Valentines

I made some cupcakes today since we are snowed in.  I try and spend my time wisely

These chocolate strawberry treats were super easy to make.  I had planned to make some cupcakes I made a few years ago on Valentines Day that were Neapolitan, they were really good but when I went to pull my recipe from Pinterest the link was broken.  So, I searched to find a really good strawberry icing and I found a “pin” from  Girl Inspired, Strawberry Dream Frosting.  This frosting was so easy to make, click on the link Here for the full recipe. Basically it’s marshmallow fluff, butter, powdered sugar and strawberry extract. With a little pink food coloring as suggested you could fool anyone into thinking this was real strawberry goodness! 
The frosting itself seemed a little butter heavy but when paired with the chocolate cake it is delish!  The cake itself is just boxed cake mix.  I used Fresh Market’s gluten free brand, only because I was there the other day and needed cake mix otherwise I would have used Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines.  The Fresh Market brand is tasty if you are looking for gluten free.
I am not a fan of Valentines Day but I thought my co-workers would like a treat and since Will’s Birthday is the 15th I made him a big cupcake!
 
I made sure I tried it for him, you know a love bite!  Wishing you a happy Valentines Day if you are into the holiday and wishing my husband a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
XOXO,
April

Pallet Art

This past weekend Will made the coolest wall art!  I just had to share with you guys.

The more I see it the more I love it!  I’ll admit I was a little unsure about the pallet art in the house but we found a great spot in our living room to add it.

We had company over for the Super Bowl Sunday and everyone was loving Will’s handy work.  Someone suggested we could add “home” to the sign and I have thought about painting it on, so just for fun I added it to the picture to see what it would look like. 

Love my handy husband!  I also love that he came up with the idea, I think my creativity is rubbing off on him!
What do you guys think?  Have you seen any cool pallet projects lately?  

April

January

The older I get the more I love this month.  I have come to enjoy the quiet days of winter when we are not so busy, however, I’ll never get used to the cold.  I’m a homebody and in the winter I like to stay inside and the quiet allows me dream for the new year and in turn I end up most inspired by decorating. 

After all the Christmas decorations came down I cleaned, really deep cleaned.  I threw out things, washed baseboards, washed windows, and vacuumed nooks and crannies.  Once everything felt new I made a to-do list of things that needed to be done this month. 

Once we started knocking out those to-do’s I started re-arranging and re-decorating areas.  I start to see my house again, I look at the areas I love and the areas that need change and I feel like I start from a fresher perspective.  I see ways to use old things in a different way.

This January I’ve been organizing and making the most of wasted space and I have been decorating small areas.  I also have taken inventory of what I want for the upcoming year and how I want spaces to change.  The dining room is first on the list and I finished my gallery wall as part of my to-do’s and I found a rug that I love.


There are still things that need doing and things I want to change but I like this slower pace and now I am off to make a green tea latte and read a book while snuggled under my throw blanket and a cat curled in my lap.  Winter does have it’s highlights.

April
**Rug from World Market: 6’x9’ Blue Bordered Chunky Jacquard Weave Sisal Rug (Hurry, its on sale!)

Statement Chairs & One Kings Lane

Hey Everyone!  Hope you had a fabulous Christmas and Happy New Year!!  I have been on vacation all week and I am getting a ton of stuff done around the house! It feels so great to be able to check off task at a new year!
Right before Christmas I was contacted by One Kings Lane to write a post on my favorite statement chair by picking one that reflects my personal style.  I was also asked to introduce to you One Kings Lane’s new Home Décor Resource Guide.  I was excited to check out the resource guide for myself and wow, I really wish I had access to this type of information when I was in design school!  It’s a fantastic resource for information and knowledge on furniture types and offers guides to learning styles and time periods of furniture as well as decorating tips.  You can find the Resource Guide HERE. 
I immediately knew which chair I would feature but thought I would check out the resource guide first and they had a great article on Statement Chairs and how to select just what you are looking for, you can find that link HERE.
I choose the side chair I use in our bedroom.  When I was decorating our bedroom I choose this chair for the room because it added a pop of color and it’s a nice size, not to big, not to small.  I think the style fits my personality well in that it’s simple in design but the cane sides are a bit delicate and the upholstery is a bold color.  I painted this chair white as you know and it fits better in our room with the contrast of painted white wood against our espresso colored bedroom suite.

I love having a statement chair like mine that is simple enough to play around with pillows and blankets as the seasons change.

Do you have a favorite statement chair? 
Be sure to check out the Home Décor Resource Guide over at One Kings Lane!  It is a great source for finding styles of furniture along with great tips like How to Decorate a Rental.  I know it will be a go to for me when choosing new furniture like my next piece, a new sofa. 
If you are not familiar with One Kings Lane you will love the original site and you should  become a member, It’s free and you’ll find all kinds of great deals on home accessories, furniture, antiques, etc. 

April

Christmas Décor Tour

Hi There! Merry Christmas Time!!  I’m jumping on the blog band wagon today to share my Christmas decorating this year.  I would say it’s simple & eclectic this year, our new house is really challenging me in my holiday decorating.  I don’t have much room for a lot of stuff and I don’t like clutter so I kept things to a minimum. 
I simply put up a tree in our living room and added a few other touches to that room, the dining area and office.  I showed you all the bedroom here.  I’ve had the decorations up since after Thanksgiving but I’ve been so busy I just haven't’ had the time to post. 

Living Room

Dining Area

Home Office

You noticed even my wrapping paper is eclectic this year, Ha!  I bought several fine paper rolls from The Container Store two years ago after Christmas and just had to use a few this year.  The plain brown paper and reindeer paper came from Target this season and that reindeer paper is my FAVORITE!  I have used my gifts as décor and they are not under the tree to keep big chocolate paws off of them!
Only 7 days til Christmas!  Hope you enjoyed the little tour and I hope you are all having a great Holiday Season.  I am looking forward to some family time and get togethers this weekend with great friends!

April