August, 2016 - Petite Haus

Angelina August 30, 2016 Desserts

Strawberry Pistachio Tart Recipe

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With the last days of Summer (and strawberries), I thought I’d bake something with strawberries! I received this tart pan for my birthday and I have only used it once! So I have been dying to dig it out again for *something* and with strawberries on the brain, I began dreaming of strawberry pistachio tarts and voilà! Here we are.

What I love about baking tarts is that they come out looking fancy and beautiful and they really aren’t THAT HARD to make.

So what I’m saying, if you have guests, you can impress them with a tart.

Plus, a fruit tart is a nice refreshing dessert. It isn’t too heavy like cakes but is fancier than a cookie!

Strawberry Pistachio Tart Recipe

printable version HERE

recipe adapted from epicurious

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup ground pistachios

1/4 cup honey

1 cup heavy whipped cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 pint strawberries, washed, dried, with stems removed and diced in half vertically

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 410 degrees F. Take your pre-made pie crust and roll it out onto the counter. Place the pie crust over the tart pan (my tart pan is 9″) and then gently push the pie crust into the tart pan mold.

2. Using a fork, poke several holes into the pie crust on the bottom of the tart pan to allow steam to escape.

3. Bake tart crust for approximately 13-15 minutes until lightly browned and then set aside to cool to room temperature.

4. Using a mixer, whip the cream cheese, ground pistachios, and honey until well combined and set aside.

5. In a different bowl, whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until you have whipped cream (or you can use one of these awesome tools to make your whipped cream!)

6. In the cooled tart shell, spread the pistachio cream evenly. Then spread a layer of whipped cream. Arrange the cut strawberries with the tips pointing up, in a circle starting on the outside first.

7. Sprinkle the tart with chopped pistachios and serve immediately.

You don’t have to use a pre-made pie crust to make your tart shell. I was just too lazy to make my own. If you want to make your own from scratch, this is the recipe I ALWAYS use. For those that are curious,this is the tart pan I used.

So really, this tart is easy to make especially if you use pre-made pie crust. I used the ones from Trader Joe’s and it is pretty good.

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linking up at: amaze me monday The Scoop! Make it Pretty Monday Lou Lou Girls BNOTP Mon Inspire Me Tuesday Wow us Wednesdays!Share Your Style Thursday Favorite Things, Creative Circle, Thoughts of Home Home Sweet Home Feathered Nest Fridays Craftberry Bush Foodie Friday & Everything Else Best of the Weekend Share it One More Time

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Angelina August 28, 2016 Fall

Fall Home Decor Favorites 2016

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I have rounded up a few of my favorite picks for Fall home decor this year. I know it is a *wee* bit early but as you know cute things do sell out! I’ve created a few categories. For the living room, outdoors, on the table, metallic accents, and faux greenery. I had so much fun putting this together!
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EDIT – Some of these links may not work anymore since they are from 2016. Here is a widget that always has products that are in stock. They may not be exactly the same as the pictures above.

For the Living Room…

Plaid blanket– I LOVE Pendleton blankets. I have a problem with them. You can use this Pendleton lambswool on the couch, on your bed, as a tablecloth, or outside for pretty blog stylized pictures!

Pillows – We all love to change up our home decor with seasonal pillows. I am loving this Wheat Pillow as well as this watercolor pumpkin patch pillow.

For the Outdoors…

Olive Bucket – I could see a pretty Olive bucket with seasonal faux (or real!) branches spilling out.

Wheelbarrow – I LOVE this Wheelbarrow Planter – you could put it on your front porch or table and put tons of pumpkins inside. Wouldn’t it look cute?

On the Table…

Pumpkin Mugs – Aren’t these pumpkin mugs so cute to sip some pumpkin spice latte or hot apple cider from?

Pumpkin Bowls – I own these pumpkin cocottes and I use them all Fall long! I serve my pumpkin soup in them and it makes it extra special! This year Staub came out with the pumpkin cocottes in white (already sold out online on WS, keep checking back, but I found Sur La Table also has little white pumpkins as does Bed Bath & Beyond. Those retailers also have the large pumpkin. Macy’s has the large pumpkin too but not at a discount.) Staub came out with a large cast iron white pumpkin new this year too – I own it already in orange

Fall plates -aren’t these seasonal Fall Leaves plates just perfect? I love the colors!

Seasonal Centerpiece – This Harvest Pumpkin Candle basket is so perfect for the center of your table! Imagine lit candles providing ambient light while you eat!

Gold Silverware – This set of gold silverware goes so well with the colors of Fall! Speaking of gold…

Metallic Gold…

Napkin Rings – I think these gold napkin rings are perfect! They go with almost anything.

Metallic Gold pumpkin and gourds – These are faux of course. There is a large metallic gold pumpkin and then also metallic gold pumpkin and gourds.

