Achieve Your New Year’s Goals: Tips for Success

Happy New Year! It’s our human nature to bookmark the chapters of our lives in terms of years. We begin today on a fresh new page for a wonderful new chapter. I prefer to set goals for myself to achieve new things, rather than to set “resolutions” to change things I don’t like. It sets a positive outlook for something new, rather than a negative outlook to change something old. Today I am sharing some common New Year’s goals. I have found that to achieve success with my goals, it is essential to set myself up for success with the necessary tools to do so.

This article contains affiliate links and ads. You can find the exact products and services I recommend by clicking the links and photos below.

Goal: Travel More

A common New Year’s goal is to travel more and to explore new places. Often people have a misconception that this is something that can only be done if they have a lot of extra cash. But traveling for little to no money is something everyone can do. Last year my husband and I took five trips, and we did it for almost no cost using credit card travel rewards. Our favorite travel rewards card is THIS ONE. The rewards can be used for hotel rooms, all inclusive resorts, and airline tickets all over the world. Our next favorite travel rewards card is THIS OTHER ONE. That one covers many of the same expenses, but also things like rental cars. Want to learn more from experts on travel rewards? Check out Travel Mom Squad. It’s our favorite podcast on travel hacking, and their website is a useful resource for learning the travel points hobby. Below are a few more helpful travel things that I recommend:

Goal: Improve Health

The health of Americans has been all over the news lately. More and more people are realizing that the food we’re eating contains ingredients that are putting our health at risk. One simple solution to taking charge of our health is to cook at home. This can seem daunting and overwhelming, but it can be easily done with some preparation and planning. I stay away from recipes that have dozens of ingredients and complicated instructions. Keeping meals simple is one way to stay on track. Another thing we do is meal prepping. Once a week we make our lunches and pack them into meal prep containers. We take our lunches to work to make sure we’re: 1-eating healthy food, 2-preventing the urge to buy fast food, 3-saving money. The last thing we do to make sure we’re consuming healthy food is something that is often overlooked; we make sure the pans our food is cooked in don’t contain harmful metals or chemicals. We’ve been extremely happy with this set we use.

Goal: Increase Fitness

Moving our bodies consistently has more benefits than I can go into detail today. A few examples often given are reducing blood pressure, increasing metabolism, and helping with bone density. My favorite ways to be active are walking (both outside and on my treadmill) and resistance training with weights. I read years ago that as we get older, working out with weights becomes more and more important in order to protect our bone density. I often hear people say things like, “I don’t have money for a trainer,” or “I don’t know what to do.” I hung these exercise charts up in my workout area. The sturdy, laminated charts show examples of exercises for all of our body parts. If I see an exercise on the chart that I’m not quite sure how to do, I just look it up on YouTube for an example. Another tip I have is to anticipate excuses I might come up with, and remove the obstacles ahead of time. For example, set out your workout clothes the night before, or maybe even sleep in them. If you plan to walk outside, buy yourself a great rain jacket and spray waterproofing on your walking shoes. Don’t let a little rain stop you from getting your walk in!

Goal: Get Organized

A place for everything, and everything in its place. I’m not the first person to say it, and it’s definitely true. Living in a historic house means that we don’t have a huge pantry or closets. Even though I had already purged our belongings several times over the last few years to get rid of unneeded things, I was worried that we were going to have to get rid of even more. Instead, I began to focus on making sure the spaces we had were being used to their best potential. I bought organizational pieces that maximized the vertical space. In any space that I had on a shelf, I used racks or acrylic shelves to make sure the entire vertical space was being used. Underneath beds we are stacking flat narrow containers to hold things like off-season clothing and wrapping paper. In closets, we added 3 tier shelves to hold shoes and purses. On shelves above closet rods, we’re using more acrylic drawers and stacking the same flat containers that we use under the beds.

Wire shelves added to our existing pantry shelves maximize vertical space for food storage.
Acrylic stacking drawers maximize vertical space in our bathroom cabinet.
3-tier shelves in our closets maximize vertical space for shoe storage.

