S'more, please!

Look... a new way to work the pretty Glassy Baby votive's!
I don't know if was yesterdays sweet tooth or just the yummy colors of the S'mores that made me look for these images... I guess it's less calories for me to look at the images, rather than indulge in the real stuff!   :) 

Are s'mores part of your holiday entertaining menu?
Don't they look amazing? I love dark chocolate and graham crackers, and the marshmallows are just the glue that binds this treat together!! :) Would be a good idea for  Halloween, if you are entertaining...

Hope you have a wonderfully sweet weekend!

Natasha

All images via Pinterest

New on the virtual newsstand...

First spotted here, and subsequently here.

This one is for all you foodies out there!!
Great photography, fantastic colors and yummy recipes.



































So while you ponder what to make for dinner or dessert, check out this new Summer Issue.

Happy cooking,
Natasha

Images via Mowiekay Magazine

Brownie points!

How to do Brown in your home without it looking heavy and old....
Here are a few suggestions for different rooms in your home, let me know which one is your favorite!

Entryway; Some hallway table.... plenty of room for the keys and the mail! Check out the beautifully carved legs, they give life to the table, and moves your eye from the floor to the top of the ornate mirror. You do not even notice that there is a lot "going on"....

Bedroom; Tufting the headboard adds visual interest to the bed. A plain brown headboard would have been borring!! The openwork in the nightstand and the delicate print on the awning, keeps the feeling light. This is layering at it's best, from the wood floor, to the rug, the bed linens...

This bedroom reads cozy to me, and not at all heavy!!

Is this one of the fanciest dog beds you have ever seen?

I say "go for it" if you have the space!!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

Bathroom; What initially got me to look at this image was the floor tiles! So interesting!! (I am not familiar with the rest of the property, where this image came from, so I don't know if they are original to the house.... They could be, I guess!) The vanity is quite a heavy piece of furniture, and the thickness of the mirror frame suggests that this is a large room. I think the vanity balances out the pattern in the tile, and neither element takes over the room.
 

Kitchen: Earthy tones in an otherwise white kitchen, looks great to me! Love the texture of the chairs, and also the pendant lamp.... The darker brown color grounds this light and airy kitchen very well!!

Food: And while we are in the kitchen, why not stick to the theme? How absolutely delicious does this espresso and ice cream dessert look? Heck, I would have it for breakfast....

So tell me, is Brown a Go, or a No-Go?

Have a yummy day,

Natasha

Image #1 & #3 via Flourish Design+Style, Image #2 ?, Image #4 via Flickr, Image #5 here, Image #6 Karen Modechai for MSL

It's the Weekend...

Happy 4th of July weekend!

For everyone here in the states, this is a big holiday weekend; people leaving their jobs early on Friday, not to return until Tuesday, a long weekend get-away is what many plan for! I am sure coastal towns from Maine to The Hampton's to Miami Beach will be jam packed!!



The flag will flying high all over, parades & barbecues will be held and everyone will be enjoying the beautiful summer weather! I will be in town, relaxing.....



Happy 4th of July to all, and remember;
Thank all the men and women who make it possible...

Natasha

Images here

Mouthwatering

I just found the website of Aran Goyoaga, a food stylist and photographer, and I can not get enough!! I am told it is difficult to photograph food, but by the looks of these images I'd say they had me at the first bite :)

WOW, such fantastic color and they make me want to start baking and serving up some of these delicious treats!!!

If you would like to see more, check out the website here, and the blog here! There are recipes to be discovered and many, many wonderful images of the most mouthwatering dishes you have ever seen!!

Natasha

All images Canelle et Vanille

Current Obessions

I go through phases when I can't get the idea of a articular brand or product out of head. Sometimes it's something that I already own and want to wear all of the time. In other instances it's something I can't wait to try.

