Home…be Inspired

Easter Tablescapes and Nest Cakes

As I was thinking on my last post how things evolve over the years. How your style changes or you want to try something a bit different, so I put together a couple of collages in PicMonkey to compare how things have changed in my Easter Tablescapes and Carrot Cake Nest cakes or cupcakes.

First}  As you can see above, the color scheme of blue and white as always been a signature in my look.  In the first picture, I used my bunny hand towels as my runner and it was very simple with white candle holders and candles. and plain white napkins.  My robins egg blue plates and my Mom's antique silver were set.  The white ceramic egg basket with robins egg blue truffles were nestled inside.  The ball jar wine glasses were a  bit of casual added to the table adds a bit of farmhouse elegance to the table. The centerpiece is a nest under a glass cloche. More details HERE.

Second} In the second picture I used my Mother's blue embroidered lace runner and added more layers  in the place settings, The centerpiece is a thrifted white ceramic basket bowl filled with Easter grass and eggs along with silver mint julep cups with white tulips. I again used my Ball Jar glasses, my Mother's antique silver and some ruffled napkins from Potterbarn.  Go Here to see more details.

Third} The third image my tables cape I strayed a bit from the only blue and white color scheme and added purple.  The centerpiece is my beloved white pitcher full of purple blooms.   The layers also continue with the plates and chargers along with the napkins.  The napkins have a beautiful teal blue and purple color to them.  The turquoise egg cups contain succulents in them.  The mossy baskets have a white chocolate bunny with turquoise chocolate eggs. My Mother's antique silver is always used on my Easter Tables as you can see.  I really went casual with the glassware and used turquoise ball jars. Follow this link to see more.

Fourth}  Then this years tablescape...much more rustic with lots more natural elements and color in the floral picks.  You can read the last post here to get the details. 

I love all the Easter tables that I've done throughout the years and boy it's come along since the early days.  It's fun playing with the different spring décor that I've collected over the years, mixing it up all up.  How about you, do you like to set a pretty Easter table?  I'd love to see it by putting it in the link in the comment section.

First} The Nest Carrot Cake is more of a whitewashed nest with pastel colored eggs that sits upon some green sprinkles.

Second} The nest has more of a light brown color to it with beautiful shade of blue eggs.

Third} The third picture is a more rich dark chocolate color that sits on green coconut grass with truffle robins eggs.

Fourth} Went with carrot cake cupcakes, used chocolate shavings for the nest and a turquoise egg was nestled on top.

You can check out the recipe on the sidebar or in the last post.  It's always delish and fun to make.  Always taste tested by me {and family} and approved.  I love carrot cake and this one is so tasty with it's cream cheese frosting. Hope you have a wonderful day and I'm off to put on my apron. 

 

Spring Table 2016

What?!  It's been over a month since I last posted, egads!  Well, I guess Instagram has stolen my time....yep...it's been so easy to snap up a picture on my ipad that I neglect my blog.  So if you like to follow me on Instagram...here is the link.  Anyways...I've been off for Spring break this week and I have been to the beach, it was in the 70's and sunny, it was very nice to dig my toes in the sand.  Went to the race track and to dinner at Roy's to celebrate my birthday {with my girlfriends, my birthday is actually this Monday not sure what my family is planning I think we will be doing Crack as in eating Crack Pie}  I've also been spring-ifying my cottage.  Lots of fresh flowers,  Robin's Eggs nestled in nests, here and there. I thought I'd share my Spring Table with you today.  I'm also working on a Spring Wreath....so that should be on the blog soon.

 

Every year my tablescape is never the same....my colors always have Robin's Egg blue and white, but it comes together differently each year.

This year is more of a Natural Spring look that evolved.  Most everything is stuff I already had on hand, the only thing new is the twig chargers I got several months back from Painted Fox.  That gave me the rustic look I was aiming for along with the burlap runner and my farmhouse table.

Most of my table décor is yard-sale or thrift shop scores.  The burlap runner I made with some vintage lace {I bought at a yard-sale} which I've used on several seasonal table-scapes, I folded it in half for this time, I felt it was too wide for this table look.  The silver-beaded chargers, white ironstone plates and mini pitcher are from the Goodwill.  The blue-lace edged monogram napkins was from an Estate sale, they have my first name initial on them and are the prettiest shade of blue and are very delicate looking. I fell in love with the embroidery on them.

The turquoise egg cups I picked up last year from World Market, I planted  a little mini flowering plant in an egg shell.  I did this last year too and I loved the look so I repeated it, then I can plant easily plant them later on in a container, egg shell and all.

