valentine’s day reds.

threads of love and a morning dove.
stitches of joy and my favorite boy.
oh how i love a needle and thread,
in shades of pink, orange and red.
vintage spools make a nice combination,
the perfect setting for a valentine’s creation!

1. printable cupcake wrappers from urban comfort

2. fruit stickers from twig and thistle

3. make your own sweater from a beautiful mess

4. printable notecards from one charming party

5. heart nail art from wonder forest

6. felt candy hearts from the purl bee

7. heart cookies decorating how-to from glorious treats

some of you may know, i have a sweet spot for farms. when i found juniper moon fiber farm (via gifted magazine) i was immediately drawn in- this is the farm of farms! not only do they have the most adorable animals (am i right?), but they offer so many wonderful opportunities!

you can join their yarn csa, shop their online store, browse all of their adorable knitting patterns, watch their lamb cam (come on, people- so cute!), even vacation there with a good ol’ farm stay. if you’re a fiber lover (and even if you’re not) i think you’ll enjoy perusing the pages of juniper moon farm, you might like it so much that you want to plan a visit!

last week, i got the most delightful e-mail from mark and zoe, affectionately known as mr. & mrs. YOKE, who illustrate and hand print on the bonnie banks of the river tay in scotland. i immediately loved their quirky illustrations and brightly colored prints. i think they give a breath of fresh air and big sense of FUN to the art of printmaking. check out their world here!

autumn story

this autumn story (discovered on the dingbat press) is so inspirational! i can only imagine how many hours of hard work went in to it, and the outcome is absolutely sensational. the song is so beautiful, it’s called autumn story by the firekites. i hope you enjoy it! xox, bonnie

Hey all! It’s Ashley with a new latte recipe. This raspberry mocha latte is so rich and decadent – I can’t believe it has taken me this long to make raspberry syrup from scratch. This recipe serves two – it would be a perfect treat to whip up for your sweetie and yourself this Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients

- 6 ounces espresso

- 8 ounces milk, soy milk, or rice milk (I used soy)

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- 6 ounce package of raspberries

- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

- optional whipped cream

Directions

Start by making the raspberry syrup. Combine sugar and water in a medium sauce pan; bring to a boil. Stir frequently. When a boil has been reached, add vanilla extract. Allow mixture to continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat, and add washed raspberries. Allow raspberries to steep in syrup for one hour.

Strain the raspberries from the syrup, allowing the syrup to drip down into a bowl. The leftover raspberries make a very sweet and delicious dessert on their own!

Add 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder to the bottom of each mug. Pour as much syrup as you would like into your mug, up to 1/4 cup. This just depends on how sweet you like your drinks. Stir well to incorporate cocoa powder.

Brew your espresso of strong coffee. Froth your milk. Add 3 ounces of espresso to each mug, filling up the rest of the mug with steamed milk, and spoon any leftover foam on top.

1. add syrup and stir

2. add espresso

3. add milk and spoon on leftover foam

For a special occasion, top drink with whipped cream, and treats such as sprinkles, raspberries, cocoa powder, or chocolate chips.

Out to find ways to make life simpler, Ashley is tackling life one DIY project at a time. Learning as she goes, she also spends her days writing Indie Pretty Projects and creating for her Etsy shop.

pumpkin cashew and coconut curry | roasted artichokes and fingerlings | black pepper tofu | sweet potato chili | black beans and corn | polenta fries | crispy roasted cauliflower | carrot fries

winner winner tofu dinner! this is one of my favorite seasons to cook in. this week was full of fresh seasonal veggies like pumpkin, cauliflower and carrots which always cook up especially savory meals. my favorite this week? probably the pumpkin cashew coconut curry. what was yours?

monday: pumpkin cashew and coconut curry served with lentils (yummmmm!)
tuesday: black beans and corn served over polenta with crispy roasted cauliflower.
wednesday: leftovers served with roasted artichokes and fingerlings.
thursday: sweet potato chili served with polenta fries.
friday: big hearty salad topped with roasted crispy chickpeas and tofu, served with carrot fries.

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

these bright and quirky illustrations from twoems made my morning a bit brighter, and hope they do yours as well! melanie mikecz (twoems, get it?) sets out to charm both children and adults alike, and i think she does just that. i especially love this underwater hippo!

visit twoems shop and website to see more!

wheat?! (i don’t think so.) outside my window..

lots of yummies.

toaster a’zoomin’!

he made me giggle.

my favorite time of day.

farmer’s market fennel fronds!

farmer’s market flowers for sale, by my favorite avocado fellow. (lots of f’s).

he never forgets to put his eye makeup on. ;)

love, bonnie.

do you have any favorite photos from your life this week? we would love to see, won’t you share the a link to them?

this post was made possible by the lovely iphone app, instagram. you can follow me here. all photos by yours truly. :)

what’s better than a chick-flick, dark chocolate and red roses combined? free printables! amy from thank you card shop has made 18 free valentine’s day cards with 6 different designs, each available in 3 colors. head on over to the thank you card shop blog for the download instructions, thanks amy!