Little Lovables

Homefront: Vivid Modern Florals

2012-05-22T11:32:00.003-05:00

I bought a book called Rooms in Bloom a few years ago, about decorating with florals throughout design trends. A little outdated, but still some great ideas in there. I started picking through it again a few weeks ago and a few of my favorite images really grabbed me all over again. One of them I will be implementing in the nursery, I can't wait!

So, when I went thrifting and found these two vintage glass lamps, I couldn't decide what I wanted for shades. The book about florals must have inspired me. I brought home a few different shades and harp sizes, and nothing seemed to modernize the glass and bring personality in the room like I had wanted. When I found these bold purple floral shades at Garden Ridge, I was sold. I would have loved to get larger shades, but then they would not have sat as well on our little side tables. Now I am wanting to use more, bold florals in here.

While I have been loving these vivid purple florals for a few weeks now, I saw that Amy of Ten June guest posted on Censational Girl the other day about bringing back modern, bold, vivid florals to liven up spaces and was a little surprised I had picked up on a trend. There is some great advice (and examples) in the post on what to look for and how to do it so you don't feel like you are living in a 90's era garden room. Happy picking some florals, you will be glad you did!

Mother's Day

2012-05-22T10:39:00.003-05:00

I stayed home with my one week old little angel baby Elisabeth while the Isaac and Caleb went to church. They brought me back some delightful flowers and a Mother's Day questionnaire filled out by Isaac. It made me laugh, blush and cry. I am so thankful for my sweet, little family!

*drawing of a dragon at the top*

She weighs 10 lbs
She's 99 feet tall
She's 30 years old. (Thanks, it's one year off!)
She looks pretty when she is short (Isaac clarified later that I'm always pretty, but especially when I'm small... he means without a big pregnant belly as he's always asking if he can help me push it back down.)
Her favorite color is: blue.
Her favorite food is: all the food.
Her favorite movie: The Avengers (he just saw it w/Grandma)
Her favorite store: Wal-Mart (not Goodwill!?)
I know she's really mad when: she yells.
If I had a lot of money, I would buy her: popsicles.

*Her hospital newborn pics arrived in the mail just in time for Mother's Day*

Sweet Treats: Mother's Day Blackberry Surprise Cake

2012-05-12T18:47:00.001-05:00

My mother, sil and I were all together today with our families to meet my new little Elisabeth Rose, so a Mother's Day cake seemed fitting. I wanted something special, but had little time (due to a plumber showing up at 9:30 am!), so I came up with this recipe using basic cake mix and store bought frosting. You can incorporate it into your favorite yellow cake and cream cheese frosting recipe for something truly special. This is easily one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted!

Ingredients:

Yellow Cake Mix Box, mixed to directions (I used Duncan Hines)...
* replace oil with equal part applesauce for healthier recipe if desired
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp almond extract
lemon juice (once cake is baked)

2 Layer Filling:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 pint blackberries

Topping:
2 cans cream cheese frosting (I used white, use food coloring if desired)
pearly white Cupacke gem sprinkles
a few blackberries for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven according to cake mix recipe. Prepare cake mix. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
Prepare 2 round cake pans with baking spray. Pour cake mix evenly into both pans. Bake according to directions.

While cakes are baking, prepare filling. Mix sugar and mash blackberries together in bowl. Allow to stand to firm up for 20 mins to 1 hour. (I let it stand only for about 10 mins because I was in a hurry, and that's why it seeped into the lower layer).

Once cake is baked and cool to touch, cut off rounded top of lower cake to create an even layer. Position lower cake layer on cake stand. Poke tops of both cakes multiple times and lightly sprinkle with lemon juice. Place foil or parchment paper strips around bottom of cake layer to prevent icing from getting all over cake stand.

Melt chocolate chips and liberally drizzle on top of the bottom layer.

Add blackberry filling on top of chocolate drizzle.
Place top cake over filling.

Frost cake in large dollops using a 'swirly' motion to create peaks in the icing.
Lightly sprinkle with pearl Cupcake Gem sprinkles and add blackberries to garnish.
Remove the foil/paper layer and clean up any icing on cake stand.

