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Fab Web Roundup to Start Your Week!

To start off the week I’ve rounded up a few interesting articles and blog posts from across the web.  You’ll definitely want to check these out!  There is a little something for everyone here. The Ladies Who Brunch feature is especially great, as it features local gems to dine at for brunch along with fabulously styled outfits from chic style bloggers.  In the photo above you’ll find fashion blogger Lacey of A Lacey Perspective showing us how she brunches in style in Washington, DC.  Happy Reading! 

1. The Best Places to Shop for Table Linens Online – Domaine
2. Ladies Who Brunch, National Restaurant & Style Guide – Haute Look
3. 10 Easy Ways to Save $250 This Week! – Refinery29
4. Bacon Wrapped Dates With Goat Cheese Recipe – Pinch of Yum

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Dreaming of the Perfect Sunroom Conservatory

One of the features in my dream home is an attached conservatory, perfect for a sunroom or greenhouse… or both! There are so many ways to use a conservatory space. I plan to use my conservatory as an additional space to host guests.  I can’t wait!  Here’s the

 I’m saving for my own in-home conservatory.  

Image via Impressive Interior Design

Image via Impressive Interior Design

Image via Impressive Interior Design

Image via Houzz, Forbes Rix Design
 
Image via Huffington Post, Miami Window World S.A.
 

Image via Houzz, Vale Garden Houses

Greenwich Village NYC, August Restaurant, Image via Remodelista
 

Image via Impressive Interior Design

Conservatories can be a unique and magical setting for hosting guests, especially with all of the glass windows to look up at the stars and expansive sky.  I could also see myself adding a reading nook with a huge armchair to my conservatory.  It will be a welcome place to blog when I need a little sunshine.  Ahh… I can see it now.  Now someone pass me my favorite magazines with a big cup of tea and I’m all set for an afternoon of enjoyment… or at least that’s how imagine it would go.  Lol

Would you consider a conservatory for your home? Anyone out there already enjoying a conservatory?  I’d love to hear about your experiences and tips!

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Inspired Home Interiors

I really enjoy the colorful yet delightfully patterned designs of Lilly Pulitzer, so I was excited to learn about Lilly Pulitzer’s new collection for Target, which is on sale now! The Target collection features housewares, a women’s clothing collection, and cute kids clothing, too.   

I’ve gathered the best Lilly Pulitzer inspired home interiors from across the internet to give you a taste of the classic Lilly Pulitzer style. 

Eye for Design

Avoiding an Quarter Life Crisis blog

DesignWire, Lee Jofa

Here are four of my favorite houseware selections from Lilly Pulitzer’s new collection for Target!  If you’d like to add these items to your home collection, act fast because I know they will sell out soon.  Such a bright and lovely collection!

1. Lilly Pulitzer for Target Porcelain Bowls with 18kt Gold Rim
2. Lilly Pulitzer for Target Reversible Decorative Pillow
3.  Lilly Pulitzer for Target Teak Beach Chair – Nosie Posey
4. Lilly Pulitzer for Target Ceramic Mugs with Gold Caddy

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Bloggers at Home – The Series

Happy Friday!  In celebration of the amazingly creative bloggers out there, I’ve begun the series Bloggers at Home to showcase the individual style and creativity of bloggers internationally.  Today we’re touring Julia Dzafic’s master bedroom!  She’s the upbeat voice behind Lemon Stripes blog and a style maven too! 
 
Julia’s blog Lemon Stripes explores her adventures in style, healthy cooking, home decor projects, and life as a married young woman in Connecticut all with a dose of fun! Her day job is to be the Marketing Director for a new healthy snack company, Nourish Snacks. A few of her favorite things are green juice, stripes, bright colors, white jeans, J.Crew style guides (my favorite too!), gold jewelry, fresh flowers, blazers, beach vacations, and running (always outside, never on a treadmill).
 




Julia on her favorite thing about her bedroom…

I love how the room is light, airy, and calming.  It’s the perfect space to relax, sleep soundly, and feel completely comfortable and at home.
 

 

 
I hope you’ve enjoyed this very first home tour in my Bloggers at Home series.  I’ll be featuring fresh, new home tours regularly so stay tuned for more great interior design inspiration!  Have a nice weekend!  
P.S.  Do you have a well-styled home?  Email Interiors by Jacquin your home tour submissions.  Be Featured!
 

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Artist Spotlight: Laura Tetrault

Just the Beginning, Laura Tetrault, Acrylic painting
 
For today’s Artist Spotlight I am pleased to present painter Laura Tetrault!  Take a look at my interview with this talented painter.  
 
