I'm So Vintage

Maple and Magnolia

2012-02-17T13:54:00.000-05:00

On this sixth day of my Paying it Forward series, I am having such a hard time choosing a blog to feature. Not because I have no choices, but because there are so many wonderful blogs that I love. I wanted to choose a blog that inspires me with decorating ideas, so I have chosen Maple and Magnolia.

The first thing that grabs me on her blog is the photo of her house in her header. It is gorgeous, and really exemplifies Americana. It makes me want to go there and curl up in front of a fire on a cold winter day or wander through her gardens in the heat of the summer.

This is a home that is filled with wonderful spaces. A home for a family. A home that you just know is filled with love and laughter.

A place to gather for a family dinner.

A place filled with fabulous vintage finds.

a place with hand made touches.

a place for furry friends.

a place for guests to call their own.

In any season, it's a place her family calls home.

If you haven't done so yet, be sure and pop over to Maple and Magnolia. It's a place that will welcome your visit with open arms.

Linking with:
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Inspiration Friday
Fridays Unfolded
Home Sweet Home

five for one

2012-02-16T13:59:00.000-05:00

Today is day five of my Paying it Forward series and I thought it would be appropriate to include five of my favorite blogs. It also works out well that Thursday is their day to band together and give tips on frugal living. Am I a genius or what? (don't answer that)

The five wonderful blogs are: (you can insert a drum roll here if you like)
Brenda at Cozy Little House
Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams
Elaine at Sunny Simple Life
Diane at Lavender Dreams

In today's posts, they are talking about frugal grocery shopping.

Brenda,writes from the perspective of, a recently divorced woman who has move to live closer to her daughters and is decorating and fixing up a very sweet little blue house.

Brenda's kitchen

Claudia, a former theater professor, lives in a charming little house in the country with her husband.

Claudia's kitchen

Jen, is a Canadian, who is temporarily living on a farm in British Columbia, while house hunting.Unfortunately, I wasn't able to share any of her lovely photos, but you can head on over to her blog to check them out.

Elaine, lives in sunny southern California and is sharing the perspective of a simple life with a husband and children.

her small front yard veggie garden

and last, but absolutely not least, is Diane, who along with her husband, is retired and living in a small home in Florida.

Diane's special canisters

these are all wonderful blogs, so be sure and check them out. I am having so much fun with this, I think I will start doing it once a week after this week is over.

I love this paying it forward stuff

2012-02-15T10:56:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful day here in Central Kentucky. The sun has come back out and it is going to warm back up to 50 degrees. I don't know about you, but the weather definitely has an effect on my mood, and today I am feeling like I can accomplish a lot. For one thing, the extra light means I can spend several hours taking photographs, which means adding new items to my shop. That is always a good thing.

I am on day four of my paying it forward week. Today I would like to share one of my favorite blogs, Thistlewood Farm.

Kari, writes "Once upon a time there was a house (don’t all good stories start with a house) that sat waiting for a family to bring it to life. It sat waiting for a family to fill its halls with love and laughter. It sat waiting for nights of family Zumba, popcorn, homework, homemade chocolate chip cookies, tables covered in glitter from craft projects, and kittens curled up next to the fire. It sat still and patient with peeling wallpaper and empty halls for life to begin anew."

Thistlewood Farm is the story of her family and that special house. It is filled with all of the beautiful decorating that goes on there, as well as the oops moments, and the sharing of the love of her family. It is filled with beauty and humor and it is a read you won't want to miss.

Today I thought I would share the before and after of her lovely bathroom. Kari took this

and turned it into this

All photos can be found here

I absolutely love this bathroom and I get lots of great ideas from reading her blog. So if you aren't already a follower, I know you will want to become one.

Linking this with:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Winter Blues Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesdays
White Wednesday
What's It Wednesday

One Perfect Bite

2012-02-14T08:31:00.000-05:00

For the third day of Paying it Forward week, I am featuring one of my favorite food blogs, One Perfect Bite. This is how Mary describes herself and her blog.

"I love to cook, I love to eat and I especially love the company of those who understand the quest for that one perfect bite. The food here is simple, inexpensive and easy to prepare - it's pleasant fare that meets the needs of today's health-conscious cooks. I hope you'll pull up a chair and join me at the table. The recipes are great and I think you'll enjoy the stories of the people and places behind them. The coffee pot is never empty and you're always welcome here!"

Mary searches out the best recipes, whips them up in her kitchen, sometimes tweaks them, gives us her experience of the process, and then shares her findings with us. I can only imagine the wonderful aromas that must emanate from her kitchen.

Since today also happens to be Valentines' Day (happy Valentine's Day everyone) I thought I would share some of the sweet treats I found on her blog.