Some of my latest obsessions include the following:

MAC Eye Shadow in Grain and Edward Bess Eye Shadow in Dusk- both always look great, no matter how tired I am or what other makeup I have on.
Crown Brush Pointed Crease Brush (C139) and Lancome Black Coffee Le Crayon Kohl Eye Liner- the brush is one of the best crease brushes I've used. The shape is perfect for both the socket and outer corner. The eye liner is a deep dark brown that makes the white of your eyes look brighter, and the formula is smooth and silky enough that you can get right up against the lash line with no tugging. It works on the inner rim as well.
Rock & Republic Imitate Mousse Blush in Rumor- this is my favorite blush out of all that I own. The texture is sublime and the shade is perfect. I'm so sad that the line is discontinued. Even though Rock & republic pops up from time to time on sample sale websites, none of them have had the mousse blushes. I'd definitely stock up if I found this one again!
Origins Smileage Plus Lip Tint in Eco Pink- I love tinted balms in the summer and that fact that this one is natural and 95% organic is a huge benefit! Not only is the ginger scent uplifting, but the shade is a spot on--a sheer warm pink. Please excuse how jagged the tip looks; I almost destroyed it trying to take the picture!

Those are some products I already own that I'm loving, but my wishlist keeps growing! Right now I'm obsessing over Vapour Beauty, another organic line. The Aura Radiant Blush and Elixir Lip Gloss are calling my name! I wish I didn't have to order these sigh unseen but they are not available in brick and mortar stores as far as I know.

29 Cosmetics Highlighting Cream Blush is also at the top of the list. According to Neiman's it's a "real honest-to-goodness healthy glow packed with antioxidants that leave the skin naturally looking "blushed" not made up." This line is only carried in a few stores, none of which are on the east coast.

Finally, I'm also totally obsessed with Whole Foods 365 Caribbean Frozen Fruit Bars- strawberry, mango and coconut flavored deliciousness and only 110 calories per bar. It seriously tastes like vacation!

A Very Serious Topic

Cookies. Let's discuss cookies.

I take my baked goods very seriously, and while I sit squarely in the camp that believes that there is no such thing as a bad pastry, clearly some bites are more worth the calories than others.

After a particularly stressful day at work on Monday, I was faced with choosing from among three mitigating options: shopping, drinking, or mass sugar consumption. I opted for the latter (I'm sure wallet and liver are quite grateful) and headed to Levain Bakery, a tiny, quiet spot nestled below street level on 74th and Amsterdam and renowned for their legendary cookies. Levain cookies are frequently written up and featured on television not only because they are delectable, but because the recipes are a closely guarded secret and each cookie weighs in at a whopping 6 oz, or 3/8th of a pound! They more closely resemble scones in size than traditional cookies.

Levain cookies come in four varieties: Chocolate Chip with Walnuts, Oatmeal Raisin, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and my personal favorite, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip. They always bake up crispy on the outside and ooey gooey in the center and miraculously, the chips stay melty long after they are out of the oven. Heaven. Expect the indulgence to cost you $4 a piece.
Runner Up: Zaleti from Not Just Rugelach, located in Green Markets around the city. These appear similar to biscotti, are cornmeal-based and dotted with raisins and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They're very different, very good, and it's very easy to eat the whole bag (or two bags, as they are sold 2 bags for $5).

Honorable Mention: Vosges Caramel Toffee Cookies definitely deserve a shout. Chocolate Chip cookies with caramel toffee pieces inside? Delicious, but expect to pay for it. $5.50 each (not to mention a few hours at the gym). You must like butter to like this cookie, by the way.

Also worth noting are the Kitchen Sink cookies from Amy's Bread in Hell's Kitchen. Inumerable tasty morsels baked inside a soft and delicious batter.

Dinner!

One of my great passions apart from makeup is food. I love to cook, bake, and, most importantly, eat! While eating healthy is important to me, I'm also a huge fan of indulgence! Tonight's dinner, Tuscan Pumpkin White Bean Soup, combines the best of both worlds. It's packed with antioxidants and protein, is low in fat and calories, yet tastes creamy and delicious. Pureeing the beans gives the soup the texture of a hearty, cream based soup with none of the guilt and tons of flavor. Homemade crostini don't hurt either!
(The bubbles are from the immersion blender!)

