This Week: The Dog Days of Spring

photo of Tracy by me

How was your week?  I have to be honest and say that this has been a very hard week for us around here. On Monday, our greyhound, Mystic Dick Tracy (goes by Tracy) was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma  or Bone Cancer. We are completely devastated by this news, especially because treatment is not really a long term solution as the chances of the cancer returning immediately are quite high, which makes all the pain and suffering he would have to go through seem cruel. So we have decided to not go through with chemotherapy or amputation which means our beautiful, wonderful boy may be leaving us sometime soon:( We don't quite know if he has a couple of months or a year or more to live but are working on making him as comfortable and happy as possible from now until then (whenever then might be). On Sunday we are visiting a Holistic Veterinarian who we are hoping can do some acupuncture and other treatments that will help manage the pain along with the prescribed pain killers he is already taking.  So the next couple of weeks and months will be very difficult as we know his condition (and his limp/mobility) will only get worse:(  Sorry about such a depressing post, I hope to be bright and cheery as soon as we get a handle on our plans and treatments for Tracy.  So this week...

1. The food trucks are out tonight!! Go here for their location!!

2. My amazing and talented friend, Kaelsie of Surface Workshop has painted a mural which will be (or has been by now) revealed at Green MonkeyYoga Studio tonight. If you read this too late, you can still see her mural, I hear their yoga classes are great!

3. Kelly Wearstler has designed a ready to wear fashion collection!! You can check out the whole collection here!

4. Prince William and Kate Middleton got married!! Did you watch the Royal Wedding? I caught snippets of it this morning, what a lovely bride!! They looked lovely and so happy!! And am sooo happy that she selected Alexander McQueen dresses!

5. We are planning to spend the day with great friends tomorrow!! Am so looking forward to a relaxing afternoon and little Homestead adventure!! Plus, Tracy is going for a visit too!! 

Have a lovely weekend!!!! xo

Spring 2011: Lavender Pantone 15-3817

I have had a long love affair with lavender! In short(ish) phases but in large doses. My wedding palette consisted of many tones of violet including lavender and since then, I've been a little over lavender and other tones of violet in general, but I think I am in love all over again!  So tell me, is Lavender one of your favorites?! Next week I'll be posting about Silver Cloud, the last of Pantone's Top 10 color selections for women's fashion for Spring 2011!

 

info about and photo of Lavender via Viable Herbal Solutions

Model Jessica Stam's Living Room designed by Rafael de Cardenas, photo by Roger Davies via Elle Decor

 

photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo via House Beautiful

Wisteria Halter Dress from Anthropologie

from left to right: photo and Lavender Icing Recipe from Martha Stewart, photo of beautiful Hydrangeas by Eric Piasecki via House Beautiful, photo and recipe of Lavender Lemonade via Sunday Suppers

 Lavender Chiffon Gown from Elie Saab's Spring/Summer 2011 Haute Couture Collection

photo and table centerpiece ideas and DIY project from Martha Stewart

 

 Rainy day accessories- Clear Bubble Umbrella from Urban Outfitters, Rain boots via Rainbootsonline 

look from House of Holland via Style.com

Home Library designed by David Kaihoi, photo byNgoc Minh Ngo via House Beautiful

Spring 2011: Lavender Pantone 15-3817 by lillyphunq featuring platform stiletto heels

*Click on image to shop Lavender!

One Accessory Said to the Other: You are a colorful delight!

The Fashion Accessory

Merit Badge Necklace from Anthropologie

The Home Accessory

Alexander Girard's Wooden Dolls from DWR

This Week: High Five!!

 photo by me:)

Did you know that April 21st, 2011 (or the third Thursday of every April) is National High Five Day?! It's a cool idea and a great cause, check them out here if you have a couple of bucks to spare:)
On Sunday we celebrated our one year wedding anniversary! We had a lovely brunch at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in the Miami Design District, it was AMAZING!! The servings are tiny which is great because we got to try so many of the selections! We had their homemade pop-tarts, the homemade doughnuts, the lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote, the spanish tortilla, the fried egg sandwich on homemade rosemary crumpet, and the fingerling potatoes and sipped on the local strawberry-basil caipirinha followed by their delicious coffee! You absolutely must go, it's sooo good!! Since paper is the traditional thing to gift on one's one year wedding anniversary, I wrapped all my "paper" gifts in newspaper and my wonderful husband gave me a personalized book from LoveBook, normally this kind of thing might seem sappy but it was soooo funny! It was a great first wedding anniversary, here's to many many more!! So this week...
1. We had a lovely time with friends that are in town visiting! It was so great to get together for dinner with a bunch of friends on a week night!
2. I am soooo excited I will get to see the Festival of Ideas for the New City!!!
3. Am thinking of making this cake for a get-together with friends tomorrow night! Am hoping I'll have enough time to whip it up after work.
4. Am getting excited about our Easter Sunday plans with the family! We're having brunch at my brother's house. I think I'll make this delicious Champagne Punch! Doesn't it sound so refreshing?!   We plan on decorating eggs with my niece and nephew! I'm excited about decorating eggs, I haven't done it since I was a kid and think these are so adorable:) And how cool is this idea for Peep S'mores  I found on Poppytalk?!
5. Am in dire need of adding healthy delicious recipes to my repertoire. The older I get the more picky I get about healthy foods:( Have you any great, healthy, low-carb recipes you'd like to share?
Hope you have an absolutely lovely weekend!! xo

