Thompson & Prince

Tea Versus Coffee

2012-03-10T09:47:00.002-05:00

I recently bought a beautiful copper-hammered tea kettle from One King's Lane. It's beautiful. Really. People walk in my apartment and the first thing they compliment is my tea pot. Not the West Elm Mongolian fur pillows I guiltily splurged on. Not the blue velvet curtains I searched high and low for. All eyes are on the tea pot. I don't mind though. I love my tea pot.

Apparently, you have to soak it in boiling water before using (or something like that) to remove the lacquer film it has on it. I didn't do that and have drank tea from it more than enough times to hope that I'm not going to die from lacquer poisoning.

But astonishingly, my tea pot has changed me. I hardly drink coffee anymore. Why go out for a coffee if I can make some delicious tea at home while listening to Beirut radio on Pandora, crying because it's 29 degrees outside and not 69 degrees out? I mean, can you picture a more perfect morning? Ha. Also, I'd like to note that thanks to The Smile I have discovered the only breakfast tea you should ever drink: Marriage Freres' French Breakfast tea. Add some milk and honey and you'll be in tea heaven. If you live in New York, you can buy it at Dean & Deluca. Otherwise, Amazon sells it as well.

Tea Versus Coffee

2012-03-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

Apparently, you have to soak it in boiling water before using (or something like that) to remove the lacquer film it has on it. I didn't do that and have drank tea from it more than enough times to hope that I'm not going to die from lacquer poisoning.

But astonishingly, my tea pot has changed me. I hardly drink coffee anymore. Why go out for a coffee if I can make some delicious tea at home while listening to Beirut radio on Pandora while crying that it's 29 degrees outside? I mean, can you picture a more perfect morning? Ha. Also, I'd like to note that thanks to The Smile I have discovered the only breakfast tea you should ever drink: Marriage Freres' French Breakfast tea. Add some milk and honey and you'll be in tea heaven. If you live in New York, you can buy it at Dean & Deluca. Otherwise, Amazon sells it as well.

More Wedding Details

2012-03-08T18:49:00.002-05:00

My trip to Miami was pretty successful on the wedding side of things. I'm SO excited to be working with Kasey D, my freshly acquired wedding planner! I wasn't sure I could do this on my own (uh I was even having nightmares!) but now I'm feeling goooood. Anywho, I'd love to share some more inspiration photos. Because I've already shown everyone who cares.

More after the jump

Unfortunately I do not have any photo credits for these because they were saved in a folder on my desktop. If any of these photos belong to you please email me and I will give proper credit.

Instagram - The Last Few Days

2012-02-28T17:00:00.001-05:00

Lunch at The Standard.

I find myself in Miami again just hanging out and figuring out some random wedding details. Thankfully, I have a new iPhone. So you know that means Instagram.

My sister turned 18!

I had to throw in a picture of my apartment. I think it's turning out lovely.

Label Love - MSGM

2012-02-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

I came across MSGM on Honestly WTF and I fell immediately in love with this new Italian brand. The prints and bright colors had me from the start.

Versailles At Night

2012-02-23T14:36:00.000-05:00

Fireflies

2012-02-18T11:52:00.000-05:00

I had to share this post going around the blogsphere. These are long exposure photographs of fireflies. Aren't they awesome?

Surf Culture

2012-02-16T16:01:00.001-05:00

Note: Is this picture real?!

I've always been infatuated with surf culture. When I was about thirteen, I was convinced I'd become part of the Roxy surf team. For whatever reason though (possibly because waves where I grew up in Miami are basically nonexistent) I never really did learn to surf. Then, around the age of 17, I became afraid of sharks. So there went that. Still, surfer boys were always my favorite and surf culture still intrigues me the most. In fact, I watched The Endless Summer not too long ago and already want to watch it again.

Okay. So where's the beach?

Photo Credit: Tumblr, The Setting Stake Time , Lui, Going Barefoot.

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day :)

Memories

2012-02-10T14:18:00.000-05:00

Last night, Nicholas and I went through all my old albums looking back at all the trips we've taken. So fun.

Floppy Hats

2012-02-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

A combination of not liking the current state of my hair and the love I have for my floppy hat has me constantly wearing it. I think it adds a little something to just about every outfit I put on.

