{Project 52} Weeks 1 & 2

 1|52 Beginnings

{My new planner for 2016}

2|52 Outdoors

Do you see my deer friends peeking through the trees?

Let's keep in touch!

    

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The Ultimate Woman Cave with Chairish

This is a collaboration with Chairish.com to create my ultimate woman cave/diva den. 

I'd love to have a party barn/photo/yoga studio space someday and here's how I'd decorate in my fantasy world if I could shop from Chairish for stylish, vintage decor.  

 From their website, "Chairish makes it fun for design lovers to buy and sell vintage furniture and decor to one another."

Hey, that does sound like fun!

Let's get started!

Row 1) My starting off inspiration pieces were these Phyllis Morris Silver Bamboo Bar Stools.  They are just so chic!  You can check out the whole collection of barstools that they offer if you want to shop along with me. :) Then I fell for this Vintage Baluchi Persian Rug and the Large Morroccan Wedding Blanket Floor Pillow to cozy up the space.

Row 2) I needed some ambience and the Moroccan Hanging Candle Lantern, Asian Themed Tea Set (I love drinking tea after yoga) and Vintage Handmade Drum all fit the bill. #om

Row 3) More candles and artwork were added: the Moon & Stars Red Glass Candleholders, Goddess Statue and Tipi Camp On Snake River Acrylic Painting were all speaking to me.

Row 4) I couldn't stop with the mood lighting and comfy seating so I had to indulge a little more with the Fortuny Blue & Ivory Fiori Floor Pillow, Hand Blown Blue Glass Votive Holders and Vintage Navy Blue Velvet Settee (would be awesome for photo shoots!).

I'll admit that most of the fantasy room pieces are out of my price range but if I was looking for quality, vintage pieces, this is a great place to start.  I was pleasantly surprised that there were items available at every price point and you're welcome to make an offer if you're looking to negotiate with the seller.   What's your favorite piece from my Woman Cave/Diva Den?

Let's keep in touch!

    

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{Entertaining} Host a Holiday Crafternoon

Does the idea of sitting around with your girlfriends, drinking cocktails and crafting the afternoon away sound like a dream?  It did to me too until that dream became a reality when my friend G invited us over for our first holiday "crafternoon"!

I can't take any credit for this get together, I just showed up with my girls and a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

We started our crafternoon with a toast and some yummy snacks.

G's house is always decorated so perfectly but she really kicks it up a notch for Christmas.

I mean, come on!

The dining room was all set up for us to craft away.

When we finally got down to business, she showed us some of her ideas from Pinterest.

The table was set up with a cheerful gingham tablecloth and craft paper place mats at each seat.

She had so many supplies set up for us to play with.

C brought along supplies to make Mason jar snow globes to give out as Christmas gifts. They featured army men and dinosaurs.  So cool!  (You can see the finished product on my Instagram @heather_ourlife).

It was a little overwhelming to figure out what to make, so many options!

There were pinecones, acorns, fabric, yarn, clear ornaments, paint chips, bakers twine, paint, glitter, glue, you name it....

A few of us settled on making some gnomes out of toilet paper tubes, felt and faux fur. Their little noses were wooden beads.

I think they turned out really cute!

Here are a few of our crafts from the day (gnomes, paint chip tree ornament, glitter ornaments, the start of some gnome cottages)...

and some finished gnomes hanging out with Santa.   It was such a fun and relaxing afternoon that got me into the holiday spirit(and back into the crafting groove!).
This doesn't just have to take place at Christmastime either, I think a "Gal-entine's Day Crafternoon" would be a lot of fun too.  Are you in?

Let's keep in touch!

    
Linking up with:
Show & Tell
Cooking and Crafting with J & J
Creative Mondays

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{Recipe} Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Falafah-what? Do you know falafel? I wasn't too fond of them a few years ago but now 

I love them!   If you don't know what they are, imagine spicy little chickpea balls of yumminess. 

They are usually deep fried for a crispy coating.  The thought of making them myself was intimidating to say the least. 

Miss HS and I were brainstorming some different lunch ideas for her and falafel was one thing we thought of--they are portable and can be eaten at any temperature, popped in some pita bread, eaten by themselves with some dipping sauce or even on top of a salad.   I found this recipe which demystified them a bit, using dried chickpeas (soaked overnight) to keep them together  and a mini muffin tin to bake them in.  I checked out a few other recipes and then adjusted this one to give it a try based on what I had in my kitchen.

Baked Falafel

Ingredients:

1 c. raw dried chickpeas soaked overnight(they will double in size)

1/2 red onion chopped

2-3 garlic cloves

3 cubes frozen cilantro

1-2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried coriander

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp tumeric (or less)

1/ 2 tsp garlic powder

pinch of cardamon

1 tsp Kosher salr

1 tsp lemon zest

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Cooking spray(I use TJ's coconut oil spray)

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 400 F

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray

Combine all ingredients in food processor except olive oil and pulse a few times to combine.

Add olive oil and pulse a few more times.

Use a mini scoop (or spoon) to scoop out mixture and place in muffin tins.  Press down lightly with scoop to make sure they are holding together.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.  Serve immediately with pita bread and/or the upcoming tahini sauce or cool on wire wrack, then refrigerate.

Super Quick Tahini Sauce:

Mix the following ingredients in a high speed blender (or by hand if you don't have one):

1/2 cup tahini paste (sesame seed butter)

2 TBS lemon juice

1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

3-4 TBS water

Pour into a jar to store in the fridge. This can be thinned out with more water to make a salad dressing.  The sauce thickens up in the refrigerator.

Enjoy those spicy little bites!

They make a great snack or tasty meal.  Have you ever tried falafel?

Let's keep in touch!

    
Linking up with:
Welcome To The Weekend
Cooking and Crafting with J & J
Show & Tell

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