Monday, May 18, 2015

A Global Recipe: Korean-Style Beef Short Ribs

Today I'm pleased to formally introduce the amazingly talented Brooke Fedigan of Be Fed Again blog as the new Food Contributor for Interiors by Jacquin.  Brooke will share one of her many well-executed recipes with us once a month.  So, since you'll be hearing a lot more from Brooke, I thought it would be proper to give her a full introduction! 


Be Fed Again blog features home renovation projects that Brooke undertakes all with a dash of humor and humility! Cooking is one of Brooke's favorite releases, so she includes recipes for her favorite dishes amongst the many goodies on her blog.  So, here's a bit about Be Fed Again from the perspective of Brooke Fedigan along with a delicious recipe for Slow Cooked Korean-Style Short Ribs...


My name is Brooke Fedigan, and I blog over at Be Fed Again.  I am so excited to be working with my friend Jacquin, and posting as a Food Contributor for Interiors by Jacquin.  I cannot wait to share with everyone some of my favorite recipes each month! 

I have always dreamed of living in an old farmhouse.  I love the character of them, and the thought of refurbishing one is an opportunity that I relish.  I consider myself pretty handy.  I am relatively versed on many domestic aspects, and I love preserving all things old, and truly appreciate the heritage.  Below is a taste of two of my upcycling furniture projects that I feature on Be Fed Again. 





















(Top) Flea Market Flip, coffee table uncycling project, (Bottom) Ikat Covered Table

Cooking is also my passion.  I am happy to spend hours working on a recipe until it is just right, and share with everyone to enjoy.

Today, I am going to share with you my recipe for: 

SLOW-COOKED KOREAN-STYLE SHORT RIBS

Ingredients:
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 large shallot, diced
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
3 pounds English-style beef short ribs, boneless or bone-in, trimmed of external fat

Instructions:
  • Put short ribs in the bowl of a slow cooker.  Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl, then pour over short ribs. Add the water.
  • Cover, and cook on high for 3 1/2 hours.  Stir ribs, then cook on low for 3 hours. 
  • Remove ribs and put on a plate.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Spoon 2 cups pan juices in a clear glass measuring container (or a fat separator if you have one).  Wait for fat to rise to the top and discard as much fat as possible.  Add 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk to combine.  Pour gravy into sauce pan and heat, stirring constantly until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
  • Pour gravy over short ribs and enjoy.

To see more of Brooke's home renovation transformation, be sure to visit Be Fed Again and don't miss her awesome Quick Tip Friday segment weekly.  Want to try another of Brooke's recipes?  Check out these orange-cranberry scones! 


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Friday, May 15, 2015

Client Sneak Peek - Family Room

Happy Friday! With so many exciting blog posts lately, I haven't had a chance to share some of the behind the scenes of what I'm working on.  Today I thought I'd show you a family room design that I currently have in the works.  (Don't miss our special SUMMER DISCOUNT CODE at the bottom!)

This particular project is one of my remote, e-design clients.  I kept the color palette serene with splashes of saturated color.  I also feature a gorgeous mirrored bookcase for photo display, which the client requested after seeing this inspirational blog post.  I am really loving this space!  























For the layout, I have two options that we're deciding between.  The homeowner currently has a television on the floor in the center of the room, but in both of my layouts I suggest moving the TV, either to the corner of the room or to place it above the fireplace.  

Plan your own room layout with Planner 5D - Floor plans and interior design website! It's for everyone and a great resource.

With the television above the fireplace, there is room to flank the fireplace with matching armchairs, which always has a grand effect.  You really can't go wrong with symmetry!  With this fab design, however, I know it will be fantastic either way.  The homeowner just loves the design, but is trying to decide which layout will be best. What do you think?  

I'll leave you with three great decorative items from this chic & relaxing design. They will all add a bit of artful character to your home! 



