{ Link of the day and other odds and ends }

{ another pretty room from Domino's Decorating Contest }

Anyone send off there Swap packages yet? I am just heading to the Post Office now to mail one to France and one to North Carolina.

I aboslutely adore this idea from Andrea over at Hula Seventy. I plan to do this myself, sometime soon. Andrea's fabulous idea, inspired me to start a new "label" for this blog and entitle it, " Link of the Day. " Curious. Go see for yourself. And any of you other contributors care to play Link of the day. Please, be my guest!

And don't you dare miss the Give away Goodness at The Apronista.

It almost seems too good to be true.

Also, I thought that there was a rather good sale going on a bunch of different sets of interesting china over at Anthropologie. I can almost afford stuff from there, as long as it's on sale.


That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed these little tid-bits.

Brown Paper Packages, Tied Up With String.

Or pink or green or red or blue.

By now ladies you should have all recieved an email with your swapping partners details enclosed. Hope you have as much fun putting together, sending off and then

unwrapping your packages, as Fairlight and I had dreaming this all up and putting it together.

For wrapping ideas and inspiration I recommend you take a look at this and other articles from "Queen Martha. "

{ Don't Forget }

...you have until
Friday October 26th
to sign up for our
{happy miscellany}
craft swap!
You can see all
the details here.

We now have over 40 swappers, ladies!

{ Eye Candy Thursday }

Today, I am loving the colors and accents in this room. This picture came from Domino's Room Contest that is now down to thier 5 lucky finalists. Have a picture or so that is inspiring you this week? Please, do share!

Getting to know you: Leslie

About myself- Im Leslie Im 25 and married to Nick who I have known since I was 11 years old, crazy huh. We just had our first baby and wowza is that a trip, Rylan Mae is 5 months old, and all giggles and smiles and licking our faces (gross!). We are totally in love with the Lord, and just trying to live each day deliberately. I am a lifestyle photographer out of Orange County, Ca. and LOVE my job. Its fun and silly and creative and how else would I get to ask grownups to kiss and eat lollipops and dance in the rain. Super fun. My personal blog, and my website are ways to see more what I am all about.

Define Home – I am pretty sure home is wherever Nick, Rylan, and I are together and are comfortable enough to sit in jammies, make silly faces and eat ice cream right out of the container. Yep, that’s it.

Favorite Color – Ughhh. Tough one. I will admit I am slow coming around to color. If you asked my extended family they would say all I wear is black or gray or brown. Which might have some truth to it (im working on it!) So as much as I do admit that I love, brown, and black, I have lately been drawn to .. a limey-like green, white, teal, those are some colors I would love to bring into my house ahhh if only to redecorate.

Whether you come in to visit or just to rest when you enter our home may you be blessed.

Decorating Elements – Well I love typography, I love photos (obviously!), I love vintage bottles, I like bold prints in small amounts, I would also love to wallpaper my dinning room (but husband said NO), and vintage pieces made into something useful for today, I am not a knick knack gal but love pillows. And I love candles, just because they are romantic… what can I say? Oh and fresh flowers on my table.. ALWAYS! Even one daisy…

Creative Outlets - Other than photography my creative outlets, are scrapbooking, cardmaking, design, cooking, sewing (just learning!), and just trying to keep my home cozy, is eating chocolate a creative outlet, what if I eat it in concentric circles?

A recipe we indulge in (not our favorite, but what Im currently craving!) –

Chicken Tortilla Soup

½ tablespoon of minced garlic
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 cans of chicken broth
1 8 ounce can tomatoes sauce
½ packet of taco seasoning
1 can of rotel (15 ounces)
1 can corn (15 ounces), Drained!
1 can of green chilies (4 ounces)
1 Tablespoon of Worcestshire
2-4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste

Add everything to crock-pot
Cook on low for 8 hours
Top with crumbled chips and grated cheese to serve

* This is our favorite fall meal. We always have this on Halloween before we head over to the fall festival at church. We also always make this with the Marie Calendar mix of cornbread muffins with a little butter whipped with honey. So good. This also freezes great in the glad wear containers, but it does get spicier after you freeze so maybe leave out a few chilies unless you like spice!