Jacquin: What is your favorite thing about creating art?
 
Laura: My favorite thing about creating art, hmm. Is it ok to have more than one favorite? I love mixing the colors and putting them on canvas. I like the sound of the brush on canvas and the excitement of putting colors on and seeing a piece come together. When I work with clients, my favorite part is when I can figure out what meaningful extras I can include in their painting so that it will have extra personal significance for them.
 
Jacquin: How do you select your artwork subjects?
 
Laura: When I am painting people, I look for interesting gestures. There is something in a way a person stands, or turns a wrist, or drops a shoulder that tells a story.  I look for those cues.  With cityscapes I look for an interesting perspective, and if I am lucky enough to have visited in person, I select places that I have some sort of connection with.  With flowers, I select them for shape and color and sometimes for symbolic meaning.
 

Come Splash in the Fountain, Laura Tetrault, Acrylic painting

Jacquin: Which of your works of art is your favorite?
 
Laura: Right now, Come Splash in the Fountain is my favorite. (see above) I lived in Chicago for several years and Crowne Fountain (at Millenium Park) was one of my favorite summer time haunts.  Tourists and locals all came and relaxed.  They sit around the edges of the fountain and watch the children play and splash.  It’s a little jewel in the middle of the city and it has such great energy.  I painted it in jewel tones that reflect the feeling of Crowne Fountain and now it always reminds me of warm summer days.
 
Jacquin: Who is one of your favorite artists?
 
Laura: John William Waterhouse is definitely one of my favorites. I love his use of color and his way of telling stories.  I was fortunate enough to see an exhibition of his work in Montreal several years ago. It was amazing!  He is a bridge between the romantic Pre-Raphaelites and the up and coming impressionists.  I also really enjoy Paul Gauguin’s use of bold color and Cezanne’s still lifes.
 
Rebecca and Tom, Laura Tetrault, Acrylic painting
 
Jacquin: What inspires your artwork?
 
Laura: Color and story – I believe that we are all part of the great story that God is weaving, and I am fascinated by how lives and circumstances overlap, intertwine or pass silently by.  We can only know so much of the story, which we see from our own perspective primarily.  What else we understand of the world is pieced together from what our friends and loved ones share of their own perspectives. Life is wonderfully complex, with layers and layers of meaning which I attempt to capture through my artwork.
 
Jacquin: How would you describe your personal style?
 
Laura: Jewel box eclectic.  I love greys for walls and furniture with jewel colored accents like pillows and art. Grey shades feature the colors in my artwork quite beautifully.  I’m always attracted to world themed pieces, as well, especial things from India and China.  I’m rather eclectic when it comes to prints, too (bold geometrics and zebra patterns are favorites).
 
Jacquin: What are your two favorite movies?
 
Laura: P.S. I LoveYou is one of my favorites if I’m in the mood for a tear jerker and The Princess Bride, which just gets better with time! There are so many great one liners in that movie.
 
Jacquin: What would the perfect day be like for you?
 
Laura: It would start with a pancake breakfast, tea and sunshine streaming in my kitchen window with my two daughters, and then I’d head up to my studio where I’d paint for a couple of hours while the kids played or painted. After lunch we would pack up the car and take the quick drive to the lake, where we’d set up our beach tent and play for the afternoon – maybe till sunset.  Hot dogs and popsicles, roasted marshmallows and fireflies.  And if we are really lucky, we might catch one of the summer meteor showers.
 
Pike Place Market, Laura Tetrault, Acrylic painting
 
If you want to see more of Laura’s paintings or commission a painting of your own, stop by her website for a visit or check out her Facebook and Twitter pages!  Have a great week! 
 

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Dining in Perfection

These dreamy dining rooms will leave you wanting to dine in perfection!  Thankfully, we all can!  Decor makes all the difference!  

Image via Pinterest, Britta Nickel

I am loving these stunning violet dining chairs!  Adding a pop of color with your dining room seating is a bold decision that will really pay off.  Create a unique experience for your visitors when hosting by adding your own special touches to your dining space.  Show your personality!  Take a look at these inspirational dining rooms!

Image via Houzz, Featuring Artemano dining room decor

Image via Pinterest, Cococozy

Image via Houzz, William Hefner Architecture, Interiors & Landscape

Image via House of House & Garden magazine (UK), Featuring a marble motif complete with marbled fabric poufs for seating and a Carrara Marble Dining Table, Designed by Gabby Deeming

In the dining space above, House & Garden decoration editor Gabby Deeming designs a marble motif featuring marble walls, a stunning marble dining table, and these oh so unique seating poufs upholstered in marbled fabric.  So original! 

