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Saturday Say It: Strive

Clementine Paddleford

Foodie Friday: Trina’s Starlite Lounge

Earlier this winner, Boston publicist, the ever sweet Nicole Kanner, invited me to her boyfriend Josh Childs ‘s restaurant, Trina’s Starlite Lounge. (In 2009, I blogged about his South End townhouse here.) It’s a divey kind of place (from the outside) in Somerville. Inside it was warm and inviting, with fantastic food and service.

Josh is a spirits guy, so he mixed some sort of bourbon martinis to start (not quite my thing, buy my friend Deb loved hers). Southern Wedding Soup (with alligator meatballs!) was followed by Blistered Beet Salad (delicious) and a main course of roasted duck that included a side of sublime gnocchi. But more importantly, they served THE ABSOLUTE BEST MOST AMAZING CORN BREAD I’ve ever had or ever will have ever. Period. Heaped with so much rich butter that everyone asked, “Is that butter?” OMG. Worth going late night, if just for that.

F O L L O W STYLE CARROT on I N S T A G R A M

Get the Look: 25 Woven Baskets

I have a storage bin problem—I have so many that I need storage bins for my storage bins. Ridiculous. That said, I’m not really a woven basket person. I can appreciate the art, but I’m not really into them. I have noticed, however, in the last couple of years, that superior examples have been in the spotlight. (Obviously Pier 1’s inventory is forever strong.) With the emphasis on fair trade, back-to-basics, artisans, and the craft renaissance, they’ve been more prominent from a design angle. Interestingly, although they are artsy, they sometimes go hand-in-hand with the industrial aesthetic, as the raw and rustic intersect. Perhaps I should do a Montage, but in the meantime, here’s a shopping roundup of 25 woven baskets, from mass-produced to antiques to those created by African artisans and American artists.

S H O P P I N G

1 Ukhamba Traditional Basket, $130 at Baskets from Africa.

2 Handwoven Mexican Palm Leaf Bowls, $110/three at Haus Interior.

3 Woven African Basket, $525 at Nathan Turner, 1^st Dibs.

4 Newport Braided Round Baskets, $149/pair at Ballard Designs.

5 Basket by Lois Russel.

6 Aqua Herringbone Woven Basket, $55 at Connected Fair Trade.

7 Distinctive Designs Decorative Round Basket, $64 at Wayfair.

8 Makaua Large Basket, now $54.95 at Crate & Barrel.

9 Fruit Baskets-Large, $48 at Harkiss.

10 Cathedral Baskets, $45.00 — $48. at Harkiss.

11 Blue Date Leaf Baskets from Bangladesh, £20 at Traidcraft.

12 African Grass Grain Baskets, $2,450 at Treasure Keepers, 1^st Dibs.

13 Senegalese Recycled Plastic Storage Basket, $98 at Serena & Lily.

14 Funnel Bowl, Zulu weavers, $190 at Baskets from Africa.

15 Red, Purple, Grey Hairy Vessel by Kari Lonning, $575.

16 “Islands in a Night Sea” Basket by Kari Lonning, $1,000.

17 Radiant Flower Basket from Uganda, $39 at Ten Thousand Villages.

18 Fair Trade Basket by Piet Hein Eek, $263 at The Future Perfect.

19 Sugar Bowl with Lid, $20—$35 at Harkiss.

20 Hand-Woven African Hamper, $175 at Connected Fair Trade.

21 Sunlit Fruit Basket, $48 at Harkiss.

22 Nate Berkus Oval Tub Basket, $20 at Target.

23 Round Belly Baskets, $98/set of 2 at Serena & Lily.

24 Roll Weave Storage Basket-Ottoman, $79.95 at Crate & Barrel.

25 Beaded Blue Vortex Diamond by Wayan Sukerni, $84.95 at Novica.

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Giveaway: Matouk Linens

In addition to writing content for the newly launched Matouk blog and creating the Matouk Pinterest boards, the Massachusetts-based Matouk bedding company has asked me to participate in its blogger giveaway extravaganza. Each week over one month Matouk will be giving away a sheet set (top and bottom sheet) through a different blog. Marissa Marcantonio at Stylebeat kicked it off, and now it’s StyleCarrot’s turn. So scroll down, see what you need to do, and hopefully you’ll win!

TO ENTER:

1. Like Matouk on Facebook

2. Follow @Matouk on Twitter

3. Leave a comment on this blog post with the size and color you’d like

Deadline: March 17, 2013, midnight ET

One StyleCarrot reader will be chosen at random to win the bedding in the next 3 weeks. Good luck!

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Matouk is also giving away a monogrammed Lowell Duvet Cover on its Facebook page.

For a chance to win, complete the following by March 17, 2013, midnight ET,

1. Like Matouk on Facebook
2. Follow @Matouk on Twitter
3. Share a photo of a beautifully made bed on the Matouk Facebook wall, along with your bed size, initials, and preferred color.

ARTmonday: Illustrations of Mountains + Icebergs

I’ve been sorting though my art b0ard on Pinterest because it is overflowing with over 1300 pins. I already have separate boards for abstracts, sculptures & installations, nudes (though I need to pull this down because I keep getting warnings), female figures, and photography, but now I need to subcategorize even more, so I’ve created landscapes, and will probably move on to still lives and portraits. I’ve noticed I have an abundance of contemporary artwork, especially illustration, picturing mountains and icebergs. This is hardly a surprise, given the current craze for all things “geo” (triangles, facets, polyhedrosn,etc.). They’re appealing, and season appropriate, so here you go.