Our Framebridge Gallery Wall

Okay, so this blog post has been… a long time in the making 😉 We installed our gallery wall fairly quickly after moving into our home (we moved in October and got it up in January), but life and work got crazy, so I never took the time to sit down and write about it. First, let me say I LOVE IT and it’s probably the most complimented part of our home.

As you can tell from the title, we used Framebridge and I can’t recommend them highly enough. YES, it was pricey (somewhere around $700 after a discount code I used), BUT the quality of both the frames and service can’t be beat. The pictures come pre-framed with paper backing and beautiful matting (professional!). While it does feel pricey, for pre-curated, antique-esque, large, high-quality frames, it felt like a pretty great deal. We ordered the Staggered Grid in Mixed Metallics, but they have sooo many options. Some other favorites include the Wide Grid, the Half Wall Grid, the Floor to Ceiling Grid, and the Up the Stairs.

Even though it’s been awhile since we actually installed the gallery wall, I do remember the installation being fairly finicky. Framebridge does a nice job of including a paper grid that allows you to easily hammer in nails at the exact right places so your wall turns out exactly as you hope, but in practice, their paper grid was a bit off compared to the nail holes in the frames themselves. So you really need to make sure you compare the paper grid to the actual frames so you can get the exact height you want. The paper grid also had creases in it from being folded up during shipping (unavoidable), so it made it a bit difficult to ensure it was straight and flat against the wall. So while all-in-all it took a bit longer than we expected, once we got everything prepped and nails in the wall it was smooth sailing.

I would choose Framebridge and do this install over again in a heartbeat because it’s simply so beautiful. It’s definitely a corner that brings us immense joy, and I love that it’s the center of our home where we gather together for meals at the end of each day. I’m sure I’ll invest in more gallery walls from Framebridge in the future (lookin’ at you, stairwell). What does your dream gallery wall look like?

DIY Seasonal Vintage Dough Bowl Centerpiece

Have you seen these beautiful vintage dough bowl centerpieces floating around Pinterest? I always thought they were so pretty, but whenever we were out and about I never saw them in any vintage or antique stores. When we went to Bend for my birthday in May, Tim was prepping for a few interviews and wanted to spend some time looking at notes and company info, so I decided it was the perfect time to hit the little downtown area to do some solo shopping. I want nothing more than to spend time with my husband, but I’ve gotta be honest — it was nice shopping for a few hours without feeling like he wasn’t having fun 😂 Can anyone else relate?

I wasn’t really sure how I was going to decorate it or where I was going to put it but knew I wanted it to be a pretty, seasonal statement for our home. Enter: Michaels — the best place to get DIY inspiration. ✨

I ended up deciding to grab some fake lemons that looked as real as possible, and then knew I wanted to complement the bright yellow with some more muted, elegant greenery. I opted for a mix of vine- and leaf-like stems.

I also wanted to give it even more dimension and make it a bit more romantic, so I grabbed some candle holders and short candles, which totally pull it all together.

I love how it turned out for summer and can’t wait to change it up each season — especially this upcoming fall, my favorite of all seasons 😍 🍂

To help you make your own, I did a little research and pulled a few similar dough bowl and decor options for you below! Tag me @brelaliberte if you tackle this DIY. 🙌

Dough bowl links from top left to bottom right:

1. Bellicent Wood Oval Rustic Decorative Bowl

2. Narrow Hand Carved Bowl

3. Hand Carved Rustic Wood Dough Bowl

4. Chateau Acacia Wood Dough Bowl, Loaf

5. Chateau Acacia Wood Dough Bowl, Baguette

6. Hand-Carved Wooden Decorative Bowl (This might be the same as #1? They look similar!)

Artificial floral links from top left to bottom right:

1. Eucalyptus Bunch Spray by Ashland®

2. Cream Amaranthus Stem by Ashland®

3. Ficus Spray Floral Essentials by Ashland®

4. Ashland® Garden Fresh Faux Fruit Bag of Large Lemons

5. Full Eucalyptus Pick by Ashland®

6. Green Amaranthus Stem by Ashland®

7. Eucalyptus Stem by Ashland®

8. Sage Eucalyptus Bush by Ashland®

9. Eucalyptus Branch by Ashland®

Rosemary Sea Salt Bread Loaf

I don’t think I can totally describe to you how much joy it gives me to make (and gift!) bread. If you’ve read this blog post, you know my process and tools, and that I use Ken Forkish’s method and ingredient ratios no matter what type of bread loaf I’m making. I’ve made jalapeno cheddar bread before, but this time I wanted to try my hand at a different type of bread loaf with inclusions, recreating one of our favorite baguettes we normally get at a local grocery store: rosemary sea salt.

If you’re thinking YUM, you are correct 😉

ingredients

Before you start, don’t forget to get Ken Forkish’s book Flour Water Salt Yeast. So many great recipes and tips and tricks throughout!

Here’s what I used to make two rosemary sea salt bread loaves:

• 1,000 grams Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour (one of my absolute favorites — such good flavor and texture!)

• 720 grams of 90-95 degree water

• 21 grams of sea salt + more for topping to taste

• 4 grams of instant yeast (I use SAF Red Instant Yeast by King Arthur Baking)

• 2x 0.66 oz of fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

method

• Mix flour and water by hand, cover and let sit for 20-30 minutes

• Remove rosemary leaves from sprigs and chop roughly (it’s best to have a mix of large and small pieces!)

• Add sea salt, yeast, and fresh rosemary and fold in using Ken’s pincer method; let sit for a few minutes and then fold for another 30 seconds.

• Do your first fold in the first 10 minutes after mixing. Take the corners and fold them into the center. Once all corners are folded in, lift up the dough and flip it over so the bottom becomes the top.

• Let sit and do another fold and flip in about an hour.

• After your second fold, let the dough sit until it is roughly 3x in size, about 5 hours after mixing

• Once triple in size, the dough is ready to be divided. Pour out of the bin onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two equal sizes (you can eyeball this!).

• With each dough ball, fold the corners into the middle and flip it so the bottom becomes the top. Cup the back of the dough ball with your hands and drag it on the countertop toward you to form a tighter ball.

• Generously flour your proofing baskets and place each dough ball in its respective basket. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of flour and let rise for about an hour and 15 minutes.

• About 45 minutes prior to baking, heat up your oven to 475 degrees with your dutch oven inside, lid on.

• 20 minutes before you bake the first loaf, place the second loaf in the refrigerator.

• Carefully remove the dutch oven and place one dough ball in the dutch oven. Carefully put the lid back on and place it back into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and then bake for another 15 minutes.

• Once your first loaf is done, repeat the baking method with your second loaf.

• Enjoy!

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it! And check out my video below to see how I made these super yummy bread loaves.

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