Faux Branches and Greenery…

I love all of these faux branches – there is an acorn spray, gingko spray, and setaria spray. The acorns are perfect for filling vases, bowls, or just scattering around.

Then there is this pretty Magnolia wheat wreath!!

I love these black and white Mackenzie Childs Beware pumpkins!

I hope you enjoyed my little round-up for Fall home decor! Forgot to mention, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this pumpkin bread (and there is now a gluten free version!!). I know it’s a little pricey but IT IS WORTH IT.

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Angelina August 26, 2016 Uncategorized

Fall finds, trip to Switzerland and more… Five on Friday

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Fall finds at Williams Sonoma

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Last year I purchased these pumpkins bowls and large cast iron pumpkin cocotte. We used them through all of Autumn to bake our soups in. Well, we dug it out of storage today and are serving up this season’s pumpkin soup for the first time this year!

This year, Staub came out with a large cast iron white pumpkin and then the smaller soup bowls. Isn’t it super cute in white? For those that would prefer, there is also a black pumpkin for Halloween night!

Sur La Table also has little white pumpkins as does Bed Bath & Beyond. Those retailers also have the large pumpkin. Macy’s has the large pumpkin too but not at a discount.

The thing I bought this year was a new bread pan for my pumpkin bread! Secret though…. I totally use the WS pecan pumpkin bread mix to make the pumpkin bread. It is just SO GOOD. I strongly suggest buying their pumpkin pecan butter too. Here is where you can get a set of the bread mix and pecan pumpkin butter. New this year is some caramel pumpkin butter – could be good. Here is the gluten free bread mix! This is the cute bread pan pictured below that I bought!

Switzerland Trip!

We are headed to Switzerland this Fall!!! I have been to Zurich once just for a few hours – we stopped by the old town and went to Rhine Falls. This time we’re going through Zurich, then to Lucerne and then to the Bernese Oberland. Have any of you been to Switzerland?? I would LOVE to know your tips, must-sees, where to eat, and etc! Please leave me a comment!!

Facebook!

I’ve been working on updating my Facebook page for Peonies & Orange Blossoms. After reading this post from Shabbyfufu, I have spent a lot of time doing some digital renovation (can I call it that?) on the page. I invite you all to come check out! Link is below OR go here.

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Favorite Instagrams

Doesn’t this bowl look SO TASTY and pretty all at the same time!?

On the Web…

Have you seen the laundry room of Chip and Joanna of Fixer Upper fame?? I doubt it because they’ve never showed us before… until NOW! Isn’t it pretty??? Read Joanna’s article here.

From the blog…

Have you ever had a PUPUSA? A what, you say? A pupusa!! If you’ve never heard of them before or want my recipe for them, check out my pupusa post here!

PS – Can you believe this is the LAST Five on Friday in August??

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Angelina August 25, 2016 Summer

6 Summer Tablescapes – Thursday Favorite Things

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Last week I was talking about Fall but this week we’re focusing back on Summer! I was inspired by all of these beautiful Summer tablescapes that some of our lovely bloggers shared with us all! Let’s take a look at them!

For those of you that read my blog early this morning, you may have noticed I accidentally published this post a little early! Whoops! Here it is again, this time with the link party.

Also in exciting news, we have a new PARTY LOGO!!!

Belle Blue Interiors shared this pretty butterfly blue meadow table.

Olla Podrida shared this fun French Riviera tablescape!

Designs by Pinky shared this beautiful black, white, and green tablescape!

Dining Delight shared this Summer tablescape with black, white, and red colors!

J. Bigg’s Little Piecesshared this fun owl table with the back-to-school spirit kept in mind!

Fabby’s Living shared this sea-themed Summer table.

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Here is our new beautiful logo!! What do you all think??? I think the flowers are so pretty! Please follow your hostesses!

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Angelina August 23, 2016 Uncategorized

How Would you Decorate a Giant Wall?

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Alright my internet friends, I have a question for you. In the house that we are building, we have a wall in our living room that is 24 feet long and the ceiling height is 14 feet tall. So… A BIG giant wall! Normally, one would put a fireplace on that wall but the fireplace is going on the other side of the room. See diagram below.
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So our wall with the 3 French doors would look something like below… 3 French doors, with room for a sconce in between and then there will be windows above the doors too. The windows will help prevent the odd 5 feet of empty space between the top of the door and ceiling.

Photo by Lee Construction

Our fireplace inspiration is Patina Farm… stoned fireplace that is see through, except our fireplace will be a gas one as an open wood burning fireplace just like below is not allowed in our county.

source-patina farm

So, now we turn to the wall. THE BIG wall. I am trying to solve how to decorate this wall before it’s built in case someone has a great suggestion that I would need to prepare for before the walls go up (like wiring for sconces or something).
Now, we will have a tv on that wall (unfortunately… why are TVs so ugly??)
It will look exactly like the picture below as it is the exact console table we have. iI is 100″ wide, 24″ deep and 32″ high.

