Interior Design Blogs

Interior design is a slight hobby of mine.  I say slight because if you've seen the state of my own home right now, you would be skeptical that I had any interest in it at all.  But I blame that on being young, poor newlyweds who are in a state of residence-limbo.  Someday far, far in the future when we own our own house and are planning on staying there for more than a few months at a time, I will make our little nest comfortable and cozy and just the way I like it.  But for now, I satisfy my growing interest in good home design by peeking at the blogs listed below, drooling over the beautiful homes and bookmarking things I want to try someday.  

Now, I realize that there are a lot of design blogs out there, and these are only a few of the ones I actually peruse often.  I also realize that these blogs may be highly suited to my specific taste, and some things that I may love, others may find less than appealing.  But, I like these particular blogs because while there may be an overall theme and style to the decor, there are lots of ideas that can be used and molded to fit into any style of design.  

design*sponge

http://www.designspongeonline.com/

I don't think any discussion of interior design blogs would be complete without talking about Design*Sponge.  What started off as the simple musings of interior design enthusiast Grace Bonney, has grown into a hugely popular design forum.  While the over-arching theme is interior design, the blog posts several times daily during the week, with columns on everything from design, food, travel-guides, and do-it-yourself ideas.  My favorite days are Mondays, when they showcase "sneak peeks"; basically home tours.  (See one of my favorites here.  Oh, someday I will have white wood floors and dark wood doors in my house and it will not be weird.)  I also love Wednesdays, when they post DIY ideas, and Thursdays, when they post before and afters sent in by readers.  Some people are so clever!

 
Little Green Notebook

http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/

Run by an interior designer based on the east coast, LGN is a treasure trove of good ideas and just plain good design.  I want to live in every room she does, with all the amazing fabrics she uses.  And the best part is, a lot of the projects she does are do-it-yourself that teach you how to get a certain look  inexpensively and include a lot of revamping stuff found on craigslist.  Added bonus, she's LDS. :)

 
Lonny Mag

http://www.lonnymag.com/Home.html

Oh, Lonny.  Lonny Mag isn't technically a blog, but an online magazine.  Back in 2008 when the economy was in the dumps, my favorite design magazine, Domino, closed shop.  That was a sad, sad day for me.  But thankfully, last year, a few former editors of Domino started up Lonny, an online magazine full of stuff that made Domino so great.  I still miss actually having paper in my hands to read, but Lonny has lots of great resources and lots of pretty pictures.  





Centsational Girl
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/


I like CG because it just started out as the blog of a woman in northern California who liked interior design and happened to be good at it, and has only recently gained a lot of followers.  She has great country french style, and almost everything she does is DIY.  She redoes a lot of stuff found on Craigslist, and while she may be tad heavy-handed with the white spray paint for my taste, her rooms always turn out beautifully.  I would love to have her home office for myself.  You know, because I have so many things to get done that require a home office...





Apartment Therapy
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/


And of course, Apartment Therapy. AT is not my favorite because it seems a bit more impersonal than the others (probably because they have a million people working on their blog from different cities), plus the fact that it tends to focus on more modern and minimalist design.  However, AT is still great for inspiration and it's cool that each big city has their own separate page.  




So there you have it.  Like I said, there are tons of websites and blogs dedicated to this stuff, and these are only a few.  But some of these I especially like, in particular LGN, CG, and design*sponge, because they show ways in which you don't have to break the bank to make your house look good.  There is a lot you can do with inspiration, paint, and elbow grease.  

Best Flat Irons

According to me of course!

So I have a lot of hair. Tons and TONS of hair. Like it takes me 20 minutes just to comb it after taking a shower. With a wide tooth comb. It's ridiculous.

And not only do I have a ton of hair but it's very coarse and frizzy and curly/wavy. A lethal combination. Most days my hair is thrown under a hat. I have to contain it somehow and I don't have the time to wrestle with it everyday.

On the weekends, however I have more time to make myself presentable so I embrace my natural waves and flat iron my hair. Er....I mean....never mind.


I have purhcased all my flat irons at Folica.com. They have amazing customer service and many items come with free shipping! Can't beat that! Well maybe you could beat it if the actual item was free but I digress.

So...I have found four awesome flat irons that are SO WORTH the money. And if they work on my hair they will do wonders for everybody else!









SOLIA


The Solia is my favorite. It doesn't pull or pinch and the ceramic plates just glide through the hair. It heats up to 400* and it makes my hair so smooth and soft! I have had my Solia for several years now and it works just as great as the day I received it! It fits great in your hand and the cord doesn't twist as easily as other flat iron brands (which is a good thing!)

SEDU


I also own the Sedu which was top rated on Folica.com for quite sometime. I actually like the Solia better but I think it's because the Sedu's plates are too wide. The Sedu tends to pinch my hair a bit but all-in-all it's a great flat iron and it too made my hair very soft and smooth. The Sedu also heats up to 400* and it too has ceramic plating.

