Friday, August 30, 2013

Etsy Giveaway!

You guys.  How completely adorable are these shoes?  I first spied them on pinterest and ever since have been trying to think of a reason why R needs another pair of shoes.  Lucky for you, Aja Lor is giving away a pair (see her adorable shop here)!  These are my three favorites:


So.  To enter this giveaway you must first of all, be a follower of RestlessOasis.  For all entries you must leave a comment......in other words-each comment will only count as one entry.  1. For your first entry, like Aja Lor's etsy shop and leave a comment saying you did so and that you are a follower of the blog.  2.  For a second entry pin the giveaway.  3.  For a third entry, FB the giveaway 4. For a fourth entry, you can tweet/instagram the giveaway.    This giveaway is only open to US/CAN residents and ends next Tuesday.  The winner will be announced Wednesday, good luck!  


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Healthy Living Post: Zucchini Fries

Hey there!  R and I got in last night from NY and as is normal for me the day after a trip, today has been a catch-up day.  We could not have had a more wonderful time.  As I spent a good amount of time at my friend's home prior to our move, it felt like coming back to a second home.  I got to meet her sweet baby girl (R was crazy about her little friend), we stayed up way too late for our own good most nights, and hit up some of my favorite old spots (and friends!).  There is something so great about visiting a good friend where the only expectation is to visit with one other.  As is normal for us when we get together, we tried a new recipe that I need to share with you all.   These zucchini fries were delicious and I was excited that I have a new way of eating zucchini (besides these turkey burgers).  I also love that there isn't a lot of prep time involved.  
Note: We sliced ours small to make them more crispy and used olive oil instead of butter.   

1 cup sliced Zuchini 
1 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
10 squirts of butter spray (we used olive oil)


Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, then coat with some cooking spray. Place the zucchini slices out on the pan, then spritz with them with the butter spray/olive oil. Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and then pop it in the oven. Broil for about 10 minutes - until the cheese and zucchini start to brown and looks crispy. 



Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Floor to Ceiling White Fireplaces

Since we moved into our house, I have been wanting to do something with our fireplace.  It's pretty traditional, with a dark brick and a wood mantle that desperately needs to be painted/replaced.  My first choice is to add faux brick so that the fireplace goes all the way to the ceiling and to paint it all white.  I love the look.  Since we plan to only be here for a few years, one concern is re-sell.  Personally, I think it's very classic and can't imagine this being an issue.....but  I know how people can feel about painted brick.  I'm curious to hear your thoughts, feel free to chime in!
       
Ps.  Tomorrow R and I are flying up to NY (while Red is at a work conference) to visit one of my best friends and to meet her newborn baby girl....so I'm taking a break here until next Wednesday.  Wish me luck on flying solo with my squirmy one year old!


Monday, August 19, 2013

DIY Barn Wood Shelf

A few months ago, I came across these beautiful pieces of old barn wood and they instantly caught my eye.  Right away, I knew they would make a perfect shelf for R's room.  Since then the barn wood has been sitting in her closet waiting to be put to use.  Part of the problem was that I could not figure out how I wanted to hang it.....I was leaning towards leather straps, but could not decide on a color that looked just right.  Then, this weekend, we were on an errand at Home Depot and I saw this rope and I knew it was right.  Something so simple...... but for me, usually the brainstorming process is the longest part of a DIY.  Anyways, here is my little DIY barn wood shelf:  
The two pieces of barn wood fit together perfectly, so this made the job a little easier.  We added some wood glue though, just in case.  Then, as you can see we screwed on the metal brackets to secure the two pieces of wood.    
Then we simply drilled holes on either side and added our rope.  SO simple.
*For anyone wondering- the bookends are from Target about six months ago.....and I don't think they were meant to be bookends, because they were super cheap (and we all know bookends are never cheap).  The R pillow is new...my mom helped me sew that for R's first birthday, and one of my dear friends made the long pillow for R.  All other sources you can find on the nursery post here.

Friday, August 16, 2013

What I'm loving this Friday

This room     

This workspace

And these links:
-This pouf
-Another house tour I'm completely in love with... the textiles!
-What does your handwriting say about your personality?
-My new favorite podcast (thanks to the recommendations of my little sister and a close friend)....I got the app and have started listening to it on the treadmill and while I'm cleaning
-The styling of this 4th birthday
-My talented photographer friend Jewel went to Iceland this summer and took the most AMAZING pictures, you can see them on her instagram JewelPeach 
-An elephant clan rescuing a baby elephant.....seriously the sweetest
-Cauliflower pizza


Thursday, August 15, 2013

House Tour- an old Schoolhouse Transformed

I was just catching up on my reading today, and was feeling somewhat uninspired.  About to close my laptop and call it a day, I happened upon this amazing house tour over on Planet-deco  of a beautiful transformation by a Pennsylvania couple (hopefully you haven't seen it already).  There are so many details that I love about this home, but here are some of my favorites- the Russell Woodard dining chairs, the black trim in the stairwell, and the entire master bathroom (just wow!).   See here for more pictures.  






Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Bookcase Ramblings

Hey there!  Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend!  We originally had plans to go explore a local swimming quarry, but since we just got back from a vacation of exploring we decided it was time to roll up our sleeves and get some things done around the house.  Most of our projects were anything but exciting- painting a hallway, hanging more things up (it's taking us long enough), and organizing house things.  But, I am excited that we finally finished making a bookcase for the office.  This has been a long time coming- since I decided to sell all of our old bookcases, our books have been in piles on the floor of our guest room.  Part of the problem was not having any clear direction.....let me share the process with you (and hopefully it won't bore you too much).

It started out with me liking a bookcase with doors, such as this one below.  I liked the idea of "hiding" our ugly books.  Red really wanted an open bookcase though, so this got scratched.
Then there was this industrial bookcase.  Though I liked it, I was feeling less excited as I have seen tons of pictures of this DIY all over the web.  I wanted something a little more original, and Red really hated the idea of building a bookcase into our walls (for re-sell purposes).
Then I saw this one over at World Market.  It's pretty classic and we both liked it, but neither of us wanted to put our money towards a bookcase when we need things like chairs for our living and dining rooms.  Besides, I really wanted to come up with a DIY for our bookcase.
Then, I fell in love with this one from the Design Files.  It was just the perfect amount of color for me, but Red again wasn't crazy about it....and it is his office (he works from home a decent amount), so his opinion is even more important here.  Then, I had no ideas for a while........
Then I saw this one from Kirsten of Simply Grove's office, we both liked it but I still wanted to adapt it to bring in some old world charm (you know me).

So, I'm going to leave you hanging for a little bit with what bookcase we actually decided on and finished as of last night at 11pm.  Cheers!   

Friday, August 9, 2013

Scalloped

One of the things I love about traveling, is the inspiration I take home with me from the things and people I see.  This past trip was no exception.  On our train ride from Oslo to Bergen, I kept seeing these scallop tiled rooftops on beautiful quaint houses.  The picture below is from the view at our B&B in Bergen, and again I couldn't help noticing the beautiful scalloped tile.  I feel pretty confident in saying that my dream house will have a similar rooftop.  And of course, I'm leaving you with some Friday links.....
As one always drawn to clean lines, I have often thought scallops a little too feminine for my taste.  Well, not anymore!  Here are some scalloped things that I'm digging right now......until I can get my scalloped rooftop.
1.wallpaper 2.cupcake stand 3. photo booth backdrop 4. brass bowl 5. laundry hamper

Considering this option for our countertops
This graduation speech on kindness by George Saunders.....wow
Like everyone else, I'm over the moon excited about H&M launching there online site- even more excited about their Home collection.
One of my favorite house tours, hands down.
Really loving Jcrew's Fall denim line
This little art tutorial

Thursday, August 8, 2013

more of Norway

Hey there, I have some more favorites from Norway that I wanted to share with you today.  Before that, though,  I wanted to let you know that I'm being featured on Design Sponge today.  As a long time reader of Design Sponge, I'm just a little excited about that.....just a little.  Ok-back to Norway.  

Bergen was my favorite city that we visited.  I fell in love with the colorful wooden houses, the fish market, and the charming harbor.
Below is a medieval Stave church that we visited, you can see the Viking influence in the architecture.  Everywhere we went in Bergen there were miniature troll figurines, and we later learned that church bells were believed to help ward off any ill-tempered trolls.  So interesting!

Below is my favorite B&B from the trip.  It was so darling, we didn't mind the mini twin beds(my 5'4" self was touching the foot board)!
Oslo's pretty opera house was another highlight-it's made to look like a floating glacier.  We watched the sunset on the lower half and it was a breathtaking view not to mention a wonderful memory.

I was so inspired by this pretty garden- proof that you don't need a lot of space to create an outdoor haven.
I'm going to end it here with the beautiful Pulpit Rock.  It was such an incredible experience to see it in person.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Look for less: Terrain's Zinc-Topped Country Table

By now, you probably know that I'm a big fan of Terrain (see this post).  So, of course it happened that a table I fell in love with at a local antique mall and brought home for $150 (birthday money!) would be a look alike for this beauty from Terrain.  Mind you- Terrain's version is a steep $2,455!  My main purpose for sharing these "look for less" posts is to inspire you to be creative in getting the look that you want in your home without spending a fortune.  It's also much more satisfying:).  I'm envisioning an awesome herb garden on this pretty table.

Friday, August 2, 2013

I'm Back!


Hey guys!  Thank you all for the sweet comments and congratulations.....I see the traffic on the blog and know you guys are out there, but it sure is nice to hear from you all.  We had a wonderful time in Norway, it was even more beautiful than I imagined.  If it wasn't for being married to a half blooded Norwegian, I honestly don't think I would have had Norway so high on my travel list.  What a shame that would have been!  Hopefully you don't mind a couple posts full of pictures from our trip, I'm still on a high from all the beautiful places we saw.  

*Oh, and congratulations to Jennifer!  Shoot me an email so I can get the gift card to you:)


The first leg of our trip was spent in the Lofoten Islands......this was my absolute favorite part.

We stayed in an old Rorbu/Rorbuer, or fisherman's cabin, on the water.  We tried the entire trip to pronounce it the way the Norwegians did, but it always sounded like we had a mouth full of food.  What a cool experience it was though!
This picture below was from one of our hikes.....short and steep is an understatement, but the views were worth it.