Friday, February 24, 2012

Super Blackberry Muffin Recipe!

Looking for something to do on this dreary winter day?  These will melt in your mouth and disappear as quickly as you make them! Not easy on the waistline, but super delish!  The original recipe is from "THE BEST of THE BEST and more", the Best of Bridge Series, and uses blueberries with lemon instead.  I just substituted blackberries and skipped the lemon!


Super Blackberry Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 TBSP. baking powder
1/2 TSP. salt
rind of 1 lemon (optional)
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup fresh or frozen berries (blackberry or blueberry)

Lemon Butter Topping

1/4 cup melted butter
2 TBSP. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

To Make Muffins

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon rind in large bowl.  Beat egg in medium bowl;  Add milk and butter.  Add egg mixture to dry ingredients.  Stir until just mixed (batter will be lumpy).  Stir in berries.  Fill muffin pans 2/3 full;  Bake at 375F (190C) for 20 minutes.  

To Make Topping

Combine melted butter and lemon juice.  Measure sugar in separate dish.  Dunk tops of slightly cooled muffins into lemon butter and then sugar.  Makes 16 medium muffins. 



Fabulous Friday Find

This Fabulous Friday Find will speak for itself.  It's a little different in what I would normally post...actually-it's WAY OUT THERE-literally! It is definitely design worthy I guarantee and will have all you mid century modern lovers out there drooling!  I'm talking about a getaway-an INCREDIBLE getaway in fact-that I promise will have you thinking of booking a vacation faster than you can say the word!  

I was perusing the itinerary of a cruise my mother has just returned from mid February and I found this particular site for the Hotel LA BANANE, quite accidentally.  I had heard of St. Barts (St. Barthelemy), but had never been there in all the many years spent working on cruise ships (wishing I did now!).  I had been to it's French sisters' island of Martinique a few times with delight, but never visited St. Bart's.  It is one of the most expensive islands in the Caribbean, and one can usually spot a celebrity or two.  The hotel itself has a very cool, vintage caribbean feel to it and is more like a villa than a hotel.  The moment you step into the airy lobby, you are greeted by a collection of furniture designed by Pierre Jeanneret which was in fact, designed for his cousin, Le Corbusier-architect of the city of Chandigarh, capital of Punjab.  You can find out more about St. Barthelemy and the hotel LA BANANE here. You can either choose French or English settings to view it as well, even though the photo's speak for themselves:)


Let's face it.  I think we could all use a little pick me up with all this dreary winter weather-today is no exception-so I hope you can enjoy this wonderful, beautiful, exquisite, luxurious & very colourful getaway and feel invigorated...even if just for a moment.  I promise-it will indeed lift you up. 
Hey we can all dream right?!

Signature photo for the hotel

Lobby with classic mid century collection of furniture 

Library with incredible open area to pool 

Vintage vibe in the lobby with Pierre Jeanneret collection  

Beautiful tile flooring, white walls and vintage furniture make this deluxe FERNAND bungalow a relaxing place to be

More of the same bungalow with gorgeous pops of colour on white walls...SWOON!

There are plenty more pictures on the website, so if you want to be taken away...go now!!  

Happy Friday!

Shelley. xo

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Closet Conversation

With all these recent sunny days, it feels like Spring is right around the corner and with that usually comes the urge to purge, redo & organize.  Whether we actually do it or not, is another question, however it appears most of my fellow bloggers and DIY genius's are at it so with all the 50 or so projects I need to do (at least in my world), I am working on room plans for my daughter & son and my own closet. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't be overwhelmed, and will tackle one space at a time, (after all, I should follow the advice I give my clients right?), but first things first.  Putting together the plan.   

I will say that my closet is not a pretty site at the moment.  Having only moved into our new place in October, we're still trying to see how we "live" in all the spaces.  There are still boxes of who knows what in my room and things that don't even belong in here...yes, terrible I know!  However, we have to allow ourselves to make mistakes, to not be perfect and well, as organized as I like to think I am sometimes, this closet screams...NOT!  


So yesterday I finally made a plan of attack in there, found some things I forgot I had~"oh THERE'S that blouse I was looking for!", or "why do I have this again?"...you know exactly what I'm saying! I've made a small dent, but there's still a ways to go.  Now, normally I wouldn't do this, but I took a couple of pictures of the mess before I started (just know that I am shrieking a lot inside showing these!).  On the bright side, this closet has such a great layout that I actually really love, & plan to make it amazing!  I am also loving how it's open to the rest of my bedroom (meaning it has to look good!), but there are only three walls to work with.  One full wall, the one with the window and the other half wall.  The fourth wall is the entry to the en-suite.  There is great potential though and with so much inspiration out there (pinterest anyone?),  well that alone inspires me.  Anyone else have any closet woes they want to share?  


