Sunday, September 30, 2012

Mediterranean Spread

The girls came over for book club last Thursday.  I decided on a Mediterranean spread and I think it turned out pretty well if I do say so myself!


I grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing with toasted pita and tzaiki cucumber sauce, feta and hummus spreads on the side.  I also served roasted veggies (asparagus, squash zucchini, tri-colored peppers and red onions) which made a lovely display.  Those were just spread on baking sheets with salt, pepper, olive oil and some dried Italian seasoning mix.  The best part was that I was able to cook the veggies a day a head and serve them room temperature so it was a great make ahead dish.


I made this warm lentil salad (thanks, Martha!) which was delish.  I doubled the recipe and it made a ton.


I think by far everyone's favorite was the couscous salad I made.  It is a Giada recipe, found here.


It was a fun evening and felt healthy and was a little something different (as far as what I normally cook anyway!).

Friday, September 28, 2012

The Devil Made Me Do It.

Recycled and repurposed knits.  She had me at leopard (and orange - my color of choice this fall).

One of a kind, locally made tops, dresses, scarves, skirts and hats.  LOVE.


Visit The Devil Made Me Do It website or go in person to the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Happy Birthday, Mom.

I love you and miss you every day.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A Couple of Blog Revamps

I'm so proud of myself I can hardly see straight.  Technology is not my forte but thanks to the power of Google, there are instructions for updating your blog that even an idiot like me can handle.

1. Follow me on Pinterest.  I got a new button on my blog.  Follow me if you like.  I am definitely pinning more than blogging these days.  I should probably be committed to a 12 step program for Pinterest addiction.

2. Pin it button at the bottom of each post.  Makes it easier to pin something that you see if you're interested.

3. Subscribe to Adorned Abode by email.  Sign up on the right hand menu on the blog.  Just in case you don't want to have wait.  I know you are all on the edge of your seats.  :)

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Need to find a knock off.

I came across Alexa Leigh Designs recently (on where else, Pinterest!) and I fell in love with her double necklaces.  What a cool idea.  I have been loving the layered necklace look lately but here you only need one.  (READ: One less necklace for me to tangle, break or lose.)

Only problem is, gee whiz, the cheapest one I saw was about $675 with most ranging over $1000.  Obviously they are REAL (not my normal costume jewelery) but still...

The hearts and butterflies are my fave.











If anyone finds a knock-off style (or a spare grand), let me know!

See all the styles at Alexa Leigh Designs.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Shop Sugar Paper

My soon to be sister in law turned me on to yet another great shopping site.  Bad influence that she is!  :)

Sugar Paper NYC has got some cute stuff...goodness knows I love a stationary store.  Some great gift ideas as well.  Check it out:

















Check out all of their products here.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

It's Fall, Ya'll!

And it is official today!  Happy start-of-my-favorite-season-of-the-year day!









Images from Pinterest and from Jill Sauer art on UGallery.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Aunt Tucker's

Everyone has different styles that they lean to. I know what I like and can usually see how to replicate it. I was at my aunt's house the other weekend in Norfolk and I just love the vibe I get from it. Her house is small, nothing fancy, and filled with a great combination of vintage hand me downs from my grandparents mixed with TJ Maxx and consignment finds. It just hits all the right notes with me. I wish these pictures were better quality but they will give you the jist of things.



Vintage needlepoint art.


A teapot and cup collection


My grandmother's beautiful sideboard with a fabulous gallery wall.  Love the arrangement of everything from the plates across the lower level to the mix of art above.  She really has a knack for pulling Asian inspired art work together.

I adore this vignette and admire it every time I walk in the front door.  That old chest is a great storage piece and I love the beautiful picture of my great grandmother, Hun, that hangs above it.  A glass bowl of grapes sits to one side (those were my grandmother's too) and perhaps my favorite piece, are the two tall, slender amber colored vases on the left hand side, both of which she picked up for a song at TJ Maxx. 
 Note she still has another one of my grandmother's dining chairs to hand over to me.   :)


This is her little den area.  She hasn't progressed to the world of flat screen tv's but my husband is working on her hard core.  I love how she painted the fire place black and flanked it with the shelves from Ballard Designs.  We got the dog print from Decorum, one of our favorite furniture spots in Norfolk when we were shopping together one day.  Again, funnily enough, I think my favorite thing about the room are the two wheat grass bunches that sit on the mantle.  She claims those are also TJ Maxx but I am waiting to find something like that in the one near my house!


This picture of the kitchen turned out way too dark.  It is actually a really light space.  She put a regular dining table smack in the middle of the space and I love how instead of feeling cramped, it just feels homey and welcoming.  She positioned two of my grandmother's Tiffany decanters along side a flowering plant.



This is another interesting vignette she set up that I wouldn't have thought of:


She really took time to decorate her kitchen with art and accessories to make it feel very warm and lived in - but at the same time it doesn't feel cluttered to me.


I adore that over-sized plate above the stove.  She just pulls it down right off the wall when she needs it for parties.


The backyard and the guest house - aka the Shed.  I've spent many a night in there.  Thankfully it has heat and running water.




She'd slaughter me if she knew I posted pictures of her bathroom on my blog.  But, since she isn't super tech saavy and hasn't read a blog a day in her life, the chances of her finding me out are slim to none.  Shhh.  Don't tell.  Anyway, aside from showing you all of her beauty products, I just really like how she uses the shelf along the mirror and takes vintage glasses and vessels and mixes the in to give a room that serves a lot of function, great style as well.


Our family tree with family photographs lined up below.  My grandmother got a copy of the family tree made for all of her kids and the grandkids before she passed away.  It is something we all cherish.


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