Nursing mommas get to eat bigger slices ;) ALSO... if making Mother's Day cupcakes, A Fanciful Twist is giving away free downloads of her adorable cupcake toppers here!

Our Hearts are Full

2012-05-08T18:14:00.002-05:00

Welcome Miss Elisabeth Rose. A true, flaxen haired sweetheart.

May 7, 2012 7 lb 4 oz. 19 inches

Personal Style: Obligatory Belly Shots

2012-05-04T00:27:00.001-05:00

October-November ish? Just beginning to show. Face still a little slim.

My personal style posts definitely ended around my pregnancy beginning, since I was a weirdo and didn't mention my 'condition' to anyone until I was about 5 months along! So I will just do a quick rundown here. I've never been a big fan of belly posting, or over sharing of pregnancy related stuff in general... but you know, this is for posterity and all that.

1st week of March... Baby Shower Day!

Beginning of April. Walking induced swelling up on the Riverwalk in San Antonio

End of April. Got all 'inspired' and cut me some bangs, and doing something crazy with my face.

May 3rd

May 5th doing the hospital walk through... due May 7th!

It will be interesting to see what happens to ma belly from here, given this is my 3rd and all :)

Homefront: So Long, Couches

2012-04-27T00:10:00.002-05:00

We got rid of our couches!! I did love my slipcovers, but my highly energetic 4 year old is a major couch jumper, and keeping those things on, are near impossible with him. It's been a good 2-3 year run with them, so I'm not complaining. We are selling off the large couch and slipcovers in a garage sale this weekend, but keeping the small loveseat with it's slipcovers to cozy up another room.

9 years ago when we were first married, I fell in love with a gray sofa. But, $500 was way too much, so we got a half sectional, gray corduroy for $86 on clearance from an actual furniture store. I loved that couch... but since it only had one arm, the cushions always slid off the other side. Ever since then, we have had one couch dilemma after another. Always from garage sales, hand me downs... at one point, we were using a bundt pan and kettle to sturdy the broken legs of a very awful sunny yellow floral monstrosity.

My slipcovers (white pottery barn and brown surefits) were heavenly, but they had drawbacks as well. Constant rearranging and so forth. So, nearly every single day for the past year I have been searching for nice, sturdy, affordable gray couches. Preferably, ones in which the cushions do not easily come off.

And I found them last week! A natuzzi microfiber gray sofa and loveseat for $225... barely used on craigslist. They are a little shorter/smaller than I was hoping, but aside from that singular detail, perfection.

Ever since we brought these couches in, I have been on a major redecorating curve. I found these images of Kristin's living room via Little Green Notebook and it inspired a living room transformation. The beginnings is taking form in a similar style and placement as hers.

Now all I have on my list to do... rehang wall art, find a coffee table, paint our tv stand, maybe dye our curtains, and learn how to slipcover my $1 skirted circle ottoman find. Pics to come soon!

Adorable Paper Dots Garland Tutorial

2012-04-24T01:32:00.000-05:00

I saw this paper dots beaded garland tutorial on Oh Happy Day and thought it was totally adorable, practical, inexpensive and easy. All you need is crepe paper! Maybe I will do something like this to create a little wall feature for the nursery? We've been busting our hineys the past few days to get the room ready... all craft supplies have been moved to our room and the baby's room is underway. Pics will follow soon!

Purging and Clarity

2012-04-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

simplify via homegrown hospitality

With all the losing photos, morning sickness, fatigue and all, I got way behind blogging. And now, I can't get my camera too load pics or work half the time, it's always one thing after another, isn't it? But people, I am due with my little baby girl in 3 WEEKS! And we still don't have a name for her. Hubs is stuck on one, and one day I love it and the next day it gives me a sour face just thinking about it. So... for anyone who asks about a name, I'm sure you will all be just as surprised as I will be on what it is.

free simplify printable, marjorie pay hinckly quote via it works for bobbi

Right now, I'm in a major purging mood. I feel like clutter and junk, and my dog's smelly skin particles, and the smelly rotting wood from the bathroom cabinets (dang rental) are just like sticking to me and I can't breathe. Pretty major clutter anxiety meltdown here. (And no, it's not totally nesting, I've been feeling this way for a looong time!) If I could just dump about 75% of my belongings and furniture in a box and haul it off and gets lots of money, I would be thrilled, and would in all honesty, probably not miss a single thing. But when I get down into the organizing, I have a hard, HARD time figuring out what to do with it all.

