The Tradition Continues

Costume dramas – preferably British, preferably pre-1930s timeframe – are catnip to me. Pride & Prejudice mini-series? Check. Remains of the Day? Check. Gosford Park? Check.

Give me a montage of a carriage (or motorcar) traveling through a misty countryside to a stately home. Give me multiple ‘costume’ changes for one day’s activities – breakfast in bed, riding, tea, formal dinner, the hunt ball. Give me grand rooms layered with the patina and decorating contributions of 10 generations. And if you can, please give me a sprinkling of droll zingers delivered by Dame Maggie Smith.

In short, give me: Downton Abbey.

The Downton Abbey household staff ever attentive, Image via express.co.uk

Lady Mary Grantham as the picture of aristocratic glamour. Image via myluciouslife.com 

So many stories have been written about American viewers’ enthusiasm for this trans-Atlantic hit. But none of the theories about class curiosity, ‘highbrow’ melodrama, or romance novels come-to-life ring true for me. So, why do I love Downton?

The mental breadcrumbs lead me back to my favorite childhood books: The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess; followed by Emma, Jane Eyre, A Room With A View, The House of Mirth, and all most recently things Mitford. (Side note: why are almost all the heroines orphans?) Each book fully absorbed my imagination and, perhaps not surprisingly, every one of these literary classics has at least one film adaptation to its credit, most of which I’ve seen. Like I said, catnip.

The Granthams on the hunt, Image via Here is the City 

The Grantham Sisters, image via Tinsel.tv 

Watching Downton offers that same experience – intertwined character story arcs, unforeseen personal challenges, period-specific boundaries of propriety – with the added element of cliffhangers. No reading until the early hours of the morning to find out how Lady Mary copes with Cousin Matthew’s car accident, or whether Lady Edith will ever find love, or what scheme Thomas and O’Brien will cook up next.

Luckily the wait is over another season has begun and Sunday nights will bring continuing adventures with the Granthams and lessons in witty repartee from the Dowager Countess. (!!!) Ahem, pardon me as I try to “ration my excitement.”

Excitement very much rationed, Image via Tinsel.tv 

Resolutions

Happy New Year! After a day curled up on the sofa watching Sherlock and recovering after a late night out I am now fully re-charged and ready for 2014. I have a tendency to want to squeeze in just one more thing – hence, I am often 5 minute late. So, in an effort to be focused I’m putting these resolutions down on paper. I hoping you'll hold me to them! And, now for the annual resolution making…

Image via Vogue by Françoise Peretti, Design by Laura Messersmith

For the record this year my goals are:

Document. I would really like to be a better photographer and blog could definitely benefit from better pictures than my iPhone can offer, so this is a big one. I have a shiny new DSLR camera I just need to learn how to use it!

Handletter. I realized as I scrolled through my Design/Lettering Pinterest board that many of the pieces I admire are handlettering or calligraphy. I’d love to learn more about these techniques and incorporate them into my design work.

Travel. It’s been several years since my passport has received any new stamps. We need to do something about that by taking a trip outside the U.S.  I vote for France or Croatia, but we’ll see what Mike says.

Volunteer. There are so many great organizations in New York and it seems like I should be able to find one where I could contribute my time and talents (such as they are).

Entertain. When we moved to the city we were fortunate that several old friends already lived here and we’ve been happy to meet some new people over the last 6 months too. I think extending an invitation to host someone in your home is such a genuine way of demonstrating that you’d like to be friends. We need to do that often in 2014.

What are your resolutions? Are you focusing on personal goals, professional or a combination of the two (hello work-life balance)?

A Sweet New Year

It’s Monday afternoon, the day before New Year’s Eve and I’ve just received a phone call from my husband with details on our plans for tomorrow night. We’ve been invited to join another couple for dinner at their apartment downtown. They’ll cook (rumor has it that the menu will be spaghetti and meatballs) and Mike tells me that they have plenty of champagne and cocktails, so all we need is dessert.

My mission: brainstorm a sweet treat for 4 people that’s special enough for the occasion, simple enough to accomplish in the next 24 hours, and will transport easily…. I decided to continue the Italian theme and attempt panna cotta with berry sauce. First things first, research some recipes and gather a little Pin-spiration.

Once I've studied Giada, The Kitchn and Michael Symon  I decided instead of honey vanilla to put my own spin on the dish and make chocolate panna cotta. I absolutely love chocolate in all its forms and I consider it an essential entry on any restaurant dessert menu. Ice cream doesn’t count. Make it a flourless torte, mousse, or deep dark brownie please and thank you.

So once I had a general idea of what the basic ingredients and proportions were I rummaged in our pantry for the solid semi-sweet bars and the cocoa powder. Inspiration struck when I realized there was a little coffee left in the pot after that morning’s brew… a classic trick for making chocolate reach it’s full flavor. Here's what I came up with - I hope you enjoy!

