What a delicious feast for all the senses! We ate seafood like queens, stayed in the cutest hotel, and went to the best shops.
]]>Our trip to Oaxaca would not have gone so smoothly if we didn't book our guided tours to help us navigate where we needed to go and which artisans we needed to meet with. Below you will find a list of towns, tour guides, and artisans that we visited and loved.
]]>We had the absolute best time visiting Oaxaca, Mexico for our sourcing trip in January. Oaxaca is known for their artisan goods and it is the food capital of Mexico, win win for us! Our trip went off without a hitch and we have a lot to share about all the fantastic places we ate at, artists we met, and the guides we hired.
]]>I fell in love with Hangai Mountain Textiles when we met at Shoppe Object, a trade show in Manhattan.
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After living there for 20 years, here is my top hits list on what to do and where to eat on Canandaigua Lake and in Rochester, NY.
Canandaigua Lake couldn't be any more beautiful with the rolling hills, crystal clear water, and the biggest fluffiest clouds in the sky.
I LOVE this lake so much and would spend most of my summer days here on friends' boats growing up in high school. Since then The Lake House on Canandaigua has been remodeled and I had the pleasure of staying there this winter for a family ski getaway. Wow it is amazing!
Situated right on the lake with stunning interiors, beautifully designed hotel rooms, a fantastic spa with barrel saunas you can rent for the hour, and delicious food–– what more could one need. My friend Jade's husband, Steven Eakins, is the executive chef of the Rose Tavern at The Lake House and his food is DELICIOUS. There is also the Sand Bar where you can pull your boat in or grab great cocktails (the local drink is the Blue Whale–– IYKYK).
In the winter there is great skiing about 20 minutes away from the lake in Bristol, New York, called Bristol Mountain. I grew up skiing on this mountain, and if you go you MUST stop next door to Lock Stock and Barrel and get the chicken wings. Best wings in the world and a great beer menu, nothing better after a day on the slopes.
I personally much prefer a brewery in NY to a winery but check out this link for a list of all the wineries around the Finger Lakes:
https://www.canandaigualakewinetrail.com/finger-lakes-wineries
Goodluck- Village Gate, Rochester NY – I always recommend sitting at the bar and immersing yourself into one of the best restaurants in Rochester. Bring a friend or two ––everything is served family style ––my favorite kind of eating.
'In 2008, we set out to do something familiar but forever unique. Discovering a setting that couldn’t be beat, Good Luck opened in a former industrial enclave with a dedication to serving boldly seasonal cuisine, inspired cocktails, and a wine list that challenged norms. Our menu showcases comfort while inviting the courageous, while our bar invites both the spirited aficionado and the late night reveler.'
50 Anderson Ave Rochester, NY 14607
Velvet Belly- Public Market, Rochester NY – great cocktails and food is to die for, especially if you like fresh seafood.
'At Velvet Belly, Chef Jeremy Nucelli prepares dishes inspired by coastal cuisine from around the world. We also serve up whimsical and fun-loving cocktails in a lively bar atmosphere. We’re proud to be part of the thriving food and beverage community within Rochester’s Public Market.'
Rella- Monroe Ave, Rochester NY - better book a reservation. There’s only a bar top with about 10 seats and you feel like a VIP guest every time you go. Word of mouth from this place says it has crazy good food and they are right, it’s damn good.
181 Monroe Ave, Rochester, NY 14607
Old Pueblo Grill- University Ave, Rochester NY– Craving taco’s? BEST tacos in Rochester hands down.
'Opened in November 2018, Old Pueblo Grill is the embodiment of Chef Joe Zolnierowski's love affair with Tucson's Mexican street food culture. In a nod to his roots, OPG is named after Tucson's most famous nickname; Old Pueblo. While OPG is just a little taco shop, it's food personifies the bold colors and flavors of Tucson and the street food scene it represents.'
55 Russell Street, Rochester, NY 14607
Dinosaur BBQ Great BBQ!!!! The BBQ of my childhood situated on the Genesee River.
99 Court St, Rochester, NY 14604
GARBAGE PLATES at Nick Tahou's: Cheese burger patties on top of mac salad, home fries, tossed with meat hot sauce and condiments. Best drunk food ever but really looks like garbage.
"Nick Tahou Hots is a Rochester, NY landmark restaurant famous for its Garbage Plate. The restaurant was founded by its namesake, Nick Tahou, who died in 1997 after running the establishment for over 50 years. Despite many regional variants all based on the same theme, Nick's is widely regarded as the original Garbage Plate."
320 W. Main St. Rochester, NY 14608
New breweries are popping up in Rochester, NY all the time these days, it's amazing!
Other Half Brewery – Bloomfield NY- great open space with a beautiful view and a beautiful brewery. Bunch of seating space, usually have food trucks there as well. Great Beers, too!!
StrangeBird Brewery- Monroe Ave, Rochester NY – newish brewery with a great vibe and fantastic beer “Bird is the word” and the beer is good! Totally kid friendly as well with great food.
Mortalis Brewery- Avon NY – little bit of a drive but well worth it if you are a beer snob like myself.
Cheshire Cocktail bar- South wedge, Rochester NY – Shhh please don’t tell a lot of people. It’s a speakeasy above a wine bar in the South Wedge and they don’t play when it comes to cocktails.
Lux, South wedge, Rochester NY- The ultimate dive bar. Looking to get lost and never be found? Look no further. All are welcome and they sure do welcome all.
Park Avenue Bars and Restaurants
– really cute street with tons of great bars to go to – personal favorites – Half Pint and Apogee Wine Bar
Swillburger – South wedge, Rochester NY– Into classic arcade games and don’t want to hang out with 2-year olds to play them? Great bar with tons of arcade games.
Roseland Waterpark, Canandaigua NY – great time to kill a few hrs. with the kids, super clean and fun water park for all ages.
Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester NY – perfect place to bring the kids!
Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester NY- Another great place to kill a few hours and your kids will thank you as well!
Radio Social, Rochester NY- Bowling alley meets cocktail bar and truly a great place to have fun!
Erie Canal in Pittsford, NY, Pittsford has an adorable downtown, with great restaurants along the Erie Canal. I love Richardson's Canal house, Pittsford Pub, Jo Jo's, Simply Crepes, and the Coal tower. Great place to take a walk with kids and eat.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments, I hope you have a wonderful time in Rochester, NY!
GO BILLS!
Britt
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After ten years working as a fashion designer in Paris in houses such as Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, and Dior, Sophie Agullo, the woman behind Clandestine Ceramique, moved to Galicia Spain in 2019. She started initially to explore the world of clay as, living near the Ocean, she felt she had to reconnect between earth and sea, willing to shape something from mud. After long afternoons creating, Clandestine Ceramique was born. Each piece of her collection can be seen as a love message to the Ocean, from the wavy handles to the sandy texture, and are related to another one, all together they are a family, a clan. We love that!!!
We have a limited collection of her vases here at hōm and had a fun Q + A session with Sophie about how she grew up, where she finds her inspiration, and which artists she's crushing on right now!
What kind of kid were you? How’d you spend your days—
I have two elder sisters. I have always been following them like their shadow, as much as I can remember. I think I was the easy one, as I didn't want them to consider me as «the small one» and be left on the side. It's tough to be the littlest of the family ;) We had the chance to be super close –– and still are even with distance.
When did you know you had to create for a living—what was that realization moment for you?
I have been a fashion designer for nearly 10 years but in the end, you spend a lot of time on the computer and I was willing for a change. I’ve been trying a lot of handmade things when I started my « adult» life, to balance with this digital life; like jewelry, embroideries, knitwear project. Ceramic just came into my life like this.
"Creativity is.... seeing things that other people don't see. For example, the other day I went to a kitchen store and went mad with all the spoons they got, I was only thinking about textures they could provide. A whole new world opening."
Where do you feel most connected with yourself?
I’m still a beginner but I really feel myself connected in the water. I’ve been living near the ocean for nearly 3 years and I started surfing and I really really love it. It has that meditative quality, you better not think about anything but just the water, otherwise it can be really tough. Morning sessions are definitely the best. Actually one «gimmick» of Clandestine is «vivir al ritmo de las mareas»; living with the tides of the ocean.
What’s the hardest part of creating ceramic pieces?
No doubt that physically the hardest part is the handle work, at least for me as you have to work with balance, and drying process.
And then, starting a new piece and «stick to the initial plan».
In the end I’ve been working with softwares like illustrator and photoshop all my life so I’m used to CTRL-Del / copy paste etc. Stick to an idea when you know you have like 1000 of other possibilities makes it hard sometimes
OK, an artist or maker you’re crushing on right now:
I have two in mind : Simone Bodmer Turner and Malen Knudsen.
What is it about their work speaks to you at this moment?
Their amazing works is about movement and texture.
I’m in love with everything they do.
A restaurant you wish you could be at right now:
Trois Fois Plus De Piment in Paris * best best Chinese food ever
With who?
My partner Raphael
Three songs you’d put on a road trip mix:
Just came back from a Portugal trip (surf and yoga retreat) and I’m not Spanish, but the environment got me I think and I just can’t live without C Tangana anymore, ha!
C Tangana - Tu me dejaste de querer
Mac Miller - Good News - ying one
Ckay - Emiliana
Your all-time favorite cocktail. Where did you first have it?
I’m not a huge drinker of alcohol I have to say.. I prefer red super super soft wine. I’m french after all ;)
Where are you going on your next holiday?
It will a bit depend on my schedule but i really would like to go to Les Acores to make trekking and surf. But it’s in the Air.
Best hotel stay EVER!
I’m more a camper girl ;) and I would highly recommend to those who go on a trip to Portugal to go to the Berlenga’s Island. The boat will get you there, there is nothing on the island, and you can camp anywhere. it’s an experience in itself and really really beautiful.
Thank you, Sophie! We love your work!
@clandestine_ceramique
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I love living in Hastings on Hudson so much! We moved here almost six years ago, two kids and a dog later we are about to celebrate our one year anniversary of opening our store here in town. In the past six years Hastings has opened up some wonderful new restaurants and shops. Many of our downtown businesses are run by local Rivertown residents and moms! I am so proud to be apart of that gang.
Hastings on Hudson is an adorable sleepy town twelve miles North of Manhattan on the Hudson River, steps from the Metro North train, with great restaurants and home goods stores.
Here is where I love to go around Hastings on Hudson, NY, a Rivertown of Westchester.
SHOPS IN HASTINGS:
the hōm market
@thehommarket
You will find me here (and my Captain, Sue) Tuesday- Saturday 12-4pm and some Sundays. We sell artisan made home goods, vintage finds from around the world and speciality food pantry items. Come in and say hi––were located at 14 Spring Street.
Little House NY
@littlehouseny
Little House carries a wonderful curated selection of woman's clothing, children's clothings, toys and home goods. I love her clothes and the brands she carries (a piece apart, Citizens of Humanity, Hawkins NY) Danielle has a great eye and is open Tuesday- Saturday! Located at 578 Warburton Ave.
Observatory
@theobservatoryshop
The observatory shop is a yarn store that hosts classes, sells beautiful apparel, accessories and home goods. Amanda is the best and you will love chit chatting with her, Jackie or Joyce, I always do. Amanda is the one that taught me how to knit! Located at 5 Main Street.
In2Green Pop Up
@in2green.popup
In2Green has a lovely curated selection of eco friendly blankets that they make here in the USA, home goods, accessories, children's toys and apparel. Lori carries a great selection of cookbooks and wares. Located at 546 Warburton Ave.
