Do you have a recipe that you get asked to bring to every party you go to? Or you are always assigned to bring the same thing? Well you are talking to the salad girl. Yep that's me. I always get assigned a salad. And typically it is "Brooke bring your broccoli salad". I am proud to say that one of our good friends who isn't a salad eater requests this broccoli salad every time we go to their house. Even my husband will eat this salad and he does not do salads. Actually I take that back- he is "trying" to do salads. But lets be real, this broccoli salad is the only one he ever asks ... Read More
Search Results for: fall
Friday Favorites-starts with Cherry Blossoms
I shared the above photo this time last year on my Instagram account. I keep looking for cherry blossom branches at my local Trader Joes or Whole Foods. No sign of them yet. I can remember how excited I was when I spotted them last year. They made me so happy whenever I saw them at my sink. I think it is so important to enhance our surroundings- it lifts our spirits in ways we sometimes are not fully aware of. Whenever I buy flowers I always think of this quote "She created a life she loved." We create it- and it is the small and simple things for me. It could just be cutting a branch ... Read More
Love in the form of our new Hanging Chair
I can not even handle how much I love this chair. Who knew something like a hanging chair could make me so happy! Actually I knew. I have been wanting one ever since birth...not really but close. Funny thing is my mom saw our new hanging chair via a picture and she reminded me of the one we had growing up, the one that my sister got stitches after falling off of it. It was one that didn't hang from the ceiling, just from an arm attached to the chair and it had metal parts and was probably really not safe at all (I should find a pic of it), not like this magnificent chair we just hung from ... Read More
Connecticut Home Tour
Hello! This is our home in Fairfield, Connecticut. We lived here for 6 years and loved it! We picked this home because of the location, and knew we could make it better than before, and investment! Half a mile to the beach, or take a short walk into town, then hop on a train and in an hour you would be in New York City watching a play or eating somewhere yummy! The home was 1100 square feet, with an unfinished basement, that had all our storage, and laundry (basement couldn't ever be finished due to living in a flood zone). We remodeled and added on about 300 square feet (you can see our floor ... Read More
Top Blog Posts of 2016
I have been blogging for about a year and a half now and really love it. I started blogging when I moved to Connecticut as a way to keep up on my design skills and stay current with what was going on in the design world. Not to mention it has been another form of journaling I didn't consider. I had quit my job as a manager/buyer and designer to stay at home with my kids, I was thrilled to start this new chapter of my life but I also knew that setting goals and accomplishing tangible things contributes to my happiness. So a blog seemed like it would fill that need. Little did I know how busy it ... Read More
Painting Tips and Favorite Paints with Trimaco
I have had a few painting projects in the back of my mind....just waiting for the right time to be painted. Or I should say the right time for the husband to be around to paint them. Painting projects can seem overwhelming- no matter the size. One of the reasons I put off painting my piano and big sideboard for years was because I thought I would have to have a garage to paint them in or even have to move them out of my home. I was excited to come across Trimaco and all their great products to tackle any project in your home. I partnered with them to share some of our painting tips that we ... Read More
Tips on how to keep the heat in this winter
Most of you know we live in a Cape in Connecticut. It was built in the 1950's...so I consider this an old home. When we moved in two years ago we were not really prepared for how cold it get's in Connecticut. We are by the beach, so in my mind I didn't think we would get much snow. I was completely wrong! Not only do we get snow, it feels so much colder because of the humidity. We came from Utah where it is a dry snow, much lighter fluffier snow. Since this will be our third winter here I have been on a mission to keep the heat in our home and make living more pleasant in the winter. I was ... Read More
Homemade Christmas Gift Tags and a Birthday Party
Our little Lola just turned 6 on November 29th! She is such a fun little girl, so playful, social, determined, loving and a little wild one. She adds so much to our little family- just pure joy. She knew exactly what she wanted to do for her Birthday Party. We were talking about options and I mentioned a bounce house. She thought about it and said "If we do that then everyone will not be together." She had a good point! So she came up with the idea for a party at our house (ahhhh) with a craft, games, pizza and cake. She really liked what we did for her sisters birthday party (you can read ... Read More
Thanksgiving Table Setting- Bloggers Tour
This post contains affiliate links Thanksgiving is one of our families favorite Holidays. It is my husbands favorite, so that makes me love it too. I am joining The White Buffalo Styling Co and ten other bloggers to share our Thanksgiving Table Settings. If you are stopping by from Inspired By Charm, welcome! I have big shoes to fill, I love ALL of Michael's ideas. We are actually going to stay over night in New York City and watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade and go out to dinner. BUT...I still plan on making a Thanksgiving Dinner at home, for the leftovers of course. My in-laws are ... Read More
Popcorn Ceiling Makeover- Wood Planks
I promised to share more details on the ceiling in the Mudroom that I just revealed on Wednesday. (You can see the full makeover HERE). I had not planned on doing the wood planks on the ceiling. But everything changed once I saw the ceiling in person-it was a dated popcorn ceiling. Do you say it had popcorn all over it? However you say it- It had to go. We couldn't leave our Makeover Room for the homeowners with a dated ceiling. I was thrilled when I found THIS Peel and Stick Wood from Lowe's Home Improvement Store. I love that it comes already stained in the white wash finish that I ... Read More