Adore: hutch lovin'

My undying love for all things dish display are no secret to regular readers of this blog - bear with me as I post more pictures of beautiful hutches - has me thinking mine might be in need of some rearranging...sounds like the perfect weekend project.

Roasted Cauliflower

Maybe I am the last one to discover this delicious and healthy side dish but let me tell you...it is amazing!  We had it last night with some chicken pitas and not only was it fast and easy to do, it was really yummy.  I encourage you to give it a try tonight!

Roasted Cauliflower
1 large head of cauliflower
olive oil
salt & pepper
garlic pepper
paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut 1 inch pieces of cauliflower off the head, place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and drizzle with some olive oil, salt & pepper to taste, and a grinding of some garlic pepper and paprika for extra taste and color.  You can substitue any seasonings you like - I kept it simple to let the flavor of the cauliflower shine.

Place in oven on middle rack and roast 25 minutes or until light golden brown and cooked through.  Can be served immediately or at room temp.

Enjoy!

Adore: this

Everything in this picture makes me happy - that cracked barely blue leather, whitwashed walls, the industrial side table, pop of color from the roses, and the brooding unframed portrait.  Adore!

Dining Room Project #1

As I stated a few weeks ago I am not 100% thrilled with my dining room and updates are in the works.  Here is project number one...

Project: Botanical Prints
Have you heard about Vintage Printables?  It's an online resource for free images, everything from old advertisments, scientific charts, and botanicals.  It was my go to for the images I used for my wall, once I saw the Livres de Flueres collection I knew they would be perfect for this project - the colors were so vibrant.

After I saved my selected images to the computer I printed 8x10's on velum parchment paper for a believable aged look.

Next up was finding frames.  I wanted to spend as little as possible and I wanted to mimic an aged frame so I swung by the dollar store and found these beauties.



After a few coats of rubbed bronze spray paint they resembled a classic tin frame you may have found back in the early 1900's.



After I measured (kinda) and had them on the walls I decided I wanted a little extra detail so I pulled out my bag of nailheads and placed one under each frame - something about the way it looked pulled the whole thing together for me.

I'm linking up with A Soft Place to Land's DIY Party - make sure to check out all of the fun projects and talented bloggers by clicking here!

Friday Flights of Fancy

There is something so great about two twin beds in a room.  I grew up sharing a bedroom with my sister and loved it [most of the time].  We would play barbies, sneak out the window to catch fireflies at night, and stayed up late reading books or anxiously awaiting Santa Claus.  As we grew older we both got our own rooms and the boys had to start sharing but I still look back fondly on the time me and Maren shared a room. 

Here are some charming examples of shared spaces...

A new home for my mouse

Inspired by Miss Bryn over at Bryn Alexandra I took an old cork board, a scrap of fabric, and some spray mount and made myself a mousepad.  I went oversized and love how it all turned out.

Here is how you do it...

1.  Grab some old cork board or buy a corkboard tile at your local office supply store.

2.  Cut the shape you want your mouse pad to be out of the cork and then cut a piece of fabric approx. 1 inch larger than your cork.

3.  Place your fabric right side on the table and spray the back of the fabric with heavy duty spray mount. ( I suggest putting down some plastic or paper to protect your table as spray mount is a bear to clean up.)

4.  Center your cork on the fabric and pull the fabric tightly around the cork making sure the top is smooth.

Enjoy your new custom mouse pad!  It's the perfect way to add a little personality to your workspace - especially if you are in a gray cubicle like me.

Montanta Treasures

As I mentioned, while I was in Montana I did some digging at a few antique stores.  I was really surprised at how many interesting items they had, I was expecting mostly indian, wild-west type stuff but instead found lots of crocks (too rich for my blood) and other pottery, early americana items.  Here are the things I walked away with:

The metal piece is actually part of an old chimmney but I think it will make the perfect cubby for scarfs and hats.  The green bowl was too pretty to pass up as was the unique egg dish - the white and yellow scream spring and I'm sure this will find its way onto my Easter table.  The blue & white blanket was a great find at only $12 as was the old "Morning Blossom" flour sack.

Have you stumbled upon any favorite treasures lately?

My favorite problem solver: white paint

This sad little table has been sitting in our living room for years.  I loved the lines and its size is perfect for our itty bitty room but it always seemed so debbie downer - that is until a pretty new coat of white paint brought out it's true potential.