Hudson Line
@Hudsonlineshop
Hudson Line makes FANTASTIC custom wood furniture and has a great selection of home goods at the front of his shop. The back is where Bill custom makes furniture. Bill and his wife Lorna sell handmade wooden bowls, colorful glassware and candles to name a few. He made me my dining room table (that I am obsessed with!) and is incredibly talented. Located at 541 Warburton Ave.
Lemon Terrace Florals
@lemonterraceflorals
As a former florist I have very high standards when it comes to floral design and Lemon Terrace fits the bill. They are known for their love of nature and that comes out in their floral designs which are more wild and unstructured. Nicole sources as locally as possible based on the seasons and has curated a great selection of apothecary goods and ceramics. Located at 3 Spring Street.
Mossy Fern
@mossy_ferns
I love Mossy Ferns and get my indoor plants from Harry! He has a great selection of gardening tools, planters and indoor and outdoor plants including air plants and terrariums. Located at 579 Warburton Ave #4.
Suburban Renewal
Suburban Renewal is a vintage furniture and home goods shop that has been in Hastings for over 20 years. There are wonderful finds there and great prices and everyone adores Fonda who owns the shop. Located at 1 Main Street.
EAT:
BORO 6
@boro6winebar
Boro6 is my favorite restaurant in town and I order lunch from there weekly! It's truly a stunning space with a 40 foot marble horseshoe bar, cozy banquets, they serve over 40 varieties of wine, amazing cocktails, craft beers, and a mediterranean menu. They make in house homemade pastas, delicious salads, roasted fishes and veggies, braised meats and is overseen by executive chef Paul Dibari. Its owned by Paul Molakides former Eleven Madison Park Manager and his wife Jennifer Aaronson former Martha Stewart Living editor. Eating at Boro 6 is a must! Located 549 Warburton Ave.
Bread and Brine
@breadandbrinehoh
Bread and Brine wins the award for best seafood in town by far. Jeremy who is from Maine kills it in the seafood department with fresh lobster, great oyster selections, and seriously yummy fish and chips. If you don't eat seafood fear not there are many items on the menu and all are delicious. Pre covid they hosted trivia nights which were legendary and often throws clam bakes and lobster boils. We are so lucky to have them in our town. Located at 19 Main Street.
St. George Bistro
@stgeorgebistro
If you are a lover of good cocktails and french food you will love St. George Bistro! Saint George is a New-French Bistro offering reworked classics like steak frites, beef tartar, and coq au vin. They serve locally caught seafood, fine meats, seasonal veggies, and French wine. Owned and operated by Jason Steinberg and executive chef is Chris Vergara, Jason owns two other restaurants, Harpers, located in the next town over Dobbs Ferry and Meritage in Scarsdale. Located at 155 South Side steps from the train with views of the Palisades and the Hudson River.
The Good Witch
@thegoodwitchcoffeebar
My favorite place to grab a coffee in town is at The Good Witch located in the Hastings train station off the Metro North track. Delicious coffees, teas, snacks, and on the weekends breakfast sandwiches and sandwiches. Joanna often throws events with live music, swing dancing nights, and hosts parties.
Photo credit NYT Tony Cenicola for main image of Hastings on Hudson
Ask any New Yorker, they'll tell you the best food ever is: PIZZA!
From our favorite, Ruth Kaplan, the former pizzaiola at Amorina in Prospect Heights, we share the best pizza dough recipe:
Mix ingredients together by hand or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once dough has formed, knead or mix for a few minutes. Let stand, covered, 5-15 minutes to relax, then knead or mix a few more minutes until dough is well-developed. Let rise, covered for one hour. (If in a rush, skip this rise.)
Once dough has risen, knead gently a few times to release air bubbles. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball, then place each in a lightly oiled bowl, plastic container, or plastic bag. Cover tightly. Let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours until ready to bake. You can refrigerate for up to two days or freeze up to a month.
To bake, place a baking stone or upside-down baking sheet in the oven to preheat and preheat as hot as it will go (500+). Meanwhile, gently pat and stretch dough to an even thinness.
a
a
Transfer to a lightly floured wooden pizza peel or flat/upside down baking sheet. Top as desired. Shake peel gently to loosen pizza, then gently transfer pizza directly to the baking stone (or upside down sheet pan). Bake until bubbling and browned, ~5-10 minutes.
o White pizza: fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano with prosciutto and arugula placed on top after baking
o Steamed, chopped kale sautéed in olive oil with garlic, hot pepper and salt with fresh mozzarella and grated pecorino
o Margherita pizza: tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella with black olives, capers and tons of fresh basil
o Fresh corn kernels, mozzarella, Parmigiano, cooked pancetta or bacon, and arugula on top
TOOLS + INGREDIENTS: pizza peel, flour, San Marzano canned tomatoes, olive oil
RUTH's chops were forged in kitchens across New York—in fact, she’s rolled enough dough to stretch from New York to Miami. At Balthazar Bakery she learned the techniques behind the breads and pastries that lined the shelves like edible jewels and she slung pies as a sous chef at Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria in Manhattan. She's the hōm market's go-to pizza pro!
Your favorite toppings, top tips for the best pizza ever! We love to hear your take, comment below:
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She grew up in the woods and streets surrounding Lake Champlain, Vermont. Raised by artists, she stepped into her full-time artisan life, in her 30s. She's a cermicist, sewer, fashion designer, and I think, philosopher—how did it begin.
What kind of kid were you?
I think I was curious and fairly independent. I grew up in Vermont and spent a lot of time outdoors, biking and trekking around town with friends. We were little adventurers and our terrain was definitely the negative spaces of our neighborhood—the paths and woods behind homes, in between streets, along Lake Champlain. I was fortunate to have great friends and a lot of play in my life which made me a pretty joyful kid.
