Home Sweet Home # 24

Welcome to Home Sweet Home!  Today I have an alternative to the store bought ice cream cake.  I found this recipe on the Duggar Family website.  I was having lots of challenges feeding three boys and I went to their website wondering how Michelle Duggar fed all of her kids and I found her recipes.  You can get there by clicking here.

 My kids love this cake and would rather have it than a store cake.  It has the chocolate and then some that you would get with the fast food ice cream birthday cake.

So, let's break down the cost:

I followed the recipe and bought name brand on a few things everything else was store brand and cheaper.

Hershey's Chocolate syrup $1.68

Smuckers Caramel topping  $1.98

4 regular Butterfingers       $3.00

24 ice cream sandwiches    $3.98

whipped topping                       .99

Total cost                             $11.63

This makes a 9x13" pan and feeds 20-30

The kids verdict was that it was rich and a small piece was perfect.

Layered Ice Cream Cake

24 ice cream sandwiches

8 0z. whipped topping

1 Hershey's chocolate syrup bottle

1 Smuckers caramel topping 

2 king size Butterfinger candy bars chopped up

1st layer: 12 ice cream sandwiches

2nd: half of whipped cream

3rd: half of Butterfinger bars

4th: squeeze 1/2 of caramel and chocolate over that

5th: rest of ice cream sandwiches

6th: whipped topping

7th: rest of Butterfinger

8th: rest of Caramel and chocolate

Freeze and eat as desired.

 Now for the vintage part of this post, I had to show you another piece of my Fair Winds English Transferware by Alfred Meakin.  This is the dessert bowl I served the ice cream cake in.  The scene on this is the U.S.S. Portsmouth off the Barrier Forts of Canton.  Every piece of this transferware has a different scene on it.  Soon I will make a table with it. 

Thanks for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
Now, I would like to feature some wonderful post from last week's Home Sweet Home.

 First up, the Kitchen Cookie made this gorgeous Peachy Sour Cream Coffee Cake.  Click the link to view.

Next, Patti at Ivy and Elephants showed us some blue and white and how she displayed it in her kitchen in this gorgeous bird cage.  Click the link to view.

Over at The 2 Seasons a Mother Daughter duo showed us a wonderful powder room makeover.  Click the link to view.

Next, Suzy at Worthing Court showed us her friend Linda's kitchen makeover which had so many good ideas through out the whole post.  Click the link to view.

And last, over at A Perfect Setting she did a silver sea shell tablescape that was beautiful.  Click the link to view.

Now onto today.

I will join these ladies today:

Open House Thursday at No Minimalist Here

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Feathered Nest Fridayat French Country Cottage

Pearls and Lace Thursday  at Faith, Grace, Crafts

Seasonal Sundays  at The Tablescaper

Thrifty Thursday  at Tales from Bloggeritaville 

Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove

Foodie Friday  at Designs by Gollum

*Note: Blue Creek Home had her website bought out from under her and you will need to add her newer url to direct you to her site. www.bluecreekhome.blogspot.com.  Her party Treasure Hunt Thursday has been put on temporary hold.  When she resumes it I will join her.  Thanks!

Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up with inlinkz you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or they will not allow you to link.  If you find your link deleted, add the link, and then try again.  (I have been deleting a few links.  Inlinkz sets the rules.)

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes!

Summer Cottage Curtains

My family (my dad's side) has had a summer cottage outside of Chicago since the 50s.  My grandparents used to take my dad & my aunt & my uncle out every weekend to play on the lake & get away from the Chicago daily grind.  My grandfather was a knife sharpener & both he & my grandma immigrated to the US from Italy. 

{My Nanoo in the middle of his brothers & sisters}

My Grandma Maestranzi used to make my Nanoo stop the car along fields on the way to Antioch so she could pick raddichio for salads for the weekend.  (Raddichio is also known as Italian Chicory & is super-bitter but she'd make a dressing of oil & vinegar, onions & salt&pepper to take the bite out of it.)

{Image from growcookeat.com}

When they bought the house, they bought the antique dining room furniture with it & it's still there today, although we've put it through some serious abuse & some of it has broken. (My dad's a big guy)

{My grandma's dining chair after all of these years...  I love its lines}

I remember going out there on summer weekends as a kid & the whole family would be piled in.  I remember staying up late at night with my cousins & aunt and falling asleep listening to the AC window units roar.  We'd spend the days on the lake: up early fishing, then home for breakfast & then back again for boating & skiing.  My grandma did big Sunday dinners (always prime rib in my family: "Where's the beef?!" probably came from them) with salads & pasta & minestrone soup.  I remember picking flowers & putting them in tiny vases around the house and apples in late summer .  My grandma died when I was 8 but the family still went out to Antioch.  Now, all of these years later, my dad has renovated the house from top to bottom and moved there, wanting a more relaxed pace for himself.   

