Infusing grandeur into otherwise drab Monday mornings with five things/ideas/events for the week:
I. As you may have noticed, it isn’t a Table + Teaspoon dinner party without a handwritten menu. Last week I was faced with the dilemma of a 50-person dinner with non-traditional seating, making individual menus obsolete. To remedy this, I decided to use a large chalkboard menu. Taking inspiration from Ballard Designs' $500 version, I created my own for about $50. This is a great DIY project for kitchen chalkboard menus, wedding seating charts, or chic message boards!
The first step is to pick up a mirror in the size that you want. Ross is a fantastic place to find inexpensive mirrors - the one that I purchased was $40. Next, outline the glass portion using painters tape. Then, using a small roller and tray, paint two layers of chalkboard paint over the glass surface (I waited about an hour in between coats). Let the paint to dry overnight, and voila!
II. Halloween taking place this week means that I have candy on the brain. Rather than significantly upping my caloric intake with the store-bought version, I plan to do so with homemade candy! These beautiful fleur de sel caramels are easy to make (just be sure to use a candy thermometer) and can be passed out to trick-or-treaters in adorable parchment paper wrapping.
III. I’ve noticed a trend among my Monday Merriment pieces that I can’t seem to shake - almost every post includes a suggestion for your coffee table. One of my decorating mantras is that objet d'art personalizes a home and provides 3-dimensional texture. Even if every person on your block has the same Pottery Barn coffee table, you make it appealing and interesting by what you place atop it. So here is another idea that I’m recently obsessed with: brass wire cubes. Sort of like Lego’s for adults, these cubes are both beautiful and playful. I’m ordering two sets today!
IV. I’m ridiculously excited to announce that the San Francisco Symphony young professional board, Symphonix, is throwing their first party of the year tomorrow!! The event will take place at an amazing venue, 111 Minna, and includes delicious bites and an open bar for members ($95 per year) or $40 at the door. I hope to see all of your beautiful faces there!
V. If you’ve ever baked anything calling for eggs, I’m sure that you noticed the designation “large egg” rather than simply “egg” in the list of ingredients. Most of us, yours truly included, haven’t a clue why. Until today! One of my favorite bloggers, Joy the Baker, dedicated an entire post to the subject. Check out her answer here.
Have a wonderful week! xx tt