HairArt




HairArt flat irons were some of my first investments and they are still awesome! They are quite similar to the Solia but I notice they are a bit harder to handle. The cord tends to contort and twist into knots very easily and it's annoying to have to untangle.

Chi

Now I don't actually OWN a Chi but I have used them several times and I know they are quite popular. The reason I don't own it is because they have a fixed heat. Meaning I can't change the temperature. And most Chi's only heat up to 370* which crazily enough isn't hot enough to get my hair straight on the first pull through. But my hair isn't like most others and I'm sure 370* is certainly hot enough for the average Josephina's hair. And perhaps for the average Joe as well, including his boyfriend.

So there ya go! Enjoy your flat iron shopping and frying your hair!

Buying Guides

Need help deciding which product or tool is right for you?

• Choosing the Right Flat Iron
• Choosing the Right Hair Dryer
• Choosing the Right Curling Tool
• Choosing the Right Shampoo
• Choosing the Right Conditioner
• Choosing the Right Styling Products

More Hair 101

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Make Your Own Granola Bars...and My Soapbox on Kids' Snacks

Get ready people.  This blog is about to take off.  We are going to wow you with our amazing ideas, incredible wit and juicy secrets in our upcoming posts.

Okay, well, I'll leave that for you to judge.  But we'll try hard.  No pressure, my dear sisters.

Today I've got another recipe for you.  But before I share it, let me tell you something I've found a bit confusing since I entered parenthood.  First of all, kids need snacks.  No, that's not the confusing part.  What's confusing to me is the type of snacks that are marketed as "healthy"--and that parents actually give these snacks to their kids, thinking it's a good idea.

Exhibit A:

Fruit snacks

Let's look at the ingredient list on these babies: CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, APPLE PUREE CONCENTRATE, WATER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, GELATIN, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CITRIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, COLOR ADDED, COCONUT OIL, CARNAUBA WAX, YELLOW #5, RED #40, SODIUM CITRATE, BLUE #1.

Does that sound like something that will fill your kid up with some good energy? At least apple puree concentrate is on there.  But corn syrup is the first ingredient?  Gross.  Now, I'm not totally opposed to fruit snacks.  I let my kids have them just as much as I let them have gummy bears, or Skittles.  Which I do, but they're not something I grab if we're going to the park and I know they'll get hungry.  Fruit snacks (unless they're an all-fruit variety) are not food--they're candy!

Exhibit B:

Granola bars

Okay, so granola bars are a little better than fruit snacks.  Almost all varieties have some whole grains.  But look at exactly what else this popular variety has:

GRANOLA (WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, BROWN SUGAR, CRISP RICE [RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT, MALTED BARLEY EXTRACT], WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED WHEAT, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTONSEED OILS* WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL WITH NATURAL TOCOPHEROL ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS, DRIED COCONUT, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOY LECITHIN, CARAMEL COLOR, NONFAT DRY MILK), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT), CORN SYRUP, CRISP RICE (RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, BARLEY MALT, SALT), INVERT SUGAR, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, GLYCERIN, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL*. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SORBITOL, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT, WATER, SOY LECITHIN, MOLASSES, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BHT (PRESERVATIVE), CITRIC ACID.

I'm seeing partially hydrogenated oils on there one too many times.  Now there are several organic, healthier versions out there.  But they're expensive.  And they don't always taste that great.  I figured out in the past couple years or so that I could make my own granola bars that taste delish, are cheap and not loaded with artificial junk.  My kids love them.  I just need to figure out a way to keep myself from eating them so that I have them on hand a little longer!

I've tried a few different recipes:

Granola Bars from Super Healthy Kids --this one is pretty good.  It has flour in it, and I've decided the non-flour versions are closer to the granola bars I'm used to.

Homemade Granola Bars from Kitchen Stewardship --I also like this one.  It involves toasting the oatmeal in the oven, mixing everything on the stove and then pressing into a pan.  It was tasty, but the last few times I made it, they came out thinner than I like.

And finally, the most recent one I've tried is my favorite so far.  I adapted it every so slightly.

Chewy Granola Bars (from Make and Takes) (with slight adaptations)

2 1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. crispy brown rice cereal

1/4 c. coconut

1/2 c. white chocolate chips

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Add all of the ingredients and mix together until combined. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars. 

They were a hit in my household!  And this recipe is very adaptable.  If you don't like coconut (ahem, Carly), leave it out.  Add some regular chocolate chips if you like.  (I like white because they're less messy.)  Or maybe some peanut butter.  Or even pumpkin.  Lots of stuff you can do.  

Try 'em out!  And if you have kids you have to share with, good luck saving some for them!

Lentils

So since we are all on the same page with trying to eat three healthy meals a day I thought we could give each other some inspiration. Cue the lentils:

Sadly I have never cooked with lentils in my life. But apparently they are one of the "superfoods."

After picking up some pre cooked lentils from Trader Joe's I decided I needed to do something with them. They had just been sitting in my fridge. You can also buy them dried; they cook pretty quickly.

