K R I S T I N B L A K E N E Y: May 2011

31 May 2011

Jenna Lyons' town house.

The master mind behind everything fantastic at J.Crew, Jenna Lyons, opens her doors to expose a most amazing New York town house. Recently renovated by Ken Levenson Architects.

27 May 2011

AMAZING photobooth props.

Click here to go to Happy Days for instructions and free printables!

26 May 2011

25 May 2011

Nautical

Feeling quite nautical these days! Can't wait for Caroline and Wither's wedding next weekend!!

Mrs. Britian meets Mrs. American.

For their first-ever meeting, both women chose romantic pieces in subdued hues. Mrs. O's pick, reported Mrs.-O.org, was a mint green silk printed dress from designer Barbra Tfank (her pricey pieces are sold at Barneys New York).Kate went a little more mass-market with a bandage dress from one of her faves, British-based retailer Reiss ($340, though it has sold out already online!) and a pair of simple black pumps.

MACK: I'm way too obsessed but Kate's looks killer.

(Via the Today Show)

24 May 2011

Stealin MK's look.

23 May 2011

Diamonds are a girls best friend.

Marilyn had it right in Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend! The jewels I'm currently coveting in order from left to right include Jude Francis earrings, Cathy Waterman EVERYTHING, and Finn necklaces.

20 May 2011

A recipe for perfection!

This beautiful cake has been keeping me up at night until I finally found the website that it originated. Unfortunately, it was in Spanish. However, she got it from a popular baking blog, i am baker, and added her own touches... pink frosting, taller, leaner, and vintage cake stand. You go girl.

Recipe as follows:

Mack: Side note before you start you need to know she froze her cake and poured a simple syrup over it. It helps to retain moisture as well as assist in binding the layers together... just be careful to not use to much!**

Start with your homemade or box cake. I put a good crumb coat of icing on... as in, a crumb coat that conceals the cake underneath. It can be sloppy and uneven, but you should not be able to see what color the cake is.

Mack: She uses white icing and cake Color Mist - I prefer the dirty pink which means you will need to replace the white icing for colored on all of these steps.

Put your 1M tip (or any large open star tip) into the pastry bag then fill it up with butter cream frosting.

If you have an appropriately sized coupler you can use that, or you can just insert the tip into the bag and cut off the excess.

To make your rose, start in the center, then slowly move your tip in a circle around the center point. I wanted a single rose to span the side of the cake so I looped around my center point twice.
Try to end in the same place each time.

Go all the way around the cake and complete with one last rose!

This is how it looks after completing the circumference of the cake.

Then go back and add the roses to the top using the same method.

When making flowers that big, you are bound to have some 'dead' space in there. Can you see that big empty spot up there?
My first instinct was to go back in and add dollops of stars... but I think I found a better way!

Instead go in and make a swoop with your tip. (try and go in the same direction as the rose right next to it)
In the overall design it seems to fit in better then the star dollop!

MACK: She does a little of this number....