Goal: Financial Health and Financial Literacy

Something I am very passionate about is living debt free. I’m not exaggerating when I say that if there is one thing that I could talk to anyone about for hours, it would be finances. Money is something that has always been taboo to talk about. A lot of us were raised by a generation who didn’t teach us how to budget or invest, much less how to keep a checking account or strategically pay taxes. When our kids were in high school, we encouraged both of them to take a series of 3 classes that taught them about finance and business. Our culture has become increasingly focused on consumption, with access to every store we could ever want right on the phone in our pocket. It is really important that we educate ourselves and our families on how to live a content, full life away from the choking burden of debt. My very favorite podcast is ChooseFI. This podcast has been around for a while, and I really encourage you to go back and start at some of the earlier episodes and move forward from there. (Did you know that one of the largest groups of millionaires in the U.S. is teachers? This podcast can show you exactly how it’s done.) I have so many easy-to-read favorite books on how to live financially independent, but my top choice is A Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins. If you don’t have time to read, listen to the audiobook. Another essential tool that I recommend is YNAB. YNAB is an app/website for budgeting. In YNAB you link all of your accounts (banking, savings, credit cards, etc) and you categorize spending and savings in real time. It gives you the freedom to spend money and also keep track of bills. One thing I love about YNAB is that each subscription can share their subscription with up to 5 people. Those 5 people can if they want to, but do NOT have to share their budgets with you. It’s completely private.

These are some of the most common New Years goals. Whether you are wanting to travel more, get healthier, increase your fitness, get organized, or find financial freedom, I hope some of these tools help you on your path to success. Take one step today and another step tomorrow. In time you will find yourself closer to your goals than you were yesterday. The important part is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I wish you a happy, healthy New Year. As always, this is a community to share ideas. Please feel free to comment below if you have other tips that you would like to share!

Click the image to find most of these tools in my LTK shop.

Abby Smolarsky2 Comments
Styled garland showing how to dry whole oranges and use them in natural Christmas decor.

How to Dry Whole Oranges for Christmas Decor

When I think of Christmas, I am reminded of fragrant oranges, spicy cloves, and warm cinnamon. For many years I have dried and preserved orange slices to use as Christmas decor. (See this article from 2020.) This year I decided that I would learn how to dry whole oranges, instead of just slices. Today I am sharing the simple steps to drying whole oranges.

The steps for drying whole oranges are very simple, but they are somewhat time-consuming. Today I am sharing the basic things you need to know about how to dry whole oranges. I chose to only dry half a bag of oranges. I wish I had done the entire bag! While it is a little lengthy to dry whole oranges, they turned out really well. I found other spots in the house that I would’ve placed more whole, dry oranges. Next year I’ll put the entire bag into the drying process.

Step One

Turn your oven on to the lowest temperature. My oven’s lowest temperature is 170*. My oven has convection bake and regular bake. I found that convection bake was more effective than the regular bake.

Step Two

Using a small paring knife, you will begin to cut into the orange rind from pole to pole. Don’t quite go all the way to the end/pole. Leave 1/4 of rind on each end of your cut. You’ll want to make sure your cut goes all the way into the pith/rind through to the orange flesh. However, once you start drying them, if you notice that you didn’t get all the way through to the orange flesh, you can take it back out of the oven and cut deeper before putting it back in.

You can see how I didn’t cut deep enough on this orange. You can cut deeper and put it back into the oven to finish drying.

Note: I experimented on one of my oranges to see if I could cut a design other than basic stripes. This doesn’t work as well. Using the method I described above, the oranges will develop gaps and vents, exposing the inner part of the fruit to be dried out. You can experiment as well, but in my experience, basic slits are best.

You can’t see them, but the slits into the orange are there.

Step Three

Once your oranges are cut, you need to decide how you want them to be placed into the oven. My oven is new, so I decided to line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place them on top. Some people place them directly onto the racks. Other people place them onto metal cooling racks that have been put into a cookie sheet. A friend told me it would not affect drying time. You decide what’s best for you!

