Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Christmas House Sneak Peak

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I spent all day yesterday decorating 3 fireplace mantels for Christmas at the most amazing, picture perfect, Southern home. And yes, 3 mantels took me all. Day. Long. When your "client"'s motto is "more is more" and her house is 6500-ish square feet, you can prepare to spend 3 full days decking the halls! (And I use the word "client" loosely, as she is actually my awesome boss who trusts me to decorate her home and her store for Christmas.)

Today is day two... Chandeliers, a ginormous pot rack, and the dining room are on the list. 

Day 3 will be the Christmas tree and will come at a later date.

Until then, enjoy a few sneak peaks of what's been done thus far. 






XO Lindsay 


Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Ginger Jar Ornament Giveaway WINNER(s)

And the winner is winners are...



Congratulations, Allison! 

Oh, and a little surprise for ya... 
I've decided to send 2 ornaments to one lucky person, as well! 
Congratulations, Ally! 

Please email me at LindsayLToler@gmail.com with your shipping address, Ladies!

XO Lindsay

Monday, November 24, 2014

Scenes From The Weekend

Be prepared for baby picture overload right now. We went to Charlotte to celebrate my niece's first birthday, and had a wonderful time with my family. I seriously cannot believe this sweet girl made her appearance a year ago. Time flies...















We got home from Charlotte yesterday afternoon. We spent the next few hours watching football and taking naps. As soon as I could peel myself up off the sofa, I pulled out my mom's homemade red velvet cheesecake, cut myself a slice, poured a glass of cab, and watched my friend dance her little butt off on the AMAs. 

Seriously, how badass is this girl? No, not Iggy... the one to her left. That's my frand. She's been dancing with Iggy for a while now, and I love when I get to watch her on TV. 


Today is cleaning day, but the next 2 days will be spent decorating a 6500 square foot home for the holidays... wish me luck!

XO Lindsay

P.S. I will reveal the ginger jar ornament winner tomorrow. 

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Black Bean Cakes With Avocado Cream Sauce Over A Tostado


I've made this a few times now... It's a great vegetarian / vegan meal that doesn't make you miss meat! It's got the crunch, the sweet, the spicy, the savory and it's hearty & filling. 
Seriously, make this. You will not be disappointed!

I used Natalie's black bean & corn cake recipe, my avocado cream sauce recipe, and I threw it all over a tostado with arugula. YUM!

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil

Black Bean Cakes:
1 (14oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c red onion, chopped
1/2 c red pepper, chopped
1/2 c frozen corn kernels
1 egg
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
salt & pepper
1c bread crumbs

Avocado cream sauce:
1 avocado, split & pitted
1/2 cup low-fat greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2tsp chili powder
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
(you may leave out last 3 ingredients if you don't like spice)

Garnishes:
4 small tortillas
fresh arugula
fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Combine all black bean cake ingredients into a large bowl. 
Mix together with your hands, being sure to mash the black beans.

2. Form black bean mixture into patties, 
and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, mix together all avocado cream sauce 
ingredients into a large bowl, and mix with a fork being sure to smash the avocados. (If avocados are perfectly ripe, this smashing process will be easy. If not, you can use a blender.)

4. Heat oil over medium heat. Brown patties 
on each side for a few minutes (4-5 to be safe). 
If you flip the patties too soon, they will fall apart.

5. While patties are cooking, set oven to broil on high. 
Broil the tortillas until crispy. 
WATCH YOUR TORTILLAS, AS THEY BURN EASILY.

6. Arrange 1 tostado per plate. Top with 2 or 3 patties, 
followed by a heaping spoon of the avocado cream sauce, 
then arugula, then cilantro. 






ENJOY!
XO Lindsay

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

New Christmas Ornaments

I got on an ornament painting kick last night while Brad was working late.

So now I present to you...
 a taxidermy ornament and a pineapple ornament








These are available on my Etsy shop.

Oh yeah, and have you entered my ginger jar ornament giveaway?? Hurry! It ends in 3 days!

P.S. Christmas is 5 1/2 weeks away. Crazy, right?

XO Lindsay

Monday, November 17, 2014

Scenes From The Weekend

Happy rainy Monday morning to ya!
How was everyone's weekend? Mine was lovely. I spent the majority of my weekend in my pajamas, crafting, watching Christmas movies, and drinking wine. No shame!

This week is an exciting week for me... From now until the end of the year, it's all fun all the time. Thursday is my work's 4th annual holiday party, featuring a vintage Chanel & vintage Louis Vuitton trunk show (FUN). Friday I'm traveling for work to set up for an event at a nearby city (FUN). Friday night I'm going to Charlotte to spend the weekend with my family for my niece's 1st birthday (FUN). After that, it's all holiday errthing! 
It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrr!!

Back to this past weekend...
I am OBSESSED with my new pajamas

They are so soft and cozy. I tend to get really hot when I sleep, so I was iffy on the pants / long sleeve combo... These jammie jams breath so well, though!

Ella got her emo on

I went to one of my most favorite places ever, Williams Sonoma, and spotted this FABULOUS La Cornue range. One day....

Home Alone, Cab and new brass deer? Yes, please!

Ginger jar ornaments are drying all over my home for a few, soon-to-be, very happy customers!


Speaking of ginger jar ornaments... Have you entered my giveaway?? 
You can do so here! HURRY! The giveaway ends Friday. 

I plan on recovering my dining chairs very soon... So many options, yet not enough at the same time. I have 2 shades of blush velvet samples on their way to me now. I've nixed the purple velvet and the darker buffalo check...

I picked up the cutest new outfit for my niece from Baby Gap on sale! I swear, kids have the best clothes!

That's all folks!
Today I'll be painting more ornaments and DIYing a fabulous magnolia garland for my dining table. 

XO Lindsay


Thursday, November 13, 2014

Set of 4 Ginger Jar Ornament GIVEAWAY

I'm giving away a set of 4 of my ginger jar ornaments! You have until Friday, November 21st @ 4:00pm to enter! 
Good luck, Friends!
XO Lindsay

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Scenes From The Week

I apologize for my silence... 
I spent 36 hours working / decorating Monkee's for Christmas. Today, I'm doing nothing, and I'm freakin ecstatic about it! 
I'd typically would've already shared "scenes from the weekend", but now I have some catching up to do. Check out scenes from my week. 

Saturday night, we went to a friend's house for a fun night featuring Asian cuisine. Everyone brought a dish, and these peeps went all out! Brad made dark chocolate and banana egg rolls... Y'all, this is the first dessert Brad has ever made, and it was good!



We had sushi for the first time in a long time. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach!

Hilary Duff keeps rocking this hairstyle, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I love it! I think it's my new go-to for the mornings I don't blow dry or brush my hair. 

Now for the decorating... 
I spent countless hours with my decorating sidekick, and I could not have finished this store without her! 







To see more of my Christmas window creations, head on over to the Monkee's blog!


XO Lindsay