My goal.

I have a goal. and its really even a silly one. But none-the-less, I will convince Mr. M to let me do a room (preferably the living room, but I would settle for the bedroom) in a board and batten style. (Ok, I know, it will be more just "batten" style, but whatever, same thing. Right?) I looove it. When we were living in Raleigh, I almost did the tiny bathroom in this style, but realized we wouldnt live there long, (and we didnt....2 months!) so I didnt want to waste the money. Now, we are renting, so its again, really a mute point. BUT, as soon as we buy our first place, this will be step one in decorating.

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Shelby on Pinterest

This is a laundry room (obviously) but I also love it.

Source: asoftplace.net via Shelby on Pinterest

Now, this is not my personal style, where it goes all the way to the ceiling, but look how high it makes the ceiling look!

Source: thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com via Shelby on Pinterest

Now we're talking. I prefer my B&B to be much taller, like shoulder height (4.5'-5'ish) but a striking blue color like this one is what I had in mind for the top. Ive actually picked out Regatta by Sherwin Williams. Ever since the silly employee there gave me a full color wheel-thingy (that they usually only give to contractors, or people who purchase lots of paint. Im neither.) :) All I do is gaze at the pretty colors and decide which are my faves and where I'd paint them...ahhh... hard life, I know.

Source: justagirlblog.com via Shelby on Pinterest

This is gorgeous! I think that Mr. M is more skeptical of how an entire room would look, but hello, he'll just have to read my blog so he can see, Ive proven my point. :)

Pinterest

Ashlie has been raving about Pinterest for months now, and honestly, I just kept rolling my eyes. I thought, "what was the point?". I know the point now. I totally get it. I have no idea what spawned me to actually investigate it further a few weeks ago, but I did. And, was actually a little pist (yes, p-i-s-t.. dont ask) :) off, because after all the hype, I wasnt allowed to sign up! Are you kidding me? I signed up to be on a waiting list, and that was it. I thought it would be months before they accepted me, and I also thought by then, who would care? I dont need Pinterest.

About one week post-investigation, I receive an email from Pinterest, inviting me to join. How nice of them. In fact, I ignored it for a few days. I guess the same curiosity that got me to look into it a few weeks earlier, reared its ugly head, and swallowed me whole. This was yesterday. And since then, I have been living in the realm of Pinterest. I love it.

When cruising through the blog world, I often find things and think "How cool is that?! I could do that!" But, then when I finally have the time, I can never find that one single thing again. It can be quite frustrating. However, lucky for me, I will never have to have this worry again. Check me out over at Pinterest, and here's a few things Ive already spotted.....

Source: inthefunlane.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I HAVE THIS EXACT CHAIR. Ok not the exact one, but actually a cooler one. I cant even remember where Mom found it, but she did, and I love it. She almost sold it for $50 a few months ago, (way more than she paid) but somehow I convinced her not to, and to let me have it! Its been living in her barn since we were in between states at the time, but Im ready for it. And, if you follow the link back to In The Fun Lane, youll see why. :)

Source: emilyaclark.blogspot.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I cannot wait to take down my gallery wall I worked so hard on and re-align it around the TV.

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I've been carrying  around this idea in the back of my head for a few months now. I think its awesome... This is in a laundry room, but it would also be perfect in a bathroom, or minus the hooks, and about a foot taller, in the bedroom. <3

Im off to tag more things for my boards on Pinterest, wish me luck. Please, follow me on there, and if you would like to join, Ill invite you! (Im not sure if its any different than being placed on the waiting list, but its worth a shot!) Im just getting started, so dont judge my lack of images!!

What Ive Been Doing..

I know it feels like I abandoned you again. But, I really havent, I swear!

I have been super busy the past few weeks. In light of a recent situation where things didnt quite work out the way we planned (do they ever?), Ive been committing more time to... ME. Well, to you. Well, to my blog/ design/ business/ funness/ all of the above.

Since I havent paused to write blogs (sorry!) I thought Id just show you what I have been doing.

A very dear friend (and the Best Man at our wedding) has started/ is starting up a little shop in Cut Off, LA where he and his wonderful wife live. They are specializing in camping and kayaking gear and outdoor clothing. We are super excited for them, and are stoked about being part of their journey!

