Sparkability

I'm loving these wall decals that I found on Sparkability today. If you were a little girl, wouldn't you just love the butterflies?

Pier 1!?

Can you believe this fab chair is Pier 1!? Just $179. I am totally enamored.

Wedding Posters

I love the idea of having a poster created for your wedding - either as an invitation or as something to commemorate the magnificent event. Check out Unless Someone Like You on Etsy for some great designs. I'm also thinking this might be a nice first anniversary gift? Isn't the first anniversary gift paper!?

New Knottie bios

Thrilled to see some new bios added to Magnificent Bliss. I haven't had too much time lately to peruse, but I did stumble upon this gorgeous Los Angeles wedding. I absolutely LOVE the crystal placecards. The bride includes instructions on how to make. Gotta love a DIY-er!

I'm still full!

We ended up having eight dear friends and family members for Easter, and it was a wonderful celebration. Always a little disappointing though how you spend hours/days in the kitchen preparing and the food disappears in 15 minutes. This holiday was no exception.

I made two incredible dishes, which everyone enjoyed and raved about, so I thought I would share the recipes.


Potato-Fennel Gratin
From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

• 2 fennel bulbs
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the inside of a 10 x 15 x 2-inch (10-cup) baking dish.Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the fennel bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Sauté the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sautéed fennel and onion and mix well. Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes.

Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly.

Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

Tangerine-Glazed Easter Ham with Baby Carrots
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

• 1 (8 to 10-pound) smoked ham, bone-in, skin on
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
• 2 tangerines, sliced thin, seeds removed
• 2 cups tangerine juice 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Put the ham in a large roasting pan, fat-side up. Using a sharp knife, score the ham with cuts across the skin, about 2-inches apart and 1/2-inch deep. Cut diagonally down the slashes to form a diamond pattern; season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Chop about 8 of the sage leaves and put it in a bowl; mix with the oil to make a paste. Rub the sage-oil all over the ham, being sure to get the flavor into all the slits. Bake the ham for 2 hours. Now there is plenty of time to bang-out the tangerine glaze.

For the glaze: Place a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chunks of butter, tangerines, tangerine juice, brown sugar, water, and spices. Slowly cook the liquid down to a syrupy glaze; this should take about 30 to 40 minutes.

After the ham has being going for a couple of hours, pour the tangerine glaze all over it, with the pieces of fruit and all. Scatter the remaining sage leaves on top and stick the ham back in the oven and continue to cook for 11/2 hours, basting with the juices every 30 minutes.

Scatter the carrots around the ham and coat in the tangerine glaze. Stick the ham once again back in the oven and cook for a final 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender, the ham is dark and crispy, and the whole thing is glistening with a sugary glaze.

Set the ham on a cutting board to rest before carving. Serve the carrots and tangerine glaze on the side.

A little Easter baking

I'm hosting Easter for the first time - just a few friends, my parents, and four dogs - and I was craving something decadent for dessert.

So .... chocolate cupcakes filled with peanut butter cream seemed sufficiently over the top.

I made a few of them to look like little birds nests, but since I was improvising, I didn't quite have enough sprinkles to go around, so the remaining ones just got haphazardly decorated.

The filling is WAY rich, but oh so good.

Peanut Butter Filling
4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

I got the best tool for Christmas, which made filling these babies REALLY easy:

Mechanical Pastry Bag from Williams Sonoma ($25).

Letterpress deliciousness

Well, the Wedding Papers Divas letterpress collection launched today, as teased yesterday. You have to check out the entire line, but in the meantime, here are some sneak peaks! I would have gone with the PINK!!

Wedding Papers Divas - New Letterpress Collection

The Wedding Paper Divas have informed me today that they will soon launch a line of letterpress. I'm thrilled! Stay tuned for pics and more information!

Bagley Mishka

I think I would KILL for this dress! I might have to track down the pattern and attempt to make it myself!!!!



Courtesy of Alisa Benay.

