Wall stickers

I absolutely adore thest fabric wall stickers from lovemaestore at etsy.com.

Shoppin' with Phoebe

Found these beautiful photos from the amazing designer Pheobe Howard on her website at pheobehoward.net. I get lost looking at all of the amazing room designs she creates. She also has a blog (Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper) that makes it easy to just browse through random photos of beautiful pieces that she offers or you can click on specific categories if you are looking for something in particular.

Hidden in France

I had a little time this weekend to wander around a few blog sites and I found some images that I love on Hidden in France.

Mother's Day

I know I'm a little late to report about Mother's Day, but mine was so great and so very relaxing that I had to share (and maybe even brag a little)! First of all, my mom happened to be in town on Mother's Day, so just getting to share breakfast with her before she got back on the road was such a treat. The rest of the day was me in my p.j.'s...which was Mother's Day enough for me! My children and husband all spoiled me with beautiful hand-made cards and gifts that they spent time on and made just for me! My daughter Claire made me a very special beaded necklace that I just L-O-V-E. A lazy day in my jammies with family and lots of special handmade gifts made me feel like the luckiest mom on earth.

I heart my sheets

I had such a hard time getting out of bed this morning. It was overcast and rainy outside...just one of those mornings where you want to stay in bed the majority of the day watching Lifetime movies and only getting up to make short trips to the freezer for the Ben & Jerry's container. What made it even harder to get up were my unbelievably luxurious sheets that I bought my husband for our anniversary one year. Oh my gosh...these sheets, made from Italian wood pulp (yes, wood pulp) are the softest most wonderful things I have ever felt. If you want to treat yourself to the most wonderful thing in the world, check out the Legna Classic Sheets by SDH (I think they are even on sale now). Ok, they are a bit expensive...but worth the splurge. They last forever and are so well made that when you wash them you don't even need to use fabric softener or dryer sheets. I even purchased a set for the guest room and everyone who has ever stayed the night wakes up asking about them..."What are they?"..."Where did you get these?"...I am telling you, they are the best!
Unfortunately I did have to eventually get out of bed. And yes, it is still overcast and rainy. But The Ben & Jerry's is still in the freezer, and I'll be back in bed in just 12 (gulp) hours.
I think I can...I think I can...

Pretty in pink...(and yellow)

Pink and yellow...I have always loved these two colors together. Maybe because they remind me of happy summer days, pitchers filled with cold lemonade, my favorite pink flip flops, sunshine, and freshly painted toes...pink and yellow just sing when you put them together. Clockwise from top left: The Isabel Collection from Serena and Lily, Pretty Princess invitation, photo from "Great Parties for Kids" by Hammick and Packer, watermelon blaster drink from Martha Stewart Kids Magazine (see recipe below), Butterscotch Plaid invitation and stationery, Eat Cake invitation, photo from "Pretty Party Cakes" by Peggy Porschen, heart candy dot favors from Martha Stewart Kids Magazine.

Watermelon Blaster Recipe
Blend:
3 cups cubed sedded watermelon
1 and 1/2 cups strawberries
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 cups ice cubes
sugar to taste

Star garnish:
press a cookie cutter through the watermelon rind using the back of a wooden spoon

Spin That Wheel!

Every Friday the design team at Stacy Claire Boyd goes out to lunch together and every Friday, we are plagued with the dreaded question...where should we go??? None of us can agree...we are always in the mood for "this" or I have a taste for "that"...

I came across this hilarious way to figure out where to go. The "Wheel 'O Lunch". Just enter your zip code and a wheel full of local options pops up. Give it a good spin and round and round it goes until fate decides where you should be spending your afternoon or evening meal. You can even click on the restaurants and you'll be linked to their web-sites if you aren't familiar with them.

From now on I think we'll just let the Wheel O' Lunch figure it all out for us!

My favorite little vase

My favorite vase is a piece of French Faïence that resembles a fancy little chest of drawers. I found it in a little antique store in Atlanta while shopping with my mom and sister Leigh Ann. This is one of my favorite little collectibles! I filled it with a few colorful zinnias from my garden, but it really looks prettier with a fresh bouquet of snapdragons which give it a little height. It's one of my favorite things and it always reminds me of our fun shopping weekend in Atlanta...we found so many great things that my sister had to drive us all back in a U-Haul truck.

