Boxwood Clippings

Purchasing matching lamps can be expensive, that’s why the price of these two at Costco really caught my eye at only $69.99 for the pair.

They reminded me of these ones I saw at Pottery Barn:

Only these ones are $190 each without the shades.

I hope some of you will take me up on this amazing offer, I’m really jealous I won’t be partaking this time!

Brock’s been making fun of me lately for describing food as ‘gorgeous’…it’s a Northern England thing. But when it comes to desserts like this, there’s simply no better word. :)

This particular Pavlova I made for our summer tea party; and to be honest it could have been better with more cream in the middle, but purely for looks…because it tasted gorgeous!

If you’re looking for a crowd pleasing dessert, this is it! It’s a Donna Hay recipe, you have to give it a try.

Here’s the recipe:

Guess who we’re rootin’ for?!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, will you be watching?

Our sis, Helen has the most amazing taste in kids clothes. Her children always look incredibly put together, I don’t know how she does it. And, to top it off she always gets a bargain.

Last year, Helen got her girls Salt Water Sandals that I instantly fell in love with.

toast.co.uk

They are cute, hard wearing, comfy, affordable, and best of all look great on boys, girls and ladies alike.

saltwatersandals.com.au

babyology.com

whool.com

Whether in fashion or in the home, classic and simple is always hard to beat! The only question is which color do you like best?

Find a store near you HERE, or online HERE.

Yesterday, Utah celebrated Pioneer Day. Brad and I enjoyed the break from work in beautiful Midway. We swam, ate great food and hit a few balls at the driving range. It was the perfect summer day.

Summer is my favorite season and today I thought I’d share a few dreamy, summery spaces:

citified.blogspot.com

image source unknown

rdujour.com

rdujour.comcococozy.com

From sheer linens to bright paint, summer whites are so crisp and airy.  Don’t you just want to go and lounge around these spaces for a few days? Hope you are all having a lovely summer!

For the past 3 weeks we’ve had our big sissy Helen in town with her family. We’ve enjoyed plenty of days at the shops, pool and local hot spots, but one evening we were invited to our friends house for a garden tea party with just the ladies.

Jackie is a fellow Brit we’ve known all our lives, Helen was even her bridesmaid in her very Princess Diana-ish wedding. It had been more than a few years  since we’d had a good visit, and Jackie wanted to show us her English garden she’s created. It was truly amazing, we felt like we were back in Cheshire…not in West Jordan Utah!

Thanks Jackie, we all had a lovely evening…especially the little ones. :)

Last week I heard a rumor that there was a fabric store in Salt Lake City with a 50% off sale. As I am currently looking for fabric for my Louis chairs as well as slipcover fabric for these sofas I thought I better go check it out.

Located at 2253 S 500 E, Design Company Fabrics was insane! They are having a drop-down sale where price per yard drops every week. I was happy with the selection, and extra happy to find these fabrics on sale for $7 a yard.

The stripe is a gorgeous linen that I am going to scotchgard with this and use on the front of my louis chars. I am hoping for an end result something like this Ballard Design Louis chair:

Have any of scotchgarded fabric before? Have you liked the result?

The chenille damask is so luxurious, and will be for the back of the oval on the louis chars.

I am tempted to use the ikat print for the back of the oval instead, as it matches really well with the stripes. I think I better take my own advice and use the ikat for throw cushions instead?

If you are in need of some inexpensive fabric today, July 23rd marks the first day of drop-down price of $5 per yard at Design Company Fabrics!!! I think I might need to take another look…

If anyone knows of a reasonable upholsterer, as well as someone that make slipcovers in the Salt Lake/Utah valley area I would appreciate the referral!

Today I’d like to share a tip on helping to survive in a matchbox-sized kitchen.

Often, I find it hard to function in my small kitchen. Sometimes it feels like if I pull one thing out of a cupboard the whole kitchen will fall down on top of me. My cutting boards were no exception to this, it was a battle every time I wanted to cut up a tomato!

When I saw these mats in a shop one day they looked very enticing.

Their thin structure, non-stick backs, and labeled function found a way into my shopping cart very quickly.

I came home and weeded through my mountain of cutting boards (don’t ask me how I accumulated so many in three years) and replaced most of my boards with these mats.

