Tag Archives: home

simplicity

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minimalist, clean, contemporary design at its best via afflante.com

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leonardo da vinci said that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

i am definitely getting on board with a more simple approach to life.  cleaning up, clearing out, decluttering, organizing, using simple and clean design elements…a little bit of less is more.  i am already making the shift into a spring mindset. trying to clear out the mess and lighten things up.  {p.s. who is super excited for the j.crew spring collection?  me.  that’s who.}  there is something so lovely about the understated.  classic elements that mean something.  not just things for the sake of things, but things that tell a story.  what statement pieces are your favorite?  what does your story look like?  what does your living space say about you?  here’s to a quest to become more sophisticated through simplicity.

there’s no place like home

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i am not sure what goes on this time of year…atmospheric pressure perhaps?  or maybe it is the suddenly empty and blah feeling that comes from taking down the christmas decorations.  but i always feel this overwhelming desire to redecorate and freshen up!

while perusing the pages of one of my daily blog staples { a cup of jo } i stumbled across a few pictures of a lovely home that has my mind spinning with inspiration and possibility…

and with a sewing machine in the house?  just think of what could be done!  this could be a very productive and creative and decorative spring indeed.

abbey-house-tour-new-york-apartment-bedroom-

a bold print on the wall.  fresh, white linens.

 abbey-house-tour-new-york-apartment-chair

that tufted velvet chair is simply dreamy!  and i wouldn’t mind that neon purse either…

 abbey-house-tour-new-york-apartment-shoes

love the palatte. deep, rich navy with yellow and gold.  plus a pop of pink.

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images from here

a post that will make you super envious

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this weekend, my amazing hubby made me the most scrumptious and decadent dinner.  you know you’ve got it good when your man randomly turns to you one day and says “i would really like to start making a special dinner at home once a week”.  um, okay.  so.  the plan is to get out on the town for a date night dinner out at least once a month and eat a special date night dinner in once a week.  courtesy of mister ben.  yup, sounds like a good plan.  he just loves to cook and he is so darn good at it.  this is one of his best ideas yet.  and has inspired a new series that i will be calling “chef ben”.  winner, winner, chicken dinner indeed.

dinner1he took a page out of tyler florence’s new cookbook fresh.  i highly recommend it. dinner2

nothing sexier than a man in the kitchen. dinner3the finished plate.  butternut squash puree topped with crispy porcini mushrooms, crispy sage, roasted pecans, and brown butter wine sauce.  and a dusting of parmesan.  so rich and satisfying…and no meat to be found!  now that is a culinary feat.

may i move in, please?

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a couple of weeks ago, our little family went on an outing to one of our favorite outdoor shopping spots.  aaaand it just so happened that the new restoration hardware store had opened so we decided to take a stroll through.  and blimey, was it incredible!  the store is like a huge home with perfectly decorated rooms around every turn.  truly dream-worthy, i tell you.

so here is a ridiculous amount of photos that i couldn’t resist snapping while we toured the halls of this amaze-ville.

a peek inside a lovely little home

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i stumbled upon this fabulous home featured on design*sponge and just had to share.

isn’t it fabulous?  simple, cozy elegance.  with touches of antiques, old books, and original family art.  i love the strategic collections of mementos.  not cluttered shelves and tables of “stuff” but important trinkets on display that are as lovely as they are meaningful.

this sends my mind a-spinning with decorating projects…how about you?

pregnancy pasta

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image courtesy of tylerflorence.com

so, we are big fans of tyler florence. see here and here. he makes good food. the recipes seem super gourmet and the ingredients are incredible. but…you can do it! and the final dish always turns out perfectly. he has the unique gift of being able to bring chef-style preparations and restaurant-quality dishes to life. at home.

he is our go-to guy.

many, many, many months ago. waaayyy pre-preggo. hubby and i were perusing the pages of cookbooks and he stumbled upon an amazing pasta recipe. we are talking pancetta carbonara, folks. to die for. the subtitle for the recipe was “a.k.a. my wife’s pregnancy pasta”. hmmm. ben looked at me with joy in his eyes and said “won’t that be fun to make when you are pregnant?!” and so, the recipe was filed away under “someday”.

well, “someday” has officially arrived. and my sweet hubby [man, i have a good one] is going to whip up a giant bowl of this rich, creamy, comforting goodness.   i can’t wait to dig in! and yes, there will be drool-worthy pictures to come.  if the real thing looks anything like the professional shot above, we are in for some tasty stuff.

coffee table books

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here is the latest scene from our coffee table

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from the library of c.s. lewis

the flavor bible

the ontario table

a book of recipes and inspiration from my home province

cigar.com catalogue

for my dapper man’s occasional indulgence

restoration hardware fall 2012 catalogue lookbook

for weekend reading [and dreaming] with a cup of coffee

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what is on your coffee table?

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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another weekend has flown by.

hubby and i sipped coffee and did some house organizing.  i had a little bit of a nesting-induced meltdown on saturday and decided that NOW was the time to switch out my closet in preparation for fall.  yes, it is still warm here in the desert.  and yes, it is wildly premature.  but, in my preggo-hazed brain, it made sense to get this done.  so, check!  my fall wardrobe is officially staring at me every time i enter my closet.  all those lovely wool pieces…that should not debut for weeks…and that could take months to fit into after baby girl arrives…well, they are in my closet, ready and waiting.  so, come on fall!  i am ready for ya.

dinner date night carbo-overload at mellow mushroom + starting off with pretzels and beer cheese fondue.  it was unreal + a salad, you know, for good measure + meaty-meaty pizza + my handsome hubby.  what a good lookin’ date + two cups-o-fall courtesy of starbucks + a yummy dinner at home, courtesy of my hubby

how was your weekend?  i hope it was splendiferous!

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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and a very happy labor day to you.

hubby and i have thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend so far…much relaxing and enjoying and eating and laughing and chatting.  i even baked a pie for our labor day celebration!  i will let you know how it tastes and make sure to include some festive snaps from our day.  another post to come.

here’s to savoring the final moments of summer.

the desert sunset + double-date night with my parents at chick rotisserie & wine bar+ happy faces + the simple and tasty menu + my parents, rocking the readers + chicken plates + our appetizer, stuffed biscuit bites filled with chorizo and manchego cheese, with garlic cream sauce + my man’s dinner selection: black truffle, mesquite brined rotisserie chicken with honey truffle dipping sauce, creamed corn [chargrilled with sweet cream and mint], and whipped potatoes + holiday pie in honor of the end of summer, blackberry balsamic + the baked and finished product…complete with walnut, oat, sea salt crumble topping.  looks good…hope it tastes yummy!

snaps & snippets & blurbs

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this post is a short and sweet one…much like our weekend.

can anyone tell me why the workweek creeps and crawls while the weekend is over in a flash?  not fair.  i could have used a few more days.

this weekend was spent eating yummy food [shocker] and spending time with family enjoying the most decadent chocolate ice ever.  homemade!  we also got the rocking chair for miss elinor’s room, put up bookshelves, and checked more items off the ol’ shopping list…more boxes of baby goodies will be arriving this week!  stay tuned for some snaps…

happy friday face + two silly bunny/gopher faces + my major vice, queso + street tacos + enjoying some of our breakfast favorites…apples with peanut butter and chipotle lox cream cheese on hemp bagels + taking advantage of hatch chile season + enjoying a chile burger at home…smothered in cheese, of course