Here are the before pics...(gulp)



Monday, February 13, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day-one day early!  I reserve the big day for the man in life-my young man that is-who happens to be my wonderful, smart, handsome son who is turning 15!  Yes, he is and always will be my V-Day love...how lucky am I!  So whether you are single or have that special someone to share it with, make the most of it!  It's what we must do each and everyday-even if it isn't Valentine's Day, because Love is all around us! 
Hugs & Kisses!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Fabulous Friday Find

I couldn't be happier Friday is finally here...how about you?  Seems like some weeks are definitely longer than others, and this week has been one of them.  With Valentine's Day right around the corner, today I am sharing something that is quite unique and different than what I normally post, but that's OK..it's GOOD to be different in my books!  

Jook & Nona have THE most original jewelry I have come across.  So much so that even celebrities have discovered these gorgeous one of a kind pieces.  Beautiful handmade, necklaces, rings, earrings, cuff links & bracelets, each with your own fingerprint. Yes, I said fingerprint...pinky print to be exact.  You can't get much more personal in my opinion...(and if you ever lost it~which we hope you don't~there's no question when it comes to identifying it!).  

Shir Micheals' passion for art started at an early age and blossomed into a creative expression of love, after her long time boyfriend proposed. (Very Valentine's Day appropriate right?)! You can read more about this love story of how the business started here

Each piece is custom made, and carefully handcrafted.  The whole process begins with the the impression kit.  The will ship it within one week of your online order and once they have received your impression back (prepaid shipping btw!), the crafting begins and is cast in your choice of metal.   Ahem...I hope my special someone is listening:) Check out some of the beautiful pieces:

Bracelets

Cufflinks

Necklaces

Earrings

Rings
These would definitely make a really special gift for anytime, anyone, anywhere. 


Happy Friday!


Shelley.xo


Website: Jook & Nona

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Size Matters

First impressions do count.  Of course I'm talking about your home.  The first impression most people have is when they see your home from the outside.  That is "before" they even get to the front door. Making your home stand out from the rest, is just one of the many reasons to make sure you have the best outdoor lighting, and that means don't undersize it.  The size of your outdoor lights should be an important factor.  Remember an outdoor light looks a lot larger in a showroom than it does on the actual home.  A fixture also looks about half it's size from 30 feet away, from the street.  It should be in proportion to your home, so consider your home's architecture, style & size and any outside angles where there are dark corners and amplify them.  Highlighting the front entry, door and driveway are other areas you should also consider.  






Choose the correct proportion & style




Lastly when choosing the lighting most outdoor fixtures use a 60W bulb but if you have multiple lighting that's a lot of wattage and much too bright to light the outside of your home.  The idea with outdoor lighting is to create a soft glow, but bright enough so that guests, etc. will be able to see and for security reasons.  A 15-25W bulb is just the right amount of lighting to create this if there is more than one outdoor light.  40W maximum is best if one is only used.   


There are many ways to incorporate lighting, but just remember, size does matter. So if you are considering reinvesting some money into the outside of your home, consider the exterior lighting.  One that will bring you a high visual return on your investment. 

Monday, February 6, 2012

Do you take sugar?

I love me a big cup for my morning bevvy and I can never seem to find one that does the job & looks amazing.  Yes, call me picky, but in the morning, I just want to enjoy my cup without having to continually refill...no thanks.  Well, when I came upon this amazing designer, there were many things to love about Dave Hakkens, but always on the hunt for great mugs this was just what I was looking for! There is so much to love about this.  The colours, the SIZE (devine), & you can even personalize it-did I say you could personalize it?  ALMOST the best part!  Never fear, "Your Big Tea Mug" is here!

Personalize it!

 Loving all the colours! 

Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my sipping...

Happy Monday!  

(Find out more about Dave Hakkens). 

Friday, February 3, 2012

Fabulous Friday Find

What a beautiful day it is today and what a perfect day to showcase some beautiful tile!  Today's find, started with this image...


...that I had found here, and was immediately in love with the tile floor!  The search began.  
On that same day, it was like the universe was answering my quest, & The Spanish Yard from the U.K., appeared on good ol' trusty Twitter! Are you kidding me?  The tile in the image above and the one on their home page was almost IDENTICAL.  Blown away, I loved what this reclaimed flooring company was about.  Importing salvaged tiles and bricks from Mainland Spain and specializing in reclaimed decorative & antique terra cotta makes this another favorite find of mine.  The idea of combining something so unique and genuinely old with todays' modern homes seems to be on the rise in a big way.  All the colour, the textures, ah...here are a few of my favourite tiles from their collection...






Be sure to check out the website...you'll be glad you did! 
Happy Friday! 

Shelley. xo.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Man of Steel

I never thought I would see the day, my son would still bring me things he has made, you know, being almost 15 and all.  Who knew there was another creative soul in the house?!  Here's what I call my "Man of Steel", from my very grown boy, he brought me a few days ago...and you know what?  I LOVE IT & I kinda think it's one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  I ADORE HIM ♥.



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