Star-Spangled Ideas

Here are a few suggestions for your 4th of July celebration:

Enhance the fireworks with a pair of 3-D fireworks glasses. They will give your light show a cool kaleidoscope effect. Available at amazon.com or 3dglassesonline.com
Utensils wrapped in festive paper napkins then bound with thin strips of scrapbook or oragami paper and secured with double-sided tape.

Mason Jars tied and knotted with torn strips of patriotic-colored fabric and filled with cherry limeaid. Too cute!

Serve:

Easy BBQ RIBS

Tasty Slaw à la Stacy

1 (16 oz.) pkg. angel hair slaw

5 green onions, chopped

8 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Bottled Italian Dressing

Mix all ingredients together (better if you make it the night before). Cover and refrigerate. I just add the dressing until it looks right. I don't think that you can mess it up (I usually add 3/4's of a large bottle of dressing).

Star Spangled Pound Cake

Cute Watermelon Cookies

Cupcakes

Cupcakes are so big right now, and Martha Stewart has a new book out about them. It has 175 ideas for cupcake lovers...everything from fun lollipop cupcakes to fancy tiramisu ones. Yum!

It's in the Bag

Your handbag says a lot about you...your style, your personality...so much is reflected in the bag you carry. Have you ever wanted to design your own? Check out 1154 Lill Studio where you can do just that. I fell in love with this "Brianna" handbag shown with patterns "Frida's Flowers" and "Yellow". So many styles, fabrics and colors. Lotsa' options, lotsa' fun.

Charm Bracelet

My children are away at summer camp for a month having a great time. Every few days I try to send them a sweet postcard, a magazine, or a little activity book... just a little something. It's like a hug from home. Today I am sending my daughter Claire a bracelet that I crafted using Martha Stewart's charm bracelet kit. You can find these at Michael's Arts and Crafts. Rather than using photos for the charms, I used little reduced print outs of our family's silhouettes. The bracelet comes with 3 two-sided charms which allows just enough room for our 6 member family (including our 4- legged friend Addie). The kit has a cute keepsake pouch to tuck the bracelet into, which makes it a complete little gift. This package from home will surely make her smile!

The Dog Days of Summer

Have you noticed lately how many people have dogs that are a breed that you've never really heard of? I am a dog lover and have one (my heart and soul) that is not a real AKC breed. She is a mix called a labradoodle (a labrador and poodle, all in one). My sister has a doodle (a dacshund/poodle). My friend has a schnoodle (a schnauzer/poodle) and I have met so many cute golden doodles (a golden retriever/poodle) lately. Everyone is so doodly!

Photographer, Amanda Jones has a new book out called "A Breed Apart", which celebrates mixed breed dogs/mutts. Aren't they precious?

Here are some fun pictures of my doodly dog, Addie. She's my BFF! Here we are at the beach last week frolicking in the sand... We had an awesome time! These photos were shot by my friend, photographer Jennifer Jones:

Party Kit

I went to Michael's arts & crafts store yesterday and had the best time. There are so many fantastic products and I seem to hyperventilate more and more with every row I walk down. It is a really fun place and always makes me wish there were more hours in the day that could be designated to crafting. Oh...dream on! Anyhow, I was thrilled to find this Martha Stewart party kit for $6.99 on the clearance aisle. I'm not having a party, but this kit has so many cute little items in it that you could use for whatever. For example, I took a photo of 3 little gift boxes with orange twill handles that were in the kit. I filled them with some dried fruit and granola for a little addition to my father-in-law's gift yesterday for father's day. This kit has cute tiny bags, stickers, envelopes, cupcake toppers and little decorative cups that would be so cute filled with candies etc. etc... I was just so excited to buy a few of these party kits at $6.99 because there are lots of uses for all of the precious stuff inside.

Father's Day

Father's Day is upon us and here are some oh so cute gift ideas from marthastewart.com to show dad how much you love him.

Clockwise from top left: Homemade Card with tickets for a special night out with dad, Homemade Bar-B-Que sauce, a special dinner just for him, a fun and funky patterned necktie card, travel kit, "DAD" cut-out photo frame, carwash kit, decorated notepad cube.

car möbel

This site tickles the right side of my brain! car möbel is a German company, so you can't understand the website (unless you speak German), but check out the website rice for much of the same product...in English. The colors are so fun...I just love and want it all!
Das good, ya?

Shadow Boxes

I'm always drawn to anything that's in a shadow box. It's like a secret little protected world! Usually whatever is inside is special and worthy of living in it's own little personal space. Shadow boxes may contain art or personal collectibles, but they can also be functional. Here are a few situations that I like:

Summer Hair

This hairstyle is not a new style for Sienna Miller, but I love it. Such a cute summer 'do'!

Alicia Paulson

I love Alicia Paulson's work. Her blogsite rosy little things has a lot of great stuff, but I am particularly drawn to these little paper mache birds created from a kit she sells. Got to get one!

Custom Fabric

Did you know that you can design and print your own fabric at Spoonflower? How great is that?!

