David Oliver and Interiors I love...

Nothing like some good 'ol stripped down

industrial chic courtesy of David Oliver of

Paint & Paper Library.

The Pursuit of a White Globe...

Please help me search.

MUST HAVE WHITE GLOBE

(spoken in my best Frankenstein voice)!

Image: light locations

New Voluspa...

White Copalli Amber: earthy, milky and sweet.

Truffle White Cocoa: Creamy champagne, chocolate truffle

rolled in a decadent bitter white chocolate.

Demerara Sugar Crystal: Produced on the island of Mauritius

in the Southeast Indian Ocean, Demerara Sugar

is a golden raw cane sugar known for its creamy

molasses like flavor. Usually pressed in large crystals,

this sugar is popular in Europe for teas and coffee

due to the rich sweet flavor it imparts.
Champagen Kir Royale: Fine Brut Champagne

delicately swirled with chilled creme de cassis

liqueur, berry juice and sugar crystal.

Available in November...

Great new items by Thomas Paul

available at Finderskeepers in November.

Another great photograph...

Sheep With Backup Singers

from naturemandalas etsy store

The Beauty of White...

imgages: beachstudios.co.uk

Genius — I mean, Guinness Cupcakes...

Despite the addition of Guinness, these cakes are not at all bitter;

instead, the beer adds richness and moisture, and balances

the sweetness of the sugar. Topped with a cream cheese glaze,

these are a crowd-pleasing, not-too-sweet dessert.

Recipe via bigcitylittlekitchen.com

Cake:

1 cup Guinness
1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tb vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Glaze:

8 oz cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350; butter a muffin tin.

Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into muffin molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.

Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in sugar, and beat. Add milk, and beat until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled cupcakes.

To create a thinner glaze, use a tablespoon or two more milk; for a topping more akin to icing, use less milk, and perhaps more sugar. In either case, add a little sugar or milk at a time, mix, and check for desired consistency.

Not a big Halloween fan, but...

... I think these decorations are beautiful.

via peacockparkdesign.blogspt.com

Wire...

Lots of great new wire at Finderskeepers!

I love the nesting baskets with the fleur de lis

trimmed liner. I will put the liner on top and

use these for accent tables! The vintage-inspired

baskets are great too. One I will hang on the wall

and attach magnet clips for a handy message center.

The other will be great with other vintage

desk accessories for an eclectic/industrial look.

Hoodies, Crews and Shawls — Oh my...

Lots of great sweaters for the men

on your Christmas list. All styles

currently available from Ralph Lauren's

rugby.com website.

Project...

I am currently re-creating this 3-dimensional wall art

for a wintry holiday display. I love the organic shape

drifting serenly across my mantle. The fun part is

I am using cupcake liners! Yes, it takes a lot —

but the results are surprisingly beautiful. I can't

wait to show it off.

Wings of Desire

It has been so long since I've watched

this film. I can't wait to watch it on Blu-ray.

Bruno Ganz is Damiel, an angel perched atop buildings

high over Berlin who can hear the thoughts—

fears, hopes, and dreams—of all the people

living below. But when he falls in love with

a beautiful trapeze artist, he is willing to give up

his immortality to come back to earth to be with her.

Made not long before the fall of the Berlin Wall,

this stunning tapestry of sounds and images,

shot in black and white and color by

the legendary Henri Alekan, is movie poetry.

And it forever made the name Wim Wenders

synonymous with film art.

Words fail me...

image: designspongeshop

flickr photostream

Tons of new vintage on the way...

Not only will the Holiday Open House bring lovely

decorations for the holiday season, it will also feature

many new vintage items for everyday! For all

you vintage suitcase lovers, we have a nice collection

to share. Furniture and architectural salvage are among

some of the other new vintage items we will be

introducing soon. Just a few weeks more, and the shop

will be transformed. Visit us soon

for the best selection.

We have started the transformation...

Finderskeepers is currently receiving its holiday

makeover. We have closed the upstairs and started

creating displays featuring some wonderful new

merchandise (holiday and everyday). Yes, the main

floor of the shop is looking somewhat raggedy

and bare. Please excuse the mess and low stock

as we prepare for our annual Holiday Open House

scheduled for Saturday, November 14th.

I promise it will soon be beautiful once again

and full of a few things you just can't live without.

Photo: naturemandalas via etsy

(great selection of photography)

Birch...

What a fun, seasonal project! The grey flannel

paired with the always wonderful patina of

birch wood makes for a very stylish message

board. I think it would look great to use jute

twine and some cool, braided leather buttons.

The project looks very easy. The corners aren't

even mitered — and it still looks great!

Image from French Marie Claire Idees

Thrill your holiday guests...

Mille Crepes from Dean & Deluca

for your Thanksgiving table.

Mille means "a thousand," suggesting the many layers

of crêpes that are needed to put together this

inspired dessert by Lady M Confections.

Also available in Chocolate. Ships frozen. $85

Falling Garden...

Take a look at this delightful Falling Garden

installation at the San Stae Church on the

Canale Grande in Venice. Visitors lie on the

central bed, and the garden daydreams

for them. Amazing!

Hungry for Beef Stew...

For braised beef:
5 lbs boneless beef chuck (not lean), cut into 2" pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 carrots, quartered
3 celery ribs, quartered
2 medium onions, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine (about 3 3/4 cups)
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
2 thyme sprigs
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
3 cups water

For potatoes and carrots:
2 1/2 pounds small white boiling potatoes
1 1/2 pounds carrots
Equipment:

6-to 8-quart heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid

Braise beef:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Pat beef dry and season with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown meat, without crowding, in 3 batches, turning, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter.

Reduce heat to medium, then add carrots, celery, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 12 minutes. Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area and cook paste, stirring, 2 minutes, then stir into vegetables.

Add vinegar and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in wine, bay leaves, and thyme and boil until wine is reduced by about two thirds, 10 to 12 minutes. Add broth to pot along with water, beef, and any juices from platter and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in oven until meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Set a large colander in a large bowl. Pour stew into colander. Return pieces of meat to pot, then discard remaining solids. Let cooking liquid stand 10 minutes.

Cook potatoes and carrots:

While beef braises, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges. Slice carrots diagonally (1-inch). Add potatoes and carrots to stew (make sure they are submerged) and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 40 minutes.

photo and recipe from Epicurious.com

More Sharon Montrose...

Another beautiful image from the sharonmonstrose etsy store.

Seriously, go check out her work! So lovely.

A Great Pillow...

Check out the ernstandthistle store at etsy.com.

Along with this great pillow, they have many odd

little things to delight.

A Great Looking Affordable Sofa...

The Nate Berkus Studio Sofa from

the Home Shopping Network (hsn.com)

$499.90

Darryl Carter spread in the November 2009 Elle Decor...

Image 1: Architectural salvage is displayed in front of

a pair of bathtubs from the Russian Embassy.

Image 2: I love the reclaimed Belgian shutters.

Image 3: What a beautiful antique Italian etagere.

I could definitely see these becoming the

newest kitchen trend.

Image 4: The floors — of course!

Image 5: I love creative headboards, and these

antique bordello doors certainly do the trick.

Image 6: The Porter chair and the vintage Parsons

table make for a great mix.

Kakelugn = Warmth

I love these Swedish tile stoves (kakelugns).

They bring such great architecture to a room

and look so majestic.