There is something so wonderful about white paint.  It transforms a dull-drum item into a new, happy, clean piece that all of a sudden doesn't look so 70's rather it has a fresh modern quality to it.  I adore white paint - pristine or antique and chippy it speaks to me.

Do you have a favorite item you've revamped with white paint?  If so I would love to see it, send a picture my way and we'll post it on the blog.

sometimes I need a reminder....today is one of those days

Weekend fling

{view from the car)

Last Thursday I jumped on a plane - destination Bozeman, Montana for a weekend getaway with my man.  He's been on the road forever and it worked out that I was able to meet up with him.

{sight for sore eyes}

I arrived in Bozeman late Thursday night - Jus took me to the Brewery for a nice dinner before we took in some of the local characters at the Cannery - a Bozeman tradition.  It was an early departure the next morning as we headed to Red Lodge Resort for some skiing with local shop owners so they could try out the latest Blizzard Skis.  It was a picture perfect bluebird day and we had a lot of fun hanging out with the folks from Red Lodge and Alpine High.

{getting ready to get the rig loaded back up after a great day of skiing at Red Lodge}

Saturday was another work day for Jus and we headed out to some of the more rural areas of his territory, Sheridan and Buffalo Wyoming.  Both towns are adorable and full of cute little shops and historic buildings so I took the opportunity to do some antiquing and found some little treasures. 

{the charming Buffalo, Wyoming}

Being on the road with Jus is one of my favorite things - we listen to great music and both kinda space out but we also have some wonderful conversations about things we don't usually take the time to think or talk about together. 

After 8 hours of drive time we ended back in Bozeman and enjoyed the steam shower in our hotel room [that is one things we will have when we redo our bathroom - LOVE IT]. 

Sunday was a rare treat - we slept in late, did some laundry at the hotel, and I read for a couple hours while Jus did some office work.  Then we had the best hotdogs ever at this cute little place called Paulie's Hotdogs in Bozeman.  They seriously have over 30 types of hotdogs and the interior is super fun.

{I love their quote, "The noblest of all dogs is the hot dog, it feeds the hand that bites it"}

{Jus enjoying his Hula Dog on another gorgeous day in Montana}

Anyone who knows me understands how if this place were in Boise I would be there everyday - I love hotdogs THAT MUCH!

We caught a movie, did some more antiquing and pawn store visits before heading back to the hotel for one last evening together.  It was such a fun rendevous - I miss him like crazy when he is gone and love having the chance to meet up with him for some good old fashioned fun.

Btw: did you catch the premier of the Marriage Ref that was on after the Olympics?  I was really excited about it but came away a little underwhelmed.  Hopefully it gets better.

{one last shot of the beautiful mountains}

Pillow Talk

As I patientely wait for my upholster to be available to redo my couch and the slipcovers to arrive for my chairs I desperately needed some sign of progress in my living room so I made new pillows. 

Taking my cues from my favorite store {Anthropologie} and the recent cover of Country Living I decided to go with an eclectic mix of fabrics and colors for the pillows rather than sticking with an edited fabric selection.  I have a few more to make but so far this is what I've come up with...

Here is the breakdown:

The Multi-color pattern is actually a napkin I purchased at Anthro.  For me it had the perfect mix of colors and also that retro but still fresh feel.  I simply added a solid color fabric on the back to finish it off.

The Yellow Stripe lumber pillow is made from a mat rug from Ikea (see below) that you can get for $2.50.  It was a cinch to sew up and I love that it has a nubby and rich texture.

The Green print is a fabric I fell in love with - I had a few mishaps sewing this one but it all turned out in the end.  I added some vintage white buttons as the final touch.

I love how they all turned out and can't wait to see them on the finished couch.  They help tie in all the colors we have in the room and I feel like they match the personality of the house {and the owners} quite nicely.

A new chapter begins

Do you remember this post, where I shared that one of my goals for 2010 was to start my own business - doing something I love?  Well an opportunity came knocking a few weeks ago by way of my mother and I am pleased to announce that I'm embarking on a new adventure by starting an event service and catering business:

My first job is for a friend of my mom's whose son is getting married this May and I will be catering the reception.  I can't even tell you how excited I am - I love the idea of helping people with events that mean something to them whether it be a baby shower, wedding, or special party and plan to offer homemade service that is not only unique and memorable but also budget friendly. 

I'm in the process of getting my website started for this new venture and can't wait to share this new phase of my life with all of you.