Pepper Design Blog

Wardrobe Style Boards: Welcome, Anna Kate!

June 11, 2012

Very excited to share with you all today that we have a new style board contributor coming on board! You all know that that little Wardrobe Style Boards button there in the left sidebar (smooshed between ‘Entertaining’ and ‘Organizing’) is a favorite of mine… but that it does not receive as much love as it should.

I’ve had the privilege of slowly introducing a few style board contributors with the hopes that they will help me keep that little wardrobe gallery (check it all out here, or click on that pink button at any time) up to date and well stocked.

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Anna Kate, whose style I’ve always adored and who – despite being weeks away from welcoming her first son! – is joining me here today to introduce herself and her first round of style boards (two are maternity, which I think is doubly awesome). PS AK is originally from the south (yay for wonderful y’alls and accents!), now lives in Tempe, Arizona with her husband Ray, and blogs about everything life over here. (And yes, people tell us we look a lot alike ).

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Hi y’all! I was so pleased when Morgan asked me to contribute to the style board section of her blog! I’ve been a big fan of this blog for some time now, so I feel really honored to be a part of it! My husband Ray and I were married in September, and found out we were pregnant just about 4 weeks later. We are (im)patiently awaiting our little one’s arrival in just a few short weeks, and working overtime trying to get everything ready for him! In the midst of a last minute kitchen remodel, a full-time job (can’t WAIT for maternity leave!), and struggling to get around with my enormous belly, creating these style boards for you has been a welcome respite. I hope y’all enjoy them!

Anna Kate & Ray on their wedding day, surprising everyone with their special announcement, Christmas, 8 months later, AK + sisters + mom at her shower

And on to the style boards!

I spent the first few months of my pregnancy searching for clothes that didn’t feel like your typical high-function, low-style maternity clothes. But after trying on countless black dresses and frumpy ruched t-shirts, I started to feel really discouraged. And then, while browsing Pinterest, I came across asos.com. This online British shop has so much to choose from for maternity- lots of trendy pieces, but also really great classics (like skinny jeans!). And their shipping options are amazing- 2 day shipping for just $12, or free shipping both ways, so if something doesn’t fit, just send it back, no charge! This was key for me when shopping online for maternity.

When you’re pregnant, especially REALLY pregnant, you don’t always feel all that cute. In fact, sometimes you feel downright UNcute! But even on my darkest days, a colorful outfit can somehow manage to change my mood and make me feel like my old self again. So, my first two boards feature brightly colored maternity pieces from ASOS that I find myself running to whenever I need to feel a little less frumpy and a little more.. normal!

(Above) This grey top may look like any other simple t-shirt, but it is my favorite piece in my closet at the moment. It goes with everything, and is so soft and thin- PERFECT for summer time. I paired it with bright, trendy skinny jeans and a colorful, chunky necklace, because sometimes a girl just needs a little color to make her feel pretty! I’ve been eyeing this little morse coded bracelet from COATT- I want one with my little one’s name on it! I think this would make such a sweet gift for a new mom.

(Below) For this outfit, I wanted to go with something simple. This yellow dress over a big pregnant belly will really stand out, so I wanted to pair it with more neutral accessories. I’m a firm believer in flats, especially during pregnancy, and I love this pair because they look like the leather will stretch and breathe a little on swollen feet. Y’all know every woman needs a good sun hat, and I love this one from Anthropologie. It’s simple and sweet, and goes with everything! I wanted to do a great clutch, like this little wicker beauty from JCrew, because let’s face it- once your baby is born it might be a while before you can carry just a small handbag again!

For my next two outfits, I wanted to build around pieces that I would really love to wear if I wasn’t pregnant. I wouldn’t dream of squeezing my body into these beautiful white shorts at the moment, but I’ve been secretly day-dreaming about them! Again I wanted to go with some pops of color, since it is summer after all. You may notice I’ve featured a lot of jewelry from Anthropologie throughout my style boards. I couldn’t help it- they have so many beautiful pieces right now, and some really great stuff for under $50! This necklace is a bit of a splurge at $142, but I can picture it with almost everything in my wardrobe, so I think it would be well worth it. And can we talk about this bag?! I love it so much, I just ordered one for myself (don’t tell my husband!). It feels like a steal at only $56, and I can imagine wearing it with so many things.

Here’s another outfit I can’t wait to try out after the baby is born! I love this simple little dress. It features flattering stripes, and the prettiest cutout and pleating in the back. I picture it looking so beautiful and sweet with delicate jewelry and beachy, soft waves in your hair- the perfect look for a laid back, easy date night. And these pretty yellow heels spice it up without making it too dressy.

That’s all for now! I can’t wait to come back next month with more summer inspiration, and hopefully some tips for dressing a post-baby body!

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Thanks so much, Anna Kate! Very excited to have you here and love, love these boards!

As always, you can find ALL sourcing (including brands, pricing, etc in the gallery itself.)

