New Silks! And a Laundry Tip...

I get WAY too excited about new drapery items. Look at this beautiful silk! It's even prettier in person and the price point is excellent.

Speaking of fabrics... I wanted to share some great information with you.

How to get grease stains out of clothing and fabric

I've retired several clothing items because I could not remove a grease stain. Perhaps I should not put so much butter on my toast to the point that it drips onto my yoga pants (this actually happened.) I wish I had known this process (adapted from Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook.)

Try this technique on a small hidden area of your clothing first. I always test but have never had a problem.

1. Treat the area with acetone. Martha recommends an eye dropper but I just use a Q-Tip to drip the acetone over the effected area.

2. Rinse area with isopropyl alcohol. Let dry completely.

3. Rinse area with diluted dishwashing liquid.

4. Launder item as usual.

Any other good housekeeping items to share? Leave a comment below...

Soup's On... Orange Soy Baby Back Ribs

One of my favorite recipes. Sticky, sweet Asian-style ribs. Yum.

From Gourmet 2005 (epicurious.com)

• 
  
• 
  
• Orange Soy Baby Back Ribs
• Ingredients
• 2 racks baby back pork ribs (2 to 3 lb total), cut into individual ribs
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• Special equipment: a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish

Preparation

Put ribs in a large sealable plastic bag. Stir together orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cumin in a bowl until sugar is dissolved, then pour marinade over ribs in bag and seal bag, pressing out excess air. Marinate ribs, chilled, turning bag over after 30 minutes, 1 hour total.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Transfer ribs and marinade to baking dish and arrange ribs in 1 layer, not touching. Roast ribs 30 minutes, then turn over ribs with tongs and continue roasting until they are tender and well browned and marinade is thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes more.

Our Anniversary!

Today is our anniversary! Four years ago today, Jason and I got married in Chatham, Massachusetts. Here is a picture of the ceremony.

My cousin Chris was our officiate. He is a consultant but got a 24-hour license to marry us. Isn't that neat? He did such a great job. And now he has the cool nick-name "Father Chris."

Our favors/place cards.

Things got a little crazy at the reception. What a great day...

Tonight we're headed to a Greek restaurant in honor of our honeymoon in Santorini. Maybe next year Jason will actually take me back to Greece (hint hint!)

As someone who lives in a 1950's ranch (I like to call it a bungalow) I can really appreciate a good facelift on a home's exterior. Jessica Helgerson is responsible for this AMAZING before-and-after design of a Portland home. What a difference!

Her work in the interior is just as great as the front entrance.

I'm ready to move in!

all images from Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Red Around The Bed

Red is not usually a color a gravitate towards when thinking about bedroom design. Thoughts such as, "Eek, you'll never relax/sleep" or "it might look like a bordello" or "red is just too... colorful" pop into my mind when folks start talking about red around the bed. Bright colors in my bedroom are the kinds of things I have nightmares about.

But then I came across this picture...

via Genuine Style

I was struck by how light and airy the room looked even though it had (gasp) RED in it. So I went hunting form some other really great rooms with a touch of red. Unfortunately, I only found a a handful great examples. But here are a few that I thought illustrated the idea that red can still be part of a really relaxing space.

Country Living

decorpad

via Moving Designz

Elle Decor

What colors are in your bedroom?

Back from the beach!

After some Internet-connectivity issues and an impromptu escape to the beach I'm back!

It was so nice to get away...

And I really enjoyed seeing Joe having an absolute blast.

But, I'm glad we're home.

Several new posts on the way....

Soup's On... Hot Fudge Spoon Cake (In The Slow Cooker!)

(PIC COMING SOON)

Lately I have been "reconnecting" with my slow cooker. We took a break for a while because I just wasn't getting anything out of our relationship. Sigh. But, now things are better than ever! I've been trying not to turn my blog into slow cooker central. However, I cannot skip over this recipe. It's amazing!

Hot Fudge Spoon Cake is almost like a lava cake. It has two layers- a fudgy cake top and a molton, saucy bottom. (The layers reverse when cooking.) Serve it over vanilla ice cream.

Cake:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant espresso granules (optional, dissolve into milk)

Top:

1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Butter or spray (with butter flavored cooking spray) the sides of a medium slow cooker. In a medium bowl whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add milk and espresso, melted butter, and vanilla.

To make topping, combine all topping ingredients together and whisk until smooth (will be very watery.) Gently pour into the slow cooker. Do not stir. Cover and cook on high setting for 2 to 2 1/4 hours.

"Best Picks" ... For Windows

Ahhh... I could look at treatments all day. I guess it's a good thing that's my job! I wanted to compile a few of my favorite looks and styles. What looks best (and works best) is always dependent on the individual window, home, and client. However, here are several of my "best picks" that are very versatile.

Sheer curtains come in more fabrics besides those cheap synthetics. A silk cheesecloth could not be a more elegant choice for drapery. Use sheer curtains to get an airy look like in the room below.

House to Home

Grosgrain ribbon detail on these shades gives them a custom, tailored look.

I recently saw these beautiful panels in Real Simple Magazine. They wispy, romantic, and bright. You can find them at Layla Grayce for $249 per panel. It would cost less to have them custom made. And who doesn't want custom draperies?

Layla Grayce

A lovely example of a woven wood shade paired with a panel curtain.

Lauren Leiss Interiors

Inside-mount shades are a great way to show off your trim work.

I'll leave you with a simple roman shade. The style, the color, position... it's perfect.

Country Living

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Small Is Big!

According to the July/August issue of House Beautiful, small is the new big. I think this is great because I interpret it to mean that my shoebox house is especially chic. Who knew 1950s ranches were so fashionable?! This might be wishful thinking on my part.

I came across this collection of designs in Country Home. The magazine also offers some great advice on getting the most out of a modest space.

Make your room multifunctional. This room combines living space, an office, and storage.

Be bold... in a transition area (such as the foyer.)

Use a light palette and layers of texture. Armless chairs allow room to move around.

Use smaller appliances such as this 24 inch stove. A panel hides an 18 inch dishwasher.

Use a simple color scheme.

A table with a single pedestal will provide the most leg room.

Use wallpaper as architecture The large pattern creates visual structure.

Make a space feel larger with vaulted ceilings.

Remove upper kitchen cabinets.

Country Home

Living in a small space? How do you make it feel larger?

I Might Have A Problem...

While looking for some inspiration for a current project I came across these rooms.

Hmmm... I think I have a white skirted sofa problem.

Country Living

Porter Design Company

Windsor Smith

Soup's On... Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

This is the best homemade ice cream recipe I have ever come upon. It was featured in the September 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. It's a great way to use lemon verbena but you could also use the base with other herbs or fruit. I'm dying to try it with lavender!

Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar, divided

1/4 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves

7 large egg yolks

Bring cream, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon verbena just to boil in medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 2 hours.

Whisk yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl. Return cream mixture to boil. Strain hot cream mixture; gradually whisk into yolk mixture. Return custard to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard is thick enough to leave path on spoon when finger is drawn across and thermometer registers 180°F, 3 to 4 minutes (do not boil). Immediately transfer custard to medium bowl. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to bowl. Cover; freeze up to 3 days.

Deciding What's Next - Tackling The Outdoors

Jason and I moved into our house 5 years ago this summer. I can hardly believe it.

At first, it was the perfect size.

Then along came Bentley...

And then Joey...

Now our 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house is at capacity. Luckily, we have not outgrown it yet. However, Joey is the only person with approval to gain any weight.

In our time here we've done a lot of work to the house. We cleared the yard, built a fence, built a deck, painted every room, remodeled a bathroom, and remodeled a kitchen.

Our kitchen...

We'd like to stay another two years and hopefully more. However we need to decide what project to tackle next. If we stay longer than two years I'd like to do some work on the outside. Let me tell you why...

Here is a picture our porch floor.

Here is a picture of one of our deck chair cushions. It met an untimely death with a squirrel who was redecorating.

These pictures might be a little dramatic but I think they show that it's time for a makeover.

I've been looking around in order to get inspired.

Here are some great outdoor spaces...

Keep an eye out for more outdoor decorating ideas!