When did you know you had to make ceramics for a living—what was that realization moment for you?
Growing up surrounded by my father’s pots, there was always a curiosity in the back of my mind, but I didn’t discover how deep my own connection to the medium was until a few years ago. I started taking classes again and then had a transformative experience at Haystack, a wonderful craft school in Maine. Having the opportunity to spend time with other ceramicists, all at different points in their careers, really opened my eyes to the possibility of making ceramics as a living. While at Haystack, I was gushing to Nancy Green—who makes beautiful soda and wood fired ceramics in Georgia—about how incredible it is that she’s able to make it her living, and she very matter-of-factly stated that if I wanted to do it I just had to make it happen, simple as that. A week after returning from Haystack I started my first ceramics production gig and then began selling my own work about two years ago.
Your earliest memory that led you to be an artist:
My mother is a visual artist and my father was a potter. I can’t pinpoint a specific memory, but growing up surrounded by bronze castings and paper pulp paintings of my mother’s and huge four-foot tall pots of my father’s showed me that being an artist or maker was a potential path. I’m a bit of a late bloomer and didn’t start pursuing my own creative practice in earnest until my 30s, but looking back, I can see the seed was planted at a very early age.
Where do you feel most connected with yourself? What is it about that place?
I feel most connected when I’m sitting in meditation—it’s more a state of mind than a particular place. The magic is that I can take it anywhere. Some of my favorite places to meditate are loud or crowded, like the subway, because I can transform a hectic environment into something calm.
Clay sounds in some ways a physical manifestation of that process—taking something messy and unformed and transforming it into something with form. Is that what it is for you?
Creativity is then...
Playing with ideas and finding new ways of expressing them.
The times you feel most like yourself are when you are:
In the present moment. I think my sense of self is ever changing, so whatever version of myself I am in the present moment is the only version of myself there is.
When do you feel most inspired? What does it, do you think?
Moments of what I’ve learned to call structured nothing, when I’m able to let my mind wander, are where I weave together most of my inspiration. There are certain activities—for me things like jumping rope, taking a shower, walking to my studio – that occupy parts of my mind just enough to calm distractive thoughts so that the curious and imaginative parts of my mind are freed up. This idea of doing “nothing” in order to tap into doing “something” is a topic I’ve thought a lot about! I wrote my graduate design thesis on using absence as a material.
I find that to be so true for me too, the creative connections happen within that “nothingness”—creating space for the thoughts to come together. I love that so much, thank you.
OK, an artist or maker you’re crushing on right now:
I recently fell in love with the work of the Polish artist, Paulina Olowska.
What is it about Olowska’s work that is speaking to you in this moment?
She had a solo show last year that was the final exhibition of the gallery Metro Pictures, before its permanent closure. She paints these incredible large scale portraits and scenes of women in an expansive range of roles, from custodians to students. My favorite from that show is one of a principal and her pet dragon. There is so much power in her beautiful representations of various versions of femininity.
Your go-to meal:
When I’m busy in my studio I often forget to eat until I’m suddenly overwhelmed by hunger, so often my lunch is an avocado or scoops of peanut butter. I tear through jars of peanut butter by the spoonful—never putting it on anything! When I actually plan ahead, it's usually a mix of sauteed veggies with an egg and kimchi or sauerkraut thrown on top.
The best coffee you ever had was at:
Milch Halle in Berlin. I don’t know that’s it's exceptional coffee but it tastes exceptionally good after a late night out in Berlin and before wandering through the galleries in the neighborhood.
A restaurant you wish you could be at right now: With who?
Masala Y Maiz with my two favorite travel companions, my fiancé, Ray, and my dear friend of 20 years, Isadora.
Three songs you’d put on a road trip mix:
For different parts of the journey:
Your all-time favorite cocktail. Where did you first have it?
A Sbagliato, which is equal parts Campari, sweet Vermouth, and sparkling wine. It was introduced to me by one of the chefs at a restaurant in Union Square where I worked for the better part of my 20s. In Italian, "sbagliato" means "mistake" and the story is that the bartender who created the drink accidentally grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine instead of gin when making a negroni. It’s delicious and a reminder that the best things can happen when they don’t go as planned.
What’s the hardest part of creating ceramics?
Ceramics continuously break your heart. There are so many points in the process where things can go wrong – pieces cracking while drying, warping when firing, glazes doing crazy things—so failure seems to be an unavoidable component when working with clay. But the challenges are what make it an endlessly exciting medium! I hope I’ll be doing it for many decades to come.
Thank you, Lucy—your work and the way you approach it is inspiring and I have no doubt you'll be doing it for decades to come.
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We LOVE the Catskills! We vacation there on weekend trips a lot, especially these last few years during the pandemic.
I gave birth to our daughter, Georgia in April of 2020 when our son, Teddy was two—it was an interesting time, to say the least. About every four months I would have what I can only describe as an adult temper tantrum, yell up the stairs to my husband who was working from home that we were leaving, book the same house in the Catskills, pack up the car, and away we went.
The Catskills is my calm down place.
There is water everywhere, rolling hills, nice folks, tons of hiking, and the cutest little towns with great food!
After being there numerous times, I have some good information on where to go and where to eat!
We love the hike to Russel Brook Falls. Google maps will not get you there all the way so here is the secret to get to the waterfall that will take your breath away.
You will have to scale down but its doable, we have done it with a three-month old in a carrier sack and a toddler. We pack a picnic and sit there and watch the kids throw rocks into the water for hours, there is typically no one else there. It's our little slice of heaven.
When that gets old you can get yourself back to the main trail and continue it upwards. About a mile up or so there is Mud Pond and its a great place to swim during the warmer months.
