Hi Friends! Wanted to let you know I'm guesting over at Centsational Girl today.
I'm sharing 5 Tips for Styling Better Photos. Stop by and say hello!
Guesting on Centsational Girl
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Blackberry Vanilla Crisp
I have a seriously delicious recipe for you today. I've been experimenting in the kitchen and came up with this recipe for Blackberry Vanilla Crisp. It's gotten rave reviews from everyone so I thought I'd share it with you.
The star of the recipe is of course, fresh picked blackberries. I haven't tried it with frozen berries. If you do, send me a note and let me know how it worked for you. The full recipe is at the end of the post. Here's the lineup of ingredients...
First you take 1 cup of blackberries and crush them. {Tip: I use a Ziploc bag to do this. It keeps my hands, counters and clothing clean.} Then you add the sugar and cornstarch to a saucepan and heat to a boil while stirring for 2 minutes. Remove it from the heat, stir in the vanilla and the rest of the blackberries. Let cool.
Then you make the crumbly crisp mixture and fill the bottoms of your ramekins with a few tablespoons to create a bottom crust.
And next spoon in the blackberry goodness. Fill them 3/4 of the way full.
Add a generous (heaping mound) of the crumbly crisp mixture.
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Blackberry Vanilla Crisp
by Heather Bullard
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh blackberries, divided
1/2 to 3/4 c sugar, depending on berry tartness
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups quick oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
Instructions:
Crush blackberries to measure 1 cup.
In a saucepan, add crushed blackberries, water, sugar and cornstarch.
Heat to a boil, cook 2 minutes while stirring.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and remaining blackberries. Let cool.
Combine oats, flour, brown sugar and baking soda.
Cut in cubed butter to make crumb mixture.
Add a few tablespoons to the bottom of buttered 8oz ramekins.
Spoon blackberry mixture over crust.
Top with remaining crumb mixture.
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden brown.
It's delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
Approx 6 servings. Enjoy! ~ Heather
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Organizing
Hello, hello! I hope you had a great weekend! I spent part of mine cleaning, purging and organizing the endless amounts of stuff I've managed to tuck away in all the nooks and crannies of my home. I'm not a big fan of clutter, and in my line of work the "props" can pile up rather quickly, not to mention all the treasures I drag home from the flea market.
I pulled everything out of my Swedish cupboard and sorted through all of it. Only keeping items I absolutely loved or knew I would use on a daily or weekly basis.
Tealights were put inside an old shipping crate along with a couple boxes of matches. And a few platters were stacked for easy reach.
I've been hoarding antique grain sacks for years because whenever I find a dealer selling them, they say...."that's the last of them" or "we can't get anymore for years". So I pile them high due to the peer pressure. This is just a teeny, tiny bit of my inventory. Maybe I should start some sewing projects and learn let go of a few.
And I always like to have a few vases handy for a quick trip out to the garden to gather flowers for the kitchen table. I found the blue one in Paris for 5 euros and I've had the other one so long I forgot where it came from.
The faded blue stripe canvas is what I use for picnics and as a tablecloth for our large outdoor tables. I think the colors are yummy.
The metal boxes hold cd's. Remember when we used to play them? Ahhh, those were the days. I still like to buy them on occasion. Like when I feel risking my $13 on the chance the whole album will be great. All things Adele fit in that category.
This is my torn and tattered mexican blanket. It's the perfect tablecloth for taco night. One day I'll show you it's full glory. It's a riot of happy color!
There we have it. All neat and tidy. This should last a few months. Or at least until my next trip to the Rose Bowl.
Have you been busy spring cleaning and organizing? Love it or hate it?
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New Spring Chicks
Well, I guess I better start this off by saying, if you're not in the mood to see an overload of adorable chick photos, you best click away now because we're about to have a serious Chick-Fest in the house. Last Friday, we brought home 5 new girls and have been smitten ever since. We added 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Americaunas and 1 Plymouth Barred Rock to our flock. Names are mostly undetermined but the black one is getting very close to being named Coco.
As you can see, our sweet Bella has made fast friends with the new girls and has maintained her role as the chicken wrangler. They all seemed very interested in her!
We're so happy to be adding the new chicks to our little urban farm!
And in the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that we lost 3 of our hens. Ruby got very ill and Marshmallow and Souffle were attacked. It was really sad and there were some tears shed. Being a "farmer" isn't always sunshine and daisies. It was surprising how attached we got to our girls and their quirky, fun personalities. We know that our new little hens will give us just as much joy and will be happy to be greeted with our daily veggie treats!