This thing piece will be centered on the wall. So what do we do around it?

Now, I know that the ideas below won’t be accomplished in one night. It would take me a long time to put together a gallery wall completely BUT so long as I have a plan then that’s fine.

Gallery Wall…
We could do a big gallery wall. I have always envisioned having a gallery wall somewhere. This could look interesting. Of course I would want to fill it with antique oils… I also happen to be friends with some antique painting dealers who I’m sure would be happy to sell me a whole house full!

source simple everyday glamour

Here is a more modern gallery wall… I could accomplish this in a day but I would like antique oils instead (but my checkbook doesn’t!)

Oh, when I think of gallery walls by the way, I always think of this super cool room that was in Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was so cool!

Or I could find some giant paintings!

source 1st dibs

Panels

We could put some wood panels on the wall. But I wouldn’t want to panel the rest of the room, so it would just be the one wall.

source – 1st dibs

These panels are a little simpler. We could make some faux panels essentially… just put some wood trim on the wall and paint it.

source – 1st dibs

Panels like below, although I know those are doors but we could just do the panels and pretend like they are doors.

We could also just do panels on the lower half of the wall like below. Although then would we need to do that on the wall with the French doors? Remember there are really only 2 walls in the living room.

Wallpaper

We could just wallpaper the one wall and put two paintings on it.

source 1st dibs

We could frame some wallpaper like below and hang some paintings.

Mirrors

Do I put one or two giant mirrors on the wall?

Source

source – 1st dibs

Built-In Cabinets

Do we build built in cabinets, like the picture below (except where the painting is put the tv console?)

source Suzanna Kasler

See, my husband could have his ladder he has wanted like below!

Tapestry

Let’s be honest, I would really love a large antique tapestry. But finding one in my price range at this size would be an impossible feat. Hey, a girl can dream!

Also, you will have probably noted that my source pictures are all very fancy. Well, it was hard finding pictures of large walls and the only places I could think of that have large walls are in the Chateaus in France and Palaces of Europe. So, of course, my house wouldn’t nearly be as fancy!

So, how would YOU decorate such a large wall?? Please let me know, I am eager to hear as we’re going to have to finalize our plans soon and if there is a change like (make sure you put lights on the wall) then let me know.

Also, I have considered a window, but the windows that would be at eye level would be ugly because it looks at something ugly on the other side. We *could* consider clerestory windows, would have to talk to structural engineer about roof lines and such.

Leave me a comment!

Please be aware I moderate my comments so your comment (to prevent spam) and it will not show up immediately.

linking up at: amaze me monday The Scoop! Make it Pretty Monday Lou Lou Girls BNOTP Mon Inspire Me Tuesday Wow us Wednesdays!Share Your Style Thursday Favorite Things, Creative Circle, Thoughts of Home Home Sweet Home Feathered Nest Fridays Craftberry Bush Foodie Friday & Everything Else Best of the Weekend Share it One More Time Sundays at Home

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Angelina August 21, 2016 French Country

Touring a Modern French Country House

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Last week we had a tour of a French country farmhouse. This week we are going on a tour of a modern French country house! This was another one of the houses at the Portland Street of Dreams.

photo- jenny baines interiors

When you walk into the house you are greeted with this fabulous floating stairwell!

This is the living room! The views are spectacular… I didn’t include a picture but you can see Mt. Hood!

photo-bob greenspan instagram

I liked the X’s in the built in cabinets here.

photo- jenny baines interiors

A tour of the kitchen, again I like the X’s!

Ship lap is so hot right now. Shiplapped cabinets here. I like the herringbone marble backsplash!

Ah-ha! I spy the sink and sink faucet I am going to have in my house!

The sliding barn door in the pantry!

I really liked this pantry! LOVE.

At the street of dreams the builders are there in the house and are there to answer questions. I had the pleasure of talking to the builder and he said the wood beams here were washed with baking soda to give it this cool look!

Cute little butler’s pantry.

Breakfast nook!

The master bedroom, excuse the blurriness.

I liked this master shower.

Master bathroom.

This powder room was cool. The chevron shiplap was neat!

I liked the sink faucets here.

These folding down drying racks are so clever! I am going to have to do this in my house!

I liked the idea of having the washer and dryer raised up, I know it is not a new concept but I still like it!

The hallway/mudroom from the garage was shiplapped too!

This may be my favorite part of the house… a little built in doggy bed. To the right of the doggie bed you could pull out the food bowl (you can see the food bowls inside the cabinet if you look hard enough!)

Another bathroom!

The very nice outdoor living space.

These bubblers on the cabo deck in the pool are exactly what I want to do!

A look at the house exterior. This photo is not mine.

picture – bobgreenspan instagram

This house is called Maison de Reve and was built by Westlake Development group. Interior design from Jenny Baines Interiors.

