bulthaup b1 System