Paper Source LabelsI've been organizing and cleaning out my cupboards and I came across these cool labels at the Paper Source store. I just love everything they sell at that store! Now that paper is being eliminated in many parts of our lives, it is great to have a place that celebrates paper in a creative way. Anyway, I love their selection of labels. I thought maybe I would hand print my own labels, but then my handwriting is pretty sad. So, I went to the Paper Source's website and ... continue reading...
Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie
chocolate chip cookiethis is my mom's recipe. i love how it is packed with chocolate chips in every bite. i've added a new ingredient and step to this cookie which is optional. i love having a salty chocolate cookie so i added salt to the bottom and top to bring out a buttery flavor, kind of like the yummy cookie we bought at Dean and Deluca. 1/2 cup shortening1 tsp vanilla1/2 cup sugar1/4 cup brown sugar1 egg1 1/2 cup flour1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp ... continue reading...
The Best Chocolate Cake
the best chocolate cakethis chocolate cake is extremely moist and delicious. the red beets give it the moisture and a denseness like no other cake. my husband is my biggest food critic and he loves this cake. recently, he mentioned that he isn't much into cakes, so for him to like this cake says a lot. this recipe is always the standard birthday cake that is requested in my family. my son just celebrated his 13th birthday, so these are the last two pieces ... continue reading...
Travel to Big Sur
the ultimate nest with color! for my monumental birthday last year (i won't mention the numerical year :o) ) my husband rented this wonderful house in big sur, california. it is an incredible house and such a feast for the eyes, bright colors abound everywhere you look. the house that we stayed at is called "the rainbow house" and it is perched on the side of a mountain with views of the pacific ocean. the room pictured above is where my son slept and it is a ... continue reading...
Antique Bottles
pottery barn inspirationthe other day when i was window shopping at Pottery Barn i noticed these beautiful sea glass bottles. i must have filed them into my memory because about a week later, i had my husband unpack a few bottles from his antique bottle collection. we have carted these bottles around from house to house and finally we have a place that displays them nicely! i placed them on the bookshelf above my bed and i just love the beach style feel they evoke. ... continue reading...
Personalized Photo Candle Holders
decorated glass candle holderi had so much fun creating this project. it's easy and pretty during the day and incredibly cool at night when illuminated. the key is to find a fairly good size glass container and use a small votive candle...this prevents the glass, paper, and glue from getting to hot. i plan to make a few of them and also as presents! it is a relatively inexpensive project with great results. here's the glass container i used. i tried ... continue reading...
Chocolate Lovers Brownies
salty browniesmy new salt and chocolate obsession all started with a trip to napa and a visit to the Dean and DeLuca store in st helena. my husband and i ordered a coffee and of course had to munch on something sweet, so we ordered a chocolate chip cookie. we were pleasantly surprised to find the bottom of it had a yummy salted butter taste. so i have been experimenting with a cookie recipe to recreate that wonderful taste bud experience (i'll post it later). so ... continue reading...
Decorated Tin Pot
rustic tin potmy living room has a lot of greens and whites and so i was inspired to make this container. in my entry from the other day i explain how i have always wanted to make a rose ribbon. so, ta-da... here is the final project. i'm still not sure what i'll place in the pot, but if my kitchen were these colors, it might make it a napkin holder. this design has a garden feel, so most likely will end up in my living room. i hope to post before and after photos next ... continue reading...
Rosemary Wreath
Rosemary Heart Shaped WreathSince Valentine's Day is around the corner, I thought it would be nice to design something festive. I've been dying to make something with all the rosemary that I have in my garden. Yes, I have hedges of it and they are in need of a trim. I came up with this rosemary shaped heart and I kind of let it evolve into it's own design. As you can see there is not an ounce of red or pink, huh... I don't gravitate towards those colors, so I'm not ... continue reading...
Decorating with Flowers
blossoms...my latest motto is...out with winter and in with spring! once the holiday decorations were moved back into our ever crowded garage, i got a bad case of spring fever. since moving into our northern california house three years, i have done nothing to decorate our entertainment center. since we were planning on remodeling and painting it white, i just ignored the sad shelves. it became a catch all for all the tchotchkes that didn't have a home. so ... continue reading...
