Join me at my NEW blog at www.scarlettlillian.com!!!

When I first started The Decor Diaries last year, I was in the midst of a bunch of home makeover projects.  I had a blast with it and thought "This might be a new fun thing to blog about."  I was searching for another creative outlet to do something that went beyond the photographer I’m typically labeled as, so I thought, "Why not?"

At the time, I was so engulfed in all those design choices, I thought it would be fun to have a blog all about it… only to discover, hmm, ok, decorating is fun, but it’s not enough to make me wake up in the morning and want to write about it on a blog all the time.  So I added in some girly things like Fashion Decor, and Life Decor and even tried to add in some Kitchen Decor posting recipes, when the bottomline is, I’m really not passionate about cooking.  Cupcakes, of course, but not cooking.  And fashion… sure, what girl doesn’t like fashion, but, really, at the heart of it, I certainly don’t consider myself a fashion blogger.  I just don’t have the patience to keep up with all the latest trends.  

With all these things, I felt like I was trying to force myself to be something I really wasn’t deep down.

So I ate my own medicine recently rereading {a book I wrote} for photographers about giving God a 40-day commitment to trust Him to lead you where you are meant to be.  Rereading this along with a great group in {The Prosper Community}, I got clarity… I need to stop trying to “be” all these things, and simply be…. me.

With that, I’ve taken things back to my blogging roots at my old domain, {scarlettlillian.com.}  Not Scarlett Lillian the photographer… not The Decor Diaries by Scarlett Lillian… not Prosper by Scarlett Lillian…. not Creative Director at REmix…. just simply….. me, who yes, happens to have all these other things going on under the umbrella of who I am… And for the first time in a long time, I truly feel like, yes, this is IT!  This is where my blogging home is meant to be to connect with you best.

While I won't be posting anymore here at The Decor Diaries, I enjoyed the season I embraced my inner interior designer on this blog.... If you are curently following my RSS or subscribed to this blog, I encourage you to visit my new blog home at {www.scarlettlillian.com} and be sure to subscribe to that blog over there so that we can continue to do life together.  

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FASHION DECOR: Outfit of the week

As I prep this blog entry, we're currently in the cold snowy filled city of Chicago as I write this.  Previously in the past week and a half, our travels took us to Portland and Seattle, and Stephen asked me, "Why aren't you taking pics for outfits of the week in these cities?"  My simple answer?  "Because I don't know how to dress fashionably in the cold.  I'm a Florida girl."

So while I sit here layered up and shivering, I'm daydreaming of being back in the South when we were in Savannah recently.  Here's another outfit I wore in Savannah that was again styled by my amazing and talented friend, {Lady Katherine Taylor}.  I feel like a mermaid wearing this skirt, but I love love love it!

SHOPPING LIST:

Jewelry / Top / Skirt / Clutch (from a Thrift store) / Heels

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KITCHEN DECOR: S'mores Cupcake Recipe

I'm borrowing today's recipe from {our photography blog} I originally posted this on last year.  For those of you who missed it, you must must try this delicious cupcake recipe.  If you are a fan of making S'mores by the campfire, you will love this S'mores cupcake!

Stephen and I have a firepit in our backyard that we love having friends over and melting up some S’mores.  Then one day it struck me, what if I tried to make a S’mores CUPCAKE???  I headed to the cake aisle with a mission.  It’s an easy recipe, but just warning, gets really gooey when applying the marshmallow icing! But then again, it’s not fun making dessert if you aren’t licking your fingers along the way.  And by the end of it, I couldn’t believe it, it truly did taste like a s’more and all it’s yumminess.  Word to the wise though, what started as a fluffy top to the icing, soon the next morning, I walked into the kitchen to see the marshmallow top totally melted and dripped all over the sides.  Then I realized, doh, I put the heat on last night in this chilly weather, which led to the melted marshmallow drip.  But I served them at a party, and no one seemed to mind the extra gooeyness.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Box of Vanilla Cake Mix (and its required other ingredients)

1 Bag of Chocolate Chips

1 Jar of Marshallow Creme

1 Box of Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/3 Cup  of Butter

3 Tablespoons of Sugar

Chocolate Syrup

24 Hershey Kisses

RECIPE:

1.  Melt the butter in a small bowl.

2.  Stir together butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs in a bigger bowl.

3.  Distribute a tablespoon of the now graham cracker crust into the cupcake holder pans, only coating the bottom.

4.  Follow the instructions for the vanilla cake mix, and distribute evenly into your cupcake holder pans on top of the graham cracker crust.

5.  Bake, and when done, let cool about 30-45 minutes.

6.  Once cool, with an ice cream scooper, dig into the marshmallow creme and slather it on top of the cupcake.  It will naturally fall to form itself on top of the cupcake.