A household tip – I dunno..play nice, and don’t play ball in the house and also always kiss booboo’s

Where do I find inspiration – Holy cow everywhere. Seriously. Advertising inspires me. Music inspires me. Restaurant menus inspire me. Walking through Target always inspires me (really!) Greeting cards, book jackets, just seeing new color palettes or new fonts. Ironically, I am most inspired when my scrap space is a disaster and all of a sudden some random ribbon is tossed over a random paper, and I would have never ever in a bazillion years put it together and I’m like, I can make that work. That’s when I make my BEST stuff. When it’s all clean and put up, that’s no fun! But mostly I find inspiration from a lot of other lovely blogging women and thats the truth.

Favorite spots around my home – I suppose I will follow Chelle's lead and show you as well... Sorry for the poor quality pictures the outside of my home today is covered in ash from these Southern California Fires its pretty gloomy.. pray for my neighbors who have recently lost there favorite spots around there home. There are a lot, I really like my cozy teeny tiny little home "our treehouse".

( Reminder }

Do you love to craft?
Do you have lots of leftovers ?

Or just an over abundance of all that crafty goodness?

Would you like to pass some of it along ?

And get some cool new things to delight over?

Who wouldn't?

You have until Friday, October 26 to

Join us for a fun and delightful swap of all our {happy miscellany}

See all the details here.

Getting to know you: Fairlight

Hello! My name is Fairlight. I'm a stay at home wife and mommy. I have a 4 year old little girl and another baby girl on the way. For right now we'll just call her Baby Rose and she's due Nov 21. We live in Coastal South Carolina, which I love. My husband and I have been very active in our church children's ministries for the last three years, but we are now on maternity leave (finally!) until after Baby Rose arrives. Michelle, or Chelle as I know her as, is a dear dear friend to me and I don't know where I would be with out her loving and supportive friendship. I'm so thrilled to be the co-host of this swap. Below are some questions that she asked me to answer and some photographs. One of me and also some little corners of my home that I love. Please forgive them, professional I am not.

What is your definition of Home: Home is where my family is. Home is our nest, our haven. It's where we are safe, warm, fed good nutritious food, have soft snugly beds, and are at peace (most of the time.) It's a place where love is unconditional, curiosity and creativity are encouraged, and the every day business of life is recognized as having value and something to cherish.

Favorite Color(s): turquoise, lavender, pink, and green are the colors that our house is painted and that a wear most often. I draw inspiration from many different sources and bright colors make me happy and inspire me to create, I just don't have them in my house.

Favorite Decorating Elements: paint, fabric, photography, antiques. Paint is the cheapest decorating element there is, fabric is my weakness and I love to hoard it, I like taking pictures to display in my home and I love buying from part time photographers and displaying their work around my house, antiques (of real value or just something I love) are my decorating stand-by. Since I married my husband, we have been so blessed with lots of family heirlooms like our dining room table, the piano in our living room, an old fashioned secretary, armoire, and the list could go on. Thank goodness I love that kind of stuff to begin with. I'm always shopping the antique and consignment stores because they have the most unique stuff and I want our home to be unique.

Favorite Creative Outlets: Sewing. I sew, and knit, and quilt, design, embroider, and cook. I take photographs and blog. All my creative outlets are my favorites, that why I do them.

A Favorite Domestic Quote: "The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily living." ~William Morris

A tried and true Recipe:
Baked Ravioli (courtesy, without permission, of Martha Stewart Living)
serves 8 (or more)
Prep Time:30 min
Total time 1hr
2T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 t. dried thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 lbs. store-bought ravioli (I do 1 lb. meat ravioli & 1 lb. cheese ravioli, but you can do whatever your family will prefer.)
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10-15 minutes. Add seasoning and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, until sauce is thickened, about 20-25 min.
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta;return to pot.
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a 9 x13" dish or two 8x8" pans, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

This dish makes a lot, so I like to split it up and serve half, and put half in the freezer for a later time. You can also substitute tortellini for ravioli.

Favorite Domestic Tip: I have no idea. Follow anything Martha Stewart says religiously?

