A study in blue and white.
I know blogs are all about showing your latest and freshest work, but I couldn’t resist dipping into the archives and sharing this wonderfully summery and colorful wedding with you.
Shea and Justin were married at one of our favorite venues, Rancho del Cielo in Malibu. Their wedding was infused with tons of vibrant and whimsical touches. It was an utter delight to photograph.
What I found so lovely about this wedding was that even though it was very posh and grand, there were so many adaptable ideas for a backyard BBQ or birthday party. For instance, what could be easier than throwing on a boldly patterned tablecloth made from fabric purchased at your local fabric store and complementing it with a bouquet of zinnias and marigolds from the supermarket? Simple elements elevated to superstar status was the name of the game at this wedding and it’s a great rule of thumb for any kind of entertaining.
Being from the south, Shea wanted to bring some down home flavor to the party, so mint juleps were passed all around. I love the idea of serving a signature cocktail at a party, especially if it’s from an old family recipe like these were.
It’s so inspiring to see couples infuse their wedding celebrations with such unique, personal touches. It always makes for such a memorable evening.
www.ranchodelcielomalibu.com
Planning a wedding can easily consume your life. There are so many details to attend to, so many people to please, lists to check and recheck. On the day of, let go of everything…enjoy each other. Be playful.
Memory is a funny thing. Why do our childhood memories remain with us so clearly? Why is that one can be at a complete loss in remembering the particulars of a recent event but some innocuous sighting can send one’s mind whirling back decades to a long ago world?
I happened to catch a glimpse of a little girl wearing a red hair ribbon on the street the other day and in an instant, I was transported to my childhood home. So vivid was my memory, I could hear hairbrush bristles slipping through my hair and could feel the tightness on my scalp as the elastic band snapped into place around my ponytail. I could sense my mother standing behind me, her perfume mingling with her morning cup of coffee as she tied up my hair. I could see my blue and green book bag hanging on a hook by the front door, waiting to be snatched and dragged up the school bus steps. This entire scene in all its clarity played itself out in mere seconds. In the time it took for me to walk past that little girl with a red ribbon tied around her ponytail, I had relived that long ago morning with such clarity, it was as if it had happened minutes ago. But because memory is such a funny thing, it faded away just as quickly as it had arrived.
I’m normally not a huge fan of tomatoes but when summer rolls around and the heirlooms hit the farmer’s market, I go gaga bananas for them! It could be that I’m more taken by their dazzling colors and shapes than anything else but regardless of the reason, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate them into our summer alfresco meals.
This tomato tart is a favorite at our house. I got the recipe ages ago from a Williams-Sonoma catalog and I would love to share it with you.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
10 Tbs. (1 ¼ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
2 Tbs. ice water
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 plum (or 3-4 heirloom) tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded
8 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup slivered fresh basil leaves
Using an electric mixer with a flat beater, mix flour and ½ tsp. salt on low speed, 15 sec. Add butter; mix to form pea-sized crumbs, 30-40 sec. Add water 1 Tbs. at a time; mix just until dough comes together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Shape into a 5” disk. Wrap tightly; refrigerate at least 1 hr. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fit a 9” round tart pan. Press dough into pan, trim to ½” around rim and fold in overhang. Press to make sides thicker than bottom; refrigerate 10 min. In a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1/3 cup oil. Add garlic; sauté until fragrant, 1 min. Add salt, pepper and tomatoes, sliced side down until golden, 4-5 min. Brush pastry with 1 Tbs. oil; top with cheese, basil and tomatoes. Drizzle with pan juices; season with salt and pepper. Bake until crust is golden, about 1 hr. Serves 4.
It has been such a lovely summer. We’ve had so many different types of birds choose our garden in which to build their nests this year. The last baby finch in the nest on our patio tested his wings and flew over our heads just last week while Larry and I were having breakfast. I always feel a little sad once all the babies are gone. I miss their insistent chirps for food and watching the conscientious parents flitter back and forth during feeding time.
I wanted to commemorate the last of the finches somehow and remembered that Larry had given me an abandoned nest he found last spring while pruning our camellia trees. It didn’t take long for me to find it in the infamous art closet. So here I present my photographic love letter to all of the sweet birds who found our little garden to be the perfect place to start their families.
