Baked feta with fig & thyme compote.

Are you in search of the perfect dinner party appetizer? Well look no further, because this recipe for baked feta covered with fig-thyme compote is simple, delicious and definitely a crowd pleaser.

YOU WILL NEED:

1 cup of dried figs, quartered

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of honey

3 springs of fresh time, plus extra for garnish

8 ounce block of brined feta cheese, drained and blotted dry

1 teaspoon of olive oil

Toasted baguette or crackers

***
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a pan over medium-high heat, combine the figs, water, honey and thyme and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Using a spoon remove the figs to a bowl. Boil the remaining syrup until it reduces to about 1/4 cup. Discard the thyme sprigs and then pour syrup over figs.

Meanwhile, rub olive oil over all surfaces of the feta and place the cheese in a small oven-proof dish. Bake for 15 minutes, until warm and quite soft, but not melted.

Spoon about 1/3 of the compote over the feta and garnish with fresh thyme springs and serve with toast or crackers. Cover and save the remaining compote in the refrigerator for future appetizers!

***

Serve with a glass of wine and enjoy with friends!

XO, Stef

delicious recipe found via thekitchn.com

Bookshelf envy.

We've been seeing a lot of really incredible homes online lately, and one thing we keep being drawn to is a good bookshelf! Do you have a favorite?

What a perfect nook for a desk and oh so many books!

You have to check out this incredible office, click here for more photos.

Such a great idea for a kids room!

There's a lot going on here, but we're kind of into it...

This library is what dreams are made of.

How to make the perfect cheeseboard.

For as long as I can remember I have had an immense love of cheese. Everyone that knows me, knows that the key to my heart is with cheese. In fact, on numerous birthdays friends and family have surprised me with cakes made entirely out of cheese (no, not a cheesecake but a cake of cheese.) I have made countless cheeseboards over the years to serve at dinner parties and I thought it might be fun to share some tips with you today on how to make the perfect cheeseboard:

First of all, you should chose a variety of different types of cheese. A well-balanced cheeseboard has one of each of the following categories: fresh, soft, semi-soft, hard, and blue. There are many examples of each type of cheese, but here are a few basics to get you started:

Fresh: feta, ricotta, mozzarella, mascarpone

Soft: brie, camembert, capricorn goat

Semi-soft: edam, havarti, taleggio, gouda

Hard: manchego, emmental, grana padano parmesan, aged cheddar

Blue: stilton, roquefort, gorgonzola, cambozola

Once you have decided on the cheeses you would like to serve, your next decision is the accompaniments. Here are a few examples of delicious things you can pair your cheeses with:

Fresh fruits: blackberries, strawberries, grapes, green apples, figs (if they are in season)

Dried fruits and nuts: apricots, cranberries, figs, various mixed nuts

Spreads: chutney, jam, mustard, olive oil & balsamic vinegar

And of course plenty of crackers and crusty french baguette.

(You can also add some cured meats to the plate as well, such as prosciutto and capicollo)

Next, take time to arrange the cheeses in a pleasing way and serve them on your favorite wooden platter or slate board. If you don't have either of those, you could also use a wood or plastic cutting board. Also, don't forget to include a knife or two for guests to help themselves.

*Tip: Take the cheeses out of the refrigerator an hour before you serve them so that they become room temperature. By doing this you are maximizing the flavor potential of the cheeses.*

For my cheeseboard I used: feta (fresh), soeur angele which is a brie made of both cow's and goat's milk (soft), douanier (semi-soft), 4 year aged cheddar (hard), and gorgonzola (blue). For the accompaniments I used fresh figs, dried apricots, green grapes and mixed nuts (and plenty of baguette of course!)

Have fun trying new cheeses and experimenting with different flavor combinations! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!  XO, Stef

All information taken from the book World Cheese Book by Juliet Harbutt.

Our cozy outfits for work.

With our temperatures rising and then dropping quickly, we've been having a hard time deciding what to wear! So lately we've been layering sweaters over most of our dresses, as well as toques, knee-highs and boots. Are you guys as ready for Spring as we are? We are officially over Winter.