And..me with MY floppy hat. Do you ever wear hats? I'm going to go put mine own now!

Photo Credits: Who What Wear, Elle Mexico via Fashion Gone Rogue, Dream Dream Lola.

All That Is Rococo

2012-02-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

Fragonard's The Swing.

I'm an Art History major so naturally, I've taken A LOT of art classes. My favorite period of art still remains as Rococo. The pastels. The gold. It's all so soft yet so lush.

Marie Antoinette a la Rose by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun

Diana Leaving Her Bath by Boucher

Location, Location, Location. {Wedding Stuff}

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

I told you last week that I finally chose a venue for our wedding. Well, I wanted to give you a sneak peak of its amazingness.

Floral Inspiration {Wedding Stuff}

2012-02-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

While in Miami, I met with who will most likely be the florist for our wedding. I was very skeptical as first because (like I once so accurately read) Miami can often be more like an adjective than a city itself. Unfortunately, the whole do-it-yourself/rustic wedding trend hasn't hit Miami and often, it can be difficult for your vendors to understand that you rather have wild looking flowers than a perfectly round ball of roses. Huh? To help our florist better get an understanding of what I wanted, I brought some photos with me. Here are some that I gave him.

Photo Credit: Saipua, Once Wed, That Kind of Woman,

Wedding Flowers Inspiration

2012-02-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

Thompson

2012-02-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

Finally, we have our apartment in order. We're even having our housewarming dinner tonight :) Check it out. Obviously, things still need to be done. We still need to put up our curtains, get a bookshelf, buy throw pillows etc. But I'm loving the state it's in right now.

Heart Parts

2012-02-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

My very dear friend Fatima is the creator of Heart Parts. Park fork. Part scoop. Part knife. You break it in two with some you love (or a complete stranger!) and keep it for yourself whenever you might need a utensil. I have millions lying around my house and for some foods (basically everything besides soup!) I prefer eating with a heart part.

Check out what I heart on her blog!

Black & White

2012-02-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been wanting to shoot everything in black and white. Can you blame me?

Photo Credit: Middle Child Complex, Happy Pretty, Sunshine Dreaming, Piccsy, Shadows & Light.

Invitations

2012-01-31T11:11:00.000-05:00

Now that we have a date & location set (more on that later!) I've been looking out for invitations. I'm thinking of designing my own however, these are some I'm looking at for inspiration.

Image Credit : Twig & Thistle, Minted, Etsy, Once Wed.

MIA

2012-01-30T23:11:00.000-05:00

Talk about being missing in action! Sorry about that. Weddings! Work! School! So much to worry about. Regular programming starts now...

Guess What?

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I've already bought my wedding dress! I'm obviously not going to say much other than that it is a Jenny Packham dress and that I got it at The Aisle New York's sample sale on Tuesday. Bizzare, no? Of course, I freaked out for a second. Such a big decision to make so quickly. However, Nicholas made me try it on (he didn't see it!) again and I fell in love with it all over again.

Slim Aarons

2012-01-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

While interning in the photo department of Teen Vogue, I was exposed to a slew of photographers I had never heard of. One of those was Slim Aarons. Ever since I looked through his book, I once in a while dream of being transported to the setting of one of his photographs.

A Cleanse

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

This happens to me every January. I leave New York to visit family for the holidays, eat more food than physically possible, and shortly after feel like I've overdone it. Naturally, I like to spend these first few days of being home indulging in fruit, veggies, and all-together light food. However, this time around I'm going crazy for vegetable juices. My favorite mix is kale, beet, carrot and some added pineapple for taste. A friend showed me a great juice place down the street from Thompson where they make great veggie juices for just $3.50. However, I want to take this sort of juice cleanse home with me as well. Juicers are so expensive though. Does anyone know of a great alternative? Or at least a good regiment to follow?

Photo via Health Heaven

Where are you, Snow?

2012-01-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

I just know everyone in New York is wondering the same thing - where are you, snow? You stopped by for just a short time back in October and you haven't been back since. We're all waiting for you. :)

Photo via Lyla & Blue

Critters - Camels

2012-01-04T10:08:00.000-05:00

I love Camels. They're so cool. Instead of taking the subway everywhere, I'd love to just have a pet camel to transport me to and from any of my destinations. Plus, have you ever met someone (or something) with prettier, more fabulous eyelashes? What's your favorite animal?

