Entryway Lantern Wall

Getting settled into our new house has been a lot of fun.  The biggest remodeling and updating projects have been completed, so it is time to focus on the little touches that make our house feel like home.  Our entryway has been completely empty for months, as I couldn't come up with anything that fit the small wall space we have right inside the front door.  Thank you Meg Caswell from HGTV Design Star -- I loved your lantern wall idea!

This was so easy to re-create at home.  I stained a scrap piece of wood I found in our garage for the board to hang from.  I think it would look great with basic white paint as well.  Then, I searched for lanterns online, and found a few different sizes and styles that I liked in matte black.  I found 2 of the styles very reasonably priced at IKEA.  I bought the matte black chain and clips at Menards.  My husband hates having holes in our walls, so I hang absolutely everything with 3M Command Strips.  The hardest part of this project was getting the board level!  I love how these look with small tea-lights lit in them, for family and friends to see right when they walk through the front door.

Spring Dessert...Fruit Tarts!

I needed to take a dessert to a friend's house for dinner last Friday night, and could not decide what to take.  I took a co-worker poll, and the most popular choices were versions of pie (especially key lime) and fruit crumbles or crisp.  I concluded, people must be past the heavy, rich desserts of winter, and in the mood for fresh and light fruit for spring!  My brother gave me darling mini fruit tarts for my birthday in March that I hadn't used, so I decided to give them a try (http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/use_care/detail.jsp?productId=38312). 

After much searching, I decided on a recipe from foodnetwork.com, courtesy of Paula Dean:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/fresh-fruit-tart-recipe/index.html, given each step's simple ingredients.  Because I work, I had to make most of this the day ahead, which worked out perfectly!  I made the crusts, which turn out to be crisp, like shortbread.  Once they cooled, I stacked them on a plate and covered them in the refrigerator over night.  I also refrigerated the cream cheese filling and the glaze overnight, each separately.  The next day after work, I sliced up the fruit and put them all together.  The best part is, with very minimal effort, they look so fancy!  You can just pile mixed fruit, make designs on them, or use different combinations of fruit.  For example, my husband doesn't like blueberries or glaze, so I left both off & he still loved them!  For an even easier version of this, most grocery stores sell the already made tarts in the bakery section, and you can just make the filling and glaze on your own... you don't have to tell!