A beautifully renovated parsonage in the Swedish countryside

This parsonage from the 1700's and featured in Lantliv had been uninhabited for fifty years. And then Gustaf Willers took it over and gave it a whole new lease of life. I absolutely love that he has stayed faithful to the style and the location but added a modern touch. I dream daily about buying a beautiful old Swedish house and renovating it. Perhaps one day i'll be posting about that? but for now, here's someone else's beauty!

Pictures: Lantliv via Planete Deco Photography: Anna Kern

If you understand Swedish it's worth taking a read of the article. There are so many lovely touches to the renovation, such as Gustaf's mother colouring in the 800 hand-printed flower baskets on the bedroom wallpaper by hand. Now that's dedication!  Makes me think. What can changes can I make in my home just by taking the time to use good old fashioned handiwork?

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A Swedish black and white home with a lovely mix

Susann from Purple Area blog once told me if you would like to find a beautiful home, always look at the home of interior design bloggers (Suzann's home looks wonderful by the way, you can see pics here). The latest Plaza magazine also proves this with the home of the blogger behind the great blog 'Hannas Room'.......

The home has such a lovely mix of furniture, with modern items from IKEA such as the MINNEN extendable children's bed (I've got it for my little girl in white and love it) and beautiful mid-century vintage pieces like the dining room chairs. The bulb fairy lights are likely from Swedish shop Granit as are the white storage boxes shown above. And look.....it's shoes on display again... wonderful!

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JOIN ME AT THE OLD CROW MARKET...

This Saturday and Sunday, February 4th and 5th I'll be set up at THE OLD CROW MARKET

at WHEN PIGS FLY AGAIN,  a fabulous shop in Mt. Dora Florida.

Here's the info...

THE OLD CROW MARKET at WHEN PIGS FLY

822 N. Donnelly St. Mt. Dora, FL

9am til 5pm

The shop will be open and filled to the brim with wonderful primitives, and there will be booths outside as well. That's where you'll find me, on the brick patio. My friend Susie (From My Home To Yours) will be setting up as well.

There's also a fabulous world~renowned art show being held just a block away! Come spend the day in quaint Mt. Dora this weekend and shop til you drop!

Hope to see you!

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Protecting Saved Seeds

As a home gardener I am also a seed saver.  Seeds can be saved from any plant but heirlooms are preferred as they breed true unlike seeds from hybrid plants.  Really from a genetic perspective if you cross two hybrids you have a 25% chance of the resulting plant being true for either of the homozygous traits but a 50% chance of it it being nothing like the parental plant.  I grow and save

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The pretty London home of Parma Lilic owner

This London home of Janie Jackson, owner of shop Parma Lilac is just so beautiful *sigh*. So simple, so light, so me! And I love the photographic style.

Pictures: Via Saint Honore

I remember reading an article about how to produce this type of effect with a camera, and one way is to cover the lens with a pair of thin denier tights, yes, I know! Worth a try anyway?! Unless you know of a slightly more modern app?

Happy Monday by the way. I hope you had a lovely weekend?!

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Cooking with Cast Iron

We have been cooking with a cast iron for over a year now. Our reasons for switching from standard non-stick cookware were based primarily on health considerations and the confusing information we had read on the chemicals used in the non-stick coating.

Before switching to cast iron, we had been using a 'green' non-stick version that had eliminated the controversial PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene)  and PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) coatings. But we didn't think it held up very well and just started worrying all over again about the various other chemicals used to create this new form of non-stick.

So we made it very simple for ourselves and went back to the 'original non stick' - cast iron.

Cast iron possesses no potential dangerous coatings, will not chip or scratch and is also a great way to introduce trace amounts of iron into your diet.And if that wasn't enough incentive, cast iron is also very affordable. A twelve inch skillet for example is less than $30 (here) and it will last forever.

Cast iron is also great to cook with as it distributes heat evenly. We primarily use a pair of large and small skillets for everyday cooking. We also use a cast iron dutch oven in place of a crock pot for stews, slow roasts and soups. Our remaining cookware consists of copper-bottomed stainless steel sauce pans.

We purchased our Lodge cast iron skillets pre-seasoned.  Every several months, we re-season them by coating with oil and baking in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, we turn the oven off and let them cool on the oven racks.

For daily maintenance, we soak the pans in warm water after each use. We then scrub with a scouring sponge, rinse with hot water, and pat dry. Occasionally, we also rub a light coating of oil into the skillets while they are still warm from rinsing. We follow the same care with our Dutch Oven.  With cast iron it is recommended to not use soap and to not soak in water for long periods of time as this promotes rust and deteriorates the seasoned condition of the cookware (which makes the cast iron non-stick). In the worst-case scenario, you just have to re-season the cookware as described above.

Like all choices we make in life,  we strive to find ways in which we can live by the healthiest means possible. Some choices are easy to make, some take effort. But we are passionate about creating the healthiest life for ourselves and our babies, so the transition to cast iron does not feel like extra work. In fact, it offers quite the opposite for nothing outweighs peace of mind.

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Antwerp home with a beautiful flow of light

It's Friiiiiiday - woop woop!! And Friday deserves to be celebrated with an extra special home to drool over throughout the weekend! This Antwerp home featured in Milk Magazine belongs to Melanie Ireland founder of children's clothing company Simple Kids. When they first bought the house they hired an architect (Vincent Van Duysen) to knock through walls for a lovely flow of light. I also love how they have treated the floors and filled the fireplace full of magazines! A beeeeautiful home! 

