Good Things by David

I've come to admire a blogger who creates the most beautifully decorated trees of anyone I know.  I think you will agree, once you see them for yourself, that Darryl Moland's eye for color and design is nothing short of brilliant.  We come to associate a decorated tree with Christmas and the winter season, but if you take a moment to rethink the possibilities presented by Darryl in his blog, The Decorated Tree (of Life) , you may find yourself wanting to have a decorated tree in your home year round. White Christmas A true artist who uses trees as his blank canvas with which to work, Darryl expertly arranges adornments based on season, holidays and special celebrations.  His graphic design and photography background is evident in each of his arrangements, but so is Darryl's expressive flair for creating harmony with such effortless skill.  I love the fact that many of his arrangements are for tabletop trees, because it gives one the ability to place it ju...

The end of August seems like a good time to sit back and review what I've shared and covered here on the blog during the past six months.  I don't do my monthly overviews anymore the way I used to, because it takes quite a bit of time, but I thought that an end-of-summer review would be just the thing before the start of September. Think of this as a small reminder of undertakings you may want to get to in the coming months or in 2016.  Make a note of that cookie project you feel like getting to or of the area in your kitchen that needs reorganizing.  Perhaps you want to start collecting some beautiful jadeite or some Martha by Mail cookie cutters like I do.  Whatever it is that you happen to like or want, go through these favorite posts of mine and get an idea or two, then make them your own. Rather than taking this month by month, in chronological order, I decided to break it up by category and begin with some decorated cookies.  This review is rather l...

Discovering  Coco Cake Land  has been a wonderful thing for me.  You know how it is when one does an online search for something, and a well-styled photograph grabs our attention, which then gets explored further. That's exactly what happened when I landed on the Coco Cake Land website.   Cheery Cherry Rainbow Cake Dreams I love good, homemade cakes that are made with the best ingredients and with a good amount of care.  Lyndsay's cake creations are absolutely beautiful to look at, because they have a certain homespun sensibility combined with a good amount of professional and expressive technique.  When you pair those qualities with gorgeous photography that is styled with the right touch, you end up with  Coco Cake Land .       There are so many cakes from which to feast on when browsing through this blog, and each has many charming qualities that are colorful and downright happy.  Not only does one find cakes suitab...

Julie Marr's blog, Kitchen Culinaire , is a gastronomic tour de force when it comes to sharing, styling, and photographing the season's best.  I first came across her beautiful photography through instagram, and quickly became a follower and fan of her work.  For me, good food blogging has always been about style, context and composition.  Kitchen Culinaire exhibits these so effortlessly, and what's more, Julie's website is organized with a good layout. A well-organized blog is something I truly appreciate, because it's what compels me to come back time and time again for inspiration. When you go through the singular, inimitable style that is Julie's, you too will connect with what she is teaching us at any given moment and be inspired to create your own plat du jour in the kitchen.  Whether she is throwing a dinner party or is teaching a cooking class at home in Vancouver, Canada, for chef Julie, it's all about making the connection between what is on...