White Out: Around the World

Our White Out series continues today with a look at what white goodness our readers have spotted from around the world.

In New York City, Jeff sculpted a family of simple white mushrooms.

sculptures and photo by Jeff G.

In London, Lindsay snapped a photo of The White Company store (I’ll take one of everything please!).

photo by Lindsay W.

In Toronto Sarah recently bought a couple of Le Creuset trivets that have such a pretty design. It looks like cast iron to me but this French Trivet is actually silicone.

Sarah M.’s new white Le Creuset trivet

And to round of today’s series, Daniela snapped a photo of this fountain sculpture during her visit of Nuit Blanche in Toronto earlier this fall. The sculpture, titled Viva La Dada, Baby!, is a tribute to Marcel Duchamp created by Jolie Fejer and Viliam Hrubovcak. It was part of the Dada Reboot! exhibit curated by Thom Sokoloski. Duchamp’s now-famous (in 1917 it was quite controversial) urinal, the Fountain is considered by some as one of the most important works of 20th century art.

toilet fountain installed for Toronto’s Nuit Blanche 2012; Distillery District; photo by Daniela D.

I continue to be impressed by all the white our readers are finding in their surroundings. Please continue to send your submissions for White Out to me at whitecabana [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Friday Five: Family Trees

I have been working on my family tree on and off for at least five years now. It’s nowhere near complete. It keeps growing as I meet more family members (which is always nice) who can provide more information about relatives. Sometime in the future I need to go to the small Italian villages where my parents were born to learn more about my family history. For now, I’m happy to fill in names and dates as I learn them. My family tree is in very rough form and I never have a paper that’s large enough to fit all the info so I keep taping on paper extensions…

my family tree: this is only my mother’s side…I have another paper roll for my father’s side.

Maybe one day I’ll work it out so that my family tree is as pretty as one of these…

Diamonds Family Tree by Martha Stewart

Family tree by Melinda Beck via Martha Stewart

Inspired Goodness

family tree, Martha Stewart

How about you? Have you ever worked on your family tree? Any tips?

The Friday Five: Table Settings

I don’t know about you but I love a beautifully set table. I think my appreciation of table settings may have started when I was a 16 year old exchange student in France. In the family that I lived with it was the responsibility of the youngest son to set the table each evening. I think he was 9 years old at the time and I remember being surprised at how he took such care in setting each place. The cutlery was where it was supposed to be and each family member had a designated cloth napkin which he would arrange thoughtfully at each place. (I’m pretty sure when I was 9, I didn’t care much about how the table was set – even though it was one of my chores too.)

While I can’t say that my own table is perfectly set for each meal, I can say that I love setting a pretty table to welcome guests. The four table settings featured today are beautiful because, while they do differ, they are all inviting, well-presented, and – best of all – they are simple enough to recreate in my own home! The last image of a table setting how-to (for anyone who still can’t figure out the salad fork from the meat fork) completes today’s Friday Five.

via From Me To You

via Black Eiffel

via Pinterest

via Ritzy Bee

via Say Yes to Hoboken

More table setting ideas here, here, and here.

Have a wonderful weekend! I hope you enjoy a delicious meal or two!

The Friday Five: Fashion

As you may or may not already know, I write about fashion on Mondays over at Johanne’s blog, Fashion in Motion. But every once in a while I love to bring some fashion elements over to White Cabana – in white of course. Here are some looks that are currently inspiring me.

1. I love this delicate necklace by DIYer and blogger extraordinaire, Geneva (of a pair and a spare). I think the white background is perfect for it.

DIY necklace, a pair and a spare

2. This looks like a really warm sweater. I can just imagine how soft it is.

Burberry sweater, via Pinterest

3. It’s still winter. This calls for some more winter white.

Brooklyn Blonde

4. Gwyneth Paltrow. In my opinion she always looks good but she looked especially gorgeous dressed in white at the Oscars.

Gwyneth Paltrow

5. I’m already looking forward to summer…and I’m definitely going to be wearing an outfit like Hanneli‘s. My Cole Haan is just waiting to be paired with summer whites.

Hanneli Mustaparta

Happy Friday everyone! I wish you all a fabulous (and fashionable) weekend!

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