Tags: Blue, Green, Pink, Red, Yellow
Posted in Anna Kate's Style Boards, Wardrobe | 4 Comments »

Balloon Bunch Cupcakes & a Baby Shower

June 4, 2012

Happy Monday! I thought I’d share a fun cupcake idea that I put together for a friend’s baby shower recently. Who doesn’t love lollipops and cupcakes? And when the two candy and cake worlds collide?

Inspired by a little blurb I saw in a Parenting Magazine article on creative cupcake toppers, I made balloon bunch cupcakes out of little dum dum lollipops using my favorite buttercream icing and rainbow nonpareils.

Yum!

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Balloon Bunch Cupcakes
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Materials: Cooled cupcakes, icing (store bought or homemade – see recipe below), rainbow nonpareils (round sprinkles) – any color would be fun!, dum dum lollipops, ribbon

I usually love a great homemade cupcake but on this particular day I saved myself a bit of time by using a boxed mix (a delicious lemon raspberry or homemade red velvet would have been very fun for this particular design!). To make things a little interesting, I split my cupcake batter into two different portions, half with a few drops of red food coloring and half as the original vanilla mix.

Plop of vanilla, plop of pink, plop of vanilla plus a toothpick to swirl it up! I recommend filling cupcake liners to just over half way so that you have a nice flat icing surface to work with.

While these guys are in the oven, it’s on to the frosting. I didn’t skimp here, this is my favorite homemade buttercream and it’s buttery delicious! Sweet enough to bring out a great flavor but a version that won’t immediately melt in the sun on you, which is important for buttercream icing + outdoor parties. Though I’m not sure I’d be daring enough to use it on a cake in direct sunlight…

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature, cut into small pieces), 3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, pinch of salt, 1 vanilla bean, scraped, 1 t pure vanilla extract, 1/4 cup milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat to combine, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Slowly add milk and continue beating on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Favorite recipe from right here.

Pastry bags are wonderful, but I tend to use a gallon zip lock bag 99% of the time because of easy clean up (just toss that bag out when you’re through!). I simply cut a 1/3 of an inch off the end of the bag and fill it up with buttercream using a spatula.

These cupcakes involve two layers of icing, the bottom layer is a disk of buttercream and the top layer will be smooshed into sprinkles so that it is completely covered. To achieve that effect, pipe a single layer onto each cupcake by gently squeezing the ziplock bag to create an even spiral of icing, working from the outside in. You might try practicing on a paper plate if you’re limited on cupcakes.

Moving one circular ring from the outside in, I added a second smaller icing disk for that second layer.

Then upside down it goes into the sprinkle bath. You really want to smooth that top layer flat so don’t be afraid to apply a bit of pressure. Of course you could also skip the idea of two layers and just smoosh it all the way around the icing for a fun look!

Here’s the second layer covered in sprinkles while that bottom disk is still visible.

The last step is to add three unwrapped dum dums lollipops in a bunch, tying a ribbon around one before hand.

So colorful!

These would be really fun for a kids birthday party, or you could color coordinate your sprinkles and lollipops so that it matches a themed baby or bridal shower.

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The baby shower was so much fun. Our good friend Trish did a beautiful job creating a lovely brunch for the mom-to-be! Favorite details of mine were the varying shades of tinted glass vases and an adorable game that required everyone to bring a baby picture. Can you tell which is me? Just like Liv’s photo, and yes, a little oversized.

Another favorite were these adorable wooden cars that we each painted. I believe Trish found them online at the Oriental Trading party store, and then made the little shadowbox to house them!

It’s hard to see in this next photo collage on the upper right, but that is a little handmade dinosaur sweatshirt by this blogger. Michelle has promised to post a tutorial on how to add the dinosaur spikes to a cute little zip up! (she also made these adorable onesies)

Great job, Trish! We all had so much fun.

Tags: Baby Shower, Blue, Crafty Solutions, Decorating, Desserts, Kids Party, Orange, Parties & Entertaining, Patterns & Color, Red, Tutorial, Yellow
Posted in Family & Friends, Parties & Entertaining | 41 Comments »

A Spring Bridal Shower for Knitting Lovers

April 13, 2012

I came across this beautiful photoshoot and I had to share. It’s absolutely stunning! I love the creativity that went into the beautiful tablescapes, floral displays and vignettes surrounding an unusual medium – yarn! As a knitter myself, I think it’s especially cool. For non-knitters, you have to love where this vintage, desert-setting, Spring-time party leads you.

This would be beautiful inspiration for a bridal shower – though it would be equally stunning as a baby shower, chic birthday or vintage wedding.

Those giant spools of thread! The browns, peaches, mustards, pinks and sage greens of the florals…

The entire shoot evokes a rustic, natural, organic feel in the styling:

Look at those colors together.

The knitting needle plate setting (above) is adorable, and the embroidery hoops wrapped in yarn (below) is a wonderfully creative backdrop for the party.

Other creative uses for incorporating knitting and yarn: wrapping the placemats, lining the lowest level of the tiered cake, adding buttons to the floral arrangements and wrapping the silverware.