7.  After iced, grab a handful of chocolate chips and sprinkle it around the top of each cupcake.

8.  Delicately drizzle chocolate syrop on top.  Then finish off with a Hershey Kiss on each one!

9.  Voila!  Enjoy!

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HOME DECOR: Hot Pink Damask Guestroom Makeover

A few months back, I posted about the pros and cons of using {Tempaper vs. wallpaper}.   The room that we were putting the {Tempaper} up in was our guest bedroom.  For so long, the room was hardly decorated minus shoving my old bed in there from my old condo days.  Decor wise, I just had never really done much minus randomly choosing pale pink to paint it as when I first moved into our home.  When I discovered the hot pink damask Tempaper, I knew that was the starting point of something creative I needed to implement.  

I also wanted this room to have a slight travel theme with a Parisian touch.  On the walls, I have hanging framed photos I took while visiting Europe with my momma, and Stephen has some tourist panoramic photos on another wall that he took in NYC over the summer.

I discovered through the makeover what Roman Shades are.  Most of the homes I grew up in had normal blinds, but through the wonderful world of Etsy, I discovered you can actually take down old plastic blinds and install this new fabric shade thing called Roman Shades.  With the busyness of the damask pattern, I wanted a big bold simple line to be carried through the shades to balance it out.

We often have kids from church come over, and this room has quickly become known to the little girls as "the pink princess room" they love to play dress up in when they are visiting.  ha!

SHOPPING LIST:

Roman Shades / Pink Pillows & Clock / Lamps / Nightstands / Fashion Photos / Bedspread / Headboard / Chairs 

And just for giggles, here's the BEFORE of what the room looked like with the previous owner before I moved in the house!  Why oh why oh why the Christmas tree green carpet????  Needless to say that was one of the first things I replaced throughout the whole house.

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KITCHEN DECOR: Mouthwatering Hamburger Recipe

When in Australia last year, the hubby and I took a boat trip snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef.  While on the trip, we had one of the most amazing hamburgers ever and I begged the chef for the recipe.  Over time, I've modified it to be more my own and quite biased, even better.  From what I Instagrammed before, people were begging me for the recipe, so here's my secret for the most mouthwatering hamburger you will ever have IF you can get your mouth around it.  :-)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of ground beef
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp cumin
Pinch of Salt and Pepper
1 egg
4 tbsp bread crumbs
1 clove of crushed garlic
Half of a chopped red onion
The remaining half sliced to grill
A handful of baby spinach
1 tbsp of sundried tomatoes
1 tbsp of balsamic glaze
1 tbsp of truffle oil
Hamburger buns

RECIPE:

1.  Mix beef and honey, mustard, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper, egg, garlic, half of a chopped red onion together with an electric mixer.

2.  Once thoroughly mixed, add in breadcrumbs to be mixed.

3.  Form patties from mixture.

4.  On a grill, George Foreman, or frying pan, grill the hamburgers, (turning halfway through on George Foreman).

5.  At this time, also add on the grill, one thick slice of red onion circles.

6.  While grilling, prepare bun.  On both sides of the bun, add a few drizzles of truffle oil.  Then add on both sides balsamic glaze.  Then layer bottom with spinach, sundried tomatoes.  Add burger, then grilled red onion, and the top bun.

7.  Serve with napkin... it will definitely be messy but DELICIOUS!!!

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FASHION DECOR: A Southern "blue" bell.

The hubby and I visited the sleepy Southern town of Savannah for a day trip.  With it being only 2 hours away, sometimes we like to just get away and rewind time about 200 years the way Savannah always makes me feel.  While there, we took a stroll through Forsyth Park and I twirled my bright blue dress the way a true Southern Belle would.

While also in Savannah, I met with my diva-licious friend and image consultant Lady Katherine Taylor, who also helped to style this week's outfit.  She's always posting amazing and bold make up tips on {her Instagram.}  Be sure to check it out!

SHOPPING LIST:

Dress / Necklace / Belt / Shoes / Purse

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FASHION DECOR: Our "glamping" themed photoshoot.

Stephen and I recently had some updated photos done.  Since our wedding almost 2 years ago, we needed some updated photos, especially to include our #poodlechild Rhett for our first ever family photos.  I was bummed that on the wedding day I didn't get any of the three of us, so I was excited to finally get family photos of us all together.

I wanted to do something creative, so I turned to my fabulous event planner friend, Adair Currie, of {Dairing Events,} for her creative expertise to implement a glamorous styled shoot.  That's when she came up with the the theme..... "Glamping With The Knuths"... I absolutely loved all her sparkly details she created and put together.  A few years ago Stephen and I created what we call "Camp Knuth" where I surprised him by turning our whole back patio into a campground at our house, so I love how the theme of this shoot incorporated our dorky side, with my glamorous side for all things colorful and sparkly.  I also used the help of my gorgeous fashionista make up artist friend {Kat Taylor} to style me for the shoot.  And many many thanks goes out to our very beautiful friend {Sarah DeShaw} and her husband Brent who photographed the whole occasion.

So for today's Fashion Decor, I thought I would share with you what the Knuth's wear when we go camping in nothing less than a glamourous style.

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