After your hike you can grab beers at Roscoe's Brewery in town and pick up fresh pasta from Northern Farm House to cook for dinner.
The kids love to go to Buck Brooks Alpaca Farm. Call ahead to request a tour and make sure to hit up the cute gift shop for some cozy alpaca blankets!
Our favorite brewery is Upward Brewery in Livingston Manor.
Fantastic beers, a great shallow pond full of tadpoles and newts for kids to find, and Adirondack chairs all around it. It’s at the base of Beer Mountain with hiking trails and there is great food to eat for lunch or dinner!
The town of Livingston Manor is ADORABLE with great places to eat and shop. We love to buy meat to BBQ at Van Smokey Meat Shop . We also love their sandwiches and jerky too!
Our favorite BBQ joint is the Smoke Joint. We go there at least two to three times when we go to the Catskills—in my opinion BBQ is its own food group and they serve some of the best around!
Our favorite place for breakfast sandwiches is the Walk In. OMG their biscuits are INSANELY good. Truly a thing of beauty. The coffee is fantastic too.
You will find the cutest specialty food store in town that makes wonderful sandwiches for breakfast and lunch called Main Street Farm. Great coffee and on the weekends they have a small vegetable stand out front, yummy donuts—you will see a line out the door.
Livingston Manor on Sunday has a great farmers market with fresh veggies, fruits, and flowers. It’s super cute and we always hit it up before coming home.
Some great home goods shops are in town:
The Farm House Project is wonderful!
I love the shop called Long Weekend . Amazing vintage furniture and the owner is adorable.
Nest has beautiful modern home goods and is a truly stunning shop.
Concrete and Water has great clothes!!
Grab a great sweatshirt and hat at Homestedt.
There are also some really cute vintage shops and antique stores.
What can I say I love Livingston Manor, maybe some day the hōm market will have a shop there too—hey, a girl can dream.
Tag us at @thehommarket and let us know some of your favorite spots in the Catskills!
More to come!
xoxo,
Britt
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I love roses. Love, love, love them.
When we bought our home, one of the first things I did before I even touched the inside, was start with the front landscaping. Landscaping takes forever to grow! Every year I spend more money than I’d like to admit buying plants, and it’s still no where near the lush English garden I’m striving for 5 years later!
David Austin Garden Roses, in my humble opinion are the best of the best. They’re super fragrant, bred for disease resistance, and most importantly—for their beauty.
The problem I was up against in growing them was, without having a fenced in yard, I needed to come up with a clever solution to get them up high and off the ground or the deer would devour them here.
I had a custom rose trellis built around my front porch and purchased a climbing rose called the Generous Gardner by David Austin. I wanted a rose that bloomed multiple times in a season, this particular variety blooms twice once in May and again in August. When the petals open they expose numerous stamens, providing an almost water lily-like effect and contain more than 55 petals. The flowers are a pale pink and have a deliciously sweet fragrance with aspects of Old Rose, musk and myrrh. In the fall you have the red rose hips after the second bloom which are also quite nice.
Now here comes the blood sweat and tears part: Every year I go to battle with my nemesis , the aphid. I hate them with a burning passion, they are a scourge! They love the early tender leaves of the roses and lay eggs by the hundreds, eating the sap from nutritious leaves and young blooms, leaving you with malformed roses with holes!
BUT NOT ON MY WATCH! So I murder them by squishing them every morning while drinking my cup of coffee muttering to myself: How are there more?!?! My neighbors must think I am insane for staring and muttering at my roses for an extended period of time on these early spring days, but I find this to be the most effective method.
By the end my fingers are lime green and I wear a smirk of satisfaction. I have tried neem oil, spraying them with the hose, I do not use pesticides but make a homemade concoction of crushed garlic and dish soap. I skip the methods of using baking soda because it turns all of the leave white with residue, and that annoys me almost as much as the aphids do. I find this recipe to be effective after I kill as many as possible, the problem though is after it rains it needs to be repeated.
Create a garlic spray to make a safe repellent.
Crush a full head of garlic with a mortar and pestle and steep it in 2 cups of hot water for 24 hours. Strain the garlic with a colander and fill a spray bottle with your garlic-infused water. Add 1 tablespoon of dish soap and put the cap on before shaking it. Spray every section of your rose plant 2-3 times until it’s fully misted with the spray.
I will be making mine tomorrow–– this is war!
Fertilizing is another crucial part of the rose growing game.
Start feeding older plants in spring when new growth is about 6 inches long. Most will benefit from a second feeding of liquid fertilizer after the first bloom, and repeat-blooming roses do best with regular feeding every 2-3 weeks until late summer. I use Down to Earth Fertilizer in the spring. The nitrogen in this organic dry fertilizer supports leaf and stem growth and the potassium helps improve overall plant health. When it's time to flower, the high percentage of phosphorous in this fertilizer blend will help grow the best flowers. After the first bloom I switch to a liquid fertilizer and use Dr. Earth Total Advantage Rose & Flower Fertilizer.
I save some of my coffee grounds and add it to the base of my roses as well and mix it in with the mulch.
When my roses are in bloom I cut them and put them in every room of my house and live like the Queen of England for two weeks, nothing makes me happier! Truly these are some of my happiest weeks of the year. I give some to my neighbors and friends and share my joy and prized possessions with the ones I love most.
After the first bloom you need to cut back all the dead buds with your clippers. If any are remaining for the second round, repeat and enjoy!
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We purchased our home in Hastings on Hudson in 2016 after convincing my husband to just come and "look" at houses in the Rivertowns. I took him out on the balcony, away from our real estate agent and said: This is it, I'm sorry but we need to liquidate everything, this is our home—I just know it! He shockingly agreed with me and the rest is history, the house was ours!
When we first moved in it felt like we were playing house in someone else's home, I was pregnant with our first child and the house, while we loved the bones, was not to our—my—style.