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Angelina August 19, 2016 friday favorites

Choosing a Front Door, Shoes, and more! – Five on Friday #25

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House Updates… Front Door

WOO HOO! We are finally done with the architect and have moved on to structural engineering!!! It has taken us 8 MONTHS to get to this point. Now it shouldn’t take *too* much longer (like a month or two) to actually like get really rolling with things and finally see something in real life and not on paper. Which means… decisions, decisions, and decisions are on the horizon!

So, we have to pick out our windows and doors around now so the engineer can make sure that there is enough support surrounding the selected windows and doors.

Now, our architect wanted us to have steel front door that you would be able to look through an entryway and see all they way through through another steel window into the backyard, like so… (btw all these images below are from Pinterest)

Now, don’t get me wrong, this look is TOTALLY COOL and I really like it. Now comes the but…. but steel windows are RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. At *least* three times the cost of “regular” windows and doors and then some. Having a steel window or door entrance wasn’t on my “dream house wish list” but having 3 ovens was (um yes, don’t judge, when you host Thanksgiving with 40 people every year you will know why I wanted 3 ovens). The other two main problems with steel windows are this – they are not the best at insulation which is not good in a place that frequently is above 100 degrees. And speaking of heat, the handles for door get ridiculously hot and will burn you when they have sun sitting on them all day. That’s not good.

So instead, I’m changing the front door to something similar to this…

Keep in mind, we are only look at doors, nothing else, not the shape of the room or the ceiling or anything. I think this look is more French country and is more of the look I am going for in the end. The first look is very contemporary and I am not too sure it really has been what I have been wanting. I reviewed my posts about French style houses and no where do I notice a steel door entrance.

Above is another example of a flat arch French door in a different stain. Don’t know what color I will pick- if I keep it a natural wood or if I will paint!

So, as I reflect back on my project, I have to keep reminding myself… is this where I want to spend my money? Do I really want this specific thing or is it there because the architect or someone said I needed it? I reviewed my “dream home check list” that my husband and I made back when we were in school together many years ago. We have everything on our list checked off. Steel windows/doors were not on our “must have” list.

You can always look at the most expensive thing and say, oh I like that, but you can’t do that for everything always, right? I think the decision not to have steel entryway has made me feel better as I realized it wasn’t what I had quite envisioned.

Where did you put your money in your house? Now, if we want to talk about where I’m spending my money… it’s the kitchen.

Olympics

I have been watching some of the events of the Olympics. But I wish NBC would stop talking about stories and show more of the sports. I think it is so interesting how every different type of sport has a specific body type that does well. The gymnasts – petite. Runners – lean. Cyclists – big thighs. Swimmers – ripped torso. Weight lifters – big. And the list goes on.

Anyway, I just have to share this picture of Usain Bolt if you haven’t seen it already. I love how everyone’s legs are so blurry because they are running that fast, but Usain literally has time to look back and give a smile for the camera because he is just so much faster than everyone else! I mean, imagine the other runners, literally running as fast as they possibly can, but still so slow that Usain can pose for a picture!

image from Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Spotted…

Ok, one night while I was staying up late I found some cute Fall shoes and just had to share them!

How much fun are these Cat flats in glitter!

I think these Gold, black, and alligator print sneakers are super stylish!!!

Wait, I’m seeing a theme, cute velvet mary janes with *glitter* heels. All the shoes I was drawn to were shiny/sparkly!

Instagram Picks for the Week!

I LOVE Instagram… it’s the perfect social media for my attention span.

This last one made me giggle… a hot dog in a croissant!!

From the Blog…

I thought I would reshare this bathroom remodel! Isn’t it just fabulous??? It is in my parents’ house!! I was looking at sconces one day and showed them to my mom, she said, oh! I already own those… they are the ones below in the picture!

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Sharing at these parties! Friday Favorites, Five on Friday, Oh Hey, Friday! he Scoop! Make it Pretty Monday Lou Lou Girls BNOTP Mon Inspire Me Tuesday Wow us Wednesdays!Share Your Style Thursday Favorite Things, Creative Circle, Thoughts of Home Home Sweet Home Feathered Nest Fridays Craftberry Bush Foodie Friday & Everything Else Best of the Weekend Share it One More Time

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Angelina August 18, 2016 Uncategorized

Prepping for Fall Round Up – Thursday Favorite Things

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Welcome to another Thursday Favorite Things! Thank you for joining us – we party every Wednesday night at 6pm PST.

This week it seems people are starting to look to Fall. YES I know it is Summer still but planning people have got to plan. I am featuring a few posts from last week’s party with this theme in mind!

First, we have DIY Budget Girl’s Fall trail mix. It sounds so delicious… I could totally nosh on some right now!

To Simply Inspire has some cute ideas for First Day of School pictures. While I don’t have any kids, I know a lot of my readers do, so I thought you might enjoy these ideas!

This post from Pam at Everyday Living about the colors of Provence really have me in the mood for Fall. The yellows/oranges/browns with pops of green I think scream Fall.