Our Home Remodel
the transformation of our nest...i'm sure you are all wondering what our nest looks like! we've been working on it over the last year and still have a few final touches. we mostly wanted to remodel the very small dated kitchen but, as most remodel projects unfold...it extended into a few surrounding rooms. we have a quintessential california ranch house that strangely has grown on me. when we lived in oregon and we were going to buy a house, we looked at the ... continue reading...
How to Make a Rose Ribbon
Rose Ribboni've always wanted to make a rose out of ribbon and my next project requires one. so , i went onto pinterest and found a tutorial. i ended up adding my own twists to the project. i hope my photos and directions make sense and that you come up with a beautiful rose. for the project you'll need ribbon, glue gun and of course a little origami ability! :o) ok here is my ribbon... place a dot of hot glue on the ribbon. we will be folding the ribbon ... continue reading...
Ceramic Vase
Fun Ceramic Vasei made this vase at one of those paint your own ceramic studios. i love polka dots and so i decided to make a black and white one. since the vase is already cream color, i had to paint only the black. i penciled out the dots by using a quarter coin and tracing it with a pencil. then i just applied 3 coats of black ceramic paint. it was an easy project and i was able to talk with my friends and didn't have to concentrate on creating something. i ... continue reading...
Spring Flowers
i'm starting to nest around my house now that the holiday decorations are put away. i made this spring basket with silk flowers that i bought at Joann Fabrics. the moss basket you can find at Michael's Craft stores, but they are kind of small in size. i found mine at our local Ace Hardware, but i also found the exact ones on Amazon. here's the link.... Square moss hanging basket i just removed the hanging chain, and then add your choice of silk flowers and now ... continue reading...
Kosta Boda Swedish Candle Holders
Beautiful Swedish Candle Holdersmy Swedish friend Elisabeth gave me these beautiful candle holders from Sweden. they are eye catching since they look so much like globes of ice! they are in my kitchen and you can't miss them since they are so unusual and beautiful! they do have one little flaw, you can visibly see the factory seam, but other than that they are gems and a must have for winter! here is the Amazon link... Kosta Boda Swedish Candle Holder ... continue reading...
Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays!!!relax, eat and be merry...of course after the shopping, baking, cooking, and wrapping are done! thanks for visiting and i'll see you in the new year. ... continue reading...
Caramel Popcorn
Can we talk Caramel Corn?Yikes, I can munch on it like potato chips. I can't stop at just one.I have to hide it and keep it out of sight. In fact, right now I have it sealed up in many layers of saran wrap, tight as a drum.Well, maybe tomorrow I will sneak a little handful or two.Yummy Caramel Popcorn ... continue reading...
Origami Star
Big Origami Starrecently, i made this fun project for my daughter's birthday party. so i know that 10 year old girls can make this project, so anyone should be capable of making these wonderful stars. as long as you have 2 square sheet of paper, you can make it any size. i think the scrapbooking paper works best since it easily holds it shape. here are the supplies you'll need:2 square pieces of paperscissorsglue (elmers or a glue gun)rulerpen or ... continue reading...
Potato Chip Sugar Cookie
this is an amazing cookie. it is a light and buttery cookie that melts in your mouth and almost crumbles in you hand! it is kind of like eating potato chips, you just can't stop at one! enjoy and spread the goodness by baking them for your friends and family! this is one of my favorites and i hope it becomes one of yours.1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature1 tsp vanilla 1 cup crushed potato chips 1 cup sugar 3 1/2 cups sifted flourMix butter, sugar and vanilla ... continue reading...
Holiday Mantle
our mantle for the holidaysas you can see from the photo, there are a lot of white decorations on my mantel. my family has observed that i'm all about white and more white! i guess i'm trying to bring light into the house! oh well, it is my new found love, i especially like the serious glitter on the garland! alright.... i definitely love sparkly things, who doesn't! i bought the feather christmas trees at Target and the i placed the green trees on top of a candle holder. ... continue reading...
Water Candles
Holiday Water Candlesthese are fabulous candles to make with water, cooking oil, a wick and a small piece of plastic! i posted my halloween candle designs in the fall, and i thought it would nice to post my latest christmas designs. i went with the shabby chic white and clear motif. so, to make it just decorate any glass container and buy a wick from a craft store. here is ... continue reading...