Image via Domaine, Grant K. Gibson Interior Design

Image via Beacont

Southern California Home, Image via Architectural Digest, Atelier AM Interior Design, Roger Davies Photography

Now that you’ve seen how other’s dine in style, Interiors by Jacquin wants to see how you dine!  The next time you go all-out and host that fabulous dinner party, birthday celebration, or special occasion, snap a few photos of your well-styled event and delicious food!  You could be featured!  Show us your event decorations and your unique style of hosting.  Email photo submissions to [email protected].  Looking forward to seeing how you dine! 

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Kitchen Essentials for the Healthy Cook

I’m pleased to feature the amazingly talented food blogger Christine Arel of No Gojis, No Glory on the blog today! Christine and I connected after I saw this awesome Yahoo article featuring Christine as the Yahoo Blogger of the Week.  Let me just tell you, there will be no question why she was selected when you see the recipes she shares on her blog.  All of her dishes are so bright, fresh, and health conscious without losing out on the “good stuff”!  

Take a look at Christine’s Kitchen Essentials for the Healthy Cook.  You’ll want to get in the kitchen and create a healthy masterpiece once you see these great tools!  (With a bonus recipe at the end of this post! You’ll want to try this one!)

Hi guys! Christine here from the blog, No Gojis, No Glory. I’m so thrilled to be here chatting with you today. I’m a big fan of Jacquin and her work, so you better believe I jumped at the chance to write a guest post! Today, I’ll be sharing with you some of my “must have” kitchen tools that every healthy cook should try to add to their cooking arsenal…beyond the typical measuring spoons and cups of course. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a healthy food and lifestyle blogger, and I swear… adding at least some of these items to your kitchen makes healthy cooking a lot less tedious and a lot more enjoyable. Let’s get to it shall we?
 
1. Salad Spinners
Have you ever tried drying little pieces of kale…one by one, just to make some kale chips?  I wouldn’t recommend it.  Kale chips aside, salad spinners are the herbivore’s answer to quick prep.  This one from OXO not only dries the heck out your greens, but can also double as a serving bowl. 
 
 2. Digital Kitchen Scale
An accurate kitchen scale is hands down one of the best ways to keep your portions in check, and not muck up your fabulous recipes. The accuracy of the Ozeri is outstanding, not to mention it looks really nice on your counter top.
 
3. High Quality Blender/Food Processor
Smoothies, purees, and chopped veggies are staples in the healthy cook’s kitchen, but you’ll enjoy the process a heck of a lot more if you don’t have to spend 5 hours standing over a chopping board, or blending and reblending the chunks out of what’s supposed to be a juice.  I personally love the Ninja Kitchen Blender System because it also comes with a food processor bowl, and it’s an uber powerful machine.  Not into getting the whole system?  You can also snag the blender on its own.
 
4. Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
Toss that non-stick skillet in favor a much healthier and versatile option; enameled cast iron.  My favorite!  Non-stick skillets are great for avoiding sticky cooking.  But the harmful chemicals released during the process…not so great.  Enameled cast iron not only provides a non-toxic way of whipping up almost everything under the sun, but it can go from stove-top to oven, which is awwwesome.  Le Creuset is the mother of cast iron cookware, but you can get some great quality and performance out of the Lodge or Staub brands as well. 
 
5. Portion Control Plates
Once you get used to what the “appropriate” portion sizes look like, you can toss all those portion control tricks out the window.  But for those just starting out on a journey of healthy cooking, every little bit helps.  In conjunction with a kitchen scale, portion control plates can be extremely helpful.  The great thing about these Slim and Sage plates is that the portion control guides are well hidden within the design.
 
6. Fresh Herbs
Dried herbs are great and everything, but fresh herbs is where the real flavor’s at!  For us apartment dwellers, these adorable mason gardens are a pretty cool alternative to the real deal.
 
7. Spiralizer
I would never in a million years give up eating pasta.  But, sometimes you just want a good ol’ bowl of pasta, but without all the carbs.  Spiralizers are great for making pasta out of veggies; and it sure beats spending a ton of time trying for the same outcome with a vegetable peeler…
 
8. Kitchen Shears
What would I do without my kitchen shears?!  I’m not sure, because I use them for everything from snipping fresh herbs to quickly trimming the fat from chicken. 
 
9. Citrus Zester
Zest instantly brightens the flavor of any dish with the release of its natural oils.  Using a citrus zester instead of a regular grater will help you avoid the white pith, which is bitter and not at all tasty. 
 
