simple and divine

I love the white table and bright chairs in this dining room. Those floors are also great. A cheery and bright space for the dark grays of winter...

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ahhh

Love this bedroom. The light streaming in. The tent like ceiling. The exposed beams. The art casually tacked to the wall. The texture of the wood and colors of the fabric... earthy and beautiful. Peaceful and perfect.

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fun uses for old calendars

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend. As 2011 comes to a close, it is likely you have an old calendar or two kicking around probably filled with beautiful illustrations. Here are a couple ways to re-use them in the year ahead.

1. Gift cards. This year I made salt scrub for a girlfriend gift. I use 2 cups Epsom salt, scant 1 cup extra light olive oil, several drops of lavender oil and some bits of lavender blossom. Some people use food coloring, but I don't think you need it. Anyway, back to the gift cards. I packaged the scrub this year with a month from my 2011 calendar. On the back of each month, I wrote little notes about things that happened to the person receiving the gift during that month of the year, as well as the ingredients for the salt scrub. It was fun to think about all the things that had happened in my friend's lives throughout 2011 and it was a great way to re-use my calendar which was just too pretty to throw in with the mixed paper for recycling. Here are some pictures.

2. Gift wrap. Another way to re-use calendars is to wrap gifts in them. Simple and lovely and they can be used again and again...

photos via tidbits

happy holidays

Whatever it is you celebrate, I hope it is lovely one for you. Cheers. xo

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holiday dining table

Love this beautiful table decorated for a holiday dinner.

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tilting toward the sun

As I write this, the earth is moving just enough that the sun will start to shine on us a bit longer tomorrow. Although the speed at which the light returns seems incremental - one day soon - I will suddenly realize that it is light enough to take Rosie for a walk after work. I will take notice of seeing the sunset on my way home from the office, instead of from my office window.

The winters here (and the summers actually) are not always easy for me. Even being the home grown Alaskan that I am, the continual gray and bone chilling damp, is a struggle for me. I do, however, appreciate the keen awareness we have of things such as the returning and dying out of the light, simply because we live in this place. It is in your face, you can't miss it and so, you make time to celebrate it. It is one of many unique parts to this place in which we make our homes. A place that truly can be the most magnificent and the most unforgiving.

So, cheers to the returning of the light my dears. May your dark days be no longer and may the light bring to you many happy days, fruitful gardens, and quiet peace. xo

photo via tidbits

a festive and yummy holiday cocktail

I apologize for not posting the past two days. Busy, busy... Anyway, we recently hosted a holiday cocktail party. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the right drinks to serve. We ended up serving Sidecars, Manhattan's and a drink we decided to call "Santa's Little Helper". Santa's Little Helper was a twist on a couple of recipes I found. It was refreshing and fun and I would definitely do it again for a holiday party. Here's the recipe.

5 ounces white cranberry juice
2 ounces ginger ale (we used good quality organic ginger ale, but in the testing process, Canada Dry was fine too, just depends on how much of a true ginger flavor you want in there)
2 ounces vodka
1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice and slices for drinks

The key to making this drink festive is to make ice cubes ahead of time with fresh cranberries frozen into them. We also served them in mason jars, because it was easy and had a nice feel to it. You can see in the pictures below that they were quite lovely and practical, two things I love together! Try it. You'll like it.

photos via tidbits

happy weekend

May your weekend be filled with laughter, good cheer, and maybe some swing. xo

cheery kitchen

Cozy! Makes me want a cup of hot chocolate at that table while a fire is crackling. Such a warm and inviting space. Love those natural floors.

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oh those swedes...

Yet another beautiful Swedish space. Love the combo of vintage and new. This space is eclectic, warm and oh so groovy. Love it.

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beautiful copper lights

Love these copper lights! I tried to figure out who makes them but I didn't have any luck, so if you know, please share. I also think those chairs are pretty fantastic.

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happy weekend

A good reminder from the fantastic Dr. Suess. Have a wonderful weekend, my dears. xo

wit and cream

Love this creamer container. My friend Alison gave us one a few years back and sadly, we broke it (sorry Alison). But it was very fun to stumble across this and be reminded of that witty little creamer container and my witty friend.

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ahhh

Love this room! The blues, grays and whites, combined with the natural light pouring in, are all so soothing together. The high ceilings with exposed beams are beautiful, and check out that trunk! I feel relaxed just looking at it. Happy Wednesday!

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amber's lovely loft

As I mentioned last week, I spent the weekend at my friend Amber's in Minneapolis. Amber has always had fantastic taste, and her loft, built in the old Cream of Wheat factory, was stunning of course. Amber has decorated the loft with a perfect blend of old and new. She has some amazing vintage finds, beautiful original art work, and lovely color choices. The overall feel of the loft, with it's concrete floors, is warm and inviting, eclectic and artsy. My apologies for the pictures, I forgot my camera and had to use an iphone. But I think this will give you an idea of the great space Amber has created.

photos via tidbits

happy weekend

Probably because I have a thing for Julia, I love this. I am off to spend a couple days with my dear pal in Minneapolis. Have a lovely one my dears. xo

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fresh egg salad

It has been so much fun to have chickens! We only have two now, but we will get a couple more in the spring. They are very entertaining gals, super easy to take care of, and of course they give us fresh eggs!

One meal I love to make with fresh eggs, is a soft boiled egg salad. Easy-peasy and delicious! Try it sometime with some sparkling water, good bread and a delicious favorite cheese and voila! you'll feel like you're in France (well, a girl can pretend).

Soft boil an egg (takes about 6 minutes if the egg is at room temp or 7 minutes if you're pulling it from the fridge). While the egg is cooking, use whatever fresh greens you have - spinach is great for this, as is arugula or mustard greens in the spring - and toss with good white wine vinegar and good extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. The ingredients in this little salad are few, so quality is important.

Once the egg has boiled for desired time take it out and put it in cold water to stop the cooking. Peel it under warm running water and set it on top of the tossed salad. Lightly salt and pepper the egg and you're all set. Bon appetit!

Eggs from the Conigro Family Farm