Personality Profile

I came across this the other day and decided to sit down and complete one of these things. Apparently my kids do them all the time with their friends. What can I say...I had a few minutes to kill...

Yourself: creative
Your Partner: organized
Your Hair: short & sassy
Your Mother: a wonderful cook & so resourceful
Your Father: a talented decorator
Your Favorite Item: my fabulous sheets & cozy blanket
Your Dream last night: about work, I'm sure
Your Favorite Drink: unsweet iced tea
Your Dream Car: white wagoneer with wood panelling
Your Dream Home: always clean
The Room You Are In: my studio nook
Your Fear: cancer
Where You Want To Be In Ten Years: happy
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: my family
What You're Not: terribly social
Muffins: cranberry walnut
One Of Your Wish List Items: design books
The Last Thing You Did: work on my blog
What You Are Wearing: comfy sweat pants
Your Favorite Weather: about 68 degrees
Your Favorite Book: anything by Jane Green
Last Thing You Ate: frozen yogurt
Your Life: on the go, racing to get it all done
Your Mood: happy
Your Best Friend: my dog Addie
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: McDonald's french fries
Your Car: white SUV
What Are You Doing At The Moment: wishing there were more hours in the day
Your Summer: trip to the beach
Relationship Status: married
What Is On Your TV: a forensics show
What Is The Weather Like: pleasant
When Is The Last Time You Laughed: this morning

Little Mermaids

I just received my "Chasing Fireflies" catalog. I really love their products! If you have young children and don't get their catalog, you should... it's great! Flipping through the pages makes me think of summer-time, outdoor fun and children's birthday parties. What struck me as super-sweet while flipping through the other day was their very charming "Mermaid" themed items. You just can't get cuter than these "mermaid tail" beach towels!

You can celebrate at home, at the park or at a nearby pool, beach or aquarium. I found these photos in a precious book titled "Great Parties for Kids" by Hammick & Packer which gives great inspiration for Mermaid themed parties and tons of others as well. I just love the way they take inexpensive items and ingenious ideas to turn an average party into a one-of-a-kind event.

Here is our take on the perfect way to invite all the little Mermaids over for a party... our latest Mermaid design from the "Let's Party" album.

And here are a few little "Mermaid Party" ideas to get your Under-the-Sea festivities started...

What to wear: To make a sparkly mermaid tail... Cut a length of suitable fabric or terrycloth into a tail shape and attach ribbon to the top, so the tail can be tied around the waist
Party activities: A treasure hunt, water balloon toss, fishing games, making sand art.

Fun food ideas: Cookie cutter shaped pb & j sandwiches, goldfish crackers, fruit kabobs, cupcakes with gummy fish.

Fun party favors: Beachball, sunglasses, water squirter, stickers, go-fish playing cards

A Story Book Party

This was a cute little party that I did for my daughter Claire several years ago, even though it doesn't really seem like that long ago! We invited 'Mother Goose' to tell a few stories & played Jack Be Nimble... jumpin' over the candlestick kinda' games. It was such a sweet party. Her birthday is in December, so having the children choose a Nursery Rhyme themed ornament off of the little decorative tree was the perfect favor to either take home and hang in their room or on the Christmas tree. I remember everyone loved the little party hats that I made out of scrapbook paper. I got the idea from Martha Stewart (see photo above). They were so cute & easy to make. Just use a 10" plate as a template to cut two circles out of patterned paper. Use glue or double sided tape to form these two circles into the basic shape of your hat. Ribbon makes a handy but oh-so-cute chin strap. Here's how to create the cute tassel on top: Cut a sheet of vellum that is 9" long, 3" on one end and 5" on the other. Along the angled 9" side, cut the vellum at 3/8" intervals, stopping about an inch short of the opposite side. Place a pencil at the lower edge of the wide end, and apply a line of glue or double sided tape along the rest of the lower edge. Roll strip tightly around pencil. Carefully curl each segment of the tassel with scissors. If this seems like a lot you can substitute a pom-pom for the tassel & that'll save time. These hats are quick, easy and cute and you'll look like you spent alot more time on them then you actually did... party on!