I used tongs to turn the oranges every couple of hours. If you notice a cut didn’t go all the way through, take it out to cut deeper before putting it back in again.

Step Four

Next you will leave the oranges in the oven to dry out until the rind is hardened and you believe that the fruit inside is dried out. I had been warned that this would take a long time, and it certainly did. On the first day, I dried them in the oven from 7 am to 7 pm. I didn’t want to leave the oven on overnight, so I took them out. The next day I dried them for another four hours. The third day, I dried them for the entire day again. All in all, I think this was about 24 hours of drying time. Which is why I wished I had dried the entire bag at once.

After Your Oranges are Dried

You can use your dried oranges in garlands, wreaths, or hanging on your Christmas tree. I have tucked dried oranges into my fireplace garland, along with pomegranates, feathers, holly berries, and pine cones. I added ribbon that resembled the colors of dried oranges and pomegranates.

When I dry orange slices, I will save them in an airtight bag to use for multiple years. Before I use dried slices again the next year, I inspect them to make sure there is no mold or anything undesirable on them. Since it is not possible to see inside and inspect whole oranges, I won’t be saving the dried whole oranges to use again next year.

Using natural elements in Christmas decor creates a rich and vibrant ambiance. Since a bag of oranges is relatively inexpensive, you really only need some time to create Christmas decor using whole dried oranges. Have you dried oranges before? Slices, or whole oranges? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below. Or, post a photo on Instagram and tag me so that I can see your dried oranges.

Merry Christmas!

Abby Smolarsky1 Comment

Creating a Cozy Holiday Experience for Guests

It’s less than twenty days until Christmas, and touches of holiday spirit can be felt in nearly every room in our home. One of the things we love most about the holidays is welcoming our friends, family, and neighbors into our home to celebrate the season with us. It’s important to us that our guests experience the contagious holiday excitement, while also feeling at ease. We truly want them to make themselves at home when they come through the door.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Kierra Todd with Redfin.com. Kierra asked me how we ensure a comfortable experience for our guests during the holidays. One way I do this is by mixing natural elements with conversation pieces. Today I am sharing our dining room decorated for a Christmas gathering. The vintage and antique Christmas decor we’ve collected over the years has started many conversations while gathered around the table with guests. And by collecting and foraging from our yard for decor, we ground the space and bring commonality.

Interior designer Abby Smolarsky at Belle Antiquarian, highlighted, “By mixing natural elements and conversation pieces, guests will feel the excitement of the season. In the dining room, guests will see magnolia and holly from our yard, as well as a tree sparkling with collected antique ornaments. It’s the perfect mixture for putting people at ease.”

Redfin.com

In the South we are blessed to have quite a few plants to forage at Christmastime. Our property boasts several magnolia species, abundant holly trees, and evergreen. I gather clippings and wire them together to adorn tables, buffets, and fireplace mantels throughout the house. Tucked here and there you will see some of my favorite pheasant feathers. My wonderful neighbor, Claire, gave me a bag of long-leaf pine cones that she had collected, which were the perfect finishing touch. Each region will have vegetation that can be brought inside for decor. If you don’t have anything in your yard, try asking a friend or neighbor if you can come clip a few things to add to your decor. Be sure to bring a basket, sharp clippers, and gloves to protect your hands from pointy leaves like holly.

Vintage and antique Christmas decor are among my favorite things to look for while treasure hunting. Throughout my years of selling antiques, I have collected some unusual and special ornaments. It’s fun to gaze and watch them sparkle on our dining room tree while gathered for a special meal. Part of the reason these ornaments are so special is because they were collected slowly over time and in various places. They each hold a story or memory, and they have kept the conversation flowing at the Christmas table on more than one occasion. It’s okay to start small with one or two baubles and add to them as the years go by. They’ll become part of your story as well.

The dining room feels festive, but also approachable. It’s doable. Anyone can gather foliage from their yard and bring it inside. Everyone can pick up a vintage ornament here and there. It’s how we share our space with the people we care about, sharing a little bit of our lives with theirs.