I immediately enlisted the help of my dear friend Becca Casey from Becca Interiors. I needed to bring in the big guns, everything was in need of change and a new vision, but we didn't want to lose the charm which originally brought us to love this home.
The house was built in 1899 and had been renovated and updated in 2008 to bring it back to its Victorian roots and color ways, much different than my love for whites and neutrals. Becca thankfully agreed to take us on, and our collaboration began. At that point seeing we spent all our savings getting the house, we lived the first year with NO furniture, just what we had from our tiny apartment in Manhattan, scheming and dreaming of what could become. We did it slowly, methodically, room by room. It has taken five years to get all the furniture and now we're finally at the art and decor stage which turns out to be a true passion of mine!
I will still be enlisting Becca's help with our kitchen renovation set to take place next year, what can I say working with her is another new addiction! She showed me what can be done with paint, what can be done with layering textures, and how much living with great design can change your life.
Thank you, Becca.
All photography by Rikki Snyder
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Peel and very thinly slice potatoes and onions and place them in a colander over a large bowl. I would use a mandoline if I wasn't terrified of one! But I use my knife, it takes a hot minute but I find it meditative and enjoy repetitive tasks like this.
Add 1 tbs salt and mix it all together. Leave the potatoes and onions mixed with salt for at least 30 minutes—there will be a lot of liquid at the bottom of your bowl from the potatoes and onions giving you a crispier and more perfect omelette. I add 2 cloves of chopped garlic to my Spanish omelette, but this is optional and not traditionally used, but I love the taste of garlic with my potatoes and onions.
Heat the olive oil in an 8- or 10-inch nonstick ceramic pan that can go into the oven, over medium heat. Super important- don't use your All-Clad, don't use your cast iron, it must be a non stick ceramic pan, or it can be a non stick pan and if it can't go in the oven see Step 6 for the flip. After 3 or 4 minutes, drop in one potato slice. When you see tiny bubbles appear around its edges, it's hot enough, so add all the potatoes, onions, and garlic if you're using it and a liberal cracking of pepper.
Gently turn mixture in oil with a wooden spoon, and adjust heat so oil bubbles gently. You want it hot but not too hot because you don't want to burn the onions and garlic.
Cook turning the potatoes gently every few minutes, until they are tender when you pierce them with a fork or sharp paring knife. Adjust the heat so they do not brown, you want to poach them not fry them! If the potatoes begin to break apart they are overdone and stop cooking immediately and drain them in a colander reserving the oil (see Step 3).
Drain potatoes in a colander over a bowl, reserving the oil.
Beat the eggs together in a bowl and add in a pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper while the potatoes cool slightly.
Gently mix the warm potatoes with the beaten eggs in a bowl and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
*Preheat your oven on the broiler setting and move the oven tray close to the top. I have tried the flip (see below) and honestly the broiler cooks the top of the omelette perfectly without having to fuss.
Wipe out the skillet, and heat over a medium heat for about a minute and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved olive oil and then add the potato and egg mixture back into the skillet. As soon as the edges firm up, after a minute or so, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 more minutes.
Insert a rubber spatula all around edges of tortilla to make sure it will slide from pan. The runny eggs will drip down the sides a bit helping the cooking process. The top will still be runny and then place under the broiler until the eggs cook through all over—watch closely you don't want it to burn. It should take about 4-5 minutes.
If you are using a non stick pan that cannot go into the oven you have to brave the flip: Carefully slide out onto a plate after loosening the edges with the rubber spatula. Cover with another plate, and holding plates tightly, invert them. Add another tablespoon of the olive oil to skillet, and use the spatula to coax tortilla back in. Cook 5 minutes, then slide from skillet onto a clean plate. The flip is a bitch and takes practice. I have broken 3 with the flip and now prefer the above method of broiling.
TA DA!
Pat yourself on the back that this hour-long project was totally worth it and let it cool! It's best eaten room temperature and I love to serve it with good toast, the reserved olive oil and a side of greens and tomatoes. It took a few tries to get my first perfect Spanish omelette to come out in one piece. But the secret is: it's just as delicious broken as it is whole. You will learn a lot and your next one will be perfect if it doesn't come out a show stopper on the first try. ENJOY! I really really love this dish and so does all of Spain!
xoxo,
Britt
Tag us in your creations @thehommarket and me know your thoughts or variations on this yummy dish in the comments!
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1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, cut into a 1/4-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/4- inch cubes (about 3 cups diced)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine
6-8 cups chicken stock or light vegetable stock (I like Imagine Organic) 2 cups arborio rice
1 bunch fresh sage, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 ounces goat cheese
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Canola oil for frying
wine. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until squash is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Yields: 18 to 20 arancini
CROSTINI WITH FIG JAM, BRIE, THYME, AND PICKLED CRANBERRIES
1 large baguette, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
Olive oil for brushing (about 5 tablespoons)
Kosher salt or sea salt for sprinkling
4 ounces brie cheese, thinly sliced
Fig jam (recipe below)
Pickled cranberries (recipe below)
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Fig jam (makes 1/2 pint jam):
6 ounces (about 20-22) dried mission figs, stems removed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, from 1/2 lemon
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
Pickled cranberries:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cups water
12 ounces fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise pods
Peel of 1 orange
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey, or to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved and thinly sliced or shredded 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
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8 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
1 tablespoon finely diced chives, divided
Fleur de sel
Freshly cracked pepper
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the salmon, lemon zest, Dijon, shallot, 2 teaspoons chives, salt, and pepper. Pile the salmon inside a 3-inch cookie cutter, biscuit cutters, or ring mold.
Carefully lift the cookie cutter off of the salmon.
2. Top with remaining chives and serve with potato chips. Mild salt and vinegar chips were perfect.
Yield: Serves 4
Medium bowl
Cutting board
Knife
Microplane
Measuring spoons
3-inch cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or ring mold
1 cup water
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus 6 tablespoons butter for the brown butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, yielding 1/2 cup grated, for the dough, plus extra for finished gnocchi
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely cut chives, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoons herbs of choice, such as thyme, rosemary, and/or sage
Olive oil for gnocchi
8 ounces thin asparagus, cut on a bias into 1-inch pieces
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Set aside a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the water, 1 stick of butter, and salt over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Reduce heat, add flour, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, or until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pot. Remove from heat.
3. Transfer dough to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a large bowl if using a hand-held mixer. Let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the steam to release. Add mustard and cheese and beat on medium-low speed. Beat the eggs in one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next. When final egg has been added, add herbs and beat to combine. Mix well until you get a smooth paste.
4. Transfer the mixture to a gallon-sized zipper lock bag or pastry bag equipped with a l/2-inch tip. Let mixture rest 15 to 25 minutes at room temperature or put in the freezer for about 5 minutes to cool. If using a zipper-lock bag, cut off a 1/2-inch opening in one corner. Holding the bag over the boiling water, squeeze the mixture out of the bag, cutting it off with a paring knife or kitchen scissors into 1-inch lengths and letting them fall directly into the simmering water. Continue cutting off as many as you can in one minute, then stop.
5. When all gnocchi have floated to the top, continue cooking until gnocchi are fully cooked to the center, about 3 minutes longer. Lift gnocchi with a fine mesh strainer or a metal spider and transfer to the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
7. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the gnocchi in an even layer, and let cook undisturbed until browned on the bottom, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gently flip and cook to brown on the other side, another 3 to 5 minutes more, swirling the pan occasionally so that the butter browns evenly. Add the asparagus and toss to coat the gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer to individual bowls and serve garnished with the remaining Parmesan cheese and extra chives.
Yield: Serves 4
Prep bowls—I love clear glass so I can see what's inside if I prep beforehand and store in fridge
Small bowl for flour and salt
Small bowl for mustard
Small bowl for cheese
Small bowl for cracking eggs
Small bowl for chives and herbs
Large pot for boiling water
Medium high rimmed saucepan for making dough
Whisk
Stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl with hand mixer
Gallon-sized zipper lock bag or pastry bag with a 1/2-inch tip
Paring knife or kitchen scissors
Fine mesh strainer, metal spider, or colander
Sauté pan —hands-down my favorite pan for batch cooking
Medium pan to boil asparagus (if you're looking to buy a new set of pots and pans, we recommend All-Clad all the way!)
*NOTE: the hōm market earns a commission through affiliate links on products we recommend and LOVE! We only suggest the best.
6 thin leeks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine (such as sauvignon blanc)
Fresh chives, to serve
1. Remove outer leaves and cut dark green ends from the leeks. Halve lengthwise and rinse to remove sand. Halve lengthwise, keeping roots intact.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks to the pan, cut side down, and cook until softened and lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the leeks, add a tablespoon of butter, and cook on the second side until softened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the leeks again so they are cut side down and peel off any papery outer layers. Add wine to the pan and stir to deglaze. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer. Cover the leeks with parchment paper and cover the pan. Cook over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove parchment, and simmer until liquid is reduced, about 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse salt and chives. Serve immediately. Yield: Serves 4
Cutting boards —these are heat-proof and dishwasher safe
Colander
Large skillet with a cover
Tongs
Parchment paper
Liquid measuring cup
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split down the middle, seeds scraped out, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste, or 1
teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup mild honey
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Honeycomb for garnish
1. Combine cream, milk, vanilla, honey and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat
until honey is dissolved and mixture starts to steam.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees with the rack in the center of the oven.
3. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together egg yolks until lemon colored and frothy. Slowly ladle the warm cream, about 1/4 cup at a time, into egg yolks, whisking constantly, until well-combined. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a larger measuring cup, a pitcher, or a bowl with a spout/lip.
4. Place 4 to 6 ramekins in a deep 9x13 baking pan. Place baking pan on a sheet pan.
5. Gently stir the custard, then evenly divide it among the ramekins. Add boiling water to the pan, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan with foil, poking a few holes to let steam escape, and bake for about 30-50 minutes, until the custard is set but slightly jiggly in the center, checking the oven after 30 minutes. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the ramekin.
6. Remove pan from oven. Transfer the ramekins from the hot water to a wire rack and cool for about 30 minutes. Cover cups with plastic wrap or tops and chill in the refrigerator until the custards are firm, about 2 hours. Serve with small pieces of honeycomb. Yield: Serves 4-6
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Medium bowl
Whisk
2 small bowls for cracking and separating eggs
Ladle
Fine mesh strainer
Measuring cup, bowl, or pitcher with a spout
4-6 ramekins, depending on size
Deep 9x13 baking pan
Baking sheet
Tea kettle or small saucepan to boil water
Foil
Tongs
Wire rack
We hope you enjoy these recipes and tag @thehommarket in your creations!
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Turns out—flowers make you happy too! Which is reason enough to fill your home with them, never mind how beautiful they smell or the atmosphere they create, mood-boosting properties alone have me setting bud vases around the house.
And who better to take us through arranging the most exquisite florals, but Ingrid Carozzi of Brooklyn's Tin Can Studios.
Ingrid is known for her romantic arrangements and large scale designs for Burberry, Christie’s, and Vogue. Alongside her beautiful blooms, she uses branches, fruits, weeds and unique vessels for her jaw dropping works of floral art.
Her third book is coming out this spring (featuring the hōm market's very own, Britt Summers!!!).
Ingrid shared her tips for designing that perfect, personalized arrangement in a class with the hōm market. This is what we learned:
We love how Ingrid refers to the flowers and all the stems as ingredients to her floral arranging recipes (we love recipes!)—it's a metaphor that clicked instantly.
