Butler + Claypool Pop-Up Shop at Ginger Root Design

This past Saturday we attended another successful Butler + Claypool pop-up, this time in the newly-renovated upstairs of Ginger Root Design. Nothing is more encouraging and inspiring to us than the continued success of creative businesses in Washington DC; Butler + Claypool recently completed their appointment-only showroom in Capitol Hill and Ginger Root Design is expanding their booming tailoring business (and making more room for their similarly booming retail business downstairs).

Here’s our photos from the pop-up:

Holly Thomas of Butler + Claypool is also the Washington DC Editor of Refinery 29 and one of our favorite people:

We absolutely loved Holly’s handmade shell-casing and coral necklace (we hear B+C might have more of these in stock soon):

Erin Derge is one-half of Ginger Root Design; she is wearing a necktie of her own design and earrings made by a local designer and sold at Ginger Root:

We are powerless not to photograph Cheralee Lyle of Lyle Style - even her camera strap is stylish!:

Jessica Biales Jewelry Trunk Show at Hu’s Wear

This past Sunday we had the pleasure of meeting Jessica Biales at the Hu’s Wear trunk show for her eponymous jewelry line. A lifelong New Yorker, Jessica initially worked in law (in which she has a degree), before branching out into more creative pursuits after the birth of her first child. Along with jewelry design she also creates custom photo collage stationary and art. Much of her jewelry has an organic look; a deliberate product of the fact that she carves her jewelry moulds from wax with her own hands. The jewelry itself is made from 18K gold and sterling silver, some pieces are set with precious stones such as diamonds, rubies and emeralds. The line as a whole feels deeply personal, an attribute enhanced by the presence of her family including her young children at the event.

Here are our pictures:

Jessica introduces Cameron to her jewelry as her daughter looks on:

A Magical Day in Brooklyn at The Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory

My last trip to NYC was very special, one that I will never forget. Despite the ever-present snow, chilly winds, and dreary skies I felt truly happy. I spent a magical day in Brooklyn that started with a tour of The Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory, recently named “best new American chocolate” by Food and Wine Magazine; a sentiment I whole-heartedly agree with. The exquisite care The Mast Brothers and their team take to craft their chocolate is inspiring and rare: from careful roasting to develop flavors, painstaking winnowing (chaff removal from beans), aging, gentle and capricious tempering, to hand-wrapping the chocolate. I learned during the tour about their dedication to allow the individual nuanced flavors of the regional beans to come through in the final product by crafting chocolate from single farms or provinces. To this end, their chocolate base only has two products: cacao and cane sugar - no emulsifiers, no additional oils, no preservatives - resulting in an incredibly refined end product with subtle and unique flavor profiles, much like a fine wine. Their attention to detail also translates to the wrappers, each unique and beautifully designed by their friends and family. My favorite one is the intricately gilded pink wrapper for Valentines Day that enveloped the exquisite Dark Chocolate + Black Truffles & Sea Salt bar.  

Since coming home with my favorite selections (Dark Chocolate + Fleur de Sel, Dark Chocolate + Black Truffles & Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs) I have developed a daily ritual.  At the end of the day I sit down in a quiet place, brake off a piece of the chocolate, carefully rest it on my tongue, and allow it to slowly melt in my mouth - the slight citrus and berry notes melt slowly and develop into nutty complex flavors. It’s better than a glass of wine, and for me carries memories of an unforgettable trip. 

Here are some of the pictures I took during my tour of their factory: