50 Shades of Gray

As the countdown until moving day is on (20 days) we have been sprucing up the place so it is in tip top shape for us to move in. One of the things we have been working on is painting.

I am a big fan of Grays. The problem is, there are thousands to choose from! It gets overwhelming which to pick. There is Grey and Gray. There are blue grays, black grays, violet grays and green grays. (just to confuse you a little more)

Below are some inspiration photos I have been drooling over

First stop was Benjamin Moore where I grabbed a ton of swatches to compare in the actual room I was going to be painting to see what it looked like in that lighting. I knew I didn't want anything too dark.

 Ultimately I decided on Stonington Gray for the Entry and Living Room.

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170

For the Hallways I wanted something that was neutral but would also complement the grey entry and dining area.

Benjamin Moore Calm OC-22

Instead of the typical white banister I decided to go with a dark Grey, 

Benjamin Moore Dragon's Breath 1547

For the Guest Bedroom I went simple with an off white. 

The white trim will show the subtle creaminess to Cotton Balls. 

Benjamin Moore Cotton Balls OC-122

When it came to Harper's Room I wanted to to do something with a little color but that also felt soft.

I knew I didn't want anything too bright. All her bedding is tan & white with pops of lavender. 

I think Nosegay is the perfect shade of lilac but soft enough that it will look perfect next to her white furniture.

Benjamin Moore Nosegay 1401 

And last but not least, the master bedroom

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl OC-52

I am going to be doing all the trim white which I think will be a nice contrast to the gray palette I choose. What do you think of my choices?

Some other great grays

 1. Benjamin Moore Horizon 2. Farrow and Ball Pavilion Grey 3. Benjamin Moore Stone Harbor 4. Modern Masters Platinum- this paint actually has some metallic in it so it glistens ever so slightly at night. 5. Farrow and Ball Down Pipe 6. Fine Paints of Europe Silhouette Gray

via house beautiful

Put those Hunter Boots to good use

Now that we are in full Fall swing everyone has been sporting their jackets and boots.
The bad news, summer is over. The good news, this doesn't have to mean clutter in your entryway. 

You can actually use your boots, jackets and umbrella's to add to your entry decor.

Designing the perfect entry:

Entry Benches

Wrap Bench

Source Bench

Benchwright Hall Tree

Offset Bench

Coat Racks and Hooks

Metal Tipped Coat Rack

Surface Coat Rack

Wire Wood Hooks

Schoolhouse Numbered Hooks

Baskets

Beachcomber Baskets

Cross Dye Baskets

Reinforced Burlap Baskets

Cozy Throws, a weekend must!

Being Friday and almost the weekend, what better to post about then cozy throws.

When all you want to do is be lazy on the couch all day, a cozy throw is a must!

Below, I posted some of the coziest throws around.

Pick yourself up one of these, a netflix movie and a bag of microwave popcorn and your all set!

Chunky Tassel Throw

Italian Wool & Alpaca Knit Throw

Herringbone Wool Throws

Cozy Cable-Knit Throw

Mohair Whipstitch Throw

Luxe Faux Fur Throw

Happy Friday! 

Parker, cozying up with his favorite Pottery Barn throws.

Birthday Dinner

It was my brother in laws birthday on Monday so we had him and his girlfriend over last night for a home cooked birthday dinner.

Now that the weather is getting cooler and we are at the end of September, I wanted to cook things that are in season for Fall.

I started the meal off with my favorite Fall salad. 

Mesculin with Roasted Butternut Squash, Crasins, Walnuts and Gorgonzola Cheese.

This recipe is so simple and so delicious. 

Ingredients

5oz Mesculin Lettuce

Cubed Butternut Squash

1/2 Cup Walnuts

1/2 Cup Crasins

1/2 Cup Gorgonzola Cheese

Extra Light Olive Oil

For the Dressing

1/2 cup Extra Light Olive Oil

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tablespoon Honey

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 of Lemon

Salt

Pepper

1/2 Shallot, minced

Cube the Butternut Squash into 2 inch pieces. Toss with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper and Roast on a baking sheet in the over on 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. (until the squash is soft and the edges are starting to brown) Take out and let cool.

In a bowl toss mesculin, walnuts, crasins and crumbeled gorgonzola cheese. Toss roasted squash on top once it has cooled.

For the dressing, mince 1/2 of shallot & whisk all of the above ingredients together in a bowl. 