Erin's outfit details:
Knit toque: Target
Brown sweater: Forever 21
Polka dot dress: Market in Bangkok
Brown tights: Target
Slate grey knee high socks: Market in Tokyo
Roper boots: Thrifted
Acorn necklace: Market in Bangkok (available in our shop Rhymes With Orange)

Stef's outfit details:

Navy sweater: Forever 21

Red polka dot peter pan collar dress: Forever 21

Knit toque: Thrifted

Navy knee-high socks: Market in Tokyo

Roper boots: Vintage from Etsy

Inspiring space: Cute displays.

We are total suckers for a good bookshelf display or a cozy corner full of our favorite brightly-colored retro knick knacks and this home just happens to be packed full of them. Beautiful yellow and turquoise walls light up the rooms and cute stacks of vintage books can be found scattered throughout. There is a theme of whimsy and fun throughout the entire house, I mean come on, you don't get much more quirky than converting an old television set into a display unit. How cool is that? Hairpin legs, old projectors and paint-by-number paintings are just a few things that have been used to accessorize this cheery haven. It's hard to pick a favorite room, but I've gotta admit that I'm really drawn to the kitchen. Isn't there just something so uplifting about a sunny yellow kitchen?

All images found via Design Sponge. Home tour of Liz Cook's home.

March madness.

Thinking about hopping on the sponsorship train for March? Well as you can see we switched over to Passionfruit to help us with our ads and it is so efficient and easy! We love it and hope you do too! We would love to have you in our sidebar in March, so if you are interested, you can now go directly to our sponsor page and buy the ad you would like and it will go live right away!

Here are our current stats as of February 23, 2013:

-3,199 Bloglovin' followers

-3,265 Twitter followers

-3,952 Facebook followers

-2,425 Google followers

-6,881 Pinterest followers

-We also recieved over 135,000 views last month!

Take a look at our sponsorship page for more info. Got more questions? Drop us an email at ohsolovelies@gmail.com

XO, Stef & Erin

So lovely.

It's the weekend already?! Whoa. Time for our weekly dose of inspiration:

I have a bit of a soft spot for Jamie Oliver and his line of adorably packaged condiments is totally killin' it. I need all of these in my kitchen cupboards ASAP.

These trees are sort of Tim Burton meets 1950's suburbia vibe and we like it.

Love this simple heart outline tattoo.  Hmm... this reminds us that we've gotta keep brainstorming new tattoo ideas for the spring...

If you need a little bit of foodie inspiration for the weekend then take a peek at this lovely dinner party. It has the perfect mix of wine, delicious food, friends and good conversation.

A scalloped cabinet? Are you kidding me? This is too much. So good.

Check out this unbelievable photo. We can't decide which part of this picture we like best: her adorable haircut, cute dress, or amazing orange vespa? Gah.

Happy weekend pretty friends! Have fun! XO

Zucchini banana bread recipe.

Ingredients:

* 3 Very ripe bananas

* 2 Small zucchinis, approximately 1 Cup shredded

* 1/2 C Sugar

* 3 Tbsp honey or Agave syrup

* 1 Egg

* 2 C All purpose flour

* 1 Tsp baking soda

* 1 Tsp baking powder

* 1/2 Tsp salt

* 1 Tsp cinnamon

* 1 Tbsp melted butter

* 1/2 C chocolate chips (optional)

* 1/2 C walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat over to 350. First mash the bananas in a bowl and add shredded zucchini, sugar, honey or agave syrup, and egg. Mix well.

2. In a second bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Once mixed, slowly add the dry mixture to the banana mixture.

3. Next stir in the melted butter, the chocolate chips and the walnuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan, or use 3 mini loaf pans like we did. If using the mini loaf pans, bake for 30-35 min, or 1 hour for big loaf pan.

4. To check if the loaf or loaves are done, simply put a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, it's done, if it comes out with wet batter, stick it back in the oven for another 5-10 min and check again and repeat if necessary. Put on a cooling rack once they are done, and enjoy!

Meet our February sponsors:

Say hello to this talented bunch and be sure to check out their awesome blogs and shops!

SHOP  //  TWITTER  //  FACEBOOK

Well hello there! I'm Leslie Torbett, all-around gal over at Dalena Vintage. I'm a dreamer, a wanderer and a vintage addict among a slew of other things! In fact, I'm currently out on the road exploring the southern United States, picking up dreamy dresses from yesteryear as I go and dreaming up plans for the future.

