Every summer, we go to our dear friends’ home in Sonoma to celebrate a weekend with many of our Stanford Business School friends. It has happened the past 8 summers and is always one of the best weekends of the year. We lounge, hike, eat, indulge, rollerskate, and laugh. OOOHHHH we laugh and it is so fun. It is also our second time we have picked a theme of an evening — in 2019 we did Sunset Hues.
Sunset Hues. That was our guideline — and everyone could dress how they wanted to.
In one of those cant-sleep-instagram-frenzy-rabbit-holes, I came across a bakery in Brooklyn with the most beautiful cakes; Broken Tart. I knew the minute I saw the cakes that (a) I needed to follow Broken Tart on instagram (b) I had to have a cake for Tusia’s 5th birthday party. The cakes are not only beautiful, magical, whimsical, and unique, but they are tasty and delicious. The perfect duo (pretty AND yummy).
The cake arrived in the perfect package. Who says not to judge a book by its cover?
For the holidays, Cruzzie was gifted President Obama’s children’s book “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters.” (I’m not sure how iI missed this for so long… it was published in 2010.) The book is thoughtful, educational, emotional, and beautiful. The first time I read it to my kids, I cried (yes, I am prone to crying, but still — this book is powerful). When you read the book, you can hear President Obama’s voice — and what an awe inspiring and powerful speaker he is (can we talk about his farewell address? We were in tears. How I will miss him!). This book is a must have for everyone –it is also a perfect gift.
This book is very timely It is also a good reminder of how many strong people have shaped our history.
Handmade + Parisian + Earrings = Victory. Tambour Paris was founded by Etsuko Harada, who was born in Tokyo and began crocheting when she was two years old. She opened her store in Paris in 2012 in the 11th arrondissement and has a beautiful selection of items. Especially these insanely awesome earrings.
Tambour Paris
Nothing better than a mother-daughter-matching outfit… a HUNGARIAN EMBROIDERED mother-daughter-matching outfit!
From my instagram (@ynatori), rocking my Hungarian shirt in Mexico last week. We were vacationing with my parents in Bucerias. (Truth be told, I thought it was a Mexican shirt and therefore, very #meta of me to be a 1/2 Mexican wearing a Mexican shirt in Mexico. ALAS, le sigh, reality is that I was 1/2 Mexican in Mexico rocking a Hungarian shirt….doesn’t ring the same type of bell… but I still like the shirts.).
I must confess that I am very #blessed; I have a mother that knits the most incredible and divine sweaters and spoils us with her creations, and a mother-in-law that is Queen of Fashion and Taste, and generously gifts us an obscene amount of clothing for the children, especially cashmere sweaters. (YUP, totally #spoiled, my babies both had more cashmere than I have ever had in my entire lifetime). I never knew what to do with all the old cashmere, until I found on social media (thanks again, Facebook), that a friend had a custom quilt made from all of her kid’s leftover cashmere. GENIUS. So, since 2012, I have saved every sweater with the plan of eventually having a quilt. After 4+ years of collecting, I sent everything last spring to Joan of The Green Sheep so she could make a quilt for each child. I got them this past weekend, and holy smokes, they are beyond beautiful. I am so so so so in love with the beautiful pieces of art that Joan created and am in total awe of her artistic and thoughtful viewpoint. Take a look. And start saving your kids’ sweaters!
Luxurious blankets!
My daughter is a girlie girl who loves long dresses, pink, flowers, and jewelry (already dreading teenage years…). So when I found out this spring that one of my favorite dress designers, Yvonne Sporre,was now making her signature dresses for young girls, I raced to Warm (my favorite store in the WORLD HANDS DOWN UNDERLINED BOLD ITALIC TEN EXCLAMATION POINTS) to buy a dress for Tusia. And man, is it beautiful. Beyond magical, unique, stunning, incredible. So happy. Love is an understatement. Expensive, but dreamy nonetheless.
Who says long white dresses aren’t perfect for the park?
A couple of weeks ago, I co-hosted a baby shower for one of my besties in NYC. It was a huge over-the-top, atypical, and insanely beautiful event. While it took place in a formal location, we wanted it to feel down-to-earth… solution: we hired Flower Girl NYC to do the flowers. And man oh man, were the floral arrangements *out of this world beautiful*! Although we dealt with a minor snafu with the delivery of the flowers, I can’t speak highly enough of the flowers themselves. They stole the show (although my friend was beyond radiant and gorgeous with her tiny baby bump, so it was a tie).
Every angle is perfection. Can you take the beauty? I can’t….. Still dreaming of them.
On Wednesday, I featured the Natori Office showroom and sales/administrative floor. Now, a tour of the Design Floor! Where the the magic happens and art comes to life. Take a look!
Rack of samples
Call me an urban hippie, but I can’t help falling in love with anything bohemian, hippie, ethnic, and colorful. The past few years, I have been on the hunt for a dream catcher for our bedroom as they are beautiful and carry meaning. Nothing seemed quite right, until I found Electric Love dream catchers….and they blew me away. It was hard to pick one, as these handmade pieces of art are unlike any other.
We safely arrived yesterday in Oregon where we will spend the next week lounging, eating, skiing, reading, and laughing with my parents, also known as Nana and Tata. (I wrote that sentence before our flight. We are here missing a bag and had to drive four hours through the mountains because we missed our connecting flight and they couldn’t guarantee us on another flight until Tuesday. So we are flustered, but yes, still safe!) We are all so happy to be with them and to celebrate the holidays. As Ken’s parents just left for the Philippines to be with Ken’s grandmother, we had a “pretend Christmas” (as Cruzzie said) at the end of last week at the Natoris. Here are Christmas posts from 2012 and 2011, and now CURRENT shots of the Natori Srs apartment from this year! Enjoy!
White Winter Wonderland! Last year, the decor was pink, this year, ALL WHITE.
I continue to be smitten with my in-law’s Manhattan apartment. Every little nook and corner is specifically designed to get just the right look. The apartment has been featured in Elle Decor, Traditional Home, and the New York Post. And yet in NONE of the articles, do they include pictures or even a mention of my favorite room in the apartment. Yes, while her closet is exquisite and pretty freaking incredible…. this random little powder room on the entertainment side of the apartment is my absolute favorite. You know it — a pretty special powder room!
Teeny tiny, but terrific.