So stylish....

Photo Credits: Pretty Stuff Tumblr, Dust Jacket, Trendy Traveler.

Some News....

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my post 'After Christmas' that I had recieved a special gift that I wanted to share with you all. Well, we're engaged! After almost three years of dating, Nicholas asked me to marry him. Obvi, I said yes! It's been really overwhelming as we normally do not recieve this much attention from anyone however, we have been enjoying every second of it. I never knew I could consume so much champagne!

As for now, we're taking it easy and have only begun talks of what we want in a wedding. Regardless though, you should already know I look forward to sharing my ideas, inspiration, and details with all of you who read my blog.

Photo Credit: One of my favorite images of love, "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt.

Homr Decor - Blue Curtains

2012-01-02T20:54:00.001-05:00

I now find myself visiting family in Miami. I'll be here for a couple of days before I return home to New York where a lot of fun adventures await me. However, before I get there, I've told myself I'm going to sew myself some french blue velvet curtains for Nicholas & I's living room. Nicholas' mom was kind enough to gift us a Persian rug with hints of light blue in it. I think some french blue curtains will compliment the rest of the room nice as well as make the colors in the rug pop. What do you think?

Photo Credits: Unknown (Elle Decor?), Eclectic Revisted, Elle Decor via Odi Et Amo.

After Christmas

2011-12-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Nicholas and I spent a night at the Surf and Sand hotel in Laguna Beach. The view was beautiful and I received a special gift I'll be sharing with you all very soon. So stay tuned :)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. While basking under the California sun, I am: thankful to be with the one I love and his loved ones, missing my family back in Miami, and sending warm thoughts to all my New York City friends. To a wonderful day!

x Elizabeth

A Sunday Roast - Eggs Baked With Lentils, Tomato & Goat Cheese

2011-12-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

This Sunday's recipe comes from Mardi of Sprout & Pea. I used to be Mardi's intern at Teen Vogue and since then, I've actually had the pleasure of trying Mardi's delicious cooking myself at her monthly supper club, Brooklyn Fork & Spoon.

Eggs Baked With Lentils, Tomato & Goat Cheese

- 1/2 cup lentils

- 2 cups of vegetable broth

- 1 shallot chopped

- 1 clove of garlic chopped

- 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

- 1/3 cups of tomato sauce

- 1/3 cups of tomato paste

- 1/2 cup of goat chese

- Salt and pepper to taste

Bring vegetable broth to a boil and add lentils. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 2 minutes. While the lentils are cooking, sauté the shallots and garlic until shallots are translucent. Add tomato sauce and paste. When lentils are done, drain extra liquid and add lentils to pan with tomato sauce, garlic and shallots. Season with salt and pepper and mix together over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Transfer mixture to ramekin or other small baking dish. Create hole in center of mixture and fill with goat cheese 1/2 way. Crack egg on top and sprinkle crumbled goat cheese around the egg on top of mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until egg is cooked but still runny. Enjoy.

To view the full entry, click here!

Vendredi

2011-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready to enjoy the last week of 2011? I sure am. And I'm looking forward to Christmas. So far, California is warm, loving and everything it should be.

PS-How awesome is that room? I love the wood.

Label Love - Alexandra Grecco

2011-12-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Walking through Bloomingdale's SoHo last weekend, I stumbled upon Alexandra Grecco. Not just the line, but the designer herself. She was hosting a trunk show on the fourth floor and exchanging a few words with the ladies who stopped to look through her line.

Modern takes on classic silhouettes presented pieces that reminded me of the ballet. Or maybe strolls through Montmartre.

My absolute favorite piece was the dress pictured above. Perfectly pleated, the designer was wearing the dress in black, however, I fell immediately in love with the sea foam green color. I'd love to add this dress to my wardrobe.

Like what you see? Make sure to check out Alexandra Grecco's Etsy site to purchase pieces from the collection!

California Sun Cascading

2011-12-21T11:00:00.004-05:00

Boarding a jet plane for the west coast, folks. Looks like it's going to be a California Christmas. Stay tuned.

Photo source.

