Gift Ideas: Summer Birthday Girl

Today is my second niece's 4th birthday. She's the middle child of three girls and wears the role with much more dignity than your typical Jan Brady type. I think what makes her slightly luckier than her older sister is the fact that she was born right before summer begins. Which means a lifetime of birthdays set in warm temps, at pool parties, and (when she's old enough!) with celebratory margaritas on trendy restaurant patios.

For now, though, I spoiled my little summer sweetheart with a package of gifts like these:

1. Wrap her up when she comes out of the ocean in this sweet Fairy Hooded Towel by Freckles Unique. 2. Not to be forgotten on any outing this summer: Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70+. 3. Sweet frozen treats for kids and grown-ups alike. Volcano Ice Pop Molds. 4. Monster Fun Ice Pop Molds by MSC kicks off some spooky fun a little bit earlier in the year. 5. We've come a long way from the toothpicks and OJ in ice cube trays with Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone!  

Preschool's out for summer kids!

Recipe Idea: Simple Lemonade (with Mint Love)

The terrace is pretty much finished (minus the grill for beloved) and so in honor of the mint that is currently kicking ass in the container garden, I'm sharing my lemonade how-to with you!

Ingredients:

• 8-10 lemons (halved)
• 3-5 tablespoons of sugar (more of less depending on your taste)
• 6-8 fresh mint leaves
• 6 cups of cold water

Instructions:

1. Juice 1-2 lemons with a citrus juicer. 
2. Grind your mint leaves a little in a mortar and pestle to unlock the scent a little.
3. Take ground mint leaves and scatter them in the strainer of your citrus juicer.
4. Juice the rest of your lemons, letting the juicer swirl the mint leaves around with the juice.
5. Strain your lemon juice one more time at this point if you don't love pulp.
6. Pour water and minty lemon juice into a jug and mix.
7. Add in your sugar to taste. I love tangy so I don't use a lot. Plus I find that the mint helps cut the sour of the lemon juice a little.
8. Stir mixture for at least two minutes. 

Recipe Ideas:

Add juice from a few crushed raspberries for something with a little more fruit in it. Or your favorite tequila and a twist of lime for a "Cowgirl's Prayer" cocktail. 

Happy Summer!

Weekend Warrior: Fresh Flower Alternatives

I still can't get past the whole silk flower thing. Why pretend? I love the idea of a transformation of materials. Here are a few great finds to take you beyond a traditional silk arrangement and keep your hands busy on a quiet weekend:

flickr round up "fabric flowers" search A number of these photos contain links to the how-to. Kiss the next 2 hours good-bye. There's just too much great stuff here.

1. Fabric Flower, by andreagd 2. vacaflowers, by Laurie Star 3. Fabric Flower Hair Clip/Pin or Brooch - Melissa Averinos Sugar Snap Wallpaper in Cocoa Fabric, by Sky Girl Style 4. Blue Hue fabric flower, by belle and rose 5. Fabric Flowers-Tutorial added, GoingSewCrazy 6. Fabric flower, by onetomatotwo

Instant Recycled Paper Flowers - tutorial by maya*made I can imagine about 20 of these tossed into a tall hurricane vase. Although paper flowers wouldn't be great for a powder room or kitchen, it might be a nice addition to your bedroom or office.

Simple White Paper Flowers - tutorial by Jeffery Rudell at craftstylish.com These white blossoms are amazing looking and check out the member gallery photos. Great inspiration there, too!

Photo: Jeff Rudell

beadsinbloom flickr stream If you're looking for a gateway drug some inspiration on getting started with french beaded flowers, this is a great place to start. I've done this craft before and have a lovely bouquet of beaded daisies to show for it. It takes a while, but if you go minimalist you could have a pretty bouqet to display in about 4 weekends.

Wacky Stash Math

So remember last year one of my resolutions or goals was a 20% reduction in stash yardage? Instead I seem to have increased my stash by 10,000 yards. I downloaded my stash excel file from Ravelry and it looks more complicated than our mortgage worksheets when we were house hunting. Ouch!


I still consider myself to be pretty tame since my days of frequenting fiber fests and feeling the need to spend in every LYS I set foot in. Now yarn buying is for special occasions. Here are a few of my recent aquisitions:

Unplanned Peacock Superwash (Cardinal)

I met the lovely Natasha at her booth at Sedalia and was lured in by the fantastic colors. I'm a sucker for bright, delicious hues.Don't be fooled though...you shouldn't eat yarn. 

Noro Silk Garden Sock (S313)

I love how this photo is all "POW! IN YOUR FACE! I GOT SOME NORO!". Somehow buying Noro Sock Yarn always makes me feel like the Most. Powerful. Knitter. In. The. World. Even more fun, my beloved picked it out when we stopped into Forever Yarn in Doylestown. Then we ate the most delicious pizza in the world. So fond memories of this LYS trip for sure!

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted (Chino)

Typical impulse sale-yarn purchase. The color actually reminds me of the color of people who look like they just ate bad clams. That aside, it's pretty soft. Just maybe suitable for someone with a darker skin tone like one of my sisters-in-law.