{The next generation of cousins at Antioch...  minus Justin}

  

Anyway, my dad's single and decorating the house has been a sloooow process.  It's been years.  My dad loves doing anything architectural (like adding moldings or staining floors) but it's been such a battle for me to get him to let me furnish the house & finish it.  (He's also sort of a "more is more" guy so we've definitely had our battles.  I'll share more about this when I'm out there this summer so you can see pics.)  BUT he's finally letting me do curtains and I'm pumped!!   

Over the years I've done things to get around not having curtains.  Here's a pic of garlands I hung at Christmastime:

I love the house so much and some of the fabrics from my line sprang pretty much directly from the wildflowers that grow around Antioch in the summer: Wild Chicory, Queen Anne's Lace & Thistle & Clover .  (They pretty much grow everywhere on roadsides, but I'll always associate them with my childhood summers in Illinois.)  I finished one yesterday called Queen Anne's Bouquet & I cannot wait to see it up in the very place I think of whenever I see Queen Anne's lace.  I placed order yesterday for over 100 yards of fabrics for curtains.  I cannot WAIT to hang them!!

In the kitchen, I've displayed some of my grandma's china in glass cabinets:

She used her china on a daily basis & mixed and matched everything.  I remember when I was 4 or 5 trading plates with people because I would want a certain floral pattern.  (I always wanted the one I thought was prettiest on the table ;)

The china pattern I've hung throughout the kitchen is a fairly common one in thrift/ antique shops but I think it's just right for Antioch.  It works perfectly with all of the wild flowers that grow around there.  For the curtains in the dining room & adjoining living room/ kitchen, I wanted to go neutral and overscale so I could really mix it up & use any of my grandmas's china, which consists of small florals.  I decided to use one of my newest designs, "Live Paisley" in Antique Beige, which made up of a series of leaves & vines:

Here's a close-up of it.  It's puposefully mottled for an antique look, it's made of 4 colors, and if you'll look really closely, I hid a small inscription that says "Live your life."

{It's hard to see in this pic but it's on the inner right area}

I wrote "live your life" on the paisley (which I orginally drew as a doodle thinking I would need to hire someone to actually draw it for me) just on a whim, but it's a saying that really resonates with me.  To me it means: following your dreams, keeping your eyes on "your own paper" and focusing on what you can do & not on judging others, and loving what you have and your life & making the best of it.  Forgetting about the things you can't control & just living & giving your best to every day.  Letting go.

I didn't really have much confidence in myself or in my ability to draw at all when I drew this pattern.  (I still really don't) But I was completely shocked with the results.  Since this pattern arrived at my door, I've drawn a few more & I sort of feel like I'm getting into a groove, developing my style a bit.  It's really difficult for me, as drawing is not something that I'm good at or that comes naturally, but it's really rewarding when I see the designs on fabric & in my clients' homes. 

Anyway, I'll be sure to take pics of the curtains in Antioch.  I'm doing 4 rooms & fingers crossed that they look good!!

***Also, many of you have asked how  you can purchase the fabrics.  And, as far as selling the fabrics go... I've sort of hit a crossroads.  The more I learn about the industry, the more I learn that there are paths you have to choose that can really change everything.  I'm a bit undecided as of right now as far as how I'm looking to approach selling fabric line.  Price points & means of production are determining factors in how the line is sold/ where it's sold/ who sells it, etc.,  and I'm not quite sure yet how I want to go about it.  I have an online store all set up & ready to go, but time-wise I'm not sure we're ready for it.  I also don't know how I feel about posting pricing on the fabric online because that will affect things in the future.  (Ie where it's sold, etc.)  I started this whole thing because I was passionate about the designs but not because I had a plan.  (That's a bit nutty, I now.)

For now, if anyone you know is interested in purchasing any of the fabrics, they can email my assistant Meghan (meghan@thepurestyle.com) for information & pricing.  I'm hoping to finish photographing all of the fabrics in the colorways this Summer & will post them online so that the line can at least be viewed.  ***
If you made it to the end, thanks for reading this long rambling post! :)  Enjoy your day!!



If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace is thick along the side of the road right now.  It is so pretty when the sun is setting.  I have altered these photos today with the texture Aurora by Kim Klassen.

This photo didn't have a texture applied.

Isn't this a beautiful Mary.  It belongs to my SIL.  Each side of her face has a different expression due to the decay.  

Thanks for coming by! 

Sherry

I will join these lovely blogs, go over and check them out.

Texture Tuesday  at Kim Klassen Cafe

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Wow Us Wednesday  at Savvy Southern Style

Outdoor Wednesday  at A Southern Daydreamer

Prettiest Island Resturant

It's easy for "themed" decor to get cheesy.  (In fact, if it's "themed" at all, you can pretty much guarantee it's bad or borderline bad.)  What keeps anything good, however, is authenticity.  It's no longer a theme, it just is what it is.  When we visited Aguadilla, Puerto Rico last week & visited this beach & beachside restaurant (above) I was in love.  It was completely and perfectly "beach."  Appropriate & real. 

