Fashion First

Please excuse my recent absence. I'm still recovering from New York Fashion Week, which I attended for my day job -- I know, tough line of work. Check out some of my coverage here:
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven & Eight

Color in the Kitchen

Orla Kiely is a designer best known for the distinctive print on her handbags, but she has recently teamed up with Target for a collection of housewares, which are not only adorable, but super affordable. The items available both in-store and online include dinnerware, mugs and an unusual pitcher. More items will be released throughout February, including napkins, oven mitts and even an apron. I love the bright colors and the cheerful prints, and everything is around $15. This could be just what I need to spring-ify the kitchen.

Key to My Heart Key Lime Tarts

Since the Super Bowl took place in Tampa, I decided to serve up a Florida-inspired dessert for the big game. These mini key lime bites provided the perfect blend of tart and sweet and were just the right size after filling up on buffalo wings and pigs in blankets all afternoon. The recommended crust of Key Lime Coolers are an easy find when I'm Savannah thanks to Byrd Cookie Company, but since I'm all the way in Seattle, I opted for a graham cracker crust instead. Just mix graham cracker crumbs with a couple tablespoons of melted butter until you get that pressable consistency.

Key Lime Tarts
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen and the Food Network

Ingredients
24 Key Lime Cooler cookies
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice, preferably Key lime
1 teaspoon lime zest
Fresh sweetened whipped cream
Mint leaves or lime zest, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill mini muffin tins with paper cups and spray cups with cooking spray. Place 1 Key Lime Cooler cookie in the bottom of each cup, flat side down. Prepare filling. Beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar, lime juice, and zest until well mixed. Fill the cups to the top. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove tarts to cool. Garnish with tiny mint leaves, lime zest or whipped cream.

Valentine's Candy Strikes Again

Every year around Valentine's Day, I am inexplicably drawn to Godiva just to see their latest in chocolate innovation. This year, as usual, they didn't disappoint. There are the standard heart-shaped boxes in all their pink satin and red ribbon glory, filled with tempting tastes like cinnamon blush, white ganache bliss, almond praline raindrop and macadamia mosaic. But Godiva is also selling a limited edition collection of European dessert truffles, including the flavors of crème brulée, bananas foster, lemon chiffon, caramelized apple tart, chocolate souffle and black forest torte. It's totally acceptable to eat pounds and pounds of chocolate by myself, right? Isn't that what Valentine's Day is all about?

Put a Feather in Your Cap

I've been seeing feather headbands everywhere lately. It's such a whimsical look, perfect for something like a New Year's Eve party, but what about the rest of the year? Feathers make such a bold statement, one I'm not quite sure I could pull off, but I'm thinking it's worth a solid try. Etsy has a large selection of feather headbands, including this
$10 dollar one by LovMely. There are so many colors, sizes and types of feathers, something's bound to work. And even if it only comes out once a year, I feel like it's a piece worth owning. What do you think of the feather look?

Hatching a Plant

These ceramic eggs might be the tiniest and cutest planters I've ever come across. The egglings as they are called come with one ceramic egg, a terra cotta dish, soil and seeds. You the tap the egg with a spoon to break open the top, add water, and soon your miniature garden begins to grow. A variety of options are available including basil, mint, red pepper and strawberry plants. You can find the egglings online at Branch and the MoMA Store. I think they make a great little gift, and how cute would they be lined up in a windowsill?

Making Time

So it's been a while...way too long in fact, but it's my New Year's resolution to carve out time for all things SoHo, so here's to getting reinvigorated in 2009. I thought a new planner would be a good way to get motivated and structured. I came across these charming pocket-size planners on etsy that should do the trick. The Vancouver-based seller Posy Paper Co. specializes in cards, calendars and notebooks, and the petite size makes them perfect for jotting down ideas on the go.