If you're located anywhere in the United States I can design a well-styled look for your home, as well!  I work within your specific budget to create a design that will both meet your needs and suit your personal style.  

I'm offering a Summer Special of $150 off e-design services, for a total of $200 per room through August 31, 2015.  Use the code "JacquinBlogDiscount" at the Interiors by Jacquin shop on Etsy.  If you have questions about e-design services or in-home design, please email me with any inquiries.  You deserve to truly enjoy your home, so let Interiors by Jacquin transform your space! 

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Fashion meets Design: Featuring Monica Woodhams
















Designed by Mandi of Vintage Revivals (DIY blog)

 I’m Monica and I have a fashion and travel blog called 45 Fairmount.  I am so excited that Jacquin asked me to participate in her Fashion meets Design series featuring this wonderfully, colorful room design as inspiration!

I started 45 Fairmount about a year ago as a way to share my travels and fashion finds and inspirations.  Ever since I can remember, I have been inspired by fashion and design.  I grew up traveling back and forth from Kansas City and Barcelona and I knew early on that there was a difference in aesthetic and trends and this fascinated me! 












































If you’ve read 45 Fairmount, you know that I describe my personal style as a combination of style and comfort. This doesn’t mean stylish yoga pants. I mean wearing what I feel most comfortable in, because I’m always running around the city or traveling, in a chic and stylish way. My favorite outfit is my favorite pair of Joe's Jeans or Rag, sandals with a heel, and an Elizabeth & James tee.

























Designed by Mandi of Vintage Revivals (DIY blog)

When I saw the image of this citrus inspired room, I knew exactly what dress paired perfectly with the room.  This Lacoste dress is an oldie but goody.  I’ve had it for forever because it’s such a timeless staple and the shade of green is a beautiful spring color. 

I love how this room has different shades of pastels to brights.  I kept this soft to bright theme in my outfit by accessorizing with the bright blue Celine bag.  Sometimes it’s really fun to combine two colors and see how they make each other pop!
























How to style a pastel or soft-colored dress:


  • (1) Don't be afraid to throw in a punch of color by way of your accessories.  I love the idea of a soft outfit with a bright and bold bag or shoe.
  • (2) Keep it simple.  For this outfit, I wanted the focus to be on the color of the dress and the bag.  For jewelry, I kept it simple with gold and white jewelry and avoided any colored bracelets.
  • (3) Trust the classics.  Sometimes this dress goes to the back of the closet because I was so used to wearing it years ago.  However, this is such a classic and timeless dress that when I do put it back on, I quickly remember why I bought it.  Don't feel like you always have to wear something new! (A great tip!)


Shop this look!





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Monday, May 11, 2015

Bloggers at Home: Natalie Reddell

Hi! I'm Natalie Reddell!  I am an interior designer based in Richmond, VA.  I recently started a design and lifestyle blog called Commander in Chic that touches on all things fabulous and inspiring.  It is a window into my life as a designer, wife to “Prince Charming” and mama to “Sugar-britches”.  I am a Florida native and mostly have clients throughout the southeast, which is wonderful because I love to travel.  



















































 I received my degree in interior design from Florida State University and studied the history of architecture and interiors at Parsons School in Paris, France.  I was four-years-old when I first started collecting toothpaste tube tops to use as buffet lampshades in my dollhouse, so I guess I started my career pretty early!

My personal style is timeless and fearless.  I am feminine and glamorous and don’t mind taking risks or making a statement.  I love saturated color and bold pattern.  I pride myself on being “Fashion Fearless” and not taking myself too seriously.



























It is very important to me that my designs are inspired.  Almost everything in my home has a story and means something to me and my family.  I own lots of antiques that I have collected or inherited.  I am a bit of an art junkie.  

 I buy art that speaks to me and most of my art is from yard sales, Goodwill stores, and estate sales.  (Such a great resource!)  My husband paints in watercolor, so we have some of his originals, too.  I love to design around artwork!