Jenna at Champagne and Polka Dots has us transitioning into Fall with this styled jumpsuit!

But for those who think Fall posts should be reserved until September, I present to you a peach crisp recipe from Lolly Jane! It looks so good, can’t you imagine enjoying this warmed up with ice cream??

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Angelina August 16, 2016 French Country

Purple Transferware Tablescape

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In this post – using antique or vintage transfer ware for your every day table!

I put together this purple transferware table earlier this year and photographed it but then I forgot to post it! I had fun putting this table together.

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I took down the antique purple transferware plates from the walls and enjoyed how the look with the grey of the table and chargers.

They also go great with my Juliska purple goblets!

I put these antique Staffordshire cows in the center of the table to complete the look.

Why store all of your antiques on the walls or in the display cabinets? Pull them out and use them!

These Staffordshire figures remind me of the white cows that Charles Faudree always decorated with!

When taking this picture, I realized the fabric on the antique Swedish chair goes with the purples on the plate and goblets!

A mixture of peonies and ranunculus sit in the center of the table. This is meant to be a simple table to show off the antiques.

Antique monogrammed napkins were at every place setting.

You can create a similar table too and use your transfer ware!

If you are going to dine on the transfer ware, I would suggest either using plastic utensils so you don’t scratch the plate or putting a clear glass plate on top.

I just love the look of the antique purple transferware.
I think it is a really interesting color.
Hope you all enjoyed my little table!

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Angelina August 14, 2016 French Country

Touring a French Farmhouse

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GUESS WHAT. I toured a French Farmhouse at the Portland Street of Dreams just recently and I LOVED it.

I knew you all would too… so the very next day that I came home I started writing this blog post!

I am so excited to show this house with you all!

It is like… Chip and Joanna (Fixer Upper) meets some French Country.

Don’t you all love this??? I knew I would love this house when the first thing I saw was a cow painting. I am very certain the sconces on the fireplace are these.

You may notice in the corner the Darlana pendant that I wrote a whole blog post about!

Love the dining room table, chairs, and chandelier! I am certain the chandelier is this one from Aidan Gray. Edit – correction, was informed the chandelier is from RH, so I suspect it is likely this one. I actually own the dining table – it is this one.

Blue velvet is a “thing” now. Notice it is incorporated on the couch as pillows.

LOVE the wall sconces. They are the Darlana sconce pendant.

A different view of the dining room…

How CUTE is this pantry? Love the shiplap and the barn door!

I liked this pantry – the color palette is really pretty. I like the little drink fridge and the open shelves!

Moving our way into the family room and the kitchen!

Fixer Upper lovers will adore this! Isn’t super on trend???

What I thought was interesting was the use of mixed metals – the sink faucet is brushed nickel whereas the cabinet hardware is an aged/antiqued brass.

I love the grey cabinet on the right. The paint color on that cabinet hutch is Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray 7017.

Don’t you love the Lacanche Range??

I love this little vignette below! Notice the back splash – it looks like painted brick but I think it is actually tile that looks like brick. I really like it and like how it is a little different than the subway tile that we see everywhere.

I thought the fireplace surround with the chevron marble was pretty.

Here is a picture from the interior designer looking at the family room from the other direction – it was roped off so we couldn’t go over there.

Now, how lovely is this hallway?? It is the mudroom – with the garage on the right, exit on the left, and the sliding barn door is the powder room.

Here is the powder room… thought it was kinda cute with the subway tile going up the wall.

This flooring material was interesting. It is from Ann Sacks. As for the laundry room, I like the white cabinets with the grey counters. I think I’m going to do that!

Now walking into the master suite… isn’t the ceiling cute?

The master bathroom looks like a nice place to relax…

The sink faucet is from Kohler.

Oh look, a view from above!

There was a cute fire pit and BBQ in the backyard!

Oh, and a pool of course!

A little tour of the guest house…

Wood was used as the counter top material. While I think it looks neat I know that it would warp and show rings from glasses.

Oh, forgot to mention that the floors in the house are French pine from Fp Bois.

Now, the outside of the house is not very French farmhouse. It is more like a house you would find in the Hamptons.

Oh, I forgot to include this from the laundry room.

The Street of Dreams this year included 5 houses surrounded by a vineyard. Below is the club house -made to look like a darling barn!

The house we just toured was built by Stafford Homes and Land. The Interior design was done by The Urban Coop. This house was 8200 sq ft.

Check out some of my favorite budget French country Farmhouse finds below (click right to scroll)

Like French Country Farmhouse Style?? Check out my French country farmhouse!

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Angelina August 12, 2016 Fall

Five on Friday #24 – Planning for Fall, Velvet Corn, Harry Potter, and More!

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Getting ready for Fall!