The damask printed egg shaped bowls I purchased at Williams-Sonoma on sale several seasons ago and the white ceramic baskets I got at my local grocery store. The hobnail glasses were $1.99 at a place called Burlington Coat Factory, do they have those in other parts of the country?  It's sort of like a clearance Kohl's, they have variety of home goods and they sell coats too!  They are one of my favorite wine glasses, I use them everyday, for wine or not.

This little nest I've had for a very long time and you can see the flowers are quite faded, I popped in some lavender from my garden and a few blooms I picked up from Trader Joes.  The turquoise chocolate eggs are from Terrain.  I usually pick up some truffle eggs from Williams-Sonoma but went with Terrain this time, they were such a pretty color of turquoise I had to have them, they came in a cute WECK jar, that I'll repurpose some how later on down the road.

This white bunny carrying a terracotta pot with a flower inside was something I put together, usually he carries a faux robin's egg in his basket. I wanted to change it up a bit this time.  I made his little ribbon necktie with satin pink ribbon and a crochet flower.

Well the table is all set and I'm all ready for a nice Easter Meal with the family.  I'll be making my to die for Carrot Cake...

Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it yourself.

Carrot Cake...with Nest

I used a Bundt cake pan so I could use the hallow for the nest

Carrot Cake

Ingredients;
2 Cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
3 cups of grated carrots
1 20oz. of crushed pineapple
2 cups of sugar
2 cubes of soft butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions: Sift dry ingredients together, set aside.
Mix sugar, butter well. Add eggs Mix in pineapple, add dry ingredients. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour in pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until fork comes clean, cool. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting

Frosting; 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 
1 cube of butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 box of powdered sugar

Blend well the above ingredients...frost on cool cake.

Note; I put this in a Bundt pan you can also use a 9x13 inch pan.

The Nest: Chocolate Morsels in white, chocolate or any color of nest you want and Chinese Chow Mein Noodles. Melt chocolate in double boiler. When melted add noodles and mix until covered. Form a nest in the hollow of bundt cake and add some eggs I added a few dyed flakes of coconut under the nest to give it a pop of color. You'll have a very seasonally delicious and beautiful cake for your Easter dessert.

 

Vintage Stove {ALMOST} in the House!

They say,  "patience is a virtue". I've been coveting a vintage stove like my parents had in their home since we moved back from Hawai'i and were living in my parent's old house, which had a 1950's stove in that home. That particular stove became a home to vermin when the house sat empty and all the gas lines had been eaten up  by the rats, so Mr. Incredible felt it was not worth the time or expense to fix it.  I have never stopped wanting one for my own home when we left that one behind.  I've been pinning kitchens with antiques stoves since I've been a Pinner and before that, there were torn out magazine pictures pre Pinterest in my Home...be Inspired decorating ideas binder.  Yes...quite a long time..patience I think I got that nailed down.  "Good things come to those who wait" and I've waited a long time.

To me the antique stove fills my head with wonderful images of my father cooking pancakes on the griddle on a weekend morning.  We used that griddle a lot!  Both of my parents cooked a lot on that stove.

Memories of a gone by era...

They have lasted the test of time, like they say, "they don't make them like they used to".  You can still find them here and there.  Mr. Incredible knew I wanted one and was one in an antique store so he stopped and inquired about it.

I would like to take my 1950's kitchen back to it's era and my {new to me} antique stove will help bring in that character in the kitchen. 

I can't wait to have it installed in my kitchen and start cooking my own pancakes on the griddle.

I guess the mini-facelift on the kitchen won't be long now...you know what they says, you start one thing and it's a domino affect.

Because once the stove is installed I'm going to have to have scalloped metal range hood. Once I have a scalloped range hood...

 I'm going to have to get new counters...after I get new counters..I'm going to have to get a new backsplash...

 after you get a new backsplash I'll have to get a new sink....you get the idea...I should of named this post....."When you get Gabrielle a new Vintage Stove she'll want a......New Kitchen.  Well not necessarily a new kitchen...but like I said a mini-facelift.  Painted cabinets, new hardware, new sink, and a new backsplash. 

Well, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the Cottage on Cullen!!

The Drudgery of Laundry

 

I'm not one of the lucky ones that has a designated laundry room or space...mine is in the garage, glamorous I know, you be jealous.  But I can browse the internet and covet beautiful laundry spaces, IF I was so lucky to ever have one.  The only place I think we could ever manage to fit one inside our home, would be a hall coat closet...then we would have to relocate all those jackets...But my girlfriend {{she is the one with the to die for kitchen}, got a leak in her downstairs area where her laundry is and we have been having fun  thinking together what we could do to organize her space a bit better...I've pulled these images from Pinterest I have a Laundry Room Board there to help her see what we could do.

