Image by Divine Light Wedding Photography.

Today’s recipe is inspired by one of my favorite restaurants of all time, Tupelo Honey Cafe, in Asheville, North Carolina. I love it because it combines two of my favorite foods: cheese and seafood (which after typing that, doesn’t sound like a good combination). After having it there several summers ago, I have attempted to make it. And I have to say, it was delicious! Here’s my recipe. What spice or ingredient would you add?

Ingredients: (1 Serving, multiply accordingly)
• 7-10 medium-large shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed
• Canned roasted red peppers, sliced
• Chili oil
• Instant grits
* Fresh goat cheese
• Coarse salt and cracked peper
• Dash of chili powder
• Pinch of cumin

Directions:
1. Cook the grits according to the directions on the package. I prefer cooking them on the stove and using half skim milk and half water. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a small skillet on  medium heat.
2. Place shrimp in skillet. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Cook until pink, approx. 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the red peppers and some chili oil (this is very spicy, so use as much as you like). I like about 1 tsp.
4. Stir in as much goat cheese as you like into the grits. Stir until cheese is completely melted.
5. Serve shrimp and peppers on top of cheese grits. Enjoy!

Frame: TJ Maxx, spray painted yellow
Wall Color: Glidden G21; Calendar: Paper Source; Bookshelf: Ikea

Wall Decal: Salee Oh! for Blik

Storage Containers: West Elm; Chair: Ikea; Pillow: West Elm; Wall Hanging: Christina Serra

Floral Storage Boxes: The Container Store

Shelves: Ikea; Orange Storage Boxes: The Container Store; Camera Bag: Etsy

Curtains and Glass Tie-Backs: Urban Outfitters

Desk Accessories: Target; Button Flowers: Etsy

Cork Board: TJ Maxx, spray painted white

Closet Door Knobs: Anthropologie

Closet Shelving: Home Depot; Containers: Target

Paint Cans: The Container Store; Metal Bucket: Local Feed Store

Fabric Bins: Tagret

Last Friday the lovely Rebekah Hood of Kallima Photography interviewed me for her blog, I’m a Rad Mom. Rebekah interviews designers and artists every Friday. You can read the interview here to find out what inspires me, what my pet peeves are, and what my favorite recipe is. While you are there check out Rebekah’s lovely photography and fun tips!

Today’s post features a cute printable project: a just married banner! Last weeks wedding post prompted me to create an easy banner than you could make at home. The banner is available in red, kelly green, sky blue, and black. It looks great printed on a light colored paper or patterned scrapbook paper (think tiny dots or florals). You could even print each character on a different colored or patterned paper. So if you’re feeling crafty, here we go!

Supplies:
• Download the Just Married Banner template in red, kelly green, sky blue, or black
• 12 sheets of 8.5″ x 11″ card stock (solid color or patterned)
• Scissors
• Glue stick or PVA glue and paint brush
• Coordinating .5″ – 1″ wide ribbon, approximately 8′ long

Directions:
1. Print out the template on your selected paper. Pages 7-12 contains 12 blank circles. These need to be printed as they will be the backs of each circle.
2. Cut out every circle along the gray line. You will have 24 circles when you are done.
3. Lie the ribbon on a table and arrange all the front pieces (those with type or the heart) in the correct order. Also place them equidistant  from each other.
4. Apply glue to one of the back pieces. Place it behind the circle containing a letter (I like to with a circle in the middle of the banner and work my way to the outside). Make sure the ribbon is sandwiched between both circles. And press the edges together to ensure that the circles are firmly bonded.
5. Repeat step 4 until all circles are glued and it looks like the illustration above. Yay, you’re done!

I have long been a fan of surface pattern design. I just love how shapes and color relate to one another over a space. I also love how surface patterns can be used everywhere– fabric, housewares, industrial products, wall coverings, bedding and more. Silvia Dekker’s work is right up my alley. Her color choices are bright and oh-so-perfect. And it doesn’t hurt that she uses flora, fauna, and sweet animals.

Where do you like to use pattern? Bedding? Curtains? Clothing? Shoes? Anywhere else?

Image by Spar6.

Last weekend I woke up a little early so I decided to whip up a homemade breakfast using ingredients on hand. After looking through the pantry and refrigerator, I decided to make waffles with a strawberry topping and whipped cream. I am a huge fan of Martha’s Everyday Food mag. So I used their iPhone app and found this waffle recipe. We had some strawberries that needed to be eaten so I simmered then on the stove with a little water, sugar, and lemon juice until they were soft and the syrup was a bright pink. I had a little whipping cream left from making fondue the week prior, so I whipped that up with a tiny bit of sugar. The results: decadent, delicious waffles and a very happy husband!

We just finished my home office and we are nearly done with our den (photos coming soon). That leaves 2 more rooms in the house to tackle: the guest room and the master bedroom. Today’s post is a little visual guide I put together for the guest room. I fell in love with the bedding, however, I’m not to sure how it’s going to look with the other things in the room. What do you think?

Items clockwise from the top right: Target Springmaid bedding, Target Vintage Floral Rug, Behr Ultra paint in Parachute Silk, Blik Amy Ruppel wall decal, West Elm Window headboard.