Yes, I know it might be a *little* early to start thinking about Fall – I am sure many of you are planning for back-to-school or are trying to squeeze in a last Summer vacation. But I am a planner. I like to plan things. I am starting to plan for Fall.

First, I have been busy pinning away on Pinterest on my Fall boards. I have two:

Fall & Halloween Decor and Fall Recipes.

The pumpkins are planted. You see – I actually started planning for Fall just after July 4… if you want to grow your own pumpkin patch and have it ready at the right time that takes planning!

I bought some Fall scented candles! I love the Bath & Body Works fall scents! The Leaves Candle is one of my favorite scents for Fall. I buy it every year. This year I also bought the Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow, and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. I haven’t burnt these ones yet, but I’m getting ready!

And, while I was out shopping this week, I had a little preview of this years’ new VELVET CORN!!!

I LOVE IT!!!! Just when I thought, oh, I’m done with buying velvet pumpkins… velvet corn comes along to sit next to them. It is going to look so good next to my velvet pumpkins. I will be posting about the velvet corn some time later once I get my hands on more… it is currently shipping so we will all have to wait! You saw it here first!!

Instagram Favorites and Stories!

Have you tried out the Instagram stories??? If not, let me explain: It’s like Snapchat but in Instagram. Still don’t get it?? Well, any picture or video you take in your Instagram Story will only appear for 24 hours maximum and then will disappear. I am LOVING this… why? Because I can now post things that I wanted to before but it won’t “ruin” the look of my Instagram feed because it disappears!

So, how do you use it?

On your home screen, swipe your finger right (see my lovely picture below!)

Then, it brings you to a screen with a camera. Just simply take a picture by tapping the check button in the bottom OR if you want to upload a video just hold the button down and it will record. Then simply upload it!

So, where can you see “Your Story” and stories by others?

See the circles just below where it says “Your Story” in a colorful circle and then other pictures in colorful circles?? That’s where you see the stories. You will not see these in people’s regular instagram feed. You have to look at them on the home screen.

Did you like my little Instagram Tutorial? I’d Love for you to follow me on Instagram (@LePetit_Macaron). I am obsessed with it.

Let’s look at a few of my favorites…

Spotted…

Speaking of planning for Fall… last year I wanted to buy the trendy LL bean duck boots but they were sold out in my size by the time I went to buy them…. so THIS YEAR I planned ahead and they just recently arrived.

Now the most popular style is the 8″ boot here… but I got the 6″ boot here because I thought I would wear it more in sunny California. I think if you live somewhere where it snows you should get the 8″ boot and if you live in a warmer climate go with the 6″.

They also come in different colors: there is a blue one here. I strongly recommend getting the wool camp sock to go along with it.

Below is the 8″ boot with the wool camp sock.

from charmingly styled

from Covering the Bases

Below is the 6″ boot

from the College Prepster

Sneak Peek on the Blog…

Coming this weekend, a little sneak peek of a tour of a newly built French Farmhouse tour. Those who follow my instagram will recognize this vignette… it is from the house tour!

Be sure to check back on Sunday morning to tour the house!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – A Review

I am a big Harry Potter fan (I had gone to the midnight opening at the bookstore for books 4-7), but I suppose some of that has faded with age as I was unaware that the newest Harry Potter book was even being released!

Anyway, I knew that there was a Harry Potter play that was going to premiere in London this year.

The newest book is actually the script to the play and is NOT a novel.

I knew this when I started to read the book, because I wanted to create realistic expectations. There was no way this book was going to be as good as the originals simply because of the format – you cannot have as much character development and narration with a play! I’m going to write my review of the book below, with SPOILERS, so if you don’t want to read the spoilers consider yourself warned.

SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE BOOK REVIEW

*SPOILERS*

Ok. The play starts off 19 years since the 7th book left off, with Albus Potter, the son of Harry Potter. Albus goes to Hogwarts and several years actually fly by in a matter of pages (what?! I wish we could all take the train back into the school!). Much to Harry’s dismay, Albus becomes best friends with Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco Malfoy.

For some reason, the two of them decide to go on a quest to prevent Cedric Diggory from dying in the Goblet of Fire. They steal a time turner from Hermione Granger, now the Minister of Magic. They go back and time and basically screw up everything so that Voldemort would essentially rule the world. Harry, Ron and Hermione have to come in and save the day and undo the time travel to make it all right again. The plot also involves someone who states that she is the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange – honestly, I think that this was totally lame and ruins part of the original books.

So, in short, I did not love the play, as I knew I would not, and honestly I even debated about reading the story but decided to because I couldn’t help myself. I felt like there wasn’t enough character development. It didn’t have nearly the amount of details as the books (well, it can’t, because it is not a novel). I didn’t like how the adult Harry was portrayed because he didn’t seem very Harry Potter like at all.

In short, a Harry Potter story written by someone who is not JK Rowling can never be as good as the original books – and I knew that when I started the story which is why I had really low expectations. So given how low my expectations were, I had a nice time reading the play, but if you have high expectations you will be very disappointed. I enjoyed spending some time with some of my favorite literary characters for a few hours.

