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October 2, 2023
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July Favorites: The most loved items from last month.
I’m a summer gal through and through. Born in Laos, raised in California and somehow I ended up in Minnesota! I used to dread summer ending and the beginning of fall. But I’ve learned that I can embrace the new season by looking forward to making my home feel warm, snuggly and cozy with some decor switch-ups.
Here are my early fall home decor inspiration that I’ve pulled together for when you’re ready to let go of summer and welcome the cooler autumn temps. I’ll add a few more later as I explore other retailers when the mood strikes!
Brian loves to try new things in the kitchen. For years, he has attempted to make homemade pizza. They never turned out quite right and he figured out that the secret weapon was having the right pizza oven. His Christmas present to himself was an Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven Bundle. It included the oven, perforated pizza peel and waterproof cover.
Brian read the Ooni blog, watched YouTube videos and bought all the proper ingredients to make the pizza dough and sauce. To his surprise, the first couple of pizzas came out perfectly! They were absolutely delicious! I’m talking restaurant quality delicious. Since purchasing the pizza oven in December, he’s made about 20 pizzas total – including for our oldest daughter’s birthday party. Ava’s best friend exclaimed that it was the best pizza she’s ever had! This is not to say that every launch into the oven has been perfect (a few times a hole has torn in the crust) but overall, it has made him confident in his homemade pizza making skills. This post is not sponsored by Ooni (as always, all opinions are our own) but he credits a lot of this to the Ooni blog and is sharing his experience in this post with some helpful tips.
If you’re serious about making the perfect homemade pizza, keep on reading!
Note: This is for the 16 inch. If you have the 12 inch, refer to the Ooni blog here.
Brian’s tip: Buy quality ingredients, they make a huge difference.
1. Pizza Dough (three 330 gram dough balls – freeze what you don’t make)
2. Pizza Sauce (for about six 16 inch pizzas – freeze what you don’t need)
3. Toppings
Source Ooni Blog
Place the oil in a pan over medium heat. When warm, add the garlic and cook until softened but not brown (not more than a minute).
Pour the can of plum tomatoes into a bowl and use a masher or fork to break them apart and crush them down. Pour the tomatoes into the pan.
Add all the remaining ingredients, then simmer on low heat for 45 minutes, or until the flavor has deepened and the sauce has thickened slightly. Adjust seasoning to taste.
This sauce can be used straight away, or placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to a week, ready to be used as required.
Tip: Make more sauce than you needed or just want to have some on-hand in a pinch? No problem. This pizza sauce freezes well for quick and easy use. Just place the sauce in sealable freezer-safe bags, remove all of the air, then lay them flat in the freezer. They’ll be great for up to six months. To use, defrost overnight in the fridge or use your microwave setting. If you find that the sauce has thinned out at all, give it a quick reheat on your stovetop until warmed through!
Source Ooni Blog
Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and add the active dry yeast, using a whisk to thoroughly mix until blended. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt together, then pour it into the water.
If using a mixer: Fit the mixer with the dough hook and pour the flour and yeast mixture into the mixer bowl. Turn the machine on at a low speed for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it’s firm and stretchy. Cover the dough with a dish towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
If mixing by hand: Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Continue mixing by hand until the pizza dough comes together in a ball. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with both hands for about 10 minutes, until it’s firm and stretchy. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a dish towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Tip: Make more dough than you need, or just want to have some on hand in a pinch? No problem. The best time to freeze your homemade pizza dough is after the first rise (after it’s doubled in size). Once your dough has doubled in size, divide it into equal dough balls. Make sure you’ve put a light layer of olive oil into your containers to prevent the dough from sticking. Place the dough balls into separate containers with lids, and place in the freezer. You can freeze your dough balls for up to 3 months.
When the dough is ready, divide it into 3 or 4 equal pieces, depending on the size of pizza you’re making (either 12- or 16-inches wide). Place each piece of dough in a separate bowl or tray, cover with a dish towel and leave to rise in a warm place for another 30 to 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Tip: Always start with a perfectly rounded ball of dough. This helps to keep the shape of the base circular during the stretching process.
Before stretching and topping your dough, fire up your oven and allow it to preheat for 15 to 20 minutes. Aim for 850 °F and 950 °F (450 °C and 500 °C) on your baking stone. You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer.
Brian’s tip: Prep all of the toppings before stretching the dough to form the pizza crust. The longer the crust sits, the more it will stick to the peel.
