inspirational abode: sarah wynne

    I'm so pleased to bring you the first "Inspirational Abode" feature of 2014 and I feel we are starting off the year perfectly with this home tour. When Sarah Wynne first contacted me about wanting to feature her home in Canada for this column, after I checked out her blog I couldn't have been more excited to see the little details of her abode. Sarah is an English student in her mid-20's, living in a small Canadian town. Her use of soft pinks, lovely printed couches/chairs, and displaying of her clothing drew me in right away. I hope you enjoy Sarah's thoughts on her home and her inspiration behind her decorating style as much as I did, as she shares in this post. 

   (Lindsey) If you had to describe your decorating style in one word, what would that be? (and why?)  "Cozy! I live in Canada where the winters are long and frigid, so my home is very much a refuge from the elements." (Sarah Wynne) 

   What mood are you trying to create with your space? "One that is cheerful and calming at the same time. I love intense colors but have come to appreciate more subtle schemes following my high school era bedroom which featured blood red walls."

    What is your go-to spot for picking up ideas to decorate with? "Pinterest, which I’m fairly new to! Allegra, Ashley , and Natalie are some of my favorites."

    What kinds of things influence your interior design? "Films, travel, and fashion are my biggest influences. The good old world wide web facilitates most of my design ideas!"

    How does your personal style (choice in clothing) cross over into your interior style? "Fashion is very influential in my decorating schemes and I like to hang my wardrobe all over the walls rather than keep it hidden away. I love the color pink but don’t like wearing it, so it appears everywhere in my apartment."

  What is the best advice you can give to someone who is re-decorating? "Don’t worry about following the so-called rules of design, and remember that decorating is an ongoing process! I’m forever rearranging my numerous little shrines and switching the placement of artwork around the house."

    No room would be complete without.... "Cats! I’m obsessed with them but am horribly allergic so my place is covered in feline trinkets of every color and size." 

    One color that I could never live without in a room is... "Pink."

    Tell us a story about one of your favorite items you featured here. "The quilt hanging on my dining room wall is one of my favorite recent finds, from a yard sale. Apparently it was originally a bed cover for a small child, and I love the bizarre little characters on it."

Find more of Sarah Wynne on her blog and Instagram.

"Inspirational Abode" is a new monthly column for Hello, Mr. Rabbit, that stared in late 2013.  Do you have a home that you want to share with others? Do you feel your space is inspiring? Send me an email at hellomrrabbitblog@gmail.com with a few photographs and a little bit about your abode. I cannot wait to be inspired be your personal habitat and have it inspire others. 

show talked windows

(boots: forever 21, tights: h&m, everything else is vintage or thrifted)

    After a little over a month of time off school, I seemed to forget the business of courses starting back up. With being at a new school this semester, there has been many learning experiences and adjustments to overcome as the semester started up again. As I continue along with my journey through college, and honestly not having very much of my undergraduate degree left, I am beginning to realize the effort that needs to be put into my classes this year.. which honestly does not clear up much space for me. Well, I suppose that just means I need to get better at time management to be able to pursue everything I have on my plate this year.

    Today was quite a cold one. I wrapped myself up in my red wool coat and white fur for classes today, and still walking through campus was a chore. I found the nightgown I am wearing at an estate sale a week earlier, along with the satellite map of the Kansas City metro area hanging in my living room, and I have always had a love for wearing them other times than in the evening. I also had acrylic nails done a little awhile ago, which I am feeling bittersweet about because they are rather long, so we'll see if this will be a new normal look for me. But for nolw, I still need to learn to type more efficiently with them. 

made at home: quinoa peanut butter cookies

Quinoa Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup of cooked & cooled quinoa
• 1 cup of oats
• 1/3 cup of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of honey 
• 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips 

    After the quinoa is cooked and sat to cool, combine it with the oats, peanut butter, coconut oil, and honey. This process is easier to mold with your hands (be prepared to get sticky though), but a fork works fine as well. Add in the cinnamon and sea salt to the mixture. Fold in the white chocolate chips, and roll the dough into about a tablespoon sized ball. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. When pulled out from the oven, press down the cookies with a flat bottomed object to create a flat cookie, then let cool for serving. 

      I'm not going to lie, this recipe took me twice to create the perfect cookie. The first time I tried to make it more of a "salted" peanut butter cookie... and well, it was way too salty. They were also seeming a bit too dry, which surprised me because there was peanut butter in the recipe, so I added a bit of coconut oil to do the trick.

    Quinoa is something I usually have a lot of in my kitchen cabinet (thanks to Costco trips!), and I love baking with it. I also realized that I hardly bake cookies, so I figured it was about time to make some in my own kitchen again. Also, anything with peanut butter is a wonderful dessert in my book. Enjoy!

that's love, that's amore

(all photographs captured by Whitney from Whitney Knutson Photography)

    I am so pleased to share the photographs from a shoot I did with Whitney over my winter break. When Whitney contacted me about wanting to do a shoot inspired by old Hollywood glamour and a fur wrap she saw on one of my Instagram photos, I was too excited to be a part. Although I did some various modeling gigs in the past, I haven't been in front of a camera for a "serious" shoot in quite awhile. I can defiantly tell I'm used to directing/styling/behind-the-scenes as of lately. 

    Whitney and I meet up at Chez Elle that afternoon for some crepes and coffee, then headed to Union Station to take a few more photographs. Whitney and her husband have recently moved to Kansas City, so it was fun being a "tour guide" to the few places we stopped at. You can check out Whitney's favorite photographs from the shoot, and the rest of her other photography on her blog. 

the land of gray and pink

(vintage wonderland exploring at Thistle Kc.)

(beret/leggings: h&m, boots: target, tote: fieldguided, everything else is vintage) 

    A land full of gray and pink is where I'd really love to live. I'd wear my light pink beret daily, switching between a gray cashmere sweater and a long gray maxi dress I own. Actually, who am I to talk about simply wearing two colors... I'd be bored so quickly. 

    My past few days have been spent developing new projects for this year, which one of my newest is to design my own collection of lingerie. I have been practicing a few designs and testing out ideas, which all require drinking many lattes from the espresso machine I got for Christmas. I have also been spending a bit of time around the plaza, admiring the architecture and the rooftop views. Other times I have ventured to the Rivermarket district, which holds one of my favorite antique stores in Kansas City, Thistle. Thistle is one of my favorites not only because everything is categorized by color in the store, but because of the amazing items I always find there (and amazingly priced as well). Today, with a gift card my boyfriend had given me, I purchased the most lovely lacy nightgown (which I will be wearing as a dress) and a teacup with a saucer.