My mom has been one of my longest standing clients, rightfully so. However, she has never actually used anything I have ever designed her. (Nice, right?)....Until now. Check out her new logo! She is totally in love!

 

My sister Ashlie started a blog a few months ago about what she knows best....fashion. And turns out, she is actually getting a lot of traffic! (Not that we're surprised, Ash!!) :) Reading about fashion is hardly my cup of tea, but when I finally headed over to her site, I knew it could definitely benefit from a little TLC. Her site / logo is still a work in progress, but feel free to check it out!

Last but certainly not least.... My own make over! Heres the new logo, and a peak at the business card as well. A full website update is in the process too! Stay posted.

LOGO!

FRONT OF BUSINESS CARD

BACK OF BUSINESS CARD

Can you tell I really love logo design??

A Little Bit Domestic Isnt Such A Bad Thing

Last summer we were surrounded by tons of blueberry fields, and at some point, I decided why not make blueberry jam?! Its all tied back in to my desire to eat less processed foods, and simply to know whats in the things we eat. Now, dont be confused, I did not have any spiffy tools or big pots. I just used what I had. The result, AWESOME BLUEBERRY JAM. Probably the best Ive even. (Well, expect maybe my Great Aunt Dot who used to make it years and years ago. Somehow I have always remembered it!)

Just starting to cook down the second bath. See the apples and blueberries?? YUM.

In all the excitement about moving home to Florida, I was a little bummed to have access to the those blueberries...... Until I remember Florida has STRAWBERRIES. Probably my all time favorite single piece of food. I think anyone in my family can attest to this.

This is the second batch waiting to set.

In Geneva there is a great little Strawberry Patch called Pappys that always has the most divine berries, but I havent quite made it out there yet, although I plan to this week. We purchased a flat (6 pints) of strawberries from the Winter Park Farmers Market this past weekend. They were only $7! The Farmer's Market was awesome. Really a one-of-a-kind experience, but more on that another day. :) Back to strawbs.

This is the second batch waiting to set. See how the blueberries made it so much darker?

We usually have at least one project on the weekends, and yesterdays was the jam. Blake spent all morning researching and reading through several cookbooks that had recipes. We decided on a hybrid recipe combining several. Blake's grandfather gave us a cookbook called "Stocking Up" (c. 1977) that gave some great advice. One of the things they suggested was using honey instead of sugar. And even back in 1977 they said it was due to wanting less processed foods. We thought this was a great idea! Long story short, Im not a hundred percent sure how it turned out. Its just now been 24 hours after sealing the cans, they havent set all the way (theyre still a little giggly--lets be technical). But I havent tasted them yet. Today, with more strawbs left over, I followed a recipe for a smaller batch using strawbs, an apple (natural source of pectin, the alternative to adding packaged pectin like we usually do), a few blueberries, sugar and 2 table spoons of Grand Marnier. Mmmmm

Of course I tasted it before I sealed the jars, and it tasted awesome, it was a little sweeter than yesterdays batch. So, we'll see which turns out better. :)

The Bedroom

We have lived in our new place for almost a month now. After having moved three (or maybe four..?) times in the last few months I have intentionally not been decorating/ projecting. Knowing we will be here for almost a year, and having a small yard to work in, means its time to get busy!

Our bedroom is slowly coming together, piece by piece. The headboard lived as a door in another life and we picked it up at this cute place in Swansboro, NC. After we got it, we cleaned it up, sanded the crap out of it, and painted it. Blake had painted the teal squares while I was at work one day, and they turned out a little too teal. (I know, its hard to believe). Last week I took the sander and went to town. It definitely helped.

The most recent additions are the cedar chest (you can view its original condition here) and the blue throw on the foot of the bed. The cedar chest has done a 180. Its still not in fantastic shape, but we stripped all the veneer off the top and restained all of it. Its a good solid piece, and at least it looks great!

My sister Ashlie is always sending me links during the day (Does she even work...?? jk!!) of projects to do. I liked this one so much I actually decided to do it! Kojo Designs did a great job at showing step by step instructions that made it look so easy! However, I made it even easier. Instead of cutting 12" x 12" squares, sewing the knots onto them, and then sewing the squares back together, I just left it whole, graphed out my knots and went to town. Granted, she had way more control over the end size of hers, I was still pretty satisfied with mine. After all, I wanted it more as a throw than the actual blanked for the bed.