When the dough is ready, place the ball on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and use your fingertips to press the dough into a small, flat disc. Working from the center, push the dough outwards while spreading your fingers, making the disc slightly bigger. Pick up the dough and gently pinch it all around the edge, allowing gravity to pull it downwards into a circle. Neapolitan-style pizza bases are very thin, so you should be able to see through the base when you hold it up to the light. Take care when doing this, as you don’t want it to tear.
Brian’s tip: Watch a few YouTube videos on making dough balls and forming the crust for Neapolitan style pizza to learn different techniques and tips. Don’t be intimidated, even if you don’t master it, the pizza will taste great and you’ll continue to get better!
Once you’re happy with the base, it’s time to add the toppings. Spread the pizza sauce evenly across, add the mozzarella cheese and pepperoni or veggies (unless they’re delicate herbs like basil, arugula, etc.).
Brian’s tip: For sausage, Brian prefers to cook it first and then wait to add it until he’s turned the pizza in the oven so he doesn’t overcook it. He also suggests buying a basil plant because the cost isn’t much more than fresh basil sprigs and it will be something you can continue to use fresh off the plant.
When your oven is hot enough, launch your pizza (slide off peel) and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes, turning every 20 seconds to ensure an even bake. Remove from the oven, (add whole fresh basil leaves for Margherita pizza), slice and serve!
Now that he has the basics down perfectly, there are so many possibilities! It’s such a fun way to include kids in cooking and the results are delicious! My favorite is the spicy sausage but I love them all! What toppings should we try next?
The most loved items from May.
I’m sharing all the sources for our basement family room in this post! The movie area was revealed on Tuesday on my insta and questions came flooding in. I’m beyond thankful for your kind words regarding the transformation and excited to share more of the sources here!
For more on this transformation with lots of before and after photos, make sure to check out this post.
Thanks again for all of the love on the reveal of the movie area. We plan to update the play area on the other side as well. Our thought is to replace the countertop and build cabinets to place on top of it. Which is why we didn’t install molding there.
If you’re wondering where we store the puzzles, board games and toys, they’re now inside the cabinets and the new storage console. The cabinet was under utilized and disorganized with clutter before we cleaned it out. We donated a lot of toys, given to us second hand by friends and family, that the kids have outgrown. The girls’ room has a closet that is their “secret” play room and that is where their dolls and toys are stored.
I will share all the progress of the play area on my IG stories when the time comes. I share a lot of BTS so make sure to tune into my stories weekly!
Check out these related posts:
HOW WE TRANSFORMED OUR BASEMENT INTO OUR DREAM FAMILY ROOM
BASEMENT FAMILY ROOM MOOD BOARD AND WALL MOLDING DESIGN AND LAYOUT IDEAS
BRASS FLUSH MOUNT LIGHTING ROUND UP
Photos by Wing @ Canary Grey
I used to rarely take pictures of our family room. There are a couple of reasons for that. The biggest one? We don’t bring our phones down there. This is a space we use for play and relaxation, and we try to be intentional about those things in the Wagner household. So, when we spend quality time down there, we leave our phones upstairs. And honestly…it’s a really nice break!
If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know that our family room is in the basement. It’s always been the most relaxed part of our home. It’s the only room with a tv, and we love to watch movies down there with the kids. There’s nothing cozier than a family movie night on a cold Minnesota winter evening.
Between the tv, all the kids’ toys, and our trusty beverage fridge, this room is never lacking in entertainment or respite from a hectic day. It’s the best room for unwinding and blowing off some steam. The kids could go absolutely bananas because they knew it’s not the place where Mommy’s nice things live.
We finished out our basement space about 8 years ago, but in all that time, we’ve never taken on the project of designing it to our taste. With the chaos of raising 3 young kiddos, renovations to our rental properties, and bringing together the design elements of the more visible parts of our home, the basement family room never made it onto our priority list.
Also, it’s nice to have a room we don’t have to worry about messing up. With a lot of our upstairs furniture, we don’t let the kids jump on it or be all over it after playing outside and getting dirty. But in our family room, the former couch was a second-hand, steal-of-a-deal piece, the back counter was a collect-all for junk, and there was never a time that you didn’t see at least a handful of toys scattered about. You can’t really mess up what’s already messy.
