ghost chairs…
Posted: March 31, 2011 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., interiors., personal. 3 Comments »we were blessed to receive a new dining room table from my parents this past christmas! i’d been shopping for one for years {literally} & finally found my dream table! it was handmade by a sweet old fella {and found at the metrolina antique expo}… solid oak, {it was natural, but i sanded and painted it black satin} perfectly round {so it sits right under our glass chandelier} and he created it atop this gorgeous antique carved cast iron base…
i saw it, and fell in love. i knew it was perfect, for gathering lots of friends, lots of babes one day, and i knew it would be a piece that would stand the test of time. my heart breaks when people buy furniture that they tire of or that becomes outdated… i try to keep this in mind when making big purchases for our home.
but having this pretty table with this ornate base left me with a problem. as soon as you place chairs at the table you no longer see the most interesting part! ugh… now what? after scoping the blogs, furniture sites and photos on the internet i stumbled upon a designer named Phillip Stark. he re-invented the classic Louis XV chair for a brand called Kartell. this amazing chair is the perfect concoction of modern technology and historical style. it’s completely translucent almost disappearing in the room in which it sits… much like well, a ghost. not only do i LOVE that you can see through it {making this the perfect chair for my table} but i LOVE the medallion backrest and subtly curved armrest. as if it could get any better, they are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, are scratch resistant and can also be stacked to save space. and they don’t only come in clear, they also come in grey, orange, yellow, green, blue and opaque black and white. oh. my. word.
according to my style philosophy these chairs are a little on the modern side, but i am trying to incorporate just a tiny touch of this style as i work on re-inventing our townhouse. i love antiques but i want it to look clean, not cluttered. i love color but i like the feel of neutrals and layered textures instead of rainbowed accessories. i’m also indecisive, but after finding PLENTY of photos to reinforce that i can mix these with my eclectic, antique style i’m sold. i’ve made up my mind. these are “the ones.”
i’m not a fur person, but this is lucious… and not to mention homey at the same time.
my birthday is coming up… it’s 23 days away. i’m not sure why on a regular basis i can always find things that i “want” but when asked by my sweet husband who wants to spoil me, what i want for my birthday i can’t ever think of anything! it’s hard for me to ask for nice, expensive things that i don’t REALLY need… {crazy right!?} but this year it wasn’t as hard as i thought it would be… i’ve asked for 4 of these beauties. and i’ll be hand making burlap seat cushions for them too… here’s to 26 and curiosity! hg
twitter: are you following yet?!
Posted: March 28, 2011 Filed under: business., personal., uncategorized. Leave a comment »okay blog readers who are also tweeps: you can follow the looking glass on twitter! @cakesandwhatnot
& believe me, you’ll want to… lots of tweets, plus more contests & updates to come. who doesn’t want a chance to win free cake + stay connected! thank yas!
ps: while you’re at it… follow me & the hubs too {he’s way more interesting than me} @gilgatch & @mrsgilgatch
wedding at the vanlandingham estate…
Posted: March 27, 2011 Filed under: business., wedding... 2 Comments »the gorgeous house nestled off the plaza was built in 1913 by Ralph and Susie Harwood-VanLandingham. they moved from Georgia to Charlotte with their twin son & daughter at the height of the textile boom. already wealthy and working in cotton brokerage they found themselves prospering even more… like a good, creative wife, Susie was the one who designed and drew up the plans for the house basing them on her wish to host and entertain. the VanLandingham’s acquired the house and the five acres for $6000.
the area, we now call “Plaza-Midwood” was originally called Chatham Estates, an exclusive community of 5-acre lots. the median of what is now “The Plaza” was the old trolley line. when the depression hit, most landowners divided and sold their land, but the VanLandingham Estate remained intact. the house is a California bungalow, a new style during the 1900′s, complete with sleeping porches. a lot of the original furnishings still remain, and the place is gorgeous!
the bride sarah, wanted a simple but elegant cake… we decided on a three tier round cake to serve 100 excited guests… {chocolate chip cake with cream cheese filling} thin black grosgrain ribbon trimmed the edges and it sat lovely atop a pedestal silver cake stand. i added some of the most beautiful wholesale flowers and greenery i’ve ever seen on the top and edges… during the process, i had no idea that this cake would turn out to be one of my all-time favorites, but it did. there was something about the perfect clean lines and bunched flowers that took my breath away. the stone backdrop and rainy light shining through the antique windows just added to the ambiance. it was gorgeous to say the least…
enjoy some photos from the day… and props to my lovely intern olivia! not only did she assist me but she carried the cake from the car all the way inside, to the cake table, IN THE RAIN perfectly. i couldn’t have done it without her.
spring cleaning…
Posted: March 21, 2011 Filed under: personal., uncategorized. Leave a comment »today is the first day of spring! it may even be my favorite of the 4 seasons… it’s warm, sunny the flowers being to bloom, bees begin to buzz… {a great blog about honey coming up later…} & spring means my birthday is getting close! eek! although as soon as spring weather starts to hit i realize i’m in dire need of spring cleaning the house. this year i’d like to take on some serious projects… i thought i’d make a little list to keep me motivated. & what ocd’ers out there don’t love having a list to check off!! 
1. my closet. one word: yikes. as a fashionista & stylist i’m embarrassed to say that it’s out of control. i need to re-evaluate. move my shoe containers around & take everything out and put it ALL back in. this may even help shake up my style! DONE! and i’m loving it!
