You know that feeling…that feeling you get…when you give someone the host/ess gift of the century? Pure euphoria. Finding something thoughtful, clever and useful to give to another person — or yourself, or your home — takes legwork. And with warm-weather entertaining at its peak, I...
The secret’s out! Last Saturday we, along with our newly fern-ified yard, were delighted to be included in the La Jolla Historical Society’s Secret Garden Tour of La Jolla. For years and years we’ve wanted to take the tour ourselves, which is, per the website, “a...
Time for Round Two of Tussie-Mussie Tuesday! Inspired by the Victorian language of flowers, we’re fixing up sweet and simple bouquets that you can give to the beloved buds in your life. Our last bouquet was all about romance, ranunculus and Mary J. Blige. Today, though...
Yesterday we were excited to, well, wake up to the news that we were featured on Sous Style, one of the raddest food and lifestyle sites around. (Hello, Male Monday — need we say more?) The blog runs a brilliant series known as Wakeup Call, and...
Trendiness aside, our love for the macaron can be traced to its fulfillment of the three Cs: crispiness, cream and color. Delicate shells piped with flavorful fillings, these iconic French cookies are in the middle of a revival, and we’re along for the ride. We were...
They’re disarming, they’re emotionally satisfying, and they aren’t just for 14th-century artists anymore. We’re talking, naturally, about diptychs. Images paired for a compelling effect, the diptych is in the midst of an internet-fueled revival. And the new Plants & People photo series by Woolly Pocket is our favorite...
Sure — you can grow them. But you can also celebrate your love of plants by wearing them on your sleeves, your socks, or all over your skin. We found out about stellar “analog beauty” company Marble & Milkweed via Twitter, which led us to a...
We first stumbled onto the Victorian language of flowers while we were planning our wedding in 2008: lavender roses for “pure love,” tuberoses for “sweet voices,” etc., etc. (Three- to five-year-old nephews walking down the aisle with delicate vines of ivy to symbolize fidelity, though=Better...
I’ve been smearing myself with fragrant oils for a while now, ever since my tween-age years (y'know, back in the aromatherapy heyday of the 1990s), but I’ve never tried making my own infusion until now. The idea to make a skin salve with calendula flowers came...
When we were planning this gift guide, we asked ourselves, “Selves, should we do a roundup of products available online like we did last year (before we’d launched to the public), or should we go to an independent brick-and-mortar that exemplifies outdoor living and that...