A couple of months ago, Julie Morelli of Letterform, Inc. graphic design studio sent over an introduction I couldn’t refuse. The founding mission of this column was to great tasting, easy to make, beautifully photographed recipes from designers each Friday. With her Roasted Squash over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts salad and her letterpress printed foodie greeting cards, I don’t think there’s a better combination! If you add to it the seasonality of the dish, the holidays in the US, and her great smile and sense of humor, her recipe is a match made in heaven. -Kristina

About Julie: In between running the graphic design business (Letterform, Inc) she owns with her fiance, Andy, and printing her very own line of foodie greeting cards (Nourishing Notes), Julie is consumed by food… or consuming food. She spends any spare time perfecting family recipes, reading through a stack of vintage Gourmet magazines she scored at a flea market, and working on the latest batch of home brewed beer with Andy. Born and raised in Michigan, Julie and Andy are currently residing in Chicago – living a midwest city life with many road trips to the countryside gathering up seasonal produce right from the source.

CLICK HERE for the full recipe after the jump!

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in honor of the delicious recipe coming up today, i couldn’t resist posting these sweet recipe cards from brown parcel press. with studios in brooklyn, ny and athens, ga, brown paper press is now going full-time producing custom stationery, wedding invites, and prints/postcards. megan boling and her brown paper press partner mcdavid recently introduced these lovely recipe cards based on images that megan originally cut out from paper. the front part has simple kitchen-related images and back has room for the recipe, as well as room to write a note and send as a postcard! when you cut away the address/postage portion it will fit nicely within the recipient’s recipe box. i love the idea of mailing friends your favorite holiday or family recipes. click here to check out brown parcel press’ full collection and order online. thanks, megan!

it’s finally friday (hooray!) and i’m excited to wrap up what’s felt like a seriously long week with some beautiful new prints from sanna annukka (via emmas designblogg). sanna’s new ‘archipelago’ silk screen print is a beautiful addition to her existing collection. i love the long format and the orangey reds she’s using in this piece- i have the same color in my kitchen and i can definitely think of a place to put this in my home. it’s probably a little late for a christmas wish, but i think this might be worth starting a little saving fund for. click here to check out sanna’s print and shop online.

over at the d*s guest blog nicole is wrapping up her fantastic week of home organization ideas with a look at offices. i love all of the creative ideas she’s rounded up- click here to check out her full selection of tips!

Walking through the neighborhood after a storm we can’t stop ourselves from picking up little pieces that have shaken loose from the trees above: shapely twigs, tiny pine cones and seed pods, and even the occasional stem of greenery broken free from an otherwise healthy tree. We are also in the habit of setting leftover flowers on our shelf for drying “experiments”, so we often have a random assortment of unique stems floating around the studio. We thought a festive wreath would be a great way to clean house and assemble our small collection of leftovers; and the bits and bits wreath was formed.

Most florists and Christmas tree lots have fragrant boughs of pine and fir on hand for garlands and work perfectly to add some bulk to your creation. Hit up your garden, nursery, or even the grocery store to find some other affordably unique additions. For our wreath we ended up with some pine, fir, magnolia leaves, herbs, berries, twigs, and even worked some succulents and privet in to the mix. The rundown on how we made our wreath is after the jump below!

CLICK HERE for the full wreath how-to after the jump!

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our final before & after of the day (stay tuned for a new “we like it wild” post next!) comes from rachel of southern exposure. rachel recently made over her guest bathroom with pretty incredible results. after converting a small hallway bar closet into a shower, rachel had her contractors build a custom vanity and stain it a light blue-gray. the old mirror was reused (with a new frame) and a light from pottery barn was hung above a new sink and faucet from lowes. the rubber floors (see rachel’s post for more before shots) were replaced with marble tile from a local stone shop, and the marble theme continued on the walls with tiles from home depot which were cut in half and placed in a brick pattern. i think the new result is sophisticated and stunning- well done, rachel and contractor team!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? click here to shoot me an email with your images!]

this next before and after comes from one of my favorite makeover queens, barb blair at knack studios. i love the way she updated this wooden dresser with a weathered green finish. i know paint is not for everyone (if you have non-paint makeovers, please send them!) but i love a good update that gives an old piece of furniture new life in someone else’s home. thanks to barb for sharing!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? click here to shoot me an email with your images!]

this before & after comes from interior designer matthew lanphier in los angeles. he worked on this budget dining room makeover in chicago, focusing on keeping things as affordable as possible. matthew removed the wallpaper, repainted the walls, reupholstered chairs in sunbrella fabric (to prevent fading from the sunny windows), and then redid the chairs by sanding and spray painting them (professional refinishing wasn’t in the budget). matthew calls the new look “tailored, yet whimsical” and i love the way everything feels clean, fresh and modern. great work, matthew!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? click here to shoot me an email with your images!]

today’s first before & after belongs to david van alphen. inspired by modern shed, david decided to build his own version for $2500 (a $7500 difference!). now he has a place to hang out that’s weather-proof and cool. click here to see more photos of the process- great work, david!

[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? click here to shoot me an email with your images!]

CLICK HERE to see ibabe’s bathroom makeover after the jump!

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