Oh Joy!

oh joy {online} yard sale... 28 Mar 2012

Every year, I go through a bit of spring cleaning and purge my closet and shelves of things I haven't used in a while and no longer need. It can be tough since I still love so many of those things I've bought or collected over the years, but sometimes you just gotta make more space for new things. With a baby and baby things a plenty filling up our small house, spring cleaning this year was a must!

The last couple local yard sales I've had in the past two years have been so fun, but many of you who aren't local were bummed you couldn't attend. So, voila! I'm having online yard sale this time! I've joined forces with the folks at Copious as the shopping platform my newest yard sale {you can follow people and stay up on what they're selling}. There's a mix of clothing, accessories, and home decor—stuff I still really love, but just no longer need. You can check out my current batch of things for sale right here, and I'll be restocking the shop again next month with another batch...
— Joy

UPDATE: There were 18 items listed today, and most have sold already. More will be stocked soon!

{photos by Oh Joy}

{flavor stories} spring grapefruit tartlets... 28 Mar 2012

With April just around the corner, it's the perfect time of year for spring-inspired sweets! The cherry blossoms are just starting to bloom here, and I find myself wanting desserts in the same pretty pink hue. So, these grapefruit tartlets do just that. Plus they're light, airy, and simple to make.



The night before I want to make the tarts, I make a quick batch of grapefruit jelly and a small batch of sweet dough. This one looks good, but just make the recipe in tartlet shells instead of a large tart shell. That said, if you don't want to be fiddling around with making pastry you can purchase pre-made tartlet shells in your grocer's freezer section.

Grapefruit & Vanilla Bean Jelly
500 ml fresh grapefruit juice, strained
100 grams sugar
10 ml fresh lemon juice, strained
1/2 a vanilla bean, scraped
10 grams leaf gelatin {available here}

Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water until pliable. In a small saucepan, heat both juices, sugar, and vanilla bean until sugar is just about dissolved but the juice is not boiling. Remove from heat. Squeeze the water from the gelatin leaves and drop into the warm juice and stir. Remove vanilla pod and pour gelatin and juice mixture into a square 8"x8" pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.To remove the jelly from the pan, slide a sharp knife along the edges and flip it onto a piece of parchment paper {you may have to help it a little with a spatula or by placing a warm cloth on the bottom side of the pan until it releases}. You can refrigerate leftovers for up to three days in a covered container.

 

To assemble the tarts, cut the jelly into small cubes and spoon directly in baked and cooled shells. Garnish with chantilly cream and serve right away! Plus, the grapefruit and vanilla jelly is great all on its own too. I couldn't stop snacking on it!

—Nikole 

*For a fun alternative, omit both the grapefruit jelly and the chatilly cream and try filling your tart shells with rhubarb or grapefruit curd and finishing them with toasted Italian meringue.

{photos by Michael Graydon, styling by Nikole Herriott for Oh Joy}

this & that... 27 Mar 2012

...wear this Depeapa necklace, decorate with that table from Horne...

—Bekka

sewn beauty... 27 Mar 2012

When I came across Abigail Brown's sewn patchwork animals the other day, I literally gasped out loud. The colors, the patterns, the texture...simply gorgeous. — Joy

{available in the US at Everything Begins}

love this... 27 Mar 2012

...summer-perfect beach blanket from Pierrepont Hicks... — Joy

oh snap... 26 Mar 2012

I'm thrilled to share the new print shop from stylist and Polaroid photographer extraordinaire, Jen Gotch. Long before meeting Jen, I admired her polaroid work from a far and always wished she sold prints. Well, Oh Snap by Jen Gotch is here, and I could seriously fill a whole wall with her colorful and dreamy images {Ruby has this one in her room!}. And, an added bonus, all prints are sized to fit readily available frames. Jen used frames from Ikea, West Elm, and Michaels for images shown here... — Joy

feeling like a tropical safari... 26 Mar 2012

{1. A Merry Mishap necklace, 2. Loeffler Randall clogs, 3. Wind and Willow spoons, 4. Kate Spade watch, 5. Munster baby swimsuit, 6. canteen from Terrain, 7. J.Crew jeans, 8. Best Made Co. cards, 9.Virginia Johnson shawl — Joy}

happy friday + date night... 23 Mar 2012

In our final birth prep class before having our baby, the teacher showed a cheesy video from the 80's about making sure to nurture your relationship after the baby arrives and learning how to get "creative" with your partner. Like 5th graders, Bob and I busted out laughing in the middle of the dark classroom while the VHS video played for the group. We thought it was so silly at the time {because it seemed so obvious that spending quality time together was important}, but it really was a good lesson to tell...one we didn't totally understand until Ruby came into our lives.

When you have a baby, your life becomes consumed with this new tiny being that you are learning about and learning how to take care of. While it can be so easy to do, I've learned how important it is not to lose sight of the relationship that existed before the baby...the one between you and your partner. While a baby makes your family bigger, the family wouldn't exist without the love and respect you have for one another. So even when it seems like more work to go out instead of staying home, or we think about having to pay for a baby sitter on top of the cost of dinner—we make the time for it. Bob and I make it a habit to go out to dinner every one to two weeks. We do our best not to talk endlessly about how much we love our baby {which is hard}, but to have adult conversations about what's happening in our lives and things that we don't always get to talk about at home.

Regardless of whether you have kids or not, date nights are still so vital to keep things fresh, don't you think? Oh, and I love this idea from Joanna on how to switch up date night. Have a great weekend full of all the loves in your life... — Joy

{photo of Bob and I by Bonnie Tsang for The Americana}

oh joy {drinks} handsome coffee in downtown la... 23 Mar 2012

While I'm not a cup-a-day coffee drinker, I do love the smell of a freshly brewed cup of coffee and enjoy an occasional pick-me-up from time-to-time. Handsome Coffee Roasters in downtown Los Angeles is certainly for the serious {yet playful} coffee drinker. There are no lattes, teas, or other non-coffee items, but they do have morning treats from Proof, which is my favorite bakery in LA.

I loved the Colombian San Sebastian for its smooth, rich, and nutty flavor, and the space for its light and airy feel. You can see right into the back roasting area where all the magic happens, and you just might find a bike messenger {or three} hanging out in between shifts in this industrial, yet up-and-coming, part of town. — Joy

Handsome Coffee Roasters / 582 Mateo Street / Los Angeles, CA 90013 / 323.606.3593

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. Space designed by Woodsmithe. My outfit: jacket by Crew Cuts (similar), top by J.Crew, pants from Zara (similar), bag is vintage, flats from Kate Spade (similar), nail polish by Essie.}

crunchy munchies... 22 Mar 2012

{1. chipotle caramel and almond popcorn from 479 popcorn, 2. everything but the kitchen sink bar from Dylan's Candy Bar, 3. chocolate covered espresso beans from Dylan's Candy Bar, 4. Moo Kids chocolate bar with corn flakes from Dean & Deluca, 5. pistachio macarons from Bisous Ciao, 6. peanut butter malted milk balls from Nuts Online. — Joanna}