I’m honored to be featured on Redfin for this special holiday article. You can find the whole article and many more tips HERE.

No matter if you live in an apartment in Miami, FL, a rental home in Tuscaloosa, AL, or a
house in Bakersfield, CA, this guide will walk you through essential steps to declutter and clean your home, add festive touches, prepare for guests, and set the stage for holiday entertainment, ensuring your home is ready to impress and delight all season long.
Prepare Your Home for the Holidays: 7 Tips for a Festive Season | Redfin

Abby SmolarskyLeave a comment

2024’s Best Books: A Personal Review

One of my goals for 2024 was to read two books each week. I didn’t quite accomplish that goal, but I did manage to read over 75 books this year. There were quite a few that I started and abandoned because I didn’t enjoy them for one reason or another. Those books are not included in my number of read books. (Who has time for bad books? Not me!) Today I am sharing my top 10 books that I read in 2024.

This post contains commissionable links. You can find the exact books I read by clicking on the titles or pictures.

In random order, here are my top 10 books that I read in 2024:

The Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrienne Young

I read this book earlier in the year, and when I did I was already at the point where I desperately wanted to read something unpredictable, creative, and original. This book was it! From the synopsis, “In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.”

I think there are more layers and depth than this brief description provides, so you will have to read this one for yourself.

The Vaster Wilds, by Lauren Groff

This is truly a unique read. The main character’s voice is profoundly memorable, and I will think of this book for years to come. Several times while reading it, I thought that this would make a fantastic novel study for a high school literature class. It’s not a light read, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. In brief, “A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her.”

This made it onto to my “Book to re-Read in the Future” list.

The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett

This is not a new release, but I just got around to reading it this year. There are several themes in this book that resonated with me. I know what it means to be in love with a house and to have strained and unconventional familial relationships. This book was a wonderful journey through someone else’s story. To summarize, “At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.”

How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood

An inspirational novel that touches on the power of redemption and forgiveness, and the impact literature can make on every life. This book shows how books can change lives, even those incarcerated with little exposure to reading. “When [three people] encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.”

The Secret Book of Flora Lee: A Novel, by Patti Callahan Henry

I loved this book for the mystery and unique story line. It touches on the strength of sibling bonds and reminds of us of events affecting children during World War II. To sum up this wonderful story, “In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.”

The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown

Imaginative. Creative. Adventurous. Well-written. I loved this book. The story is perfectly woven and the ending is wonderful. Dear Author, if you read this, PLEASE make a sequel!! From the summary, “Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading. But this is no ordinary book…It is the Book of Doors.”

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman

I am late to the game in reading this novel, but I’m so glad that I added it to my list in 2024. A wonderful reminder that we are all people living parallel lives with unique stories, but that our lives affect others and intersect, whether we want them to or not. We can also glean a lesson in compassion from this story. A little more about the book: “Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.”

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton

I would describe this book as a classy mystery. It’s a wonderful example of a well written, multi-layered plot. It’s refreshing to see a story written that doesn’t rely on cheap shock and gore to achieve success. I found this title because I read another of Stuart Turton’s books this year, The Last Murder at the End of the World, and I wanted to read more of his work. He writes truly unique stories, and I hope you’ll enjoy this one. A summary, “The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.”

The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley

This book is written from rotating points of view. In doing so, the author effectively makes the reader feel sympathetic to some of the characters with less than desirable personality traits. I enjoyed the injection of Paris culture, architecture, and ambiance while reading this multi-layered mystery. “Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.”

The Many Lives of Mama Love, by Laura Love Hardin

This is the only non-fiction book to make my top 10 list for 2024. This book is an “easy” read, but it wasn’t easy for me to read. The author discusses topics that were uncomfortable and things that I didn’t want to think about in this book. She sheds light on the realities of opioid addiction and the prison/court systems in America. While portions of this book were out of my comfort zone, I’m glad that I read it and gained compassion and understanding for the people traveling the dark journey that the author did.

