Late week musings and a monogram giveaway!!

Hi there! Hope you are having a great week. Hard to believe summer has closed its doors and its already back to school. Sure hope you had a chance to check out the amazing guest post Michele of Hello Lovely did on me yesterday,  if not click here to visit...it was wonderful! I also have a fun monogram giveaway to announce (details on the bottom of this post). By the time you are reading this I will be in Brimfield for the antique show, hopefully busy scoring some fabulous finds! Its been a busy week with the start of school but I was determined to make it there. I will report back on the weekend. So as with all my random musings post, this one features a little of this and a little of that. Lets get started........This picture reminds me of why Fall is my favorite season..........glorious!

 Got the back powder room wallpaper done and I love it. I am now looking for the perfect mirror and basically will be done at that point..woo hoo!  Here it is.......

But first Teddy my trusty assistant as Michele of Hello Lovely has pegged him, slacking on the job.......

So happy I went with my first choice, its fresh and clean and crisp and not too formal.   Here it is.......

I was experimenting as I like to do with one gingham shade and one plain.....(just in case you were wondering)   Now have to find the perfect mirror.....until then, vanity be damned!

I really like my statuary line and have several of their pieces in my home. I just added this piece to my island and filled it with pears....isn't it pretty!

Also took the large trivet (in my online shop) and made up a cheese and cracker tray, my phone died as I was in the process but it looked great, filled with fresh figs and olive oil and breadsticks, a few cheeses, a small tray of olives and flatbread, made such a pretty presentation.......

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Shop news......The Staffordshire dog lamps are up in my store, in two colors, already quite a popular item! So excited to have finally added  my new category "monogram mania"  to my online shop. It features all kinds of wonderful monogrammed goodies, all super well priced, discounted approx. 15% from retail with a super fast turnaround time ( as in 3 days they are on their way to you). Perfect gift! Click here to visit my shop.

Can I just say how madly in love with this that I am. I mean seriously swoon worthy right? Not exactly masculine I know I know and living with a family of 4 boys (husband included as one of them) this is a bit too frou frou for them, but man its pretty! A great way to channel your inner Marie Antoinette! If you want it, its for sale over at Tara Shaw Antiques.

Remember the hardware dilemma for my island and how I am considering changing it to an ant.brass? Well I am definite on it but figured as long as I am committed to it, let me be sure that I get exactly what I want so ordered another round of contenders and here's a sneak peek. You know I will share when I decide on which wins.....

I will use a pair of these for towels to hang on the island

The island with the bin cup pull I am nearly certain I am using...

Always like to throw in a little food something.....because of course I love food, good food that is. I love cooking, preparing and of course the best part....... eating!  This is a winner and sooo easy!! It is  super satisfying and great for no guilt eating, it is a salad afterall but chock full of all the "good stuff".

 Tex Mex Salad

Serves 4-6 (main dish)

Serves 6-8 (side dish)

Ingredients:

2 heads romaine lettuce

2 avocados (chopped)

1 cup frozen corn (defrosted) or fresh (if it's in season)

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sour cream or reduced fat sour cream

1/2 cup salsa

2 teaspoons chile powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, plus more for garnish (you can use more if you are like me and LOVE cheese)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped plus more for garnish

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 limes

Tortilla Chips ( I bought the tortilla strips in a bag if you can find them)

Directions:

Make black bean and corn relish.  Combine black beans, corn, red onion and red bell pepper.  Pour over white balsamic vinegar (or other light vinegar), squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lime, season with salt and pepper and allow to sit for a half an hour or up to one day.

For the salad dressing.  Combine sour cream, salsa, the juice of half a lime, chile powder, cumin and salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Every salsa is a little different so you may need to add more salsa or add more sour cream to reach the desired consistency for your dressing.  Taste it to see if you would like to add any more of the seasonings as well.

For the main salad.  Chop up romaine lettuce.  Add avocado, black bean and corn relish, cheese and cilantro.  Pour over dressing and toss to combine.  Garnish the top with more shredded cheese and a bunch of cilantro.  Serve with cut up slices of lime and tortilla chips.

If you would like to serve this as a main course, I would suggest adding some grilled shrimp, chicken or  sliced flank steak. 

Have you seen Ralphs latest collection? Yes, that Ralph as in Ralph Lauren...you don't know we are on a first name basis? :) What can't he do? Every one of his collections is just so spectacular! DROOLWORTHY.  These images tell me one thing....take me there NOW!

 Finally the giveaway! To celebrate the Monogram mania intro to my online shop, I am offering one lucky winner a box of 6 monogrammed soaps customized to their specifications. All you need to do is go to my site, check out my newest additions in the Monogram mania section and come back here and tell me a fave. That's it. I will announce a winner on Sunday. Click here to visit.

So that's about it for today. Wishing you a wonderful day. Be back over the weekend to announce a winner!! Remember, if you are anonymous, I have no way of knowing who you are, unless you use your first name and first letter of your last name in the body of the comment. Ditto for those of who you who just use your first name, please in the comment be sure to put your last name initial, as there are often duplicate names. Thanks for stopping by.......

Mid week musings and a Bavarian bread board giveaway!!