10. Citrus Juicer
My inlaws think lemon juice can solve everything from a sore knee to an upset stomach, whether or not that’s true, there’s just no denying the cleansing power of citrus.  Plus it’s a really tasty way to load up on those vitamins and antioxidants. 
 
I hope you’ve enjoyed these kitchen essentials for the healthy cook.  Before I go, I want to leave you with one of Jacquin’s favorite recipes from my blog. And it’s a great alternative to fried chicken. Enjoy!
 

Baked Thai Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS
  • 4 lbs chicken wings, (removing the tips is optional)
For the Spice Mix
  • 1 tsp cracked pepper
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
For the Sauce
  • ½ cup sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tbsp sriracha (Asian Hot Sauce)
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • ⅓ cup green onion, chopped
Check here for the full recipe.

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Lovely Lacquer, Glamorous Gloss

Anthropologie’s NEW Lacquer Collection!
 
 

After seeing Anthropologie’s new lacquer collection this week, I was inspired to explore all of the chic looks designers have created using lacquer.  And after a lacquer-refresher, I’m reminded that high gloss equals high style & glamour.  So, it may just be time for me to add a bit of lacquer to my own space.  Take a look at the lovely lacquer and high gloss looks below!

Colorful Park Avenue Apartment, Image via House Beautiful, Christina Murphy Interiors, Jonny Valiant Photography

Image via DecorPad, Palmer Weiss Interior Design

Image via Little Green Notebook, Designer Miles Redd 

Manhattan Apartment, Image via House Beautiful, Designer Philip Gorrivan, Brian Doben Photography

Beth Webb Interiors

Image via Dishfunctional Designs, Apartment Therapy

If you’re brainstorming just how you can add a high gloss pop to your own space, you can go the do-it-yourself route by upcycling an old piece of furniture with a can of high gloss paint and a bit of patience.  Little Black Door blog gives you her tips for taking an old piece of wood furniture from drab to fab.  Take a look here!  

Image via HGTV blog, Amy Howard Home
 

Image via Hadley Court

1. Lacquered Regency Armoire – Anthropologie
 
Which of Anthropologie’s new lacquer furniture options is your favorite?  My favorites are the yellow lacquered rectangle coffee table and mint bar cabinet, but they really are all so special!  I leave you with one last photo of my favorite lacquered furniture items from Anthropologie’s awesome new collection… along with a lasting dose of lacquer fever until you find the perfect high gloss piece for your own space! 
 

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Taking You to England with Orange Cranberry Scones – A Recipe

It’s been a while since I’ve featured a delicious, global recipe here on the blog, so today I’m bringing you a sweet treat associated with England’s afternoon tea tradition…scones! 

I just love scones and I had the opportunity to try some amazing scones during an afternoon tea at The Tea Room in London’s famed Harrods department store.  

Here are a few photos from my 2007 trip to England and my wonderfully memorable afternoon tea at Harrods in London. 

While doing a bit of research I learned that we can thank England for connecting afternoon tea with scones, but it was Scotland that actually invented the scone.  So here’s a special “Thank You” to Scotland and England!  Once you try the amazing orange-cranberry scone recipe below, you’ll see exactly why this is a thank-able, and oh so delicious baked creation.  

So, without further ado, here is awesome home renovation & food blogger, Brooke of Be Fed Again blog.  

My name is Brooke Fedigan, and I blog over at Be Fed Again.  I am so excited to be working with my friend Jacquin, as a Food Contributor for Interiors by Jacquin. 

Cooking is my passion.  I am happy to spend hours working on a recipe until it is just right, and share with everyone to enjoy.  Today, I am going to share with you my Orange-Cranberry Scone recipe! Read on for this great recipe!

ORANGE-CRANBERRY SCONE

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon orange juice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into large bowl.  Mix in 1 Tablespoon orange peel.  Add butter and mix in with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Mix in dried cranberries. Gradually add buttermilk and 1 Tablespoon orange juice, tossing with fork until noise clumps form.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.  Knead briefly to bind dough, maybe 4 turns.  Form dough into 1 inch thick rectangle. Cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut out squares. Then, cut squares at a diagonal making a triangle. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until tops of scones are golden brown, about 25 minutes.
 
While the scones are baking, make the glaze.  Combine 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and confectioners sugar.  Mix well. Once scones are golden brown, remove from oven and let stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes.  Spoon orange glaze over each scone and let stand another 5 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.
 
These are so delicious and can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.