Pepper Design Blog

Valentine’s Love Bites

Thank you for letting me share with you a little about the love of a special family yesterday. Fitting that Valentine’s Day and all things *love* is just around the corner, no?

Here’s a clever theme idea for a Valentine’s Day party: Love Bites. Whether it’s you and the girls (and you’re all boycotting boys) or it’s a couples/family party and everyone is assigned a finger food (little love bites in the dessert form), here’s a delicious recipe by Dricoll’s to get you started. Mmmmm.

Deliciousness.

More Valentine’s Day inspiration (including party themes, decorations and recipes) here. And don’t forget to follow the jump for the above recipe. Read more »

Home for the Holidays

Since this is our very first Christmas at home (we usually travel to one of our original hometowns) we’re opening up the house for family to come and visit us!

My family arrived just yesterday afternoon and I had just a bit of time to add a few final touches to our Christmas decor. I wouldn’t have worried about it considering the mall madness this time of the year, but I came across this feathered wreath on a recent outing which reminded me very much of these DIY trees. Plus at 50% off at Z Gallerie, I just couldn’t resist.

A bit of ribbon and two thumbtacks on the reverse of these frames for hanging and our bathroom received a bit of Christmas cheer.

This is definitely a doable DIY project as well, the wreath is actually made of styrofoam (hello Michaels or Joanns) and the feathers are layered just as the trees are. That added glitter detail is fun too. Note: if you attempt to tackle this on your own, choose the lightest wreath material possible. The thumbtack trick was great but definitely wouldn’t work for a thicker, heavier wreath base.

I tackled a bit of holiday baking earlier this month and these cookies were delicious! I highly recommend this Ultimate Ginger Cookie recipe for a cookie exchange or just nibbling around the house. Those big chunks of crystallized ginger seal the deal.

AND before I leave you today, check out this really neat time capsule ornament idea (thanks for sharing, Anna!). I think I might start this tradition with my little one next year – what a great way to capture the memories (I would insert funny words, phrases, likes and dislikes, etc.) of your kids as they grow up.

Can you believe it… tomorrow’s Christmas!

Getting Ready for House Guests

Tis the season for house guests – this time of the year can feel like a swinging door with family and friends coming in and out for Christmas parties, Thanksgiving dinners and long weekends. I love it.

It can be nice to have your home back after a few days of craziness, but it can be so fun and special to host out-of-towners. Board games, giant jig saw puzzles by the fire and early mornings sharing the newspaper – just a few things I love about family in town.

I was thinking about what I can pull together to help guests feel cozy and special: soft towels stacked and easy to find, fresh flowers on the dresser, scented candles (I cheat and light them about an hour before expecting guests so the house smells like the holidays), a basket of toiletries (I keep a basket ready with little hotel shampoos, soaps, razors, etc to make it easy for guests to hunt down what they have forgotten), a collection of teas by the bedstand (they can help themselves in the morning or afternoon), fresh reading material (paper backs or new magazines – not the three year old versions), an extra blanket for the night, several hangers and maybe even a couple of drawers to unpack, an alarm clock and lotion by the bed.

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BeSpoke shares a delicious recipe to have ready:

Pumpkin Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups pumpkin puree, 4 eggs beaten, 3/4 cup canola oil, 3/4 cup applesauce, 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup coconut flakes, 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then spray muffin tin with nonstick oil. Whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, applesauce and sugar until smooth. Combine all dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Fold in coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Pour batter into muffin tins, then bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool, then enjoy!

Oh delicious!

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We don’t have a guest room at the moment (with the nursery taking its place) so putting a few extra goodies together for guests is even more special (since they’ll be couchin’ or air mattressen’ it for a while). That very top image is beautiful inspiration for a future addition – ditto on the deliciousness for that too.