Good Advice

A friend of mine sent this to me and I love it. Read it and try to keep it in the back of your mind.

1. Go to bed on time.
2. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
3. Say NO to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
4. Delegate tasks to capable others.
5. Simplify and unclutter your life.
6. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
7. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
8. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
9. Take one day at a time.
10. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
11. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
12. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, ets.
13. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
14. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
15. Get enough rest.
16. Eat right.
17. Get organized so everything has its place.
18. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
19. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
20. Every day, find time to be alone.
21. Laugh.
22. Laugh some more.
23. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
24. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
25. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
26. Sit on your ego.
27. Talk less; listen more.
28. Slow down.
29. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
30. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

Purl Girl

This shop, purl soho, located in Soho in New York City is awesome. It is one of my favorite places...I discovered it a few years ago, and since then I stay connected through purl bee which is an online journal of the shop. It is a crafts store geared mainly towards knitting, sewing & quilting...but their online tutorials cover a much broader scope of crafting. You can absolutely get lost on this site...it is wonderful!

Love, Sweet Love

I adore that this couple got married at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York. Check out the Rolos belt...amazing!

crewcuts

Isn't crewcuts precious...I love that J. Crew is designing for little ones. My girls love their comfy cute clothes and so do I! The colors are the best!
Resin Jewel Braclet, Blossom Ring, and "Critter" Summer tote from crewcuts.

Tweet Stuff

I just signed up for Twitter and I thought I'd celebrate by blogging about these gorgeous little handmade birdhouses on a website I ran across from New York based artist/designer Tamar Mogendorff. Are they not adorable? They are so cute all collaged together and certainly equally wonderful hung as a single special bird house.

Pretty Little Things

I am not a fancy dresser. Ever. If I could wear a uniform to work every day...I would. I usually opt for a plain t-shirt and a pair of capris or jeans. That being said, I love dressing up my less-than-exciting wardrobe with fun accessories and I just found two of the cutest necklaces from Anthropoplogie and Jill Schwartz. Check them out!

Summertime Treats

Enjoy these summer days...what are you waiting for? You don't have to wait for company to come over...you deserve a fun little summertime cocktail accompanied with some yummy salty snacks. Here are a few suggestions from the latest issue of Real Simple magazine.

Janet Hill

I just love these charming little paintings by Janet Hill. Each one is so special...I really don't know how you could choose a favorite.

Ready for an Egg-cellent Weekend!

This Swiss Chard Frittata via Martha Stewart Living looks wonderful. I wish I had that pretty blue pan to bake it in. I'm going to sleep in late tomorrow morning and have this for brunch (that's the plan anyway). Fingers crossed, I'll actually get to do it and will be savoring every delicious bite. Enjoy!

Decorative Functionality

This clipboard project from Martha Stewart Living magazine is one I've had my eye on for a while. I've got the clipboards, the scrapbook paper and the Mod Podge matte decoupage glue. With all of the ingredients in place, I have no excuses! Isn't it a nice project? ... and can't wait until I actually do it. :)

You Say Tomayto, I Say Tomatto

Yum... the tomatoes are looking so pretty now! I went to my favorite vegetable market and picked up a big basket this morning. I'll turn them into one or two of my favorite tomato dishes when I get home from work. Here are the recipes:

Betty Britt's Fresh Tomato Tart
½ pkg. (15 oz.) refrigerated Pillsbury piecrust
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
3-5 (depending on size) fresh ripe tomatoes (peeled and cut into ½ inch slices)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
6 slices cooked bacon (crisp and crumbled)
2-3 tbsp. parmesan cheese

Fit piecrust into tart pan according to package directions. Generously pierce bottom of crust with fork. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Place tomato slices on paper-towel and pat dry. Layer cheese, bacon, basil, tomatoes, basil again, salt and pepper. Top with 2-3 tbsp. parmesan cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400° until bubbly. Be careful not to burn the crust. Enjoy!

These stacked tomatoes (red, green and yellow) layered with fresh mozzarella, basil leaves and topped with a good olive oil and a little salt and pepper... de-lish!

One dish that I've had at a fabulous Birmingham restaurant called the Hot & Hot Fish Club is so good! I may try to "wing it" with the recipe. It is a stack of heirloom tomatoes similar to the photo above. It doesn't have the mozzarella and basil though. It is simply a stack of tomatoes topped with with an aioli chive sauce. Around the base of the tomatoes are a few peas, corn and little pieces of fried okra... a very southern salad. I don't recall what type of peas, but a cream pea or black-eyed pea would probably do just fine.

My Aioli Chive Sauce (to go on top of the stacked tomatoes)
½ cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. lemon zest
1 minced clove of garlic
1 tbsp. chopped chives
a little Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

South Georgia Caviar (this is a dip, but can be used as a cold side dish)
2 15 oz. can black-eyed peas, drained
1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 10 oz. can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
½ cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers
2 cups chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped onion
1 8 oz. bottle Italian dressing

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir gently. Refrigerate overnight and serve with corn chips.

credit Paula Deen