Her laundry room is the color of the first picture, sea glass blue with lots of white trim.  She put in a butcher block table with shelves that she got from Ikea, it will come in handy for folding laundry.  I think having those fold-away laundry racks would be handy to have up on one of the walls as they can be handy to hang clothes or for sweaters that need to be hand washed and drip dried.

I love those pendants that would be great for extra light and that little farmhouse sink is adorable.  She has those lights come to think of it over her kitchen island.  She definitely needs more shelving, not sure if she would like closed cabinets, I think open shelving would be really nice.

Something like this would work great or maybe something more rustic or industrial....

I love these DIY Wood Plank Shelves with industrial pipes...I think it would look great! 

Since it was my friends Birthday I wanted to give her a present that was practical and would help get her organized in her new Laundry room to help take the Drudgery OUT of doing laundry.

I first found these huge mason jar drink dispensers at Walmart....

They were about $15.00 a piece and I found them in the picnic section towards the front of the store. 

I debated weather to hang chalkboad tags from the dispenser or make my own labels I wanted to cover up the "cold drink" embossed label on the jar.  I ended up making my own labels on the computer but you could pick up these tags at World Market too if you wanted to go that route. Go HERE if you want a tutorial on how to make labels in Microsoft Word.  In the picture above I just traced my shape that I would use as a template for my labels to glue on my jar.  I used glue dots to adhere the labels to the jar. 

Sorry for the blurry picture...I printed out then used my template to cut out my shape.

Here they are all ready.....don't they look pretty? Better than those ugly plastic jugs they come in.

I got the cute wooden clothes pins in the white drawstring bag from World Market as well as the Lavender linen spray.  The canvas laundry bin came from Homegoods, I loved it's little saying on the front.

Speaking of lost socks...does that not DRIVE you crazy when you can't find the pair to the other sock....it drives me INSANE in the Membrane!!  Really it does....this is a cute idea.....to put in the laundry room...

or this one...

 Or I might adapt this sign to say, "Clean and Single and ready to Mingle"...hee hee. 

 I added an antique wooden washboard to the bin and made a Happy Birthday tag.  I hope she enjoyed her gift and as soon is she is done with her Laundry Room Makeover I'll be sure to get over there and take some pictures of it.  She has a beautiful home and I'm sure the laundry room will be a place that will take out the drudgery at least a little bit our of doing the mundane of Laundry.

Painting My Built-In

During this time of the year when the girls are back at school I try to tackle some projects around the Cottage on Cullen.  Lots of time I start projects but it seems to take me forever to get them completed as this is our "busy" season.  With both girls on the Volleyball teams at their high school and Club Soccer on weekends my days are super busy.  I've also started to get off my butt and walk a couple of times a week and to eat with more of a conscience {being aware of what I put in my mouth}. I've being trying to lose weight spurred on by my Doctor so it is not always easy for me to fit everything in a day and the blog gets neglected.  I did start to repaint my built in bookshelves and they are almost finished. I just need to resand the doors, repaint them and buy new hardware for them.  When we moved into the Cottage on Cullen their was graffiti all throughout the home {the previous homeowners were disgruntled that the home was being taken over by the bank in foreclosure}.  So the bank came in and sprayed everything with a white primer including all of the hardware. Since the built in bookcase originally had and oil based paint and was now painted in water based paint it has started to peel in several areas throughout the Cottage on Cullen.

 
Our built in bookshelves are the wall that separate our kitchen from our living/dining room by a pocket door on one side and the entryway hallway.  Mr. Incredible would like to tear down the whole wall and put in an island to open up the space, I'm not so convinced because I love my Built in very much and it is one of the features that say "cottage" to me.

But on the other had it would really open that space up so when I'm cooking in the kitchen I would be more connected to the living areas of my home. I really enjoy styling the built-in and have several of my favorite things showcased like my aqua mason jars or my shell collection.  Beacause of it's white backdrop it is easy to change it out seasonally.

I've been browsing the internet for styling inspiration to see what direction to go.  Do I want to go more sparse with a one or two items per shelf or do I want to load it up with books and lots of pretty things? I have a model sailboat I got from my friend's yardsale that her father built and I want to display that, so I'm leaning in that direction, it is navy and white and navy is trending right now.