Milk Magazine via 79 ideas

Looking closely there are lots of lovely details in this home - any favourites? The beautiful mirror perhaps?
Have a lovely weekend, any great plans?! And see you Monday!

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Chai Tea Recipe

I was finishing up a big writing project when cabin fever hit me hard. My solution was to grab a stash of Groupon bargains and hit the road to visit some local restaurants for food ideas. There's no denying that I'm a dedicated foodie with a strong desire to take control of the ingredients I use, and coming off of a few too many Christmas indulgences, I was ready for some tasty food that

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key to a successful home office - a beautiful vintage chair!

Working from home is heavenly in itself, add a work space like this and I'm not even sure you're allowed to call it work! It seems every home office *needs* a fantastic vintage office chair.....

Ellemania.Elle Interiör

Lotta Jansdottir

Well Appointed Desk

Do you have an aaaaawesom office chair or perhaps an entire work space that will make us cry with envy? if so, make sure you send me a pic!  I'm thinking I'll be back again this afternoon with some more inspiration for the home so pop back and say hi! Have a lovely day!

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10 Ways to Feel Sexy!

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to make a list of easy reminders that we can all do to feel sexy!!!

  After having 3 kids, sometimes you need to remind yourself things like this!!  

Am I right?

I keep seeing super cute Valentine mantels, tablescapes and crafts all over blogland and that is great.  

I will do some crafts with my kiddos of course, but I can paint a whole room pink and my hubby would probably not notice or care.  It would not put him in the Valentines mood at all, lol!

I know what would get his attention and that would be him seeing me feel great about myself and looking my best for him!  Some new Victoria Secret undergarments wouldn’t hurt either, lol!

I don’t know what we are going to do on the big V-day but I know I want it to be something romantic  where we can tell each other how much we love each other after 8 1/2 years of marriage!  

I think it is important for couples to make time for each other, no matter what else is going on!  

I love dating my husband and I really get excited about date nights!

TOP 10 WAYS TO FEEL SEXY this Valentine’s Day!

1) SMILE.  

Smiling is extremely sexy and you look way more attractive!

2) GO OUT.  

I always feel better just getting out of the house.  You feel better after getting fresh air.  Don’t hibernate in your house!

3) WORKOUT.  

I don’t care what shape or size you are, you will ALWAYS feel better about your self after a good sweat!  Exercise gives you endorphins which will kick your sexiness is high gear!

4) DRESS UP.  

Black yoga pants may be super cozy and that is great but they are not sexy!  This is a hard one for me because I love my yoga pants but try putting on some cute jeans, black leggings with boots or even a skirt.  That will for sure change your cat walk!

5) DRINK WATER.  

Water is important for so many reasons.  You will be more hydrated and your skin will look great! 

6)  DANCE.  

Put on your favorite Pandora station and dance around to some upbeat, motivating music!  Come on, we all do it, lol, don’t we?

7) SHOWER.  

I always feel awesome after a nice, long, hot shower with my favorite shower gel and a new razor.  Get those legs silky smooth!

8) HIGH HEELS. 

I love heels, especially being on the shorter side.  (I am 5’4”.)  Heels make you walk sexier and elongates your legs.  Plus, they are super cute!!

9)  DITCH THE GRANNY PANTIES.  

I don’t care what you say, granny panties are not sexy!  Get some new ones, try a new color or something with lace.

10)  WEAR MAKE-UP.  

You don’t have to put on much, but it will make you feel better!  I will always use a little more mascara and lip gloss to feel great!  I little goes a long way!

So there is my list!  

I know there are a lot more things to do but this is a simple list that everyone can do starting now!!

What other things do you do to feel great about yourself?  

Please share!

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?

Bonnie :)

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Beautiful white Danish home

OK, i admit last week i promised not to print any more white homes. but almost an entire week has gone by since the last one and i do love a white home so! this lovely Danish home is packed with mid century finds and a lovely mix of old and new. it has been shot by the great photographer Line Klein and styled by Helen Wiggers.

Pictures: Line Klein stylist: Helen Wiggers via Konfetti form

We've had two fanstatically sunny days in a row here and when the sun bounces off the ice and warms the face it's so invigorating- Let there be light! I hope you have good weather too....have a lovely day!

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DINING ROOM REVEAL...FINALLY

Isn't it amazing how a little "facelift" can take so darn long?

My dining room and kitchen just received a new and beautiful freshening up.

Here's the dining room before...

White beadboard and a soft neutral color (?) above... It's been a while since we painted it that color and I couldn't begin to remember the name though I'm sure it was Ralph Lauren.

The dining room now in beautiful whites...

Benjamin Moore White Dove on the walls and Vanilla Milkshake on the beadboard and trim.

We added a ceiling medallion above the chandelier and I rearranged the cupboards and wall decor, which came from other rooms in the house. 

The kitchen got the same White Dove on the walls and Vanilla Milkshake on the cabinets and trim.

I took the door off one of the upper cabinets and painted it white to showcase my ironstone and tarnished silver collection. I edited my dishes to four of everything in the remaining cabinet and the rest went to the beadboard cupboard in the dining room.

I am loving the new fresh white look to both rooms. 

Hope you love it too!

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