She started with this dated brass number:

+ a drum shade and some fabric

+ an apothecary jar lid

+ silver spray paint

+ some bling {this is turning into a long equation…….luckily I LOVE algebra}

= this oh-so-chic chandelier

Can you believe it’s the same fixture?!? I know – Shock. And. Awe.

Hope your Monday is bright, shiny, and chic,

Furniture, however, is not the point of this post. Check out the gallery of paintings she has assembled over her staircase:

I love photo galleries, but something about these nautical-inspired paintings {most are thrift store finds} speaks to me.

Check out this collection featured by a life’s design {I love how they incorporated shelves!}

The only problem is I don’t have any paintings nor am I an accomplished artist like J. Luckily I enjoy a shopping challenge, so an art collector I will be! Now, to clear some wall space……

Have an artsy Tuesday,

I have been desperately needing to post this recipe from Ladies’ Night from a few weeks ago. It has suddenly been balmy outside (umm..well….30 degrees…I’ll take it!), so I need to share this before soup season has ended. Please don’t tell me that we’ve got a long way to go. I like denial.

Anyway.

This French Onion Cider Soup (featured on Simmer Till Done) is so yummy. It’s different. I didn’t know what to expect with the chicken stock and apple cider combo, but the flavors are at once light and deep, and the good, golden cheese on top is a perfect finish. Here are the directions, from Simmer Till Done.

French Onion Cider Soup

• 2 small onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Golden Delicious apple – peeled, cored and diced fine
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 16 oz apple cider
• 1 quart (32 oz) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt & white pepper
• nutmeg
• crusty bread
• sliced Gruyere (or other Swiss cheese)

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the onions and diced apples.  Stir briefly to combine, then cover to let ingredients steam, about 5-7 minutes, checking and stirring occasionally.  Remove cover and stir mixture frequently, until onions are deep golden brown and apples soften completely, almost disappearing.

When mixture is a deep golden brown (bottom of pan will also have browning) turn heat to low, then add flour and 1/2 cup of the apple cider, stirring constantly to form a sticky, combined mixture.

Add chicken broth, white wine and remaining apple cider to the pot, deglazing browned pan and stirring onion-apple mixture into broth.  When onions have broken up into the broth, partially cover soup and simmer on low for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown, slightly reduced and thickened.  Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste.

To serve:

Preheat broiler. Place oven-safe soup bowls (2-4, depending on portion size) on a rimmed sheet pan.

Place thick chunks of crusty bread (toasted is even better) in bottom of oven-safe soup bowls.  Ladle warm soup over bread to almost, but not quite, fill the bowl.  Top with slices of Gruyere cheese, allowing a slight overhang.  Slide pan with soup bowls under hot broiler to melt cheese.  Watch carefully – cheese will frequently melt, brown and bubble in less than a minute.  Remove carefully from oven, and serve.

Soup (minus bread and cheese) serves 2-4 and keeps, refrigerated, for several days.*

* this is a good soup to make ahead, as flavor only deepens the next day.  Re-warm soup before assembling the bread and cheese bowls, then ladle and serve as directed.

Abbie brought this Upside-Down Tomato Basil Bread (also from Simmer!). Mmm.

Speaking of Abbie, the honorary Homage  breadmaker – she just started her own food blog with an adorable name: Simple Kneads. Check it out for great step-by-step tutorials on breadmaking, essays on healthy living, and other fun tidbits

Here are Abbie’s buns. Hehe.

Have a delicious Thursday!

Look at that adorable cookie sandwich!

Why do I even have to write a post about this blog? Isn’t the cookie enough to convince you that you should go there?

Fine, I’ll say a few things.

eat make read is the coolest. I discovered it while blog hopping a few weeks ago. The photos are gorgeous, the recipes so doable, and the author, Kelly, writes about sophisticated food and drink without a hint of pretension! I love that. It’s rare.

Cruise around the archives for a while. You’ll find gems like this spiked cider. Mmmm…don’t judge. It’s still bitterly cold here.

Or these amazing green beans with yogurt and shallots. Oh baby.

And I can almost taste summer with this happy hour feature: the watermelon martini:

Feast your eyes on her foccacia….it’s art, people. Art.

I have to stop typing now so I can go eat something. Or photograph something. That’s what this site does to me.

Happy Tuesday, my darlings,

She breathes new life into second-hand furniture. Check out this amazing table transformation:

AND she’s generous – check out her step-by-step tutorial

Bryn introduced me to Ruche, and my life has never been the same….

Each post provides my inspiration folder with at least one new addition. Here is a sample of my past favorites:

Oh, the bed. (Not to mention the fabulous ottoman!)

And this one

The most perfect sofa I’ve ever seen

Some days I could use this clever mirror substitute…

Make sure you check out her “Space of the Day” series to get an all-you-can-eat, gourmet serving!

Bryn was so inspired by this phenomenal space….

…..that she’s planning to paint her bedroom black. Bold choice, and I can’t wait to see it!

To top it off, she’s living my dream – Bryn recently announced that she is launching a design business from her new home in Charlotte, North Carolina! Stop by her site, say “hello,” and wish her well!

Watch that sugar-rush,

It is one of the best films ever made, at least according to J, but I had something else in mind for today….another stop on our blog tour!

Today’s feature is one of my new favorite sites – Three Men and a Lady. Written by the lovely Michelle, it has decor inspiration GALORE!

She has the most gorgeous bedroom I have ever seen (grey and yellow IS my current decor obsession). I cannot believe the dramatic transformation!

Before:

After – oh, my heart:

She is a DIY’er after my own heart. Check out this bedside table makeover:

…..this dresser…..