how to yard sale, for buyers and sellers via nester

We could use the cash a garage sale, or craigslist/ebay whatever would merit, but with a barely working camera and the major headache of a garage sale and a husband who works most Saturdays lately and a broken down truck in the driveway.... I don't know if it's even worth it. I did sale some furniture already, (though I deeply regret selling this chair)... but I really need new couches (and to repair that dang truck) and so the money, even if not much sounds great. So, I know it will either be a garage sale, or I am calling up a charity to come and haul off tons and tons of boxes and can only hope that we could get a decent tax write off.

declutter list via little lucy lu

Since I'm clearly not in the right frame of mind for decision making, I'm off to see what I can part with and throw them all in boxes! These helpful and simple declutter tactics and this awesome post on 99 ways to simplify life with kids are giving me some strength! I want to live more simply, a "tiny life", in a organized and refreshing atmosphere that doesn't stress me out every time I open a cabinet door looking for a cake pan, and tons of old pots and such fall on my toe.

Inspired Interiors: Blue Honey

2012-03-20T14:07:00.001-05:00

mustard gray and white mantle via annesage

I'm not quite feeling the spring yet. I love the varying shades of blues here, like a range of patina... but the hints of honey and mustard accents keeps me in my comfort zone. I've been having a lot of decorating ideas lately that combine these colors, even with a bit of navy mixed in. I just got a new set of chairs from a city wide garage sale and am considering finally pulling out that sander I borrowed from my friend to do something colorful. Well see where this adventure takes us.

kids room via living,etc

mustard wallpaper and blue chair via annesage

aqua bedroom design via madeline stuart

Memories

2012-03-15T17:03:00.001-05:00

My husband went out of town for a week for a business trip... and everything went wrong! The garage door broke, the boys were crazy, major fatigue set in... but even worse, my computer crashed for the whole entire week. (Though I DID get a lot of cleaning done!) When we got it back, all of our pictures were totally wiped out. I had been backing them up on an external hard drive, but apparently the last 2 years of photos hadn't been backing up like I though they were.

Through a lot of trial and error, we were able to get SOME back... for free! We were told by hp it would cost at least $100 for them to even try, and the geek squad and other places quoted us a lot more. But my husband did some google searching and found a program Recuva you can download that got them back. It only took about 2 entire days, but now we have them. Unfortunately, the recovered ones are most of what we had already saved, or ones I had already blogged. Some of my absolute favorite newer photos are still totally gone. About 8 thousand photos that we never took or have ever even seen before, like random logos, arrows, borders, color gradients, facebook pictures of people we don't even know and that sort of thing. So it is took a very long time to sort through them. We plan on getting an automatic online backup like Carbonite that should help in the future.

It made me really sad, because all this time I have been editing and saving pics for the blog and other sites, but I have failed to do the ones that matter to me the most... my family! I had just finished edited and organizing a few hundred family pictures, but didn't back them up. I keep seeing the images of my little guy in is homemade ghost costume for Christmas, or the boys playing soccer and their adorable little faces, a photo of me 'scolding' my oldest, and him rolling his eyes at me (hilarious), or the pictures of our family by the lake during Christmas time (which we totally lost).. then I thought about my family blog and how I haven't updated it in over a year!

I tend to be the type of person who, if I skip posting about Halloween, I think, I need to do it before Thanksgiving... then before you know it, Christmas has passed and I never updated because I could never update things that late or out of order. I do the same thing with my journal. Well, now I know better... I am really going to try and focus on not only making those memories, but keeping them alive, and not drowned in some hard drive to be lost somewhere. And, I am going to try and focus more on making memories with my kids, than on missing old photos with them. I've come to realize that is why those photos were so important to me, because I haven't been doing as well of a job in being there for them right now. So, apparently, I have got a looooot to work on.