So I decided to use them in place of taco meat (turkey, beef). I dumped them in a pan, heated them up and added some salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder and some shredded Mexican Cheese. I made some homemade tortillas to go along with it and you guys, this dinner was DELISH! Lentils are really flavorful and when cooked they are tender and add a great texture. I put some tomatoes, bit of cilantro, avocado and spinach leaves in the "burritos" and it was yummy. Definitely going to be buying those lentils again!

Healthy AND Yummy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Got some mushy, brown bananas but are sick of banana bread? (Although, who gets sick of banana bread?) Or looking for a snack that's tasty but good for you? Well, here ya go. I make these cookies A LOT. They are my go-to cookie recipe when I'm trying to watch my refined sugar intake (which, let's be real, hasn't been happening given it's Cadbury Egg season). Plus, the kids love them (T likes them better than about any other cookie I make) and I don't feel guilty if they (or I) eat them for breakfast.

Now, please note that these cookies are not these cookies. They do have some health value. So don't expect them to be the type of cookies that you would die for. But they're pretty good.

I got the original recipe here and altered it ever so slightly. I doubled it, use honey instead of agave nectar (I'm not so current with the health scene that I have that on hand) and use regular milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat)

2 cups oats

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 T ground flaxseed meal

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 T canola oil

2 ripe bananas, mushed

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients. Drop on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 min.

The dough is pretty good to eat. And no eggs, so no worries there, if you even have those worries (which I know my dear readers do not).

Get yourself a cute helper like this one.

And enjoy! Just for full disclosure's sake, I did make the cookies in this picture with brown sugar so I could avoid the whole botulism thing and give some to Ruby. She enjoyed them thoroughly.

Things I wish I could have

But can't.

1. A Minivan. That's right people. I want a minivan. I don't care if that screams, "I'M A MOM AND I AM TAKING MY KIDS TO SOCCER PRACTICE!" because let's face it, I am a mom and I most likely will be taking my kids to soccer practice one day. And while we are on the subject I really dislike these "stereotypes." You know, like the one that says short dudes who drive big trucks are trying to compensate for something. It's not a bad thing, it's just the truth. Straight up.

Before all the single ladies start dry heaving on me (figuratively, not literally please) I have to clarify that I don't want just any minivan. I want a Honda Odyssey. They are the most attractive looking in their class and I'm all about judging a book by its cover. It's a Honda and Honda's true cost of ownership is light years ahead of its competitors.

Minivans win the practicality award when you are towing youngin's around. They are spacious and comfortable and have AUTOMATIC (yes I'm yelling it because that feature is AWESOME!) sliding doors and you can fit a crap load of groceries in the back that you bought in bulk from Costco.

But alas the HO is not in our budget. Wait, that sentence sounds wrong.






2. A beautiful, large, open and airy home with surrounding forests of greenery in which you could inhale and feel like you are in the middle of the mountains. But it has to be in California, and close to my family and close to the beach and in a secluded but top notch neighborhood with the best schools.

That's it. Well, not really, but those are the major players. I wanted to keep this short because otherwise I'd sound like a greedy, covetous snot when in reality I couldn't even come up with a third item, at least not an item that was appropriate for this blog.

A girl can dream right?

Bloggerific

I know what you're thinking. FINALLY, Lindsay gets a post up. I know, I know, this whole blog was my idea and I haven't even done anything yet. Well, here goes.

I read a lot of blogs. Too many. But there are a lot of good ones out there, both entertaining and informative. I thought I'd share a few that I think are particularly good, in no particular order:

I just recently discovered this one. The author blogs about simple, original and cheap ideas on everything momish, but what I particularly like is her Project 52. She and her husband have a goal to have a weekly date night. Their date night is every Friday, 9 to 10 pm, after her kids are in bed. Since they have to be at home and they have to save money, they have to come up with some clever ideas to keep things interesting.

A fun and sometimes funny blog about how to keep the romance alive. Some of her ideas are pretty cheesy but others are fun.

I love this one for GREAT ideas for things to do with the kiddos. She's also got lots of crafty stuff for all you crafty types (Kelli.)

Totally yummy recipes. I actually don't know if I've tried one her desserts--because if I did, I'd be eating the whole thing in a day. But I love to look at her recipes and drool. Plus, she's lives in SoCal, so she's gotta be cool. :)

You've probably seen this button on my blog. They have ideas on EVERYTHING related to women. And they have a new post every day. Sometimes, their Utah-ness rings through clear as a bell (you know what I mean, right?), but that's okay. We like Utah most of the time.

Dear Savvy Shopper

Good deals on all sorts of things. It was this site that directed me to the deal on my boys' Crocs.

Joy the Baker

I just found this one, too, but I'm really liking her recipes and the way she writes. And she lives in LA. So, again, she must be cool.

And that's just a handful of the blogs I read. I realize that most of them are best suited for married moms but what can I say, that's the life I live.

Later.