Friday Favorites: Printed T-Shirts

T-shirts, to me, are more personal than my under garments. Each one I have (even the ones I just wear to bed) tell a little story about who I am. Here are some of my favorite picks for a good Casual Friday tee you can hide under work-appropriate cardi:

1. Built by Wendy Handprint Top and Still Life Top. 2. Forever 21 Feather Print Tank. 3. Brooklyn Industries Cross-stitch Floral W. 4. Solid Threads 'Jordan Catalano' women's t-shirt. 5. Solid Threads 'Matador' women's t-shirt.

Much like my obsession with mugs, I love a good t-shirt print. But nothing too silly. My feeling is that if it takes longer than 5 seconds for someone to "read" your t-shirt...you shouldn't be wearing it out in public. But I like a little bit of a "wink" in there too. Being a huge MSCL fan, I own the Jordan Catalano and it's a great conversation starter. The Forever 21 feather tank reminds me of the way my aunt (who wore a lot of white and used to hang out in the Hamptons) used to dress in the 80s. The feathers are a nice little nod to that decade without having to actually wear any real feather accessories. And sometimes a little simple imagery on your tee frees you from the Gap Basics Syndrome that I tend to get stuck in when I'm feeling lazy.

Wear a cute tee this summer...and make someone smile.

Weekend Warrior: Framing Botanical Prints

Years ago I purchased 4 botanical prints from ebay. They came to me perfectly flat and crisp looking and as I toted them around with me from Beacon to the Bronx to Jersey City, the edges got slightly tattered and worn. When we moved into our condo they were still packed away inside one of my larger art books, but they inspired the palette for our bedroom.

I love garden colors with a slightly modern twist on them. Like instead of choosing the colors of the blooms, why not the deep rich brown of the soil they grow in, right? The wall against our bed is brown, the rest of the room is green and the trim is mountain peak white. So when I brought the prints into the room, they were home...finally.

At first I wanted 4 completely different antique/vintage frames for them. But, again, we like things a bit more modern and clean and have to choose carefully when we go antiquing. Plus, it was hard to find 4 at the right size and in good condition. So I did what all people of my generation do when home decorating gets tough. I went to Target.

White Mat Wall Frame (11" x 14" with a 5" x 7" mat)

16.99

These were perfect. Since I wasn't interested in cropping the prints, I just used a little double stick tape to place them right on top of the matte. The result shows off the slightly worn edges which I love. The brown frame blends nicely on the wall without being too matchy and really lets the prints sing.

Weekend Warrior: Container Garden Makeover

When we bought Heaven in Hoboken, we found these on the upstairs balcony:

Gross right? Even more disgusting was that the previous owner was using them as ashtrays. I rehabbed them and planted some lovely little petunias in them. With this pallette in mind, I snatched up some painters tape, spray paint, and those great stencils that people use to label their mailboxes and beat up vans.

I love antique white. And although I won't ever admit to it, blue is one of my favorite colors. Or at least it's a color I choose alot. Unfortunately two days after I finished these, our condo association had our balcony railings painted what I can only describe as a hospital white. It's nice that the rust has been cleaned up, but my antique white would have matched my planters AND the building so much better. But, that's life...and life on the balcony isn't too shabby these days.

Friday Favorites: Ink Lovers Edition

Before I declared a major in art school I had to spend a year studying the fundamentals. Color theory, line, shape, form, composition. The materials list was epic. Even if we did just sample these pricey items like color aid paper and rembrant pastels.

I became really attached to my Rapidograph Pens. I think I either lost my set in a move or didn't clean out the inkwells in them. Either way, I've been without a set for years. Until a few months ago. I decided to treat myself to a set after finishing a big project at work.



Now, I have no real use for them just yet. I'm just building up my materials stash again in hopes of turning half of the office I share with beloved into a mini studio. But then I had an idea to bring a little texture and life to a project at my 9 to 5. Here you'll see a little preview of what I've been doing.



Rockwell is the font I'm using on one of my signature projects at work. I wanted to carry it through but give it some life. So I traced it with Rapidograph pens and give it a little dimension. Unlike markers or conventional pens, you're not scratching or rubbing ink onto paper. With these pens you're laying the ink down gently as you would lay out a newly knit shawl or crocheted table cloth. It's heavenly.

And so my love affair with good art materials begins again...

Friday Favorites: My Sun Studio Playlist

Pay your respects to the masters who crafted rock 'n roll. Even if you think you don't like these songs...the truth is, you actually do.

• Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
• That's All Right - Elvis Presley
• Claudette - Roy Orbison
• Don't be Cruel - Million Dollar Quartet
• Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
• Crazy Arms - Jerry Lee Lewis
• I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash

This week's Friday Favorite is inspired by my Memphis trip. Tomorrow I head out to tour Sun Studio to see where it all began.

Weekend Warrior: New Dining Room Chairs

We picked up these dining room chairs on Overstock when we moved to Jersey City. I'm all for simple, but the seats were so drab. These chairs were cheap...and they looked cheap. I procrastinating redoing them and for once it paid off. I just wasn't inspired until we moved here and had a beautiful space for our our dining set.

Here's the before:



And...tada! The after:





The fabric is Amy Butler Nigella Starflower Tiles in Spinach.



The cheap quality of the chairs actually worked in my favor. It was quick and easy to change the seat cushions. All I had to do was unscrew the cushions, carefully cover and staple the fabric on and then screw back in. A nice low-sew project. The only thing I didn't plan for was wanting to center the hexagon pattern. I had JUST enough fabric to do so. I've also got left over fabric for a few small projects...leave ideas in the comments if you've got any.