Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts

It is time for a new home!


 Mad Dream Design >>>>> Folk Dreams

 I have had so much fun on this blog! And I will continue to blog - just in a new home.

You can now find my new blog at folkdreams.com!

I am so excited to be on tumblr...I mostly like to post photos on this blog here, so tumblr makes it super easy for me to share all my photos (and travels) with you! I will one day have an official wordpress site, but for now tumblr will be home.

I hope you will come and join me there and follow along. You can find me and Folk Dreams (read more about my new business name here) at all the following places:

Maddie Spoto
www.maddiespoto.com
www.instagram.com/maddiespoto
www.twitter.com/maddiespoto
www.pinterest.com/maddiespoto
plus.google.com/+MaddieSpotoFolkDreams

Folk Dreams
www.folkdreamsjewelry.etsy.com
folkdreams.com (NEW BLOG!!!!)
www.facebook.com/folkdreams
www.twitter.com/folkdreams
www.instagram.com/flkdreamsjewelry

Follow Folk Dreams via Bloglovin'!

Happy travels!


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Our Thanksgiving!

I was so excited for this year's Thanksgiving for a number of reasons. One, it is one of my favorite holidays - a 4 day weekend, family, food and best of all - thankfulness. Two, we were having it our...for the first time. Third, it was my Dad's birthday...which makes it an even more special day.


I was so happy the weather turned out to be gorgeous here in Southern California for the day so we could eat outside. It was also perfect for BBQing the turkey. Jimi totally owned this task, and brined the turkey for 24 hours and grilled it to perfection.

We did a potluck style meal, because there are just some things we just love that our mom's are excellent at. We were all able to concentrate on one or two dishes, rather than everything all at once...it was so successful and a lot less stressful for all.

The Menu
The Main Course
BBQ Turkey - Jack Daniels Brine, charcoal grill, and hickory wood chips.
*The drawback to a BBQed Turkey - It can not be stuffed and you don't get drippings for the gravy.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes - I used this recipe!
Sweet Potatoes - drowning in a brown sugar butter, sauce these babies are my favorite!
*My mom does a killer job on this family recipe.
Stuffing - Jimi's Mom, Cathy, worked her magic making stuffing without the turkey.
Green Bean Salad - Mom knows how to make green beans delicious



The Extras
Cranberry Sauce - two different directions in cute mason jars, my mom had a traditional sauce and the a relish of sorts, both were amazing!
Gravy - With no drippings, I had to get creative, so I used this recipe. I turned out much better then I expected! Plus, it was so easy!

Drinks
Wine and Martinelli's Sparkling Cider are a Thanksgiving must, but I also made this lime-rosemary water for the table. Yum!




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52 Lists // Week 12 // Home

This week in the 52 List project we are thinking about what it means to be home.


"Home is where ever I'm with you."
- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

“I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here.”
- Lauren Myracle

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
- Gary Snyder

Home is a place of comfort, a safe haven from the world happening around us. It can be a person, a place, may places, and many people. I know I have more then one home. Then there are those wonderful things that feel like home and remind us of home, that are hard to live without, especially when we are away from that place. Here is a list of all the things that are home and feel like home.

Week 12
things that feel like home.


jimi hugs.  pets.
my bed.  memories.
my sister.
my parents.
NAC.  the ocean.
road trips.  my car.
a comfy sofa.  blankets.
my bed.  my pillow.
trees.  camping.
antiques.  photos.
art.  historic paintings.
the sound of cooking.
the smell of cinnamon.
the color white.  green.
christmas.  artichokes.
the sun on my skin.
a breathe of fresh air.
maple cabinets.
my creations.
flannel. cozy fires.
red.  enamelware.
the beach.  hot chocolate.
the smell of coffee in the morning.
pride and prejudice.
mammoth in the summer.
the california coast.

The kitchen always ends up being the heart of a home...I know ours is, we spend so much time there. Growing up in my parents house...it was all about the open downstairs living space...all center around the kitchen. So a lot of things that feel like home have to do with these two places...the colors, maple cabinets, antiques, cooking, food, sofas and big blankets to snuggle up to a fire with.

Nature has always felt far more like home then any building, besides my own house, that is where I want to be.  Whether I am on the water, in my car with all the windows down and sunroof open, or in the woods exploring...these places feel like home. But really none of these place would be the same without the people I have experienced them all with.


That is when people become home...my parents house will always be home because of the memories and relationships built there with my family. My sister will forever be my soul mate, because miles can never move those feelings of home with family. But then what about the new life we make for ourselves outside of our families...those become home too and eventually another family is created. Place like NAC for the community and escape it offers and then a new house, the one I have made with Jimi. This home took a little bit getting used...possibly about 2 years, but now it is my home, not only because it holds my bed, my pets and my creations, but it also holds my heart. This is not about a place, it is about a person. Jimi...one kiss to forget the world, one hug to send it all away and one look to know that this is what home looks like.


I found this list to be comforting and one that I can see growing over my lifetime as new people, places and things become familiar and eventually home. It is an ever present reminder of what is truly important in this life. So, what feels like home to you? I am looking forward to what everyone comes up with.



Enjoy home!