The open air restaurant was right on the beach and they'd hung capiz shell chandeliers all over.  When we got there in the morning, my family hit the beach while I took these pictures.  (waitresses just staring.)

There were rustic dining tables for eating & a few different loung areas:

The loung area above was separated by hanging bamboo stalks that knocked gently into each other in the wind like wooden chimes.  It was such a beautiful detail and if I ever do an outdoor space on a tropical beach (yes someone please call!! ;) ;)  I'd love to use these:

There were hanging shelves above some of the tables layered in candles, coral, shells & rope wrapped bobbers.

For casual elegance & outdoor parties, I love stemless wine glasses (above).

A tree gew right through the resturant, below:

The hanging fishing floats were huge!!!

I could have spent all week here...

I loved the white curtains hanging throughout. 

A few hours later, a storm came right around lunch time...

...So we had lunch under the roof while the rain poured down.  On the tin roof (below)  Perfection.

Super-lush fern grew all over & to me, there's nothing better than watching a thunderstorm.

(with mojitos! ;)  I just love that energy in the air.

And...  I completely forgot the name of the resturant but it starts with an "e" and I'll ask my cousin when she gets home from her honeymoon.

***UPDATE:  It's called Eclipse!  (Thanks so much to a reader, Wendi, who googled it!!)

Later today, I'll be on Cecy J where I was interviewed about my favorite things to do in the DC area. 

Have a good one!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Cabinet Makeover

The husband has been home all week and we did a little spontaneous bathroom remodel.  It was a twenty-nine year old bathroom with all original fixtures.  Today I am going to show you the makeover of the vanity cabinet.   Here is the before.  It is bad isn't it.  Most homeowners would probably pitch it.  But, we didn't plan any budget for this so we painted it.

I started with paint I already owned and this was Georgian Green a Benjamin Moore color.  It just was too yellow, maybe for another project.  I would love a chair this color. 

I started to mix my own paint with gesso.  You can read more about that here.  This color was too dark for what I was wanting.

This is what I was wanting.  This is a gray mixed with the above color. 

Here is the finished cabinet.   I distressed it a little and glazed it with a Valspar mocha glaze.  I spray painted the hardware oil rubbed bronze.  I'll put the paste wax on it later this week.  It is still a little tacky since I put three coats on it. 

 This is the only picture I have of the cabinet in place for a before comparison.  We have raised three boys and this was the one room that really took a beating.

So, it is looking much nicer.  We are still caulking and painting trim.  I will wait and show you the rest later.  We did all of the work, including the drywall with a knockdown finish.  

Thanks for stopping by.  

 Sherry

I will link to:

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

"Risk And Its Rewards"

We got home from our trip to Puerto Rico last night & I was thrilled (ok, I totally squeeled) to see the article about my family & house in the Washington Post on news stands. 

{photos by Katherine Frey}

I was so excited when Terri Sapienza asked us to do the story & when they came to our house to take photos.  The story- one of its bi-lines being "Risk and Its Rewards"- is basically about us purchasing our 70s bilevel & fixing it up on a tight timeline & budget and a little bit about my career.  (Those of you who've been following this blog for a while have been along for the ride so you probably already know the story, but it's a fun read ;) 

To read the story, click here.

To see the photos taken, go here.

Buying a house we could afford & fixing it up was a dream of ours.  As a designer, I wanted to use it as a lab & portfolio.  Our house still not "finished" in my mind or at the quality level I wish it could be at, but we love it just the same.  Thanks so much to the team at the Washington Post for including us as one of their stories this week! 

Also, I'm guest posting for my friend Alison over at My Little Happy Place about something in my house that really makes me happy.  To check it out, go here.  I love Alison's colorful & fresh style.

And finally, my cousin's wedding in Puerto Rico was amazing. I'll definitely share photos as soon as I have them but check out this one the photographer, Rebecca, shared:

{Jen & Brian are so happy together}

Jen's like a sister to me & we were both maids of honor at each other's weddings. (Well, I was a "matron" - yucky word! ;)   She truly has found the perfect partner for her in Brian.

 Here's a pic of the "LBJ's" (me, Brant - her older brother & my cousin & Jen) in the cave we visited a couple of days after the wedding:

{still having our adventures}

We  are heading out again to another cousin's wedding, but I'll be done with weddings for real next week.   The vacation was pretty crazy with 2 little kids and travelling around, but we had a ton of fun and some really relaxing moments.  My favorite part was horseback riding through the forest & beach with my husband.  There was a TORRENTIAL downpour for the first hour of the ride but it was still amazing.    I'll be back soon!!




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.