ABCD Design Sketch Book | milestones in life set the tone » Nesting

What’s the fuss about GMO?

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:09:05 +0000

I remember when I was in college and they started adding the Bovine Growth Hormone to milk. I made a conscious choice to consume dairy that was clearly marked organic and hormone free. If it wasn’t clearly marked, I didn’t want to chance it. My theory: who knew what implications could come down the road from drinking milk that had been pumped full of hormones?
As the years pass, I am finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the grocery store and feel that I am making the right choices for our refrigerator. The more and more I read about GMO’s, the scarier it gets. I think they should label GMO foods so that we can confidently make a choice in the grocery store. If you’re interested in this topic you can learn more about Genetically Modified Food on Grist and Food Politics.
BTW: I am always a little weary about signing online petitions – and this is by no means forcing you to do the same – but there are people out there that are working to cease FDA ties to Monsanto. In my opinion, this might be a good place to start as it seems our current situation is like asking a fox to guard the hen house.
Images via the ultra-inspirational food photography blog Lottie and Doof.

Bon Appetit Collection {Kitchen Tools and Appliances}

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:35:04 +0000

Last week I went to the Bon Appetit test kitchen at the Conde Nast building for lunch. They were introducing their new line of kitchen tools and appliances that will available through HSN. (As luck would have it I was extended an invitation! I am thrilled to be on whomever’s PR list I got added to. I asked my friend Jonathan from #DesignTV to join me. We had a fantastic experience!)
Now you all know I am not a huge ‘home shopping’ kind of gal – I like to touch and feel what it is that I purchase – but after taste testing all the great dishes that were prepared with the new Bon Appetit line, I could be convinced to snag myself a piece or two from the collection.
First off: the pressure cooker. It works like a slow cooker, only you can pre-sear meats directly in the cooker, as opposed to starting them off in a pan. You know I am a sucker for one pan dishes. Now that we’re deep into Winter I can see how the smell of savory food wafting through the house all day long could be completely cozy and appealing.
Second: the electric griddle. You see the center section? Not only does it flip over from griddle to grill, but it’s also removable. You can pop the part that gets messy directly into the dishwasher. This is a feature I don’t have on my electric fry pan, and I consistently find myself stressing about the fact that I either didn’t get the pan clean enough, or that I somehow got water into the electric plug element.
As a parting gift, Bon Appetit gave me a 12 inch fry pan to take home and try out. I know that in the past I have sworn by by SCAN pan, but I must admit that this one is a nice one. It reminds me of my All Clad pans in that it’s got a heavy, very flat metal bottom which allows for even heating of food across the bottom of the pan – i.e.: no burned parts or hot spots! It also has a nifty notch for your pointer finger to grip onto. Not to mention, all dishes started stovetop can be finished off in the oven because the handle is oven safe. All of these design elements are a huge plus in my kitchen tool check list!
The entire Bon Appetit line of kitchen tools and appliances goes live at HSN on January 31st. Each piece is available in a variety of fashionable colors. Do you recall during BlogTour when I told you about Mix Publications and the color palettes that are on trend for 2012/2013? Well, these kitchen new appliances are an incredible example of the bleep color palette moving into the general marketplace.
Full disclosure: I was not paid for this post, however I was gifted a fry pan and a usb cord with images of the line as a parting gift. As always, I wouldn’t have written about this product if I weren’t truly interested and impressed with the line.

DIY {Do It Yourself} Festive Hanging Mercury Glass Candle Votives

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:28:10 +0000

Earlier this week, I told you about how I hung purple mercury glass votives from the Shaker peg board throughout our house for our Winter Solstice party. I realize very few of you will have Shaker pegs hanging all over your house -but rest assured- there are other uses for these festive hanging candle votives!They are easy to make and look fantastic hanging from tree branches in the back yard or in arrangements that you have inside. As you might recall, I first made them for the DesignTV Joss and Main Party and placed them in the branches of the largest flower arrangement. This look is great for wedding floral centerpieces, or for more intimate affairs. As a matter of fact, I have an old curtain wire on our screened in porch and hang the votives from that during Summertime evenings.I like to make each votive slightly different so that they all hang at various heights. This makes the look feel a bit more rustic and homespun. The first thing you do is wrap your wire around the base of the glass votive about three times. Wind the ends around itself to secure the loop.Next, make three pieces of wire about the same length. They need to be twice the length that you want the votive to hang down from the branch, peg, light fixture, Christmas roping, garlands, doorknob, or wherever you plan to hang it. Fold the wire in half around the votive loop you made and twist the three folded wires (now six ends) together to make the hanging hook on top.Voilà! Repeat as many times as the amount of hanging glass votives that you will need. If you decide to do this project at home: I beg you to use the battery operated LED flicker lights and not real candles. No one will know the difference – AND – you will insure yourself an evening without a visit from the fire department. Okay? Thanks!