Chocolate & Raspberry Panna Cotta (adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis); Serves: 4 (generously)

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

3 cups heavy cream

1 tbsp unflavored gelatin (1 packet)

2 squares semi-sweet baker’s chocolate, melted

1/8 cup cocoa powder

½ cup white sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp brewed coffee

½ pint red raspberries

Steps:

Pour the milk into a medium sauce pan and sprinkle the packet of gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

While the gelatin is softening, melt the baker’s chocolate in the microwave in 15-20 second increments until liquid and smooth.

Turn on the heat  under the milk to medium and cook just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes.

Add the cream, sugar, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla and coffee.

Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes and the cocoa powder and chocolate are combined.

Remove from the heat. Pour into 4 ramekins or mugs so that they are ¾ full. Cool slightly.

Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.

Spoon the raspberries atop the panna cotta and serve.

Rustic Holiday Sparkle

Glittery pinecones overlook the Upper West Side; Image: Laura Messersmith

This is the first Christmas season that Mike and I will be spending in the Northeast since we got married and with all the lights, gently falling snow, and the tree lots dotted around the Upper West Side to inspire me I have a new spring in my spirit. We haven’t really collected much in the way of festive home décor other than a handful of tree ornaments, so I’m starting from scratch.

I discovered that I didn’t really know what my holiday style is. Between Pinterest, blog posts, and Instagram feeds I have so many pictures to inspire me, but taken together the tone ranges from glitzy with gold and shimmer galore, to traditional tartans and pine boughs, to rustic, old-fashioned candy stripes and toboggans. So where to start?

In classic ‘I-want-it-all’ fashion I realized that I like a little sparkle to offset something woodsy finished with a polished twist. I also like a hand-made, developed over time look that hasn’t been lifted wholesale from this year’s home boutique catalogs, so I started off slowly. There’s always next year!

Which brings us to the present day. One of my favorite inspiration photos involved painting small pinecones white and then stringing them together in a garland tied with red silk cord. With my new formula (sparkle + natural + polished) I decided to put my own spin on the idea.

White Painted Pinecone Garland: Image by bonterue via Pinterest

My crafty ambitions often outstrip my time and talent, so when I tell you that this one is E-A-S-Y, please trust that it’s true! Minimal ‘ingredients’, a very simple process, and a beautiful finished product in less than a day. That’s my kind of project.

I decided that the one big three-panel window in our living room would be the place to hang the finished pinecones. There’s a theory that carries across art, design, and decorating that an odd number is most-visually appealing, so I decided that three per panel for a total of nine seemed about right for the space. I also decided that I would hang them at varied heights, all nine in a row seemed a little dull.

Glitzy Pinecone Garland

Here’s what I used:

Found giant pine cones (Thanks Central Park!)
Glitter
Grosgrain ribbon
Clear Elmer’s glue
Short, stiff paint brush
Super glue
Newspaper
Paper plate
Small nails or pushpins (one per cone)
Hammer
Masking tape
Ruler or measuring tape

Before Starting:

Measure your windows to determine how many pinecones you want to hang and how long you want the drop to be. Both details will inform how much ribbon per pinecone you’ll need.

A patient, detail-oriented friend to help you hang the pinecones is ideal, but a few pieces of masking tape on the glass to indicate the placement and measurements works too and saves frustration!

Be sure to account for a few extra inches to tie the ends to the pinecones and to the window frame. A simple knot will require less, a luxurious bow will require more. I gave myself about 6” longer per pinecone than I thought I needed for about 40” of ribbon per pinecone for a total of 10 yards of ribbon for the project.

Steps:

·      Cover the work surface with newspaper

·      Pour a generous pool (~2-3 tablespoons) of clear Elmer’s glue onto the paper plate ‘palette’.

·      Then, working quickly, use the paint brush to spread a thick coat of glue on the top of each pinecone scale.

·      Sprinkle the gold glitter over the wet glue and gently shake off the extra. This process is forgiving, so if you’ve missed a spot or need a little more coverage, just repeat the glue and glitter steps in those areas.

·      Continue the glue and glitter steps for each pinecone until each has been spangled to your satisfaction.

·      While the pinecones are drying measure the ribbon to your desired length.,

·      When the pinecones are dry and the ribbons are cut to the right length use the superglue to attach the end of the ribbon to the top of the pinecone. If the pinecones have stems, just tie a knot or bow around the stem. Leave the other end loose to affix to the nail.

·      Hammer in small nails or pushpins and tie the loose ends of ribbon to each nail using your masking tape guides to adjust the length.

Image: Laura Messersmith