nothing wrong with this view, nothing wrong at all. coming back to NH after a mini-vaca to this gorgeous beach on Anna Maria Island has got me thinking of all sorts of ways i can make a beach house my reality. in the mean time, i will decorate here so when the time comes, i will be ready!

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being a fan of a neutral pallette with pops of color (throw pillows, flowers, painted furniture....) i would opt for a fairly plain and clean vibe.

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how Dreamy!

it's been a while since i have shared a recipe, so here you go...

The Goddess

brown rice

1 carrot peeled & sliced

1 medium beet peeled & diced

1 small bunch broccoli cut small

1 large handful kale leaves

two 1/2 inch slices extra firm tofu drained & diced

goddess dressing  home made recipe

tamari or lightly salted almonds optional

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

prepare rice according to package. using steamer basket, separate in half using foil. place beets on one side, carrots on the other. set timer for 10 minutes and begin steaming. turn to medium-low after three minutes. at five minutes, add tofu and broccoli on carrot side (to avoid turnng red). at two minutes add kale on top.

add rice to bowl and dress. add remaining ingredients and more dressing. top with almonds if you wish.

Enjoy!

get the real thing @ Life Alive an organic cafe in Lowell & Cambridge Massachusetts

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"We are a spirited, design-driven family of companies that creates enthusiasm through our timely and timeless lifestyle products and our caring commitment to people and process.

Our mission drives our business and our profitability feeds our mission." D&A

dash & albert....have you heard? unless you live under a rock and don't read design magazines/blogs, you may not have. i guess you could live in a house and just not read design magazines/blogs--but anyhow, these rugs rule. a cotton woven rug makes for an affordable, bold design element in any room. pair with neutral walls, soft florals and weathed leather...

they also sell a genius polypropylene indoor/outdoor rug for all of us dog lovers. check out their site, and fall in love with the stripes, plaids, and more.

dash and albert

here was the inspiration: antropologie zinc letters. cost: 18$ each. i was assigned a studio project by Lisa Teague Studios, to recreate this look using...CARDBOARD! while i claim i can paint anything; this was going to be a stretch i thought to myself... here is what i started with:

cardboard letters i purchased at AC Moore for around 2$ each, and some left over paint from my living room: Green black from Sherwin Williams (yes, my living room is black, inspired by a J Crew retail store in austin, tx)....moving on: i painted each letter with two coats.

next i created a glaze using modern masters metallic paint. i used a latex extender and a little of my base color as the metallic had a slight gold tint to it, and we were looking for more of a silver. adding the black toned it down a bit. i dry brushed and blotted each letter as i saw fit. i let them dry and went back with my base coat to accent some edges for a worn look.

finished product:

the letters were delivered to the studio, and hung. oh the power of paint! don't be afraid to try your own! you don't necessarily have to do the multi-step metallic either--you could do white or pink for a nursery (prime with a coat of white first), navy, red or orange for a childs bedroom... or use whatever color paint you have lying around the house. we hung the letters with scotch 3m velcro picture hanging strips, two on each letter.

plastic christmas ornaments covered in book pages. adhered with glue-- love them!

see the tutorial here

paper flowers to dress up any package

as soon as i get my next burst of creative energy, i will be making these for all of my christmas gifts. these are made from old urban outfitters catalogs. i have been saving u.o. and anthro catalogs since last year after i discovered the valentine cards made by the girls at freepeople. here

see the tutorial here

another cool paper flower

these are cute too! these would be great hanging from the ceiling in different sizes on fishing line in a childs bedroom--

out of their reach of course!!

view the tutorial here

christmas trees made from magazines or books

last year we made about 10 of these. they were so pretty and easy it was addicting! i think they are an original martha stewart project, but easy enough for any average gal--! i also got spray adhesive and sprinkled mine with glitter. there is still glitter in my house as i went a little nuts with it! 

view turorial here

happy decorating!

 RALPH LAUREN

 JCREW

BANANA REPUBLIC

it's hard to say what i like more, a dress or my skinny jeans. fair enough-- i love them both. around the holidays it is more fun to put on a dress and accessorize maybe a bit more than usual. here are 9 dresses i would love to currently have on hand to fancy myself up for the parties over the next couple weeks. one change i would make, the camel colored shirt dress from j crew would have to be navy. i look ill and pasty in that color. so put the jeans away and show some leg; you'll feel and act more fancy!

my most favorite time of day is when i can light candles and turn on dim lights... maybe it's because i feel that's when people/families/friends and lovers really come together...after a days work, over a glass of wine, a time to reflect and unwind...here is my --wreath sled-- in the dusky hours looking it's finest...thanks Babcia XoXo

while out walking my dog, i noticed antique sleds everywhere adorned with simple green wreaths. i loved the idea and quickly remembered an old sled in the corner of my grandmother's basement. an inexpensive wreath priced at only $6 came with a wire making for an easy attachment. i clipped some holly branches from a bush in my yard, and voila, i have a sled too!

happy holiday decorating!

The Parkington Sisters Halleluja cover 

i saw these girls friday night as the guest artist for dispatch's lead singer Chadwick Stokes and they were TREMENDOUS! hailing from wellfleet, massachusetts (home of the wellfleet oyster as well), they open for Dropkick Murphys, Sonya Kitchell, and lots of other great bands too. see their site here. they have a celtic vibe to their tunes. and yes, i stole music mondays from urban outfitters

happy monday!

  old salvaged window frame: free, wreath: last years, irish blessing card: free, an engagement gift, santa: free, clipped from mail flyer, girls telling secrets: free, clipped from a mail flyer, string thing: old ball of hemp i have had for a million years thumb tacked to the side of frame, paper flags cut from scrap craft paper.

 more string things! and again, last years door wreaths repurposed as window wreaths. it is just so cheerful to look at for some reason, oh AND they look like upside down trees!

now go make yourself one and see what i am talking about!

 how to:

cut length of string desired and tie a knot on both ends so you can pin it to the surface you are hanging it on.

cut paper in v shape as big or small as you would like. fold over 1/2 in. on top and snip off end pieces so you cant see them when you hang them. 

hope you enjoyed!