Pumpkin Bread

This time of year I always enjoy making pumpkin bread for the kids.  When they were little they loved it.  Pumpkin is a super food too, so it is good for you. 

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour (I used 1/2 of this amount whole wheat)

1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping: optional (I added this to make it appeal to teenagers)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour 8x 5-inch loaf pan.  Beat sugar with oil till blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Continue beating until light and fluffy.  Then mix in pumpkin on low speed.  Add in dry ingredients on low speed and mix well. Pour into prepared pan.  For streusel topping mix till crumb texture with a pastry cutter.  Then spread topping over entire loaf.  Bake 60 minutes or until 
toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan and finish cooling.

Enjoy!

Sherry

I will link to:

Foodie Friday  at Designs by Gollum

This Chick Cooked at This Chick Cooks

Friday Food at Mom Trends

Lauren Liess Textiles Shoot

I have pictures back from our photo shoot at Helen Norman's farm!!  Helen & her assisitant F.J. are still working on the photos (we're going for a sort of vintage/ edgy vibes for the photographs so it takes a lot of processing afterwards) but I though I'd share a few peeks - some without the processing.

Our goal with this photoshoot was to show the fabrics in a variety of settings, both with and whithout people.  We wanted to show how the fabrics move and look and feel.  I washed some of the fabrics before the shoot to give them a bit of patina and I really love how they turned out.  Some of the photos and fabrics come across as fresh and happy & fun, while others are earthier,  moodier or softer.   We wanted to show the variety of feelings & moods that couls be created with the line. (55 fabrics in total with 14 different designs.)

Here's part of our gold/ yellow collection on a beautiful antique daybed with little Grizzly taking a nap to show they really are comfy:

{Fabrics pictured: Magnolia in Yellow, Live Paisley in Gold, and Fern Star in Yellow}

Our boys were sooooo good and put up with so much.  Here's an outtake of them, totally at the end of their ropes:

{Pretending to nap on a blanket in Magnolia}

I love this photo with the mist on the door to the porch:

We woke up super-early and got some cool pics with fog in the background:

{me with a Wild Chicory blanket}

I looooove this outtake...  Did you ever play this game with friends when you were little?-

{"Super tall 4 year-old.. ie Christian on Daddy's shoulders.  And Kelly Green Cape in Happikat}

{Laundry Line with: Thistle in Sepia, Live Paisley in Antique Beige and Squircles in Fog}

...Anyway, I have so many more pics to share (I think 85 total?!!  We took over 1,000!) but I really want you to see them once they have that processing I mentioned.  I'm finishing up loading the plain fabric photos onto my online store and will then go back & add in the lifestyle photos & then we'll be ready to launch.  We're all moving as quickly as we can!! :)

I can't thank Helen & F.J. enough for the photos & their time,  and of course thank you to my family.  (I know two of you can't read yet, but I love you more than anything and one day you'll get what a big deal this was to me.)

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

Spooky Fence Silhouette

The wonderful thing about using silhouettes in your Halloween decor is you can create a big impact for very little money.  This idea was from The Best of Martha Stewart Living Halloween. 

Materials:

black crepe paper

scissors

scotch tape

black poster board, or construction paper

silver Sharpie

This is the link to Martha Stewart's web page with the Halloween templates I used.  I got the leaves from a coloring book.  You could also use real leaves to trace a silhouette.

Here is the first fence board I put up.  I cut a point on the crepe paper and stuck tape to the back and gently pressed it in place.  Using tape on crepe paper is a little tricky.  You have to put the tape on once and gently press in place.  The crepe paper will move around and tear easily, so you just have to work with it.

You could keep a yard stick handy and measure this all out.  I didn't, I just eye balled it in place.

I used black poster board and a silver Sharpie and cut out some leaves and a crow to go with my fence.

This is in the dining room and at different times of the day the different light gives it a creepy feel.  Really fun for Halloween.  

 So, here is the entire wall when I have it finished for the Halloween setting.  I used this as a backdrop for a Sleepy Hollow table for Halloween.  It really transformed the room so cheaply.