Frozen Maple-Mousse Pie with Candied Cranberries...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Kathleen Callahan and Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients:
Crust
2 cups pecans (8 ounces)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Mousse
1 cup pure grade B maple syrup
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Candied Cranberries
8 ounces fresh cranberries (2 cups)
1-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup water

Directions:
1) To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool completely. Pulse pecans, sugar, nutmeg and salt in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and pulse to combine. Press crumbs in an even layer into a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate until firm.
2) To make mousse: Bring maple syrup to in a medium saucepan. Simmer over moderate heat until slightly reduced and a candy thermometer inserted in syrup registers 235 degrees F, about 8 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent it boiling over. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whisk, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and drizzle hot syrup onto whites, beating until incorporated. Increase speed to high and beat meringue has cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes. In a separate large bowl, beat heavy cream with vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold meringue mixture into whipped cream until blended. Scrape mousse into crust and spread evenly . Freeze until firm, about 24 hours.
The mousse will not freeze hard like ice cream.
3) To make candied cranberries: Put cranberries in a large heatproof bowl or into top of a double broiler. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour syrup over cranberries and cover bowl or top of double boiler with plastic wrap. Set over a pan of simmering water and cook, undisturbed, over very low heat until syrup is rosy and cranberries are tender but not broken down, about 45 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan and let cranberries cool completely. Refrigerate until berries are chilled.
4) To serve: Loosen sides of springform pan with a warm knife. Remove ring from pan. Cut cake into wedges and transfer to dessert plates. Spoon candied cranberries over top of each cake and serve. Yield: 12 servings.

No-Bake Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Oatmeal Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Helen Ostrosky and the Food Network

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions:
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened. Yield: 24 to 36 cookies depending on size.

Chocolate Brownie Clusters...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Buddy Valastro

Ingredients:
3 extra-large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 cups powdered (10X) sugar
1-1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups unsalted raw walnut halves

Directions:
1) Position a rack in center of oven and preheat it to 325 degrees F.
2) Put egg whites and lemon juice in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. (Be sure the bowl is immaculately clean). Whip on low speed for 2 minutes, then on maximum speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
3) Sift sugar and cocoa powder into bowl together, then fold into batter with a stiff spatula until batter is smooth and shiny. Fold in walnuts, until they are well coated with the batter.
4) Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, using nonstick spray or a dab of butter in each corner to glue paper in place. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 1/2 inch apart, being sure each tablespoon has about 3 or 4 walnuts in it.
5) Bake until outside has crisped and bottom starts to pull away from parchment paper, 15 to 20 minutes.
6) Remove cookie sheet from oven. As soon as clusters can be moved, use a spatula to transfer them to a rack and let them cool. Enjoy cookies right away, or store when completely cool in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Yield: 18 cookies.

If you love wonderful recipes, be sure to visit Mary at OnePerfectBite. I follow her by email just so I can start my day wishing I had what she was cooking. Writing this post before breakfast is not making my bowl of oatmeal sound quite so yummy this morning.

Linking today with:

Tasty Tuesday
Family Time Tuesday

let's shop

2012-02-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my post was about paying it forward. Every Monday I share lovely finds from Etsy. Etsy is a wonderful place to find quality handmade and vintage items and to support our economy. Sharing these finds is a way for me to pay it forward by supporting and promoting the sellers on there. Because of Etsy, I have been able to pay my bills the last few years, when, like many others in this economy I was unable to find employment. It hasn't been the kind of income that I was used to, but there is a feeling of community there and I am grateful to have the opportunity to do something I love.

So, today, like every other Monday, I am sharing lovely Etsy finds. This week I am yearning for Spring, so this posting definitely has a Springy vibe. The rest of the week, to share the love we feel around Valentine's Day, I will be paying it forward by promoting other blogs. I think it will be a fun week.

(Please click on the price to view the item and the shop name to see other pretties from the seller)

vintage style step stool

$27
Circle Creek Home

yellow mustard melmac

$18
Carnival of the Maniac

rain boots yellow bumble bee

$30
Now Vintage

kitchen chalkboard in yellow

$46
Route 17 West

the rucksack in organic honey mustard

$185
Infusion

100% pure unrefined shea butter

$5.95
Supple Skin

Nils Thorrson bird shaped vase

$160
Pillowsophi

pay it forward

2012-02-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning thinking about paying it forward and I found this image that speaks of the interconnection between all people.

I'm So Vintage

Maple and Magnolia

five for one

I love this paying it forward stuff

One Perfect Bite

let's shop

pay it forward

patience is........

displays under glass

antique photo displays

I just knew it

drum roll please

shopping.....

Handstitched Clamshell Book Sculpture

Organic Wool Felt

porcelain and leather hanging planter

Wood Step Ladder

Edie Organic Cotton Jersey Slouch Sleeve Pocket Hoodie

Beaded Bracelet // Soapstone and Copper // Earth Tones // Rustic Tribal

Adjustable Bandolier / replace your pencil case / earth tone ruler

where art thou warm weather

thrifty good finds

cogitating

just where are my old kitchen graters?

Honey Applesauce Cake

Etsy shopping on a Monday

family time

Studio Envy

French Country Kitchen and crepes

Monday shopping on Etsy

ouch and yum

are we motivated yet?

a yummy healthy pizza

Pear & Blue Cheese Flatbread

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Monday shopping on Etsy

I'll take one of those please

catching up and moving forward

broccoli cheddar soup

Directions

Dreaming of Spring shopping on Etsy

oh you lazy girl

a little space to work

the simple living pledge

those darn slippers and other winter goodies

Laura's Hoppin John Recipe

new year wishes

lovely winter whites

Birthday Celebration SALE

Christmas Greetings

gift wrapping disclosure

baking cookies

Ingredients

1 cup honey1 egg3/4 cup shortening1/4 cup water1 teaspoon vanilla extract3 cups rolled oats1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Monday shopping on Etsy

Is Santa groaning?

Santa Baby and a major photo fail

recycled junk Christmas trees

last minute Christmas shopping

Gratitude and Sweet Potato Pie

Silent Night Holy Night

car vs bike safety first

Table Top Christmas Trees

1 cup honey
1 egg
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda