DI-Wednesday: Grilled Pizza

As I continue the countdown to pizza, I'm thinking of trying something that has always intrigued me: pizza on the barbecue grill. It's supposed to give your pizza the smoky, crunchy, brick oven taste that you just can't get out of your regular oven. It seems easy enough, and with the weather cooperating lately, I just might go for it!

Tasty Tuesday: Dreaming of Pizza

Easter is coming around the bend, and that means that I can soon enjoy pizza again (I love it so much, I gave it up for Lent this year). But, I'm also trying to save some money on eating out, so the perfect solution is making my own pizza--here's a great recipe for a garden pizza that takes advantage of springtime veggies. Enjoy!

Monday Inspiration: The Landing Strip

Today starts another week of the home cure, centered around the creation of a landing strip--an area where you can leave the clutter of the day (such as mail, coats, shoes and bags) so it doesn't invade the home. I had previously set a space for "landing" when I arrive at home, but over time things began to build up and...over. So, today this image will be my inspiration for a pure, clean landing strip, complete with an area to hang that pesky laptop bag.

Friday Finds: Sunny Citrus

Vintage Glass Juicer/Reamer from MarianneClare's Vintage Kitchen

Spring has sprung, and in my neighborhood that means that each night, when I walk my dog, I can detect the luscious scent of citrus blossoms wafting through the air. Grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime are all starting to bloom, and for a few weeks everything will smell wonderful. With that in mind, here are some citrus-minded finds...

O is for Orange Vintage Flash Card from Harmonie Park

Citrus Circus for Dessert Set from Uncommon Kitchen

Citrus Fruit Linen Tea Towel from The Cottage Cheese

Set of 21 Vintage Plastic Kordite Clothespins from StilletoGirl Vintage

Four Vintage Cloth Napkins from iWunder Vintage

Great Resource: Design in a Bag

from Apartment Therapy

This is a great idea for the indecisive amongst us, like myself. Design in a Bag will send you material samples, resource lists and renderings of your complete kitchen or bath project. At only $109 for a bag, it's certainly cheaper than hiring a full-time designer, and the site itself is a source for inspiration.

DI-Wednesday: Floating Nightstands

I've been researching all kinds of possibilities for floating nightstands--I love the sleek, modern look of them, and the added advantage of being able to vacuum around them without moving anything. Of course, I'm too shocked by the prices of most of these nightstands to purchase them (and too unskilled to build them myself) so I'm thinking an Ikea hack might be in order--here's a great one from ikeahacker.

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken with Creamy Spinach and Shallots

This week's cure requires a new recipe to cook at home--I'm not very shy about cooking (what I scrubbed off of my stove last weekend proves that) but I do get bored with the same old stuff--this recipe requires chicken thighs (a departure from the normal skinless chicken breast) and a creamy sauce--what could be better? Enjoy!

Monday Inspiration: Pantry Perfection

How's this for inspiration? After a full weekend cleaning my kitchen from top to bottom (and removing an embarrassing amount of expired food) this gorgeous pantry is my next step--I'd love to get some vintage see-through containers to store bulk items like rice and flour--doesn't this look nicer than chip-clips on plastic bags?

Friday Finds: Paris in the Springtime

1977 Folies Bergere 'Tous les Soirs' Poster from Blasts from the Past

Ah, Paris in the springtime. The perfect finds for a perfectly lovely, warm weekend!

1957 Paris Engraved Vintage Maps from Le Petit Poulailler

Ornate French Key from Philosophia Supplies

Sweet Bird Nut Basket from The Merchant of Kismet

French Vintage 1932 Book from Pudding

French Lady in Waiting Print No. 3 from Gypsy Fish Studio

Refinishing Butcher Block

Though next week's Home Cure tasks revolve around giving the kitchen a good top to bottom scrub, I can't help but envision what I want for the future, when the remodeling budget is full again. I know I want to have butcher block somewhere in the kitchen--it's durable, usable, and it warms up the space immensely. Being the far thinker I am, here's a great little tutorial on refreshing your butcher block. It's about as easy as you'd think, and it includes a great product for polishing and sealing.

