Rustic Yet Refined

I think this is a super cleaver and inexpensive way to keep all your earrings organized, protected, and easily accessible. Once covered in earrings, this can very well stand out as a piece of art on a wall or simply by leaning it up on a dresser or table. Earrings will hang on the strong but flexible mesh insert that is held between two solid handcrafted barnwood frames. What I love most about it is the rustic yet refined quality. Aside from the earring frames, they also have other wooden objects such as some really beautiful candle holders. All of this work is created and handcrafted {Paradise Hill Designs}.

Tiny Whales

This great Etsy shop, {Tiny Whales}, is all about merging the gap between infant and children's clothing. This is being done by creating fun, imaginative, and modern designs that are loved by all ages. I am not surprised that the most common question they receive is from adults wanting the same thing in their size! They are breaking the mode of having girls only wearing certain colors and designs and the same for boys. The goal is to have babies looking hip and stylish through their choice of colors, bold prints and modern graphics. The motto is that rules were meant to be broken and therefor they are changing the way children should be dressed.

Classic Black and White at the MAC

This wedding was last fall at the MAC and used black and white in a classic and beautiful way.

Black was used as an accent, seen in the chair covers, favors, menu cards, and the glassware for the centerpieces. All the flowers at the reception were whites and ivories.

Half of the tables had these tall vases with a ball of white lilies, roses, tulips, and filler.

To contrast. the other half had these black bubble bowls filled with tulips, hydrangea, ranunculus, filler, etc.

These rented candelabras accented both ends of the head table and were decorated with all white, trailing flower pieces.

The end product of the classic black and white in this room was gorgeous and just what the bride and groom envisioned!

Be Still - Textile Creations

Check out these handmade creations on {Be Still}, the Etsy shop of a graphic designer from Australia. She started out buying fabrics, with no direct purpose or plan, simply because they were beautiful. Eventually she decided what she would do with them and now creates pillow cases, cushion covers, and sweet linen napkins. I was drawn to the simplicity and rather calming patterns and colors (that may just be me) - but perhaps that's where the name "Be Still" came from?

Paper Tangerines

{Paper Tangerines}! First of all - super cute name to give these fun decoration pieces by Jennifer Boston :) They are great ideas for all year round. Jennifer explains how there does not have to be an occasion or a holiday to hang up some fun decorations and I couldn't agree more! These would be so fun in childern's rooms, hung in groups or separates for parties or just for no reason at all, put them in a bowl or glass jar, make a garland, and many more great ideas! She ships them plat in a package with enough to make 11 paper tangerines and includes photos and instructions for assembling them. Other ways she recommends using these are by hanging them with invisible thread from the ceiling, on the side of a bookshelf, or even from hanging houseplant. So creative! They are about 2.5" in diameter, so really not that big at all.

HAMMERPRESS Wedding Invitations

I came accross these gorgeous wedding invitations on {100 Layer Cake} and loved them! They are designed by {HAMMERPRESS}. What started out as simply a love of letterpress and making CD and LP packaging for his buddies with his motorless platen press, turned into a business today with several presses (with motors) and a full team who work on projects such as beautiful and unusual wedding initiations, custom artwork for national restaurant chains, CD packaging, corporate identity work, posters and art prints. On top of all this, they are growing their line of letterpress stationary products.

MMM...Banana-Walnut Bread!

Here is another family favorite - my mom's delicious recipe for banana-walnut bread.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (plus some to top)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, chopped walnuts, baking soda, salt, and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, butter, egg, milk, and mix well.

Add the banana mixture tot he dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on the surface of the batter and bake for 45 minutes or until the tester is inserted into the loaf and comes out clean.

Transfer loaf to a rack and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Tip: This recipe can also make 12 large muffins that are baked for 25 minutes or until the tester is inserted into the muffin and comes out clean.