Loving these looks from MSGM's spring 2013 collection. The patterns are wonderful.
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Loving these looks from MSGM's spring 2013 collection. The patterns are wonderful.
Andrea on October 30, 2012 in Fashion | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Check out this artist, vocalist/saxophonist/pianist, Collette. I'm diggin' her voice.
Andrea on October 26, 2012 in Fly Girls | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Norrinda Brown comes from a long line of women who work magic in the kitchen. To share some of that goodness, Norrinda and her mom Linda, formed the Philly based Brown Betty Dessert Boutique in 2004 and have been satisfying sweeth tooths around the country ever since. Their newest project, The Brown Betty Cookbook, proves that these ladies can serve a beautiful story just as well as their scrumptious desserts. With a few sneak peeks from the book, here Norrinda also shares more on the cookbook and what feeds her inspiration.
Why did you all decide to create the cookbook & how do you feel now that it’s published?
At first, I wanted to do the cookbook simply because it seemed like all of the bakeries I respected had cookbooks. The more we worked on the project, however, and narrowed in on what the book would/could be the book made sense for our brand. Brown Betty is all about family coming together and we wanted people to be able to make the recipes at home for their own families. Also, it was a great vehicle to further promote the Brown Betty brand and tell our story.
Now that it is published. I am glad we have done it and I hope that it inspires people to bake for their own families.
Can you describe the process for making the cookbook come together?
We first found an agent. She helped us really refine our ideas for the book. We then wrote a book proposal, which included a couple of sample recipes and a few stories. After that was all done there was an auction for the book and the real work began. We had approximately six months to turn the manuscript over including culling through family albums and coming up with a selection of vintage pictures we wanted to share, writing short stories about the women that we have named our cakes after and, last but not least, refining our recipes for publication.
What else is in store for The Brown Betty Boutique?
Brown Betty is working on a pantry concept right now - including a delicious roasted pepper jelly and a cranberry relish for the holidays. The line will expand seasonally from there. We have just finished our first line of aprons in collaboration with Nic*Fish, a local, indie Philadelphia designer. This first run is denim cut in flirty shapes for the modern hostess. We are looking to ship bundt cakes by the end of the year! And, of course, we are going to keep developing baked goods and experimenting with new flavors - like peppermint on red velvet for this winter holiday season!
What are you personally inspired by (music, fashion, books etc) and how does your style filter into Betty Brown Boutique?
I get inspiration from so many things. First up, is fashion. I spend significant time on the west coast and like a lot of indie California designers like Claire Vivier and Heidi Merrick. They are both fresh and I draw inspiration from everything from their branding to their color combinations. I really do believe that inspiration is everywhere. I get a lot of inspiration from hotels and restaurants. Just recently, I stayed at the new Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia and there was inspiration to be found everywhere from wallpaper prints to little notes that were left for us in our room, all of which inspired custom cake designs for the bakery.
Written by Grace Powell for Fly.
Andrea on October 24, 2012 in Fly Girls | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Yesterday I happily harvested the sweet potatoes I had growing in my mother's garden. From the rich dirt we pulled 40 potatoes that grew from one. It was so rewarding.
I LOVE sweet potatoes! Not only are they great for you (chock full of vitamins and minerals) but they are delicious and extremely versatile. Recipes run the gamut from sweet to savory; I've had sweet potato ice-cream, salad, homefries, and pancakes; and I loved them all.
My favorites, though, come in the form of classics like sweet potato pie
and casserole (the one with marshmallows is yum but I prefer a savory
version with red onions and a dab of honey). I also love sweet potato
cream soup, corn muffins, cupcakes, and fries. I never get enough of the flavor, versatility, and color of this amazingly appetizing root fruit.
What about do you? Do you love sweet potatoes? How do you eat them?
Andrea on October 22, 2012 in Extra Stuff | Permalink | Comments (23)
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Please mark your calendars for a very exciting event. My favorite dessert boutique has just released a cookbook (as of yesterday!), The Brown Betty Cookbook, sharing the history and recipes behind some of their most delicious sweets.
To celebrate the release, Brown Betty will be holding book-signing parties in New York, Philly, DC, to name a few. They will also be making a stop in Baltimore where I will be hosting the event at the lovely TROHV location in Hampden. Join us for a wonderful evening celebrating this new and exciting venture.
Check back next week for an interview with the beautiful Norrinda Brown, one of the three minds behind the brand.
Andrea on October 16, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Last week I spent a rainy evening at Baltimore Print Studios documenting the process of a personal project I'd been working on. It's a new limited edition print done in one of my favorite printing processes; screen-printing.
It was so lovely to see a tiny sketch I created, some time ago, come to life in scale and in color. It was great to work with Kim and Kyle (of BPS) to figure out the best way to make it all happen.
I even faked-helped-out for one print! Ha!
There's more to come, but I just wanted to give a sneak peek. I can't wait to share more.
Andrea on October 10, 2012 in Art/Illustration/Design | Permalink | Comments (5)
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I'm clearly obsessed with finding art for my home. I'm trying to avoid having bare walls, and also looking to incorporate color and pattern in any way I can. So instead of wallpaper or paint, I'm thinking about possibly loading my walls with those elements that inspire me. Right now I'm liking colorful still life paintings and lady portraits, like these from Annamaria Potamiti.
Andrea on October 09, 2012 in Art/Illustration/Design | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Beautiful scarves from the Forget Me Not Gypset Collection.
Andrea on October 09, 2012 in Textiles & Patterns | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Fellow blogger and friend, Panama, just put me onto this musical duo: Milo & Otis. I'm already diggin' the sweet soulful sound and the quirky lyrical content. Take a listen and let me know what you think.
Andrea on October 05, 2012 in Extra Stuff | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Andrea on October 04, 2012 in Art/Illustration/Design, Fly Girls | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Beautifully printed notebooks from Moniquilla.
Andrea on October 03, 2012 in Textiles & Patterns | Permalink | Comments (2)
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I saw this pouch the other day and fell in love with it's cute color and pattern.
Andrea on October 02, 2012 in Textiles & Patterns | Permalink | Comments (2)
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clockwise: 1. Vintage Fruit Chart 2. Strawberry Print from Lucile's Kitchen 3. Winter Fruit Print by Claire Nereim 4. Citrus Print from Rifle Paper Co.
I've been looking at artwork for my kitchen and I'm really thinking about featuring beautiful prints of fruit. I like the ones above highlighting various fruits. Or a single fruit in a bright bold color. Like these below by Avalisa I found on Art.com.
But I'm leaning towards these single fruit versions by Brazilian wood-cut artist José Francisco Borges.
What about you, do you have any artwork in your kitchen? Is it themed?
Andrea on October 01, 2012 in Art/Illustration/Design | Permalink | Comments (9)
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