My favorite room in our home is our formal living room. The wall sconce was a “rescue” from the dark and dusty corner of a local antique store. Thanks to Prince Charming’s welder, my electrician and some fairy dust, we have a true example of a RENAISSANCE.  

My father selected the artwork (above) for my childhood home years ago.  He calls it “his three blondes” because they remind him of my mom, my sister, and me.  My dad has an amazing sense of style and doesn’t mind taking risks.  He encourages my sister and me to think out of the box and aim high.  These paintings remind me of him, my mama and our childhood home. 

 The French chairs and Drexel loveseats are from an estate sale and I had them recovered.  The fretwork cocktail table is a recent $75 treasure from a thrift store.  I love all things Chinoiserie, so it was must-have!  



























I consider myself a Fresh Traditionalist when it comes to my design style.  I love the classics, but have an adventurous spirit.  I like to mix design styles, add layers and trust my instincts.  If I love it, there is good reason.  I won't settle for less than the best.

I love Pink and try to sneak a little into every room in my house.  Scarlett O’Hara, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and I are the only girls in my house so we have to fight for our Pink.  We call it “light red” in our house, but Scarlett and I know better.  Wink wink ;-)

 I went bold with the pink on my accent pillows (above).  My dear friend and brilliant artist, Lindsay Cowles, designed the fabric for all of the pillows.  She is an accomplished artist and creates beautifully patterned fabric and wallpaper from her own original paintings.  

Interior design is about people.  Keeping it personal is essential.  I want my clients to enjoy their space and it needs to work!  Good design is really about improving the quality of life for the people around you.  Be brave and true to yourself.  It is important to try things outside of your comfort zone.  When someone says “you can’t do that” find someone who believes you can and won’t quit till it is done!  The value of hiring a designer is really in the plan we create with our clients based on their needs, desires, budget and lifestyle.

 Photo credit: Jami Carlton Photography  

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Friday, May 8, 2015

The Stylish Planters of Etsy

It's Springtime so plant a few seeds at home to enjoy beautiful blooms indoors!  Selecting a fabulous planter is a great first step toward bringing plant life and color into your home!  These stylish planters from Etsy are sure to inspire you to create your own indoor garden.  And the best thing about Etsy is that everyone can enjoy this amazing marketplace of handmade goods internationally.  



























































































  1. Hanging Succulent Terrarium - The Zen Succulent
  2. Metal Address Plaque & Succulent Wall Planter - Urban Mettle
  3. Boxcar Succulent Planters, solid walnut with robin's eggblue – RevolutionDH
  4. Aquatic World II Aquarium Planter – iEcofun
  5. Ceramic Porcelain Planter with Leather Cord, Geometric Faceted finish – Revisions Design Studio
  6. Five Assorted Succulents with Rustic Acacia Wood Bowl - Botany Décor
  7. Hanging Herb Garden Planter - Nicole Marilyn
  8. Diamond Pattern Hanging Pineapple Planter - This is a Pot

Which planter is your favorite?

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Get Your Photos Onto Your Wall with Creativity!
























Image via Death to the Stock Photo

Hi! I'm Tiffany Josephs, friend of Jacquin's and Portrait & Event Photographer for Creative Entrepreneurs, based out of Fredericksburg, VA.  I love photography, but more importantly I believe images should be seen on a regular basis, in print, in your home, for everyone to cherish and reminisce on.  

As a mother of three kids under five, (1) five year old and (2) four year olds to be exact, they really do grow extremely fast!  It’s nice to see their faces when they flip through a book filled with images of them in diapers or portraits of them making funny faces hanging on our walls.  My hope is that when they get older, they will be able to remember their innocence and how much fun they had stressing out mommy. ;-)  

So, today I’m going to show you two creative ways to get those special  memories out of your iPhone and onto your walls, for a touch of fun & personalized photo-décor!


