Modern House Minimalist Design

Small homes designs ideas.

Yikes, i s it the last day of February already, how did that happen?? Time really flies, speaking of, this Ellie-Style is from a few weeks ago when Andy and I biked around Sonoma tasting wine. It was a wonderful day spent in wine country, so I wanted to be sure to look the part. Knowing we would be biking, I had to dress practical (ie: no mini skirts), but I also wanted to look nice enough to be in a variety of tasting rooms acting like I know the ins and outs of wine, ha! I knew that the day would start and end with fairly cool weather, but mid-day would be quite warm. I chose this combination of rolled up jeans and a cotton knit sweater with a scarf, and was happy I did so. I could take the scarf off when I was warm, the sweater allowed the breeze through, and the rolled up jeans kept me warm and cool at the same time. Presto, perfect! I would also highly recommend the bike ride through Sonoma that we did. It was easy and beautiful, oh and the wine was amazing. Trek bike, Korean s...

Breakfast for dinner always receives a resounding round of cheers when it hits the supper table.   Because let’s face it, churning out a home cooked breakfast only happens about once a week around these parts. If we’re lucky. Last week we dined on Paula’s Hash Brown Casserole ( originally shared here ) and a simple salad.  It makes a whole bunch so we ate off of it for a few days straight.  (Which I always love!)  With Gruyere cheese and grated nutmeg, this hearty meat and potatoes dish far surpasses all other breakfast casseroles I've had the pleasure of dining on. Paula's Hash Brown Casserole 3 T. butter 1 small yellow onion, chopped 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns (though my mother's notation says "I use more") 8 cups cubed French or Italian bread 1 pound bulk sausage 2 cups (1/2 pound) grated Gruyere cheese (I use swiss to be more budget friendly) 2 cups (1/2 pound) freshly grated Romano cheese (I used some sort of bagged shredded cheese that had romano...

  Chalkboard art is everywhere these days! I am completely fascinated by it and want to keep playing around with it and try to get more creative with my lettering. I know there are a lot of people though, that enjoy it but don't necessarily want to spend hours working on just one quote so being able to download a chalkboard someone else has designed, print it out and pop it in a frame is a great alternative - especially if you like to change your art our seasonally or for different holidays. We just started offering our downloads a couple of weeks ago so only have a few options right now in our shop , but we have several more that are almost ready to go and a whole bunch more ideas in the works. Hopefully within a few more months we will have a wide variety for you to choose from for a whole bunch of different themes and events.  Anyway, I've been promising to show you how I've been swapping out the chalkboard prints in this frame for the past week or two and finally was a...

      Welcome to the Open House party.     I am glad you are here and thanks to everyone that joined last weeks party!       Enjoy the features from last week.         My weakness is Chocolate...any kind of Chocolate!  How yummy do these Black Forest bars look? Thanks to Lizbeth at  Just Dip It In Chocolate   for sharing the recipe.       This beautiful room belongs to Shirley @ Housepitality Design .  I love the piece over her mantle and the pretty "pre-spring" vignette.         RETAIL DIY ET made these wonderful outdoor lights from stalks of bamboo she chopped down.  She painted inexpensive lights from Home Depot to finish the look.            Sarah at   Alderberry Hill  shared the cutest Easter chalkboard printable and tags.  I know there are many, including myself, that like chalkboard art and yo...

Back in my days living in South Korea I had a roomate who introduced me to baba ghanoush. She made it once a week and the three of us roomates enjoyed it together. It was a lovely time of hanging out and gorging ourselves on the Middle Eastern eggplant dip. She'd roast the eggplant in our little toaster oven and later while it was blending together with spices, she would heat up some french bread. We'd hover over our little kitchen table taking turns dipping the hot crusty french bread into the baba ghanoush. Those were good times! Now, as a quick healthy meal at home Andy and I often resort to making baba ghanoush. Aside from the time it takes the eggplant to roast, everything else is really quick and simple. We like to chop a bunch of vegetables for dipping along with bread or whole grain crackers. The leftovers make for a wonderful snack too. Ellie's Baba Ghanoush Recipe -1 eggplant (poked all over with a fork) -1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste) -juice of 1 lemon -1 Tablespo...

Happy Hump Day (that expression always makes me giggle!) and welcome to my only outfit post for this week. The dengue had me down last week, if you didn't hear, so I didn't get much photographing done. This is my take on the monochrome trend! Meant to remind you that "monochrome" does not mean "grayscale" but "of, relating to, or made with a single color or hue" (at least, that's what

  Hi there!! I love when I get new things  in that have me really excited! Tabletop and personal accessories...two of my most favorite things that I seem to not be able to get enough of (my husband will attest to this) Is there any thing more fun than setting a beautiful table? This addition was born out of my love for entertaining and setting pretty tables.... When I find a line that I not only love but is really well priced, the first thing that comes to mind is selling them in my online store. Hence how my tabletop section got started.  It is just  the beginning and over time I will be adding on, but for now I am super thrilled to be introducing these fabulous serving pieces, gorgeous linens (think spring), and super chic serving dishes. Everything is of the highest quality and priced right... a winning combination! These are as of today up on my online store, click here to visit.     LOVE these stunning classic salt and pepper shakers (very heavy, beau...