Holiday and Home Decor {Recent Thrift and Craft Acquisitions}

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:28:49 +0000

I went to a holiday craft fair in Northwestern Connecticut a few weeks ago. I picked up these super sweet sewing spool snowmen. Mine are of the smallest size. (I don’t see any like the ones I purchased in her etsy shop - It’s quite possible I bought her out!) But they are just darling, don’t you think?Next, I picked up some mid-century Holiday china at of my favorite antique malls Upstate New York. It’s a great place because the space is so unassuming. It’s like digging through your grandmas closet – there is a ton of stuff – you never know what you might find at a really fabulous price. I recently found eight Holiday bread and dinner plates for a whopping $20.00! I’m excited about them because while I have a few small Christmas cookie plates, I have never had enough place settings to use them on the dining table. I totally love Spode’s Christmas Tree Collection – they remind me of being a kid – but you can see from my Winter Solstice party photographs that I rarely choose to do our holiday decorations in traditional red and green colors.I just love how it looks both with my mom’s wedding china and with my Merry Christmas cookie plates by Johnson Brothers. I have eight that I use to serve cookies at my Winter Solstice party each year. As a matter of fact, I’m considering using the cookie plates as a salad plate for our New Years Eve dinner. It’s homespun, cozy and festive without being too Christmassy, right?Each Saturday morning while the Mr is taking his bike ride it has become my routine to visit the transfer station (i.e. The dump!) to see what I might find. I then drive over to the antique mall only a few miles beyond – I like to go at least once a week because the inventory turns over so quickly. Oh, and since I mentioned the dump, you must see my most recent treasure…What I really wanted is a venetian mirror for that space over the fireplace, but a free mirror from the dump with a little elbow grease will do! It amazes, thrills, and surprises me what people are willing to leave behind! Oh, and speaking of wonderful surprises, I got one over the weekend.At first, I was scared to open it because I didn’t know the name of the sender on the box. I quickly started thinking about Twitter and all the people that I chat with on a daily basis whose names are in the distance and I actually know them by their @handle. For instance, I am not @AmyBethCuppDragoo, I am @ABCDDesigns and I bet more people know me as “ABCD” and not my actual name.Dear (@DoorHardwareLux) AKA Asta, What a fantastic surprise it was to get such a sweet, handmade gift in the mail from you. I am so touched by your thoughtfulness. It’s been such a pleasure to chat with you everyday and to have gotten to know you over the last year. You’ll be happy to know that the candle holder has already found a great home in our bookcase at The Country House! (Don’t worry, I am using a LED flicker light votive as to not burn the place down.) Many Thanks Asta. xoxABCDFYI: The photos in this post are a mixture between my good camera and my iPhone. I think it’s pretty clear which is what!

A Winter Solstice Party {Cookies and Champagne}

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:08:13 +0000

Guess who found a use for the brass bar cart that she found at the dump? Yep! Right as our guests walked in the door, they were greeted by a champagne bar. The man at our local package store was out of the Pol Roger that I usually like to serve, so he sold me Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve. It was so very delicious, that I may have found a new house champagne. Ever since they served Pol Roger at the Royal Wedding, it’s gotten more expensive and harder to find…I recently purchased honey colored Perin Mowen tapers and had them scattered about the library in my collection of mix and match crystal candlesticks. We mainly lit the house with candlelight for the party. I used purple mercury glass votives wrapped in copper wire and hung them from the shaker peg board throughout the house.I fully intended to write a blog post this past Friday, but (as you can imagine) I was overwhelmed with last minute details for the Winter Solstice party that we threw this past Saturday night. Flowers needed to be arranged, I had hoped to bake a few loafs of pumpkin bread, and there was still last minute decorating to do.In the library, I mixed David Austin ‘Patience’ Roses with classic white Vendela roses, long needle white pine and apple green hypericum berry in my Baccarat Eye Vase. I also had another arrangement on the low table by the orange sofa. It was similar, but without the addition of the Patience roses.I had purchased bright orange felt with the intention of using pinking shears to cut table toppers for the dining room table, the homemade eggnog table, and all of counter tops in the kitchen. It added a nice pop of festive color to each of the rooms whose color palettes are decidedly neutral during the rest of the year. This is one of the benefits to decorating with neutral color – one can add accessories, change out the pillows or table toppers and the place will look entirely transformed!I decorated our range hood, used an extra shelf from our kitchen cabinetry on top of the Aga, and displayed the collection of Christmas cookies that I baked last week on top of the range. All the cookie baking paid off – it made for quite an impressive display.With the Winter Solstice party behind us, I have left this week open to get my holiday shopping finished and wrapped beautifully. Who else hasn’t started their shopping yet – am I the only one?