Like cooking, the outcome is influenced by the person creating: the arrangement reflects your tastes, your preferences and we love that.
STEP 1. Choose your ingredients. Combine flowers you love, maybe within a similar color pallet, different textures, sizes, some greenery. If this is a difficult step for you, florists like Tin Can Studios has created Bloom Boxes (pictured above) that you can buy—stems already chosen for you to create your arrangement or head to your local florist for inspiration and guidance.
How many stems? 25-33 total with two to three types of face flowers (these are your stars, the main event), three types of fillers (it's great if one of these has some color variation within it to tie together the other main colors of your arrangement), and some greenery.
We love working with odd numbers of stems: three, five—it allows your eye to move around the arrangement and not get stuck in pairs.
STEP 2. Prep your tools. Wash and rinse your clippers and buckets/vases. Make sure everything is clean, as bacteria in the vases or on your tools can decrease the life of your flowers. Fill your containers with clean water. (These buckets/vases hold your flowers while you're designing into your main vase.)
Prep the stems: Remove leaves, especially along the bottoms of the stems and in some cases all the leaves. Leaves should never be in the water, as this causes them to breakdown and release bacteria into the water (which turns yellowish and stinky.) If you receive your flowers dry and flat-packed, give them a clean cut before putting in water. (The stems are like straws that close up when out of water to survive. For the flowers to drink again, a clean cut needs to be made to open the straw. If the flowers are out of water for even 30 seconds while designing your arrangement, you should give them a fresh snip.)
Place the flowers in water. Let them drink for at least four hours, a full day in a cool place is best. Once perky, they're ready to arrange. (Some blooms never perk up, this is sad and typical—toss those.
A fantastic tip from Ingrid: If some of your flowers are droopy (ranunculus and astrantia can be sometimes) hold them upside down and wrap gently in paper, making a sort of cone. Tape it. Keep stems in water. The paper cone acts as a cast and helps the stems stand up as they become perky.
STEP 3. Location. Location. Location. Where will your arrangement sit? This will determine the vase you use. If it's a table, a lower vase is best (5" wide x 6" tall is great) so people can chat above the arrangement. If it's a mantle, a tall vase is a lovely choice, a bedside table is beautifully suited to a bud vase or a tall vase—whatever you have is perfect.
TIP: While considering the vase, the total height of the arrangement should be about 2.5 times the size of the vessel. So if your vase is 10", the whole arrangement from bottom of vase to tippy top of the flowers should be about 25" high.
STEP 4. Set up your vase with chicken wire and a grid of floral tape. Cut a 8" x 6" piece of chicken wire. Bend it into an 'S' shape or a ball (depending on the size and shape of your vase) and place it within your vase. Then using floral tape, create a grid over the opening of the vase. The chicken wire and tape grid will help secure the stems in place.
STEP 5. Start cooking. Play with a few greenery stems to begin with. If you're going for a low, romantic arrangement, let the stems spill to the side. Play with asymmetry—a longer stem to one side, two to the other. Some longer than others. Move to your filler stems. Place these. Then move on to your stars of the show: the face flowers. Make sure there are no competing stems in front of them. These face flowers are often in the center, though not perfectly so. Play with it. Remember to snip the stems as you go. Keep little bits to use in bud vases after you're done with your main arrangement.
If this inspires you to design your own arrangements, show us! @thehommarket with #myhom and #hommakers so we can see your creations.
]]>I woke up in a snow globe this week and for now, I’m loving it! A dusting of fresh snow feels new somehow and we can all use a bit more of that feeling.
With the pandemic ebbing and flowing variants around the world, so much still feels uncertain. Which may be why we’re all looking for more comfort—specifically, comfort food!
The Washington Post had a great little story about the chicken wing shortage fueled in part by the Super Bowl, but predates it because of our need for joy and simpler times.
I’d never really thought about wings as comfort food, but it’s true. I’ve never angry-eaten or sad-eaten a wing before, I’ve always felt really happy wing-eating. Usually in a bar, surrounded by friends, watching a game or after playing one—happy, simple times.
This collective need for comfort food must explain the uptick in my muffin eating. And what could be more comforting than a donut and coffee—or a muffin, inspired by a donut and coffee.
So we can all comfort-eat muffins together, we’ve asked Westchester instructional chef, Kate Sonders to teach a class at hōm. Inspired by apple cider donuts, she will lead an all-ages class baking apple cider muffins. If you've been looking for something to do, to bond with a pre-teen say or your partner after putting the kids to bed, or yourself because you're quarantining alone and today want some company, this is THE perfect class: fun and delicious!
Muffin is just code for morning cake and these are really just donuts disguised as muffins. Pure genius, Kate!
Sign-up for the muffin class and while you’re here, take a second to drop us a note if you have another class idea you’d like to take or teach!
Our studio-shop, hōm, will open this spring in Hastings on Hudson, NY. With small-batch goods from around the world and nearby by such talented artisans, as Aron Fischer of Facture Goods who makes my favorite coffee spoon.
Photo by Facture Goods
I'm not overstating when I say this spoon delights me every morning, it's that beautiful! It's so much part of my day that I even travel with it.
Now, if you missed the Super Bowl this past weekend, I'll catch you up with my favorite commercial by GM with Will Ferrell and poet Amanda Gorman’s pre-game performance. Tom Brady proved that being 43 is still a perfect age to win another ring (he has now won seven Super Bowl championships). Tampa Bay Bucs won 31 to 9 over Kansas City.
You’re all caught up.
Until next time keep groovin' with this song we've been playing at our family's Sunday zoom dance parties—a new family tradition.
And keep in touch on instagram, where my brilliant business partner, Britt Summers, keeps us visually inspired all day every day.
Stay cozy at hōm—Sandra
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