If you’ve read this far you will notice that I didn’t mention what my favorite book for the year was! Based on my descriptions, I’d love to know what your guess is. Have you read any of the books on this list? Let’s chat in the comments below,

You can shop for any of these books by clicking the titles or images above. If you’d like to find them all in one place, you can find them in my LTK shop HERE. You can also save this article to your Pinterest page to find it again later.

Abby Smolarsky6 Comments

Ultimate Stocking Stuffer Guide for 2024

Every Christmas Eve we pass a drug store when we drive to church for our candlelight service. The parking lot is always packed with people rushing to buy last-minute stocking stuffers. I’ve created some stocking stuffer gift guides to help you prepare ahead of time and avoid the manic shopping the night before Santa arrives.

This article contains commissionable links and ads. You can shop for these exact items by clicking the pictures and links below. Below you will find stocking stuffers for men, ladies, teen boys, teen girls, and kids. Ladies, send these links to your husband to make sure your stocking isn’t empty on Christmas morning!

Stocking Stuffers for Men

Click the photo to shop these items.

Stocking Stuffers for Ladies

(Ladies, send this link to your husband so that your stocking isn’t empty on Christmas!

Click the photo to shop these items.

Stocking Stuffers for Teen Girls

Click the photo to shop for these items.

Teen Boy Stocking Stuffers

Click the photo to shop these items.

Stocking Stuffers for Kids

Click the photo to shop these items.

Abby SmolarskyLeave a comment

American Living Room Design Plan: Warmth and Style

It’s the beginning of a new month, which means it’s time to release another designed space. A few weeks ago I took a poll on Instagram, and the majority of followers voted for this month’s design to feature a living room.

This article contains affiliate links and ads. You can find the products I recommend by clicking on the links throughout and at the bottom of this page. These are designs that you can pick and choose which elements to bring into your own spaces. They’ll be saved here on my website, or you can save them on Pinterest. You can come back and add pieces to your spaces as time and budgets allow.

In most American homes, the living room is the space in the house where a family will gather to sit and relax together. Living rooms provide the perfect opportunity to show your style and to incorporate pieces that reflect your personal flair. In this living room design plan, I’ve purposely used multiple sources for the items featured. I want to discourage you from walking into a furniture showroom and buying a completely matching living room set. In order to create a collected aesthetic that is a unique reflection of your style, you’ll need to pull together pieces from different sources.

Click the photo to shop this design.

Design preferences are FINALLY moving away from sterile, all-white or gray interiors. The design I’m featuring today is warm and evokes a feeling of “home” with saturated and inviting colors. The wall color for this living room design is Shaker Beige, HC-45, from the Benjamin Moore historic color collection. On the floor you will find a timeless selection of traditional hickory hardwoods. Using Shaker Beige and hickory hardwoods as the base for our design, we begin to layer in warmth and richness, starting with a woven Persian rug.

The sofa in this month’s design is fully customizable. After choosing the basic shape of the sofa, I selected the number of cushions, fabric, cushion filling, and feet. The feet selected are walnut stained feet with brass castors. The fabric shown is “Atlantic Performance Blakely.”

At this point in the design, we have the base in which to start adding complementary furniture, art, and accessories. I added some leather armchairs and walnut end tables that echo back to the lines of the traditional sofa. The elegant coffee table pairs well with the metal accents on the sofa feet.

The table lamps in this living room design are ones where a visitor might wonder if they’re new or if they were found on an antiquing adventure.

I selected window treatments and an art piece for this space that pull from the colors found in the rug, sofa, and wall color. If you’re only able to change one thing in your living room, try finding a new art piece that will unify the other colors used in your space.

The final layer in this living room design plan is for accessories. Accessories are such a fun way to inject personality into your space. Here I have used conversation pieces that add texture and interest.

You can find the sources for each of the items that I recommend below. Never miss a design release in the future by subscribing using the box at the bottom of this article.

You can find many of these items in my LTK Storefront HERE.