You can find more of me (if you wish) at my two personal blogs:
Under the Polka Dot Tree and Life in the Lowcountry
You can visit my Etsy store by visiting here
and you can see some of my photographes here on Flickr

Getting to know you: Chelle

About Me: I go by Shelley. I am 26. And in my “humble” opinion, if I am not " thee", I am at least one of thee "luckiest," (i.e. blessed) girls on the face of this earth. Married to this amazing guy who I totally adore, as well as being Mommy to the sweet two year-old Annabelle Lucy. I like to describe my self as being a desperately happy housewife. We live in a tiny bungalow house, on a little over an acre in the greater Seattle area. I lead a cozy, happy little life. Spending most of my time loving and being loved on by my little (the 3 of us) and not so little (the 40 +of us) family, and all the laundry-folding, dinner-fixing, oowie-kissing, bed-making, toilet-scrubbing, story-reading, infinite smiles, shirt-mending, cuddle-bugging, and picture-taking, that requires. And I can't think of anything I like better in all the world than the sound of my husband and small daughter's laughter filling our house. Ultimately it proves to me not only that God is, but also that He is love.

What is your definition of Home?
I desire that our home would be open and inviting...where family, friends are always welcome. Parties are thrown, Thanksgiving dinner is served, even if that means we are packed in like sardines. The more the merrier! Safe and Secure. A place to be real. An expression and extension of our personalities. Cozy and Comfortable. Full of laughter. Where most of all we feel free to be just us.

Favorite Creative Outlet(s)-
Anything that has to do with color/texture combinations.
Quilting, Cardmaking, Blogging, Flower Gardening, Scrapbooking, Photography, Creating Flikr Mosaics , and more.

Favorite Decorating Elements?
Anything from Nature: Fresh Flowers Sea Shells, Birds Nests, Pussy willows, Feathers, Berries, Glass Bottles of every shape and size, Bulletin Boards covered in pictures. Old Books, Framed Vintage Sheet Music, Hanging Vases, Quilts, Red accents.

Book Recommendation-

‘ Decorating With Color’ by Martha Stewart

Where do you Find Inspiration-

From nature. From my daughter. From magazines, and a stroll through your friendly neighborhood Anthropologie. Or Target. From Etsy. From Flickr. From the outfits people have on at church every Sunday. From being in other people's homes. From Martha Stewart. But
mostly from the others in this happy little world of blogging that I look up to on a daily basis, here, here and here, and here, here, here and here, and here and here and here, here , and here, and that is only the beginning.

Tried and True Recipe-

Here’s my new all-time favorite cookie recipe. I like to whip a batch of these up in my handy dandy Kitchen Aid to put in David’s lunch .

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time 15 Min
Cook Time 10 Min
Ready In 25 Min

INGREDIENTS :

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until
smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the
flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats
and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly
greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown.
Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool
completely. Makes 18.

Favorite Color(s)- Red, Green (all shades) , Robins Egg Blue, Yellow, Brown, & all the rest of them!

Teach us delight, in simple things. -Ruyard Kipling

Corners of Your Home- I think I’d rather show than tell.

Favorite Household Tip -

1. Get up happy.

2. Stay that way

-Unknown

"A Happy Miscellany Craft Swap"

Do you love to craft?
Do you have lots of leftovers ?
or just an over abundance of all that crafty goodness?
Would you like to pass some of it along ?
And get some cool new things to delight over?
Who wouldn't?

Join us for a fun and delightful swap of all our {happy miscellany}

( not to be confused with the lovely Mrs Staggs over at A Happy Miscellany )

~ How much longer do I have to sign up? : until Friday, October 26

~ Who's my partner? : match up's will be made shortly thereafter and we will notify you by e~mail on Sunday, October 28th.

~ What goes into a package?: - choose 4 (or more) out of our 6 categories to send to you partner:

1. fabric goods {a stack of fabric's with either scraps, fat quarters, a vintage pillowcase, a flour-sack, vintage tea towels, crochet doilies or just some fabrics that you love and would like to share.}

2. paper goods {scrapbook paper, postcards (vintage or vintage style), sheet music, pages from vintage books, interesting tissue paper, etc.}

3. embellishment goods {ric rac, ribbon, twill tape, velvet, grosgrain, vintage lace, word sayings, dress trims, vintage flowers, twine, string, etc.}

4. sticker goods {alphabet, quotes, flowers, retro, vintage, reproduction, anything cute or fun, brads, eyelets}

5. button goods {large and small vintage or vintage looking, cute, fun, sparkly, enough to fill a match-box}

6. just for fun goods {earrings, pretty napkins, chapstick/lipbalm, favorite chocolate or candy, flower bulbs or seeds, favorite decorating/crafting/scrapbooking/sewing magazine}

{All items can be new or vintage, but please make sure the vintage is in good condition and suitable for re-using. Please be considerate and if you send yardage of some thing, make sure that there is enough there to do something with. }

~ package to be sent by Sunday, Nov. 4th.

~ How do I join in the fun?: send an email to domestic.B@hotmail.com with the following details

- first and last name
- postal address
- email
- blog address

Please start putting you box together now! We have another swap planned for right after this one, a "pre-holiday helper" swap and we would love to have as many people participate as possible, but we want to get it finished up before the rush of the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays (and before Fairlight's baby arrives! :) )

Nice to Meet You

As the Administrators of Domestic Bliss, hosting our very first swap, Fairlight and I ( Chelle) thought it would be fun to make both the blog and the swap more personal by introducing ourselves. So ladies ( especially contributors ), if you are so inclined, please write a bio. of sorts, including pictures, and then post it here. Feel free to either follow the format suggested below by answering the questions provided there or ignore it completely and make up your own. Domestic Bliss is a community blog and if you are at all interested becoming a contributor please email us at Domestic.B@hotmail.com. We would be glad to send you a invitation. Our goal in life is similar to the goal and purpose of keeping this blog, that is to encourage and nurture an atmosphere of Domestic Bliss in our familys and homes.

With that said, here are some suggested questions for you.

Please feel free to use (or not use) any or all of these in your bio. Thank you!

• First tell us about yourself.
• What is your Definition of Home?
• Favorite Color(s)?
• Is there a Quote you love that has a Domestic twist to it?
• Favorite Decorating Elements?
• Favorite Creative Outlets?
• A Tried and True Recipe to share?
• Favorite Domestic/Household Tip Tip?
• Where do you find Inspiration?
• Favorite Corners of Your Home:

Any further questions, please email us at: Domestic.B@hotmail.com

Putting it together...

You know how the saying goes,

"We may not have it all together...?"

Well, we're working on "getting it all together"

but for for now we will leave you with this...

the title of our 1st Domestic Bliss Swap is
"A Happy Miscellany Craft Swap"

~~~

We are working on getting the guidelines, lists, e-mails,

and all the lovely little crazy details together.

Stay tuned for more info!

And let us know if you have any suggestions!

Proposal....

A Swap.

I am just itching to host a swap.

But what kind of a swap?

Well that is for you to decide.

I came up with a Fabric/Paper/Stickers/Button/Ribbon/Scrap of sorts Swap.

But I'd like some feedback first and deffinately your ideas.

Please. Pretty Please.

Best Ever Apple Pie Muffins...

and they really really are...

when you have a bowl that looks like this...

its time to make these...

-best ever apple pie muffins-

from recipezaar

Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Muffins
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups diced peeled firm tart apples (such as Spy, Granny Smith)

-Topping: In a small bowl toss together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until crumbly; set aside.
-Muffins: In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth.
-In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt.
-Stir oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
-Fold in apples, mixing just until combined.
-Spoon into greased muffin cups filling 3/4 full.
-Sprinkle topping over evenly.
-Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back.

and then you get to eat these

I thought they smelled my house up like fall and something wonderfull, and will definetly be an October treat for years to come.

{ Simplicity }

"It is curious how many people have got the idea that to live a simple life a person must live like a hermit, or in a hovel, or in a bare room, adopt uncouth ways, and disregard everything either modern or beautiful. They do not seem to be able to get it into their heads that there are two ways of achieving the simple life.

One is by not wanting things, and being cheerful and happy without them. The other is steadfastly and bravely toiling for what you want- and getting it. A definite aim, or a definite determination to be cheerful in aimlessness; either of these is a recipe for the simple life.
Simplicity, with all that it implies, is a state much to be desired in thinking, in dressing and in living; but this does not mean crude, comfortless ways of doing things, or negligent ways of dressing. Make home happy; hold loved ones first in your heart; leave off fussing over fashionable ways of living; be natural, and you will be living the simple life, though you clean house by electricity, entertain hospitably, and you have every convenience known to man. The quality of the individual is what determines the simple life, never her surroundings."

The Girls Annual. 1919.

{ Miniature Fall Fashion }

I am a sucker for pink and brown.

Take for instance these little lovelies from

Janie and Jack {pink sweater}

and Baby Gap. { rest of the pretty things }

And of course if I had these outfits the next thing I'd want

to do is hire this lady, or this lady

or this lady to take pictures of Annabelle in them.