JuBella.com – Get Your Creative Dose

Last night we had a terrific meal. It was savory, sweet, fresh, and most importantly quick and simple. This meal consists of honey drizzled sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, and a wonderful medley of lightly sauteed cabbage, garlic, olive oil, mustard seeds, and green curry.

In my opinion the perfect meal covers four important bases: texture, aroma, color, and of course taste, and when you have a meal such as this one, you get to experience all four! Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken with Green Curry Cabbage & Honey Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
3 Roasted Chicken Breasts (I purchased mine from the market, but feel free to prepare your own)

3 T. Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves, whole
2 T. Mustard Seeds
2 Heaping tsp. Green Curry Paste
1 Small head of Green Cabbage, shredded
¼ tsp. Turmeric
Pinch of Cinnamon
Salt to taste

Directions: Heat your olive oil and garlic. Add your mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to pop, add in your curry paste and cabbage. Toss to evenly coat your cabbage. Add your turmeric and cinnamon, and salt to taste. Cook and toss cabbage until they turn a bright green. Be careful not to overcook, as you want to maintain the crunch of the cabbage. Immediately remove from your pot and transfer to a serving dish. Serve on top of roasted /baked chicken breast.

Honey Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes, halved lengthwise
Butter
Honey
Cinnamon
Pecans, optional

Directions: Tear off the proper number of pieces of foil for your potato halves. Lightly spray each piece of foil with cooking spray. Cut your washed potatoes lengthwise. Place your potato halves individually onto your pieces of foil. Put a few pieces of butter on top of each half. Drizzle with honey and lightly seal. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until tender.

To Serve: Place potato half onto a plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon and crushed pecans. Place your chicken breast onto your plate and top with a large spoon-full of spiced cabbage. Garnish entire plate with a drizzle of honey.

Although I am a sucker for lots of bright colors and mix-match patterns, there is something about the cool color palette in this room that I can’t help but to love. The shades of grays, lavenders, pinks, and whites are gorgeous and the backdrop of all the sunlight is magnificent. The only thing that I would personally change is the piece of art behind the sofa with the purple throw. The slim small abstract piece…it’s just not doing it for me!

This photo is of Jill Stuarts home from last years Elle Decor. You can see more of her home and find out more about her pieces Here.

I love when you can use very simple and mundane items to perk up a gift or decorative piece. One item in particular that I can’t get enough of is Japanese Washi Tape, also referenced as deco tape! The little gems are adorned with some of the prettiest colors, patterns, and typography which can add a lot of character to something very simple. I am actually quite surprised to see that there were not more photos of DIY projects using this tape. I know that I have tons of ideas swimming in my mind. Maybe that calls for another tape it pretty inspired post! Nevertheless, here are a few ideas that I love and have collected from around the web. Just click the links below the photos for more info and pics!

Here are two of my favorite shops for deco/japanese tape: Happy Tape and Pretty Tape

Oh Happy Tape

Oh Hello Friend

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

To Be Charmed

Cute Kawaii

A Spoon Full of Sugar Girls

Once Wed

Oh Sweet Friday! Wow, is it just me or did this week totally fly by!

Sometimes when you are enthralled in tasks and deadlines the minutes just tic-toc away and either you look back and say, wow, I got a lot accomplished this week, or you feel like a total failure because nothing on your honey-do list is checked off. This weekend I hope you all catch a moment to slow down a bit from the weekly rush.

So, It’s a Sweet Friday, and I have a lovely little treat for you all. Check out this recipe for “Chocolate & White Chocolate Biscotti“…YUM! I can’t wait to try this one myself. I love biscotti with or without tea and coffee. So head on over to The Picky Cook for the full recipe with photos!

The talented Sara Norris recently sent over a link to her etsy shop for me to share with you all! I love the enchanting photos that she takes. They are simple and whimsical with a touch of the vintage past in some cases. Thanks Sara for sharing your photos!

Don’t we all just love the work of Amy Atlas! I think she has one of my dream jobs…to be surrounded by delectable and beautiful desserts all day! Here are a few dessert tables that she recently created for Brides Magazine. You can see larger and behind the scene photos on her Blog.

Photos by: Andrew McCaul

I am addicted to fabric. Many times I will buy fabric of many types with the intention of using them for an actual project, yet when it comes to cutting them, I stop myself. Especially if they have beautiful prints, colors, and patterns on them! So when Donna, the owner of Fabricadabra sent over an e-mail introducing her amazing cushions, I just fell in love! The Dutch Wax Prints are so colorful and brilliant. I definitely want to order at least one for our apartment!

I am not sure whether I am more in love with the bubble gum colors and frill of Paisley & Posies designs or if it is the playfulness of the candy coated photography. Both really make me smile! I can’t help but to want my little girl to run around the house in a tu-tu. I think they are full of magic and fun!

“I have learned that if there is something you really want you have to just go for it & give it a try. I like that quote: “find a job you love & you will never work a day in your life”. That’s how I feel!” ~Rachael Taylor | Surface Designer

Quite a while ago I ran across the site of UK based Surface Designer Rachael Taylor. Her work is fantastic. Full of color, pattern, and imagination, Rachael takes the beauty of an object and creates lovely pieces such as pillows, fabric, tableware, lamp shades, greeting cards, and wall art. Her list of clientele includes: Paperchase, Graham & Brown, Target, and Hanes Paper just to name a few.

Rachael was so kind to take a few moments to share with us an insight into her inspiration and her process as a surface designer. To purchase some of her pieces, please visit her Etsy shop!