Annie B Boutique

I am such a proud mother. My daughter Annie has recently started a business she named "Annie B Boutique" selling a product line called "Cute as a Button" which consists of fabric covered button hair clips and rings. She has been selling her items like hot cakes ever since she started a few months ago, and the best part is that she is happily donating a very nice portion of her earnings to St. Jude Children's Hospital. So far Annie has sold her product line to a few stores here in town, and word-of-mouth has traveled far enough that even a few out-of-state retailers have contacted her.

Most all of her button products are handmade by her, her sister Claire and myself and we three girls have had the best time working together. As a mother, you dream for times like these where you and the kids can find something to enjoy equally while all spending time with each other. What a win-win situation...helping out the amazing St. Jude Hospital while making memories we will cherish for our lifetime. Awesome!

Fiesta Time

Everyone loves a fiesta! Here are a couple of our recent party invitations that celebrate our love for a culture that has given us great food and drink, great vacation destinations and an appreciation for an afternoon siesta. So put on your sombrero and fire up the Mariachi...it's time to have some fun!

You can find the "Fiesta" and "Pinata" invitation designs at www.stacyclaireboyd.com.

Cinco de Mayo

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I'm going to share the absolute BEST guacamole recipe of all times from one of my favorite restaurants in NYC, Rosa Mexicano. I went there often with my husband when we first started dating and I also met a friend there that I still keep in touch with after 15 years. Even now, every time I am in NYC I make it a point to stop in to get my guac fix. They roll a little cart over to your table and you get to watch them cut up all the colorful ingredients and mix it all up right in front of you in a volcano rock mortar and pestle set. You just wouldn't believe the taste...unbeatable!


Here is my actual avocado-stained recipe card that I've had for twenty years. Grab some nice ripe avocados and sip on a delicious margarita while you make this tasty treat! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

The cutest pin cushions on Earth

I just blogged about a super-cute pin cushion with a built in tape measurer that I'm sending in a gift box to my mother for Mother's Day and I had to show a picture of how cute these things are. There is so much detail in them and the price is a steal...I purchased mine (I bought the little yellow one on the top right) from one of my favorite neighborhood shops for under $15. I love the whole product line that Natural Life has created, but these little gems are some of my faves!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner...Sunday, May 10th. No matter what the occasion, I am a practical gift giver...If I find something that makes my life a little easier, I usually pass that something on in a gift. Whether it is the greatest onion chopper or the most awesome hair product...it just doesn't matter if I love it and I think that person will love it I build a gift around it. Sometimes my gifts have a color theme, sometimes it's all related by theme, like a relaxing feel good spa-type collection of things. This year for Mother's Day, it's going to be kind of a hodge-podge of stuff that I know my mom will like. My mom makes the best salads ever and I know she'll enjoy this lucite bowl with colorful salad servers, the little flower napkins just looked like her, the little soap smells divine, the chocolate covered sunflower seeds are cute and they're CHOCOLATE, the little bag of coffee is her favorite, the forever postage stamps & post-it notes are always good to have, the little clementines are delicious plus they add good color to the presentation and the little pin cushion with retractable tape measure is practical and oh so precious. Because my mom lives out of town, I went to my local Post Office to buy a shipping box and was surprised and excited to see attractive shipping boxes and bubble mailers designed by Dena Designs...what a great idea. I realize that this gift is nothing fancy, but it will be perfect for my mom who is just as into "practical" as I am!

Addie at the office

Here are a few shots of my office at Stacy Claire Boyd. We are so lucky to have the very best company mascot ever! Adelaide "Addie" is our official greeter, stress-releaver, bring-a-smile-to-your-face member of our team. It is amazing what she does for all of us...she definitely makes the work day a lot sweeter. And the best part of all...you can always count on her to be here. She's never called in sick...ever!

Annie's Day

These are photos from my daughter Annie's special bat mitzvah day that we all celebrated a few weeks ago. She did a terrific job...we were all so proud of her. Here are a few photos (from Barry C. Altmark Photography and Jennifer Jones Photography) that were taken of some of the decorations and festivities at her luncheon. Her theme was "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and we decorated with polka dots, fun colors, a candy "bar" and smoothies. A great time was had by all.

The invitation was the inspiration for the entire weekend.

The bright dots & fun colors carried throughout all of the decorations.

Here is Annie and her adoring dad giving each other a tight squeeze.

The Candy "Bar" was a magnet for all who attended...young & old.