Thrifted Vintage Master Bedroom Makeover

2012-02-20T17:39:00.006-06:00

For those who have followed my blog over the years, many of you have seen my sporadically different bedroom changes, in three different homes. The first was the diy painting of the garage sale headboard here. Then the vintage linen room, then the plate wall and total bedroom makeover (my favorite), and now in this yucky rental (with the nausea inducing mustard orange accent wall.) Well, it's the end of an era, because I just sold my pretty white headboard and my adorable vintage french provincial dresser last weekend. A bit is due to earning some cashola to get new baby girl gear, but I'm also going through a mega purging phase right now. I have boxes and boxes of clothes/decor/craft supplies/linens and stuff just waiting to get out of here. My room feels naked now without a headboard, so any free/cheap/diy ideas for that would be awesome.

But, I did find these two amazing vintage lamps the other day for only $12. I have been looking for lamps because all of ours have broken. I never find quirky/cool lamps in a pair that actually work at a thrift store.... and these lamps are definitely pretty quirky. A woman at Goodwill commented that she liked the lamps... if the shades were different, but I happened to love the silky drum shade and the pretty pale robins egg blue color, even though it does clash a bit with the interesting pink and green glass/acrylic (?).

The wall sconces were another find for $2 and the vintage crewel embroidery art was $3. I am not usually a big symmetry decorator, like my blessed grandmother, but I love the simplicity it brings to the space.

I have a beautiful vintage crewel embroidery on a down stuffed wool pillow that accented this art beautifully, (as seen on a chair that I also sold, *sniff*)... but I RUINED it! I wasn't thinking and washed the thing... now it is all moldy and the embroidery colors ran. I am so upset with myself. I may just cut the front part off and try to frame it?

My little boys love picking me little flowers they find. I put one in my hair the other day and they thought I had magically transformed into a princess.

Of course, the end tables usually have medicine bottles, glasses of ice water, cell phone chargers and a way huge ugly alarm clock. But you know, gotta look a little gussied up for pics right? Since the thrifted tables are pretty banged up, and I still haven't sanded and painted them, I cut this vintage thrifted lace panel in half and now we don't get splinters on our end tables at night.

My hubs' Far Side looking elephant piggy bank. And his studly glasses. He looks so cute in those glasses.

A few slip covered pillowcases my aunt, the professional seamstress made for me. I stuff them with cheap (and washed) thrifted pillows. I love how she made me so many covers, I can change them throughout the seasons and always have a fresh update. That is the beauty of slip covered pillows people. I really need to get over my fear of sewing machines and just do it. Rae Gun has a great envelope pillow case tutorial here.

So, I got me a little mini makeover for now. I have a challenge on my hands on how to make this space a little more comfortable while spending zero money on a headboard alternative. I have found a few cute ideas out there, that I will likely be posting soon, do you have any free/diy headboard ideas?

Linked to:
Thrifters Anonymous
Her Library Adventures Flea Market Finds
Nester's It's Not Perfect But It's Beautiful
Between Naps on the Porch
Chic on a Shoestring Budget
Remodelaholic

DIY Birthday Cupake Toppers

2012-02-17T15:40:00.002-06:00

It was my oldest child's 6th b-day and we are only allowed to bring store bought cupcakes to school. Since we weren't having a party for him, I really wanted to do something relatively fun for his kindergarten class. I checked out our local store's bakeries and all they had were these neon colored frosted cupcakes, so I bought these cute eye candies thinking I could decorate them as monsters. When I asked my sweet hubs to pick up cupcakes, he brought these home, (he went to a different place). They look kind-of meh for a kid, and all of my colorful ideas/supplies were not working. So I found ton's of super cute free online printable cupcake toppers, like LEGO Star Wars, Angry Birds, robots and such... but alas, our printer wasn't working! So, I raided my scrapbook paper stash (haven't updated it in years by the way) and found a square of camouflage. Pretty much the only thing that would work, since the baby blocks, pastel flower paper or shabby chic damask prints clearly was not going to work for a 6 year old little guy!

(They tasted better than expected too!)

I cut bamboo sticks in half, making sure to get rid of any sharp ends, stamped out some circles and tied on some twine, and viola, decorated cupcakes. A lot easier than expected. I only had one size circle punch, so I stamped all of them with it, then handcut the camo ones a wee smaller to there would be brown space showing around the edges. Of course, I used hot glue for everything. So, you can make your own simple cupcake toppers, in a hurry even, much easier than I thought and you really don't need that many supplies.