JuBella: How did you know that textiles was an occupation that you wanted to pursue as a career…what would you say was the inspiration behind it all?

Rachael: I have always been a creative/visual person from a young age & loved things like art, drama, dance, drawing etc. I studied Art & Design at College then decided textiles/surface design was a good area as it crossed over into so many areas. As surface pattern  design had quite an open scope to go into fashion, interiors, ceramics, stationary etc. So it seemed like a good option for a creative role & it wasn’t to restrictive for career paths.

JuBella: Favorite resources/books/websites for textile/color, etc. inspiration?

Rachael: I look at a range of blogs like Print & Pattern, Poppy Talk, and websites like wgsn. I also look a lot at home magazines e.g Elle Decoration, Living etc., also fashion mags like Vogue & Elle. A lot of my inspiration comes from just general things I see & I try & take my camera every where I go. I’m also inspired by music. Usually my designs sometimes just come out of my head & it just depends on the mood I’m in or the song that I’m listening too.

JuBella: What is an average week for you like as a textile/surface designer & how would you best describe your design process?

Rachael: Everyday is different which is what I love. Generally I’ll have three to four days designing & the other ordering, paperwork & managing of my business. Two or three of the days I may be working direct as a freelancer for companies on a commission or brief, the others I’m left to create my own collections.

The days I’m left to work on my own designs, I try not to have a plan or structure. I may spend a morning out with my camera & sketchbook then I’m full of inspiration, so I put my music on & I just see what happens. I like the variety I have at the moment as I have great direction & trends to follow from companies as well as having room for a bit of spontaneous design within my own label.

JuBella: What are 3 things that you would tell an aspiring designer that you wish you knew when you first started your textile venture?

Rachael: I still honestly feel like I’m learning myself. There is so much opportunity out there. When I was starting out I wish I had learned not to take things to personally & not be to precious about my work. To just enjoy the ‘Now’. It’s great to have future goals but it’s important to take every day at a time & appreciate the work your doing. Just have fun with it!

JuBella: If you had to pick one, what would be your favorite form of handmade textiles/fibers(block printing, crochet, knitting, screen printing, etc.)?

Rachael: I love screen printing. It makes you feel like you are a part of your work as you are actually involved in the print process as opposed to just printing something digitally. A lot more of your personality comes out this way. I’m a big fan of machine embroidery, loose, messy, stitching, threads left loose & not trimmed away, something more raw & unique.

One of my favorite design/decor blogs is a beautiful blog called Yahgie, which is written by Interior Designer Petergaye Kisielewicz. Petergaye has recently launched a new line of home decor products that consists of fabulous: pillows, fabric, wall art, wallpaper, and tableware! You can see more of her beautiful hand designed pieces in her shop at Yahgie.com. One of my favorites would definitely be the “Screaming Lady” pillow, where she uses chandelier silhouettes for earrings…gorgeous; and the “Designers Chair Fabric” is fantastic!

Good morning everybody. Hope you all had a sunny filled weekend!

Here is a sweet idea that would surprise any kid on any given morning. Colorful pancakes! I fixed these this past Sunday and our son was so thrilled at the sight of them. These are perfect for sunny spring and summer mornings. Just separate your pancake batter into bowls and stir in any color you like. I used a neon green, pink, and blue! I don’t like to use food coloring often, but when I do, I must say that it’s tons of fun! Yay for pretty colors!

Cupcakes are sweet, intimate, colorful, decorative, hand held little desserts that makes any child…young or young at heart smile with every bite. So what better way to wrap up the week with a lovely cupcake recipe to entice your weekends with! Today’s “Sweet Friday” pick is for “Vegan Coconut Cupcakes” via “Bake Cupcakes”. Isn’t this photo adorable. I think cupcakes love to be photographed. They sit there so elegantly and content…just click the link for the recipe!

I also wanted to thank you all for your continuous support with each and every visit you make to JuBella; even when I seemed to disappear on my sporadic hiatus adventures. Things have been super busy around the abode and baby boy should arrive next month! Because I know that things will be quite hectic with having baby girl (10 months), homeschooling our son (6yrs. old), and a newborn due to arrive, I decided to downsize my blogosphere and bring more categories here to JuBella! I hope you all enjoy all of the topics. I have plenty of ideas rolling around in my head to share and feel free to e-mail me should you want to contribute any content or ideas for the given topics.

Ok, try not to overdose on all the creativity and and I hope you all have a wonderful creative weekend, and maybe even a cupcake! Oh, and if you are a facebook user, don’t forget to Become a Fan of JuBella for updates, giveaways, and creative links!

Oh how pretty these are! Fresh flowers are beautiful when adorned in your hair for that special day, but these beauties from Cloe and Maddie are absolutely gorgeous. The combination of the soft delicate feathers and the layers of fabric petals are too sweet!

I just can’t get enough of lurking around the web just to get a peek at how others live, how they decorate their homes, what they eat, and how they cope with life’s circumstances. Yes, I am one of those who thinks that if you leave your curtains open with all the lights on at night, then you obviously want me to offer a silent interior critique and squint as hard as I can to see what decorative treats sit in your home. LOL.

Anyhow, I ran across these lovely photos from the JuBella Flickr Group: How Creative People Live! Member “tovemichelle12” captures the color, simplicity, and uniqueness of her home…don’t you love it!

Oh, how I love the tableware and dining collections of Tableware Designer Rosanna Bowles of Rosanna Inc.. All of the cheerful and rich colors would bring any party to life, especially those that consist of sweet and divine desserts!