Design*Sponge - Behind the Bar w/ Brian Malarkey

This moth for our Behind the Bar column over at Design*Sponge Alissa and I were fortunate enough to feature the delicious Sage Sucker drink recipe from famed Top Chef, Brian Malarkey. Make sure to stop over and check it out.

Behind the Bar with Michelle & Joe

Last Friday, over at Design*Sponge, our friends, Michelle & Joe, contributed to our Behind the Bar column. Not only are they a super cool couple but they are also very talented. Through his words and her images you can almost taste their Eurasian Martini. You can view more photos and get the recipe here.

Here are a couple of portraits I took at their wedding last October. The wedding was held on Halloween and their reception was a masquerade ball!

I met Michelle at photography school many moons ago and I just had to share some of her work! These are two of my favorite images from her portfolio. To see more of her editorial, travel and commercial work check out her website here.

a+r

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Last night Ryan and I watched Alice in Wonderland, a film by Tim Burton. I loved it - Ryan got a lot of work done on his laptop. And while he wasn't paying attention, he did manage to notice the Royal Copenhagen inspired teapot during the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. I did some searching around the inter-web but I couldn't come up with any confirmation that actual Royal Copenhagen pieces were used in the film. Nonetheless, I am inspired to get the whole tea set and have an awesome party!

a+r

Garces Trading Company

Philadelphia is equally well known for its BYOBs as Pennsylvania is for its incredibly strict guidelines governing the sale of wine and liquor. For those of you not familiar with the PA wine & liquor system, every last wine & liquor store is state owned. That's right Californians, no 2-Buck Chuck at Trader Joes or a quick bottle of gin to go along with tonic & limes at the grocery store. And forget about boutique wine shops. In fact, forget about any wine shopping experience that doesn't include a glaring 8000 watts of fluorescent light while you try to find that perfect Chateauneuf Du Pape. There is an upside - and only one upside. PA happens to be one the largest wine buying entities in the US. That means we often get deals the rest of you can't. While all of you non-Pennsylvanians scrambled to find the few remaining bottles of 2008 Mastroberardino Falanghina at $22, we here in PA were buying it in bulk at $5.99 a bottle.


But I digress. Finally, instead of trying to fight this arcane system, one restaurateur has decided to join forces. Jose Garces, executive chef of 6 restaurants in Philadelphia, has opened a beautiful and tasty BYOB right in the hip Washington Square West area called Garces Trading Company. The menu, with everything from Paella to Coq Au Vin to Chicago-style deep dish, is nothing short of excellent. And if that wasn't enough, the retail counter has some of the best cheeses, meats and flavored honey found the city round. The greatest part, however, is that Chef Garces convinced the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to open a boutique wine and liquor shop right in the middle of the restaurant. Styled as a wine room you might find in one of the grand Rittenhouse town-homes, this shop is stocked with a carefully curated selection of wines not normally found in the average state store. So stop on over, ask the nice hostess for a table (no reservations allowed) and spend the inevitable wait searching in the 250sqft wine room for the perfect bottle to compliment your meal -- all within steps of your soon-to-be table.

Yerra Rug Sample Program

A lot of you have been asking for samples of the different colors available for the Yerra Cowhide Rugs so in response we have finally introduced a sample program. Each color sample is $5 and can be deducted from a future Yerra purchase. Yerra rugs are a beautiful and interesting way to add texture and sophistication to any room. They are also perfect for people who want a hide but need a rectangular shape.

Happy Weekend!

18-Month Celebration!

Lately we have been spending a lot of time with our niece, Rylan, and our nephew, Myles. All of their milestones seem to be measured in months, so we decided to celebrate HORNE's 18 month anniversary! I can't believe it has been a year and a half since we launched. So much has happened to our little on-line boutique. Plus we have an exciting new development to roll out in the next couple of months.

Our very first cover image circa 2008! This image was taken at a cool photo studio warehouse, where we photographed most of our starting inventory, and it still makes me smile. Even though our aesthetic has become more modern and clean, I love the airy, organic feel of this setting.

As a thank you to all of our loyal customers, we would like to offer a 10% discount for our 18 month celebration! Just enter discount code 18MONTHS at checkout. This offer ends at midnight Friday, May 14, 2010.

hope you had a good monday.

-a+r

Behind the Bar with Aran Goyoaga

Today, over at Design*Sponge, we are super excited to be featuring the STUNNING photography and amazingly tasty drink by Aran Goyoaga (the talented mind behind the blog Cannelle et Vanille). Strawberry Bubbles is a mixture of homemade ginger ale, strawberry consomme and vodka - yum! Go check it out.