Collected pear tree branches off of the side of the road.
Caught Roxy and Peanut like this and died.
Rediscovered honey sticks, a childhood favorite.
Was mesmerized at the peach tree blossoms at my mom and stepdad’s house.
Fell in love with cinnamon cardamom tea.
Celebrated my stepdad’s birthday. Piper, too.
Ate an orange nearly every day.
Experimented with color-blocking my nails.
Decided to test my black thumb with this bright kalanchoe.
Bought my first quart of strawberries of the year.
Piper got homemade treats in the mail from Capree and Wrigley.
Attended a dear college friend’s wedding.
You can follow me full-time on Instagram @designcrush
The little corners of Miss Modish’s (aka Jena Coray’s) abode.
We bought our modest little 667sf house about two years ago, and although there’s still many projects to tackle, we’ve had so much fun painting it crazy colors and doing whatever we want for the first time! My main decorating tools are thrift store finds, art, plants and cats. 🙂 And light. I love the way the light pours into this home, and these spots are some of my favorite places to soak it up!
Making bread has always intimidated me. The raising, the waiting, the yeast. I was so intimidated, in fact, that I didn’t even consider the types of bread that don’t have those requirements. I’d been eyeing soda bread for a few weeks and finally decided to bite the bullet last weekend, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. This isn’t any one recipe that I came across, but a conglomeration of several with a few of my own twists. The end result didn’t turn out as round as I would have liked, but the flavor more than made up for it. And that’s all that really counts in my kitchen.
Cinnamon Raisin Soda Bread
• 3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 C wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 Tbsp cold butter, diced
• 1 C raisins (I used golden)
• 2 C buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• cinnamon + sugar for topping
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease your dutch over or baking sheet. Combine flours, salt, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in diced butter with a pastry cutter or fork until incorporated. Mixture will be mealy. Add raisins and toss to coat. Add buttermilk milk and vanilla with the dry ingredients. Add 1 beaten egg as well. Mix together with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until dough just comes together (don’t over handle). Form dough into a ball and place in dutch oven or onto baking sheet. Score bread with an “X” on top using a serrated knife. Brush with the second beaten egg and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Once done, remove and let cool on a wire rack. I served mine with a generous pat of Kerrygold butter and oh my word.
I used to be really, really good at sending out cards. Birthdays a week early, holidays right on time. And then a few years ago I started really, really sucking at it. Like, overnight. I’m hoping to get back into gear with Easter (April 8th), these cards are my favorites.
It’s been awhile since I gave props to a foodie blog, but when I came across i am a food blog last weekend it caught my eye. Not only was the photography fantastic and the recipes delicious looking, but the past few posts have each featured a logo of sorts. And that put me over the edge. I hope this site continues down the same road, I’m really interested in what’s to come!
Crushing on visual artist Bryce Wymer’s beautiful black and white objects. (Those bowls and vases!) And if you hurry up and order, you’ll receive a free print with your order, too. SOLD.
Sometimes concept pieces have a way of breaking your heart when they aren’t available for sale. I’m crazy for Wig, a white ceramic vase by Tania de Cruz that allows the user to create insanely artistic headdresses through the placement of florals and greenery.
I’m completely intrigued by this project. Brand Spirit takes away all personality and just leaves functionality behind, right down to the design of the site.
“Brand Spirit: every day for 100 days, I will paint one branded object white, removing all visual branding, reducing the object to its purest form. Each object may be purchased for less than $10, something I own, something another person gives me, or something I find.”