DI-Wednesday: Simple Spruce for the Kitchen Table

Flipping through various inspirational sources, I came across this brilliantly simple fix for our boring oak hand-me-down kitchen table set--why not be daring and paint the legs a different color? All you'd need is a bit of sandpaper, latex paint (or oil-based paint, if you're feeling industrious) and a few brushes. Heck, if you've got the room, try spray-painting outside!

Tasty Tuesday: Beer Floats

This latest dessert and drink craze intrigues me, but I just don't know what to make of it--but, in honor of St. Patrick's day tomorrow, why not grab a pint of Guinness and a scoop of vanilla and see what you end up with!

Monday Inspiration: Home Cure

photo from Lillian Day

I'm finally working on the Apartment Therapy Cure this spring, after reading the book but never having the time or energy to get started. I'm going for the whole-house fix--getting things super-clean, and repairing all of those small, nagging things that are building up over time. If the opportunity presents itself, however, I would like to room-cure my office--right now it's a clutter or mismatched tables, chairs and shelves. Something like the setup above would be lovely--clean, with a definite flow around the desk and shelf...someday.

Friday Finds: Dreaming of Green

Vintage 40s or 50s Ceramic Silhouette from Heathered Vintage

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and that means it's time for some lean, mean, vintage green!

From the top:

Mint Green Savoy Camera from Vintage Eric

Deep Green Hull Pottery Dish from August Vintage

Vintage Grass Green Porcelain Lotus Bowl from Adventures in Vintage

Vintage Letter U from Blue Bell Bazaar

Modern George Briard Ice Bucket from I'm So Vintage

Great Tool: Wishpot

I've been looking into signing up for the spring round of Apartment Therapy's Home Cure--Wishpot is a great mobile tool for keeping track of those 'wish-I-had' things while I fix up the old homestead. You can even do price checks and compare reviews to make sure you're getting the best deal!

DI-Wednesday: De-brassing your finds

This is a great project from the mid century modern restorers at The Modness of 9251 if you're looking to revive old brass-plated items or fixtures in your home--relatively inexpensive and only requiring a bit of elbow grease.

Tasty Tuesday: (Almost) Spring Salad

Here's a yummy early spring salad--full of color, but still a solid and hearty meal before the days are entirely warmed up. I love the combination of the salty and sweet--and what couldn't benefit from a little bacon? Enjoy!

Monday Inspiration: Vintage Bathroom Tile

Love this vintage bathroom! I wish more of these aqua and black tiled beauties were still alive today, instead of gutted and replaced with cultured marble sometime in the late 70s. Someday, maybe my bathroom will look like this again...

Friday Finds: Down the Rabbit Hole

Alice in Wonderland and the soon-to-be Easter holiday make this a fortuitous day for rabbit! Here are a few vintage selections.

From top to bottom:

Vintage Bunny Rabbit Folding Cutouts from incognito in maine
Ceramic Rabbit Planter from Little Byrd Vintage
Vintage Lucite Blue Rabbit Key Chain from Castle of Charm
Velveteen Rabbit from Eclectic Pelican
Vintage Flocked Bunny Shadowbox from Trampoline
Sweet Little China Bunny Bank from Beggars and Choosers

Fun with Bookplates

Thinking about the new Alice in Wonderland movie coming out, I was remembering all of the great books I've read, and looking for a project to help me reminisce. Design*Sponge has obliged with this simple way to personalize your library--enjoy!

DI-Wednesday: Sock Monkey!

I always seemed to have a sock monkey growing up. It was soft, cuddly, and the socks provided the perfect amount of durable play-time. Here's a quick project for the rainy days of spring that are sure to come skipping around the corner.

Tasty Tuesday: Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushrooms

A perfect, bright recipe for early spring and the last few lemons on my tree. Enjoy!

Monday Inspiration: Bold Bathroom

On occasion, you just have to look at the small spaces in your home and say "why not?" The bathroom is probably one of most-used spaces in the house, so why not have some fun with it? This great geometric wallpaper completes the space.