JuBella.com - Get Your Creative Dose

Loving the eclectic mix of the portfolio of Interior Designer Gunkelman Flesher. Wouldn’t you love to find yourself in the first room, reading a great book from such a fantastic bookshelf. I think it is truly grand how the bookshelf expands across the entire wall, and that chandelier is gorgeous! The whites, creams, tans, and subtle accents of yellows in the second pic is oh so pretty, and the chrome base in the dining room below it is so classy and glamorous.

Oh my, those chairs that are placed flushed against the wall are so amazing. I have not seen anything like these before, so if someone has the proper name for them, please do educate me on it! They remind me of a settee cut in half; and I’m seriously swooning over the chair in the forefront of the second photo!

While the rooms below are not quite my style, what caught my eye was the use of color. The first two photos with the yellows, purples, reds, and magentas are so pretty and sunny. It reminds me of a hotel room somewhere in Hawaii, and oddly enough I actually like the mix of greens and reds in the last photo. I usually do not like rooms that have such strong color combinations that involve primary colors…like red and blue, and yellow and green. But there is a softness to this room. I think the butter-cream yellow is what softens it with that touch of baby blue in the kitchen.

Hi there everybody! How was your weekend? Our weekend went pretty well. I was hoping for rain, yet not a drop was in sight. There is nothing better on a fall Sunday than napping with the rain, snacking on yummy food, and an entertaining stack of old and new movies!

So, I ran across this scrumptious recipe for cranberry pancakes! Oh my, they look so enticing, and this recipe is pretty healthy, especially healthier than the boxed mixes you may pick up at the market. Serve alongside some fresh oranges or orange juice or even some hot orange spice tea, and you have yourself a comforting treat for a fall morning!

Cranberry Pancakes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons nonfat milk
2 tablespoons pasteurized egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters
1 1/2 teaspoons walnut or canola oil

Directions:
1. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add cranberries; boil for 2 minutes. Drain and cool for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg (if using) in a large bowl.

3. Whisk milk, egg substitute, oil and vanilla (if using) in a small bowl until combined.

4. Coarsely chop the cranberries; stir into the milk mixture. Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined.

5. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, cook 2 pancakes at a time until bubbles dot the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until browned, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining batter.

recipe & image from eatingwell.com

Oh My!!!!! I am not sure how I ended up on the Big Chill website, but somehow throughout my scavenger hunt for beautiful things I did, and I fell in love with these kitchens that they have featured in their gallery! I wish I could spend a day or two cooking and creating in each and everyone of them. I do not have a favorite as they are all equally enticing!

I would love to have a Big Chill fridge in my future kitchen…not sure what color, but I think they are super cute and while they are very retro, you can really incorporate them in many different genres of design!

Loving these pieces from Rockett St. George’s Kitchen & Table collection! and check out these inside out wine glasses…fun fun & pretty too! Ugh..I just wish I had a super cute apartment or house to decorate my space the way I really want…Argh!

Designer Lisa Whatmough of Squint Limited is absolutely amazing! As far as my personal style goes, I absolutely adore an eclectic and clever combination of patterns, bold and striking colors, textures, and random composed shapes. The collection of Squint is the epitome of what I love about design..fun, colorful, and artistic! I would be in heaven if I had a studio with accents of furniture such as this..oh why yes..I would sit on my custom sofa of magentas, sage greens, eggplant purples, and teal blues, and sip on some lavender tea s I sketch away my dreams within my sketchbook! Squint is located in East London, and I am sure it would be heaven to visit! Oh, how I want that Egg chair(top left)!!!! It’s so so pretty!

I love love love the style of illustrator Eva Hjelte! Her style is simple and her use of mild colors are fantastic! I find her pieces to be quite beautiful as well as whimsical & I wish I had that “mmm macarons” print!