 
Well, hopefully by the weekend I'll be able to share the repainted and restyled Cottage on Cullen built-in bookshelf.  I know you've been waiting with bated breath to see it, {Haha}.  I'm also looking into a barndoor for the other side of the room. I found a rustic, peeling with yellow paint door at an antique store that I think I may buy it if it's the right price and is the right size.  Then I think the Cottage on Cullen Living/dining room will be pretty much done except for removing the non-useable air conditioner that is such and eyesore sticking out of the wall!  I hate that thing, it is sooooo ugly!  At least I'm making progress....Rome was not built in a day, they say.   Have a great weekend!!  

 

 

Easter Table 2014

Happy Easter dear Blog readers!  I know I already set a Spring Tablescape..but I got all in a nesting mood with seeing all the eggs laying around I redid my table...for Easter Dinner tonight. 

Here's looking at it from the other direction from the built-in that you see in the first photo.

It's a hodge podge of items I set the table with, some antique silver from my Grandmother on my Mom's side.  I'm so lucky to have a treasured heirloom and I use them when I set my fancy schmancy table.  The eyelet runner with a hint of blue on the edge, was also my Mothers, she loved linens of all kinds but sadly lost most of them in a fire.  The few pieces she had given me were saved and I treasure them each and every one of them.

The ruffle edge linen napkins in french blue are from Pottery Barn when they went on sale last year and I do believe they are on sale now at 20 percent off.  I don't like to pay full price for anything..I'll usually wait until the last minute to get the best deal.  Just like I did yesterday and got some egg damask ramekins from Williams-Sonoma which were originally marked at 29.95 {I got them for 14.00, less then half off} I loved the basket weave on them, like my Goodwill bowl up above, I fill it with our painted eggs but as you can see we are lagging a bit in that area.

The mint julep cups make beautiful vases for the white tulips that I got at  the Goodwill, as well as the beaded, silver-plated chargers.  The floral spray china plates which I only have 3 of, so I'm  on the look out for one more, I bought years ago at an old antique store near my home.

 

The mini white ceramic baskets came from my local Grocery store Ralphs....I used them last year too!  Of course my Redneck wine glassess make an appearance...at the table.  I love those suckers...

  The table is set as is the Menu....Pineapple and Honey Glazed Ham, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Orange Glazed Carrots, Deviled Eggs and Strawberry Shortcake Cake for dessert.  Yep..I changed my mind because I bought all these Strawberries a few days ago and I need to use them up but I'll still be adding my Chow Mein Nest to the top for some added umph. Can't go wrong with this recipe, it's from The Pioneer Women.  Hope you have a wonderful Easter  with your family and the Easter Bunny Brings you a Big Chocolate Rabbit! 

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Circa 1970's Costume Jewelry Tree and the New Years Tablescape

Before all my precious and not so precious Christmas Decorations get all packed up carefully in their plastic cocoons and find their way up onto the garage rafters until next year on Thanksgiving weekend when I haul them all down again I wanted to share our Circa 1970's Costume Jewelry Tree. Dear Lady Ponka {my husband's Paternal Grandmother}made it and it was handed down to him many years ago along with the special crystal spider.  Do any of you have a Jewelry Tree from one of your family members?  I would love to hear your story and how it came into your possession? I've heard you can sometimes find them at yardsales.  Here is where I found out that they were a craft that the homemakers  used to do in the 70's.  Lady Ponka was a big time crafter and dabbled in all kinds of crafty stuff.  Our tree is really kind of neat because there are holes in the tree where you can insert lights, I love this feature about our tree.  Doesn't she look purdy all lit up?

This is how the mantle looked after the big crash of 2013...I had to regroup some items.  Lucky for me my mercury glass candlesticks did not come crashing down, they were spared.  

My glittered box tower that I made a few years ago....came out.

Along with the crystal door knobs I LOVE and my white reindeer bowl,  another gift from my mother. I usually fill it with mercury glass ornaments or porpourri. 

We went to my good friends house for Christmas Eve and my husband's uncles' house for Christmas day so I did not set a tablescape for Christmas but I did for New Years.  

Nothing sets the ambiance than glowing candles... I'm a big fan of WHITE candles because they glow from within.  

New to my holiday place settings are the beaded silver chargers I got from Savers {1.99 a piece} and my  Rustic Luxe Ruffle Napkins in Smoke Blue from PB.  I got them a few months ago when they went on sale, I've been eyeballing them since Springtime and when they were the right price I pulled the trigger.  They match the leaves in my Noritake fine china, the style is called Heather that Mr. Incredible got at a yard sale for 5 bucks...yep you heard that right, 6 piece place setting for four. {lucky for me there is only four in my family}.  As you can see I only use the plates.  