My happy 6 year old birthday boy! Unfortunately, my camera is on it's last legs and doesn't take very good 'action shots', one reason why there is a serious lack of original photos right now!

This is my story.

2012-02-16T11:30:00.026-06:00

via matchbook mag

I don't typically go here, but I felt the need to share. A person that I know in *real life* has blogged a few negative posts about me lately, one post even included a photo. I defended myself only one time in a firm, yet professional way, and it did not have a good outcome.

She told me that being a blogger gives her the right to post whatever she wants about whomever she wants, and she has no idea why I would be remotely hurt since she has never actually 'said my name' in a blog post. She said I am only looking to be offended and draw attention to myself, and that I 'should have known' that the photo of me would end up on her blog. I have only said one thing to her via facebook when I asked her to remove my photo from her hurtful post about me, which I then quickly deleted, and yet she claims I keep attacking her. I have only briefly and respectfully responded to her blog post in her comments. She told me I am no longer 'welcome' to read her blog, while she freely blogs about me. I find it interesting that she is so hurt and upset over my few sentence response to her that I promptly deleted, yet she can't understand why I would be hurt by 3 whole negative blog posts about me... in which several of our mutual friends see what she writes. Logically, it just does not make any sense. Here is my ultimate point in even speaking up here:

I think bloggers have the responsibility to act ethically, and to be respectful. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. It is one thing to post opinions and to disagree. It is one thing to express yourself. But it is entirely different to continually harp on a person, and their family... that is just plain harassment. It shows a lack of self-restraint, maturity and, friendship. This is me asking you as bloggers to please be respectful, to please treat your readers, strangers and especially your friends and family with dignity. You can still voice concerns and tell stories and opinions without hurting one another, and by using anonymous and hypothetical situations. Think about the words and actions you do and how they effect more than just yourself. Give yourself boundaries. Be nice! And really, just stop finding fault with everyone and everything around you. People would be a whole lot happier if they were less judgmental, if they didn't find fault in everything they experience. Happiness is a choice. I am choosing to move on and to ignore people or things that bring toxicity into my life, and instead fill it with those who are uplifting. Heaven knows, life is hard enough as it is. Like I told her, I'm done. I'm in a happy place. I hope she finds hers.

U Rock: DIY Pet Rock Valentine Cards

2012-02-09T01:33:00.001-06:00

I have been seeing a ton of adorable diy Valentine's this year in the blogosphere, that I will likely show you soon. But my kindergartner's party is Friday, so I had to go ahead and make something for his class now.

So we headed to Micheal's to check out their V-Day offerings. They have tons of cute stamps on sale for 49 cents. We originally got a cute robot holding hearts, and a hedgehog that said "I'm stuck on you".. but the "U Rock" stamp caught my eye. So after going down aisle by aisle, I wasn't really seeing anything that was a) affordable and b) not too girly or c) had enough for each child... and I *almost* resorted to forgetting the diy thing and getting a store bought boxed set, (no offense to those who do, I still love the Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony ones I got as a kid), I was just determined to do something crafty. When I saw these bags of rocks, the "U Rock" stamp entered my mind and I thought, Pet Rock Valentines! Don't kids love rocks? My son was sold on the idea.

So, you need a few pieces of scrapbook paper, ink pad and a stamp (or just write the message out), hot glue and glue gun, rocks, paintbrushes and paint. I had most all of these supplies, so it was pretty easy and inexpensive to do. I tested my permanent markers on a rock, and they didn't show up well enough, so I settled for paint.

Stamp on the two outer/parallel edges of paper, then cut the paper in half. You can get about 12 cards from one large square piece of scrapbook paper. Once they are all cut out, fold in half and hot glue your rock above the stamp, and write your message inside. Perfect, original and cute for non-candy Valentines.

But... on the rest of the Valentines, I accidentally folded the paper wrong and had already written on the backs, so I had to get creative with that extra flap.. I hot glued the Starburst on both sides and stuffed it in there for a little pocket. Just enough glue to keep it in place, so the kids will be able to still get to the candy quite easily. The rocks can be peeled off pretty easily too.

