One girl's love affair with all things beautiful

Month: February, 2010

February 28, 2010

A French Toast Twist

I love french toast.  It’s probably one of my favorite breakfasts, especially on cold snowy mornings like the ones we had this weekend.  While I love eating french toast it can be kind of a pain to make for more than one person if you’re planning on enjoying the meal together! I always end up with some hot pieces and some cold pieces that have deflated a little bit, so I decided to try making a french toast style strata.  This would be a terrific brunch to make if you have company staying over since it only requires about 15 minutes of prep before you stick it in the oven, and it looks pretty fancy in the end! Let me tell you…it was fantastic and easy!

I used half a loaf of Challa bread because its soft and delicious.  I cut the bread in to thick slices which were then cut in to either 2 or 3 pieces depending on the width of the slice.  In a large mixing bowl I beat six eggs and a 1/3 cup 1% Milk, along with a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of  vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 2 table spoons of sugar.  Next, I  gently folded in the slices of bread and let them soak up the egg mixture for about 5 minutes. I spooned the mixture out in to a lightly greased 9×9 baking dish and topped it with a cinnamon sugar mixture and pieces of candied ginger. (Both are optional, I happened to have them in the pantry so used them!)  After about half an hour in a 375 degree oven, I had a fluffy& golden cinnamon sugar french toast strata! Smothered in maple syrup and served along side mixed berries this brunch was simply divine.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

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February 24, 2010

Slipcover Project

So we are in the process of slip covering our two navy blue couches (hooray!). The two sure-fit natural duck slip covers have arrived – bought them for relatively cheap on amazon.com, it was about $65 for both covers. Here’s a quick picture of the style we went for:

I like the looser fit ones. I think they look a little less like slip covers, and I loved the light natural color. Plus with this style it gives you a bit more wiggle room to tuck and tie around the shape of your couch. To get an even more actual-couch look we decided to replace our two large back cushions with new over sized throw pillows that will be placed over the cover- we bought seven 26″x26″ euro pillows from target at $9.99 a pop.  Now that we have the covers and the pillows, we’re going to need some pillow cases! Ive been scouring fabric.com to get some ideas and I came across a few swatches I absolutely love!

natural twill

Valori Wells Del Hi Yellow Pom Pom

Valori Wells Del Hi Full Bloom

Anna’s Drawing Room Ivory Trellis

Can’t wait for my swatches to arrive!

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February 22, 2010

Bautifully Simple

I’m not much of a baker, I think it has something to do with that whole exact measuring thing. So when I do actually bake it needs to be a simple and easy recipe.  We had a nice Sunday supper at Mike’s parents’ house last night  and I typically like to contribute something when we head down there for a meal. I traded in my staple bottle-o-wine for a rustic and simple apple & blackberry cobbler. While it probably wouldn’t have won any beauty contests,  It was heavenly – the perfect ending to a herb roasted chicken dinner.

Fresh Blackberries & Crisp Granny Smith Apples

Self rising flour created a delicious & fluffy biscuit topping. We enjoyed it warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream

Apple Blackberry Cobbler

6 Cups Granny Smith Apples

1 Cup Blackberries

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 lemon, juiced

Butter for dish

Topping

2 tbsp softened butter

1/2 cup self rising flour

1/2 cup Sugar

pinch salt

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly Butter a 9×9 or equivalent baking dish.

In a large bowl mix together apples, sugars, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, salt nutmeg, and lemon.  mix well and pour in to your prepared baking dish.

Add all of your topping ingredients in to a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon until you have formed a batter. Dollop batter in various places over the cobbler mixture  – it will spread and rise wile baking.  Bake approximately 30 minutes or until apples are tender and the topping has browned.  Serve with either fresh whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

Enjoy!

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February 21, 2010

Sun Room Discovery

Our sun room is the very first room you walk in to so it should make a good impression right? Wrong. Ours is currently boasting ugly green carpet, a gaudy brass light fixture, wood paneling on the ceiling, the works!  A few days ago I decided to check out what was underneath the ugly carpet and first saw laminate tiles, but to my delight below those were unfinished wood floors.

They aren’t in any condition to refinish or stain which is fine by me, because all I want to do is paint them white! I’ve always dreamed of having painted hardwoods – but definitely wouldn’t have the guts to do it in the entire house so I’m thrilled to have found the right spot for it. I think it’s going to make the little room  feel serene airy and peaceful – just the kind of place you’d like to sit down enjoy your morning coffee and soak up a little sunshine.

In the mean time- here are a few rooms with painted hardwoods that I just love.

Hope Everyone is enjoying their sunny Sunday!

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February 19, 2010

Floral Imitation

The new issue of Country Living featured a beautiful Connecticut home that boasted several gorgeous lilac bushes scattered about the property. Of course the home owner had lush bunches of lilacs all over her home and I was green (or should I say lavender) with envy. I’m hoping come this Spring we will find a perfect spot for our very own Lilac bush somewhere around the house.

