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Jess
August 30, 2011 - 11:50am


The Dreaded Task of Cleaning the Garage

 

 I recently had a dinner party with a few of my friends where the topic of moving came up.  My friend Allison and her husband Keith have just bought a new house, and their excitement about moving combined with the dread of packing reminded me of how Peter and I were feeling last spring when we bought our new house.  When we moved, we put away the majority of our belongings in the appropriate rooms and left the remainder in our garage.  Over the last year and a half, the garage has continued to stay in the same state (a mess!) while the interior of the house has been organized and really come to life.  Allison’s talk of packing reminded me that I still had a lot of unpacking to do!


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August 24, 2011 - 9:47am


Adventures with Soufflé Making

 

 With several guests coming to dinner, I wanted to make something that would be easy to make but also look impressive on our dining table.  My friend Allison was bringing her famous lasagna, so I decided to attempt something a little experimental since we would have the lasagna to fall back on as a main course.  I decided to make a leek soufflé, something I had made before and had some success with.  On the previous occasion for making this soufflé, it did not rise very well, so I was determined to get this soufflé to elevate!


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July 28, 2011 - 2:27pm


Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

 

 After all the other elements in our bathroom came together for that perfect beach feeling, our original mirror just was not working with the rest of the room.  It had a worn oak finish that I was hoping would look like driftwood.  However, in juxtaposition to the newly updated bathroom cabinets vanity, the mirror just looked shabby & old.  Laura Redd suggested a way to match the feeling of the vanity with the mirror through white washing.


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July 11, 2011 - 11:43am


Decorating your Bathroom in Coastal Sophisticate Style

 

 Last year I had the chance to spend some time in a very nicely decorated beach condo on the North Carolina coast.  Every other beach cottage I have been to features coconuts, weird signs about beachy subjects, tiki-type decorations, and generally a lot of kitschy stuff.  However, this condo impressed me with its modern style, and I loved the pastel colors of buttercream and light ocean blue together.  After falling in love with Carolina coastal style, Peter & I decided to bring some beach with us to inland Greensboro in our bathroom.


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April 27, 2011 - 12:22pm


Caring for Young Chicks

 

Springtime is here, and if you have been to your local feed store, then you know this is baby chick season!  If you are in a southern climate, now is the perfect time to get baby chickens or ducks from your local farming store.  If you are in a northern climate, May or June will be a better time for your chicks.


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March 25, 2011 - 12:25pm


King of the Bathroom

 

This could only happen in America.  Peter and I have too many bathrooms.  Although I’m sure I’ll be eating my words when I have teenagers in the house, four bathrooms is just too many for one couple to keep up with.  The bathroom next to the garage seems far away from the normal social center of the house, so we decided to make it the “cat bathroom.”  Our adorable kitty has free reign over his very own room.


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February 8, 2011 - 12:03pm


Time for Tea

 

 After putting up our vinyl wall decals, I was ready to have some tea!  Although I normally would not put a small dining room table in a guest room, I thought it would fit in with the Alice in Wonderland theme to add a table set for tea.  After inheriting a small table from Peter’s grandmother, we have searched for a good place to put it in the new house.  With a location right next to the window, there is still plenty of room to set up an air mattress for guests, and they can even have their own private breakfast if they like.    


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January 28, 2011 - 10:51am


A Bold Design Statement with Vinyl Wall Decals

 

 If you have ever spent any time on Etsy, then you are familiar with the home decorating craze for vinyl wall decals.  They are basically giant stickers that you can put on your wall to create bold, graphic designs that really stand out.  I’m attracted to them mainly because they can turn a wall into a giant piece of scrapbooking paper with really interesting designs!  I found some adorable forest-themed decals from WowWall on Etsy, and ordered the set with some fun trees, and of course the white rabbits to compliment the Alice in Wonderland theme.


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January 5, 2011 - 1:06pm


Our Honeymoon Picture Comes to Life in our Home Office

 

 As you may know from our previous posts regarding our home office, this area of the house has been turned into an area reminiscent of our honeymoon.  A giant oil painting, a detailed water color, and a carved mirror grace the walls, brightening up our work space with the memories of our happiest vacation.  However, there was one wall left blank.  We just didn’t have any other art that would fit the wall & fit in with the theme.


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December 21, 2010 - 12:39pm


Secrets of Swedish Holiday Cookies

 

 Every year at Christmas time, I set out to make hundreds of cookies as presents for my family.  This year I am very excited about cookie time since we have a brand new kitchen with plenty of space to bake in.  One of the types of cookies I make is a variation of Swedish ginger bread called Pepparkakor.  This cookie is similar to ginger bread in flavor, but it is crisper and actually contains no ginger.  These cookies are perfect for hanging on your tree as ornaments if you can resist eating them all right away.  


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