This dresser has been every color. Literally. Just about anyway. I remember it being Ashlie's probably 12 years ago before it became mine. Its old, solid, and wonderful-- it had been another family members previously. I can remember it being white, crackle-paint-green, white with sunflowers all over it, black, and teal (to name a few). My friend Meredith came to visit this weekend and she thought it was new! We were friends from college and she spent many of nights at my house, so I laughed that she didnt remember it. But, oddly, it had been living in a closet.... This one of our first projects a few years ago, and I still love it!

It took everything in me to keep her off the bed while I was trying to take the first few pictures. Silly Monsters. I cant keep anything in my house dog free. But shes so sweet!! Look at that face!

Photo Shoot

I still dont have internet. Hmmph. Our new "HotSpot" (wireless internet through Sprint) was supposed to be delivered today, but I had to run errands and missed the UPS man by 15 minutes!!

Today was beautiful out. Absolutely gorgeous. And the girls thought so too. They have really been enjoying this warm, sunny weather. In honor of this, we had a photo shoot. Well, mainly just Copper, Sadie was enjoying the freshly watered dirt (aka mud). Actually, I was just outside watering, not photographing, but I looked over and saw Copper sitting so pretty, I just couldnt resist the urge. Heres how it turned out.



She's so beautiful!



Love this dog.



I did this one in color and black and white. I love how it changed the mood! Copper cracks me up. Shes so aloof to everything. You cant help but smile at her sweet face.

While I was out there, I snapped a few of my hydrangeas. I LOVE THEM. They're my favorite flower. Well, right up there with rinaculous, gerber daisies, and dahlias.

 
Aren't they lovely?!

Happy Summer!

I, Shelby, have a china cabinet! WOO!

It all started over a year ago when Blake and I got married. Our wonderful friends and families had given us such pretty things and we had no where to display them. When my Mother-in-law helped us relocate from Jacksonville, Florida to Jacksonville, North Carolina after the wedding, we set out to find one. We really wanted everything to be just right when she left, and we were determined to have a place to display all of our pretty China and crystal.

Blake had been living in NC for a few months, so he said he knew a few places to take us. We had envisioned purchasing something from a used furniture store, something I could repaint, or refinish. Granted, we were searching on a Sunday, we were coming up empty. Turns out, Blake knew were lots of furniture stores were, but few used stores. Eventually, we came across a tall cabinet whose intended purpose was side cabinet to a larger entertainment center. It seemed like a good option; it was a good size for the apartment we were living in.......but, it was missing the glass, and because it was designed as part of a bigger set, it only had crown molding/ trim on 2 sides. We paid $150 for it.

Now, dont get me wrong. It served a great purpose, and we really didnt know any better. We know now. (Soooo I tried attaching a photo of it, to show you, but, I JUST - like 2 weeks ago- erased a bunch of photos off my phone, and its not on this computer, its on my iMac, which is at home. Im at Panera bec we have been too lazy to turn on internet... ) :)

ANYWAY. Here is the one I found maybe 2 months after living in Jax NC for $100, and I absolutely loved everything about it. But, we had just purchased the other, and I couldnt justify buying another.......

If you cant tell, I love the whole mid-century/ Danish modern... lovelovelove. Its wonderful. Heres a look at some more I have come across.

I almost bought this one TWO DAYS before I found the one we purchased. I liked it for obvious reasons, it was $75, which was good, buy there was a nice gouge above the right drawer handle (look closely), there was a foot long scratch in the glass, and the veneer was starting to peel apart from the bottom of the top piece. But, I really loved the style...!!

CONFESSION. This one wasnt for sale. :) It belongs to a wonderful lady who is a friend of my Mother-in-law, and I just love its character... and all of the white Ironstone inside! So pretty!!

This one I saw in a store at the Canton Flea Market in Texas.

Ok... DRUM ROLL.....!!!!!!

So, not quite the Danish Modern, but close. I know you cant tell from these images, but it overall has the very clean lines that I like, but I think the arched doors are good. It makes it a little softer/ more feminine than some of the others.  And I LOVE the hardware. Ill try to upload a close up, because they are COOL. (Remember, Im at Panera's.. not home. We are working on fixing the whole internet thing..)

