Apple Kale Salad Recipe

It’s been a while since I shared a recipe. I’ve been catching up on a lot of my favorite Atlanta restaurants since I’ve been back and trying out some new ones. Tasting Table wrote about Atlanta’s food scene the other day calling it the dining capital of the South, and I have to agree. There are really some amazing restaurants here that rival some of my favorites in New York, and once the Buckhead Atlanta development is finished, we’ll be getting around 13 more restaurants with a lot of them heralding from New York. Next week, I’ll be sharing a review of a new seafood restaurant in Midtown, Lure, that we tried this week. Until then, this is my current favorite kale salad.

Ingredients

1 bag, 10 oz, of Kale

1/4 cup Pecans

1/4 cup Golden Raisins

1 apple thinly sliced Granny Smith apples

1/4 cup Blue Cheese crumbles

Honey-Apple Cider Vinegar

Dressing

1 cup EVOO

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup honey

½ tsp chopped scallions

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients besides the dressing in a bowl.

To make the dressing, start with dijon mustard. Add EVOO in increments and stir to fully combine. Add vinegar and honey and mix until blended. Add scallions, salt and pepper and stir. Add desired amount to lettuce combination and toss.

With So Many To Choose From...I Choose Forgiveness

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Currently

It's been a while since I've done a "Currently" on Decor-Eat. If you missed the first one, the idea is to post about things you’re thinking about and doing as a way to round up what's really inspired you or what you really enjoy recently.

Reading: Divergent, by Veronica Roth. I think it’s safe to say that I get every book recommendation from my sister. She teaches kids, and really has here ear to the ground on popular books. While I make regular trips to furniture and antique stores, she does the same with Barnes and Noble. If you aren’t familiar with the Divergent series, it’s similar to The Hunger Games in the sense that it’s about a dystopia society and the book explores the social and political structures through the eyes of a heroine. It’s been two days and I have about 50 pages left if that’s any indication.

Listening To: Ok try not to judge me on this one, but I was recently introduced to this mobile application called Frat Music. The app allows users to submit their own playlists, play any son you want as many times as you want and skip without a limit.

Thankful For: My new job, and how much I am enjoying being back in Atlanta. My friends and the long weekend spent visiting my favorite place, Pawleys Island, and of course my family.

Thinking About: Trying out my first upholstery project. I have wanted to try my hand at upholstery for a little over a year now and haven’t mustered up the courage to take the plunge. My parents are two arm less lounge chairs at home that desperately need reupholstering. I think my first step will be to see if the chair’s size and shape is a good fit for the new apartment.

Eating: Summer staple meals - Spicy Tomato Basil Grilled Shrimp, Seared Tuna Salad with Wasabi Lime Vinaigrette, Mandarin Orange Summer Salad and Mexican as always.

Loving: 

Had Enough Of: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wedding

Looking Forward To: Our upcoming week long vacation at Pawleys Island with the whole family including my nephew's first beach trip.

What's on your currently list? Comment below or link to your blog post.

Memorial Day Weekend Deals!

I'm telling you, summertime is the time to move and decorate a home. There are deals everywhere starting in April and now Memorial Day sales? Chances are your favorite store has some kind of deal going on today, so check it out. I am most excited by Wisteria's sale today - 25% off everything on site. They have a huge collection of home decor furniture, lamp accents and more. I've had my eyes on this awesome Secretary chest (ONE) that looks like a chest and opens to have a blue apothecary drawer style inside. LOVE! TWO and THREE and EIGHT Lulu & Georgia is offering 25% off through Monday on all site items. I love these floral vases color and botanical look, and gold antique tray. FOUR, FIVE and SIX I couldn't help including more items from Wisteria here. Their stuff is amazing! Plus, they have a lucite trunk! SEVEN Local blog, Waiting on Martha is having a fun sale this weekend - 20% off everything red, white and blue. And yes,this navy piggy bank like my gold one counts! 

Happy Long Weekend Everyone!