BLOG  //  SHOP  //  FACEBOOK

Hi I'm Jess. I run the Etsy store Jessamity and live in the U.S. desert southwest where I comb thrift stores for vintage awesomeness, have fun putting on crazy outfits every morning and love to make things myself. My shop has a fun eclectic mix of vintage clothing and accessories, along with my handmade jewelry and bags. My blog follows my daily pursuits and inspirations with an emphasis on a vintage loving lifestyle, a diy attitude, handmade creativity, and fashion.

SHOP  //  TWITTER  //  FACEBOOK

B.a.i.t. is an acronym for: but another innocent tale...

We are an independent brand that designs vintage inspired footwear for today's modern girl. Creating shoes that we love, in hopes you will love them too. This is our tale...

SHOP  //  FACEBOOK  // TWITTER

Dear Lucy carefully chooses the best footwear styles for women and men each season. They have a large selction of Frye boots, and the latest from Hunter, Jack Rogers Elizabeth & James, UGG, and more.

BLOG  //  SHOP  //  FACEBOOK

Hello! My name is Anna. I'm a former middle school teacher turned into an online vintage shop owner so I can stay at home with my two fun, loving, exuberant children. I do what I love and I love what I do. My days are filled with being the best mom and wife I can be to my family while curating my shop. I hope you like what you find!

BLOG  //  TWITTER  //  INSTAGRAM

Hey, my name is Allison! I'm a thrifter, baker, and photo taker. I would be delighted for you to visit me at Thrifted. 

BLOG  //  SHOP  //  PINTEREST

Hello! I'm Andrea, owner and operator of Gazebo Tree Vintage. I'm living the small town life, nestled in the redwoods of coastal Northern California. Being mom to my amazing teenage daughter is my favorite thing to be. Acting and singing in community theatre are my favorite things to do and scouring the thrifts for vintage is the best job I've ever had. My genius musician boyfriend and I have aspirations to someday tour across the country, playing gigs together while collecting vintage on the way. Ah, the life of my dreams!

SHOP  //  FACEBOOK  //  PINTEREST

Vintage cameras make me weak in the knees and a 30's dress with throw me into hallelujah moments (church folk understand). But, enough about the shop people! The vision for Waisted has evolved over the past three years and we want to continue to provide long lasting style in every hand selected piece.

BLOG  //  SHOP  //  FACEBOOK

Bitchin' Kitsch 'n' Kitchen is Lisa Boland from Winnipeg, Canada's online stockpile of all kinds of fabulous vintage items. Her love of a great auction or estate/rummage/garage/car boot/yard sale overtook her house, and it was time to share her incredible finds with others who would appreciate them.

BLOG  //  SHOP  //  FACEBOOK

Whimsy & Juno are Sarah and Lauren, two sisters who share a love of all things crafty, creative and vintage. We have an online shop where we sell all manner of lovely things from stationary, jewellery and knitting patterns to craft supplies and vintage finds. We also love meeting new people so we'd love for you to drop by our blog sometime and say hi!

Cozy looks we love.

We know that we should be thinking of Spring, but with the crazy snow and temperatures that we have had yesterday and today, we can only think of cozy things! Have a happy (and cozy) day!

Love this look and this gorgeous girl's haircut!

Such a pretty collar on a fun, colorful knit (original photo source unknown).

Ok, ok...we slipped a little pop of Spring in here, but we couldn't resist sharing this photo!

I need a bob and a beret, stat!

Lauren Moffatt can do no wrong, and this cozy look is proof.

via Calivintage

Oh, Orla Kiely, we are loving all of the looks for Fall/Winter 2013!

via Kris Atomic.

Frankie Magazine Interview.

A few months ago I was contacted by Australian magazine Frankie to do an interview about my house and decorating style for their Homebodies feature. If you haven't read Frankie before, it is an amazing magazine full of gorgeous photographs and artistic layouts all printed on beautiful matte pages. Needless to say, I was beyond honored that they chose my home to feature. Here is a peek at my interview in the March/April issue that just hit newsstands last week:

(click here to read text.)

(click here to read text.)

I want to say a big thank you to Frankie for writing such a lovely article and also to my friend Rosie of Simply Rosie Photography for so beautifully capturing my home.

XO, Stef