2.re-paint 2 of our bathrooms.{i’ve got the downstairs 1/2 bath done!} i’d like them both to be the same color… still haven’t found the perfect shade of minty green.
3. hang some things on the walls in our room. the master bedroom is really coming together, thanks to all new bedding for christmas & the new antique dresser i bought while Gil was in London… now to bring the walls together. hmmph. DONE! the wall’s our decorated! i made a canopy over our bed… check it out here and i even had a mirror made to top the dresser. love!
4. the outside of our house is yuck! i want to scrub down our front door, re-paint the trim, get new numbers to hang outside , & maybe pressure was our garage… the white isn’t looking to white anymore.
5. get things in my etsy shop. {only two things so far! but they are cute!!! and there is more to come!} it’s almost ready! i’ve got PILES of amazing things around the house that i can’t wait for you to see… pre-depression glass like crazy! & lots of antique trinkets… i’d have more space if i got these items photographed, posted, sold & shipped out!
okay, i’m leaving it at 5 so that i can actually accomplish some things soon! i’ll keep you posted. happy spring! hg…
03.18.11 delivery…
Posted: March 19, 2011 Filed under: business., cupcakes. Leave a comment »it’s been a few weeks since a delivery, but in case you were wondering… sweet tooth is stocked with looking glass cupcakes! & not just a few, but FIVE different flavors!
red velvet, white, lemon and carrot all wtih vanilla buttercream & peanut butter with chocolate buttercream! yum. head there now folks, they definitely do not last long.
baby shower: abigail liv stein…
Posted: March 12, 2011 Filed under: business., party. Leave a comment »so… my argentine sister, Pamela is having a baby girl. i am SO excited. she & her husband Andrew already have a sweet little boy, Josiah & they are 2 of my favorite people on the planet. needless to say, i was really excited to make her baby shower cake & attend the party! i knew that a few people were getting together & surprising her with this potterybarn nursery bedding. SO stinkin’ cute huh? there were also going to be birdhouses as party decor… the whole thing was so fun! everyone ooo’d & aahh’d over all the pink & the cake was delish. chocolate + more chocolate = a happy Pamela.
i wanted the cake to match her nursery bedding… & the edible pearls were just too perfect. ta da!
{sisters circa 1997}
deux birthdays to celebrate…
Posted: March 11, 2011 Filed under: business., party. Leave a comment »announcement! the looking glass… bakery now offers COCONUT CREAM CHEESE! this past weekend i had a client tell me there were two birthdays to celebrate. {grandpa & daughter} his dad loves chocolate & coconut, so i thought… well, coconut cream cheese sounds delicious… i used my orignal cream cheese filling recipe & added fresh coconut an a tiny dash of extract. um, yum. piled between 3 layers of fresh chocolate cake, & iced in chocolate buttercream {which is my all time favorite by the way…} how could i go wrong?
the final product was super cute… a festive candle cake to celebrate not one, but deux birthdays.
how to: glass bottle lamp…
Posted: March 2, 2011 Filed under: how to. 2 Comments »last christmas my mummy {mom} found a lamp that she loved at metrolina expo. it was made from an old antique glass bottle & looks incredible in her living room. shortly after she bought it her & my dad tried making their own… lamp #2 another win.
i’ve now been on the search for a new lamp for our living room for 3 months. i’ve looked EVERWHERE & nada. so, i decided to make my own & this post was born… first, i will say that these glass bottles are hard to come by {i found mine at my favorite antique store in Asheville: Lexington Park Antiques} & nice lamp shades aren’t cheap either. this project isn’t on the low-budget side of things but, you never know… i got a GREAT deal on my bottle & already had a gorgeous new lamp shade just waiting for a home.
what you’ll need:
#1. glass bottle: mine was priced $95 with 40% off, lucky me… they range from $50-$250 or more depending on the size, color, age & etc. mine is 4 gallons & is made of perfect green glass with thousands of tiny bubbles. #2. lamp shade: i used a clean, crisp linen drum… local spot here. great website here. #3. lamp supplies: {all found at a local hardware store or lamp shop.} lamp kit $8. lamp harp $4. lamp harp topper $3. i splurged an extra $6 for a clear cord, because i liked it better than the white one the lamp kit included. #4. a phillips head screw driver, needle nose pliers & a light bulb.
first lay all your pieces out…
next stack your parts… starting with the rubber adapter {this will sit inside the bottle neck} twist the threaded pipe through leaving 1/4 inch at one end. tighten the lock nut on the opposite end. {this is the bottom} then stack the check ring, the harp bottom & the socket cap… then thread the wire through the appropriate hole in the socket cap.
next you’ll loosen the terminal screws in the socket interior & attach the wires… the ribbed wire goes to the silver screw & the round wire goes to the brass screw. this was a little tricky… you want to make sure the screws are tight on the wires. replace the socket shell over top. now, carefully insert a light bulb & check to see if you’ve got electricity! {if yes, GOOD, you’re almost done. if no, undo and re-wire again.}
now that you’ve got light, all you need to do is get this contraption settled in the neck of your bottle. then add your lamp harp…
now… add your lamp shade, the harp topper & find an incredible spot for this beauty to glow. voila!! {so far we’re in love with it… it’s the perfect mix of antique & modern which is right up my alley. i’m also digging that no 2 lamps will ever be exactly alike. hope you love it! -hg}
