sunday recipe: tomato, corn & avocado salad

i stumbled upon this recipe from martha stewart this weekend while searching for easy party recipes. what a perfectly fresh summer side salad, and it only takes three steps. incredible.

image and recipe via: martha stewart

tomato, corn and avocado salad


serves 4

ingredients

• 1 ear corn (husk and silk removed; tip cut off)
• 2 pints cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• coarse salt and ground pepper

directions

1. stand ear in a large wide bowl; with a sharp knife, carefully slice downward to release the kernels. discard cob. 
2. add tomatoes, avocado, scallions, lime juice, and oil to bowl. 
3. season with salt and pepper, and toss gently to combine. 

g l i t z

i discovered this super feminine, dressy bathroom while browsing for tile inspiration.
isn't it fun?

image via: living, etc

on etsy | concarta

i am officially in wedding mode...this week i have craft-making and packing to do and next week i will be leaving for oregon to attend a bachelorette party and a week of preparation for my lovely cousin's wedding in which i will be a maid of honor (with my other lovely cousin). during a search for bachelorette party sashes i discovered concarta, a fabulous etsy shop featuring impeccably sculpted, paper wedding cake toppers. look at the incredible detail...

what's on your nightstand: jessica of the love list

first up in the 'what's on your nightstand?' series is jessica of the love list and owner of front porch studios. the first post i saw from jessica was her gorgeous design studio - i instantly became a fan. her style is feminine, classic, cheery and colorful and  the fact that she owns her own graphic design business at twenty-four is so inspiring to me. a huge thank you to jessica for participating!

my bedroom is definitely my little hideaway. i might share it with travis, but it's still pretty feminine -- i don't think he cares as long as the bed is comfy. my sheets are a combination of a couple of different sferra 1891 collections that i mixed and matched with throw pillows from french laundry. my faux bamboo chippendale headboard was a craiglist find -- totally free! i painted it and it looks good as new. my bedside table was a homegoods find... i'm still debating if i'm going to add feet to it, but i actually like how low it is! the lamp and botanical print are homegoods as well -- i love that place! i guess you could say i'm "homegoods happy" - ha! i always do my nails in bed (dumb, i know) so i always have whatever colors i'm using on there... right now it's essie 'ballet slippers' and 'turquoise & caicos'. of course i keep the reading material piled high and a cushy rug to land my feet on in the morning, and there you have it!

image and post via: jessica

what's on your nightstand?

i'm starting a new feature called, 'what's on your nightstand?' which will highlight creative individuals/some of my favorite bloggers and every monday a new guest will show us what their nightstand says about them. i'm so excited to share these fun posts with you and i hope you enjoy reading them as much as i do!

sunday recipe: happy 4th of july!

hope you're all having a fabulous holiday weekend! if you're in wine country come make your way up-valley to st. helena and visit me at lunaria...i'm working.

vanilla-raspberry sundaes with spoon-shaped cookies

makes 8 sundaes and 60 cookies

• COOKIES
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

•  SUNDAES
• 2 quarts Vanilla Ice Cream, softened
• 2 quarts Raspberry Sorbet, softened
• Blueberries, for garnish

directions

1. Make the cookies: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until dough comes together. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of dough to just less than an inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a paring knife, cut out spoon shapes, each about 3 inches long. Get the spoon template here.
3. Transfer to baking sheets. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes. Roll out scraps, and repeat once.
4. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Make the sundaes: In 8 small bowls, layer 1/4 cup ice cream, 1/2 cup sorbet, and another 1/4 cup ice cream. Garnish each sundae with blueberries, and serve with 2 or 3 cookie spoons. 

image and recipe via: martha stewart

la sirena

since i can remember, i've always had a love for mermaids. the little mermaid is my favorite disney movie of all time and if you asked me what i wanted to be when i grew up at the age of five, i would have told you i would be a ballerina or a mermaid. i still have a fascination with them, but interior design has taken me down a different career path :)

here are a few great mermaid-inspired decorative objects for the home that i'm currently loving to bits...

i think i'd spray paint her a fun color

mermaid bookends via modern chic home

i can't get this pillow off my mind since this post

scales linen pillow via modern chic home

she would be absolutely perfect for hanging towels or necklaces

mermaid hanger via riri creations on etsy

this cheery fishscale hand towel would make dish drying a happy time

scales tea towel via see also on etsy

perfectly patriotic

hope everyone gets out this weekend to enjoy a holiday bbq, some sun and of course a dazzling fireworks show - happy 4th of july! xo

images via: martha stewart and flickr

luxe for less: chrysanthemum coverlet

i absolutely adore the chrysanthemum coverlet by dkny. the floral stitching is gorgeous and it comes in many colors - however, at $149.99 for a full/queen it's a biiiit out of my prince range. in comes my bff...target with chrysanthemum's twin at just $59.99 BARGAIN! the only problem is that the target coverlet doesn't come in as many colors so i guess i'll just start saving my pennies for the ivory or charcoal dkny version.

thrifting

on my way home from work today i stopped in sonoma at a little thrift shop called the church mouse. my goal was to find some kind of tray to hold my jewelry at the end of the day - i ended up spending only $2.40 and i walked away with some treasures. check out my bounty...

my treasures include: a red ceramic vase (it resembles a strawberry...i couldn't resist!), two delicate milk glass bud vases and a small round silver platter to place my jewelry on at night. i'll definitely be visiting the church mouse thrift shop again soon.