Thursday 16 February 2012

Terrariums:

Loving this new plant trend! Terrariums come in so many different sizes and you can put almost anything in them...
Check out some ideas here:
"The Monroe" - www.cargoh.com
I love the feather touch


"The noir" - www. cargoh.com

































Wednesday 15 February 2012

Corno Studio Paintings:

On a cloudy Wednesday what better way to brighten your day than to look at some beautiful art. I was watching a documentary about abstract paintings last night and it reminded me of this women’s art I came across last summer and absolutely fell in love with.

If you've never heard of her, her name is Corno and she paints fantastically large and bright abstract portraiture with intense black contrast. Her painting method is thick with a lot of visible strokes... oh how I wish I could paint like her.


Here is some of her old and new work:






www.cornostudio.com

Thursday 9 February 2012

Simple Broccoli Cheddar Soup:

Hey guys, I thought I would post up a how to on making really easy and delicious broccoli cheddar soup. I found this recipe on 101cookbooks.com and i'm (or should I say my stomach) is very impressed with how it turned out...

Here is what you will need:

croutons
5-6 ounce chunk of artisan whole wheat bread, torn into little pieces (less than 1-inch), roughly 3 cups total
1/4 cup butter or olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard ( I didn't use any :( )
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

soup:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups light, good-tasting vegetable broth
1 large head of broccoli (12 ounces or 3/4 lb.), cut into small florets
2/3 cup freshly grated aged Cheddar, plus more for topping
1 - 3 teaspoons whole grain mustard, to taste
smoked paprika, more olive oil, creme fraiche (optional)

(Note our makeshift wine bottle back splash)

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and place the torn bread in a large bowl. In a small saucepan heat the butter until it has melted. Whisk the mustard and salt into the butter and pour the mixture over the bread. Toss well, then turn the bread onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and crunchy. Toss them once or twice with a metal spatula along the way.  

While the croutons are toasting, melt the butter (or olive oil) in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallots, onion, and a big pinch of salt. Saute for a couple minutes. Stir in the potatoes, cover, and cook for about four minutes, just long enough for them to soften up a bit. Uncover, stir in the garlic, then the broth. Bring to a boil, taste to make sure the potatoes are tender, and if they are stir in the broccoli. Simmer just long enough for the broccoli to get tender throughout, 2 - 4 minutes.


Immediately remove the soup from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Add half the cheddar cheese and the mustard (a little bit a a time). If you are going to add any creme fraiche, this would be the time to do it. Now add more water or broth if you feel the need to thin out the soup at all. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Serve sprinkled with croutons, the remaining cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a tiny pinch of smoked paprika.


Enjoy!



Inspiration:

Pantone's fashion colour prediction for fall 2012...
















http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120208006798/en/Pantone-Announces-Fashion-Color-Report-Fall-2012

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Cute Valentine's Day Ideas:

Hey guys, I've just been surfing the internet looking for Valentine's Day ideas for this year and I came across some really adorable things. 
Check em' out <3
Valentine Cup Cozies, adorkable

Valentine Shortbread Cookies With Fondant

DIY Valentine wrapping paper : www.poppytalk.blogspot.com

Strawberry skewers: www.hwtm.com

Valentines day art: www.eighteen25.blogspot.com

Felt hearts





Friday 3 February 2012

Inspiration:

Elizabeth Taylor knitting, love it!


DIY Mason Jar Love!

Other than their main purpose to store food, mason jars can be used for so many different things. Here are just a few of the many ideas I've found.

Dyeing Mason Jars and creating a chandelier

Adding a soap dispenser to the top of the jar 

String and some floating tea lights, so pretty

And the always classic, vase jar

Happy Friday Everyone!


Wednesday 1 February 2012

A Beautiful Sunny Day!

Hello all and happy hump day! For all of you who live in Vancouver can agree with the fact that the amount of yucky rainy days we've had the past few weeks has been a bit much, and quite frankly I was about to loose my marbles...but, much to my surprise today it's finally sunny out! So I had to take full advantage of this gorgeous day and head down to the beach to take some photos....

Check out the rest of my sunny day photos here:
http://decornmore.blogspot.com/p/inspiration.html