TGIF!!!! Why do these short weeks always feel soooo long?! On Wednesday, I thought the next day was Friday…only to realize there was still Thursday! That’s never fun. But anyhow, I’m  glad the weekend is here and I’m very excited to have a few days to relax….but I’m even more excited to share with you a few new items that we just added to Mr. & Mrs. P! Say hello to our new set of pinch spoons, perfect for just a pinch of whatever you need,  Wrap Wrap, the most beautiful wire wrapping tool you’ll ever see, our new brass bottle opener, and the cutest dish scrubber made of palm! Go check them out here! Have a wonderful weekend! xoxo!

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this Eames Vitra Chair ad campaign from Dutch art director/artist/stylist, Emmeline De Mooij. I love me some good art direction, and this here is gooood….real good. It reminds me of this tumblr (still obsessed). See more of De Mooij’s highly inspiring work here. I particularly love this magazine piece and this installation. xoxo!

Over the weekend, I was in a food mood and I just couldn’t shake the desire to make ice cream (among other things). This Coconut Saffron Ice Cream, a David Lebovitz adaptation, has been on my radar for quite some time and I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. Having only used saffron in rice dishes and, for the most part, only eaten coconut in some form of dessert, I was pretty intrigued by the juxtaposition of the two spectrum-spanning foods. Saffron, with its distinct taste and smell (and color), clearly takes center stage in this recipe, while coconut milk adds a sweet creamy balance. Together, this unusual combination, makes for a deliciously sophisticated flavor. Fair warning, this ice cream is not for everyone, but I do highly recommend it to those of you with more adventurous palates. It’s really quite good. Recipe below. xoxo!

Coconut Saffron Ice Cream (adapted from David Lebovitz)

Makes about 1 pint

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup white or unrefined cane sugar
• scant 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons toasted coconut (great how-to here)

Directions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring all the ingredients to a boil except toasted coconut.

2. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and chill the mixture thoroughly.

3. Once chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add toasted coconut at this point. Once churned, be sure to scrape any saffron threads clinging to the sides back in to the ice cream.

Note: if you don’t have an ice cream maker, David Lebovitz has an awesome post on making ice cream without one, here.

Ever since I spotted this bathing suit on Max Wanger‘s instagram feed (modeled by his super hottie wife), I’ve been going gaga over finding myself a cute high-waisted bikini for summer (and I think I may have found one in that little Anthropologie number above). I don’t normally gravitate towards vintage/retro style, but I’m absolutely in love with this look and since my first order of summer business is a long weekend getaway in Palm Springs next month, I think a high-waisted bikini would be perfect, don’t you? xoxo!

Palm Springs Getaway outfit: Sunglasses/Kaftan/Emma/Basket Tote/pomegranate Martini/SPF 30 Foundation/asterisks bikini

Happy Friday! Such a long week for me…thank goodness what follows is a long weekend. For the next 3 days I have little planned and I’m looking to keep it that way. I’m hoping to sleep in everyday, eat pancakes for breakfast at least once, catch up on laundry and lounge by the pool, reading a good book while sipping on this Cucumber Mint Lemon Spritzer. I LOVE this cocktail on a hot summer day. It’s a play off a mojito- less sweet and even more refreshing. Perfect for a long, leisurely weekend. Recipe below. Have a wonderful break! xoxo!

Cucumber Mint Lemon Spritzer

Makes 2

Ingredients

1 large lemon, squeezed (about 1/4 cup juice)

6 1/4 inch thick slices of cucumber

2 ounces simple syrup (I used thyme infused, recipe here)

4 ounces vodka or gin (I love Tanquery)

12 small mint leaves

Soda water

Cocktail shaker

ice

Directions

Divide mint leaves between two glasses and muddle to release some of the flavor. Place 3 cucumber slices in each glass. Fill with ice, set aside.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, lemon juice, simple syrup, and vodka or gin. Shake well, until shaker gets nice and frosty. Pour into glasses evenly and top with soda water. Garnish with lemon and a sprig of mint (or thyme in my case). CHEERS!