Tuscan Pumpkin White Bean Soup:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 15 ounce can of packed pumpkin puree (I find that the organic has much more flavor)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium and add my own salt later)
• 1 15 1/2 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
  
• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Saute onion in olive oil until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about another minute or so. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
• Add pumpkin, broth, beans, salt and pepper, and pumpkin pie spice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.
• Puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Add more seasoning if necessary
• Serve with homemade crostini (I slice a baguette, coat with olive oil, salt and garlic and bake until browned)

Yum! What are you having for dinner?

Interview: Line Thit Klein (II)

Now that you have been introduced to LTK the person (see previous post) let me share a little more of our interview, along with some of her (mouth watering) work. ENJOY!

Northern Light: I am fascinated by your food photography! I can almost taste what I am seeing, what's the secret?

Line Thit Klein: I just love food, I love everything about it. Looking at it, tasting it, smelling it... For me it's not just food but art, and it's my passion and job to present it to the world in the most amazing way I can.

The light is the secret!! If you know how to control and work with daylight, then you have come a long way.

NL: Besides being an AMAZING photographer, what else do you like to do?

LTK: I read a lot of magazines and I love to cook. I'm very lucky to learn a lot of tricks, all the cooks that visit my studio have showed me wonderful dishes and all the tricks to make it easy. Besides that (cooking) I love to take a long walk by the ocean, it clears my mind.

NL: What are you currently working on?

LTK: A new cookbook and I promise you - it's going to be fab!! It's very me and so are all the recipes. They are simple and easy for those who don't have five hours to bake a cake. We even have a chapter called "5 ingredients". There will be bits and pieces from the book on my blog.

NL: I truly love your portraits! (discover them here) What do you do to "connect" with the person? - to bring out their best side...

LTK: Luckily I find it very easy to be around all kind(s) of people. We need to (be) comfortable in each others company. Usually it takes some time, but after a while, and after we have talked some, the shoot comes alive and we create the world and atmosphere that fits the case.

Actress Tuva Novotny



Tuva Novotny
























NL: Do you exhibit your work anywhere?

LTK: I just photographed a cookbook for famous Danish Chef, Paul Cunningham. So at the moment my pictures are on exhibit in Copenhagen. It's such a thrill to see my work in a big scale, it becomes art pieces in a whole new way.

NL: Do you sell your art pieces?

LTK: Yes, I do, but only on request.

NL: Do you book work in the US?

LTK: Yes, I love to work in the US. I have just finished a shoot in the Hampton's where I did a series on fashion. Next time I would like to visit Miami.


Line Thit Klein to the far right...


















NL: How often do you travel for work and pleasure?

LTK: I think I travel a lot. In the next 6 months I'm going to Egypt, Turkey, Napoli and Dubai. I have two small girls, so I'm only away 1 - 2 weeks at a time, or else I bring them along.

NL: What is your favorite travel destination?

LTK: It must be Cote d'azur. I love going there most because of the French mentality. Things take time, have an espresso and relax. The decadence, I love it! Their temper... their wine, baguettes, (the) shopping center Carrefour, the food.. the smell of the warm air mixed with perfume.

NL:  Doing a little research for this interview, I noticed you are "everywhere"... Face Book, Website, Blog. You also have a young family... How do you keep up?

LTK: I don't! BUT, I love to blog and I try to find time every day, even though I'm busy. I try not to answer the phone and check my email when I am home with my kids, but when they are asleep, I open up to the world again (online wise).


I hope you have enjoyed reading this interview as much as I did doing it! I encourage you to check out Line's website, and check in on her blog from time to time!!
A HUGE Thank You to Line for participating, it's been a pleasure, and I hope to see much more of your work!
Let me know when you are booked for Miami ;) !

Natasha

Interview by Natasha for Northern Light Blog
All images Line Thit Klein

Interview: Line Thit Klein (I)

When on vacation this past fall, I came across some fantastic food images... I was curious to find out a little more about the photographer, and this led me to an interview with Line Thit Klein. I am absolutely sure you will love her work, but first let's get to know her!

Northern Light: I have been looking at your blog and your website. You cast a wide net; Food, Interiors, Fashion, Travel, Books and last but not least Photography. On a daily basis what inspires you?

Line Thit Klein: Actually blogging is a good way to be inspired. You stumble upon very creative people, beautiful ideas (and) passionate souls. Besides that, I have a very skilled assistant and we often have long creative talks in a visual world where there are no boundaries, and that really opens up to new thoughts.