Images via Woodific

1. Have your photos printed on wood panels!


Let’s start with having your special images printed on wood!!!  YES, I said wood!  Woodific company will print your photos on 1/2’’ thick, handpicked and highest quality plywood, uploaded directly from Instagram or from your computer in 3 ideal sizes to choose from: 5’’x5’, 8’’x8’’, and 11’’x11’’.  




Jacquin created a wood panel collage with images that represented Interiors by Jacquin | Image via Jacquin Milhouse-Headen



















 Woodific uses thick, handpicked wood for its photo panels (as shown above) and they are easily mounted to your wall! | Image via Tiffany Josephs Photography

Jacquin and I decided to give Woodific a try and we were both very pleased!  Their website is user friendly and their processing and shipping was super fast.  I was equally impressed with the actual product itself!  The images printed nicely and came with mounting nails so that I could hang them immediately.  #winning 





















Wood panel photo of photographer Tiffany Josephs with husband Eric Josephs | Image via Tiffany Josephs Photography













Wood panel collage created with Jacquin's photos from her trip to Namibia, Africa | Image via Jacquin Milhouse-Headen

2. Try this unique & oversized engineer print idea for your photos!  It's do-it-yourself!


My second photo décor recommendation is a do-it-yourself project.  I know what you’re thinking, I love decorating and I love DIY projects, but REALLY, who has time for all of that??  Well, custom framing doesn’t get any easier (or cost effective) than this! 

I have three amazing little ones at home and we thought it would be fun to recreate an image I snapped  quickly while waiting at the doctor’s office recently.  But with this, I wanted to print something really large to put on one of our main walls.  I found this clever idea via Chris Loves Julia blog to make prints using engineering paper.  It turned out that while following the tips from my great source I ran into a few problems, like Staples apparently no longer prints images on engineer paper and you must pay for regular enlargements on photo paper.  Nope.  I didn’t like that at all.  Luckily, good ol’ Kinko’s made life super easy for me and printed out 24x48 prints on engineer paper (aka “engineer prints”) within minutes, all under $10.  


















Engineer prints of Tiffany Joseph's adorable children made with DIY frames - Love these! | Image via Tiffany Josephs Photography

While doing more research on Pinterest I came across this AMAZING idea for the frame via 4 Men 1 Lady blog. Originally I was going to go with the Ikea frames suggested in Chris Loves Julia’s blog post (love!), but THIS DIY frame was so my style and worth the little bit of time it took to get the materials and put them together.  It only requires: twine, wood glue, screw hooks, poster board, a small amount of window trim from the hardware store, and wipe-on wood finishing cloths to stain the wood creating a truly original look.  You’ll definitely want to try this photo décor DIY! It's so easy and so unique!

































Image via Tiffany Josephs Photography





















Materials for this do-it-yourself engineer print project.  It's so simple! | Image via Tiffany Josephs Photography

Instructions:


  • (1) Have your engineer prints printed at Kinkos.
  • (2) Cut your poster board to the size of your print and adhere.
  • (3) Cut your window trim to size (you'll need 2 pieces of window trim).
  • (4) Stain the wood a shade of your choice.  Allow to dry.
  • (5) Glue window trim to the front of your engineer print.  Glue one piece of trim to the top and one piece of trim to the bottom. 
  • (6) Screw in hooks and attach your twine for the length you desire.
  • (7) Hang on your wall and enjoy!


To sum it all up, both projects are absolutely awesome!  I must admit there is something very authentic about creating your own masterpiece. ;-)  So go get those photos off of your cameras and cell phones and onto your home's walls! Find out more about me and my Hundred Dollar Headshot Session over at www.TiffanyJosephs.net or follow me on Instagram here.  
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Monday, May 4, 2015

At Home with Artist Meghan Jones



I'm starting the week with a home tour sure to get you to look twice!  Today we're entering the stylish, yet delightfully eccentric world of artist Meghan Jones of Dallas, TX.  Thanks for giving Interiors by Jacquin a look inside your home, Meghan! 

