for the love of a character chair

Yum. Who doesn't love a great accent chair in any room?  Curvy legs, fun fabrics, bold print and color.. you really can't go wrong here.  My top 5 favorites for the moment:

1. Winter Water Factory  2.  Anthropologie  3.  Crate and Barrel  4.  Crate and Barrel  5.  West Elm  6.  Garden love -- Bobby Berk Home

happy halloween (pet version)

Happy Halloween Everyone!  Maximus attended his first halloween party at DogTrix on Friday.  We had a Purdue Boilermaker jersey for him to wear but it was too small.  So he rocked a halloween scarf instead.

We were probably dressed the most "classy" at the halloween party.  Some of the other "parents" really out did themselves on the costumes.  They were way too cute.  Here are some of my favorites that I saw.

chasing harry winston

Just finished this great read.  Ok, yes, it did come out a couple of years ago.  And yes, sometimes I'm a bit late getting on the band wagon.  Its never too late right?  Its a super easy read.  If you love Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed then you'll love Lauren Weisberger. (Weisberger is also the author of The Devil Wears Prada fyi)

In a nutshell, three best friends decide to take their life, relationships, etc. into their own hands.  They realize they aren't getting any younger and if they want to reach their goals then they need to do it quickly.  They make a pack to finish their resolutions in one year.  Needless to say, they get more then they expected.

Love this book.  Love this author.  Looking forward to reading her other books on the shelf.

erin's bridal shower

i had a friendly little request from my good friend Brooke a few weeks ago to make bridal shower invitations for our friend, Erin.  We came up with a few options... which do you think was the winner?

I had a great time making these!  Erin, I wish I could be in Chicago for your special day!  Brooke, take lots of pictures for me.  Congratulations again Erin!

hive

Flock modular systems from HIVE were featured this month in my Viking magazine.  Made of sheep's wool, these honeycomb-shaped panels add a pop of color to any wall or flat surface.  They come in a variety of colors are super easy to install.  Just peel and stick!  They come with a template or get creative with your own pattern.

wassail

I can't believe its time to break out the fall food!  Wassail, the Norwegian term for hot cider.  This recipe has been a family favorite for generations.  Its a great treat for Thanksgiving or a fall get together.  I usually just put all the ingredients in a crock pot and let family/guests serve themselves during appetizers and dessert.

Ingredients
1 gal of apple cider
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c lemon juice
3/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbl of cloves
2 Tbl of crumbled cinnamon bark (or 4 sticks whole)

Add all ingredients and boil for 20 min.  (or add all ingredients and place in crockpot on warm)

Enjoy!

Aubrey's wedding programs

Aubrey asked me to design her wedding programs for her wedding.  I was thrilled to help out!  And then I ended up taking control and becoming her wedding coordinator in general, ha!  Everything was beautiful (mos t of all the bride). I hope to have pictures of the wedding up soon.

outside

inside

Aubrey loves the color purple so the whole wedding was variations of deep purple, ivory, and a buttery yellow.  So pretty for fall!  We took a lot of inspiration and design elements from my own wedding programs.  My wonderful best friend did most of the designing on them.  You can check out all of Abby's work at The Turquoise Penguin.

one day

Just finished this before we headed home for Aubrey's wedding! So good... now I can't wait to see the movie that came out this summer.

One Day by david nicholls is a must read romance.  These two meet one night at the end of their senior year in college and maintain a friendship/flirtation for the next twenty years.  The book follows their lives and all the unexpected twists and turns.  Its all about timing or lack their of.  Its a great alternative to the classic chic lit. Check out the New York Times for their full review.

Ellen Degeneres Beverly Hills Estate

Architectural Digest has been featuring Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi's home this month in their monthly magazine.  I've been so busy I haven't even had a chance to blog about how much I love it!  You can clearly see where Portia is involved and where Ellen is involved in the design.  I love the light and airy feeling and all the natural and organic textures and colors.  For the full article:  Architectural Digest

lemony baked salmon

So i bought salmon at the grocery the other day... it is just as expensive as chicken up here so i think we may be eating a lot of it.  But I'm not complaining!  I got this delicious recipe from Real Simple.  Its super easy and delicious.

Prep Time: 10 min
Bake Time: 30 min

Ingredients 

1 cup bulgar (barley)

      **I forgot about this and made pasta as a side.  If you don't want to add the cous cous or barley with it then I would just do 1 cup of broth

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth 

salt and black pepper 

1 pound asparagus (approximately 1 bunch), trimmed)

      ** I used a frozen bag

1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

1 lemon, very thinly sliced

      ** I didn't have this on hand so I improvised with lemon juice.  Lemon juice is concentrated so if you like lemon on your fish I would just use the juice instead of an actual lemon.  The lemon slice looks nice for presentation though.

2 tablespoons fresh dill

      ** I didn't have any of this on hand either so I used parsley

olive oil

Direction

Heat oven to 375 deg. F.  In a large, shallow baking dish, combine the bulgur, broth, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on top, then place the salmon on top of the asparagus.  Season the salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and top with lemon.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the bulgur and asparagus are tender and the salmon is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve the salmon with the bulgur and asparagus. Sprinkle with the dill and drizzle with the oil.

jennifer aniston's beverly hills home

I am a huge Jennifer Aniston fan and her Beverly Hills home was recently featured in Architectural Digest.  According to the article in AD, "the house, which Aniston calls Ohana, a reference to the Hawaiian idea of extended family, is the first time she has undertaken the creation of a large residence on her own. The result is an open, airy home that, she says, “has been inside me for a long time.”

Read more: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes/features/2010/03/jennifer_aniston_article#ixzz1