Since Im not home, I better get outta here......... Blake will be home from work soon, and he will be expecting dinner. Im making, for the first time, French Onion Soup, the real way. Im following Ina Garten's recipe.. .yummm! Wish me luck.

Junking Journal

This was my fortune at lunch today, and I have a job interview on Monday :)

 

Today started out as a bummer. I had planned for Blake and I to go garage selling, but he had to go to work this morning. :(  While he was gone, I started searching for estate sales online, and I found probably 100. (Well, maybe not 100, but at least 10!) Well, one in particular caught my eye, they had tons of pictures online and it seemed like it would have a wide range of things to browse through, and best of all, everything would be 50% off after 12:00, which was more likely when we would be out adventuring.


When we arrived, we had to wait in a LINE for 10 MINUTES before we even could go in! I had never been to an estate sale like that, obviously my intuition was correct, these people must have felt the same. This was actually the last day of the sale, and the amount of things was absolutely unbelievable. One of the operators said it had been this crazy busy the whole time. Blake and I have been in the market for a china cabinet. Ive wanted one since we got married over a  year ago. Finally, I had ear marked some money for one, and decided this weekend would be the time. Check it out!

We also found this LANE Cedar Chest, obviously in very rough shape on the exterior, but inside is virtually untouched. Blake (with the help of fellow shoppers) convinced me to let him buy a gun cabinet too (But it didnt photograph well, sorry!). He has been wanting one for as long as I have known him. It doesnt have a lock, but that shouldnt be an issue for a few more years :)

I found a silver pitcher, a neat sailboat painting, and some really cool rustic teal utensils too. We got such a steal! Our project for tomorrow will be attempting to take off the veneer on the cedar chest... Wish us luck!

PS sorry if the photos/ format/ me is all wonky.... Im using Blake's work laptop, and its a PC. yuck.

I wont leave you like that again. I promise.

This is seriously, no lie, what my view is from the dining room table where Im sitting.

At least, Ill try not to leave..... We have had a whirlwind of the past few months. Lets see, Florida for Thanksgiving for a week, moved to Raleigh, Texas for Christmas for two weeks [where I went to Canton--the coolest place ever], a few random weeks we were [thankfully] too lazy to turn the internet on, and then we found out we were moving back to Florida. [YIPPEEE!!!] So, we moved down here, had some down time til we found a place, and now, finally, we are all moved in. Hope you could follow all that.

Basically, what Im trying to say is Im baaaack! And I have LOTS of awesome projects to work on and Ive learned lots of new, yummy, recipes. I have been very productive today... Ive worked on a freelance identity project that Im very excited about, organized my closets, baked a pound cake, and now Im roasting a chicken [which Im a little nervous about, not gonna lie. Its a recipe Ive mastered, so thats not the case, but, its a new oven (new, as in to me, but its actually kinda old, and some weird off brand--which is the part Im nervous about).] My cake seemed to take a little longer than normal, but its too hot to taste to see how it came out. ;)

 Ive gotta go check on the chicken now, hopefully that oven wont catch on fire........ We dont plan on painting the walls in this place because we hope to be moving out in six-ish months into our VERY OWN place. But, who knows. Anyway, once I get all these boxes cleared out, Ill snap a few pics so you can see what we're dealing with over here..............

Pizza.. My favorite!

I love pizza. Thick, crunchy crust, gooey cheese, crisp veggies.. mmm. And Im not talking pepperoni and cheese. No way. I actually cant remember the last time I ate a pepperoni pizza. And I definitely prefer homemade to one of the big box places. Have you ever made your own pizza before? This recipe is great, because, well, you can put whatever you want on it! We love it on those nights we work late, and throw it together with the ingredients we already have.

pizza

INGREDIENTS
crust
sauce
cheeses (mozzarella and parmesan)
veggies (bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, olives, hot peppers... really whatever you can think of!)
fresh basil

For my crust, we usually buy the active yeast that is labeled for pizza crust, and follow their directions (no rise time!)