A Love For The Sea

2011-12-20T11:00:00.008-05:00

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) its always ourselves we find in the sea" - E.E Cummings

Maybe it's because I grew up in the ocean. Or maybe it's because blue is one of my favorite colors. But, I do love the sea. Maybe it has something to with being a Pisces? I always feel so calm by the ocean. The sound of the waves are so familiar to me. I love being underwater and not hearing anything but that cumbersome, calming sound of the ocean. Then you come back up to breath and it's like you escaped for reality for just as long as you could hold your breath for. I love New York but I hope to grow old next to the ocean. (Sorry Hudson, you don't really count. I still love you, though.)

Photo of the Adriatic Sea by me.

Tiles

2011-12-19T11:00:00.005-05:00

After we settle in, Nicholas and I want to start sprucing up our apartment a bit. High on our list is adding a backsplash to our kitchen. Right now, there is just drywall (or whatever you call a regular wall?) so we're thinking of adding some tile. Now, here is where the great debate comes into play.

Smitten with Moroccan tile, Nicholas is wanting to put something like this:

Now please don't get me wrong. I love this. I really do. I want to sleep on it. Really. However, I'm scared. I'm scared that after a year, I'll look at it and be craving something more neutral. I'm scared I might get tired of looking at that every day as I slave over the dishes. Just kidding. We have a dishwasher now! But seriously, do I have a point? I was thinking something like this:

Maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle?

But you know, I may be wrong. What do I know? I'm just about to graduate with a degree in Art History and you know, spend my whole day looking at interior design blogs/magazines. I need your help on this though. Let me know what you think!

A Sunday Roast -

2011-12-18T12:00:00.013-05:00

*A Sunday Roast is a weekly installment dedicated to lazy Sunday's spent indoors cooking for the ones you love. Exposing some of my favorite food blogs from around the web, I'll share some recipes I feel are worth the labor of love.

Happy Sunday. Today's recipe comes from Guilty Kitchen. Let's indulge Guilty Kitchen's Sag Paneer. A decisions Indian meal I absolutely love.

Saag Paneer

Yield: 4 side servings or 2 entree sized
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

3/4 lb. fresh spinach
3/4 lb. Swiss Chard, beet greens or kale
8 oz paneer, cut into small cubes (bite sized)
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 1/2 tbsp garlic (about 8 large cloves), minced or grated
1 1/2 cups pureed tomatoes (in winter, we use no salt added glass jars)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp ground fenugreek
cayenne (a pinch to 1 tsp depending on how spicy you like it)

1. Wash, rinse and drain the greens. Chop into large pieces (about 1/2 an inch).
2. Heat the oil in a large deep pot or a heavy bottomed saucepan that has a fitted lid. Wait until it starts to sizzle a bit, then add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds to one minute. Enough to brown it, but not enough to crisp it up.
3. Stir in the tomatoes. Then add all the spices and salt. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the greens and paneer and mix it up well. Cover and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, making sure the greens are well wilted and everything is coated with the masala.
4. Serve immediately by itself for a quick and lazy dinner or serve it with a lentil dish for a great vegetarian dinner.

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Once again, this recipe is courtesy of Guilty Kitchen. Make sure to check out her site for more guilty goodness!

It's Friday.

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Today is Friday. One more Friday closer to Christmas (eee!!) and one more Friday closer to 2012. Pretty cool. Today, my mother and her husband come into town so that means my weekend will consist of showing them around the town. Even though they've been here hundreds of time and actually were both born in New York City. Today, I'm thinking about the ocean and how I'd love to be near it. Just a few more days and I will be.

Photo via here.

The New Apartment

2011-12-15T18:43:00.001-05:00

I've been both excited and hesitant at the same time to share these photos. Mainly in part because my home is in shambles; my bed is my desk and the rug is my couch. Boxes have taken the shape of a makeshift closet and Patrick (the fish) has found his home on the kitchen table (No, that does not mean he is dead and we've grilled him up with some potatoes. What kind of person do you think I am?!). Oh yes, and did I mention there is nowhere to sit? Good thing our couch is coming on Tuesday.

How do you like my naked Christmas tree? More to come once things start taking shape.

Ooh La La Lingerie

2011-12-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

While composing a post for Lovely, I came across a beautiful lingerie line. I'm not one to wear lingerie, but wow--I'm in love with Heirloom Lingerie. Their photography is just as beautiful.

All photos Elizabeth Messina via Kiss The Groom.