Oh my gosh…the HIMLA Textile catalog is absolutely beautiful! Their palette of sweet pastels and rich magentas and baby blues and purples are so intriguing & I would love to have a candy coated purple car such as this one in which yes I would drive around town with bolts and rolls of linen fabric sticking out the top and possibly the trunk too! I think that these colors would be so much fun to decorate a little girls room in. I remember my parents painting my walls a very light purple very much like this when I was a little girl and I loved it! Nevertheless HIMLA, based out of Sweden, specializes in decor and fabrics made of mostly linens and cottons. A list of their retailers can be found on their website under Agents.

UK Photographer James Merrells portfolio is absolutely delightful! The image above is so simple, colorful, and composed just perfectly. It really makes you stop and observe each individual element in the photo don’t you think? And I love the light roses and pinks paired along with the yellow/mustards!

The shades of blues and olive greens in the rooms below are so soft and elegant. and I love that sofa with the baby blue, teal, and olive pillows and eggplant. The chair works quite well with such a formal design, and the same goes with the hint of eggplant in the bedroom in the top right hand corner.

While the first composition below is not quite my style, I think that pop of red of the milk carton up against the grey/blues, browns & tans, and black is perfect!

Simply perfect! The bedroom & parlor/living room below gives the essence of Marie Antoinette don’t you think? I love the way the lighting just softens and brightens the rooms…it really is eye candy! And once again the compositions in the rest of the photos are so sweet and simple…very much telling a story in many ways. Bravo to James for having such a stunning photography portfolio!

Have any of you been to the ABC Home store in Manhattan? I would love to step foot in such a textile rich abode! I am in love with the eclectic patterns used on there chaise lounges, chairs, and sofas, such bright and rich colors…I love it all! Gotta Get There!

Oh I am sure that if you had an Amy Atlas spread to adorn your next gathering, you would be quite the hostess about town! Don’t you just love these magnificent dessert tables! Filled with sweet colors, tasty sparkles, and decadent textures…oh my! So with the holidays coming up, you might want to go all out with your dessert tables. Whether you can hire Amy herself, or do a Sandra Lee or Hostess With the Mostess Tablescape, or just create your own style, creating a whimsical dessert table will make your family and friends feel super special and you get a chance to show off your crafty talents!

Good Morning Everybody! Wondering where I have been? Well, you will have to wait for Friday to find that out! Nevertheless, I had a great weekend. I have been doing very well at keeping my to-do lists handy and near by, and I must say that keeping them daily makes my life a lot easier. How do you all plan your days? Do you jot down everything that you have to do in a planner or list or do you just float with the wind?

So, Saturday the little one and I decided to make some homemade granola bars. If you check the ingredients and nutrients in the granola/cereal aisle, you will find all sorts of unknown items or the really healthy ones(especially the protein bars and energy bars taste really bad, although I love the Luna Bars & Clif Bars)! So we used the recipe below to make our own and I must say that it was super easy and very yummy! I actually used a pretty small pan and may have used a bit less marshmallows. You can add so many wonderful things to this recipe like: whole chocolate chips, dried cranberries, raisins, dried blueberries, a yogurt based icing, dried strawberries/apples, and the list goes on and on! I added chocolate chips to this recipe but you can leave them out for a lighter granola bar! These bars are a great alternative to oatmeal cookies or chocolate chip cookies or even candy bars! My family loved them! You could also add all sorts of energy boosters like ginko & protein to make some yummy energy bars.

Home Made Granola Bars

Granola Mixture
4 C. Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 C. Chopped Pecans or Almonds
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds
1/2 tsp.Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Freshly Ground Nutmeg
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Honey
4-8 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Melted
1 C. Chocolate Chips

Directions: Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In a large bowl, toss together oats, sunflower seeds, pecans/almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together honey and butter; pour over oat mixture. Stir well. Spread onto sheets. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool and break up granola.

Making The Bars
4 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
10 oz. Marshmallows
Granola Mixture Above

Directions: LIGHTLY Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan; set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows; stir until melted. Remove from heat & let cool a bit. Stir in granola mixture until well combined. Transfer your mixture to your pan. Dampen your hands, and press mixture into pan evenly. Let Cool in fridge. Invert pan, releasing bars. Cut into bars or squares. Wrap your bars with wide strips of decorative gift wrap. I used some strips from an old magazine to wrap mine(hey it’s all I had). Keep in a cool area or in your fridge & enjoy!