The sauce I make from either fresh tomatoes, or whole canned tomatoes (usually just whatever's handy!) Start by heating olive oil over medium, add fresh, chopped garlic and saute for a minute in a sauce pan. Then add chopped onion and red bell pepper. Let these saute for about 5 minutes. Next, I chop up the tomatoes and add them to the mix. Let these all simmer for another 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Now I add a dash of S&P, a few red pepper flakes, and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar and cook about 2-3 minutes longer. The final step is to pour the sauce into a food processor to make it nice and smooth.

Roll the crust out onto a baking sheet (I use a Slipmat-- it helps the crust get browned all the way. If you dont have one, just blind bake a few minutes prior to adding the goodies!) For whatever reason we are obsessed with parmesan cheese. Dont ask. So, we put a nice layer on the bottom first, then add the sauce, then all your veggies. Top with fresh mozz and torn basil. Bake at 450 for about 12 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted and the crust is brown.

Blake's Famous Chicken Alfredo

Ok, its not really famous... yet. But, it is his specialty. And mmm it is good. I have no idea exactly how he makes it, though. So, no recipe here, but Ill get him to right it down. The problem is, unless we are following a recipe, its usually a little of this, a little of that until it tastes right. For whatever reason, my alfredo sauce is just never as good as his is.

Anyway, the chicken is the breast cut in half (to make them thinner-- I think this is a good mind trick to eating less) and encrusted in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and Parmesan cheese then pan fried in a little olive oil. We typically will eat whole wheat pasta, but we had some regular fettuccine on hand, so we used that. Our salad is our old stand by: baby arugula, Parmesan and cracked pepper. The salad dressing is simply lemon juice, 3 times that amount in olive oil, and S&P. Its delish!

We always use fresh cheese. The pregrated stuff out of a bag freaks me out. Its covered in corn starch--or something else equally as unappetising. Making things from scratch is really inexpensive, and way more fun! Plus, you have more of a sense of accomplishment. (Not too mention actually knowing whats in your food!(

I have yet to make those sugar cookies....... Ive had a lot to do when I get off work lately, it just hasnt happened. Maybe on Sunday....

Greek Salad.. with a twist!

I love my iPhone. There's no secret there, but one of the things I love about it is all the cool Apps I can have. Blake and I were obsessed with the show Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver a few months back. It was all about getting all us stubborn Americans to realize what most of us eat is not ok. The shows primary focus was converting school food lunches from frozen "food" to being cooked on site, fresh daily. He proved it could be done with even the same staff and budget.

Anyway, not to ramble, but through all this, we found the Jamie Oliver 20 Minute Meals App. It is awesome. We have tried so many new things because he  breaks them down into super simple steps, and everything has been super easy. Blake and I love to have a small salad with dinner with a fresh lemon/ olive oil dressing, but rarely do we feel they are hearty enough to stand alone. We wondered across the recipe in the App, and thought it was worth a shot, (We will usually try anything at least once!!), and boy did it pay off! This was a very filling, delicious salad and was minimal effort.

the not-so-greek salad

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe avocados
1 lemon
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 small red onion
6 large ripe tomatos
1 handful black olives (which we omitted because Blake refused to eat them) :)
romaine lettuce
6 oz feta cheese
red wine vinegar
olive oil
S&P

DIRECTIONS
Slice the avocados into thin, small pieces and place into a large mixing bowl (this will eventually hold the entire salad, so make sure its big enough!) Grate the lemon zest into a small bowl, then slice the lemon and squeeze in all the juice. Use a spoon full of the juice to toss in with the avocados so they do not turn brown. Sprinkle half of the dried oregano in the bowl with the lemon juice, and add three times as much extra virgin olive oil. Add a dash of S&P and taste; then adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Place the finely chopped red onion in another small bowl and mix with a dash of red wine vinegar and S&P.

Cut the tomatoes into rough chunks and add to the avocado. Roughly chop the olives and add them as well. Wash the lettuce then tear into small bite sized pieces and add to the avocado bowl. Give the dressing a quick stir then pour it over the lettuce, tomato, and avocado mix. Add the marinated red onion and toss.

After serving between the plates, top with crumbled feta (and we added Parmesan....and bacon.) :)

Yeah, yeah. I realize, its not much of a Greek salad once you remove the olives, and added avocado and bacon, but... its our little twist! And it was amazing, so who cares what kind  of salad it was! We also served ours with toasted Whole Wheat Artisans Bread from Trader Joe's with Parmesan cheese on top. :)