Pillow Talk

Let's talk about pillows for a moment. In my humble opinion, you can never have enough. Here are a few Etsy treasures that are begging for a place on my couch.

{NestaHome}

{dedeetsyshop}

{la pomme}

{modernality}

{myadobecottage}

{inklore}

Have a great day.

Weekend Again

Is it just me, or did the week completely fly by?

I'm sorry for my lack of blogginess this week. I just wasn't feeling it. Some weeks are like that. I decided if I have nothing good to post, it's better to not post at all. So just think of it as I did you a favor by not posting sucky things all week. :)

Hope you have a good weekend. Our Saturdays are now spent on the tee ball fields. Go Astros!

P.S. Don't you love this picture? The cuteness is almost painful.

Can you hear that?

...it's me squealing in delight.

I'm so excited to announce that custom napkin printing is back, at long last.

Simply contact me for details.

Click here to see the last napkin project I did to get your imagination running.

Friends with Benefit(s)

Every time I wander into a Benefit store, I leave wondering why I ever bother buying cosmetics elsewhere. My last such trip was during our girls weekend last month. I left wanting everything I tried on, but settled on just a couple favorites for now.

Erase Paste: Where have you been all my life? It magically hides all those scary dark under eye circles that seem to grow in direct proportion to the number of children I have. Plus, it's foolproof. Just slap some on and you'll instantly look like you had a full night's sleep. And trust me, it's been a looooong time since I've had more than four consecutive hours. But you'd never know it.

SugarBomb: The blush that looks good on literally everyone. Shimmery, blushy, perfect. There's nothing more to say.

BADgal Plum Mascara: I was hesitant to try on the plum mascara when my makeup guy suggested it. I had an instant flashback of the purple hair mascara (cringe) that I used to use in high school. But I braved the flashback, tried it on, and LOVED it. Just enough of a shade difference from the usual black mascara that it draws attention without looking costume-y. Most people don't even notice that my lashes are purple. It's like walking around with a fun little secret. And the applicator brush is humungous, which results in equally humungous lashes. I'll never go back to the skinny-wanded drugstore counterparts.

That's it for today. I hope you all had a great weekend. I'm just getting back into full production mode in my shop and trying to balance it all with two darling children, so I apologize for the light blogging last week. xo.

good things

I was talking with some friends last night and someone mentioned how she's always expecting something to go wrong, so she's never caught off guard when it does. I've been doing the same lately. I can't decide if it's helpful or pessimistic. But it's been working for me.

I'm going to make a point of finding something good about each day amidst the crying, pouting and general destruction that are part of life with kids. Even though no day is perfect, my days are filled with great things. Today, I'm looking forward to playgroup in the city with old friends. There's something so comforting about being with people you've known for years.

So what's good about today?

{photo via i can read}

The Break Up.

Dear Target,

My heart is racing. My palms sweating. I know when to admit that I've got a problem. So let me just say this: I have a problem. In fact, you're my problem. Just when I thought you couldn't be any more perfect, you go and do this to me.

I just saw the children's collection and my heart skipped a beat. Literally. Baby clothes don't often have that effect on me. But this dress just about threw me over the edge. With it's little bloomers and rosettes. How could you be so cruel?

And a bike, Really? Now that's downright mean.

This is where I'm supposed to say "it's not you, it's me." But really, it's not me, it's YOU. With your clean aisles, your well-stocked shelves, the Pizza Hut counter and now with Liberty of London. I don't know if I can stay away. But I know that you're no good for me. You're like my own personal brand of heroin (and yes, that was a bad Twilight reference) Goodbye for now. I hope our paths cross again someday when I can be a little more responsible.

Oh, wait. We're out of deodorant? Maybe one romp down the aisles couldn't hurt...

Working

I'm busy today catching up on some orders. While I'm working away in my shop, a quick question for you: Does anyone know what these flowers are called? We had a freak frost this winter and it killed several of my plants. The hummingbirds loved these flowers and I miss our little visitors.

Cooking With Hudson: Rolls

I can't have Kitchen Week without inviting Hudson back for one of his spectacular guest posts. Today we're making rolls. Not just any rolls. Delicious, little buttery morsels that you actually make ahead of time, freeze, and bake on the day of your meal. I'll give you the ingredients, then I'm turning things over to Hudson. {Deanna, this is the recipe I promised to give you like a year ago. Sorry 'bout that.}

Make Ahead Butterhorns:

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1/2 c. butter or margarine

3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 tsp. salt

4 to 4 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. melted butter

Combine yeast and warm water; allow to stand 5 minutes until it foams, then stir down. Melt butter in pan. Add milk immediately and remove from heat. Blend in sugar, eggs, salt and dissolved yeast. Stir in enough flour to make soft dough. Cover and allow to rise until double, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Now Hudson's going to walk you through the rolling and cutting of the rolls.

***

Hi Everyone. I'm back. And I'm here today to teach you how to make one of my favorite accompaniments to any meal. Bread. If you're anything like me, bread may actually be your entire meal for those extra finicky days. So if all you're eating in a meal is bread, it had better be some darn good bread.

Once the dough has had time to rise, you're going to want to put it on a floured surface. Squish it about in your hands slightly until it's easier to handle. Divide it in half. Roll each half into a circle, 12-14 inches in diameter. Yes, I know what diameter is. I am four after all. See, look how good my circle turned out:

Now comes the fun part. Whip out your trusty pastry brush and paint the entire circle with butter. The more the merrier. Go crazy with your bad self and let the butter fling about the room. Your mom will love it.

Now get out the roll cutter (or a pizza cutter, if yo don't have one of these fancy little numbers). And don't mind the green marker on my face. It was a busy day at preschool. Can you believe my mom makes me come home and slave away in the kitchen after a long day of arts and crafts?

