Quince Cottage

Friday, April 22, 2016

Recipe: Lemon 7Up Bundt Cake

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
As you may already know, we like to mix it up a little. While the majority of our posts are decor-related/DIYs, occasionally we share a favorite recipe. Which brings us to this cake, which Rhiann first enjoyed quite a few years ago at a work party. Credit goes to "Karen", and honestly we don't know where Karen got the recipe. At any rate, it's a keeper! The crust gets almost crunchy like a cookie, while the inside is moist and tender. Plus, the lovely lemon flavor. It's all good!
Now that it's feeling spring-like down here in the South, a lemony dessert seems like just the thing. So, wouldn't you know, the one ingredient Rhiann forgot to buy was the lemon extract! She only realized this after getting all the other ingredients out of the fridge and pantry. Good thing there's a grocery store about five minutes away. And on a positive note, that gave the soda time to come to room temperature, so all's well that ends well, right?

Ingredients:

8 oz. whipped butter
1/2 C Crisco shortening
8 oz. 7Up (room temperature)
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
3 C flour
3 C sugar

Optional Glaze Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 small package cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C confectioner's sugar
(Combine butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and mix in. Add confectioner's sugar, 1/4 C at a time).

Directions:

1. Combine first 6 ingredients, in order (add eggs one at a time). We used a stand mixer with the whip attachment and if we'd had a splash guard, we would have used it. Don't worry if it seems like the soda and the butter/Crisco combo will never become "one". Once you add the eggs, things start to improve (but still look pretty funky).
2. Mix sugar and flour together and then add to wet mixture in batches. Once the batter is smooth, it's ready to pour in the pan.
3. Grease a bundt pan. We used cooking spray and it didn't work 100%, so greasing might be better.
4. Cook at 300 degrees F for one hour (put cake in when the oven is cold). Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook 15 more minutes.
5. Allow to cool 15 minutes and then remove from pan.
6. Allow to cool thoroughly before glazing if you do the glaze. We sprinkled confectioner's sugar instead, which did a fairly decent job of camouflaging the spots where the cake didn't unmold perfectly.

Here's what the cake looked like when first removed from the oven.

Here are a few more pix...

Would you like a slice?

We enjoyed just as much the next night! By the way, that stiped table treatment was an earlier DIY, if you want a closer look, see it here.

Isn't that rose pretty? Our rose bushes just started blooming a week or so ago.

Now it's time for a cute terrier pic!

Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Don't forget about #MagpieMonday on IG. Follow us here to learn more.

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful,

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Sunday, April 17, 2016

DIY - Upcycled Fountain

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
When you spend a couple of hundred dollars on a solar-powered fountain, you kind of expect it to last more than two years. Well, at least we did. When ours stopped working at the end of last summer it was hard to determine why. Was it the pump? Was it the solar panel? Was it the wiring?

Last summer in the garden © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We used our dead fountain for Halloween. It seemed appropriate...

Macabre © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

It sat in our courtyard garden all winter, basically waiting for the upcoming neighborhood big clean up, when we planned to heave it into the dumpster. And then we had a bit of storm, and it blew over and pieces of it broke, so at that point we no longer had any guilt at all about tossing it.

Toast © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

But then Rhiann had an idea. Why not take the remaining intact pieces and use it for a container garden?
The steps were so easy it didn't even need documenting. Basically she filled the bottom with a layer of gravel, to add both weight and drainage. Next she added potting soil. Then came the plants and more soil, topped with a layer of mulch to retain moisture and keep the dirt from blowing out.
Ta-daaa! Done!

Close up © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Fountain garden © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

All's well that ends well © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Let's pretend you don't see that folded up pile of old sheets in the chair (we had a frost a week or so ago and used them to cover up our roses).
There's still the top bowl of the fountain that we might do something with too - like a succulent garden. How trendy would that be?

Here's that cute Jack Russell Terrier pic you were waiting for!

Daisy & Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram here and join us for #MagpieMonday !

See you around!

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful,

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Friday, April 8, 2016

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Welcome back to Quince Cottage! Did you come because of that delicious aroma you smelled? We thought so...
Banana Bread is the go-to when those bananas you bought a few days ago have been malingering in the fruit bowl a little too long. This recipe will use up two of those dark, mushy dudes and make anyone within sampling distance pretty darn happy.
Just look at that slightly crunchy exterior and all the melty chocolate goodness inside. Yummo!

Ingredients:
1/4 C butter
2/3 C white granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla (real, not imitation)
8 oz. plain Greek yogurt
2 bananas, mashed
2 C flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 C milk chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large bowl in the microwave (you want it melted, not boiling hot).
4. Stir the sugar and then the vanilla into the melted butter.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, keep stirring so the cold eggs don't make the butter get lumpy.
6. Stir in bananas, then yogurt.
7. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 3-4 batches, stirring to moisten after each addition.
8. Pour batter into pan.
9. Cook 55-65 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick.
10. Let cool 10-15 minutes and then remove from pan.

