Since I was a teenager, one of my monthly must-reads has been Shape magazine. There’s nothing like it for motivating met to get my butt off the couch and onto the treadmill. So when the folks at Shape offered a special sneak peek of their annual Shape of Beauty awards–hitting news stands this week!–I just had to share it with my gals here at EAD Living!

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Can you believe that August is already upon us? The shock of this realization put me in a grumpy mood at first, but then I decided to savour what’s left of the summer by poring over the August back issues of all the magazines I’ve saved over the years. It was the perfect cure for my mid-summer blues, and a great reminder that hey, it’s not fall yet!

Summer’s best blooms are still filling my neighbourhood’s gardens with color, and a recent trip to the dahlia garden in Golden Gate Park convinced me to add a new flower to my list of favourites.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Design and vintage guru Stan Williams recently released a book called The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details, and it is a must read! I’ve already shared some of my favourite images at my personal blog, but I wanted to give everyone here at EAD a special sneak peek too.

No matter what your style and your aesthetic, this book will appeal to you. It showcases everything from whimsical eclectic spaces to sleek, modern interiors.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Confession time: My bedroom is the last hold-out of ugly in my house. In every other room I have managed at least to begin painting and decorating, but the bedroom is a bland repository of hand-me-down sheets and freebie furniture. This haphazard mishmash is at least partly due to the fact that I can’t decide what I like! So bear with me as I think bedroom thoughts out loud. For example, I do love gauzy fabric in place of a headboard–so breezy and cost-effective too!

A nice example of a seating area in a bedroom. I feel as though this arrangement could be done even if you didn’t have much space. But is it worth it to have seating in the bedroom? Does anyone ever actually sit there?

{Read the rest of this entry…}

The holiday weekend is so close I can almost taste it! One of my favourite things about having an extra day off is whipping up something special for breakfast after a late sleep-in. And these muffins are just the ticket! They’re so light and fluffy, not dense like many muffin recipes I’ve come across. Yet they really satsify–just one is enough to keep you going strong ’til that picnic lunch in the park. But go ahead and have two just for the heck of it. I won’t tell!

Conceivably you could use this recipe as the basis for any combination of mix-in’s. Peaches and pecans would be nice, and chocolate chips would be divine! I could even see playing around with a blend of 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal. You have complete freedom–and isn’t that what a long weekend is all about?

Long Weekend Blueberry Muffins
1 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used melted butter instead)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. plain lowfat yogurt or sour cream
1/4 c. milk
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
cinnamon sugar for dusting (just mix one part cinnamon with one part white sugar)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line or grease 6 muffin cups.
-In medium bowl, combine flour sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and whisk to combine thoroughly.
-Toss blueberries in dry ingredients, coating completely to keep them from bleeding juice into the batter.
-In large bowl, combine egg, oil, vanilla, yogurt, milk and whisk to combine thoroughly.
-Fold dry ingredients into wet and stir until just combined (will be lumpy and thick.)
-Using ice cream scoop to spoon, divide batter evenly amongst muffin cups.
-Generously sprinkle tops of muffins with cinnamon sugar.
-Place in oven and bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin is removed clean, about 12-15 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool in tins for 2 minutes.
-Let cool completely on wire rack or devour immediately!

{Amanda Pratt}

You don’t have to be a desert dweller to feel the effects of summer on your beauty routine! When the mercury rises, it takes all my strength not to crank up the A/C, collapse on the couch, and stay there ’til Labor Day. But I’ve found a few products that make me feel less like an extremely wilted flower and more like…well…a partially wilted flower.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

{source}

Yesterday at the gym I saw a woman wearing Crocs and cargo pants on the treadmill. I am slightly more, um, traditional when it comes to workout apparel–though perhaps no less passionate than my Crocs-loving friend. So I thought I’d share some of my essentials!

Countless hours logged on the elliptical and in the spinning studio have me hooked on Lululemon Athletica. I’ve been wearing their stuff for about eight years, and I have pieces that old that still look as good as new. The built-in bras in the tank tops support even my bountiful lady parts, and the pants never ride up or chafe. Plus they look so stylish that I can dash into the grocery store after the gym without garnering disapproving looks.

I’m just as loyal about my shoes, too; I only wear Asics Gel-Kayano, and I happily replace them with the same model every year. I usually just toss it all into a canvas tote when I’m on the go, but wouldn’t this Stella McCartney for LeSportsac bag be a chic alternative to my grubby Whole Foods sack?

I keep a Sigg bottle handy so I don’t have to buy a plastic bottle of water. On days when I can’t make it to the gym, I adore DVD’s from Jari Love and David Kirsch–they whipped me into shape for my wedding last summer! I stay motivated by thinking about how good that post-workout shower will feel, and I reward my effort with a light leave-in conditioner, a yummy smelling shower gel, and a rich body lotion.

Tell me: What are your workout essentials? And speaking of workouts, is this video a total throwback for anyone other than me?

I am always on the lookout for quick, easy dessert recipes that are fancy enough to serve for company, yet indulgent enough to enjoy while locked in a closet where you don’t have to share with anyone. And this recipe is a winner–these are the moistest, fudgiest chocolate cakes you will ever taste! They come together in an instant, are brilliant by themselves or with a scoop of ice cream, and will win rave reviews from anyone strong enough to pry them from your chocolate-loving hands!

Flourless Chocolate Gateaux
Recipe courtesy of Donna Hay

6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
8 oz. good quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups almond meal (just whiz almonds in a food processor until they have the consistency of coarse flour)
1 cup cocoa powder
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 280 degrees and spritz a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Melt butter, chocolate and sugar over low heat in a saucepan on the stove. Place almond meal and cocoa powder in a bowl them whisk in the butter mixture. Add eggs gradually, whisking until well combined. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes or until firm. Allow them to cool a bit before removing from the tin, then enjoy warm or at room temperature. Yum!

I have a confession to make: although I love jewelry, I don’t wear a lot of it because frankly I don’t know where to begin! There are so many gorgeous pieces out there, and I’m terrible at making decisions. So I asked uber-talented jewelry designer Jessica Constable of Jess L.C. what the ‘must have’ pieces are for any accessories wardrobe. Here are her ingenious picks, along with my fave fit-the-bill pieces!

1: The “Trench coat” of jewelry: A great gold or silver bracelet- I like them chunky and substantial- it is the perfect substitute for a watch. (Above: Addison Bracelet from Jess LC)

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Hi EAD readers! I’m so thrilled to be contributing here. When I started my blog The City Sage about a year ago, I was living in Brooklyn and working at an advertising agency. Since then I’ve moved to San Francisco, married my sweetie–who I’ve known since we were fourteen!–launched into that great void known as ‘freelancing’ and adopted two sweet kittens named Sophie and James Bond.

My blog focuses mainly on my two great loves: interiors and fashion. And that’s mostly what I’ll write about here too. But I’m also looking forward to having an outlet for some of my other passions, including crafting, reading, baking and fitness…those last two are kind of mutually dependent, if you know what I mean ;)

I look forward to seeing you all again soon! xo Anne