Cut the circle in half, then in half again. Keep cutting each of those pieces in half until you have 16 pieces.

Then roll each piece loosely from the large end to the pointed tip.

Place point down, close together on a baking sheet. Or any other tray or plate that will actually fit inside your rad 1980's freezer, for that matter. Repeat above steps with the second half of the dough. Place the rolls immediately in the freezer and let them freeze for two hours.

Definitely do NOT drop the rolls on the floor on the way to the freezer. Moms don't really like food that lands on the floor. Not sure why. It looks OK to me. Anyway, after they're nice and frozen, transfer them into a big ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer until you're ready to cook them.

Now for cooking instructions:

2.5 to 4 hours before time to serve, remove desired amount of rolls from freezer and place on buttered baking sheet (can you tell I like butter?) about 2 inches apart. Cover lightly with clean towel and allow to rise at room temperature until double. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes 32 rolls.

***

Thanks, Hudson. You sure make cooking lots more fun. And messy. But mostly more fun. Enjoy the rolls everyone. I promise, this recipe's a keeper.

Cupcake Secrets

I'm fighting through a frosting hangover to bring you a post this morning. Isn't that dedication? I really must love you. A lot. But what would kitchen week be without so much as mentioning The Cupcake? It would be boring, that's what.

Last night, B and I went to a cupcake class. It was one of my Christmas presents from him; and it was so much fun. Of course, when you combine my favorite food and my favorite person, it's an equation for a pretty good night. Even after nearly 8 years of marriage, I learned something new about my husband: he's surprisingly dextrous with a pastry bag.

I didn't even try to take photos of ours (blame the frosting hangover) so I just jacked this nice one from Martha Stewart. But you can be certain that ours look equally as lovely. Probably better. But I did learn a few great tips last night. (Anyone else feeling a tutorial coming on?) I'll get to that after I recover from my binge last night.

My list of must-have baking gadgets just increased. To make all your cupcakes evenly sized, grab yourself a #12 scoop. Brilliant, I tell you. Scoop out the same size each time, and use the little button to plop it neatly into the cupcake tin. Just like an ice cream scoop. Or one of those scoops the lunch lady used to serve up your carrot and pea medley in grade school. Tasty.

A gigantic pastry tip makes decorating cupcakes a cinch; and a bowl scraper keeps the frosting down in the pastry bag, instead of blobbing out all over the top and your hands. So if you're up for some fun, grab yourself some of these items and we'll meet back here for a little cupcake party next week. :)

{image via Martha Stewart}

Table Settings

One part of entertaining that I'm horrible at is table setting. By the time I've planned everything and done all the cooking, I run out of steam (and money) to make the table look exceptional. Here are two of my favorite easy and affordable springtime table setting ideas:

{Real Simple}

No need to go all-out with a huge bouquet. Just use small vases and separate the flowers into lots of tiny arrangements. Then your guests aren't constantly craning their necks around a monstrous arrangement to see the guest across the table. And do I see white rocks scattered about the table? Grab a can of spray paint and get to it.

{cooking light}

I love the look of mismatched china and linens.

And for you practiced table setting veterans:

{Rebecca Thuss}

I know we've all seen this image dozens of times. But it always takes my breath away. So bold and dramatic.

Here's to a fun spring filled with lots of beautiful tables.

Best of Both Worlds

So maybe the perfect kitchen combination is some pops of color amidst a clean, white backdrop. At least that's what I'm feeling this morning.

{via we heart it}

This one is just plain fun. I adore all the color and the whimsical details.

Patterned deer head, anyone?

{house beautiful}

I will paint the insides of my cabinets green someday.

It adds just the right amount of color and really sets off those white dishes.

{house beautiful}

I'm head over heels for those blue glass tiles.

{we heart it}

Adding color with linens and hanging dishes is such an easy, economical solution.

Tell me, what's your favorite thing about your kitchen right now?

Kitchen Perfection

For that perfectionist in all of us, here are some of my favorite sleek, white kitchens:

{via Delikatissen}

{from Style at Home via Black Eiffel}

{via Hus & Hem}

{belle maison, via dress, design & decor}

{this old house}

So which side of the color debate do you fall on? A lively, colorful kitchen; or a relaxing, clean space?

Bright & Colorful Kitchens

In the kitchen, I'm completely torn. I love fun, bright decor; yet a part of me yearns for the clean freshness of pure white. This post is dedicated to my adventurous, color-craving side.

{via we heart it}

{via House Beautiful}

{via Hello Tiger}

{via 79 ideas}

{via BooksCakes & Kisses}

{via House Beautiful}

{via This Old House}

{via House Beautiful}

{via Apartment Therapy}

If you're not smiling after all that color, call the nearest doctor...there's definitely something wrong with you.

Kitchen Week

This week, I'm celebrating all things kitchen. It is, after all, the heart of the home. Might as well make it beautiful, fun and delicious. Lately my big serving piece obsession is the cake stand. Such a basic piece with so many possibilities. I think a collection is imminent.

{photo here}

Here are a few favorites:

{kate spade}

{vessels and wares}

{whitney smith}

{mosser glass}

I'll be back this week with more from the kitchen, AND a cooking demo from Hudson.

White

Just a glimpse into our weekend.

Charlotte's blessing day was perfect. She was surrounded by people who love her, showered with attention and she got to wear a pretty dress. Everything a girl could hope for.

4 Months

Just a few favorites from Baby C's four month photo shoot.

I just can't resist all that squishy, smiley baby goodness.

I've been a little bit of a slacker blogger this week. I'm feeling much better now, and we're getting ready for C's baby blessing this weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend.