Pin It to Win it!May. 23rd

We are hosting a Pin It to Win It contest!  Check out these great new wine bags from ClaireBella! Perfect for the wine lover and for toting your finest flavor to Picnic with the Pops! We are giving away a single and a double.  So cool and personalized, too!  Just follow these simple directions to be entered to win!

wine_bags

1.  Start a Pinterest board named: SusaBelle Boutique Giveaways

2.  Pin the image of the wine bags to your newly created board (ps:  this board will get plenty of use; more giveaways on the way!)

3..  Make sure to tag your pin: #SBB giveaways

3.  Email us a link to your board at:  hello@susabelleboutique.com

4.  A winner will be randomly drawn on June 1, 2013 from all those participating that emailed us the link to their Susabelle Boutique giveaway board!

Easy Peasy!  Let’s get started!

 

Happy Pinning and Goodluck!

Nemo’s {Favorite Day}!May. 2nd

My father loved the horses–well, not horses in the sense that we would frolic through the green pastures of West Virginia on them; but more fast horses–horses that would win money for him…not because he owned any; but because he loved to bet on the ponies!  My father was a great man and while he has been gone for nearly 22 years, never will a Kentucky Derby go by that I won’t remember how much he enjoyed an occasional wager on the likes of Secretariet and Seattle Slew.  He would do his research on each horse and then pick his favorite.  I can still hear him cheering for his horse…no, never at the actual Kentucky Derby, but in our living room, hollering at the tv–all for a $2.00 bet on a horse that made his day with a sprint around the track.

In deference to my sweet dad, here is a recipe for Mint Juleps.  Hopefully, he is at the big horsetrack in the sky with his brothers Ralph and Johnny and they are all  3 sipping a crisp, cool Julep from a frosty silver cup this Saturday afternoon.  Enjoy!

From Allrecipes.com

FOMIJU01

Original recipe makes 8 servings
  • 2 cups water

  • 2 cups white sugar

  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

  • 32 fluid ounces Kentucky bourbon

  • 8 sprigs fresh mint leaves for garnish

  • Directions

    1. Combine water, sugar and chopped mint leaves in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow syrup to cool, approximately 1 hour. Pour syrup through a strainer to remove mint leaves
    2. Fill eight cups or frozen goblets with crushed ice and pour 4 ounces of bourbon and 1/4 cup mint syrup in each. (Proportions can be adjusted depending on each person’s sweet tooth). Top each cup with a mint sprig and a straw. Trim straws to just barely protrude from the top of the cups. Serve juleps on a silver platter.

Highpoint {Highlights}Apr. 24th

The furniture and accessories market in Highpoint, North Carolina is the mecca of all things new and on-trend in the world of furniture and interior design.  To say it is “overwhelming” is an understatement. So, to narrow things down, the High Point Market has recruited top home fashion trendsetters to showcase their favorite products and top trends at this year’s show.

The 2013  official trendspotters were: Stacey Bawkes  (www.quintessenceblog.com/ Twitter: @quintessenceblg) Grant K. Gibson (www.grantkgibson.com/ Twitter: @GrantKGibson), Raina Kattelson (astylistslife.com/ Twitter: @astylistslife), Kelly Kole (blog.kandrac-kole.com Twitter: @KandracKole), Erin Loechner (Twitter: @erinloechner), Marisa Marcantonio, ( stylebeat.blogspot.com Twitter: @Stylebeat)  Lisa Mende (lisamendedesign.blogspot.com @lisamendedesign), Marilyn G. Russell (blog design-magnifique.com. Twitter: @Marilyn_Russell) and Michelle Jennings Wiebe (the Studio M design blog. interiorsbystudiom.com Twitter: @studiom). And these are my fave new finds from their picks:

From Michelle Jennings Wiebe: These fabulous lantern lights from Lowcountry Originals were one of Michelle’s picks.   Loving the bright colors and I think these would be perfect in an entry or in pairs over a large kitchen island.

michelle jenningsFrom Erin Loechner this “perfectly patterned” chair at CRLaine.com  chair

“Kelly green and bamboo on the Jardin Chair @bungalow5 gets Palm Beach right. Fret no more.” As spotted by Marisa Marcantonio, April 2013.

