Berry Cake

So my oh so wonderful friend, Melissa, dropped off some fresh picked strawberries and blueberries yesterday and I couldn't resist the urge to use them in some baked deliciousness.   I whipped up a quick little dessert adapted from the recipe I found here.  What berry desserts do you all like?

This what you will need:
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons of butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 large egg
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of lemon zest, divided
Approximately 1 pound of berries (more or less to taste, I quartered the strawberries and left the blueberries as is)

This is what you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep pie or tart pan (approximately 10 inch dish).  Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in bowl then set to the side.  In an electric mixer blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.  Mix in egg, milk, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.  Add in flour mixture, combine thoroughly but don't over mix.  Spread batter into prepared dish and then arrange berries cut side down into top of the batter, press gently.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted to the cake comes clean.  Cool and sprinkle remaining lemon zest just prior to serving.  Enjoy!!!

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mommas out there....Happy Mother's Day.  Please enjoy this pic of these pretty peonies and delicious smelling gardenias.  I just love this time of year.

Another room board

So, I am working on creating a mood board for a living room re-do with white and turquoise being the colors of choice.  I created a couple of boards with that color scheme but different styles, this one is more traditional glam and I love it.

On a side note it is incredibly difficult to source pure white couches, most everything is ivory, pearl etc.  These are both from Ballard Designs and are customizable which is awesome.  The garden stool and mirror come in a variety of styles and price points and are meant to serve as inspiration. They can be easily tweaked to style and  budget.  The artwork I love, it would be so pretty in a thin gold frame with pale peach matting.  It's a map of Paris.  How cool is that.

artwork / chandelier / sofas / garden stool / sunburst mirror / fabric /  fabric

Happy Friday

TGIF for realsss.  It's been a very long week but I am looking forward to a fun filled weekend spent with some of my bestest friends.  Since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo I thought I would share a little photo and recipe from the fine folks at Sweet Life Bake for a Grapefruit Margarita... yummy.  What festivities do you all have planned?

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In honor of the Kentucky Derby...

Here's a few photos of horses in design to get you fine folks pumped up for the big race.  To get really inspired, may I suggest making one of these fancy schmancy takes on the Mint Julep to enjoy while perusing the pics.  Enjoy!


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Guest Room Inspo

My very adorable cousin, Ashley, is re-purposing one the rooms in her home into a guest bedroom.  She has a few pieces  of furniture she has to maintain in the space and doesn't want to have to worry about painting the walls again so she asked me to come up with something for her.  I created this board as an inspiration based on the one piece that she really wants to bring into the room which is an old fireplace mantel turned headboard.  I wanted to incorporate some other pieces to offset the "shabby chic" style of the headboard while maintaining a cohesive balance with the other pieces of furniture and wall color.  Here's what I came up with.  We will probably tweak some things but it's a good starting off point.  

chair/botanical art/mantel headboard/bedding/table

Fiddle Leaf Fig....Yes Please

So I have what some might call a mild obsession with the use of the Fiddle Leaf Fig in interior design.  I myself don't have one because, well, I can't find one anywhere. So if anyone has any idea where I could look, your recommendation would be much appreciated.   I have fig trees in my yard, and I will be sure to share my fig pizza recipe with you fine folks once those babies start fruiting but for the time being take a look at all these purdy places with their fig trees and such.

How cute is this room, with it's surfboard mounted to the wall.  Perfect for being "beachy" without being kitchy.  Also, love love love the turquoise lined walls in the built-ins.

This room is what you call a statement maker with it's muted tones, high ceilings and mix of textures.  Very nice if I don't say so myself.
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Just adorable, and love the x benches to the left of the coffee table.

This room looks so comfortable and youthful with the mix of fabrics and colors without being overbearing.
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all images are found on my pinterest but the top two are from Hi Sugar Plum and the bottom two are from Style By Emily Henderson.