Hi everyone! So hope you are having a wonderful week. Today is another random musings post about a  whole lot of things...kind of all over the map. Its a great day for me  to chat about this and that, which I am getting quite good at I must say:) So lets get going shall we!Hopefully you got to visit me at the guest post over at Belle on Heels yesterday on bistro kitchens and saw my Bavarian bread board giveaway. To enter just visit my online store and come back here and tell me a favorite item or two...that's it! I will announce a winner on Friday. Moving along.......
House biz....So excited to show you my almost completed powder room! Honey onyx countertop went in, sink and faucet coming in today. At last we are nearly done. Waiting on mirror and chandelier and then this baby is a wrap! I really love love love the way it turned out. Its all I hoped for. So, take a look.......

Was expecting wallpaper hanger to come this week but now he is away so hopefully next Wed. this will get hung, but here is the back bathroom in progress. Added one of my favorite silver planters from my shop to the vanity, and think it looks so pretty, what do you think?

Moving along to my guest room. Got the toile fabric and decided on a check which I then found out was back ordered 8 long weeks. Not happening. I like instant gratification so scoured for another back up. Found one which I actually like I believe nearly as much, so here it is. As we speak this guest room is about to go into production, and I cannot wait till its all done. You know I will be sharing! Draped the two fabrics over two pillows on the settee to give you an idea.........

Just finished That Old Cape Magic and have to say I really enjoyed it, its a definite recommendation, entertaining well written and a book you can finish in a weeks time.  I really like Richrad Russo's writing style....going to get his other books.

Speaking of books, last night ordered two new design books...have you gotten either? Have all of Charles and Betty Lou's books so happy to add these to my growing collection......

Posted about these before, and I must say they are heavenly good, worth posting about again..trust me! I am not saying they are diet friendly but I am saying they are what I would call 

"comfort cookies" :)

Ingredients for Pistachio cream cheese cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened 

1 3 ounce package cream cheese, softened 

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1  egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2  teaspoons finely shredded orange or lemon peel (optional) 

1/2 cup finely chopped lightly salted pistachio nuts

In a large bowl, combine butter and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. If desired, stir in orange peel.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 7-1/2-inch-long roll (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter). Roll in pistachio nuts. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill about 1 hour or until dough is firm enough to slice. Or freeze dough for up to 2 months.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool. Makes about 44 cookies.

Are you a makeup junkie? I am a former makeup hoarder. I used to buy it all the time, multiples and forget when I actually loved something......I bought them by the 3's and 4's to be assured I would not run out. I take the "high-low" approach, some things I spend a lot on because I feel its worth it, other things not as much. Was at a bookclub meeting and one of the girls brought a friend who was visiting her for the week who is an actress, she shared a few secrets from the makeup artists that she's worked with, one of which was the new mascara by Maybelline "Falsises"....so naturally I had to try it. Well shes right, its awesome! I was using Dior and Borghese's mascaras both which I liked, but this one I  like even better and its a third of the price. So...worth checking out.

Store updates......all new crystal hurricane candles are now up for sale. They are stunning, with four new added styles. Remember when the candle is gone, you can send back for a refill (1.00 an oz) but so worth it. By far my favorite candle EVER. 

This is a big one, 50 oz of heaven

This one even bigger, a new one 60 oz!

All three of these are the minis........

Also dough bowls continue to be a very popular item and with good reason, they are so beautiful and allow you bring a little bit of the past into your kitchen. I am so excited to have a new source from France who I met in person and I fell in love with this things. At the moment he had more of the small-medium sized ones which are so hard to find. So I bought what he had of the small rounds which are hard to come by and have 6 coming in and the sm-med. long ones (4 coming in). I am keeping one of each for myself, they are really beautiful and dark wood which is my personal fave. Here's a few pics. Email me if interested to theenchantedhome@gmail.com They are due here on Monday!

Also the gorgeous chargers that I had gotten in sold out right away. I unexpectedly got in a small batch. Announcing it here first, its first come first serve. They are sold in sets of 4's. I have approx 24 pieces. The prices are about 35% less than they are being sold for in many fine boutiques. Talk about dressing up a table!! Contact me here if you are interested.

Charger 1

Charger 2

Charger 3

Last bit of store biz....so excited to be carrying this fabulous line of monogrammed soaps, barware and cutting boards! You know I love a monogram on anything so this is very fitting for me to carry this line! Awesome for gifts and equally fab gift for yourself. Great price points (I will discount approx. 15% off retail). Best part...they turn these around in approx. 48 hours and are shipped directly to you! Doesnt' get better than that!  Here is a sneak peek at some of the fabulous items. Hope to have them up and for sale next week!

Finally on Belle on Heels yesterday, I announced a bread board giveaway! One lucky person will win it...all you need to do to be eligible is visit my shop and come back here and tell me a favorite item. Rememember, if you sign in as anonymous I have no way of knowing who you are...you must leave a first name and last initial. Ditto for those with just a first name, please include in your comment your last name initial.  I will announce a winner on Friday! So that wraps it up for today..........

Good luck and wishing you a fabulous day!! Thanks for stopping in.