A Twist On Your Average Garden Stool

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Garden stools have long been a staple of Southern decor. In my house growing up we had a garden stool in the living and family rooms serving as a low to the ground and convenient side table that could be placed nearly inconspicuously next to a chair. Then last year, one of my favorite Aussie digital decor magazines featured interior decorator, Sally Rhys-Jones's, entryway. It's been pretty much a year and I still remember it so let's just say her use of an oversized champagne cork as a garden stool stuck out. 

Adore Magazine 

Her space was awesome - traditional. chic, eclectic with a Parisian flare- all  things I love. It got me thinking how cool a cork stool is. A little 'Honey I Shrunk The Kids', but unique.and interesting. So, today, I'm sharing some options and thinking about adding one of these suckers to my new abode. Turns out I have a shelf really similar to Sally's it can sit next to.

ONE Cork & Craft Cork Stool // TWO Cork Champagne Stool // THREE Giant Champagne Cork Screw // FOUR Vitra Cork Stool C // FIVE Wine Cork Stool Accessories XL

I am so looking forward to the long weekend and a much needed beach trip. We're almost there!

IKEA Hack Gold Etagere

Happy Hump Day Everyone! In honor of hump day, I'm sharing my latest DIY project. It's one of my favorite kinds, an IKEA hack.

Every now and then a piece of IKEA furniture really blows up among the DIY community. Last it was the RAST dresser, and now the VITTSJO series. The series offers a lot of great pieces to redo from coffee tables to shelving units. I picked the single shelf to redo for our living room since it's the perfect size for the wall next to the couch.

This do-it-yourself project is really simple, and just requires some time and patience. 

Here's what you'll need:

Cost around $25

And the VITTSJO shelf from IKEA 

Cost - $40

The first step is to prime all of the pieces.

Next, spray each piece with the metallic gold spray from every angle and allow to dry. I did about 2 coats with just the one can. I used a painter's mat and wore a face mask to make sure I didn't get any spray paint on the ground and didn't inhale the fumes. You can also wear protective eye wear.

 Once dry, you will need to assemble the piece following the instructions and spray the heads of the black screws that show. Once all pieces are gold, spray all of them with the shellac finish, and let dry.

Here's the color and texture up close.

That's it! The hardest part for me was really just finding the time between a new job and new home to get outside and spray the pieces through all the steps. I love the end product and it fits perfectly in our new space. I decorated the shelves with items we already had and a few birthday presents (see pig and hostess book). I love the look of this kind of shelf with a lot of magazines or books, so I'll be collecting those of the next few months to add to it.

In other news, our building took the sign down from our window and we now have an amazing view of the city!

The Midas Touch - Gold Etagere

Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I've been working on an IKEA hack. My latest obsession has been the vittsjo hack from a black bookcase to a glamorous gold one. I'll be sharing my update Wednesday as this week's Hump Day Home Makeover, but until then...my inspiration.

Better Homes & Gardens 

Better Homes and Gardens

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Lonny

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Friday Favorites

ONE // blue and white are such a classic combo - love the look of this navy plum jar from Furbish Studio for $150. TWO // This is probably my favorite item I've seen this week. I love this idea of a natural wood coffee table from Jayson Home. This style table is also in an end table. THREE // Love the gold and marble combination in this piece with the French surrealism flair from Jonathan Adler. FOUR // This bright and colorful tribal rug caught my eye this week. Great mix of colors from Domino Magazine. FIVE // There's nothing quite like an in style piece at a steal price from Target for $90. SIX // A few aviation influenced pieces caught my eye this week like these airplane coasters from One Kings Lane. Unfortunately the sale ended, but I wouldn't be surprised if they popped back into a sale soon.

Apartment Update II

The other week, I shared a few pieces I was happy to find for the apartment, but today I'm excited to share how the living room is really coming together. I had a hard time deciding on what rug to pick, if you all remember, for the living room. So I picked two! 