Abby SmolarskyLeave a comment

Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas: Easy and Delicious

This article contains affiliate links and commissionable ads.

In just a few days, friends and families will gather around tables to eat Thanksgiving dinner together. We prepare the traditional recipes, and sometimes venture to try new ones. With all of the focus on the main event, breakfast on Thanksgiving Day can feel like a burdensome afterthought. There’s far too much hustle and bustle to make sure dinner is perfect to wake up and stress about breakfast as well.

Click the photo to shop these items.

Today I am sharing our Thanksgiving breakfast table. One thing that I love about our historic home is that each space has a dedicated purpose. Our breakfast room is where we eat most of our meals, play games, and work on puzzles. The trend in modern houses has been to do away with formal dining spaces, but our family has always enjoyed both formal and casual dining spaces in every home we’ve had. I set the dining room table for Thanksgiving dinner a week ahead of time, and we still had a space to eat in the breakfast room.

For Thanksgiving breakfast we’ll have pumpkin muffins (recipe below) and egg strata (found in a cook book HERE). We’ll all eat as we wake up and feel hungry for breakfast. Some of us will be getting up early to cook, and some will be enjoying the well-deserved opportunity to sleep in.

Click the photo to shop these items.

I’ve set the breakfast table with a mixture of new and collected items. I’ve been enjoying this cotton tablecloth throughout the fall, and it’s a vibrant and warm backdrop to my vintage Thanksgiving plates. I’ve linked sources to everything in my LTK shop.

Click the photo to shop these items.

I’d love to know what you serve your family for breakfast on Thanksgiving. Please leave a comment and let me know.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Abby | Belle Antiquarian

The Best Pumpkin Muffins

Moist muffins filled with all of the same flavors as your favorite pumpkin pie.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree, or 1 ¾ cups lightly packed fresh pureed pumpkin
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp molasses, optional

Equipment

  • 1 Muffin tin
  • Muffin liners
  • 1 Large Bowl for the dry ingredients
  • 1 Medium Bowl for the wet ingredients
  • 1 Whisk or spatula
  • 1 Ice Cream Scoop to make diving batter easier
  • Toothpicks to test if done

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 375* and line a muffin pan with 12 liners.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk, and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients until well combined and smooth.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir together until well incorporated, but do not over mix.
  5. Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. They will almost be full.
  6. Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Cooking times can vary. Check at 20 minutes.)

Notes

  • Equipment: Use a standard 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners for easy cleanup. A large mixing bowl and medium bowl make the process simple, and an ice cream scoop helps divide the batter evenly for perfectly sized muffins every time.
  • Storage: Keep muffins covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Reheat briefly in the microwave or toaster oven to bring back their just-baked flavor.
  • Freezer Friendly: Once cooled, freeze muffins in a single layer on a tray, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw at room temperature or warm gently before serving.
  • Add-Ins: Fold in ½ cup of chopped pecans, chocolate chips, or dried cranberries for extra flavor and texture.
  • Serving Tip: These muffins pair beautifully with coffee, tea, or a touch of cinnamon butter.
  • Pro Tip: A sturdy muffin pan, vintage-inspired mixing bowls, and a quality ice cream scoop make this recipe both simple and stylish to prepare.

Abby Smolarsky1 Comment

Thanksgiving in Our New Historic Home

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and this will be our first year celebrating in our “new” historic home. I want to give a house update and share our Thanksgiving table with you.

Click the photo to shop these items.

We’ve been working hard to settle in and make our house feel like home. All of the moving boxes have been unpacked. Many of them had been in storage for four years, and thankfully we’ve only had two items broken. Our kitchen renovation is finished, and we’ve restored the flooring in several rooms. We’ve restored many of the original iron railings, and the rest will have to wait for warmer weather this spring. Outside, we’ve planted hundreds of perennials, including boxwoods, hydrangeas, and peonies, to name a few. If all goes well, there will be blooms throughout the yard from spring through summer next year.

Click the photo to shop these items.