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Angelina August 11, 2016 Uncategorized

Lavender Decor – Thursday Favorite Things

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Welcome friends for another Thursday Favorite Things link party! We go live every night 6pm PST and would love to have you link up your posts and join our party!

This week my favorite thing is LAVENDER!!! I just love lavender… it is perfect for my green, err, brown thumb, because it looks great alive or dried(dead)!

Pret a Vivre blog shared these DIY lavender bouquets complete with cute lavender-themed Thank You cards!

Old Things New Blog shared this super cute table with lavender and cherries!

Bringing French Country Home shares some tips on how to dry lavender.

Congratulations if you were featured! I have pinned your posts to our Thursday Favorite Things Pinterest Board! Please grab a “featured” button (click on link) to display on your blogs!

EDIT: Forgot to mention, The WINNER for the GIVEAWAYS from last week was announced HERE at Katherine’s Corner!! Congratulations and thank you all for participating!!!

Please follow your hostesses!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Angelina August 9, 2016 Desserts

Peach Honey Tarts

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It’s PEACH season and I’d love to say we have peaches coming out of ears like last year BUT the birds have been eating them like CRAZY this year.
I would put up a net to protect the peaches but I did that for the cherries and a bird got caught in the net and died and now I can’t do that ever again.
So we still to have a lot of peaches, but just not AS MANY as last year. But we still have enough to make a tart!

The peaches we grow are from the “free stone” variety of peaches – meaning the peach pit comes out of the peach much easier than the “cling” variety of peaches. The cling variety of peaches are what you get in the grocery story- they ship much better and are less susceptible to bruising. BUT the free stone peaches are much sweeter (and therefore bruise) but they are much tastier than any peach you will find in the store!

Peach Honey Tarts

printable version here

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup honey

1 cup heavy whipped cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

peaches (roughly 1 peach needed per tart), sliced thinly length wise

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 410 degrees F. Take your pre-made pie crust and roll it out onto the counter. Place the pie crust over the tart pan (my tart pans are 4″) and then gently push the pie crust into the tart pan mold.

2. Using a fork, poke several holes into the pie crust on the bottom of the tart pan to allow steam to escape. I could make four 4″ tarts with this.

3. Bake tart crust for approximately 11-14 minutes until lightly browned and then set aside to cool to room temperature.

4. Using a mixer, whip the cream cheese and honey until well combined and set aside.

5. In a different bowl, whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until you have whipped cream (or you can use one of these awesome tools to make your whipped cream!)

6. In the cooled tart shell, spread the honey cream evenly. Then spread a layer of whipped cream. Arrange the peaches in any pattern you desire

7. Serve immediately.

You want to make this tart extra decadent? Make some honey ice cream and serve it on the side!
Oh, and as for honey, this Orange Blossom Honey from Savannah Bee Company is seriously the best honey EVER!

peach honey tart

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linking up at: amaze me monday The Scoop! Make it Pretty Monday Lou Lou Girls BNOTP Mon Inspire Me Tuesday Wow us Wednesdays!Share Your Style Thursday Favorite Things, Creative Circle, Thoughts of Home Home Sweet Home Feathered Nest Fridays Craftberry Bush Foodie Friday & Everything Else Best of the Weekend Share it One More Time

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Angelina August 7, 2016 French Country

Building the French Farmhouse – a study of French shutters

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Well, we are still plodding along with designing the house. We are actually done (I think!) with the design and it is going to structural engineering now!

So, now that we are pretty much done with the design, now I am tasked with actually picking out the windows and shutters I want to use as it is one of the first things to go up and there is a long lead time for these items.

So, for about half the windows in the house we will be having working shutters on the windows. Yes, they have to be working! That is key! In France, the shutters are actually called volets and they actually open and close – unlike most shutters in the USA that are there for looks alone.

So, why have a working shutter?

Security – they provide excellent security as if you are away you can just close up the house and a robber can’t just break in.

Insulation – here in the hot hot California valley it is nice to be able to close up South facing side of the house to keep the heat out. Oh, then there’s the part where the bedrooms can be pitch black for sleeping – important to someone who works nights!

The sizing is always right – it drives me *nuts* when I see houses with shutters that are disproportionate… a 1 foot shutter next to a 4 foot window? If that shutter were to close it would leave 3 feet of the window exposed! I know it’s for looks but volets would never work like that! I know it is super nit picky and sorry if your house has that (soooo many houses do, including my childhood house!), but I just don’t understand why builders can’t build faux shutters that are least the appropriate size. (rant ended).

This website (in French, but I have it translated to English) talks about the proper volet. There are several different types, rolling ones, swing shutters, folding flap shutters.

I’m interested in swing shutters only.

Below are rolling shutters…

Below are folding flap shutters…

The different types of swinging shutters….

