Ador: June 2011

pallet pleasure

I recently went to Loading Dock South in Helena, Al, an awesome place if you are looking for discounted rugs, flooring, lighting, hardware, doors, windows, building material, etc. What caught my eye though was the massive piles of wood pallets! That is what started the flood of ideas and the desire to search for inspiration.

Amanda Carver Designs

via Kool and Kreativ

via Ana White Homemaker

re-nest

Creature Comforts

Apartment Therapy

via Inspiring Interiors

Remodelista via Katrin Arens Designs

China display, bed frame, bench, shelving, coffee table, headboard, lawn chair, garden, the possibilities are endless...

What do I attempt first?

Layering patterns

The art of mixing patterns to create a lively, interesting space is something that is somewhat hard to explain how to do. It really just takes practice experimenting with different looks using fabric swatches.

I highly recommend trying this design technique in your own home, but try not to use too many contrasting patterns or it can end up looking way too busy. The colors and patterns you select need to coordinate and compliment each other. Decor8 has a great post that explains how to properly layer patterns.

Here are some excellent examples of how to successfully layer...

Better Homes and Gardens

via Delights by Design

Apartment Therapy

A simple start is to mix and match patterns on your sofa using fun pillows.

Coastal Living

Young House Love

Don't be afraid to layer on those patterns!

My favorite patterns to mix right now are florals and stripes! What are yours?

a yummy gooey mess

For Father's Day I wanted to make my dad a cake. I've been wanting to try a delish looking cake recipe that I came across on Pinterest and, I thought this past weekend would be the perfect excuse for cake consumption.

Campfire Delight: Rich Chocolate Malted & Toasted Marshmallow Cake

Click HERE for the recipe!

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly. The only change I made was using a cake from the box and only did 4 layers instead of 6. I used Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake and I highly recommend it! It has little chocolate chunks! Love!

The filling actually has toasted marshmallows in it! I have to admit that I toasted a few more than needed so I could eat some!

Yeah...that was not fun to clean up, and I don't think it was supposed to be that runny!

Baking this cake reminded me of the cake from Sleeping Beauty! A big mess!

The malted chocolate frosting was pretty tasty! It has Ovaltine in it so I kept telling myself I was getting vitamins from licking the spoon!

I wanted to add a little texture so, I cut a design into a piece of plastic and gently added lines around the cake.

Very simple, and I really like how it turned out.

Chocolate sprinkles was the perfect finishing touch!

I had to quickly take pics of it from a certain angle before it slid over and fell apart. I def did something wrong because it did not turn out pretty and perfect like the recipe I followed. It tasted amazing though! That's all that matters right?

Just call me Fauna...

so proud

My wonderful husband, Jake, completed his 6 year contract with the Marines and I couldn’t be more proud of him! He has worked so hard and sacrificed a lot for our country, and I am so thankful for him and everyone who serves. I have to say I am very relieved that he is out because I hate worrying about the possibility of deployments, and how quickly things change in the military. Jake is relieved about the future too, but this was such a major part of his life for so long, I think he is sad to see it end. I know he has impacted the lives of the men he served with and my prayer is that the seeds he planted continue to grow.

Marine Ball 2009

Marine Ball 2010

dessert pops

Everywhere I look these days I’m seeing desserts on a stick. And I have to admit...I'm not hating it!

Actually, every time I come across a super cute new dessert pop idea I bookmark it with the intention of one day trying it myself. Since I have yet to put a stick in a delicious treat I thought I would just pass on these mouthwatering ideas!

The one that started it all…

Cake Pops