May 22, 2015
May 21, 2015
There were quite a few things I learned from my reader survey that surprised me. One things you wanted more of was a look behind-the-scenes and more of the studio. So, here’s a little look at Olivia’s space in the studio.
This year, Olivia goes to pre-school 1 to 2 days a week. She’s a really social kid and loves being with friends so I’m glad she can go now and then. But, when she’s not at school, she’s my side kick. She loves going to the studio. I have a little table and chair for her and she has a whole drawer full of paper, markers, scissors, glue, paint, and tape. She can spend hours making stuff. Don’t get me wrong, she also makes a lot of messes in the process. But, I’m thankful she’s happy to be “working” with me. Yesterday she even lined up her crafts on the floor and asked for the phone so that she could take some pictures. Maybe she needs her on IG account, it could be entertaining.
May 20, 2015
If you are going to change up your decor at all, pillows are the first place to start. They are an inexpensive way to play with color, pattern and trends. Because I like to sew, I enjoy making pillows so that I can save money and also have a unique look.
I’m loving this tropical foliagetrend. I’ve made a tablecloth and an alphabet chart with big leafy botanicals, so why not a pillow? This is another house plant that I don’t have to worry about watering.
To see the full how-to for making this easy applique pillow, head over to Curbly today.
May 18, 2015
What companies and shops do you follow? Are any of them filling your instagram feed with color and pattern inspiration that I should know about?
May 16, 2015
I’m not saying you have to try every trend that’s out there. But, it’s fun to experiment with the ones that speak to you.
I hope you have a productive and creativity-filled weekend. Take a risk, play with a trend or try something new.
May 13, 2015
There are so many National this or that days, I can’t even keep track of them. But, when I saw that National Apple Pie Day was coming, I knew this was one day I HAD to celebrate!!!! The hubby’s birthday was yesterday and his favorite dessert is apple pie. So, we had these cute apple pocket pies last night in place of birthday cake. Not a bad trade at all. And even though I’m on the #whole30 plan, I have to confess that I totally cheated last night and ate one. I’ve done so well, but homemade apple pie, can you blame me? I actually don’t even feel guilty at all.
Really classic apple pie is perfect the way it is, but I’m an experimenter when it comes to baking and cooking. So, I played a bit and added some of my favorite ingredients – cardamom, cream cheese and crystalized ginger.
I have a cute little apple shaped pocket pie mold, but you could easily cut out simple circles or rectangles to make little individual pies.
Cardamom Cream Cheese Apple Pocket Pies
Pie crust enough for two pies. I like Martha’s Pate Brisee or if you want to save some time and effort, feel free to use pre-made store bought crust found in the freezer section.
Apple Filling
5 apples peeled, cored and chopped small
1 tbsp. crystalized ginger finely chopped
2 tsp. ground cardamom
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg (for egg wash)
Fine sugar for sprinkling
Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 package cream cheese (1/2 cup)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
Keep your pie crust wrapped in plastic wrap and in the fridge to stay cold while you prepare the fillings. With a mixer, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until it is creamy and smooth. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the apple filling. Be sure to pour the lemon juice on the apples as soon as you chop them, to prevent them from turning brown.
Roll out your pie crust to just less then 1/4 inch thick on a well floured surface. Cut out a top and bottom for each pocket. For this recipe I was able to make 8 large pocket pies.
Beat one egg with 1 tbsp. of water for the egg wash. Brush around the outside edges of the bottom piece to your pie. In the center of the pastry, place 1-2 tbsp. of the cream cheese filling. Then scoop about 1/3 cup of the apple filling on top of the cream cheese. Place the top pastry on and seal the edges well. Using a fork, crease the edges closed all the way around the pie.
Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Place the finished pies on parchment lined cookie sheets. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with fine white sugar. Bake for about 20 mins or until the the crust is golden brown. Cool and serve warm out of the oven or at room temperature.
May 12, 2015
I’d love to know what you think. So, which one would you pick for my living room? Or do you know me well enough that you could guess which one I picked? Is there one to speaks to you and your style? What’s your current favorite neutral?
May 8, 2015
This is a long overdue post. If you remember and shared quite a while ago that I wanted to replace our kitchen breakfast nook light. Here where some of the options I considered. I love everything Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. makes. Their aesthetic works so well with our home and my style. Schoolhouse Electric is clean and minimal, but with a fun vintage vibe. Because we live in a 1920’s bungalow, things can be quite cute and quaint. A prime example is the absolutely adorable nook we eat almost all our meals at in our kitchen. And while I love cute things, I don’t want to be stuck in a time warp and live like I’m in the 20’s. So, to balance the adorableness of our home, I like to play with more modern fixtures and clean lined pieces. That’s why I went with the Vega 3 fixture. It was probably the most risky design choice, but I think unexpected objects like this help me keep my home looking young and fresh.
I have been wanting to change up the art on the wall as well. The Vintage Seed Packets (beware, this is O+P old school style) needed to go. When I came across these fun 3D metal letters at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago, I knew I’d finally found the replacement I had been looking for. They are light and airy and spell out what we love doing the most.
So what do you think? Too quirky for your taste or just the right amount of funk to liven up my kitchen. So much better then what we had though, right?
May 7, 2015
Yep, you read that right, it’s Sven Clog giveaway time!!!!!
What better way to treat your mom then with a pair of Sven Clogs? Or if you are the mom, hook yourself up! You totally deserve it.
My girls and I are loving our Fawn leather sandal clogs with brown bases for the Spring and Summer. I find myself wearing this at least 4 or more days a week. They seem to go with everything! I love them with shorts, dresses and jeans. I’m so glad we took these pictures together this week, I’m so proud of my beautiful girls. I’m a very lucky mom. The oleander is blooming in our neighborhood, it’s it gorgeous?
I’ve given you 5 ways to enter to win a pair of clogs. Check out the rafflecopter below to enter. Oh, and there is a way to get more then 5 entries. You can share one Instagram image per day during the give away, that gives you 4 extra entries.
I’m wearing Diamond Strap Clogs, Denali’s are the Weave Sandal Clog and Olivia is wearing the Square Accent Sandal Clog. Oh and I got my mom a pair super cute of Cleopatra Clogs.
You can check out some of the other styles we wear here and here.
May 6, 2015
I’ve been storing this little metal cabinet in my garage for a couple years now. I finally gave it a well over-due makeover. I love how it turned out. Now I’ll proudly store all my crafting supplies in it at the studio.
As far as I’m concerned, you can’t go wrong with pastel colors, geometric shares and metallic gold accents. This piece has it all! Check out the BEFORE pics and the full how-to on Curbly today.
Do you have some junk sitting around collecting dust? Maybe this will inspire you to customize something for your home.