Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Blog Stalking: Heart of Light



I love this blog: Heart of Light. Not only is it beautiful (I am particularly jealous of her picture-taking-skills!) but there are lots inspiring ideas for entertaining, crafting, etc... Check it out, and don't leave without perusing the recipes. There are some great ones here... Thank you, Rachel, for your awesome blog.

Her recipe for Carrot-Bran Muffins looks delightful. Might have to make a batch of these this weekend... you would consider this recipe "healthy", right?



She says the secret is to add lots of shredded carrot...


Carrot-bran muffins (heavily changed from the Bob's Red Mill package, makes 12)

Ingredients
1 cup wheat bran
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/4 cups skim milk
1 egg
2 tbsp. canola oil
1-1/4 cup carrots, shredded (about 2 large carrots)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp ginger

Directions
Have oven pre-heated to 400 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with liners or baking spray.

Combine all dry ingredients and whisk.

Add raisins and shredded carrots to the dry ingredients and stir well.

In another bowl, whisk together all liquid ingredients.

Mix everything together until the batter is just moist. Don't overmix or the muffins will be tough. The batter will be very thick. Spoon evenly into the muffin cups.

Bake 15 minutes or until muffins rise and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

"Easy-peasy. You should be able to get these in the oven in under 15 minutes. They are super moist, so they will sort of crumble apart if you eat them when they are hot, but they are so good fresh out of the oven that I can never resist. I highly recommend them as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea. They are 130 calories apiece, if you're interested in that sort of information."


See?! I knew they might be healthy... who cares if I eat five servings at once. Ha!






I know, we love the white china. So pretty.


Thanks, Rachel! I'm your newest, biggest fan.

P.S. She also has a recipe for "Margarita Cupcakes"! Have you ever?

Pinstripe Love

Monday, June 22, 2009

Book Smart



I love collecting art books, design books, photography books, fiction, non-fiction... you get the idea. I don't have the space that I should, and someday, I would love to have stacks and stacks of art books on my coffee table (just like an instructor of mine in grad school... she was an artist and had our class over to her house for dinner at the end of the semester. Her apartment looked over the ocean in Malibu and she had two glass coffee tables pushed together to hold several stacks of art books. It was so cool.).



But, I'm sorry. I hate sorting books by color. There, I said it.













Seriously? I think this is ridiculous.

Repurposed Tins



Vintage tins make the most beautiful vessels for fresh flowers. Don't they?



I love the old fashioned images and type... vintage tea tins repurposed as vases bring a charming quality to a dining room centerpiece. I remember seeing an episode of Martha where she used some sort of cleaner to remove the graphics from vintage tea tins? The silver square tins were then used to organize office supplies... Seemed like a shame to lose all that vintage charm.






I have a few tins available for purchase in the shop right now... and, I will be hunting for more this summer...


Dutch tea tin, $18.00



English tea tin, $16.00



Italian tea tin, $22.00

Friday, June 19, 2009

Happy (rainy) Weekend!



Have a wonderful weekend! It is scheduled to rain and thunder Saturday and Sunday... Bummer. Hope there are some sunny days where you are!

image from flickr

Friday's Etsy Shop: Gertie Byrd

This week's featured Etsy shop is Gertie Byrd, a sister store to Byrd & Belle (on a sidenote, check out this fabulous felted laptop case available at Byrd & Belle!).

Aren't these the greatest coasters? Perfect for your next cocktail party!


Central Park, 5 coaster set


Love the Los Angeles version!


Los Angeles circa 1949, 4 coaster set



Gertie Byrd makes every coaster with a plexiglass top and cork bottom, so they won't damage your precious table top! And, (how cool is this?) she will make custom coasters specifically for YOUR city!


Dublin, 4 coaster set



San Francisco circa 1965, 4 coaster set


I am going to be ordering a few of these Alma Mater versions for my college pals this Christmas! I love love love this idea.


Alma Mater, 2 coaster set


Check our her terrific shop HERE... and, afterwards, pop on over to Byrd & Belle!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Collections of Vintage Pottery...

I have written about vintage pottery before. There is something so beautiful about an antique vase filled with flowers, or a collection of complementary pieces on display.



I love seeing the different shapes and glazes, and grouping certain pieces together can make for an interesting (and often inexpensive!) design statement. A grouping would look gorgeous as the centerpiece to your dining table... Or, feature many pieces of a similar color for a more modern look.





Vintage Haeger vase with green ombre glaze, $38.00







These long elliptical shaped pieces are perfect for a dining table, fireplace mantle, or displaying on a bookshelf. I have a similar one in the shop available for purchase.


Vintage cream Art Deco style vase or planter, $38.00

Look whats above this fireplace!





Large vintage "Tulip" ceramic vase or planter, $36.00



Vintage USA Pottery peach glazed vase with a scalloped edge, $38.00

On the Wall...

I am playing with some design ideas for a few blank walls in my house... When I posted the pictures from Kristan Cunningham's (amazing!) apartment, this gorgeous image of framed doilies really inspired me to get my act together!



It might be a collection of vintage black and white photos, or a series of framed maps, but a collection can really give your room some personality and make it uniquely your own. So get framing!




I particularly LOVE this one for some reason. Maybe it's the stripes?





If you like vintage silhouettes (which I also collect!), check this out!




















A collection of antique portraits? I like this picture, but let's face it, the BEST part are the two awesome pink chairs!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Tray Chic

My husband thinks I'm cluttered, but the truth is, I like things. Little chotchke things that collect throughout my house and make my husband crazy. The solution? One large tray to hold everything.



It's amazing how well this trick works. When your treasured items are sitting within the confines of a serving tray, all is well with the world and your counter top feels clean and organized.

I am a big fan of this design trick...













Try using a beautiful tray at your vanity...







Or, in the kitchen?




Here are a few that I recently found online that would work wonders...


large serving trays at west elm for $59.00



barona rectangular tray at pottery barn for $39.00



faux snakeskin nesting trays at multi chic for $140.00


And, check out these AMAZING deals at Target!


faux leather wrapped tray for $17.99



woven serving tay at target for $16.99



banana split serving trays, set of 2, for $12.50


this one would be cute on a bedside table, or on your desk (to hold paper clips, or stamps?)


grid pattern square tray in blue for $7.99


You're welcome.



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