Not only do these mats eliminate clutter and save space, but as we live without a dishwasher they help us stay nice and clean by avoiding cross-contamination.

They have held up really well and think they would make a helpful addition to any home.

Have you guys tried Caldrea cleaning products? They are so amazing. I was introduced to the line one night at my parents, while cleaning up after dinner. Their fragrant and sudsy dish soap made me feel like Snow White. I literally could have ‘whistled while I worked’ all night long…

gatewoodhall.blogspot.com

I am all about anything that can make the mundane tasks in life a little cheerier and this, my friends is one of them.

Their logo of ‘Beautifully clean, elegantly green”  sums up their essential-oil and earth-friendly based products beautifully.

Caldrea’s summer sale is currently on offering 25% of their whole inventory!

To shop click HERE.

 This post brought to you by: The Sweet Tooth Fairy

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While planning for mum’s picnic party, we were struggling with ideas for dessert. Again we needed something easy and delicious, this is where The Sweet Tooth Fairy came to our rescue!

We think they are by far the yummiest cupcakes in Utah, and we love that they even had to-go packaging that matched the our theme of pretty and easy!

At the picnic we simply placed them in rows and let their appearance do all the work, no cakestands or even plates necessary.  However, they didn’t sit looking pretty for long as they were devoured almost instantly; and each guest insisted their flavor cupcake was the best. :)

Mum’s fave was the seasonal Pina Colada, it looked perfect with a single candle.

These cupcakes were the icing on a relaxed party, but I’m now convinced they’d make exceptional additions to any picnic.

Last Friday it was our mum’s birthday, and we decided a simple picnic in the park would be a relaxed ‘summery’ way to celebrate this special day.

A menu of chicken salad croissants, salted kettle chips, seasonal fruit, and a sparkling grapefruit drink sounded perfect for an evening in the sun.

With 20 guests, we planned ahead a ‘no fuss’ way of serving the food. These aluminum containers (HERE  + HERE) we found at Gygi worked perfectly, and were very cost effective at around 45¢ each with a lid. We added a personalized tag so each guest could just grab their grub whenever they were ready to eat, the kiddies really loved this.

The clear cups allowed us to colour coordinate our beverage, so we mixed  grapefruit juice with sparkling lemon + lime, for a coral look.

The paper coral napkins, as well as the cloth navy gingham were also from Gygi along with the cups. Their paper selection is truly amazing, with a rainbow of hues from every colour you’ll be spoiled for choice!

Remember you can use code ‘BOXWOOD10′ at checkout to get 10% off all items!

A big thanks to Gygi, once again you were our one stop shop for everything!

When I was a wee teen, one of my hobbies was to make jewelry and miniature cakes (for my Victorian bakery) out of Polyclay. For whatever reason I never packed my tools and my hobby was left in England along with my minature shop.

Recently, I’ve been craving my old craft so I decided to purchase a block of clay and play. My first project was these simple buttons.

It was so much fun reviving something I used to enjoy so much. And as for the end product…I thought it added a nice new touch to the classic brown paper package that I never tire of.

It is sizzling outside and there is no better way to beat the heat than with a tasty, cool treat. My absolute favorite is Red Mango.

Their yogurt is certified gluten-free, contains no artificial ingredients like other frozen yogurt, is very low in calories, fat and sugar, and is crazy delicious…see, I told you it was good!

The only downside is that it is more expensive than traditional frozen yogurt or ice-cream, but with all those healthy pros, I think it’s worth the splurge!

Make sure to pick up a club-mango card on your first visit and register HERE to start accumulating points for free yogurt.

Last summer, Em and I fell in love with THIS pie dish at Williams Sonoma. Priced at $45 we had to resist.

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At Crate & Barrel, they have THESE similar ones for less than half the price:

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This smaller one is particularly adorable; and at $7.95 it may just be perfect for this party of two.

I am always hesitant to use trendy patterns in my decor in case I tire of it quickly and waste my money. I think Ikat is super trendy right now, but I am still crazy for it! I have tried to resist the print thinking I will soon be over the look, but I just think its bold design is just perfect for summer.

Just an hint of Ikat in a room may be a safe solution, rather than huge commitment piece like a sofa or custom drapes. Here are a few things I am in ideas I am liking.

