Holiday Gift Guide: Part II.

Part II. Holiday Gift Guide has a few items I know are awesome because I have them in my home! One of them being the LIFX bulb. Having a LIFX wi-fi led smart light in your home has so many advantages. You turn on a mode called dawn to dusk so you can always have a light when you wake up during those dark mornings. An easy to install app on your phone controls it. You can also transform your space into any color imaginable. Another gift that I absolutely love is made by an artist in Greensboro, NC. I received it as a holiday gift and it's one of  my most beloved pieces of art I have in my home. It is a copper mobile with ginkgo leaves. I placed mine under the register so when it comes on, they start to spin. Another great gift is from a company called Odd Pears. So you buy a grouping of three socks, two that match and one that is inversely odd. They're awesome! Happy Shopping and I hope I've given you some ideas for the holidays! -Callie

1. Brooks England Pickzip backback with water resistant cotton and internal laptop sleeve. 2. Wrcibo record player with a built in stereo speaker. 3. The Gem Maker's rose gold ring from Etsy. 4. LIFX bulb that is very clever. 5. Rifle Paper Co. pair of notebooks that are compact enough to fit in a bag. 6. Anthropologie beanie. 7. Copper Ginko Mobile from Etsy that is so beautiful. 8. Odd Pears socks that come in 3's. 9. The Domino decorating book set. 10. Stan Smith for Adidas wool sneakers to keep your feet warm. 

Holiday Gift Guide: Part I.

I've put together a few of my favorite things to give for the holidays with some under $50. These are just ideas that you can use for inspiration or directly follow the links below. Stay tuned for Park II! Happy Holidays! -Callie

1. Instax mini 8 takes mini photos and is small enough to fit in your purse.  2. The Woods Collective house number plaque to brighten up your exterior. 3. Rose Quartz illuminating body oil made with hydrating oils of rose and jasmine.  4. Ray-Ban sunglasses like the wayfarer and clubmaster never go out of style. 5. Elena Caron embroidery hoop, inspired by women and flowers. 6. AryaSense handmade leggings (the evergreen of women's clothing). 7. Hudson's Bay Company polar fleece throw blanket with removable carrying straps.  8. Trinus hana flower pencils for those who like to draw. 9. Air plants, low maintenance and look beautiful in a terrarium or hanging. 10. Monkey 47 gin is wonderful and something special. Happy Holidays! -Callie 

Autumn Wreath

We often associate wreaths as a winter decoration but they are also lovely to make in the fall to hang around your home, where you can tuck in fall flowers like asters or tufts of evergreens and ferns. It's a fairly simple DIY where you need either a wire wreath frame or a circular piece of vine. Simply use the form of the plant and weave into the frame and then attach with string or wire. I often stick in tufts of herbs like rosemary (which are evergreen), lavender and eucalyptus. Once you have the base created now is the time to attach small pieces such as pinecones, acorns or whatever else you can find in the forest or around your yard. Happy Weekend! -Callie

Summer + Cobbler

Summer is my absolute favorite season for cooking. The fruit and vegetables that begin to appear are not only staples in my house but the flavors I grew up on as a kid. As a child and into adulthood, about 30 years, I spent my summers on my grandmother's farm in Kansas. It was a wonderful childhood that consisted of shoveling your breakfast down each morning just so you could get out the door. You then spent the whole day outside and then only coming in to eat again. She had a huge vegetable garden and fruit trees so we would eat whatever was in season and in the summer months it was plentiful. We made cobblers, canned vegetables and cooked the recipes of her past. It was a great time in my life.

Fast foward to the present. This summer I have been busy making cobblers and trying to come up with the best combination. I think I finally found it using Chez Panisse's Bluebery Cobbler recipe but tweaking it a bit. Simply, I added a few more fruits. The juiciness of the peach, blackberry and blueberry created just the right amount of extra syrupy and sweet sauce. Here's the recipe if you want to try and create this at home. Vanilla ice cream or some fresh cream is a must. -Callie

THE FRUIT

• 5 cups of sliced 1/4-inch thick peaches
• 2 cups of blueberries
• 2 cups of blackberries
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

THE DOUGH

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• ¾ cup heavy cream, plus additional for serving

PREPARATION:

Step 1

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. To prepare the fruit, place in a bowl and toss with the sugar and flour. Set aside.

Step 2
To make the dough, mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and mix lightly, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Step 3
Put the fruit in a gratin or baking dish approximately 9-12 inches and 2-3 inches deep. Make patties out of the dough, 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Arrange them over the top of the fruit. Bake until the topping is brown and the juices bubble thickly around it, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Step 4
Let cool slightly. Serve warm, with cream to pour on top or vanilla ice cream. 