 As you can see my tablescape is a mish mash of family pieces { my grandmothers silverware and silver pieces}, thrifted finds{the fine china and beaded chargers} and some new items {the napkins and the Ball Jar Wine glassess}. Cheers to you my dear friends and blog readers, hope you have a fantastic 2014, that is healthy and happy!  

 

"I Brake for Junk"

I really need to make a bumper sticker for my car that reads "I brake for Junk!" Really!  My poor kids we will be on the way to school, to practice and even when I'm on my way to work, my tires go a screetching as I see some junk  great find on the side of the road.  As was the case with this wine rack. 

So in it went to the back of the van.  I have no idea if I'll use as a wine rack or if I'll tear it apart and use the wood and cute little board that says "Barrel Select" I just know it caught my eye.

I do know it is looking pretty cute right there on the brick porch with my hydrangea in it.  

Disclosure.....after Kenzie {my gifted photographer-daughter} took these pictures I took it out to the back patio to hide it from Mr. Incredible...I did not want him to say, "what are you planning on doing with that piece of junk, oh yea..great for the winter when we need firewood" comment. 

Any ideas what I should do with my little roadside find?  

Kitchen, Organizing the Garage and a cute girl and her shorts

I'm kind of all over the place right now...I'm at a bit of a standstill in the kitchen.  Mr. Incredible has been working all kinds of crazy hours the past few weeks and I need him to help me install a "three pronger outlet thingy" behind my desk in the kitchen {where in all reality I should be making all my Menu planning} so I can hook up the laptop there. Perfect to look at all the great recipes I've been pinning at Pinterest.

There is the outlet...I also need to finish painting the trim...all around the kitchen..but I don't need him to do that but I want to paint a chalkboard wall on the other side of the kitchen behind the refrigerator and I need help moving the appliances.  

So as I've been in a "holding" stage I decided to record all the paint choices we have painted in the Cottage on Cullen so far...I've dipped them in the paint and after they have dried with a sharpie wrote the color, the maker and the room it was painted in.  

Then I'll drill a hole in the end of the stick and tie it with some twine and hang them in the painting cabinet...I also keep the paint chips in my Home...be Inspired book, it keeps all my ideas about decor for our home in one area but have a lot of ideas on Pinterest too!  I love that place!!  

As you can see I have a lot of beachy colors going on..blues, greens and greys...in our color palette.  

As I've been organizing all my "craft crap" this girl has been getting her craft groove on... 

She is learning how to sew.....she watched a tutorial on youtube...and made

these old pair of jeans into....

shorts.....

with the cutest bows on the back pockets! She was so proud of herself! Looking good girl!!  I'm sure you'll be getting lots of orders from your friends soon....

They say Patience is a Virtue....

When I saw this french wire hamper at French General years ago, with it's rusty wire frame holding a variety of grain sac pillows {one did come home with me and now resides on my dining room chair} I knew I'd needed to keep my eye out for one to have in my laundry room, I liked that it had wheels so I could roll it out to my fancy laundry room in the garage, LOL. They looked sturdy and with a pretty liner would look great.  Then a few years later I came across one at the Rose Bowl Flea market and I was about 15 seconds to late and another couple snagged it for $40.00 bucks.  They were going to turn it into a coffe table by adding a glass top.  What a great idea!  Sort of like this....

 That reminded me of my Ratten one I had in college that I got for my 21st birthday, my mother asked me, "If I'd rather go to Vegas for my 21st birthday but I said I wanted this white ratten dining table from Pier 1  for my li'l  apartment in Ocean Beach  {Even then I was into house decor especially beachy cottage}, don't get me wrong..I was a student at San Diego STATE, I partied like the best of them. Lots of quarters bounced off this table.  I still have the same table linens, plates and that you see.  Those plates are imprinted with a sand dollar.  

Anywho...after seeing it at the Bowl, Pottery Barn started carrying them in their cataglog....remember this post?  Well dang that is a hefty price of $159.00...you do get the choice of a cute tiking or white liner.  I don't know how difficult it would be to make one. Well.....the other day I was visiting my Dear Old Neighbor and I saw she had one on her back Lanai and I asked where she got it, it ended up being her caregiver and she bought it at a yard sale for $3.00.  She had no idea what it was and was going to get rid of it.  I said I'd buy it off of her.  So for big, price of $10.00 dollars, I finally got my little wire french hamper.  Now..I need to drag the sewing machine out and get to work.  Yes..who said I didn't have any patience!!