The Year of Living Gorgeously

Seeing Black and White

We're absolutely thrilled this month to introduce a brand new fashion columnist.

Mary Jo Matsumoto is a Los Angeles-based fashion designer  who is launching a new line of handbags with her hand printed textiles along with a small home furnishings line. Mary Jo also writes a lifestyle blog at http://www.trustyourstyle.com and is a beauty and fashion editor at Affluent Magazine and Sheknows.com.

Every month Mary Jo will be highlighting a hot seasonal trend and finding those key pieces which will help keep us all at the cutting edge of gorgeousness.

Over to Mary Jo.

Being a March-born Pisces, I know firsthand that seeing things in black and white can be quite difficult. Fortunately it wasn't hard this past month, because the world of fashion was nothing if not black and white.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of my favorite picks that I predict will last well beyond the month: The Mulberry bag.  This must-have accessory, so chic in a low-key/no-label kind of way, thankfully comes without too much back-breaking hardware. This fun update of a classic shape in sexy shiny patent-leather could easily be a girl's new BFF. P.S. Patent leather is more than a mini-trend. I predict it's here to stay for the next eight to twelve months, and it's doubly spot-on when it comes in black or white.

I've started seeing these retro-style patent pumps around town and think they're a great alternative to the chunky platform. The Chloe Sixty Circle Buckle patent pumps are available at www.intermix.com.

 

 

 

We've seen the skull so many ways, yet somehow it's a fresh take on these sweet yet slightly naughty patent-leather ballet flats by Loeffler Randall. 

 

For more information go to www.loefflerrandall.com or neimanmarcus.com

 

Black and White Florals:

This should be an ode to the hip girls lunching at Barney Greengrass in the month of March. If these women are any indication of things to come, we can expect to see a lot more black and white floral trapeze dresses cropping up in the months ahead.

                     Abaete                                          Anna Sui

             Diane von Fursteburg                                 Nanette Lepore

Loose and comfortable, but short enough to show some beguiling leg, these dresses are easy to throw on and I look forward to seeing them replace the now tired peasant skirts and strappy tees of last season. Diane von Furstenberg made my favorite version, but the look can be seen at Anna Sui, Abaete, and Nanette Lepore.

 

 

Ya-Ya Jefferson Trench                                                         Classic Burberry Trench

Never fear, the trench is here, this time around in all sorts of angelic versions. I like both the hip short-sleeve one like Ya-Ya's Jefferson Trench coat as well as the classic Burberry in white.

It's often debated whether tech gadgets qualify as fashion. A week after I finally broke down and got a Blackberry, the Black Pearl came out. I told myself it didn't matter, but when I found myself coveting the new White Pearl Blackberry this month, I decided to join the phones-are-fashion team. Please forgive me, I live in Los Angeles. (Hehe!  I'm so cool! I've just got a new Black Pearl and it is insanely gorgeous! So good to know that I'm at the cutting edge of style even though my legs are really not appropriate for a flimsy A-line minidress - The Ed).

 

Before I sign off, I would like to say that I am so honored to be a guest-columnist here on The Year of Living Gorgeously! First off, I love this beautiful blog that celebrates each and every season. Secondly, I adore the idea of writing about fashion as it unfolds during the month; this is truly how fashion operates off the runway and what makes getting dressed an ongoing love-affair.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

It's that time of year again - you're fed up of hearty winter stodge, but the vegetables of Spring aren't yet available and you still need something more warming than a salad.

We first got into butternut squash in a big way when I was weaning our daughter.  We would halve a squash, lay it in a roasting tin, scoop the seeds out of the cavity,  drizzle a little olive oil over, add a bit of water to the roasting tin, cover it with tinfoil and roast it until very soft and tender. it will take about an hour and a half at a medium temperature. An excellent idea is to sprinkle the squash with a bit of fresh thyme or sage at this stage.

We would freeze the pulp in one half of the squash for the Minx and then use the pulp from the other half to make a delicious butternut squash risottto.