PS. For those of you who might be new to the blog, our chickens live here.
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Library Ladders
I've had a long standing love affair with rolling library ladders. This one belongs to my friend Judi Powers. Isn't it amazing? I couldn't resist taking a quick photo the last time I was visiting. I just love how tall those bookcases are and how they're perfect next to the large window.
We have very high ceilings that would accomodate just such a design and I've been bookmarking places to buy library ladders like here, here and here. And even better the supply kits to make one for yourself. I think The Man could do this. If not this house, most certainly the next!
Judi also has this charming built-in bookcase in her kitchen. It's such a great use of space and so handy for all those yummy cookbooks!
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Chirp, chirp
Some new baby chicks came to live with us this weekend!
They haven't had their proper photoshoot but it's gonna happen this week.
I just love spring.
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Easter Lilacs
Lilacs are such beautiful flowers. They seem so old fashion and charming. I found some pretty ones at the market and it made me want to grow an entire farm full of lilac bushes and sell them at a small roadside stand.
Today I'm going to start prepping for our Easter menu. We're going to have a traditional dinner with ham and a few side dishes. I plan on making a coconut layer cake and lemon bars for dessert. They're the perfect ending to a spring-time meal, don't you think?
Wishing each of you a very blessed Easter holiday. May it be filled with family, friends, laughter and love! xo, H
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Souvenir Spring Highlights
I've been meaning to show you a few highlights from the amazing stories in the spring issue of Souvenir. There are so many gorgeous images and wonderful features that share the beauty of the season. From gardens and birthdays to home features and design ideas...there's a little something for everyone!
And these are just a few of the stories. There's much more!
You can pick up a print copy or digital online version by visiting
Souvenir Lifestyle!
Image Credits from Souvenir Contributors:
1. Maria Carr 2. Samantha Cabrera 3. Lulu Tapp 4. Becki Griffin 5. Me 6. Brooke Giannetti
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Doing Man Stuff
Have you ever spent a day doing Man Stuff with your husband or boyfriend? You know, the kind of day where you go to 3 different boat stores, a yacht surplus, a dive shop and eat a Dorito Taco for lunch because his friends told him they were good? That describes one of our recent outings.
To be honest, I was completely down with it. First off, it was a day where I didn't have to plan anything and just got to tag along for the ride. My favorite place was Minney's Yacht Surplus.
They had a huge inventory of vintage sailcloths. I could see lots of DIY'ers wanting to use them to make tote bags and upholstery projects.
And how about this "art installation" of boat propellers? HGTV is going to pick up on this idea. I can just see it now on one of their shows.
Those silver ring thingy's reminded me of the ones I shot at E. Dehillerin in Paris. I'm pretty sure they aren't meant for the same application. Or maybe they're dual purpose. I haven't a clue.
I loved the patina on these old port holes. Aren't the colors amazing?
And there was an entire wall devoted to every shape, size and color of rope. I thought it would be fun to use them as "ribbon" on a gift for a fella. Or making necklaces. Or macrame. Does anyone still macrame? I remember my grandparents were really into macrame. They lived in Palm Springs which, I think at one time, was the Macrame Capital of the US.
Ok, that was a rabbit trail of thought.
Aside from the sail cloths and the cool map room (in the first photo) I liked this rope the best. Just thought you should know that. The Man didn't seem super interested in knowing all my personal favorites. Maybe you aren't either. ;-)
This was his favorite. Good choice, I must say.
Now, about those Dorito Taco's....
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Sherman Library & Gardens
The Sherman Library and Gardens is located on the Coast Hwy between Newport Beach and Laguna. It's actually nestled right in the middle of my favorite local seaside town, Corona del Mar. I can't tell you how many times I've cruised right past it. But recently, decided to make time to visit and was so glad I did!
They have a seasonal cafe offering French inspired California cuisine which is served outside on their beautiful patio. The library and gardens cover 2 acres and have several water fountain pools, an indoor tropical garden, a cactus and succulent garden, and a sweet garden shop to purchase plants, gifts or books. Their research library is filled with books pertaining to the history of the Pacific Southwest.
* Previously mention purple toes. Which are now painted coral. ;-)
There's a Starbucks a block down the road that is always completely packed, but this garden was so tranquill in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, it made me wonder why more people aren't there instead of a crowded coffee shop. Maybe it's the caffeine.
One of the best things about the Sherman Library and Gardens is that they encourage you to take photos! That's right, they welcome it! So it's a great place to practice shooting in natural light and what better subjects could there possibly be?
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