Weekend Recap: Country Comfort

This past weekend we escaped the city and headed to Central, IL. where Jered grew up.

It’s nice to get out of the stressful city every once in awhile, especially for a quiet weekend in the country. Our weekend was filled with great sleep, lots of fresh air, good food and the most beautiful sunset I've seen in a long time. 

And then on Sunday our couch was finally delivered! I took the loveliest nap with it that afternoon and realized how much I’ve missed having a couch.

How was your weekend? 

Country 

The most beautiful sunset I've seen in a long time

Salvaged barn wood for a side table project we're working on

Corn fields

Cozy, fireside

Much-anticipated couch delivery 

The perfect Sunday night dinner, a bowl of turkey chili 

Wishful Wednesday: I wish I could eat cupcakes every single day

I'm a sucker for a good cupcake. No matter what size and no matter what flavor (within reason), I can't say no. 


My favorite cupcakes in the city are from a bakery in Lincoln Park called Sweet Mandy B's. Their cupcakes are simple when compared to all the different varieties of cupcakes that one can find these days, but they're perfect in their simplicity. They don't need bacon bits or sprinkles or crazy flavor varieties to be special. They just are. 


This past weekend, I tried out a recipe I found online that claimed to be THE Sweet Mandy B's cupcake recipe. I'm proud to report that the the icing tasted eerily similar to the real thing. The cake was a bit off, but not in a bad way, just in a way that's slightly different from the original. 

While I didn't hit the nail on the head, it was, after all, only my first try. And I have to say that I have found my go-to cupcake recipe for the next time I'm called upon to whip up a batch of buttercream goodness. Whether they taste exactly like SMB's or not. 

Weekend Arts and Crafts: Anthropologie Zinc Letters

I love Anthropologie's zinc letters, but I don't like the fact that they're $18 a piece. 


This past weekend I finally got around to making my own.


JoAnn Fabrics has paper mache letters that they sell for $2.99 and $3.99 a piece. While I was there I picked up a tube of black and a tube of silver metallic acrylic paint (I bought Folk Art because it was on sale, but I'm sure others would have worked too). 


I painted the letters with a coat of black, and then once it dried, painted them, lightly with a blotchy coat of the silver. And voilà, my own "zinc" letters that cost less than $10 to make!

Once they were done I completely rearranged our bookshelf. I wish I would have taken before and after photos... It was a disaster and just didn't feel like an appropriate spot for such cute letters. I've been wanting to color-code our books for awhile now. I like the organized, yet fun look that it gives. 

So now I'm trying to determine what to spell next. I like my letters so much that I think I'll make more. I just haven't decided what I'd like them to say yet. 

Any ideas? 

xo 

Weekend To-Dos

I look forward to weekends all week long, compiling in my head a list of the things I want to squeeze in over my mini two-day vacation. This weekend I’m looking forward to lots of relaxing and accomplishing some projects that I’ve been wanting to try. This week’s list includes…

via style-files

Finding the perfect pots for the cacti we adopted a few weeks back that are sitting on our windowsill

via Anthropologie

Making my own version of Anthropologie’s $18 zinc letters, hopefully for much cheaper

via Soon to be Mrs P

Trying out the Sweet Mandy B’s recipe that I found online this week to try and recreate the real thing

via the love collage

Finally visiting TopShop which opened in Chicago at the beginning of Septemeber… And hopefully not spending my whole paycheck

via Google 

Catching up on lots and lots of Mad Men. I started the first season a few weeks ago and I’m completely hooked!

Enjoy your weekend!

Fall Favorites

I love the fall. From apple cider and fall clothing to candy corn, Halloween, changing leaves and pumpkin-flavored everything, this is definitely, without a doubt, my favorite season. 

Everything just tastes better around this time of year and everything seems to be covered in that golden, late afternoon fall glow. The days are shorter, but still long enough that it's still bright out when I get home from work. And it's chilly enough to wear a leather jacket and scarf, but my puffy, floor length winter sleeping bag coat will still be at the back of my closet for at least another month. 

Since it is my favorite time of year, I've really been getting in the fall spirit lately. Last week I made some amazing pumpkin muffins (recipe to come), and this past weekend I borrowed a Halloween-inspired idea from the Renegade Craft Fair that I visited last month. Though he is a little creepy and Halloween-appropriate I like him so much that I think I'll let him stick around even after the season is over. Happy Fall! 

Plaster skull from Michael's Craft Store

+ 1 Can Chalkboard Paint

= A Halloween-inspired candle holder