Nowadays we just make a big pot of risotto from a single squash and my daughter probably enjoys it more than anyone - perfect, nutritional toddler-food.

This recipe is my standard risotto recipe, based on my Italian mother's recipe and gently modified over the years. 

Finely dice a small onion, or two or three small shallots, and saute them gently in about a tablespoon of olive oil and small knob of butter.  Run a large clove of garlic through a press and add to the onions.  Put a saucepan containing about a pint and half of chicken stock to heat on the stove top (I use the big packs of chicken broth you can get in the US, but stock cube stock is fine).

When the onions are soft, but not coloured, add a cup (makes enough for two hearty adult portions and some toddler-sized leftovers) of arborio or carnaroli rice turn the heat up to medium and stir gently for a couple of minutes. Then take a ladle and add a ladleful of hot stock.  It should sizzle and steam very satisfactorily. 

You then need to spend about 20 minutes minding the risotto.  Stir continually and add another ladleful of hot stock into the rice every time it looks like the rice has absorbed all the liquid.  Somewhere along the way add a glass or two of any white wine you've got opened in the fridge (or open a bottle to drink with the risotto) or a glass or two of vermouth (I particularly like Noilly Prat).  Keep going until the rice has softened and swollen, but still has a slight bite to it.  If you run out of hot liquid just add a bit of water.

When the rice is almost cooked, stir in the roasted butternut squash pulp, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, seasoning to taste (it will need salt as the butternut squash is quite sweet) and a heap of grated Parmesan cheese.

Then, when the rice is soft and creamy with only a very slight bite, add a big knob of butter, turn off the heat under the pan and cover with a lid.  Let the risotto steam for a minute or two and it will become extra creamy and delicious. 

Serve with a glass of chilled white wine and yet more Parmesan cheese.

March Photo Competition

Spring sprung two days ago, so you've got absolutely no excuse not to be flooding this month's Flickr group with glorious springtime images.  Or images of grey skies and drizzle if you happen to live in Seattle.

March In Paris

I realise that we haven't yet introduced our fabulous guest judge for this month.

Abigail Percy is one of the hottest young jewellery design talents around and has a truly gorgeous and inspirational blog, full to bursting with her beautiful photographs and stunning jewellery designs.  She's one of our favourite suppliers - check out her stunning pink pearl bracelet at mirrormirror - and also has her own Etsy shop full of limited edition pieces. And she's just come back from Paris, which means that we officially hate her.

You've got until midnight on the 29th of March to post your entries to the Flickr group to give Abigail the chance to do her judgely thing.  And remember that this month there's a box of delicious French leaf soaps at stake.

Marching On

One of the best ways to notice how things are changing is to go away for a week or so ... and so it was that I returned from Jordan where I had seen almond trees in blossom to a UK that was also positively blooming!

It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder - well, some time out of Britain and I returned to it just loving spring time and the awakening it brings.  The predominant colour is of course the bright yellow of the daffodils that positively spill out of the verges and public parks as well of course as private gardens.   From pale pastels to powerful golds, yellow is King a this time of year. 

It's funny in a way - yellow is the colour that springs up (no pun intended - honest!) as the colour least wanted in garden planting plans.  If ever there is a colour people do not want in their borders, that is it... although often daffodils are not considered part of this colour exclusion zone thank goodness! And hence the colour theme for my Mothers Day celebration, a card made with a stamp I received on Valentines day

Talking of the allotment, above are some snaps of what else it is currently producing. The first picture is of my sweet peas that I planted in January, followed by my purple sprouting broccoli and then rhubarb. It is of course very nearly 'all systems go' down there, the time when you look in all your reference books and it practically says plant your first sowing of most everything now... so I have really got to get going.

However - please please please be careful! It is so easy to get carried away and to plant the most inappropriate plants out now just because the sun is shining. Nature has a way of doing the unexpected and late frosts can really 'knock back' at best or kill at worst plants - so always check labels or instructions and make sure they are called 'Fully hardy' plants if putting anything out in the open now without a cloche or some form of coverage.

