Happy Halloween

Fall Cleaning

I wanted to share some of my all time favorite cleaning/ household tips. These tips make doing those tedious chores just a little bit easier!

1. Is your favorite candle getting low and hard to reach the wick? You don't want to waste the last bit of good smelling wax? Take an uncooked spaghetti noodle, light the end and use to light that hard to reach wick.

2. Dusty lamp shades. You try to vacuum the dust but the strong suction doesn't always treat the delicate shade very well. Use your everyday lint roller instead. It is quick, easy, and doesn't harm your lamp shades.

3. Soap scum and water spots on glass shower doors. Mr. Clean magic eraser works wonders. I do not really like to use the magic eraser on my painted walls but I love to use it for other hard to clean areas in the house. The glass shower doors can be a nightmare to keep clean. Scrub the scum with the eraser, rinse, and then squeegee. To upkeep, just remember to always squeegee after every shower, use eraser about twice a week to keep the scum away. I also like to use the eraser on the shower floor and the tub. It is not always good to use abrasive cleaners such as Ajax because it can scratch/wear away the finish making future cleaning even harder.

4. Cant seem to remember to clean or change your A/C filter every month? Well, keeping the filter clean can help save money on your energy bill, plus it is good for your A/C. So how do I remember? When I receive my bill, I stop reading the bill and go do it right then and there! If you create a habit of cleaning it each time you receive the bill or pay the bill it will be easier to remember.

and remember it takes about 30 days to create a habit...

Southern Charm

I love this Southern Living idea house... especially the kitchen. Which by the way is from Ikea. This house is in Georgia, can you tell? Those southerners sure know how to make a home look charming and cozy. I personally prefer white kitchens, but happen to love the darker wood mixed with white in this particular kitchen! I think it looks great!

This transom doorway is gorgeous, especially with the pocket doors. I also love the room off of the kitchen, which they called a scullery ( def, a small kitchen or room towards the back of the house used for washing dishes or other dirty household work). I think it would just be great to have an area to store and display all your dinnerware, glassware and such. Why always hide it away? I hope someday I have a room like this!

scullery

The vent was a stainless steel ikea hood however, the contractor covered it, which gives such a beautiful custom look. Below are some other pictures I enjoyed as well....

the keeping room ( a small sitting room off of the kitchen) and yes there is a TV in there. It is above the fireplace, behind the picture. The picture is bi-folded and on hinges, easy to open.

living room

dining room

pub

outdoor patio

Turkey Sloppy Joes

I am going to share a delicious and fairly easy recipe for sloppy joes. I have been known to, on occasion make sloppy joes out of the Manwich can. My son happens to really like it but I thought, hmmm, this could be a lot better and probably healthier. I ran into a recipe in my Gourmet Today cookbook, and it is now one of my all time favorite, kid friendly recipes!

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I buy already chopped garlic in a jar, use for all my cooking)

2 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes in juice

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1 1/4 teaspoons tabasco, or to taste

serve on cheddar milk biscuits (I buy the Grands, shred cheese on top and bake on my baking stone)

Combine tomatoes with juice, ketchup, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and tabasco in a blender until puree until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in an 8qt wide heavy pot over moderately high heat, until hot but not smoking. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes.

Add turkey and cook, stirring ccasionally, and breaking up large lumps with a wooden spoon, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper.

Add tomato mixture to turkey and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 25-30 minutes.

Serve on biscuits.

Hint, great for football season!

Welcome Fall

Fall is definitely here and I am actually ok with it! Even though I am currently located in S. Florida where a normal day is still in the high 80's usually hitting 90, I can actually feel the difference. Is it my internal clock/ instinct or does it have more to do with commercialism? Like walking into the grocery store and seeing the pile of pumpkins? Not really sure, I am just happy to welcome Fall.

In the next week or so I will begin adding some fall vintage home wares to my little shop the Gilded Zebra! So check back!

SALE!

End of summer sale...

I am currently hosting a sale in my Etsy shop the Gilded Zebra where you can find fabulous vintage and antique finds for the home.

The sale is buy one, get the second of equal or lesser value 50% off. All shipping will remain as is. The money you save will be refunded to your Paypal within 24 hours.

Happy shopping!

Etsy Shop

buy toadstools here

I love this adorable Etsy shop! It puts me in the mood to throw a party and entertain alittle! These edible decorations would be perfect on top of a freshly decorated cake! And your guests would be amazed! Check out the Andie's Specialty Sweets at Etsy.

buy sugar blossoms here

buy acorns here

LIFE

Hmmmm... choices, choices, which one to choose?

I would love to choose the simple but I never fail to

choose the extremely complicated!

teal

Denyse Schmidt Quilts

I had to share my favorite quilts with you all, they are fresh, modern, yet still have a homemade farmhouse feel to them. Looking at these quilts always inspires me to look past the usual and get excited to create something extraordinary!

Denyse grew up in central Massachusetts. Growing up during a depression, both parents made things instead of buying and at a young age Denyse started making things as well. She studied graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design and about 10 years ago began her business.

The studio is located in a historic factory building in Bridgeport CT.

Roots quilt

Drunk Love

4 Crosses

Rugby Stripes

They even have a line called DSbaby for the nursery... check it out here!

and fabrics for sale, plus patterns for you to attempt your own quilt or project!

and last but not least, a line of paper goods, neat right!?

Hope you enjoyed looking at a few of the beautiful quilts I enjoy so much. Check out her website here for many, many more patterns and color ways.

Its Complicated

I am sure you recognize these pictures as the set design to one of my favorite movies, "Its Complicated". I LOVE this design, so homey and laid back casual. The movie is from director- writer Nancy Meyer who is famous for her movies but also her sets. The designer/ decorator Beth Rubino did a fabulous job and I love studying the pictures. This is "old" news in the design world, however I would still like to share. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures below!

Happy Weekend

*image courtesy of country living

happy weekend

just got back from a busy week at the cabin, going to enjoy the lush scenery of green county...maybe hit the farmers market and definitely start organizing all my new vintage finds for the shop!

summer lovin

It's officially summer... and today I am loving the bright, playful colors that come with this warm part of the year! Here are some of my favorite inspiration picks....

Etsy finds

This Etsy seller is currently a featured seller and she deserves it! The shop is called Tuuni, and she uses vintage and recycled fabrics to make pillows, mail organizers, and fabric baskets. Here are some of my favorites....

yellow pillow

blue pillow

white pillow

fabric basket