 52 Lists Project with Moorea Seal


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52 Lists Project // Week 10

52 Lists Project with Moorea Seal

Week 10
the ways you can cleanse for spring.

yoga once a week.
organize my photos - redo hallway photos.
organize my external hard drive. oh boy.
paint the bathroom and the guest bedroom.
take a camp trip with Jimi and Ozzie.
take longer walks with Ozzie. (when his knee feels better)
get a little vitamin D.
mop the floors.
buy bookkeeping software!
get all of our music (CDs) on to the computer. le sigh.
hang our hammock....ahem (Jimi).
sew a few things that need mending.
breathe in the fresh air.
eat healthier.
decorate for spring.
get a pedicure.
keep running/walking.
figure out a composting bin. install it.
fountains and wood wind chimes for our yards. i need those sounds in my life...now.
polish my wood furniture.
family time.

Okay I love cleaning...it is one of my favorite things to do when I am mad or I just need to clear my head. So you are not going to see a ton of typical cleaning things on my list. The kitchen is almost always clean and so is my desk/bench. I spent a lot of time in the second half of last year organizing everything in our house. I am most did a series of posts on it...but it was just way to much to share. There are still a few spots that need help, but for the most part everything has its home and that makes me really happy...I know I am weird. :)

Not all spring cleansing has to do with cleaning. There are those good self care items that go such a long way when we do them regularly or even occasionally as a boost. Then there are always those constant reminders that go on every list - like eat healthier and take longer walks - I must sound like a broken record toward myself.

What are some of your favorite spring cleansing tasks?

The Challenge
this week I will spring cleanse by....
getting a little Vitamin D...there is suppose to be so much sun this week in SoCal.
(i feel like this may be cheating....)

Enjoy!


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Getting in my Pinterest fill...

Today I am a bit obsessed with the home decor category of Pinterest.  I want it all for my own home, but if I were to have it all style would be lost, because I am never able to decide on just one style.  At my house each room seems to be different and I have that constant feeling of clutter.  I think it is safe to say I need more white in my life and that I need to simplify.  It is on the to do list.  For now I am just going to drool all over my keyboard, gawking at these gorgeous finds!  Check out the rest of my finds on my Pinterest page!  Enjoy!






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My posse...of cats


Poppy aka. Princess Poppy or Cat Statue


Paco aka. Paco Buddy

Yota aka. Yodddeeeerss


These three light up my life. All for different reasons, since they have such strong, independent personalities, that I never knew existed!

First of all I have to say, I was a dog person. But this dog person, fell in love with not one cat, but three cats, and she fell hard. These are my kids for now, and yes they are spoiled and have the whole guest bedroom to themselves. Can you say first world problem cats?

The thing is I had no idea what was coming to me when I adopted Paco and Poppy from a stray mama cat that had just had kittens. The mama cat was pregnant, and was taken in by a family that gave all the kittens away in pairs and kept her in the end. Six months later we came across Yota...short for Toyota...trapped in the engine bay of my roommates Toyota. She had taken a drive and had survived the freeway, a hot engine and moving parts without a scratch! Once we got her out, her stray family would not take her back. So we kept her, she was only 6 weeks old at the time. And now she lives high on the hog, with no desire to ever leave the house again. Paco and Poppy, have grown up together with a very live curiosity and playfulness. The Daytona 500 takes place in our house weekly, with them doing hot laps and ending with a major crash and a victorious winner.

What I did not see coming was the love, the fun, the expressions, and the personalities a cat can bring. A dog brings the same things to the table, just in a different way. I've had the pleasure of learning in the past 2 years how a cat can be just as rewarding as a dog.

This dog person is now very much a cat and dog person.

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Spring is here!

Spring is here in Southern California and the flowers in my front gardens are exploding with color and fragrance!

We have about 20 rose bushes in our front yard separating the grass from the sidewalk. This is my rose garden. We have lived at our house for about 2 years now and they are one of my favorite things about it. They are hardy, gorgeous and bloom year round!

My other garden in the front yard, is the front porch planter that stretches the full length of our porch...this is what needs TLC and is the next project on my list. My amaryllis seem to be doing just fine.
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Dream House

Check out this new house on Design*Sponge.

This is what I would like my house to look like someday :)

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/04/sneak-peek-heather-paul-of-spool-no-72.html


with this kind of view too...amazing!


Enjoy!
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Design*Sponge

I am completely obsessed with Design*Sponge.

The person who told me about it first was my mom and thanks to her I now spend way too much time in the sneak peek section which is a sneak peek into the interiors of amazing artists, collectors, designers, and architects homes. Most of them are either very well known or respected or are very up and coming so these interiors are always amazing to say the least but they still feel like a home which is so wonderful to see.

So if you have never been to this blog I suggest checking it out...there is more to it then just the sneak peek section.

www.designspongeonline.com

Enjoy!
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Home Envy



I love Maria Garuti's home. So classic, simple and chic. check it out on Design*Sponge sneak peaks section here:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/02/sneak-peek-maria-garuti-of-vintage-simple.html

Enjoy!
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Staycation

For the first post of year I am confessing my new obsession with Sunset magazine...

www.sunset.com

First of all they are all about living here in the west which is great because we do love living here, right???

They have everything from traveling to Utah for a canyoning excursion to exploring the apple orchards of Oak Glen, California...day trip anyone???

Then comes the design stuff..need I say more. Things like gardening, creating the perfect outdoor space as your escape from the world to making your house a home inside out.

Lastly comes the food. Some good stuff for any occasion that definitely makes me hungry.

For a closing thought...they are all about local beauty...where you live in the most beautiful place in the world you just have to get out there and find it (they give you all the info you need you just have to go do it) and it might just be your own backyard. Even though it is a little late considering it is already February! but here is to a new year of celebrating where you live and supporting local sellers, artists, and cities. And to being at home and loving it... with a few vacations here and there to places you have been dying to go to forever even though they may just be a weekend trip away.

Happy New Year and have fun being home!
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