Spring 2011: Blue Curacao Pantone 15-4825

This time last year I was on my honeymoon on the beautiful island of St. Lucia and this color made me want to be there again so badly! Doesn't Blue Curacao Pantone 15-4825 make you think of sparkling swimming pools and Caribbean beaches?! It's one of my favorites of Pantone's Top 10 Color Selections for women's fashion for Spring 2011, is it one of yours? Have you ever been to Curacao? After a little research and browsing through some pictures, it's on my list of places to go for a tropical paradise vacation!

 Nanette Lepore's Master Bedroom Sitting Area designed by Jonathan Adler, photo by William Waldron via Elle Decor

Aqua French Chair by Paula Prass, photo and Glass Enamel Bottle DIY project via Martha Stewart

Look from DKNY Spring 2011 Runway, photo by Dan & Corina Lecca via Harpers Bazaar

 

Pool in garden designed by Jamie Herzlinger in the Arizona desert via Trad Home Magazine 

 Table styled by Ashely Whittaker, photo by Eric Piasecki via House Beautiful

 

Curtis Jere "Flock of Birds" sculpture via 1st Dibs

 Look from Peter Som's SS2011 Runway, photo by Dan & Corina Lecca via Harpers Bazaar

Maison des Petits in Paris designed by Matali Crasset Productions, photo by Jerome Spriet via Interior Design

photo of beautiful beach in Curacao via the Curacao Tourist Board

Glass Scalloped Dish via Urban Outfitters, fabric from Camira Fabrics via Interior Design, 1993 Chair by Verner Panton via 1st Dibs, photo of beautiful cupcake by Charles Schiller via Country Living

Look from Burberry Ready to Wear Spring 2011 Runway via Style.com

Living Room in Westchester House designed by Jonathan Adler, photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo via House Beautiful

Blue Curacao Pantone 15-4825 by lillyphunq featuring square scarves

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Outfit to Outfitted: Sunshine and Blue Skies

 Outfit

Yellow & Aqua Outfit by lillyphunq featuring a straw hat

 Outfitted

Photo of BHDM's design for Lords South Beach Hotel from Trad Home Magazine

This Week: Cupcakes, Books, and Lip Gloss

photo by me

April is going by way too fast, isn't it?!  But what a lovely week it's been! Starting with a lovely birthday party at a park, cocktails with friends from out of town, a meeting with my favorite clients, an office birthday celebration, some more Spring cleaning (this time I tackled my closet!) and an early Easter supper with the family since my mom will be out of town on Easter Sunday. How was your week? Any great weekend plans? Sunday is our one year wedding anniversary! This time last year I was scrambling with all the last minute details that come along with planning a wedding and just like that a whole year has passed! I am looking forward to celebrating our anniversary, we're having brunch at one of my favorite restaurants, will tell you all about it next week:) So this week...
1. I baked two batches of Strawberry Cupcakes! One batch for a co-worker's birthday and the other for our early Easter supper. Sooo yummy:)
2. I love Tina Fey so was thrilled that she was on NPR talking about her life and her new book! You can read the interview here.
3. For years now I have been OBSESSED with Rosebud Salve! If you ask anyone who knows me they will confirm that I cannot be without it, so my curiosity was piqued when Garance Dore was raving about Dior's Creme de Rose Lip Balm! Have any of you tried it? Is it worth the extra $20 for lip balm?
4. Am dying to get a copy of Chef Michael Schwartz's (of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink) new book, Michael's Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People who Love to Eat!
5. Am seriously considering purchasing a Luxe City Guide for my iPhone for my upcoming trip to New York City, mostly for good foodie spots. Have any of you ever used Luxe City Guides in your travels? Do you recommend them?
Hope your weekends are lovely and feel very looooong!! xo

Spring 2011: Silver Peony Pantone 12-1206

It's pink, it's neutral, it's feminine and so sophisticated, Silver Peony 12-1206 is the daintiest of Pantone's color selections for women's fashion for Spring 2011, isn't it?! I love that it is a more grown up pink, delicate but not too girly. Are you loving Silver Peony? I must say...I'm smitten;)