So, off to a new week of creative doses! I have lots of great finds in store and I promise to have a few peeks into our apartment soon, there is still a lot of loose ends to pull together. Ok, happy creating everybody!

Oh me oh my! The photo styling of Rebecca Thuss is absolutely amazing! The colors, the compositions, and the concepts are just fabulous. Her talents as a wedding designer and crafter definitely shows within her work! As stated on her website: “She delights in throwing parties, has a passion for packaging, a weakness for fanciful candy and confections, and an infatuation with vintage paper items”. If you are an avid reader of Martha Stewart Weddings, then you are probably familiar with her work, as she was the Style Director for the magazine from 2003-2006. Click Here to read more about Rebecca. Her website is filled with colorful and charming eye candy and great packaging and entertaining ideas, so consider yourself warned!

Hi there everybody! I know that I was supposed to post this yesterday, but it totally slipped my mind that I would be out as it was our sons 5th birthday yesterday! We had lots of fun and enjoyed a really great strawberry iced cake that was made with white chocolate along with some homemade strawberry and vanilla ice cream!! Here is a little snippet of the cake….I was super tired, so it came out a bit sketchy, but the little one loved it and it tasted great! I made it exactly how he requested! I must say that the strawberry icing was SUPERB. I used the Sprinkles Cupcakes Strawberry Icing Recipe! YUM!

Nevertheless, here is a simple little DIY project that is quite addictive in my opinion. I love making these and I have several around the house as a catch all or just to add to a room for decor. I also use them for popcorn. I prefer an eclectic mix of paper, but you could use paper that are all in one color wave as well!

Making Paper Bowls:

Supplies:
Bowl of desired shape
Foil
Modge Podge
Magazine Paper, cut or torn into very small pieces
Scissors
Paintbrush
Towel
Hair Dryer (optional, but recommended for faster drying)

Directions: Simply mold your foil over the shape of your bowl. Smooth out as much as possible and do not worry about the wrinkles that firm, as they will not be seen once covered. Trim the edges of your foil(which will be the edges of your bowl) evenly. Try to make it as straight as possible to get a nice even edge when you cover your foil.

Brush on your modge podge and start gluing down your torn paper where you want it. Make sure you cover the top of the paper with modge podge as well. Use your hairdryer to dry and then carefully remove the mold from the bottom and repeat the same steps of covering the inside of your bowl with your modge podge and paper. Use your dryer to dry the inside and enjoy!

I love these rooms taken by UK Photographer Carolyn Barber. They all look so colorful, fresh and inviting, & I would give anything to be lounging in such a magical and charming back yard like the one below as I sip on warm chamomile tea and spiced ginger bread!

Good morning everybody! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good, rather relaxing, although I could have used a couple of naps in between running all of our weekend errands!

When I am in need of a boost of energy as well as a boost in vitamins to my system, I love to start off the mornings with fresh fruit juice. My absolute favorite blend is: spinach, sweet mangoes, and apples as seen above. It’s super delicious and has a great texture. I use a Champion juicer along with fresh spinach and fresh fruit. Serve with some sliced and chilled mangoes or a cool fruit salad, and you have got yourself a delightful start to a fresh morning! You really cannot go wrong with your fruit blends(you can use grapes, oranges, sweet peaches…whatever you like). As long as you have at least one sweet fruit, then the flavor should come out just fine. I always use a huge handful of fresh spinach, and I usually get plenty of juice from it. Do any of you juice? If so, share your favorite blends by leaving a comment!

So, how are you all feeling creatively? Do you have any special projects that you are working on or that you would like to start? The holidays are quickly approaching and if you are like me then you have a running list of crafty projects that you are dying to finish or at least get started on. In due time I suppose, but to get some creative juices flowing I will be posting a simple little DIY project tomorrow! Ok, that’s all for now, I will be back soon with your creative dose!