I made a batch of these pumpkin muffins (minus the frosting…gotta draw the line somewhere!) the other night and couldn’t help but notice how fast I go through a certain quartet of spices at this time of year. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves are key ingredients in all of my favourite pumpkin recipes and they’re classic staples in fashion and interiors too. I wear my saddle-brown leather boots every other day on average and dream of having walnut stained hardwood floors one day…

Undecorate

This wild and rustic table setting is a recent favourite…I especially love the unexpected pop of bright orange! It would be perfect for all seasons and so easy to insert another feature colour into, don’t you think? Fresh herbs and greenery always bring such a welcoming and organic quality to a tabletop…

Photo by Jasmine Star for Style Me Pretty

Frye “Melissa Trapunto” Boots at Nordstrom

Emily Henderson

Handsome Coffee via Mom.Me

Salted Caramel Bars by What’s Gaby Cooking?

Keiserens Nye Traer via NIB

Toffee Crunch Cupcake by Bakers Royale

Paired with white, other neutrals, warm metals or topped with creamy frosting,  it’s pretty tough to go wrong with these nutty flavours, er, colours of nature…sorry, those cupcakes are far too distracting!  Love the look of rustic wood but not sure where to start? Crates and reclaimed furniture are affordable options as are smaller wooden serving pieces and cutting boards. We have some gorgeous boards in the shop made locally by Tack Woodwork, not to mention some seriously covetable harvest tables and stump stools! Using natural materials as a base will never go out of style, especially when layered with texture and pattern to warm things up. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

After being spoiled with seemingly endless days of sunshine this Fall, the past blustery weekend of rain brought us all back to reality here on the West Coast. Although I would never complain about the sunshine, I have never seen our lawn so burnt and must admit that it felt pretty cozy cuddling up on the couch with the fireplace on once again. And now that I’m settling into a bit of a work routine, I’m really looking forward to getting back to cooking healthy and hearty meals for my family. With the recent meat recalls, I’ve been thinking a lot more about where our food actually comes from and will be trying to sneak a few more meatless meals into the rotation…extra vegetables are always a good thing! Here are a few delicious looking recipes that got my mouth watering…

Kale, White Bean + Potato Soup by Fit Sugar

Beet, Goat Cheese + Arugula Sandwich by BS in the Kitchen

Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies by Kumquat

Lemony Pesto Pasta with Edamame + Almonds by The Kitchn

Pumpkin Rolls + Borscht by Gobo Root

Butternut Squash + Sage Lasagna by Martha Stewart

Spinach + Cheddar Muffins by Foodbeam

The fellas in my family are a bit more picky than us gals when it comes to vegetables so I may have to get sly with some extra blending to hide them away but I think it’s important to keep bringing new tastes and flavour combinations into the mix, don’t you? How do you manage picky eaters in your house? Have any favourite recipes for Fall? Please share!

While Rachel and her family are already lounging poolside, our West Coast summer continues to elude us. I did get a big glimpse of the sunshine and some heat yesterday while on a field trip to White Rock and the beach with Sadie’s kindergarten class but, woe is me, our town remained shrouded in clouds when we returned. Feeling just a wee bit envious of our friends down South right now but I do have high hopes that our summer will start very, very soon! The power of positive thinking, right? In the meantime, I’ll console myself with the abundance of fresh summer berries that are now on sale at the supermarket. I have a major sweet tooth that I’ve been trying to reign in (without much luck) and healthy berries are the perfect solution…they look beautiful on the table too!

My Fudo

Isn’t this bright bouquet and it’s smattering of berries gorgeous? So original! It makes me want to plant some blueberry bushes in our backyard asap…

Camille Styles

Light Locations via SF Girl By Bay

What Katie Ate

Stylizimo for Lifestyle

With the ombre and dip-dying trends in full force, I don’t know if so many  varied shades of pink have ever been so popular! From baby blush to coral to neon, fashion and interior designers just can’t seem to get enough. Which is your favourite berry-inspired hue? Or do you prefer the gradations of the entire paint strip?

Janis Nicolay for The Barefoot Contessa

The Kitchy Kitchen

Design*Sponge via Poppytalk

Eat Yourself Skinny

Natty by Design

Wind & Willow Home

This afternoon, several friends and I are getting together to celebrate my mom, Mrs. Terry, who has run a well-known preschool in town for the past 16 years. Her time there has now come to a close and, while I’m sad that the preschool’s closing before Lilah’s finished her last year there, I am excited for my mom to move onto the next chapter of her teaching career and I know that she’s made such an imprint on so many little hearts and families along the way. Many of my friend’s children and each of my own three have been lucky to have her as a teacher and she was made to work with kids…her creative energy and love for the kids never wavered!  It was the perfect excuse to make my her favourite chocolate cake too…with fresh berries and whipped cream, of course! I love you Mom!

For the past few years, I’ve picked out a recipe for an appetizer at the beginning of the Christmas season.  I hoard all the ingredients and make it for all our Christmas gatherings.  Since Christmas is usually so busy for us, thinking ahead always helps reduce some stress.  This year, because it will be even busier than ever, I’m totally cheating.  I bought frozen appetizers.  Before you breath out that great big gasp…it’s gourmet.  Mini Quiches and Artisan Flatbread with an assortment of yummy toppings.  It goes with my commitment to keep things simple this Christmas.  For those of you who wouldn’t dare to offer up frozen appetizers, I found these drool worthy recipes. And they still fall into the “keep it simple” vow with minimal ingredients and maximum flavour.

 rosemary and olive wreath

mushroom tart with sage and asiago

pear, gorgonzola and pancetta tartlettes

 stuffed mushrooms with spinach

classic cheese and fruit platter

 brie with figs and honey

 sparkling sangria

creme caramel

 white chocolate dipped peppermint sticks

 homemade hot chocolate

What are your favourite holiday recipes?  Or will you be faking it like me?

Oh yes, it’s that time again…the weekend is here! Nothing on the agenda except sunshine, playing with the kids and fun with friends! With maybe a wee bit of market planning and treasure hunting thrown in for good measure but, all in all, we’ll be savouring this second last weekend of the summer break. Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments on Rachel’s giveaway post yesterday! The Meghan Method is a fantastic design resource and you have until September 2nd to enter our giveaway.

Sparrow’s Nest Script

Endless Summer

Old Crow Farm

The Wee Lass

What are your plans for the weekend? Whether by a pool, in the backyard or at the sea, enjoy these last lingering days of summer…cheers!