Not as cute in my opinion, but hey, they are for little kids who are going to be on the hunt for candy anyways, right?

My girl rocks have little hearts on the cheek, and my boy rocks have eyebrows. If you know the kids well though, it would be cute to make them more original with eye and hair color, glasses, freckles, or even go silly with mustaches, pirate patches, eyelashes and that sort of craziness... The two below are the ones I made for my kiddos.

If you make a Pet Rock Valentine, I'd love to see it! Happy crafting :)

Layla's DIY Nursery

2012-02-07T14:31:00.000-06:00

Whitney of Miss Bella's Room is an amazing artist. We used to do craft fairs together when we had the time and lived closer, and her displays and art quality were always amazing. Her specialty is nursery art. She takes a piece of fabric, and can custom paint any kind of mural, wall letters or wall art to totally make an amazing space that matches. So, when she had her little sweet baby Layla, we knew the nursery would be beautiful!

I love how she made the accent mural walls flow through the room with the painted scallop trim border. I'm pretty sure the adorable turquoise chair shown above is now in this corner by the ruffled pink curtain.

She picked out the bedding fabrics and designed the set, then had the bedding custom made. The fabric looks amazing with her hand painted wall letters.

The adorable mermaid is the ultimate finishing touch.

And, while Whitney can't travel to take on mural requests, you can still contact her for custom pieces made for you, or you can get little pieces of her art through her etsy shop, Miss Bella's Room. Lots of adorable little pocket mirrors and bulk mirror packages, perfect for shop owners too!

Change

2012-02-01T14:55:00.004-06:00

This isn't me, (it is the amazingly adorable Sydney from The Daybook), but this is a good representation of my belly... that has a little girl in it. Imagine, me in my home surrounded by my hubs and two boy chittlens, and now I get my little girl.

In any case, this post isn't about that. Can I say I love her outfit? Grey v-neck and jeans are all me, baby. And the fur vest. Last year, at Goodwill, I found a lovely faux fur vest. It fit me perfect, it was adorable and cute, not over the top, only $6. But I put it back thinking, "Would I ever wear this?", this was about a week before the fur vest explosion in all the fashion blogs. I got some lame-o, 'safe' skirt that I never ever, ever wear instead. Learn from my mistake. It's usually good to be safe, but some times, take a chance. Buy that $6 fur vest. Times are a changing. I'm having a girl people. Now I need that vest. I've thrown safety to the wind.

wendy's lookbook

And, if you wanna... I'm clearing out my closet, some of those 'safe' clothes, and some really cool vintage dresses and maternity clothes that I will probably never be able to wear ever again, and kid stuff and some other vintage odds and ends. I'll be listing them over the next few days, but here is my ebay page with a few vintage dresses already listed.

red and a fur vest

Tufted Headboard and Resin Tortoise Shell Tutorials

2011-12-13T14:19:00.000-06:00

I am pretty much in love with most everything Jenny from The Little Green Notebook does. From her tutorials, her interior design projects and the room tours she features, all are an instant hit with me. Though I love me a good tutorial, some have been seen done so many times. But she really takes upholstering and refinishing furniture to a whole new level. Since I have about 5 pieces I need to redo, this is giving me a little, tiny, kick of inspiration.

tufted headboard tutorial

resin tortoise shell table tutorial

Absence

2011-11-20T18:52:00.001-06:00

I really cannot believe how long I have not logged on. I actually forgot my blog password. My new comments are from spambots. It's a deserted playground around here. Really, for anyone who has been reading this blog these past few years knows that fall is my absolute favorite season, and I completely skipped most of it. I skipped Halloween, people. That's major ,(though I may try and fill you in). So where have I been? Exhausted. Tired. Fatigued. A problem I have trouble with initially due to having a 'poor disposition', (been watching too many masterpiece theater period pieces on netflix), but it is more compounded now. And on top of that, it's been a wild ride around here these past few months. Crazy, awesome busy this Halloween in my Etsy shop with my Never Ending Story Childlike Empress tiara. Broken down cars. Vehicle sharing. A new adorable kitten. A ringworm infestation from said adorable kitten. Allergies and stinky infections in my dog. But I have a new thing to cling to. My trusty Zofran, that works but only oh so well. So, to be ever elusive, here is one of my favorite poems by Sylvia Plath to give another hint. I'm coming back to blogging ladies, but it may be spotty... especially in May when things are really going to change around here! But for now, I'm thankful for my dear husby who is currently making me pancakes for dinner.

