Home Updates II

We've made some progress since my last home update {post}...

 Our couch finally arrived! We waited 6 whole weeks for this beauty and let me just say, it was worth the wait! We are so in love with our new sofa from Bassett!

{A close up of the fabric detail}

     And just to give you a little reminder of what our living room looked like when we first moved in...

 Then for awhile we had colorful temporary furniture...

and one more picture of our beloved sofa...

Our guest room is probably the closest room to being complete in our home. Over the weekend, I scored a set of 3 sunburst mirrors {for $20} from Target to add above the bed.

In our entry way, we added board & batten. The room was instantly brighter after this quick and inexpensive {approx. $160} project. And although this space has a very long way to go, we are loving the progress of our entry way!

  And speaking of entering our home. Just before you walk through our front door, you are now greeted with a happy front porch...

 We purchased two rocking chairs {$99/each from Home Depot} and a small table {$25 from Target} for the front porch. Then we added pillows and bright flowers to make it even more welcoming.

We are on a roll, so stay tuned for more updates to come!

The Kitchen Mitten Gift

Need a cute, personalized bridal shower or housewarming gift? Look no further!

 Recently, I gave this monogrammed oven mitt {filled with my favorite kitchen goodies} to Kristen for her bridal shower {posted here} a few weekends ago.

 Bows and monograms makes anything cuter, right?!
You can stuff your mitt with tons of fun kitchen tools like...

 a cute kitchen timer, and

 brightly painted utensils, and

 an avocado tool, and

fun spatulas and more!    I picked up all my goodies from World Market, Target and Marshalls.  

Whipped Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Today we are talking about the best part of a cupcake - the frosting! 

When I signed up to make cupcakes for Kristen's Bridal Shower, I knew I wanted to match the yellow party theme but wasn't sure how. After a bit of thinking I decided to make lemon frosting for my vanilla cupcakes and add a lemon garnish.

 Using my Whipped Vanilla Buttercream recipe, I made a few zingy tweaks and voila - whipped lemon buttercream frosting! I can't get over how delicious the frosting came out. Each girl ate at least two mini cupcakes at the shower and loved the lemon frosting.

 And since the recipe is just too easy and delicious not to share...

Whipped Vanilla Buttercream 

1½ cups {3 sticks} unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. heavy cream
1 ½ tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest from one large lemon {approx. 1 tbsp.}

Pinch of salt

In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth (about 1 minute).  One cup at a time, add in the confectioners’ sugar and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.  Add the salt.  Continue to beat on medium-high speed until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Mix in the heavy cream, lemon juice and zest on low speed until well blended.  Increase the mixer speed and whip on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed (about 4-5 minutes).

Yields 2 dozen cupcakes

*Note: don't substitute the fresh lemon juice for store bought. Just don't.