whew! it’s finally friday and i am ready to pack up the car and head to baltimore to see one of my favorite people, sneak peek/pretavoyager editor anne ditmeyer, perform in the fluid movement synchronized swimming show. anne is moving to paris for grad school at the end of august (i want to stow away in her suitcase) so i’m going to soak up as much time with her and my other favorite baltimore d*s staffer, felice cleveland as possible. so i’m heading out early today to get ready, because…

next week is a BIG week at d*s! we’re introducing 5 new columns -and writers- to the site and celebrating the 5-year anniversary of d*s with a very special (and ongoing!) gift for d*s readers. so stay tuned, because on monday we’re going to hit the ground running…starting with the special 5-year anniversary surprise. until then, i’m going to head out a bit early and pack up for our baltimore trip.

in the meantime, i wanted to end the week with these beautiful invites from graphic designer erin jang. originally from seattle, erin now lives in brooklyn and produces gorgeous custom invitations (the letterpress cards above were printed by studio on fire). i’m completely smitten with her work, so i hope you’ll check out more of her custom designs right here. thanks, erin! i’ll see you all on monday- until then, a summary of this week’s highlights are below:

• must-read posts of the week: new d*s archive pages, diy upholstered toddler beds for $75, biz ladies: calculating your rate
• biz ladies 09: calculating your rate, recession advice from 10 local designers
• new city guide: boise, idaho
• new sneak peeks: elizabeth dunker, nicky of pulp creative, amy adams of perch, jill sones of fossil, kate and ryan of fossil, kathryn hunter, copenhagen chronicles (lisbet friijs)
• new diy projects: upholstered toddler beds for $75, kate’s sprouting table, amy’s painted tiles, quilted yoyo pillow, granny square art, recycled paper jar lids and pencils, mini crochet baskets, recycled paper cards + garland
• new before & afters: anne’s room + barb’s desk, kristen’s bathroom + janelle’s room, veronica’s table + jason’s bar cart, paula’s nook, purpose redesign studio makeovers
• new recipe: in the kitchen with lara ferroni’s ginger sorbet and mixed drinks
• new d*s guest blog: a week of diy projects from laura normandin!
• misc: stretch rubber shelves, new thomas paul plates, ribbon coat rack, artwork by rachel manly, angela adams doormats

Lara Ferroni has been with us before, with her Toasted Sesame and Vanilla ice cream, a hit (and her Sneak Peek). This week we’ve invited her back for a another spoon dessert incorporating an ingredient from her garden: Melon, Ginger and Shiso Sorbet with Ginger Shiso Mojitos and Sours. The great thing about her submission is that it uses a syrup as a base which you can then use in other recipes. This one really is perfect for summer! (ps: if you enjoy the drinks stay tuned next week for a new recipe from Behind the Bar!)

About Lara: Since her previous recipe was featured here on the ITKW column, Lara has been working non-stop photographing cookbooks- more than 8 of them in the past year! Lara manages to squeeze in a blog entry or two every now and then on her blogs Cook and Eat and Still Life With. But her most exciting new project is developing her own cookbook on a subject that almost everyone loves, donuts! Her cookbook is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2010. If you’re dying to get your hands on some of Lara’s photography print, look for: Best Places to Kiss Cookbook, Popcorn, Best Places Northwest Cookbook, and Haute in the Kitchen. This fall, look for The Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook and Tacos.

For more recipe ideas, cookbook suggestions, help with techniques, food inspiration, and culinary notes from my travels, follow Kristina on Twitter! twitter.com/KristinaGill

CLICK HERE for the full recipe after the jump!

read more …

a little friday morning eye candy: soon to be released coir doormats from maine’s angela adams! these lovely mats will be for sale in september for $45 and will include some of angela’s classic designs. i love the munjoy pattern above and below. they would be a lovely way to welcome guests to your home this fall. click here to view the rest of angela’s line.

[click here for a sneak peek into angela's home!]

i’ve always dreamed of living an apartment that originally served another purpose, and kate and ryan white - catalog merchant and watch designer for fossil - are living my dream. this couple that got married last september found their first home in a 1920’s building that used to be the department store tiche-goettinger [in dallas]. not only do they have a great location downtown, but their home is where the presiden’ts office was located. their suite has kept its historical and architectural appeal with goregous wood paneling, authentic casement windows, ornate crown molding, panoramic views of the city, and to top it off, a bathroom with a stall! click here for more full-sized images, and stay tuned for more sneak peeks from fossil! [thanks, kate and ryan!] -anne

[above: This is where the president’s secretary’s office was located.  We built a planter in the windowsill which is full of succulent plants.  This window overlooks the park. All the art-work in our home was painted by my talented husband.  See his artwork right here]

CLICK HERE for the full sneak peek after the jump!

read more …

i’m so sad to say goodbye to laura normandin today- she has been an amazing guest blogger and i have gotten so spoiled by her daily diy project on the guest blog. today she’s leaving us with two great diy projects: recycled paper birthday cards + garland. each one is a great way to reuse paper scraps and create something lovely with only a few spare minutes. click here to check out the full project instructions. thanks to laura for all of her hard work this week- you can visit her at wren handmade right here.