In your own garden now it is time to bulk up on your snowdrops.  If you felt you missed out in January then now is the time to do something about it.  Snowdrop bulbs planted in the autumn often fail because they have become too dehydrated, so planting them as green plants now - called literally  'in the green' gives you a much better chance of success and are available from a wide variety of nurseries.

From the small to the often very tall.  Trees often get passed over in comment... probably because not many people have gardens large enough for that many trees - or if they do have trees they are small ornamental trees or fruit trees.  But what about whoppers?  Those of you that suffer from hayfever will be all too aware of the pollen that many trees produce, but how many of us look at the catkins and seed producing bodies that trees have?  From some that look like giant hairy caterpillars to paper delicate catkins I urge you to go for a walk and just look upwards and see what there is to be seen - fascinating!

And finally - a mention of my favourite nursery. Sorry for those of you that do not live in London, but here is a nursery that combines wonderful planting ideas with gifts and food as well.  Diners perch on vintage garden chairs in the airy shelter of rambling glasshouses festooned with sweet smelling climbers with grit under foot and crisp white linen on the tables.  To me, it is the perfect nursery and there is great news for those of you that do not live nearby since the resident cook has written a book of her wonderful recipes.  Last year I followed the Nigel Slater 'The Kitchen Diaries' cook book - this year it is Skye Gyngells imaginative 'A Year in my Kitchen'.  It is inspired by using fresh ingredients at their seasonal best.  Right now the greenhouse are smelling of oranges blossom - just close your eyes and picture it...

Emmeline Johnston  The Garden Bird From planning to planting
Chelsea Gold medal winner and 'Best in Show' Chic Garden at Chelsea

Spring Cleanliness (1)

I promise I won't bore you with ten thousand images of floors, but this may very well be a work in progress. I am watching such delights as casapinka, absolutely beautiful things and decor8 avidly to channel ideas and we are in the middle of painting random sections of hallway 'toffee' and 'milk chocolate' to find just the shade of what is undeniably beige in some form to get the job done.

In the meantime, here is the job so far... Any interior minds out there who want to comment and suggest, please feel free. I have favoured bits of furniture, (my patchwork screen being prime candidate number 1!) but as for location, arrangement and complementing one another, I'm stumped!

 

 

 

 

 

I have a pet hate of cds and dvds on display: I'd much prefer to have old books and big coffee table books lined up majestically, even if they are never touched. They just look more impressive and intelligent, and are simply more pretty to look at.

This is not the overall verdict of the house and I bow to numbers. If you can't hide em, at least colour code them.

Finally, I'm am delighted to announce the return of a beloved member of my family to the fold. This little gem was rescued from an evil lawfirm who were intent on sending her to the scrapheap. I carried her back on the bus, but when I moved in with the Boy, she was temporarily sent to the garage to be stored.

She has now returned with great fanfares and excitement. If only I had something pretty to display in the bowl that now sits atop her.

Gorgeously can only come in stages....

March Photo Competition

A little late this month, but I have finally uploaded my March contribution to this month's Photo Competition. It is probably worth noting that Paola and I contribute to inspire and encourage rather than in any expectation of winning our own prizes. I think we also happily recognise that our readers are far more talented and able than either of us.

I'm enjoying my attempts each month, but am enjoying even more seeing your interpretations of what each month has to offer.

Keep em coming!!

Spring Uncleanliness

 

 

In fairness, this is the lounge on the messy end of the scale. But, no amount of scrubbing, vacuuming on hands and knees (the pile was too trod down to vacuum without the nozzle) or deep-carpet-cleaning spray would shift the four years or more of student parties and a laissez-faire attitude to red wine.

I'm not proud. I'm not wholly responsible. But I can make it better. Chiefly by gentle coersion, emailing of pictures of new carpets and one or more Saturday afternoons wandering around avoiding the eyes of salesmen in polyester shirts.

Watch this space.... I am so very excited to share with you the splendour... Oh what can be done with a concrete square of a council flat...