On a more personal level, we've finally moved into our new apartment. I look forward to sharing some pictures with you tomorrow!

Greenery

2011-12-07T11:05:00.002-05:00

One of my goals with our new apartment is to try and have more greenery lying around. Nicholas is always opening the windows (even when its 30 degrees outside) to "freshen up the air." Well, I've created a better, less frigid solution--plants!

(Photo Credit: Cup of JO, Corridor40, Somewhere on Pinterest)

Open House's PARK HERE

2011-12-05T19:20:00.000-05:00

Earlier today, a few of us checked out Openhouse Gallery's new pop-up park, Park Here. Filled with an abundance of foliage, flowers, and benches, Park Here makes for the perfect mid-winter getaway. Located on Mulberry Street in Nolita, Park Here is now open to the public (free entrance woo!) and is offering really cool activities throughout the coming months.

I highly suggest anyone in New York check it out!

Parisian Dreams

2011-12-02T23:48:00.001-05:00

Nicholas and I have (realistic) dreams of running off to Paris for a few years. He used to live there while he went to graduate school and has been aching to go back. I'm obviously not hesitant--I'm a huge francophile plus I'd love to live somewhere completely different to me. Not to mention it's the most romantic city in the world.

Every time we feel we are missing Paris, we play Sidney Bechet's Si Tu Vois Ma Mere (which funnily translates to "If you see my mom") and pretend we're walking the streets of Montmartre. I highly suggest you give it a try :) You'll be craving a baguette and some steak frite in no time.

Happy Friday

2011-12-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone! I just had a really pleasant day. I first made my way to West Elm in Chelsea to check out their bed frames. I found one I really like however, it comes with a headboard--something I'm not that interested in.

After that, I stumbled upon a just-opened Canvas, one of my favorite stores. I've been contemplating getting our new glassware from there. What do you think of these?

I am also considering these for tea time. They're recycled Moroccan tea glasses.

Happy December

2011-12-01T13:29:00.001-05:00

My favorite month has arrived. I'm looking forward to seeing BAM's rendition of The Nutcracker. Eataly's Cioccolata con Panna (seriously, go try it NOW!). Pandora's Christmas station. Having my mother in town. (Hopefully) Snow! Decorating our new apartment with a yummy smelling Christmas tree! Christmas parties. Presents. I cannot contain my joy!

What is your favorite holiday activity?

Photo by Katherine Squier

Gold Flatware

2011-11-30T12:04:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting gold flatware forever. However, I was a little bit skeptical as you hardly ever see gold flatware being used every day. Is it too much? Does it look to gaudy? I asked myself these questions every time I made it halfway to the register before setting down my beloved set. However, shopping One King's Lane's awesome sales earlier today, I cam across an awesome 36-piece gold flatware set. I had to do it, right? I mean, I've been planning on spending so much much for a gold flatware set that when I saw it for a very cheap price, I had to do it. It's different and I think it will be refreshing to not see some silver Ikea spoon in my drawers from now on. What do you think about gold flatware?

Home Decor

2011-11-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

Truth: My boyfriend and I have completely different tastes when it comes to home decor. I want neutral and he wants color--lot's of color. So, we both compromise. The result? A mix of both our styles that plays with simplicity, color, and lovely details. Here are some photographs I've pinned as inspiration.

How do you deal with differences in taste?

A New Home

2011-11-28T15:19:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to start Thompson & Prince for about a month now. However, before making the leap, I wanted to wait for something exciting to become final: our "big" move.

As some of my previous readers may already know, Nicholas and I have called Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan our home for quite a while. However, two people living in a studio apartment can be quite challenging and so when the opportunity arose to move to a bigger apartment, we jumped on it!

Starting in a couple of days, I'm going to be so thrilled to call Soho my new home. A neighborhood I only ever dreamt of living in has now become a reality. I'm looking forward to sharing with you the process of decorating, making our new one-bedroom apartment home, and discovering new gems in one of my favorite neighborhoods.

Welcome To Thompson & Prince

2011-11-28T14:20:00.000-05:00

I'd love to welcome all of you to my newest venture, Thompson & Prince. For more than two years, I've been using In Between Seams as my creative outlet but, as life changes and as we grow, there comes a time for one to mature and move on to something new. I hope you enjoy!