Metaphors

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.

-Sylvia Plath

*yellow chevron heart embroidery by lilac saloon

Chaotic Color

2011-09-01T22:46:00.004-05:00

While I love a beautiful white, restful room/outfit/style, either in modern, urban farmhouse or shabby glory... the chaotic color vibe pulls me in, at least for a little while. Just long enough to get my toes wet in something eclectic, before I retreat back into sterile, predictable comfort. I think I get whip lash changing back and forth, so while my slipcovers went back on today, I felt drawn to these photos. Just like this lovely home above of jeanhclee. For some reason, I'm sensing a familiar color pattern of pinks, oranges and greens. Bright colors have a jolt of energy to them, you know? Perhaps my body is clinging to these sprightly images as a subconscious way to burst me out of this crazy,stressful fog I've been subjected to lately.

Awake is the New Sleep cover art, Ben Lee

Before the Voyage photograph by elle moss

hobby holly tutu inspired prairie girl portrait by Oh So Posh Photography

award ribbon canopy bed, Chrissie Rucker

Colorful ribbon woodland chandalier mobile tutorial by A Fanciful Twist

Connecting the Dots via decor8

Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles

Trash the Dress Wedding Photography by Lynn Michelle

via

Sew in Love thread on wood spools photo by Iris Inspired

Homefront: Plants and Pixies

2011-08-28T22:34:00.003-05:00

This leaf is shaped like a heart. LIKE A HEART! adorableness.

Our lawn is crunchy and brown in most places, but at least I have some very drought resistant hedges. And since I am lethal to any house plant that enters my abode, these bush trimmings make for a dandy fresh, no guilt it it dies plant. And, it lasts for well over a week or two, just add water as it evaporates.

Select cuttings with nice, crisp, green leaves and several little branches for fullness. Remove any leaves with brown spots, cuts, bird poo, spider webs... and the lower leaves that would otherwise be rotting in the water.

I love my thrifted urn. $2 or something.

I like to stack things on books. Especially awesome vintage books with charming illustrations and titles. Like my, They Marched with Spartacus (amazing cover, why didn't I photography it?) and Pound Foolish ones.

This little elfin pixie boy was found with my mom at my fav. antique mall before I moved. He is clearly vintage, I'm thinking 40's? It is only stamped with it's place of origin, Japan. I've seen this collection once online but do not know anything about them. Does anyone know?

I love these polka dot curtains, $5 at Home Depot on clearance. I wish they had an army of them, to add in our living room, but this was the last set.

What a cutie patootie.

Upside Down Pizza Recipe

2011-08-25T21:11:00.001-05:00

Upside down pizza. I remember my mom making a Pampered Chef Pizza in a Jar recipe that was delish. So when I found this recipe in a Family Fun magazine this week, I HAD to try it. I made a few changes to the recipe, added more veggies like the zucchini, more onions... I'll write my changes below, and the original in ( ):

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped mushrooms
* 1 large zucchini cut in 1/2 inch chunks
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 lbs shredded chicken, I used leftovers (or 2 lbs ground turkey)
* 1 jar pizza sauce, 1 small can tomato paste ( or 2 (15-ounce) cans Italian-style tomato sauce)
* 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
* 1 cup mini pepperoni or chopped pepperoni
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 (13.8-ounce) package prepared corn bread mix (or prepared pizza dough mix)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the turkey and continue to cook and stir, breaking the meat into small pieces, until it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce, basil, and pepperoni and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, then transfer the mixture to a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish.

3. Scatter the cheese on top and layer on the pizza dough. Bake the casserole until the dough is golden, about 20 minutes. To serve, spoon out portions with a large serving utensil.

Yes, I left it in the oven a little bit too long, but it was still so. good. If you make it, I'd love to hear your changes or if you liked it!