Up until now, this had worked. While we were grateful to have scored the couch for just $100, its fabric wasn’t durable nor stain-resistant. I was getting tired of scrubbing juice and after wet-mushed-goldfish-cracker stains, out of it. My kids are 4, 6, and 9 years old, so spills are going to happen, but I began to feel my designer’s itch to beautify the space and make it more our style.
The rest of our home is rich in character from 1920’s architectural elements, and lovingly curated with my favorite classic timeless pieces, but the basement family room was kind of just a plain white shoebox. High in function but void of personality. Free from both worry and inspiration.
And now that our youngest is 4, and officially phasing out of toddlerdom (tears!), we felt the time was right to give our family room a much-deserved makeover. We love this room for all the sweet memories it has given us over the years, and we figured it was time we gave it some love back. With exciting possibilities energizing us, we started planning and decided to split the room into 2 main areas:
We started with the entertainment/movie area which is the focus of this blog post. We wanted to enjoy our regular activities down there, while also being surrounded by a beautiful space we love. With this in mind, we came up with 3 main goals to accomplish. I couldn’t be happier with where we’ve landed, and I’m so excited to show you this transformation!
In order to distract from our low 7’ ceiling, we decided to incorporate wall molding. I’ve been wanting to try wall molding in this house for forever, but the right opportunity had yet to present itself. The family room makeover was the perfect chance to test our hand at this.
Design experts advise if you have low ceilings, go with a narrow vertical box column. This is supposed to create the illusion of a heightened ceiling. However, after spending quite a bit of time mapping out 5 different options with thin blue painter’s tape, Brian and I ended up rebelling and choosing a square box shape with chair railing. It was our favorite and we went for it!
You can see pictures of the different molding designs we tested out, as well as the stunning images I referenced for inspiration here. *Note that we mapped out the molding with tape first before painting. Then after we painted, we installed the molding.
I love dark and moody colors, but after testing out multiple paint swatches in different areas of the room, it became clear that we needed to choose a lighter one.
We started with 7 different options. We painted them in good sized swatches on different walls and looked at them throughout the day as the sun shifted. You need to see how artificial and natural light hits each color, to get a more accurate idea of which one best suits your space.
Due to the limited amount of natural light coming into this room, the colors that had a brown base were looking too muddy. If you want a little chuckle, check out my Instagram highlight stories labeled “Family Room” to see what the kids thought it looked like.
Benjamin Moore “Tapestry Beige” was the winner! Benjamin Moore “Pale Oak” and Farrow & Ball “Mizzle” were really close seconds.
The last thing we wanted was for our beloved family room to become stuffy. We don’t want the sweet memories of snuggling to movies as a family, eating popcorn while enjoying our beverages and laughing as we play with the kids, to evolve into, “Let’s not touch that please!” and “Not on the new sofa!” That’s not fun for anyone. Who wants to take on the task of a family room transformation, only to have the end result be one that you can’t really enjoy? (No one.)
Furniture made with Sunbrella fabric is available at many retailers, allowing you to select a Sunbrella fabric for your custom piece. I browsed through classic and lush Sunbrella fabric sofas, and saw tons of inspiring variations of colors and textures. Think classic style meets the ultimate trusted brand in fabric durability. It’s a match made in heaven. Literally!
The very first piece we selected is this Pottery Barn Square Arm Slipcovered Sectional with Sunbrella Performance Sahara Weave fabric in Ivory.
We’re so happy to own our very first sectional! Our old couch was small, and didn’t fit our whole family at the same time. We wanted a sofa that allowed everyone to snuggle together but not too oversized for this room, so the 110.5″ width sectional was the best choice. It actually got delivered eight months ago and we’ve been enjoying it since. Instant increase in cozy vibes and the Performance Sahara Weave didn’t disappoint. This incredibly soft fabric is such high quality. So far, we’ve been able to wipe away drink spills and blot out a marker stain caused by someone (ahem Jack). Did I mention it’s also removable! Which means, easy to wash when the time comes.
Next, we chose this Pottery Barn Jake Modular Ottoman with Sunbrella Performance Sahara Weave in Ivory.
This piece checks all the boxes and then some. Since comfort topped our list, we knew we’d be going with an ottoman instead of a coffee table. We love having the additional seating, surface space for puzzles and this one came with the added bonus of storage.
We decided this beautiful Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Bella Bedroom Sofa with Sunbrella Performance Textured Two-Tone Linen in Taupe would create the perfect balance of style for this room.