These petite cupcake pops were both decorative and delicious.
I got this idea from Bakerella and had my local bakery whip them up.

Disguised as smoothies, printed pink & green T-shirts made a fun favor for the girls.

The favors for the boys were brightly colored take-out boxes filled with candy.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was the theme of the party. These sassy girls appeared in lots of the little details - like on the smoothie cups and as large near-life sized cut-out decorations.

A framed silhouette of Annie was a great way for guests to send their good wishes.

The desserts were AMAZING!



Here's a picture of my sisters & myself: Allison, Lauren, Me & LeighAnn. It was great getting to see all of them at the same time!

Mom's Tostito Chicken

My family loves Mexican food and although our interpretation of "Mexican" might be laughed at by our friends down south of the border, this has become one of our family's most loved recipes over the years. I make it all the time because it's fast and easy, and just plain 'ole dee-lish. I make it with a store bought lemon-pepper rotisserie chicken, which saves loads of time (don't forget to keep the bones for soup stock).

1 diced seasoned rotisserie chicken
1 10 oz can of mild rotel (diced tomatoes & green chilies)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 8 oz package shredded cheddar cheese
¼ bag plain tostito corn chips
Dry taco seasoning to taste (optional)

Chop and sauté the onion with a little bit of the chicken broth and if you like, add a little dry taco seasoning as it sautés. In a separate bowl whisk together the can of rotel (include liquid from can), the can of mushroom soup and the cup of chicken broth and whisk together. Lightly butter a lasagna size casserole/Pyrex dish and add a layer of tostito chips (enough to cover the bottom). On top of the chips, layer on the diced chicken. Add sautéed onion on top of the chicken, then pour on your wet mixture of rotel, soup and broth. The chips soak up all the liquid and once baked turn into a nice soft tortilla crust. Top with the shredded cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes. Once out of the oven, let it set 25-30 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

The best part of wakin' up...

I am one of the few, brave coffee drinkers that is not ashamed to say that I take mine in a glass, not a mug. That's right...I am in love with iced coffee. Not only is it like drinking dessert for breakfast, but I also can validate it's sinful sweetness by reminding myself that I'm getting in a nice glass of 1% milk, which is great because I am not the biggest fan of milk served straight up (don't tell mom). I used to brew my own every morning, but then my good friend Cathy turned me on to Coolbrew, a gourmet coffee concentrate from New Orleans Coffee Company. The bottle is great because it ingeniously measures out a perfect ounce so that you never have to guess how much to pour. I just add one ounce of coffee into a full glass of ice and milk, then stir in a Splenda...done. Yum!

I should also mention that my morning ritual includes my favorite iced coffee glass that I got from CB2. The style is from the Marta barware collection, and it fits perfectly in my car's cupholder which is a rare thing. I love it! With my beloved ice-coffee in one hand and a toasted bagel half in the other, I am ready to take on the world (right after I drop the kids off at school).

Candy Necklace

I recently picked up this month's issue (May 2009) of Parents magazine and I was excited to see that they had a little "Let's Party" section that gives creative party ideas for children's birthdays. They have some super-cute favor ideas and one that stood out to me (because it was not only adorable, but so affordable) was titled "Candy Couture". They fill a small tin with colorful cereal O's, life savers and licorice laces so that kids can string their own neckaces and bracelets. I stopped by the drug store today on my way home from work and picked up the few ingredients necessary to make this precious edible bling. Although we are not having a party, I thought that my ten year old Claire would enjoy making this fun little craft. It was a big hit and she's planning on wearing her colorful bracelet to school tomorrow.

Getting a little greener

In honor of Earth Day yesterday, I planted some nice succulents I picked up from the local garden shop. I only spent around $20 on the plants and two different colors of moss. I already owned a clear glass container that I used...the base of the container is long and thin and I alternated the two mosses in the base and then added a little potting soil on the top. Succulents like indirect light and you don't water them often. They are a nice choice because of their low maintenance. The plants that I used were: ogon sedum, hens & chicks, blue chalk senecio and blue spruce sedum. Adding a little "green" to our home...happy Earth Day!

Free ice cream day at Ben & Jerry's

I am so excited about my very first blog entry & I can't think of a better topic than ice cream. today, Tuesday, April 21st is free cone day at Ben & Jerry's! so load up the kids and head to B & J's for free ice cream...what could be better?