Weddings on the brain. I’ve been planning a wedding Three Cheers Creative for months now and the big day is coming up on June 2nd. It’s our first wedding client and I can’t believe it’s almost here! We’re wrapping up the final details for the big day and it’s coming together beautifully. I’m hoping to share a couple of the projects we’ve done on the blog, as well as photos from the wedding.

I came across these photos from Leanne Marshall’s Spring 2013 collection and thought they were breathtaking. Did you watch that season of Project Runway with Leanne? I just loved her. These dresses are available in her etsy shop, Leanimal.

(photos by Leanne Marshall)

Sometimes I have this desire to live off the grid. To live somewhere beautiful in isolation. To create a little oasis of simplicity with my husband. We’d have gardens and a dog, go on long hikes, and have everything we need to live.

Do you ever get this itch? To just escape and have your own hideaway? To let go of that dream of downtown living and fully embrace the country? I love living in a city and everything it has to offer, but sometimes I get a little tired of it. And with blogging, I really just need my computer and Internet access. Don’t get me wrong, I would have to be within driving distance to friends and civilization because I worry I would go stir crazy.

My in-laws live in the country and my husband loves it there. He goes fishing in the creeks, works outside, and builds fires with his dad. I’ll be happy with wherever life takes us, but this sustainable “scrap house” on Dwell has me thinking twice.

Where do you dream of living?

xo

(Photos: Lorne Bridgman for Dwell)

I recently came across these wallpaper designs by Aimee Wilder and I just love them. Especially that pop floral print… in every color. The styling is spot on, too.

(photos by Aimee Wilder)

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a fun event: the first Indie Wed in Milwaukee. (You may remember that I hosted a giveaway and explained Indie Wed last week.) Well, it was such a great event filled with talent; I thought I’d share some photos. I really enjoyed connecting with other creative business owners there and making some new friends. The show was at the Harley Davidson Museum, which although I imagined might be an odd location (I had never been there so I just imagined motorcycles), it was actually quite cool with an edgy, industrial vibe (and minimal motorcycles).

I went with my friend Monica, owner of Monirose Bespoke Gowns. One of my best friends Melissa also came to visit for the day. It was so fun to go early and help Monica style her booth; I felt like I was part of the show. I really admire Monica’s vision for Monirose and we put together an exquisite little booth. She arrived with her built, painted wooden backdrop (a trip to Home Depot). We set it up and added a vintage ironing board and wooden drawers (from Á La Crate Vintage), along with other little details like a vintage floral tea cup and saucer, wooden spools, tape measures, and pretty fabric and lace to style it just perfectly. Along with some dress forms (in her lovely gowns, of course!), photos, wooden crates, a tassel garland, and a cute framed sign, the booth looked beautiful!

For a display lover like myself, I was busy taking in every last detail of the awesome booth designs. Á La Crate Vintage even had a balancing tower of vintage inventory (below).

(Above: Á La Crate Vintage, House of Sydney, Centennial Press)

This experience reminded me that styling projects like these really make my heart tick. I just love making things look beautiful in a natural way through styling and I hope to have more of these experiences in the near future! :)

Thanks for including me, Moni! Also thanks to Indie Wed for organizing such a great event! Next up, Indie Wed is in Denver!

xo

This recipe was sort of a happy accident. Aren’t those the best? I started out thinking I was making these granola bars (discovered via Sarah’s lovely blog), and it ended up being this crumbly delicious granola that is a perfect and filling snack for when I’m craving something sweet (which is often). While not eating processed foods, dairy, or gluten, dessert gets difficult. And the cravings can be rough while switching to a lower-sugar diet. I recently made these cocoa coconut bites and while they were tasty and great for an after-dinner sweet, they weren’t quite blog-worthy. But this granola is another story. It’s pretty darn easy and it’s a great way to use up any nuts or dried fruit you have on hand. Let’s just say the second time I made this, it was a double batch.

Dessert (or anytime!) Granola

1 cup rolled oats (choose gluten free if you have a sensitivity. Oats don’t contain gluten, but “gluten free” just means they weren’t processed on any equipment shared with gluten)
1 1/2 cups mixed nuts and dried fruit in any combination*
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons ground flax seed (store any extra in a jar in the fridge so it keeps longer!)
1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup or honey, or a combination (I used both)
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips (yep, I went for it. Extra dark…)
A pinch of salt
Some cinnamon if you’d like!

*I used almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, currants, and cranberries. (I soaked the almonds and walnuts overnight, rinsed well, and let them dry. This causes the nuts to sprout, releases more nutrients, and makes them easier for your body to digest. Also note that sprouted nuts should be stored in the refrigerator as they can go rancid more quickly.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper. I used wax paper instead because it’s what we had. I’m not really sure of the difference but hopefully we don’t die. :)
Combine all of the ingredients in either a food processer or mixer. I used our Kitchen Aid mixer, which mostly kept all of the nuts whole. If you prefer smaller pieces, chop the nuts or use a food processor.
Wet hands (brilliant move to prevent a sticky mess!) and press the mixture onto parchment paper in the pan. If pressed compactly, it will cover about 2/3 of the pan, but you can also spread it out since we’re making granola instead of granola bars.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

The result is sticky and crumbly, delicious and healthy. I loved taking some still warm from the oven and pouring almond milk over it in a bowl. Yum!

If you’d rather try making granola bars, I think the trick would be to finely chop all of the nuts so that it sticks together more easily. You will also bake it twice as long and can read further directions here.

This makes a fabulous dessert or snack! And warning : it’s addicting!

Enjoy! xo

We’ve been on a spending freeze but that hasn’t stopped me from browsing. These are some of the items on my wish list lately…

xo

(one: anthropologie, two: sight unseen, three: rennes, four: howkapow, five: of a kind, six: kerrie yeung, seven: Nichole Robertson)

one // an awesome door
two // a pretty reflection
three // lovely design by Jessica Walsh
four // flowers by studio choo
five // type by James Edmondson
six // dream catchers on by fryd

For an inspired start to your week!

xoxo