We’re also researching the proper way to reglaze our original, working, sixteen pane windows. We’ll start the slow process of reglazing them when weather turns warmer. This is considered a maintenance task, and if we do it correctly, it won’t need to be done again for decades.

Click the photo to shop these items.

As we’re nearly the holiday season, we’re also preparing to host out-of-town guests. Several guest spaces have been completed to make them comfortable during their stay. Unfortunately, a custom sofa that we ordered in September still hasn’t arrived, which is creating stress as Thanksgiving draws near.

Click the photo to shop these items.

In spite of the lack of living room seating, there is a place for everyone at the dining room table. We’ll treasure the times spent with our friends and loved ones this season. We will be gathered around the table to enjoy delicious food and each others company. I’ve included a few photos of our Thanksgiving table this year. You will notice that there is a Christmas tree up in the dining room. There are a few reasons for this, which I can talk about in a future article, but let’s just say the turkey still tastes the same with the tree up!

To find the sources for everything I used to set our Thanksgiving table, you can visit this post in my LTK shop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Abby Smolarsky2 Comments

Discover Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year 2025

It’s the beginning of a new month, which means it’s time to release another designed space. This month features a new bedroom design, which has been inspired by the Benjamin Moore color of the year and color trends palette for 2025.

This article contains affiliate links and ads. You can find the products I recommend by clicking on the links throughout and at the bottom of this page. These are designs that you can pick and choose which elements to bring into your own spaces. They’ll be saved here on my website, or you can save them on Pinterest. You can come back and add pieces to your spaces as time and budgets allow.

Benjamin Moore recently released their color of the year and a color trends palette for 2025. (Read more on the Benjamin Moore site HERE.) I designed a space using 4 of these colors, and I want to show you how simply changing the wall color can drastically change the whole room. The Benjamin Moore color of the year for 2025 is Cinnamon Slate 2113-40. In addition to Cinnamon Slate, I incorporated some of Benjamin Moore’s color trends for 2025: Sea Salt CSP-95, Paris Rain 1501, and Tissue Pink 1163.

In the first design plan I’m featuring Cinnamon Slate as the wall color. Cinnamon Slate is a deeply saturated and sophisticated hue that can be treated as a neutral when taken care not to overwhelm the space with competing colors. Because Cinnamon Slate is the star of this design, we can carefully add selections that keep the space calm and serene. I found a piece of wall art that unites all four of the paint colors that I’m featuring today. This artwork is integral to creating a cohesive design. The furniture and other decor pieces are either very neutral and without pattern, or they only have a pattern that includes colors from the color palette that I’m featuring. With Cinnamon Slate as a backdrop, the other design selections are noticeable individually as they pop away from the darker color.

Wall color Cinnamon Slate. Click the photo to shop this design.

In the next design I have kept all of the exact selections from the design above, but I have simply switched out the wall color from Cinnamon Slate to Paris Rain. I absolutely love Paris Rain. It has been one of my go-to color selections for years. I urge you to get a color swatch in person, because you will love it, too. The silk draperies, which are barely a whisper of pink, like Tissue Pink in our color scheme, become a direct complementary color to Paris Rain, as they are opposites on a color wheel. In this design, Cinnamon Slate transitions to an accessory color in the bowl, lamp, and artwork.

Wall color Paris Rain. Click the photo to shop this design.

Again we are going to keep the exact same design, but this time we can see how it would look if the walls are painted Tissue Pink. I think Tissue Pink is a very palatable pink. It’s an excellent option if you want to warm a space up, while still keeping it neutral. Notice how the selections change with Tissue Pink as the background. The lamp, draperies, and rug are all unique accessories, but with a similarly toned wall color like Tissue Pink, we can start to feel more on the monochromatic end of the spectrum.

Wall color Tissue Pink. Click the photo to shop this design.

Lastly, let’s look to see how the design changes when we change the wall color to Sea Salt. Sea Salt is the lightest hue in the palette that I’m featuring today. In this design, the artwork, accessories, and rug become the stars of the show. This is a good example of showing that often choosing a lighter paint color changes the focus of the room onto the things that are in it. If you have artwork and collections that you want to spotlight, a lighter paint color may be the best option for you.