NL: I noticed you have an inspiration board in your office, how often do you ad to that? Change it?

LTK: I don't really change it, by changing it all. (But) Everyday I find something interesting and (I) ad it, so it's constantly evolving. My mood board takes me in (a) new direction all the time, I need to be inspired on a daily basis.

NL: What made you fall in love with photography in the first place? Do you remember your first camera? The first time you thought about making photography your trade?

LTK: My dad introduced me to photography when I was quite young and I fell in love with some of his old B /W pictures. He was a skilled photographer in his young days and he gave me my first dark chamber when I was 14. That just did it for me. Our entire house was a mess filled with copies all over the place. I had an old Nikomat Camera, simple and beautiful. It's so fun to think about; so much has happened since. I have almost forgotten my early work...
When I left high school, I got a job at Denmark's largest paper and that kind of opened my eyes to the possibility that I could make a happy living out of it.

NL: If you were not "in the arts", where would you have ended up?

LTK: I think I would be quite unhappy. I really love my job and I believe I'm lucky to have such an all-around everyday life. It's fun to think about, because I can't imagine doing anything else. But, perhaps, (if) anything I would have a little flower shop, or an organic food shop, or something like that....

NL: I noticed on your blog that a little while back you picked up the Domino book. What is your take on American interiors?

LTK: I really like it, because it's so different from the typical northern simple living. In America everything is very fancy and extravagant, and I see the beauty in the difference between American and Scandinavian living. You show how lovely you live by having expensive pieces on display. In Scandinavia we also like expensive things - it just can't be obvious - very strange. Here we have a tendency to simplify everything and we are also a little scared of colors. I love Domino because it represents the complete opposite style.

NL: What does your home look like? Trendy, Nordic,
Exotic?

LTK: It's Nordic and a bit ethnic, with art and lots of cookbooks on the shelves. It's very HYGGELIGT (cozy) and with natural toned walls in grey, white and caramel.

NL: Are you adventurous? Food, clothes, travel etc?

LTK: Oh so much YES! I try not to repeat my experiences and try something new all the time (Travel). My hunger for food and new tastes is big and I don't want to miss out on anything, so I try to eat new things, but not snails or weird stuff.

NL: Free time... what is your favorite "free time" filled with?

LTK: If I had 2 hours free from the studio, I would turn off my phone, go to a nice cafe by the dock and have a good salad and do nothing. Besides that; big dinners with lots of friends, long walks and of course my family!

It's been such a pleasure getting to know Line Thit Klein, the women behind the camera, and I can't hardly wait to share Part II of the interview. Stay tuned, it will leave you drooling :) !!

In the meantime, check out Line's blog.
(find her in the blog roll to your right)

Natasha

Interview by Natasha for Northern Light Blog
All images Line Thit Klein

Mini Aveda Haul

I did way to much shopping for my own good this Black Friday. One of my favorite things about going home to visit my parents is spending time at The Mall at Short Hills, "my" mall growing up. Imagine all of the lovely, wonderful, high end stores you'd love to have gathered in one place without any of the "filler" stores like Piercing Pagotas and Game Stop. I rarely venture into Aveda but wanted to stop in and see if anything. I found myself leaving with their loose Comforting Tea and a Lip Shine in Juneberry.

I love the Aveda tea for the evenings. It's caffeine free and is one of the very few teas that has a natural sweetness to it so it doesn't require sugar. It's perfect for when you're craving a snack but don't want the calories. They say it contains licorice root and peppermint but I'm a die-hard anise/fennel hater and do not find this licoricey at all. I find $24 to be expensive to tea but you only need a teaspoon at a time so it should last quite a while.

I so did not need another lip gloss but this Lip Shine called to me. It has the signature Aveda scent that I love in a non-sticky, all natural formula with fruit and vegetable extracts to provide anti-oxidant protection. The shade, Juneberry, is a little different for me but not so far out of my comfort zone that I won't wear it. It's a deep, blushy, just plummier than natural lip shade with a hint of sparkle and a translucent formula. Very pretty on it's own or over lip pencil.