St Patrick's Day Cupcakes

I'm astonished to see what a big deal St Patrick's Day is here in the US, much more so I think than in the UK, and it doesn't seem to matter how Irish you are. 

Which is good as no one in this household can claim any Irish connection at all (though I suspect, given her surname, that Helen could claim otherwise).  But any excuse for a cupcake, and I'm there.

Having become a recent convert to Red Velvet Cupcakes, I decided to experiment and make Green Velvet Cupcakes in celebration.  For the uninitiated, Red Velvet Cakes use a plain cupcake batter flavoured with a small amount of cocoa and then some red food colouring, to create a deep, rich red, so I thought it wouldn't be too hard to create a Green Velvet version. 

I used this recipe for Red Velvet Cakes and set to work with the green food colouring. The uncooked cake mixture looked absolutely revolting - sort of like thick spinach soup.  Unfortunately I couldn't take a picture as my camera battery had run out.

Interestingly, though extremely un-festively - the cooked cakes ended up mostly a uniform chocolatey brown with the odd spinachy tinge round the edges.   I'm so  glad I'm not going to be serving these cakes to non-family members.

I think the answer next time would be to reduce the amount of cocoa, but then they wouldn't be so deliciously chocolatey.  And to be honest the idea of spinach green cupcakes is somewhat disturbing.

March Birthstones: Aquamarine and Bloodstone

Aquamarine

Its light blue arouses feelings of sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship. The blue of aquamarine is a divine, eternal colour, because it is the colour of the sky. However, aquamarine blue is also the colour of water with its life-giving force. And aquamarine really does seem to have captured the lucid blue of the oceans. No wonder, when you consider that according to the saga it originated in the treasure chest of fabulous mermaids, and has, since ancient times, been regarded as the sailors' lucky stone.

This scrumptious bracelet (above) by RaesCreations ticks as many boxes as I could care to mention, but if you prefer a more bright stone, why not try this necklace by mirrormirror favourite, Lapdog?

 

 

 

 

Bloodstones

From The Bride's Book 1938

Bloodstones are seen but rarely these days, which is an advantage for the bride who would rather be individual in her personal possessions than merely fashionable. It was once believed that the bloodstone safeguarded the faculties and the health of the wearer, created about her respect and consideration, and made her so wise that she could never be deceived. If the stone were carved with the figure of the bat it was supposed to give the owner power over demons and to facilitate incantations. 

These bloodstone drop earrings also have stones of fluorite to energize and focus the heart and mind, saving you oodles on mental and retail therapy in one fell swoop!

Cobweb Pudding

After an abortive first attempt, I finally summoned the ingredients, the time and, most importantly, the occassion to warrant a runthrough of the by now renowned Cobweb Pudding.

I'd forgotten just how darned easy this recipe is. The great thing is, the mousse separates as it sets in the fridge so you have a lovely fluffy top and then a more dense yoghurt-consistency pudding layer underneath, and everyone thinks you've gone to ever so much trouble!

Grandma's Cobweb Pudding

1lb rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces

1 packet raspberry or strawberry jelly (Jell-o)

1 tbsp jam to sweeten (cheapo mix fruit seedless if perfect!)

1/4pt hot water

3 eggs

Cook the rhubarb slowly in a pan until completely mush. You have to keep an eye to stop it sticking, but once the water is released from the stalks it gets a bit easier. My original recipe says to then push through a seive, but I recall hours as a child being given this job and it's not fun. I think blending would be fine: this time I just mashed it a bit to break down the fibres and that was ok, though still a bit stringy.

Dissolve the jelly in 1/4pt hot water (not the pint that the instructions will tell you) and add to the rhubarb, along with the jam. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. By this time, the rhubarb will have cooled a little, so beat the yolks in, then slowly fold the stiff whites.

Poor into the serving dish and chill overnight. The cobweb is officially the starburst pattern that you can make with cream on the surface before serving, but I actually never have! It's great by itself, or with a dollop of your favourite 'cream': creme fraiche, greek yoghurt, cream or icecream.