Add in a spooky tree branch spray painted black and you have the scary woods too.  This is a re-post from Halloween 2010.  I will be re-posting a few of these Halloween decorating post from last year because, I really always work on such a limited budget that some of you might get some ideas to help you decorate too.   

Sherry

I will link this to a new party I was invited to over at Mandy's Project Queen:
I Turned the Daunting Into Doable Tuesdays
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Construction over here

Remember how I mentioned we were refinishing a room on our lower level?  Here's a pic of the room after we did the demo:

 Our contractors from CarrMichael Construction came over & are in the midst of drywalling the walls & ceiling:

Originally we'd planned to use the small room as an additional office space for me & my assistant Meghan, but two days ago I decided we were better off taking the bigger room (the guest room) for work and using the smaller room as the new guest room.  Here's a shot of our complete mess-of-a-future-office:

Nothing you see is really staying... not even the curtains.  I haven't decided where I want to go in either of these rooms yet because the project came on so suddenly, but as soon as I have design plans, I'll be sure to share.  {shoemakers' kids with no shoes syndrome here} 

Also, the guys are reducing the closet in the boys' room so we can fit two twin beds in there.  Again, I'm pretty undecided on what I to do but I think I'm going to have headboards made in one of my new fabrics. 

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

Nevermore

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven thou," I said, "art sure no craven,

Ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering from the nightly shore.
Tell me what the lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore."
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
~Excerpt from The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

I am really ready for Halloween.  I just like the imagination side of it all, nothing too scary.  I hope every one had a great weekend.  I got my house all clean and more sewn up for my Etsy shop.   What have you been up to?
Both photos have been altered with textures by Kim Kalssen.
First photo: used autumn script in a soft light 100%
Second photo: used autumn script in a soft light 83%

Thanks for joining me for tea!

 Sherry

I will link to these lovely blogs, go and visit:

Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life

Tea Time Tuesday at Lady Katherine Tea Parlor

Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage

Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites

Tuesday Tea for Two at The Plumed Pen

Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday  at The Silken Purse

Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday at Breath of Fresh Air

Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations

Tea Party Tuesday  at Sweetology 

Texture Tuesday  at Kim Klassen Cafe

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life

Fall Crawl at The Artsy Girl Connection

WOW: Marie Hines

I am so amazed right now & totally tearing up.  I just got a supersweet email from singer/ songwriter Marie Hines about her latest song/ video from "Better From the Living Room Sessions" and I clicked on her link to see the video.

{Marie, if you're reading this, I'll be honest, I really had no idea what to expect.}

But I was blown away.  Really blown away.  I definitely teared up.  She has such an incedibly beautiful voice, IS so incredibly beautiful, and you can just see that she is seriously passionate about what she does.  I'm instantly a new fan & wanted to share it on the blog because I thought you might enjoy her songs too:

http://www.mariehines.com/

Marie decorated her living room featured in the videos herself & styled it beautifully with a million candles.  You'll love it.

Thanks so much to Marie for sharing & you have got it GOIN on!!!




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

Neutral Fall Inspiration

I was most inspired for fall by Lulu Tapp's home featured in Romantic Country magazine 

(Fall 2011).  I love the neutral palette and how she made it come alive with fun touches of the season.  Lulu Tapp is a photographer and stylist for Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Couture.

I scoured the internet for more images of this feature and had no luck until I stumbled across The Old Painted Cottage's blog.   All of these photos are Lulu Tapp's and were featured at the Cottage of the Month at The Old Painted Cottage.  Click the link to view more of this fall decor.   I have these images and more pinned to my neutral fall board.  What colors do you like to experiment with for Halloween or fall?  

 Rachel Ashwell briefly had a tv show in the 90's.  Does anyone remember it?  I couldn't find it anywhere online.  So, looking around for a video of Rachel Ashwell this was all I could find.   Would love to see her wisdom and style on the screen again.:)

Rachel Ashwell for Target.com from rob featherstone on Vimeo.
 I am joining Natasha for her Pinning and Singing party.  
 I will also join Kathleen for White Wednesday at Faded Charm.
Click the link to view.