Tempting though it will be to dive right in, you should wait a half hour or so before slicing. Otherwise you are less likely to get nice, neat slices, and more likely to get a pile of crumbs (which will be delicious, but not as pretty).

And of course, a Jack Russell pic. It wouldn't be a Quince Cottage post without one. This is Buster. I have no idea why he looks so sad - he leads a very pampered life.

Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful,

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Saturday, April 2, 2016

DIY Ugly Duckling Swan

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
Are you on Instagram and/or Pinterest? Well, we are - find us here on Instagram and Pinterest.
Do you ever get inspired and want to recreate something you've seen? We do!
Case in point, was our choice for last week's #MagpieMonday. If you don't know what #MagpieMonday is all about - it's a showcase for collectors to share their decor treasures on IG. We never ever use the "h" word (hoarder), and we always have a lot of fun. Each co-host chooses a favorite collection to feature in their gallery and in the following week's meme. We fell in love with the lovely carved bird collection you see in this photo below.

Anyway, to make a long story short, Rhiann was out thrifting last week and came across this not-so-lovely bird. It might be wood, it's more likely plastic or some sort of resin. It was one of a pair, but she bought only the one for $10. (Sorry, lonely ugly bird still at the thrift shop).

Next she bought some basic WalMart craft paints in white and black, and then searched the interwebs for photos of swans to study the facial markings. Then she got to work. It took three coats of the white, but only one of the black to get the effect she wanted.

Here's the swan on the dining room buffet.
So, what do you think? What should we name him/her? Tell us your thoughts in comments.

And a little closer up...

So, that wraps up our quick and easy DIY.
On to another topic. Do you love old houses as much as we do? Here in North Carolina we often see old homes that look abandoned (sometimes they are, other times there's actually someone living there). We weren't sure which was the case with this lovely old place in Snow Hill.
If it truly is abandoned, would you want to go inside?

As always, we'll leave you with a photo of one of our cute Irish Jack Russell Terriers. This is Daisy. Thank you for visiting! We hope you'll come back soon.

Daisy © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful,

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Friday, March 18, 2016

DIY--Memory Box

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
Today we have another shadowbox DIY to share.
When his dad died a little while ago, Ron wanted to find a way to remember him that went beyond a simple framed photo. Along with Ray's golf clubs, which might or might not ever see service, Ron inherited a small collection of personal items: a tie, some photos, a couple of rollerskating medals, etc.
To keep these special mementos safe but visible, Ron created a shadowbox. The box itself he got at Michael's. Ron's dad worked at a shoe factory in Manchester, New Hampshire when he was very young, so we found a wooden shoe form at a local antique store. It's a tiny, child-sized one, just right for this purpose. A small piece of leather behind the mold reinforces the shoe-making idea and highlights the shape of the mold.

As you can see above, Ray was an early fan of the selfie! He also enjoyed skiing in New Hampshire's spectacular White Mountains. Some of Ron's funniest stories involve family ski trips.
Ray's wristwatch is in the photo below. Despite the watch, Ray was chronically late (this might be a genetic thing, although Ron's never actually left either of our children standing lonely on a street corner waiting to be picked up). While punctuality wasn't a strong suit, Ron credits his dad with instilling an appreciation of Nature, and that's why there's a bird feather.
As you may already have noted, Ron used a variety of objects in this shadowbox, some two-dimensional and some three-dimensional. Some are black/white, others have color. There's a mix of "hard" materials (metals and wood) and softer ones (fabric and the feather). All these contrasts, along with a variety of shapes, help to give the composition visual interest.

Ray met his future wife, Irene, when he was very young. In fact he was only sixteen when they got married! (She was a little bit older). They enjoyed rollerskating together and if the medals indicate anything, apparently they were pretty good at it!

Ron included one of Ray's ties, and a photo of him wearing that very same tie.

Unfulfilled by his job making shoes, Ray started his own business building houses. He became well known in the area for his fine reproduction Colonials. Ron spent a few summers helping out and learning about house design and construction. With that in mind, Ron papered the back of the shadowbox with woodgrain paper and included both a compass (which had been Ray's) and a rusty old nail (near the feather).

I apologize for the distracting reflections in the glass, try as I might I couldn't find an angle where those were not an issue. SO frustrating! But I digress...
If you're assembling a shadowbox, play around with the placement of objects before fixing any of them into permanent position. The photos in this box are straight up and down, but if you'll notice, some of the other items (tie, feather, nail) are placed at angles. Again, this is a matter of personal taste, but the idea was to make the composition less static and more dynamic - moving the viewer's gaze around. Use whatever adhesive makes sense given the materials you're using (hot glue, regular glue, etc.).
We'll close up this DIY with a picture of Ray, looking very French-Canadian (he was born in Quebec). It's nice to have these tangible reminders of a loved one and their life story, both for Ron and for our children, who knew Pepere only as an elderly man.