This roman blind is the perfect place to add a trendy pattern. Its single window takes away the commitment that a room full of windows needing traditional drapes would require. Kitchens and bathrooms are the perfect place for roman blinds.

bellemaison23.com

An Ikat ottoman works wonders in adding a little interest to a very neutral room:

decorpad.com

Throw pillows are my favorite way to switch things up in the house. If I were single right now this would be my pillow of choice, paired with white bedding (I’m pretty sure Brad would veto the amazing hot pink back):

gray and white 20″ x 20″ pillow cover $48

Here, Ikat table runners make this tablescape fantastic. Using a trendy pattern on your dining table or hung as a panel on the wall would be a fun alternative to changing throw pillows. Wouldn’t you just love to throw a summer party full of color like this?:

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What do you think? Are you over Ikat or still lovin’ it?

I’m more of a silver and white kinda gal. Emi is more gold and white. Browsing through her pinterest pics she almost has me converted.

Gold adds an essence of warmth, and a touch of glamor. I’m happy to see it being used more and more when it comes to hardware, because how much brushed nickel can we all take?

I want to have brunch in this kitchen:

 (image via: stylebyemilyhenderson.com)

When I’m at the Home Depot I prefer to browse while the hubs goes off and does his thing. It seems always gravitate towards the hardware isle, where I find all sorts of lovelies. On my last trip I noticed that Martha Stewart’s Brass Hardware had all been price cut.

This Matchbox Catch is only $6.97, and this Awning Cup Pull only $3.48. That’s about a 1/3rd of Restoration Hardware prices.

I wish that I’d not had the builder do all ours, it’s so much more fun to add your own little details like this, plus they never center things exactly right!

On our last trip to Yellowstone National Park it took me approximately 1.5 days of being out in the middle of nowhere to want to add a little cowgirl/ Sacajawea to my style. Then, there they were – Minnetonka moccasins – at a little gas station in West Yellowstone, WY.

minnetonkamoccasin.com

I’ve known moccasins have been all the rage for some time (Jaime and Kristina- you guys rock them), but I had NO idea how comfortable they were! Why did nobody tell me? I could not leave the store without a pair, and now I want to wear moccasins all day, every day and want everyone else to wear them too!

I went for 100% comfort and bought soft-soled classics like these (aka heaven on earth):

basic minnetonka moccasins $39.95

I think Sarah would look cute in these:

white driving minnetonka moccasin $49.99

And How about these ones for future offspring?

baby minnetonka moccasin $19.00

Adorable! I have decided they would make AWESOME gifts. Men, grandparents, and all those hard-to-buy-for peeps on your list…seriously who wouldn’t want a pair of heavenly moccasins for slippers or everyday use?

You have to check out the whole Minnetonka collection HERE. Which ones would you choose?

Don’t you just hate it when you see a tiny bit of silver packaging peak through your eye shadow or blush? It’s like the beginning of the end. Sometimes this happens sooner rather than later, but you always know what’s coming next: the cracks, the crumbles, and the mess. :(

At this stage, I’d just keep the fragile  product on my countertop instead of my usual bag, since I’m never ready to just throw the product away. But while witnessing Em put on her makeup one day I noticed she simply places her loose product in a ziplock bag, so it’s still handy to be on the go.

I’ve recently adopted this method myself. Just simply dip your brush into the bag, and apply the makeup as usual. Em thought this process was normal. I thought it was genius, and therefore deserved a blog post!

It makes me feel good to use up every speck product, especially with those pricey ones!

We are steadily getting closer to buying a house! I have especially been looking forward to this for some time, and now that we’re finally getting closer I am totally overwhelmed.

• Budget?
• Location?
• Old house vs new?
• Yard and lot size?
• Number of bedrooms?

Yikes! And that is just the beginning of the list!

The dream of course is to find a little house with a white picket fence that feels like home at a price that won’t break the bank.

hgtv.com

Reality: That little dream house in our dream location is out of the question. We need to prioritize, and I need your help figuring it out!

In your experience what have you found to be the most important in the house search. Location vs square footage?  Old character vs a new reliable build?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 Happy 4th of July! Hope you all have a lovely day!