Christian Louboutin Simple Patent Leather Pumps via Saks, Look from Chloe's Spring 2011 Look book for Bergdorf Goodman, Peonies via kaleido's Polyvore

photo and chair via The French Bedroom Company

Elegant, chic French living room via decor pad

Marled Yarn Pullover via Free People

Dining Room designed by Timothy Whealon photo by William Waldron via Elle Decor

  Runway looks from Nina Ricci and Stella McCartney via Harpers Bazaar

 photo by Gary Medlicott via The Age

Living Room designed by Stephen Shubel, photo by Jeremy Samuelson via House Beautiful

photo and recipe for Rose Melting Moments Cookies via Martha Stewart Weddings, Essie Nail Polish in Allure, Shoe from Loeffler Randall's Bridal Collection

Silver Peony Pantone 12-1206 by lillyphunq featuring tulle dresses

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One Accessory said to the Other: Remember to remember me | Standing still in your past | Floating fast like a hummingbird

The Fashion Accessory

Rufous Humming Bird Tote by Marc Jacobs via Shopbop

The Home Accessory

Hummingbird Area Rug designed by Alexander McQueen for The Rug Company

*lyrics in title from Wilco's Hummingbird

This Week: Spring Cleaning and Flowers Just Because

Hydrangeas from my love, photo by me:)

Aren't my flowers beautiful?! I was so happy to come home from a long day of work to find these beautiful Hydrangeas in the kitchen. Flowers just because are the best, aren't they?! So I started (a little bit of) my Spring cleaning today! I grew up in an always impeccable household and I don't know how my mother did it! Aside from regular cleaning, today, I cleaned the top of our upper kitchen cabinets and washed all of the cake stands, trifle bowls, vases, pitchers, etc. that we keep up there, next up is my closet space! I have a serious magazine problem. I have such a hard time throwing them out and they just accumulate and become impossible to store properly. They are so pretty and shiny so I justified keeping them last year and went the magazine holder route and now all of my shelves are full of magazine holders, where do I put the rest? How long do you wait before you throw them out? I have referred to old magazines so many times, I'm afraid I'll want to see/read something in one and then realize I've tossed it. Do you ever regret throwing them out? How do you decide which ones stay and which ones go? So this week...

1. I ordered a copy of Tina Fey's new book Bossy Pants!! I cannot wait til it arrives!! 

2. Am dieting so I have been fantasizing about all kinds of naughty food like cakes, Big Macs and pancakes. As soon as I take a little break, I'm going to make pancakes with this delicious-sounding/looking Easy Cinnamon Apple topping recipe by Midtown Mama and this Apple Pear Cobbler recipe by Annette Joseph!

3. Have ordered two lovely gifts for my upcoming 1 year wedding anniversary but am still trying to come up with a few more paper surprises. Any suggestions?

4. So as I mentioned here, I think I want to try to make French Macaroons. So I was so excited to come across this recipe by chef Daniel Boulud, the chef whose restaurant I raved about here.

5. I would love it if you followed Lilly Pond(ering) Blog and/or "liked" Lilly Pond(ering) Blog on Facebook!

Have a lovely Spring weekend!! xo

Pretties: Equestrian Chic

Fiona Campbell 1953 photo by Georges Dambier via 1stdibs, Pretty tea party decor for a baby shower for Reichel of Copy Cat Chic

Spring 2011: Beeswax Pantone 14-0941

So I've been minding my Beeswax, one of Pantone's color selections for women's fashion for Spring 2011 for several days now and still have a hard time memorizing and/or describing the color. I can best describe it to be like a Macaroni and Cheese or Cheddar Cheese color, not the sexiest descriptions for a color but quite accurate, don't you think? How about orange juice, mango, or taxi cab yellow? Do you think that these are accurate descriptions?  Beeswax is very vibrant on it's own but falls flat compared to other yellows. It's fruit and cheese mixed together to create a lovely, refreshing spring color! Perhaps these descriptions suggest it's an acquired taste, but I think the color Beeswax is perfectly lovely and fresh for Spring and Summer! Do you agree? How would you best describe the color?

From left to right: Asos 70's inspired Solaris Collection via Fashion Lover, photo and Beeswax Soap Recipe via Eco Living Experts, Stella McCartney bag via Elle, Um Project Ray Chair via Interiordesign.net

Front doors of The James NY via Interiordesign.net

Modern Family Room photo by Simon Upton via Elle Decor 

photo of gastroPod food truck by me, look from Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2011 runway via Frillr

photo of Robert Stone Design house in Joshua Tree by Raimund Koch via Interiordesign.net 

photo and look from Moments of Grace lookbook via Shopbop

 Dining Room designed by Amanda Kyser via House Beautiful

photo and look via Retro Road Trip look book via Shopbop 

 Marigold and Pewter table setting via Martha Stewart Weddings

Bedroom designed by Amanda Nisbet via House Beautiful

Beeswax Pantone 14-0941 by lillyphunq featuring yellow jewelry

click on the image to shop the items!