pretty organizing + weekend pancakes

two elements that inspire me to cook/ bake are easy access and being pretty. when we moved into this house, we had to get creative due to lack of a pantry so we decided to use this cool 1850’s heart pine cabinet that we used to use as book storage in our old house. it now houses baby stuff, cookbooks, pantry items and baking supplies. but with all of the different flours, sugars and other baking ingredients, they were looking super cluttered = no cooking/baking for me. i found a bunch of glass canisters on amazon, some labels (similar herethese are cute- so are these!) and got organizing. this simple fix has made such a huge difference.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

while i was on my organizing/ prettifying the pantry spree, i decided to take it a step further and made my own pancake mix to put in a leftover canister. i don’t know about y’all but it seems so much better (and cheaper!) than buying a box of mix.

weekend pancakes recipe:
6 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of baking powder
1 tablespoon of salt
-keep mix in a sealed container. this recipe will make three batches of 18-4 inch pancakes (pheww that was a mouthful!)

-when ready to use:
pour 2 1/4 cup of mix into large mixing bowl. make a well in the dry ingredients and add 2 beaten eggs, 2 cups milk and 1/4 cup canola oil and mix. (there will be a few lumps in the batter.) lightly oil griddle and heat over medium heat. pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. cook until bubbles form on surface, about three minutes. flip and cook an additional one- two minutes.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
(i put a label with instructions on the back.)
how great would this be for a housewarming, hostess gift or included in an engagement gift basket?

happy weekend!

coffee table staples

IMG_3332i love a big coffee table. its so nice to have the room to spread out and work, have all my current favorite books and candles displayed and still have room to spare. i try to keep things pretty, simple and fresh.

wondering about the coffee table? its a find from my step dad (who tracks down a lot of my amazing stuff!). it’s a country pine kitchen / work table from c. 1900 -1910, but could be a little earlier. it was found in bedford, virginia and most likely made in central virginia. pretty characteristic of small shop or farm made utility tables, its mortised and pegged constructed on the base with a more rustic face nailed top. the base was probably originally painted or painted early on and again on top of that later but now has a nice textural patina which i love. we cut down the legs so it works better as a coffee table. i love using items that were used for completely different purposes.

on current rotation:

– books
the coast of maine– small but i love the pictures and reminds me of my sister    who is living up there right now.
design sponge– love all of the pictures and great inspiration.
the southerner’s handbook– a cute little staple
small town escapes– i’m always to take little road trips and explore quaint,        rural towns.
homemade– beautiful pictures and great recipes.

{my wish lists -for the coffee table and cookbooks– i have SO many!)

-magazines- i always keep a stack of my collection of old dominos- so glad they’re back! and current magazines that i still haven’t figured out how to keep up with them…

-candles- super into produce (sister company of rewined– another fave) right now. the branding is SO on point, smell amazing and are made right here in charleston!

-planner + favorite pens- this year i went with a different planner* (don’t know how i ever strayed from this planner though.) so far i really like it and am feeling super organized. also, the only pens i use, le pen, are the best and come in every color.

*sold out right now but if you’re local go grab one at dulles design!

-etc- a little bowl to corral matches (mine’s old anthropologie but loving this one), a tray (old target but dying over this one) and lastly my hand blown glass heart that daniel got me in steamboat springs.

ps- follow me on bloglovin!