Our sectional has a more casual feel, and this settee adds the perfect graceful touch. It’s kind of like when you pair nice gold jewelry with a casual white fitted tee. The jewelry elevates the white tee and together they create the perfect balance of class and comfort.
For our rug with high expectations, we went with the MGBW Acadia Sunbrella Flatweave Rug in Sand. Not only does it beautifully anchor the space with warmth and won’t annoyingly curl up, but the fabric gives me such peace of mind. No more worrying about spills or stains. Plus, we love the way adding a rug — even on top of carpet! — adds depth and an extra cozy style element.
We definitely wanted to stay the course with trusted Sunbrella fabrics, so I was ecstatic to find the perfect pillows at Sien + Co, in shades that have the warm, classic look we’re going for. It’s been so fun to mix and match them – look at the gorgeous colors of these pillows!
CESTA COAL | CESTA LINEN | SIERRA DUSTY ROSE | CESTA SMOKE
I had so much fun picking out every single one of these pieces. Which detail is your favorite? I’d love to read about them in the comments.
Thank you for following along with us as we give our basement family room a much-needed makeover. Be sure to stay tuned for part 2, where we tackle the kids’ playroom/craft area. I can’t wait to show you what we’ve got up our sleeves for that!
Our family room has always been the place we can all come together, but now that we’ve increased functionality and infused it with the style we love, we’re able to enjoy it even more than we already did.
It’s the same cherished room….just a little sweeter.
This blog post is in partnership with Sunbrella.
Looking for brass flush mount lighting options? I’ve got you covered with this round up!
When we first moved in over 10 years ago, we needed a cheap flush mount at the bottom of the basement steps. Brian went to The Home Depot and picked up an LED “boob” light flush mount – gasp! To be honest, I didn’t think much about it either. We were knee deep in our careers, planning a wedding, bought a new home and trying to do all the DIY projects within budget. The maintenance stuff drained our accounts. Although I wouldn’t think to ever add this light today, it was a different story back then.
You might also like: Small Flush Mount Lighting that are 8″ or Less in Diameter.
The LED flush mount has been acting up and it is time to replace it. I scoured the stores + online and wanted to share my lighting round ups of all the nice brass flush mounts I came across. Our ceiling is super low in the basement. It’s about 7′ tall so if you have a low ceiling like us, you might want to consider a ceiling flush mount. At the end, we actually decided to reuse a flush mount from the laundry room. We’re replacing that one with a semi-flush mount because the ceiling is much taller there. I’m going to clean and Rub n Buff it with the Antique Gold we have on hand. Make sure to tune into my Instagram stories to see how this turns out!
Looking for smaller flush mount lighting options? See this post for ones that are 8″ or less in diameter.
The most loved items from April.
The most loved items from March.
The last time we were in Charleston, South Carolina was the end of summer in 2017. Jack wasn’t even born yet but the four of us thoroughly enjoyed it! Although, we only visited once, I will always remember the delicious food, charm and Southern hospitality. We will be visiting again as a family so I asked my Instagram audience their top recommendations on things to do when visiting Charleston. I’ve broken them down into three categories: restaurants, activities and leisure. We will be using this as our guide.
If you’re ever considering visiting my city of Minneapolis, you can read my guide of Things to Do in and Around the Twin Cities.
*Indicates recommendations by multiple people
There were also suggestions to take a look at these guides from other bloggers.
Julia Berolzheimer Charleston Guide
Jean Wang (from Extra Petite) Charleston Guide
There are so many fun recommendations! Thank you to every one who chimed in. I will report back after we return from our Charleston trip and share our very own experience and recommendations.
This week’s highlights.
We had our drapes installed back in September of 2022. It didn’t turn out how we wanted so I didn’t share on my IG. The revision was recently installed and it’s perfectly beautiful and functional. Head to my IG to see the two reels you may have missed of both installs with some tips.
Q: What would you recommend for privacy solution for your windows?
A: I’d add roman shades or do the double rods. See my Pinterest board for ideas.
Q: Link to your marble top pedestal table?
A: It’s a vintage find but I linked options here.
Your family-friendly movie suggestions that were kid approved (note I have not reviewed any of these and only listing what was shared with me – please check ratings and view ahead of time to ensure it’s appropriate for your children):
* asterisk represents more than one people recommended
25% off Select Hearth & Hand with Magnolia
20% Select Luggage, Travel and Backpacks
Have a great weekend friends!