We were debating about what type of panel to go with. We are leaning to the B-n-B (Board and Batten). The Board ad Batten seems to be more French country and less formal than the other types.

So, I thought I’d turn to photos of houses in France.

Below, is board and batten.

Two different types of shutters… ground floor is raised panel and upper floor is board and batten.

Panel…

Horizontal ones…

Board and Batten…

Board and batten up on the windows and the horizontal ones on the door

Louvered…

Mixture…

We found this company, Timberlane, who makes what seems to be pretty nice working shutters. They have several types of Board and Batten and we were debating between the “closed vertical groove”…

…and the “open”. We were leaning towards the open one because we think it looks more authentic. What do YOU think??

The other company we are looking at is Southern Shutter. Have you heard of anything of either Timberlane or Southern Shutter? Are there other companies you know of that are quality and we should consider?

See, here is an open board and batten (in like the cutest little window EVER)

The OTHER question for you is… what about the hardware?

We really like the cutesy hinge hardware on the shutters below.

Here, someone did the same hardware BUT they put it above and below the horizontal board and I do not like it that way. It has to be on the horizontal board.

See, like below, they put the hardware on the horizontal board.

Or, do we leave them plain, like so…

Or here…

What do you all think??
Open board and batten vs closed vertical groove?
Fancy shutter hardware vs plain shutters?

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Angelina August 5, 2016 Uncategorized

Five on Friday #23 – Pokemon Go, Pandora, and more!

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Five on Friday – where I talk about Five different topics every week. What am I talking about this week??

Pokemon Go

Yes. I admit that I played the game for several days. I had to see what all of the hype was about! I thought I’d share it with you all! So how does it work? You walk around the street with your phone up, looking at the virtual map below (that mimics exactly the real map of the world) trying to catch the pokemons.

Then you will see one, you use your poke balls and throw them at the Pokemon to catch it. And by “throw” I mean just swipe your finger up on the screen and tosses the balls.

The coolest part of the game is the augmented reality portion… what that means is that the game uses your phone’s camera and will put a Pokemon on the screen as if the Pokemon were really there. So you hold your phone up in front of say, a street, and if the Pokemon is there you will see the Pokemon on your screen AS IF it were there in real life. It was really actually cool and could open the door for many other cool things. (Below is a pic of the augmented reality).

To catch the pokemons you have to wander all around looking for them… that’s why you see everyone looking down at their phones! Then you will see them stop and swipe– they are catching the monsters.

There are “gyms” – explained to me as places you battle and if you own them you get poke balls for free. Ah ha, poke balls. Poke balls you can find for free at certain landmarks in the city… or you can buy them for real $$$. That’s where Pokemon makes its money.

You can go to hotspots in the city where the Pokemons roam… in Portland where I was playing it, the Washington State Park seems to be a “hotspot” full of Pokemons. You have to be careful about “Battling others” at the gyms – there are reports of theft in those areas as mean people prey on those that are playing the game and will steal their phone and other things. So my advice is to AVOID those spots or at least look up from your phone!

I think it is great that the game is getting previously sedentary people out and about and literally walking miles (sometimes you catch eggs and in order for them to hatch you have to walk several miles to get them to open). The game has cons – you literally spend HOURS playing the game if you want to catch them all. It also sucks the life out of your battery so you have to bring back up battery chargers with you. Now, if only these sedentary people would look up from their phones and just enjoy being outdoors!!

Maybe I’m too old, but I just didn’t “get it”. As I caught more of these little Pokemon monsters, I asked myself, what is the point of the game? What do I DO with them?? Then finally, someone who grew up on Pokemon from the 90s explained it to me… the point of the game is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”. Oh. I see, the game slogan.

Catching “them all” though wasn’t enough to keep my interest in the game. While I LOVE collecting things, virtual monsters apparently is not something this collector is interested in.

Spotted…

Something that apparently I AM interested in collecting though are pandora bracelets! I have always seen the stores but never have I been into one! So in I went, and out I came with a bracelet and charms. You can assemble your bracelet with so many different charms. I love how many different bracelets you can make using the same beads and charms, it is really cool!

I was having fun looking at various designs from others….

Do you have a Pandora bracelet???

Favorite New Recipe

We finally used our spiralizer to make zoodles (zucchini noodles). It was so easy to use!

We made these spinach parmesan zucchini noodles from Two Peas & Their Pod. It was actually really tasty and super easy to make! It tastes similar to pasta but way few calories. I was actually really surprised as I had never tried zoodles before but I could see it becoming a favorite of ours!

Favorite Instagrams

Well, I like what I did last week… instead of just picking one of my favorite instagrams from the week I’ll just pick several! So here we are…

On the Web

New on Streaming on Netflix, Amazon, on Hulu. I watch more streaming TV than I do “regular” tv. If you do too, check out this guide to new shows and movies!

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