real comfort

February 21, 2012

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. Jane Austen

welcome to our bathroom. funny story:

i purchased this steve madden shower curtain as a surprise, with the hopes that it would be less girly, for stephen. – yeah, that was a fail. it’s really girly and shiny, oh well i tried!

the prints are from my etsy shop

this is the other side – i love these big white clothes pins, they’re from pottery barn.

welcome to the bedroom! i love this room, it’s peaceful and simple. our duvet blanket is from urban outfitters and i made the pillows using joel dewberry fabric.

here’s another painting of mine – i’ll have to blog about my painting adventures later! i made the quilt in the corner last year using amy butler fabrics. it’s probably my favourite item i’ve made. it’s huge too, i made it large enough for our bed!

the vanity is my newest piece and i recently painted it, again. i love this french white, its so clean and soft.

my small, but dearly loved hat collection!

i love peacock feathers and forever elizabeth perfume.

i believe you can never go wrong with pearls and big rings.

this may be my favorite spot in our new loft. i love vintage purses. as of right now i have seventeen…*blushes*

we’ll end on that note

is there something that is hard for you to pass up in a thrift shop? my weakness is vintage purses, what’s yours?

cheers,

tea or coffee?

February 20, 2012

a few weeks ago, stephen and i realized our lease was up so, we decided to change things up a bit and move units! we love moving, it brings change and a cozy new atmosphere for the year. i highly recommend just going for it when you have the chance!

i thought it would be fun to give a home tour this week! so, welcome to our new home! we’re in the hallway right now… let me show you around here and then we’ll stop by the kitchen for some tea.

this building used to be a hanes hosiery in the 40′s. it has the original hardwood floors and you can see where the carts rolled!

this is my bookshelf and my collection of tea pots!

in each place that stephen and i have lived, i always have a black and white wall. i love black and white photos. these photos are from our engagement and wedding. the big canvas in the middle was a Christmas present from my bother and sister-in-law!

i love to paint. i haven’t in a long time, but i really do love it. it’s so relaxing. i painted this when stephen and i lived in charlotte.

and this brings us to the kitchen! i love this little kitchen oh so much. everything is in reaching distance, it’s really perfect.

would you like tea or coffee?

pink and yellow is probably an unusual combination, but i like it

i found my cookie and tea jars at homegoods, which is one of my favorite places to shop!

the fabric on my lamp shade is from cath kidston, i love her designs. the 8×10 prints are from my etsy shop!

this is my tea pot that i use to brew my favorite loose leaf teas. you may recognize it from my logo

this concludes the hallway and kitchen tour! i hope you will stop by tomorrow for a tour of our bedroom! if you were here what would you have chose to drink, tea or coffee?

cheers,

two am

February 18, 2012

(pictured left to right: rachel, tim, amber, stephen)

everything is funnier at two am. i have proof from my tired cheeks from endless laughter and smiles.

beyond a good time, i have found a new friend. a fellow homeschooler, whole milk drinker and coin collector, tim. rachel, taught me the wiggle wiggle dance. stephen helped me save our pizza crust. (note to self: go to the eye doctor 1/2 isn’t 1/4 …whoops). so after a second batch of focaccia bread, i made pizza!

it was a lovely evening

cheesy cauliflower pancakes

February 17, 2012

“cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” -mark twain

i promised i would share the recipe for cheesy cauliflower pancakes from my valentines day post and i am very happy to keep that promise! this recipe is so good. hold on…lets stop here and talk about how magical cauliflower is.. who knew? i certainly didn’t. i love cauliflower and kale soup…i make it all the time (i’ll share that recipe soon as well!). when i saw this recipe on pinterest, i knew i would probably fall in love. p.s. A Good Appetite created this recipe…genius!

cauliflower tastes like potatoes when steamed and mashed into heavenly goodness. i can’t eat potatoes, which is really quite sad since they are so yummy. cauliflower has come to my rescue and now i feel like i’m not missing out!

what you need:

1 head cauliflower
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup panko
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (i didn’t add this)
salt
olive oil

method:

cut cauliflower into florets and boil until tender, then drain. mash the cauliflower while still warm, then stir in cheese, eggs, panko, cayenne and salt to taste.

pour olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. form the cauliflower mixture into patties about 3 inches across…i neglected this part, hence the reason mine aren’t that pretty! haha…oh well cook until golden brown.

oh my, they are so good. i ate mine with a bit of sour cream, as suggested on A Good Appetite.

enjoy!

essential

February 16, 2012

(noun) 1. Something absolutely necessary

over the years i have developed a few habits and one of them are these four little books. I usually keep them close by, but the large floral one goes with me everywhere, that is if it fits in my purse.

this little habit began when i was an undergrad studying at Liberty. i was meeting my friend Erin for lunch; we went to China together and we were meeting to catch up on life and say our goodbyes for the summer. during lunch she pulled out a tiny notebook and wrote something in it. she said she carried the notebook around incase she ever needed to write something down…

since that day, i’ve carried a small notebook with me -and now that i think about it, its been six years!

okay, the first small red book was a gift from my bff Kristen; she knows how much i love China and gifted this little book to me for my birthday ages ago! I write down my favorite Bible verses in it.

this book is awesome because it’s my 2012 cath kidston calendar. Stephen gifted this to me for Christmas! As you can see I need to pick up some more embroidery floss…

the next book is special to me because i love quotes. i have a huge quote book, dedicated to my favorites, but i can’t haul it around with me, so this is perfect.

p.s. if you are a lewis fan, i highly recommend the quotable lewis… and of course all of his books!

and now for the last book, the “tiny notebook” like my friend Erin! the floral book, like i said, i try to take with me everywhere. in it, i jot down dreams, inspirations, to do’s, information and this or that. this book is actually new for the year. it was fun looking through the last one!

and there you have it, my four essential books!

what are some of your habits?

real comfort

tea or coffee?

two am

cheesy cauliflower pancakes

essential

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