Wall color Sea Salt. Click the photo to shop this design.

Each of the design selections for this room can be found linked below. Now that you have seen the same room in four different colors, I want you to slowly scroll back up. In each room, focus only on the artwork above the bed. Notice how the artwork works perfectly in each room, and yet as the paint color changes the artwork looks somehow different in each one. Ah, the power of paint! As I said at the beginning, the artwork is integral to this design.

Paint is one of the easiest ways to change a room, and it’s important to select the right color for your space. As you can see, it can completely change the entire design.

You can find the sources for each of the items that I recommend below. Never miss a design release in the future by subscribing using the box at the bottom of this article.

You can find many of these items in my LTK Storefront HERE.

Abby SmolarskyLeave a comment

Essential Books for Cut Flower Gardening Success

This article contains ads and commissionable links.

We’re nearing the end of October, and most people aren’t thinking about flowers and sunshine. However, if you want to have a bounty of cut flowers this spring and summer, now is the time to plan. In some cases, now is the time to get seeds and plants into the ground.

Spring Flowers of Larkspur and Aster used to decorate for Easter

There are many excellent resources on the internet to use when you’re planning a flower garden. But in my opinion, nothing beats a book in hand. There’s something about an actual book that is just inspirational and motivational. I have quite a few gardening books on my bookshelf, but today I want to share just a few of the flower gardening books that have become my favorites over the years. You can find the entire list as a group in my LTK storefront, or you can click the individual titles below to be taken directly to the website.

The Little Book of Cut Flower Gardening This is a small, but surprisingly helpful little book. It would make a great gift for someone just starting their flower growing journey. It gives applicable tips, and at the end gives a brief overview of some commonly grown cut flower varieties.

Peonies for Perpetual Profit Even if you aren’t planning to grow peonies for profit, and most people aren’t, this book gives valuable knowledge for growing peonies successfully. It also gives a list of peony varieties and descriptions so that you can choose the varieties best suited for your own garden.

In Bloom Is an excellent book for going a little deeper into the types of flowers you should grow for a well-rounded bouquet. It explains different shapes of flowers in a bouquet, varieties of flowers, and containers to arrange flowers in.

Seasonal Flower Arranging: Fill Your Home with Blooms, Branches, and Foraged Materials All Year Round This is a stunning book filled with gorgeous inspirational photos and valuable insight. One of my favorite things about this book are pages that read like recipes that can be helpful for pulling together a bouquet similar to the ones pictured.

The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower’s Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers If you’re becoming serious about cut flower gardening and want to consider selling them, this is the book for you. The book details farming practices, different ways to make income with flowers, and testimonials from successful people in the industry. There is an immensely valuable resource guide at the end for everything from where to buy buy everything from seeds to refrigeration.

The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History This is a flower dictionary, of sorts. It details flowers and their scientific names, while also providing symbolic meanings, folklore, and facts related to each one.

The Cutting Garden: Growing and Arranging Garden Flowers An excellent resource for people who enjoy cutting their own flowers and making floral arrangements. Included are tips for how to pull together arrangements by season and color.

Martha Stewart’s Gardening: Month by Month Of all of the books on my gardening shelf, this one provides the most inspiration. I would buy it again, just for the illustration on the inside cover. This is my favorite book on the list!

Martha’s Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying This book provides information for how and when to plant and harvest, tips for arranging, and other helpful advice. Not to mention there are pages of beautiful, inspirational photos of Martha’s home.

Arranging Flowers – The Best of Martha Stewart Living This is another inspirational book by Martha Stewart. This is for the home flower gardener that wants to grow and create simple home arrangements, often only using one or two types of flowers in them.

I enjoy reading and learning more about flowers. If you have a favorite flower gardening or floral arranging book, please leave me a comment below.

Happy gardening!

Abby

Abby SmolarskyLeave a comment