marisa Blue and white, my all time favorite, never goes out of style.  In fact, it seems to be making a come back.  Spotted at High Point by Stacey Bewkes.  Stacey goes on to say on Pinterest:  “Van Thiel has the best reproduction antique blue and white porcelain in the marketplace. I never tire of the timeless elegance that these pieces bring to any interior.”d204fee81342a05338e806b5086a27edThis is a clever little lamp by Arteriors and trendspotter Raina Kattelson just couldn’t seem to get enough of brushed brass this season. Check out the stitch detailing–Raina Kattelson loves it and so do I! pinterest.comGrant K. Gibson spied this small bench/ottoman in the trendy Ikat pattern.  I have been adding a splash of orange here and there around the house this year and this bench would work perfectly as an ottoman or under a sofa table for a punch of color. 3a7bb45f368b4f60b3d9755579c7e68eThis is a great twist on a bar.  Marilyn G. Russell thought so, too!  Loving the way it opens to reveal a fully stocked bar, but then hides away (and hopefully locks).  Check out the nail heads and leather trim.  Very masculine and on-trend! marilynLast but not least, my favorite pillow as spotted by Lisa Mende at the CRLaine showroom.  mendeCheck out all of the boards here on Pinterest.  While you are there find  Susabelle Boutique, too!  We love pinning great finds, recipe ideas, and cool things in general!  Join us!

{Company’s Coming} The Perfect RecipeApr. 21st

Here is a great recipe for entertaining friends.  This delicious New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Recipe is perfect since it can be prepared in advance and then popped in the oven while guests are having a few drinks and appetizers. I found this online, but can’t for the life of me remember which blog it came from.  I wrote it down but forgot to write down the blog.  If anyone knows, please share! Bon Appetit!

Spicy New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

2 pounds fresh jumbo shrimp

1/2 cup butter

4 tbsp Heinz Chili Sauce

3 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (hickory flavor)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp Tabasco

5 cloves garlic, minced

Add all ingredients-except shrimp-to a saucepan. Stir and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool. Arrange shrimp in an oven-proof casserole dish and pour the sauce over the shrimp.  Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; bake shrimp for 15-20 minutes. Serve with crusty french bread, new potatoes and crisp salad!  Delish!

922695_4676642434659_1210963857_n

 

 

You’ve heard of a {rain dance}….Apr. 1st

No matter where this blog post finds you, surely you have been hearing about our brutal Midwest winter this year.  I mentioned to a friend on Facebook that I have decided to ignore the nasty weather–as one would a temper tantrum from a child.  Instead, I am going to sing the praises of the sun…sort of like doing a rain dance…but for sunshine…

hello-sunshinethese fabulous “hello sunshine” note cards are sure to bring out a ray or two from someone’s smiling face. $18.00

beematches-rxHow about the sunny yellow on this matchbox– perfect to remind us that the sunshine is right around the corner.  Add it to your favorite candle for a pop of “wow”.  $4.25

The birds are back–I  hear them chirping every morning….I have to believe that nature knows what she is doing–sunshine can’t be too far away–but just in case…let’s dance for sun!

 

My {thoughts} for ThursdayFeb. 21st

There is a major winter storm about to unleash across a large portion of the country…and all I can think about is SUNSHINE.  Wherever you are, please don’t take too much longer…we are all counting on you  for sooner rather than later!

hello-sunshinethese boxed notes are on the way!  Way a great way to say hello!

It’s Wednesday! and it’s {what’s for dinner}Feb. 13th

Ash Wednesday…a promise of spring…of renewal…of faith…

The orange roughy is in the freezer…it needs to come out of the freezer and become something delicious by 5pm.  You see, I am not someone that does well with baking or cooking fish. I know I’m not alone in this category (Rachel Ray openly admits to not baking well) . Cooking fish, though, is different than baking.  Fish….fish scares me.

This is the recipe I am going with tonight.  It received 4.25 stars.  Read it…how can I mess this up?

1 1/4 lbs orange roughy fillets
1 teaspoon seasoning salt (or to taste)
pepper
paprika
3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine, melted
Directions:
1
Put fish fillets in a greased 11×7 inch baking dish.
2
Sprinkle with seasoned salt, pepper, and paprika.
3
Drizzle with melted butter.
4
Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily.Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-baked-orange-roughy-54112?oc=linkback
I added a sprinkle of Panko bread crumbs and a little more seasoning (it was poultry seasoning, but I figured “what the heck, if it’s good for the bird, it has to be good for the fish”).
Here it is before going in…
011so far, so good.
013Here is the finished product.  Looks like we have a third thing I don’t do well with:  food photos!
The Wednesday recipe was a hit!  Delicious, in fact. And so far, we are all still healthy.
Happy Wednesday, and as always,
Kind Regards,
Chris

a {chalkboard art} obsessionFeb. 12th

chairposter-rxObsessed….

not a word I use often, but one that best describes my sentiments for this new collection from Curly Girl.

I have been in this  business for quite some time.

It’s not surprising, then, that the word obsessed doesn’t come around all that often.

Frame one of the posters for the kitchen and you have an amazing piece of art!  Tie it all together with matting that coordinates with the room.

 

Happy Tuesday! And as always,

Kind Regards,

Chris