INSPIRATION STATEMENT
September Quote – "Another Fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer” - Wallace Stegner
Ah yes, fall is most definitely in the air here in the northwest – the mornings have a sharp crispness in them only to be met with the satisfaction from the warm afternoons. A whisper of color change is starting to come to light and an extra blanket is added to keep bedroom windows open for a bit longer.
SWEATER WEATHER: INTRODUCING DR. BLOOM
Add some color to your fall/winter wardrobe - the response will really surprise you!
To be clear, while Fall is one of my favorite times of year, saying goodbye to summer is always a bit of a let down. For those of us who live in the Northwest, ,we know that the shorter days will soon be upon us. Frosty mornings are just around the corner, and the gap that takes place between fall and the promise of a white winter remains in the future. For this reason, I was naturally drawn to the colorful and happy spirt of the Barcelona born collection from Dr. Bloom. We naturally get license to wear bright colors in summer months, and often fall and winter colors are more muted and toned down. But this charming collection attracted me like a fish to a beautiful fly cast. I took the bait and am delighted to have these colorful gems filling up the racks, only to begin flying right out the door.
Dr. Bloom has launched with a BOOM.
That certain touch of quirky charm and playful mood is an important ingredient that has made Baby & Company so iconic and beloved over all these years. Discovering new brands that help us keep Baby true to her nature is always what I am on the hunt for. Dr. Bloom fit the bill and the proof is in the amazing reaction we have had for this bold and colorful collection.
I promise you, if you put one of these little charmers on your back, you will be treated with a host of compliments. Just like the joy of seeing a rainbow, wearing color creates a very positive feeling and response.
Give one a try and let me know what kind of reaction you receive.
MY FAVORITE FALL DISHES
All summer long we tend to eat lighter meals as we journey through the long summer days and hot summer nights. Fruits and vegetables are ripe and plentiful. Seafood, chilled soups, and crisp cocktails are offered up with great demand. I just bloody love it! However, I come into the changing season looking so forward to that smell of food roasting, fruit baking, and indulging in cheeses and saucy concoctions that require one to ramp up the cardio to offset the calorie disregard.
Big hearty meals, a table of friends, a game of Yahtzee, come on!, it does not get better than that.
Soooo, below are some of my favorite dishes I love to eat come fall!
I do admit, the Chicken Pot Pie is a bit labor intensive, but well worth it. That’s why you make it for your favorite peeps who will love and appreciate all the effort you poured into the fantastic meal! It’s so satisfying.
Chicken and Fall Vegetable Pot Pie
This is one of my most requested dishes friends ask me to make for them. It will make your house smell so good too!
RECIPE
Gruyere, Apple and Idaho Potato Au Gratin
I love all the flavors and textures in this dish. Tart apples with melted cheese and potatoes? Come on.. so damn delicious and easy to make.
RECIPE
Autumn Kale Salad with Fennel, Honeycrisp and Goat Cheese
(I don’t like goat cheese so I substitute with Feta) - This is a terrific salad to pair with a heavy main meal (like Chicken Pot Pie for instance) - Be sure to massage the Kale with Olive oil and lemon juice first. It makes such a difference in the texture of the kale leaves.
RECIPE
The Best Peach Crisp
OK, this beauty is super easy and a huge crowd pleaser. Now, baking this baby really makes your house smell fantastic!
RECIPE
LISTEN YOUR WAY INTO AUTUMN
As mentioned, the Chicken Pot Pie dish is time consuming to prepare. I LOVE digging into a high-prep recipe by putting on a great playlist so I can get to chopping and cooking to my heart's content.
Thus, we have made you a cook-along Fall Playlist. On it, we have honored the many artists we lost this summer: Tony Bennett, Sinead O’Connor, Gary Wright (Dream Weaver), Steve Harwell (Smashmouth)...
We hope you like it, Baby!
LISTEN HERE
SAVE THE DATE
SIGN UP HERE
THANK YOU BURNT SUGAR
Burnt Sugar + Baby & Company
Burnt Sugar owner, and our dear friend Kathy Faulk, has been an important and generous ally to both Wayne, myself and Baby & Company all up.
It was a tough and scary time for ALL of us, and having the love, strength and unyielding support from a longtime friend was critical to help us make the decision to move out of our once beautiful downtown Seattle location, and transition into our new life here in Sun Valley.
Kathy was more than willing to host us in both her fabulous home and her charming and eclectic store: Burnt Sugar. It was the perfect collaboration of two well known small businesses that had to lean on one other in order to help us navigate the turbulent waters of COVID, and protests that changed our city for evermore.
Kathy Faulk opened Burnt Sugar in 1997, after a successful career as lead designer of junior girls wear for several companies: Generra, Obermeyer, K2, and Hannah Anderson.
During her time as a design director at Genera, Kathy traveled the globe searching for design inspiration and product development. Her design team would do their research and development in the best cities and stores from around the world. Her travels helped develop and inspire her keen eye for interesting and unusual products and design. After years of research on the road, Kathy had collected an impressive assortment of everything from home accessories, vintage treasures, clothing and anything else that peaked her creative lens for beauty.
However, when she would try to find interesting and impressive gifts and items locally, she always came up disappointed and wanting more. As well, her home became a curated marvel of color and design filled with a collection of things that inspired her throughout her travels. Vintage lamps, Italian pottery, Japanese Tansu cabinets, different colored walls, unknown painters, and velvet and leather furniture filled her home. Everyone ALWAYS wanted to know: “where did you find that”?
So, when she tired of the clothing business, Kathy decided to open a small Home Store filled with gifts, furniture, vintage, shoes, pottery, jewelry, books, leather goods, and all the things that she loved in her own home and life.
That small store has become a mighty and an iconic fixture in the heart of Fremont, and Burnt Sugar has an eclectic vibe unlike any other in town. The store is a marvel of visual stimulation due partly to the creative aspiration of long time sales associate Jerry Dehan. Jerry does not like idle hands, so he is constantly creating colorful displays of paper and paste. I think Burnt Sugar has the BEST ceiling displays of any store of its category.
It’s no wonder the store became the perfect fit for several Baby & Company Pop-ups that allowed us to keep a store presence in our native Seattle, after moving to Sun Valley.
Along with the amazing assortment of accessories, home, gifts, books, beauty and everything else in-between, the Baby & Company eclectic charm and vibe fit in beautifully .
We did our last Seattle photoshoot inside the store, which gave us a visually rich backdrop to showcase our colorful Fall opening collections.
We want to Thank both Kathy, Jerry and her terrific staff for always making us feel so welcome. The friendship and support of our longtime friends will never be forgotten.
I hope you will enjoy the photos from Inside the shop, and next time you're in the area, pop in to Burnt Sugar and indulge the visual feast. Do some shopping, buy something for yourself of for someone you adore.
But don’t wait too long…. Nothing lasts forever!
Check out the Website, word is there is a SALE going on!
For inquiries about the products from Burnt Sugar DM or email the store directly.
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