Ritual is par for the course with Diamond. Every morning, she sleeps in while I get up and ready for the day. She waits in bed while I shower, get dressed and finish my own morning rituals, until I sit on the edge of the bed to put my shoes on…that’s when she leaps out of her slumber, has herself a good morning shake and begins to paw at me with excitement, tail wagging every which way. It’s time for our morning walk. The rest of her day is spent layered in equal parts with sun baths, kitchen floor naps, momentary grazing, and the back scratch rolly thing dogs do in the grass. Rinse and repeat. At 6pm (almost on the dot and without fail), she begins to pace back and forth in the general direction of whoever is in the room…it’s time for catch. I (or my husband) take a break from whatever we’re doing and walk across the street to the middle school to throw her favorite ball (it’s lasted several months, which is not normally the case). In between catches, she takes short siestas in the grass, catches her breath, and springs back to all-fours, ready for the next throw. After 20 minutes or so, I see that she’s slowing down. She carries her ball home in her mouth, heads straight for her water and then to bed. It’s time to rest up. Tomorrow we do it all over again.

Last weekend, Evan and I got all dressed up and went on a lunch date! It was kind of romantic to treat our daytime rendezvous like we do our traditional night dates. It got me thinking…”how come we don’t do this more often?”. We had cocktails and shared appetizers under a sidewalk umbrella. It was such a good time and we easily spent half the amount we would have at dinner (score!). So, what do you think? Are you game for a lunch date or do you prefer the romance of an evening affair?

Berry Cute lunch date outfit: J.Crew Dress/Juicy Couture Sun Hat/Juicy Couture Scarf/Seychelle’s Sandals/Kate Spade Bangle/Sugar Lip Tint in Coral (my favorite!…I dab a little on my cheeks)/Zara Tote

Whenever I’m cruising through design and art blogs, I like to bookmark the artists and pieces that stand out to me for later reference. Last night, I had an itch to go through my “collection”, and I rediscovered this series from Klaus Ernflo. It’s a few years old at this point, but it still completely captivates me. Photographs of wet paint on fabric…such a simple idea but so well executed. See more from Stockholm’s, Klas Ernflo here. xoxo!

Happy Monday! Hope you had a lovely weekend. Today, to celebrate the official opening of our shop, we’re giving away two of our favorite Mr. & Mrs. P items to one lucky love+cupcakes reader! One of you will win a set of paint dipped mixing spoons and reusable bamboo mixing bowls. To enter, simply visit Mr. & Mrs P (www.shopmrandmrsp.com) and leave a comment below telling us what you’re favorite item is in the shop.

{Open to U.S. entries only! A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 9pm PST. Good luck! Winner will be notified by email.}

UPDATE: To clarify, the giveaway is for one set of 2 mixing spoons as seen here (color to be chosen by the winner) and one set of 3 nesting bamboo mixing bowls as seen here. Sorry if the images above are misleading. 

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TALKING KITCHEN!!! You’ll be notified via email shortly.

Happy Friday everyone! Today I am very excited to introduce you to our newest venture, Mr. & Mrs. P, an online home and lifestyle shop carefully curated by the Mr. and me! We’ve been working hard to get this little project off the ground for the past few months and I am happy to say that we’ve finally opened up shop.

The idea came about so abruptly one morning. We were laying in bed one Sunday just chatting about everything and nothing. Somehow the conversation turned to how nice it would be to own a little shop where we could sell all sorts of stuff we like. And there it was…Mr. & Mrs. P. Just like that! We’ve had so much fun curating our shop and we hope you enjoy it too! We’d love for you to go check it out (www.shopmrandmrsp.com) and do make sure to stop by here on the blog on Monday for a special “Grand Opening” giveaway! Have a wonderful weekend! xoxo!