Now without further ado, I present Meghan Jones...



















































 Art has always been a huge part of my world and one of my greatest passions. The goal of my art is to share and express aspects of myself and my life. Over the years living in both California and Texas, my artistic direction has grown to exhibit a West Coast, hip-yet-sophisticated style combined with the rugged and natural flair of the great State of Texas. I am inspired by pop art and culture, fashion and anything that is risqué, provocative or slightly over the line.



















My favorite part of my apartment is my “BITCH” wall.  I love this space in my apartment because I feel it perfectly embodies my decorating and design style.  The wall is painted Ralph Lauren British Racing Green.  It’s covered in paintings of a Rolex (“Thanks Stupid”) and a Chanel Bag (“Hard On For Chanel”) adjacent to a deer skull acquired on a fun weekend girls trip to Canton, TX.  This wall is juxtaposition at its finest! 









































































Meghan on art & decorating...

In my art as well as design, I love using juxtaposition- feminine vs. masculine; elegant vs. rustic; traditional vs. eccentric.  I love using tons of colors and mixing and matching diverse patterns you wouldn’t think would work, but actually do.



























Take a look at this awesome DIY feature-wall Meghan created with pages from vintage books (above)...






































































Meghan's favorites... this work of art & these fab shoes! 

It’s so hard to choose just one piece to be my favorite, but I’d probably have to say it’s an oil on canvas piece I did in college of a boy and his dog sitting on a dock.  It’s called “Gen and Ellie”. 

And as for my personal style, If Jackie O and Penny Lane (the fictional character from Almost Famous) had a love child- that would be my personal style.  Refined but unpretentious.  My favorite blogger right now is Christine Andrew of Hello Fashion.
























Don't miss those lips on the wall!  Such a unique gallery. Create your own gallery of wall art by snapping your own series of photos and hanging them together! 


















Fun Fact about Meghan...

I was on reality show I Wanna Marry Harry!  It was a great experience.  I met some interesting people and made a life long friendship with one of the other lovetestants, Maggie Toraason.  Matt Hicks (Prince Harry) was a complete doll and such a sweetheart! I Wanna Marry Harry started my career in radio and tv, so for that, I am very thankful.  














































Meghan's perfect day...

Wakingup with my dog Lulu and having a really great cup of coffee, then spending the day outdoors with great friends, great food and great booze.

Credits: All photos are by Lisa Aceves, All clothes are from Movida (@movidaboutique), Shoes are by Gucci.

If you're inspired by the various artistic touches in Meghan's home, here are the top decorating do-it-yourself ideas I've pulled from this awesome home tour.  You'll definitely want to try these in your space!

Decorating Takeaways from Meghan's Home:

  1. Be bold in decorating!  Let your home reflect YOU!
  2. Create your own DIY doormat like Meghan has done in her home and like I mentioned in my recent post here.  Such an easy way to personalize your home!
  3. Paint a feature accent wall!  Meghan has 3 fantastic accent walls in her home.  This will make your home really stand out!  For Meghan's painted accent wall she uses Ralph Lauren's "British Racing Green" paint at her home's entrance and she painted a chevron pattern above her fireplace.  Don't get stuck in the white wall rut! 
  4. Add a touch of vintage flair DIY-style by decorating with pages from reclaimed and vintage books.  Meghan creates a fantastic feature wall covered in pages from the first edition of “The Scarlett Letter” and a vintage book on etiquette.  However, any old looking books from a thrift store will give you the same fabulous effect by tearing out the pages and creating a wall collage.  Be sure to share a photo with Interiors by Jacquin if you try this DIY vintage book wall at home!
  5. Own your personal style and enjoy decorating your home!
Learn more about Meghan Jones and her artwork at her website or at her fun Instagram & Twitter pages.  Happy Monday!
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