Restoration Hardware for baby

Restoration Hardware have expanded into the baby and child field. It seems like an obvious move to me but I am not sure I could ever justify the amount they want for some of their things. I received a little mini catalog and it is all classic and beautiful. Some of the rooms and linens are swoon worthy and the hat boxes and suitcases will have to find their way to my house! The full catalog is due in June and you can request a catalog here

Image via rhbabyandchild

More Swede if you please

Another site I have been loving is that of one Benita Larsson. Her blog, Chez Larsson is always a joy to visit. She has great tips on how to keep a home organized and her home is a testament to that. I want her to come live at my house for a few weeks and work her magic - pretty please.






All images via Chez Larsson

Swedish Phishing!

I have found myself drawn to a lot of Swedish sites of late. I am just loving that clean crisp style they seem to exude. I need to get my hands on a copy of this magazine and I am sure it requires no translation as the photos speak for themselves. I could spend hours dreamily looking through their inspiration homes. Pure white eye candy!

A few examples if you please!






All images via Skona Hem
If anybody can tell me how I can get my hands on a copy of this magazine here in the good ol' US of A, I would be grateful.

Black Apple

It has been quite some time since I enjoyed a little culture but I have been itching to get back inside a museum or gallery for some time. One of my favorite etsy sites and blogs belongs to the black apple and as luck would have it, she is featured in this exhibit in Seattle beginning in July. Just a ferry ride away - I cannot wait.




images via inside a black apple

Crewcuts

I love this catalog. Some of the things contained within are way overpriced but there are some wonderful things at almost reasonable prices. They also have great sale items which make me feel less guilty about my insatiable desire to have my children look 190% better than I ever do!!

Here are a few of my fave things that I saw today

Pretties from Anthropologie.

I received these in the mail today. I had seen them some time ago and when I went back to purchase, they were on sale - happy day! Mine are yellow but you get the idea!



Inside the package was the Summertime catalog which is a thing of beauty. However, I found myself worried for some of the models. They seemed to a little distracted and not paying attention to their surroundings. Walking while reading is not something I would recommend. I have been the recipient of far too many bumps, bruises and nicks to tell of here due to trying to walk and read at the same time. Not a good plan, believe me! However, I did see these and thought they must be wrapped and sent to me as soon as possible.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream.

Now that is a lot of words for one scrumptious cupcake. Yesterday was Memorial Day and I have much to say about that holiday that I will leave for another post! As I was still feeling a little mad about the world in general, I decided to shake off the funk with a little baking. Baking something always makes me feel gentler, kinder and a little more human. I had seen this recipe on the half baked blog and decided a wet Monday in Washington was the day to unleash it!

Upon first reading, I thought it would be a little more difficult than it ended up being. Just make sure you have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go. It came together quickly and the cupcakes were unbelievably good. More compliments on these babies than most others I have made. The Buttercream gave me a few fits but I think that was more about my short temper than anything else! The only thing I changed about the recipe was I omitted the rum as a) I don't like rum and b) I had no rum in the house!

So here are the end results - I highly recommend them and if you were here, I would be sure to let you sample!

And we're back!

Needed a few days away from this thing called blog! Life intruded in a harsh way and time was needed to digest, process and yada yada yada. So I feel almost ready to face the world again - almost!

Blueberry Cupcakes

I saw these cupcakes



on the Bon Appetite website and was instantly smitten. I woke up this morning and saw a bag of blueberries I had frozen last week and decided today was the day to make these beauties.

They were very simple to make and the cake tastes like a light muffin with massive bursts of blueberry punch. Indeed a yummy cake. The frosting, however, was not so good. I followed the recipe but it tasted like sweet sand - not a taste I could go with. I decided to just make a good old fashioned cream cheese frosting. When the frosting was all ready, I threw in a handful of frozen blueberries and mixed them in really quickly. The frosting was amazing with these little pieces of blueberry interspersed amongst the sweetness of the frosting - I was so proud!!

Here are the end results

Just love these!

More photos of my ranunculus - they just keep on keeping on!

Parasol

I love parasols - obsessed may be a better word. I saw these on Black Eiffel and want them in the worst way. Not sure why but I need them. I have no clue where I would find them but I want them. So there!

