Be Inspired No. 21 - Table Art

With the Thanksgiving Holiday just around the corner I'm convinced that the traditional recipes are not to be messed with so let's be inspired to consider the traditional tablescape for this holiday instead.

Be inspired to mix and match your china patterns and colors, be inspired to bring nature and fall's bounty to the table as decoration, be inspired to use those salt cellars you've been collecting-they don't have to match, be inspired to practice your calligraphy skills on those place cards.

And just in case you need a cheat sheet..

Image Sources: Tobi Fairley, Eddie Ross, Invitation Lady

Rethinking the Look of Things No. 17 - A Misspent Life

Accessories are not an option, dear.

Willow Bee Inspired Philosophy No. 2

I've been rethinking of a way to emphasize the importance of accessories in our home. Lately some designers are pushing a living space with the editing down of accessories and accents. And if you want your home to feel like a styled catalog shoot empty of life then this design aesthetic is fine. But what happens to living well surrounded by our passions and stories and imperfections?

I'm drawn to the description on Amazon of Mary Randolph Carter's book "A Perfectly Kept House is The Sign of a Misspent Life"...

 A beautiful and inspiring volume, A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Lifefocuses on living well with everything that makes a house a home. This volume explores how real-life tastemakers (photographers, textile designers, fashion designers, writers, artists) integrate their life and interiors to live well with their passions, histories, conveniences, and inconveniences.  Combining practical tips with liberating philosophy—"Don’t scrub the soul out of your home"; "Make room for what you love"—this volume celebrates living beautifully and happily, not messily. 

I think this speaks volumes to living well. Living well with all that defines who we are. Surrounding our rooms with those accessories and accents that tell our stories.

Image Sources: Ralph Lauren, Coco Chanel

Be Inspired No. 20 - The Library Table

"I find that when I come out of the library I'm in what I call the library bliss of being totally taken away from the distractions of life." Tracy Chevalier, Author of Girl with a Pearl Earring

I think the inspiration I have from the library table comes from the history and lure attached to it. The books it has supported, the people that sat at it, the distressed and worn character it holds.

The library table quietly sits and waits for life to happen around it. Thus the reason it is on my wish list to have a vintage library table in my home surroundings.

The library table...a partner's desk, a table to display our prized favorite reads, an entrance table, or the table for our home library.

Image Sources: Flicker, Traditional Home, Elle Decor, Vicente Wolf, Cote de Texas

RSVP Collection No. 26 - Crock Pot Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Crock Pot Stuffed Cabbage Soup

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 beef bouillon cubes

2 t. Splenda sugar substitute

1 T. garlic, minced

1/4 t. Tabasco sauce (2 shakes)

3 (14 oz.) cans beef broth

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef

28 oz. tomato juice or crushed tomatoes

2/3 c. barley or rice, rinsed & uncooked

2 t. sweet paprika

1 t. pepper

2 lbs. cabbage, chopped

In a pot, warm the oil over medium heat and saute beef and onions until onions are soft and beef browned (8 minutes). Drain off the fat, and add the tomatoes, bouillon, barley, Splenda, paprika, garlic, pepper, and Tabasco; mix well. Put the cabbage in the crock pot and top with meat mixture (Do NOT stir); top with beef broth. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. Stir soup well; continue to cook covered on Low for another hour.

Paper Obsessed No. 4 - Obsession Exposed...Again

My paper obsession is no secret. Here is some more exposure to this obsession from the Willow Bee Inspired inventory.

Fantastic black and white photograph of a man and a horse at a barrel race.

Framing resembling a worn leather saddle.

An amazing drawing of a mirror lamp on vellum.

Sepia vintage photograph of a Crew team.

Sepia photograph of the Crew team at the boat house.

Vintage black and white photograph in panoramic orientation of old trolleys.

All images available for purchase from Willow Bee Inspired. 

Image Sources:  Willow Bee Inspired

Rooms I Love No. 1

For no particular reason, yet for many reasons...rooms I love.

Image Sources: Elle Decor, Eric Cohler, Water Buck Safaris

RSVP Collection No. 26 - Cilantro and Chili Crab Panini

Cilantro and Chili Crab Panini

4 phyllo pastry sheets, about 8 x 12 inches each

1/4 c. melted butter

Crab Filling

1 lemon grass stalk

1 6-oz. can crab meat, drained, or 6 oz.fresh cooked crab meat

finely grated zest of 1 lime

4 T. chopped cilantro leaves and stems

2 T. chopped mint

2 T. lime juice

1 small red chile, seeded and finely chopped

2 T. fish sauce

1/2 t. palm sugar

salt and pepper

Make the crab filling. Strip the lemon grass stalk of its outer layers and finely slice the soft heart. Mix it in a bowl together with all the remaining crab filling ingredients, season, and set aside.

Brush each sheet of phyllo pastry with melted butter and arrange 2 of them crosswise over each other. Repeat with remaining two sheets.

Spoon the crab mixture into the middle of each pastry arrangement and fold over the sides to create neat parcels.

Toast in a sandwich grill for 3-4 minutes, or according to the manufacturer's instructions, until the pastry is golden and crispy. Serve immediately.