Ok, but seriously, I went to nearly every store that sells rugs in Atlanta (that may be an exaggeration, Atlanta has thousands of wonderful home decor stores), but let's just say I went to a lot. And I found way too many beautiful rugs. I finally decided on getting a natural rug like a jute (it's softer than sisal), and layering a cowhide over it. One piece of advice I will give to people looking for rugs is you have to actually touch the rug in person. I went to Myers Carpet knowing they'd have a large selection of natural rugs for me to choose from, and turns out I'm allergic to them. So, it was back to the drawing board. I ended up picking this hand-tufted trellis rug that was one of my rug backups. It's soft to the touch and I love it! The double lined trellis print mixed with the different sized patterns makes it unique.

I still loved the idea of a cowhide, so I took two out on approval and tried them over the gray rug. This is another tip I will suggest if you're looking for a rug. Make sure you take it home and try it in the space. If you can't decide between two in the store, take both home and test them in your space. The one I liked in store wasn't the right color in my space. 

The coffee table itself was by far the easiest piece for me to pick for the room. Due to the size of the room, and my current obsession with lucite, it was a great solve for a table that gives the illusion of not taking up space. For the coffee table tray, I felt like the room needed some natural wood to balance out the modern pieces. I picked this tray up at Home Goods for under $20! 

I also found this awesome mini trunk there too for a similar price. I love the copper finish, and may go back for another (fingers crossed it's still there).

Couldn't help but share another picture of my antique rug now that I have my DSLR again. This thing is probably still my favorite piece in the apartment.

And last but not least, my new piggy bank CT gave me for my birthday! I'm still working on finding the right home for this guy.

Resources
Sofa: Vanguard Furniture, ADAC Sample Sale (similar)
Coffee Table: CB2 (love this too)
Tray: Home Goods
Candle: Home Goods
Trellis Rug: Designer Rug Warehouse (located on the Westside in Horizon Home)
Cowhide: Westside Foundry
Domino Book of Decorating: Anthropologie
Copper Trunk: Home Goods
Antique Rug: eSaleRugs (Currently have a 50% off sale!)
Piggy Bank:  Bday Present (can be found at Furbish Studio)

A Birthday Surprise

This morning I woke up to my fiancé placing a large box on the end of the bed. The outside of the box had the silhouette of a pig, and I knew instantly what it was. Talk about a great wake up call on my birthday!

via Mini Velvet

About a year ago, CT and I were in Charleston for Labor Day and ended up shopping at Michael Mitchell. At the time Michael Mitchell carried the Harry Allen piggy bank in pretty much any color possible, and I was obsessed. 

I'm really excited to add my new pig to my decor, and have found a lot of great inspiration from fellow bloggers. The pig makes the perfect jewelry stand and decoration, but I'm not so sure about as a piggy bank. Today, I read that the bank holds up to $10,000 in dollar bills. So, tonight I made a big deal about how we could use the piggy as a place to start saving for a honeymoon. I put a dollar bill in, and most importantly tested getting it out. Let's just say if you ever managed to save up $10,000 you'd probably end up breaking the pig and buying a new one before you pulled out every bill.

Style Me Pretty

i suwannee

Luxe + Lillies

Sally Wheat Interiors

 Lindsay von Hagel

Don't forget to check back tomorrow! I'll be sharing an update on the apartment!

Currently Coveting

This weekend I finally picked a rug! I'll be sharing an update on the apartment on Wednesday, but for now I've already moved onto picking out the stools for the counter top. My favorite stools I've seen so far are these Arteriors wooden and iron from Horchow, a definite splurge. But, aren't they lovely?

John Maniscalco Architecture

EAG Studio

Natalie Fuglestveit Interior Design

Tom Stringer Design Partners

EAG Studio

John Maniscalco Architecture

Decor Item of The Week: Lucite Trunks

Houzz

Lonny Magazine April/May 2010

Houzz

HomePolish

HGTV Serenbe "Green" Home

SPLURGE



STEAL