Just a few days ago I passed  by my local flower stand and I happened to see a beautiful bunch of rich purple stock;  at $10 dollars for a generous bouquet I was sold.  I brought them home and arranged them in my favorite pitcher and I think they really evoked the same feeling as a simple bunch of lilacs – and they’ll last over a week to boot!

When the Stock began to wilt, I removed the best stems and placed them in a smaller mason jar. They Dressed up our bar, and we got to enjoy them a little longer, a win-win in my book!

Happy Friday!

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February 15, 2010

Updating the Trim – the Finale!

After a few long weeks of squeezing in a couple hours here and there our hallway trim project is complete! And what a difference it has made. Mike and I keep finding our selves lingering in the hallway on our way to the bathroom or bedroom to marvel at our handi-work!  The area feels so much larger, brighter, and livable.   Just to refresh your memory of what we started with..

Before:

And now for the Afters! :

Pretty huge difference huh? We moved the armoire in to our guest room , where it fits much better and still allows us the extra storage we need.   In its place is a simple  table flanked by a light reflecting mirror.

Though everything turned out perfectly in the end, we did encounter a couple snags along the way…at the final hour of painting I  began to notice that there were a lot of unsightly gaps between the trim and the wall that had become extremely obvious after the  fresh coat of white paint. In order to fix this I had to run out to the hardware store and pick up a tube of paintable indoor trim and door caulk- I was able to use this to fill in the cracking seams, and it left us with nice flush finish. (crises averted!)

All in all I think this was a successful DIY renovation for us, cant wait to carry this out in to the bedrooms!

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

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February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine’s Day

I hope everyone has something just a little special planned!  Mike surprised me with a relaxing day at my favorite nail salon to get me out of the house while he prepares a surprise dinner – hes full of tricks today!  While I think the holiday is sweet – it’s definitely a tad over commercialized. (hello $50 roses?)  I think there are so many other creative ways to show your valentine your love with out the traditional (and expensive) red roses and box-o- chocolates!

This Irish moss in a sweet toile mug is a lovely alternative to flowers – plus you can keep the mug when the moss fades!

I think every girl loves orchids…the Home Depot always has them for under $20.00!

Or how about a sweet box of baked goods – embellished with little raspberry hearts?

how ever you decide to celebrate, make sure to let your valentine know how special they are! Hope everyone has a lovely one!

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February 10, 2010

Budget Booze

High end taste! I love a nice glass (or 3) of red wine – and sometimes I think Country Living is reading my mind since currently featured on their website are nine red wines under ten dollars!   I love trying different vino’s but at the end of the day I have to admit that I don’t have a very discerning pallet when it comes to wine, so a list of professional wine connoisseurs’ favorite budget bottles is right up my alley. Out of the nine featured the Penfolds  Koonunga Hill was the only one I’ve previously had (and it is in fact on of our favorites)  – cant wait to try the rest:

This comes just in time for Valentines Day….like most people these days Mike and I are on a Budget, so when we are enjoying some fine dining in the comfort of our own home this Sunday (courtesy of Mike!) You can bet we will be enjoying some of these wallet friendly reds!  For more details, check out the article over at country living!

Happy wine tasting!

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February 9, 2010

Year Round Flea Marketing

I recently stumbled upon an Antiques Market in Cambridge that has apparently been right under my nose for the past 6 years but never knew about. It was a huge space with four floors of vendors in one large brick building.  The vendor’s provide a range of pricey to affordable goods, and while there was a decent amount of “junk” to sift through, there were quite a few gem’s as well. My girlfriends and I each walked away with a treasure or two that we really loved.

I happened to find these two lovely floral paintings in sweet but simple matching frames. I’d been on the hunt for some smaller scaled art for a narrow wall in the living room  so these were a great find for me!

I haven’t had the chance to hang them up yet, but I have the perfect spot lined up!

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February 8, 2010

Updating the Trim Part 3

So this weekend was a success – we are one step closer to closing the book on our hallway-trim-painting project! Sunday morning was a busy one, but I managed to get all the doorways and baseboards covered in two coats of fresh white paint. (Glidden’s Crisp Linen White to be exact.)  Since it was Superbowl Sunday I was forced to close shop a little earlier then I wanted, and unfortunately didn’t get to paint the walls. ( I did however get to eat chips & dip!) Needless to say, there will be another  chapter to come. But with out further ado – here is the updated hallway, after hours upon hours of sanding, priming, and painting :

You can see that there is quite a bit of messy white blotches around the doorways – don’t fear! Once we get to paint the walls, the blotches will be replaced with nice crisp lines.

Hopefully with the long weekend coming up I’ll be able to wrap up the rest of the painting.  I’m thinking that we’ll end up painting our bedroom the same color as the hallway, so it would be nice to get those two done at the same time.  In the mean time, I’m eyeing a couple vintage glass knobs on eBay for the doors. Since I haven’t seen a full set of 4 that I’ve really loved, I’m either going to collect one set at a time (I don’t mind if they’re each just a tiny bit different) Or hold off  until I find the right collection. Either way I think they’ll add a nice touch of character.

Stay Tuned for the Final Reveal!

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