Pour over salad right before serving.

For the main dish I decided on 

Crispy Breaded Shrimp over Cannellini Beans and Arugula.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

5 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1 pound peeled and devined medium shrimp

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed

6 cups arugula

1/2 cup white wine

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl mix the bread crumbs, rosemary, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add shrimp and toss to coat. Transfer shrimp and any excess crumbs to a baking sheet. Bake until shrimp are cooked through and tops get crispy, about 12 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a skillet with garlic, for a few minutes. Make sure garlic doesn't burn! Add the beans, 1/2 cup white wine and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add in arugula and toss together. (The heat from the pan will cook the arugula.)

Remove from heat and line bottom of a bowl with bean and arugula mixture.

Place shrimp on top and sprinkle any remaining crumbs on top.

recipe via Real Simple

And for a side I tried a Crispy Potato Roast.

All you'll need are 6 russet potatoes, a 9-inch round baking pan, olive oil, 4 tablespoons butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and a shallot.

I used a mandolin for this, which made it a lot quicker, but if you don't have one, just slice the potatoes very thin.

Preheat oven to 400.

Once all the potatoes are sliced, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Grease the bottom of the pan with some olive oil or melted butter. 

Arrange the potatoes in a tight circle.

Slice a shallot and wedge shallots throughout the circle. Sprinkle a little more salt and pepper on top and sprinkle thyme. 

Melt butter and brush on top of the potatoes.

Place in oven for 1 1/4 hours. Take out halfway through and brush a little more butter on top. 

Put the oven on broil for the last 3 minutes just to get the tops crispy.

Pull out and sprinkle a little salt on top.  

Happy Birthday Brad!

Rustic Chic

    Check out my ideas for a Rustic Chic Event on Fabulous Living!

Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Although Sangria is usually associated with Summer, I found a great Honeycrisp Apple Sangria recipe, which would be perfect for this time of year...

A Fall twist on the typical fruity cocktail.

The below sangria recipe mixes fragrant flavors of ginger, cloves and cinnamon.

For a finishing touch, add cinnamon sugar to the rim of the glass.

                                         Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

yield: 5 - 6 CUPS

prep time: 20 MINUTES + OVERNIGHT SITTING

cook time: 0 MINUTES

total time:30 MINUTES + OVERNIGHT SITTING

INGREDIENTS:

2 honeycrisp apples
One 750-milliliter bottle Chardonnay
1/2 cup peach schnapps
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
2 oranges- 1 quartered
1 lemon - quartered
1 lime - quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
2 quarter-size slices of fresh ginger
3 whole cloves
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Ice
Club soda

Source:  Food and Wine Magazine

DIRECTIONS:

Peel, core and chop one of the apples. In a bowl, combine the Chardonnay, schnapps and honey. Add the quartered orange, lemon, lime, cinnamon sticks, chopped apple, ginger and cloves and refrigerate overnight. (If you don't want to wait that long at least give it 4 hours)

Strain the sangria into a pitcher. Peel, core and finely chop the remaining apple. Peel, section and chop the remaining orange. Mix the apple and orange in a bowl.

On a small plate, blend the sugar and cinnamon. Moisten the rims of wine glasses and dip in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Fill the glasses with ice. Pour in the sangria until three-quarters full. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a spoonful of the chopped apple and orange.

Playing with frosting

With the bad thunderstorms on Saturday night, I needed an activity to keep busy. What better to do then play around with frosting in the kitchen.

A recent Food Network Magazine had a tutorial on how to make all different colored frosting. 

I decided to make three different colored cupcakes...Bubble Gum, Mint Chip & Concord Grape.

I bought 2 boxes of plain white cake mix. 

I added a few drops of red food coloring to the cake mix to give it a pretty peachy color.

I created three different colors by using 1 cup of store bought white frosting and adding the following to each cup:

For Bubblegum: 26 drops of red food coloring 

For Mint Chip: 3 blue, 3 green drops of food coloring

For Concord Grape: 10 blue, 12 red drops of food coloring

(I halved the magazine's food coloring amount for this one because I thought the purple was too dark)

I let the cupcakes cool before frosting them, and then went to town.

They tasted delicious and looked almost too pretty to eat.

Now I just need to find people to give them to so I don't eat all of them myself!

The Finished Product

For adorable cupcake liners check out The Kitchen Pantry on Etsy!