Tell us what you think, have you made a shadowbox before? What was its purpose? Strictly decorative or something more?
Oh, wait...we can't say farewell without a cute Irish Jack Russell pic! This was taken a week or so ago on a walk by the Neuse River. As you can see Buster (aka Pork Chop) is keenly focused on the treat in my hand. Daisy is scanning the woods beyond, ever hopeful of finding a squirrel. Preferably a fat, elderly one, with a limp and poor eyesight.

And one more thing! Don't forget to join us here on Instagram for our #MagpieMonday fun. If you collect decorative items of any kind, you're going to love it!

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful,

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Transitioning the Mantel to Early Spring!

Hello there, welcome to Quince Cottage!
We love every season here in North Carolina and we try to savor each for its unique natural beauty. We do this not only through daily doggy walks, but in our decor as well.
Having said that, we're getting a teensy bit tired of the dull browns and grays of late winter. So when we received a beautiful gift from a dear friend, that was all the excuse we needed to tweak our mantel display with a sneak peek of spring.
If you didn't visit us during the winter, here is our holiday mantel.

And here is our post-holiday-but-still-winter mantel.

And now, here's a view of the right side of our mantel.

See those rose plates? They were in storage until Rhiann got them out for an IG post about collections for the MagpieMonday hashtag she cohosts.

Aren't they pretty?
Here's the left side of the mantel. That gorgeous pink hobnail covered compote is the gift we received from our friend Juls. She's an extremely creative and obviously generous person, with fabulous taste. Here's a link to her Instagram , she is definitely one to follow.

You might have spied our recent shadowbox project up above as well. Click here for the DIY if you're curious. And now for the whole shebang... We'd originally planned to take the crystal garland down along with the other winter decor, but it's just so pretty we're leaving it up for now.

Are you decorating for spring yet? What are your favorite spring themes?
We mentioned #MagpieMonday earlier. Follow us on IG here for more about that.

Now it wouldn't be right to leave you with no doggy pictures, so here here you go! Buster in front, Daisy being camera-shy.

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful,

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

DIY Coffee Filter Wreath

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
If you're on Pinterest, no doubt you've seen a coffee filter wreath, and maybe even made one yourself. But if you haven't, and are feeling crafty on a small scale, here's a quick how-to.
You will need: a wreath form, 2 packages of paper coffee filters (8-12 cup size), a hot glue gun, a good sized artist's paint brush or a Sharpie. You can also use a piece of twine if you want to create a way to hang the wreath easily after completing it. This wreath is easy to make and quite inexpensive (about $10).

My advice is to leave the straw wreath wrapped in plastic, less mess and better adhesion. You could use a foam wreath form if you prefer. I used a length of twine and tied it around the straw form in two places so that I'd have an easy method for hanging this sucker just about anywhere.

Load and heat your glue gun. Put your capped Sharpie or the non-working end of the paint brush in the center of the filter and pull the sides up around it like a closed umbrella. Dab glue on the filter where you've created a small area for contact with the wreath form. Using the marker or paintbrush allows you to poke the filter into place without getting hot glue burns (well, okay, I did burn myself twice, but it had nothing to do with using the helper paint brush).

Start with the inner part of the wreath (around the central hole). Work in ever-expanding concentric rings from that first inner circle. In retrospect I think I packed the filters a little too densely. You can easily leave an inch between filter contact points and your wreath will turn out great. I fully intended to take a photo "during", but my glue gun had other ideas and was churning out molten glue so fast I never got to take a break.

Once you're finished, you can trim off any filter edges that protrude past where they should. Here is the finished product adorning the rusty windmill head on the planked wall in our dining room. I think it makes a nice, fresh-looking warm weather wreath, but it's also quite suitable for a white winter holiday scheme. By the way, if you're interested in the planked wall DIY, click here.

We hope you've enjoyed this quick and easy project. Buster and Daisy aren't all that interested in artsy-craftsy pastimes...

Remember Mondays are #MagpieMonday on Instagram, where you get to show off your collections of decor items. Follow us here to learn more.

Quince Cottage Style mixes old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful,

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Quince Cottage

Design. Create. Decorate.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Recipe: Lemon 7Up Bundt Cake

Sunday, April 17, 2016

DIY - Upcycled Fountain

Friday, April 8, 2016

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Saturday, April 2, 2016

DIY Ugly Duckling Swan

Friday, March 18, 2016

DIY--Memory Box

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Transitioning the Mantel to Early Spring!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

DIY Coffee Filter Wreath

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