Personal Style: Layering Bling

2011-08-24T13:32:00.000-05:00

Just a quick little fashion tip. If you look in my closet, you will probably see about 3/4 of the shirts I wear are similar to this, in varying shades of brown or gray. My clothing manifesto mentioned that I was tiring of experimenting with all the trends and bright colors and such. So, to not be totally boring, I layered two statement necklaces. The winged lion is one I made using an amazing vintage pendant. I do have more available if you want one! The pink acrylic waterfall necklace is forever 21. I think they go kind of perfect together, and I love the cool, jingle feeling as well. Pair the boring 'ole top with some skinny jeans, faux leather leggings and sassy shoes and your good to go.

But the best accessory is a cutie hunk of a man...

... and two adorable offspring on their best behavior.

Sweet Treats: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

2011-08-20T19:20:00.003-05:00

I got this recipe from a church friend. These are sooo good. I first thought they wouldn't be, but oh man, was I wrong. Soft, moist, flavorful but not overwhelming. I crave this weekly... they. are. amazing.

1 cup oil (I used applesauce, they will be extra moist. Or you can do 1/2 oil, 1/2 applesauce)
3 cups sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 TBS vanilla
5 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg (I was out, so added an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 large* can of solid pumpkin (not the mix)
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips.

Mix together the wet ingredients. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Mix well. Glop on heaping spoonfuls on your cookie sheet. I do about 3-4 spoonfuls per cookie, so I get 9 cookies per cookie sheet. (They don't need to be this huge, but I like them to be this huge! Almost like cookie/cupcakes) Bake at 375*F for 12-13 minutes or until cookies are cooked through. (You can tell by looking to see if the tops still look mushy and uncooked).

*I have made this using the regular sized can of pumpkin. Still good, but not as good. Get the large 29 oz can.

* Linked to Sweet as Sugar cookies Recipe Linky
*Linked to Remodelholic Recipe Swap

Inspired Home: Table Tonic

2011-08-15T23:19:00.000-05:00

I'm loving Louise's blog, Table Tonic right now. From her health food/juicing kick to her lovely home and online shop, there is a little bit of it all.

I love her colorful, clean simple lines approach to style.

And if I wasn't already married, I would want to marry this sofa.

Mustard. On a stool, one of my favorite colors. She even painted her front door this color. Adore.

I love how the acrylic barstools have a clean and uncluttered appeal. I could so use that. Wouldn't it be great to have a clear spray paint?!

More feather juju hat ideas and a tutorial on making one here via nester. Or purchase from Louise here.

Personal Style: Blue vs Gray Manifesto

2011-08-12T14:42:00.004-05:00

madewell

Say Yes to Hoboken did a say no to jeans campaign earlier this year. I don't think it's that hard right now with the soaring heat to be wary of jeans, but being a fall kind of gal, that's attracted to simple, comfortable lines and colors (namely, gray and camel) I am still in love with the following outfits she chose as inspiration.

shirt: abercrombie dress: kohls necklace: handmade by me

I wore a blue maxi dress the other day that got lots of compliments, but when I took pics for my outfit post, it just didn't feel right. Getting out of the car in the long lengths of soft drapey fabric, didn't feel right. Having a lacey empire waist... didn't feel right. I've been feeling that way for a while now. I'm just not cut out of bright colorful cloth or long flowy things, or cute rolled capris, or partial tucked blouses that are the fashion rage. I may love it on you, but not on me. Maybe it's my coloring, or my petite, apple shape and chicken legs that just doesn't work well. 6 years ago with a 20 inch waist, I could do some of it... not now. So, instead of trying to dress differently or more fashion forward, I'm going to retreat into my soothing grey vnecks for a while. Maybe even pair one with my faux leather leggings for a fashion kick, (or those awesome madewll pants above) but being more true to my style none the less.

madewell

I love this... reminds me of Elaine's awkwardly adorable long skorts.

via pintrest

Do you have some sort of dressing manifesto to be the real you? I'm not talking about giving up altogether and wearing pjs and sweatpants or horrible 80's tapered jeans and tweety bird t-shirts~ but what are some styles you decided to say 'no' or 'yes' to, while still feeling beautiful and comfortable?