Lemon Poppy Bundt Cake

You guys all know how much I love cake and anything that contains lemon. From her blog, Call Me Cupcake, Linda Lomelino's lemon poppy bundt cake is right up my alley. It's soaked in lemon syrup and topped with a blueberry glaze. The presentation is simple and the colors are really nice together. Happy Baking! -Callie

LEMON POPPY SEED BUNDT CAKE WITH A LEMON SYRUP & BLUEBERRY GLAZE

Serves 8

You can also bake this cake in a loaf pan! If you’re baking in a vintage cake pan, make sure to check doneness before removing the cake from the oven. I had to bake it for almost 70 minutes when using a vintage pan, , whilst in a new pan it only took 47 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

BUNDT CAKE

• 210 g (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 225 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
• 125 g (slightly more than 1 stick) softened salted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. poppy seeds

LEMON SYRUP

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 55 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

BLUEBERRY GLAZE

• 3/4 tsp. freeze dried blueberry powder
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 75 g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp. milk
• Poppy seeds, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a 6 cup (1 1/2 litre) bundt or loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Place the sugar in a large bowl. Add the finely grated lemon zest and rub together until sugar is fragrant and zest is incorporated. Add the butter and beat until mixture is light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. In a small bowl, combine heavy cream and lemon juice. Add the flour mixture and cream mixture in additions to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 45-50 minutes (start checking doneness around 35-40 minutes, and cover the top with foil if the cake is browning too much) or until a cake tester comes out clean. While the cake is baking, you can prepare the syrup (instructions below). Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.

LEMON SYRUP

1. Combine lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan. Place over medium high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. Brush the cake with the syrup while the cake is still warm, then let the cake cool completely. Place the cake on a cake stand or serving platter.

BLUEBERRY GLAZE

1. Place blueberry powder in a small bowl. Add a little splash of the lemon juice and stir until a paste forms. Stir in the rest of the lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Add milk to desired consistency.
2. Drizzle glaze over the cake and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.

Cake photography by Linda Lomelino 

Bringing the Outdoors In

As it's getting slightly warmer out,  I can't help but think about adding a few things to our outdoor space. I also can't help but want one of these Scandinavian-inspired rattan chairs hanging inside my house. Add some pillows and you are all set. This one is from Serena and Lily and fits two. -Callie

The Baby Cubby + DYR

We've always believed if a kids' space has color, texture and a little bit of pattern, you can always build on the design and interchange the decor. Whether it's a colorful storage bin or a vibrant piece of art, infusing decor through artwork and textiles can freshen up the space and help you keep organized. Cue The Baby Cubby. I've partnered up with them to bring you some great ways to freshen up a space!

A super cute kids online shop and Utah-based store, The Baby Cubby is a company made up of parents who test, research and love of all of their products. What's not to like about that?! Did I mention they price match and offer free shipping nationwide? Ok, I'm in. So, today we are sharing a few pieces we are loving to freshen up a child's bedroom, playroom or nursery. Happy Shopping!

                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

...I'm kinda thinking I could decorate my adult bedroom with some of these items.

1. Petal Lane Magnet Watercolor Board 2. Oopsy Daisy Succulent Bouquet Art Print 3. Petit Pehr pom pom pint storage bin 4. Fiona Walker England  Taxidermy Girl Giraffe 

p.s. Check out their BLOG, where they discuss parenting topics!

The Stillness of Winter

As I write this and look out my window a heavy snow has already come and is continuing to grow creating the most beautiful winter day. The pines are heavy and my twinkly outdoor lights almost non existent in my giant beech tree, as the snow weighs heavy on its' bare branches. Inside, I am starting my winter ritual of hygge. Hygge is a Danish word that when translated into English means so many beautiful things that many of us do instinctively. At my house when the dark days of winter come, I find a simple comfort in creating hygge and my daughters love it, too. I begin by putting up strings of fairy lights. I nestle them in my plants, string them along my bookcase and hang them from the ceiling. I take out my wool blankets and throws and add a few rugs to my bare floors. We introduce and bring out our bin of all things wool! Wool socks, slippers and oversized sweaters keep us warm. As I do these small rituals in winter, I come to realize how happy it makes me. Small, good moments in my life. 

I can't leave you without some of my favorite images that capture the spirit of winter - a peaceful stillness that only it can bring us. -Callie

Milk Glass

I remember seeing my grandmothers milk glass in her farmhouse as a young child. Since then, I have loved the milky white (other colors include, pink, blue, black, brown and yellow are just as lovely) and often textured glass that can be seen in vases, lamps, bowls, and butter dishes. I love it displayed as a collection along a bookshelf or used in non-traditional ways. Cram a succulent into a vase or use your collection for organizing jewelry. If you happen to be in Grand Central Station in NYC, check out the milk glass incorporated into the clock face. -Happy Weekend! -Callie