Desserts Magazine

I just found this little online gem - ooh la la. I don't think I need to expand on the title as it seems to say it all to me. It is a feast for the eyes and makes me want to get my apron on and make my way to the kitchen. Find it here

Wedding Style Guide

I visit this website a lot for just idle browsing of the pretty pictures! There are some gorgeous images here but I love that they provide a lot of downloads that you can use for your own sweet self. I love the sunflowers (sigh) and the tea party comes complete with recipes for your own special backyard soirée! I am not sure why I love the cake so much, but I surely do!






All images via http://www.styleguide.com.au/

You know it is hot!

The Pacific Northwest is going to be close to 90 degrees through the weekend and our local news stations are all over it in the usual understated way! It leads off all news which tells me it must be a slow news day! Of course if I look at any National news sites, I realize it is not really a slow news day or week - far too much death and destruction for that but I digress. I know it is going to be hot because I have already been told to stay hydrated and look out for any elderly neighbors! Does 4 days of almost 90 degree weather really constitute a heatwave? I find it a wonderful break from our long winter but I do not think it is cause for hysteria.

One good thing is getting to sit outside and enjoy myself a refreshing beverage so I may just go and do that again!!

Marie Claire Idees

This is one of those magazines that I really look forward to receiving. By receiving, I mean timing it so that the one issue that my local Barnes & Noble receives makes it into my mitts. It is usually about a week to 10 days after it hits French newstands that i start stalking the magazine lady at B&N! I got my first glimpse of the new issue at the website Marie Claire Idees. It looks pretty good non?!

You do not need to speak French to enjoy this magazine but if you really feel like a good laugh and would like some clue as to what the text means, you need to go here
It is hilarious!

So now I need to go set my timer for a week today and let my stalking begin!
Au revoir!

The Little Tea Swap that could!

I have seen lots of posts about tea cup swaps and other types of swaps and they have always been something I thought I would like to do. I decided to take baby steps and host my own teeny tiny little tea swap. All of the participants (all 6 of them) are related in some way but none of them live within 3000 miles of me. Everyone was very excited about the idea of this and my primary mission was accomplished - to get people who live maybe 20 miles from each other to interact in each others lives.

So this week is the week for mailing the boxes and I sent mine off on Monday. As it was such a small swap, I did not do the traditional swap partner thing. Instead you sent a package to one person, but received it from another. This maximized the interaction between all participants - again, my primary goal.

I will be doing another swap again soon but in the meantime, below are images of the goodies I sent and the wonderful delights I received. Much fun!

Farm Kitchen

I have been meaning to go here for the legendary 1st Saturday Brunch for the longest time but now I feel a class may be in order. They have one class that really whets my appetite - Using local produce from CSA's or farmers markets. I like the idea of stretching my salad repertoire! The venue itself is gorgeous and if I was in the market for a wedding, it would be a possible. I think spending some time just doing something purely for the fun of it would be refreshing. It is all part of feeling Spring/Summer creeping into the Pacific Northwest - we sure waited long enough for it.

More Toast!

I received my new Toast catalog in the mail this morning. The usual beauty was found among the pages. This little number caught my eye but I wonder how it would look on a woman with, shall we say, a more generous bust? I cannot help but think it would not be as lovely as it looks on the flat chested wench sporting it here.


I also love this little ensemble - casual and comfy just like me!

Mother May I?!

Gosh, these are some beautiful interiors by the team of Nathan-Egan. I had seen their work before but was reminded of it while perusing the wonderful Daisy Chain blog. The Hallway just blows me away with those amazing staircases. The kitchen is just perfect in white and I love those green chairs against the sea of glass windows. I think someone needs to bring all these components together and make me my dream house! Thank you!
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I won!

I found out yesterday that I was one of the winners at the design mom Mothers Day Giveaway bonanza. Last week, Gabrielle went crazy with 17 different giveaways - all of them wonderful and covet worthy. I won a subscription to Eliza magazine - one of the few magazines I do not currently receive. I am so excited! Thank you Design Mom!!!

Her blog is one of the blogs I visit every day - always something pretty to look at. The woman is a freak of nature by the way! I have no idea how she can possibly do all the things that she gets done on a daily basis.

So now I am officially a winner - yay me!