(the Joshua Tree art is a DIY project too!)

AND she turned this gilded gold mess

+ bamboo skewers and spray paint

= this amazing masterpiece (that’s my kind of math!)

The rest of her house is amazing as well:

Check out the instructions for that adorable message board

DIY upholstered headboards

Do yourself a favor and spend some time perusing her archives. But be warned, you will get a sudden urge to revamp your entire house

Thanks for the inspiration, Michelle!

Love,

and oh, how fun it is! She takes second hand furniture from dated to chic in some of the most dramatic transformations I have ever seen. For example:

Library Hutch

Antique dresser

Cherry dresser

Hutch

She explains her technique in this how-to.

She created super chic Halloween decor using thrift store finds.

Her home renovation is nothing short of inspiring:

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Living Room

She has a beautiful little girl, Wren Berry….

….who sleeps in the most amazing nursery I have ever seen!

Of course she re-vamped the changing table herself.

Holly is clearly (ha!) a fan of white, and here is her take on loving white decor AND loving a family that includes pets and a baby. Her home is proof that amazing style does not require dramatic wall colors.

I seriously spent hours this weekend reading her archives and am ready to paint our entire house luscious shades of white! G returned from his weekend trip and vetoed that idea (we have already painted every room at least once)….but you better believe I filled my inspiration folder with ideas to implement in our yet-to-be-completed attic. Stop by her site and say hello!

Happy Monday!

P.S. Do you have any items you have transformed? Submit your photos and an explanation of how you accomplished such a feat to

homagegirls (at) homageblog (dot) com

We would love to feature your project on our DIY page! Make sure you check the page often, we are adding to it regularly.

As I was perusing the archives yesterday I was overcome with the urge to decorate. So I made a fall wreath for our front door out of beaded garlands. Unfortunately for G, it didn’t satisfy my craving. Perhaps there is some furniture painting in our future…..I was particularly inspired by:

This barn patio makeover (as my backyard transformation drags on and on and ON). Make sure you check out the original post for all of the GREAT accessories!

Before (left side)

After (left side)

Before (right side)

After (right side)

Ceiling medallions used as wall art, submitted by Joi at Nuestra Vida Dolce. This is definitely a contender for my bedroom wall.

And this adorable clock from Jen at A Shopaholic Mom

Before

After

There are many more fantastic projects featured. Make sure you check it out – there is eye-candy galore! Warning: you may find yourself searching Craigslist for something, ANYTHING you can transform into treasure.

Love,

These gems, Not Without Salt and Sprouted Kitchen, keep me coming back for their amazing photos and tantalizing recipes. And for some reason I am always reading them around noon. At my sad little desk. With no pretty food in sight. Why do I do this to myself?

Anyway, Not Without Salt by Ashley Rodriguez:

(photos from Not Without Salt)

Ashley’s site is beautiful and airy (what do you expect from a former pastry chef?). I have bookmarked many of her recipes, including:

Golden Crunch Cake

The recent Stuffed Bread (bread plus meat?! A. might have a heart attack from the sheer joy!):

And Bacon Caramels. Seriously. They look awesome, I don’t care.

If you browse the site a bit, you’ll notice the overwhelming number of delicious dessert recipes. Peach Basil Ice Cream? Chocolate Soup? Hello?! I might need to take the day off to just think about the idea of Chocolate Soup.

The next food blog on the tour is a recent addition to my favorites:

Sara’s food jumps right off the screen. The photography (by her beloved, Hugh) is phenomenal and creative. And, her recipes are impressively healthy. (Umm….Yes. Yes, you can profess love for bacon caramels and healthy food in the same post.)

Check out these beauties: Pesto Veggie Melts  (photos from Sprouted Kitchen)

This Asian Ahi Salad is haunting me. I haven’t made it yet, but every time I look at this picture, I drool a little (sorry, it’s true):

And how about the picture of the sauce ingredients?!  I’d frame this!

This recent recipe for Lemon Fish and Grilled Corn Polenta is on my weekly menu planning for next week. Okay, that’s a lie. I can’t get A. to eat fish. At all. What’s a girl to do?

Oh, it looks so tasty.

Thanks, Ashley and Sara, for making me hungry (and therefore grumpy) at work. Again and again.

Okay, all eight of you multitude of readers , let’s hear it. What are your favorite food blogs? Any delightful recipes you’ve found on the web and made your own?

Enjoy your lemon fish,

I’m so excited to introduce you to the latest blog on our tour, {Freckles Chick}

I seriously think she is my design twin. I present the following as evidence:

Exhibit A: our bedrooms

Freckles’ bedroom

A full view of her room can be found here.

K’s bedroom

Note the grey accents, the bedside lamps, and the upholstered headboard.

Exhibit B: She appreciates the beauty of a capiz chandelier

as seen in her bedroom photo and this post.

Now, the first two examples are pure coincidence. I admit that I shamelessly copied her on the following:

Exhibit C: Her upholstered headboard how-to inspired me to update ours from a faded red and white print to a sophisticated tufted grey velvet.

Before:

After:

Exhibit D: I loved this piece she found so much that I had to run out and buy my own.

Freckles’ dining room table

K’s dining room table

Afterall, they say imitation is the purest form of flattery. Her blog is a wealth of inspiration – you should definitely peruse her archives and see for yourself!

Freckles, if you are reading this, I promise I’m not a crazy stalker. Well, I may be crazy….but I lack the motivation to stalk. I’m just a harmless admirer, I swear!

Where do you get your design inspiration?

P.S. Fellow capiz chandelier lovers, fear not! West Elm has discontinued the version that J and I own, but a similar (though smaller) piece can be found at World Market!