A Southern Adventure

blackberry farm1

I’m packing for an early flight tomorrow. I’ll be heading to the beautiful state of Tennessee to visit the famous Blackberry Farm and attend the International Biscuit Festival. That’s right, an entire festival devoted to biscuits! Can you imagine?

blackberry farm5

I’ll be sure to take lots of pics for you because….

Blackberry-Biscuit-Brunch-682x1024

If you know of any other “can’t miss” stops in the Knoxville area, I’d love to hear about them!
And I’ll be sharing some of my adventure on Instagram if you care to follow along.
See you in the South!

22 Comments   May 14, 2013

Happy Weekend

satmorning

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
And for those of you celebrating Mother’s Day, may you enjoy every moment…as we all know, it’s well deserved. I’ll be spending time with my daughter, sisters and Mom. We have lots of birthdays added to the mix this weekend…should be lots of fun with all that girl power!

Image via The Klein

4 Comments   May 10, 2013

Brit + Co = Brit’s Picks!

makers copy

Many of you probably know of Brit + Co. It’s a fabulously creative site dedicated to all things Diy, Style, Living, Food, and Tech. They recently launched Brit’s Picks, a new brand new way to discover the best Diy, projects, and makers across the web.
They hand selected 25 partners and will be adding more over time. This included some of their personal favorite creative minds on the web that have a unique style and quality to their work. Each of these makers will have their own channel on Brit + Co. which will consistently feature their latest projects and/or recipes, giving you a one-stop shop for the best, most up-to-date creative inspiration from all around the web.

britspicks2

I’m so happy to be included in that 25 and look forward to adding fun, easy projects and delicious recipes to my channel….plus seeing what all the other creatives are doing! I’ve already found a few “new to me” sites filled with inspiring content.

Be sure to check out Brit + Co…they provide new content daily and even have a fantastic app with all the latest content. Perfect for inspiration on the go!

Leave a Comment   May 9, 2013

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

heatherbullard_raspcake-102

This coffee cake would be the perfect sweet ending to a Mother’s Day brunch…or any brunch really. It’s a delicate, buttery cake, packed full of raspberry goodness with a hint of almond. And if there’s any left, it makes quite the treat for breakfast, with cup of hot tea or coffee alongside.

heatherbullard_raspcake-101

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

2 cups fresh raspberries
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ spring form pan, set aside. In a standing mixer, cream butter, then add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, while mixing. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and sour cream. Mix until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, then add to wet ingredients 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until blended.

Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the bottom of the pan. Use a spatula coated with cooking spray to help spread into the pan. Add raspberry jam and spread evenly over batter. Sprinkle with 1 cup of fresh raspberries. Top with remaining batter, spread using the spatula coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/2 cup of sliced almonds. Bake 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. You may want to test the center of the cake using a toothpick. When it comes out clean, it’s done.

For the Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Remove cake from pan. Combine ingredients and drizzle over the cake. Top with remaining cup of fresh raspberries or serve some in a bowl for guests to add. Enjoy!

heatherbullard_raspcake-103

12 Comments   May 8, 2013

Grove House: Exterior Inspiration

stylemeprettyhouse

 I’ve always loved white houses with black shutters, they appear timeless to me, and never seem to go out of style. For the design of Grove House, this was the exterior I wanted to create. Defining the exact architectural style was a bit more tricky, since I’m drawn to both farmhouse and cape cod style homes. So our architect helped us create a hybrid of the two.

hausbau

The house will actually be single story, but with dormers that will give the appearance of a second floor. And it will have long extended porches on both the front and back of the house.

white farmhouse

We’ve decided on a gray slate tile roof to accent the white cement siding and black shutters. I think it will provide enough contrast and not compete with the other colors.

The studio will have small porches at both entrances. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there will be a Dutch door for the front entrance and French doors at the back, extending out into the gardens. I hope they create a warm welcome for visitors.

housescoll

The process of designing the home has actually been easier than I thought it would be. I think it’s because I’ve spent years tearing out magazine spreads, bookmarking images (before Pinterest)…learning what really appeals to me and how we want to live in our new place.
Putting the plan into action might be a different story. Fortunately, I’m married to the guy who builds stuff for a living. Love him to pieces and wouldn’t want to do it without him.

Images: 1. Style Me Pretty 2. Haus Bau 3. The Ripple of Hope
4. Country Living 5. Spitzmiller & Norris

14 Comments   May 7, 2013
«Older Posts