My wish list

My husband and I are on a bit of a budget, due to unexpected - and very expensive - home repairs. Unfortunately, I'm feeling a little greedy these days, and the wallet is just not cooperating. It's very depressing. So, as a way to fulfill my desires, I'm going to share my wish list with all of you. Maybe one of you will purchase a treat for yourself - and enjoy it a little bit for me too!

Je desire Les Oiseaux de Rosanna! These fabulous candle holders, that come in an adorable bird cage gift box, are just $30.



I love these Ginger Jars from Williams Sonoma Home. I hate the price: $138 for the small, $238 for the large. Oy vey!



The take out dish in green from the Gourmet Collection - "the ubiquitous disposable tin food container in fine porcelain." This one is just $65. Sigh.



All of the new fabrics from Studiobon, please. And this bedroom as well. Now THAT is greedy!

Cutest cake topper EVER

Today's "If I could do it all over again" ... I would buy this cake topper. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen.

In the past 20 minutes, I have become SO obsessed with Lauren Alane's work that I've marked all three of my calendars with March 20th - the day she puts more birds for sale on her Etsy site.

Wedding card boxes

We used a simple, ribbon-wrapped basket at our wedding, and I know a lot of people use birdcages, but I thought these lovely boxes from Estilo were a wonderful option. Priced between $30 and $50, they are pretty afordable as well!

This brown and pink one would have been perfect!

Blonde

Loving this stationary line from Blonde Designs. The wedding invitations are really beautiful and playful!

Also, so sorry to have been MIA lately ... horrible flu took over my life, but I'm back on my feet and gettin' to it today!

And the winner is ...

Christina of Simply Modern Weddings!


This lighting in this image is amazing ... and knowing that the location was a surprise find makes it even more incredible! The readers voted, and I agree ... Congratulations Christina!

Thank you to all of the beautiful brides who entered this contest. I have enjoyed each and every photograph and have loved hearing why the images are so special to you. Thanks also to everyone who voted! Check back in the next week or so for the announcement of another contest - this time the prize is bigger and there are no requirements for people to enter!

Last day to vote!

Today is the last day to vote for your favorite photograph! The voting will stop by 5 p.m. today, and the winner will be announced tomorrow morning. Good luck to all, and get your votes in soon!

Vote for your favorite!

Take one last look at all of our photo entries and then leave a comment below and vote for your favorite! The winner will be announced on Thursday! Good luck all!

1. Aletha (Photo courtesy of Jen Kroll Photography)
2. Rebekah (Photo courtesy of Steve and Kari Whitaker)
3. Christina (Photo courtesy of HyStudio)
4. Mrs. Onion from Weddingbee (Photo courtesy of Daria Bishop Photography)
5. Sarah T. (Photo courtesy of Amy Carroll Photography)
6. Christel (Photo courtesy of Ben Powers from Powers Studios Photography)
7. Jessica (Photo courtesy of Ben Pancoast Photography )
8. Jane
9. Chelsea (Photo courtesy of A Fleeting Moment Photography)
10. Mrs. Magnolia from Weddingbee (photo courtesy of 35Atlanta)
11. Liz R. (Photo courtesy of Chad Bosma Photography)
12. Sarah B. (Photo couresty of Becky Pomp)
13. Mimi of Enjoy : {the blog}
14. Katherine F. (Photo courtesy of Laura Vaillancourt)
15. Renee (Photo courtesy of Candid Moments Photography)
16. Julia B. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Yee)

Contest: FINAL SUBMISSION!!

Forgive a blogger error {read: absent-minded error by Emily on a Friday evening} for not getting this last contest entry up! Without further ado, here it is:

16. Julia B. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Yee)

Here is my favorite photo. We were inside an old victorian mansion, and after the ceremony all the girls took me inside to bustle my dress. I love the movement in it. The girl on the left is my best friend, and the lady on the right is my aunt, so it captures 2 more important people in my life.


Check back later today as we review the contest entries and start the voting!