Get It Together: Nautical Playroom

1. Oilo Pendant Lighting Striped Cobalt Cylinder, Layla Grace$199  2. Mammut Shelf Unit, Ikea $99  3. Gelato Frames, Z Gallerie $12.95  4. Sammy Seagull by Wayne Pate, Serena & Lily $250  5. Navy and Dots Pillow, Serena & Lily $175  6. Shuffle Calendar, CB2 $24.95  7. Coco Play Table & Stools, Serena & Lily  8. Pirate Ship Pull Toy, Etsy $22.40

Puppy Love

I've got some fun news for you!  I met someone yesterday and it was love at first sight.  He's adorable, relaxed, sweet as can be and he makes me smile like crazy.  Also, he is a dog...as in an actual canine puppy.  But he's perfect so I was nonetheless thrilled to make his acquaintance.  Turns out my brother and his roommates decided to welcome a pet into their home and my new buddy is the lucky one they chose.  They haven't decided on a name yet (though I cast my vote for Indy...as in my main man, Dr. Indiana Jones), and I wasn't able to get a great picture of him today but I'll post one soon!  For now, all I can tell you is he's a hound, shepherd mix with hush puppy eyes, the cutest floppy ears and a part brindle, part black coat.  And I love him.  And I can't stop searching for cute puppy toys.

1. Hold Steady Collar, Olive Green Dog $58  2. Rough Edge Personalized Dog Tag, Olive Green Dog $21.95  3. Maki Combo Sushi Toys, J-Life International $29.95  4. Marbled Boiled Wool Balls, Olive Green Dog $4.50  5. Eco Bone Collection, Olive Green Dog $16  6. Sniffany & Co. Toys, Posh Pup Shop $19.99  7. Elton the Octopus, Olive Green Dog $15.99  8. Y.bowl, Doca Pet $30-$36

Design Musings

Working For The Weekend

Happy Opening Ceremonies day!  I'll tell you what...I'm just bursting with patriotism today.  I've got a few red white and blue banners hanging in my living room, some mini flags on hand for waving purposes, ingredients for a true American lunch and various other surprises on deck.  Let's just put it this way, if there was a gold medal awarded for Olympic preparedness, I would win that medal.  I'll be sure to post all about our fun next week so stay tuned.  Hope your weekend is incredible...enjoy the links!

Olympics!

Preserving party, eh?  I'm into it.

What a handy guide...

Can't decide how I feel about this.

U-S-A!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!

Hilarious.  Also, kind of brilliant.

Leave it to Aunt Martha to think of this stuff.

Watercolor wallpaper!  I repeat, watercolor wallpaper!

Who knew?!

You are completely unprepared for this.  Just...grossly unprepared.

The Essential Gift Guide to Teacher Treats

As of today, summer break is officially over for my kindergarten-teaching roommate (boooooo).  Since protesting the fact that she has to go back to work wouldn't get me far, I did the next best thing and put together a little back to school present for her.  For the record, I included some fun essentials I think the teachers in your life might really enjoy...maybe you have a friend who needs these treats, too!  

Since I planned ahead I was able to special order a few super fun items, the first of which was a set of personalized notecards from Tiny Prints.  I just love this pattern (some of you might recognize it from my Mom's birthday invitations), it's delightful and sweet just like Courtney.  

Perhaps my favorite items in the bunch are these pencils from Carbon Crusader.  I had them engraved with a quote that gets thrown around a lot in our house, first said by Downton Abbey's Dowager Countess of Grantham (AKA the best character ever on the best show ever).  

Next, I threw in a few traditional teacher items.

An apple...

...a few gold stars...

...the most practical way I could find to consume coffee...

...and a small container filled with on-the-go Nutella packets.  Because even the back to school blues don't stand a chance against Nutella.

Once I made and put on the labels, all that was left to do was put everything in a pretty kraft paper bag and have the patience to wait until today to give it to her (the hardest part of the process, by the way).     

Moral of the story: whether you do it with a bag of gifts, a little note or a smile, make sure you encourage the teachers you know and love and thank them for all their hard work.  They sure do deserve it!

Thank You For Smoking

The fact that Hugh Hefner and I have anything in common whatsoever is a little bit unnerving for me.  I don't like it.  But I'll tell you what I do like, and that's smoking slippers.  Mr. Hefner and I aren't the only ones with an affinity for these stylish flats...Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo, Sofia Coppola and a host of other ladies who are cooler than cool love them too.  The good 'ol smoking slipper is a natural extension of the menswear hurricane fashion forecasts are predicting so get ready to see lots of them very soon.  Here's who I'd pick for my team: 

1. Day Dreaming Flats, Joie $175  2. Dashi Smoking Flats, BCBGeneration $89  3. Gale Flats, Macy's $49.99  4. Slipper Pumps, Dorthy Perkins $69  5. Lissa Dolce Vita Shoes, Bloomingdale's $79  6. Tiger Print Lissa Dolce Vita Shoes, Bloomingdale's $79  7. Charles Philip Eula Marble Print Flats, Shopbop $155

The Foodie Files

Some of the best food in the world is the simplest...case in point: today's Foodie Files.  The ingredients are basic, the technique is easy and you'd have to try really hard to mess it up, yet it's one of the tastiest treats in my repertoire.  I served this particular batch as a spread for a just-out-of-the-oven french loaf but you could add it to practically anything to ramp up the flavor.  I stay pretty true to the original recipe because if it's not ba-roque, don't fix it (Beauty and the Beast joke?  Anyone?).  It's astoundingly good...a must try!

Ingredients:

6- 8 heads of garlic
1 TBS fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a serrated knife, slice off top quarter of garlic heads, exposing as many cloves as possible. 

Arrange garlic heads, cut side up, in an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish, making sure they sit as flat as possible.  Season garlic with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme. 

Slowly pour oil over each head, letting it soak into and around cloves. 

Cover dish tightly with foil and roast until cloves are golden, completely soft, and slightly protruding from skins, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

From the bottom up, squeeze each head to push out cloves (peel skins from any completely enclosed cloves). Serve immediately or transfer garlic and cooking oil to an airtight container to use for up to two weeks.

Mirror, Mirror

I'm such a big fan of this sequined Aztec skirt!  You've gotta style it right, of course, but if you pair it with a simple shirt and understated sandals you've got a winning outfit on your hands.  I did a little research and couldn't find a less expensive version of the skirt that I liked, which kind of makes sense since the fabric is so labor intensive.  Cheaper variations looked...well...cheap.  You get what you pay for, ladies and gents!

1. Long Sleeve Knot Front Shirt, Miss Selfridge £32  2. Gold Chain Necklace, Ooh La La $24  3. Sliced Gold Ring, Melinda Maria Jewelry $70  4. Black Bag, H&M $17.95  5. Round Bangle Bracelet, Amazon $272  6. We Want It Sandals, Nine West $34.99  7. Katie Bracelet with Coral Tassel, Etsy $30  8. Aztec Skirt, All Saints $299

10 Antermeridiem

Boy oh boy do I love a good Etsy discovery.  These treats from 10 Antermeridiem, a cute little shop out of Athens, Greece, are fun and fabulous are they not?  They had me smiling pretty big, as did the bio of the artist responsible for making them which says, "10am is my preferred wake-up time.  Here you will find handmade notebooks, prints and experiments, done after a good night sleep!"  That's just too good.

Photos via: 10antemeridiem

Let The Games Begin!

So who else is psyched about this week's Olympic Opening Ceremonies?  I don't know about you, but I'm counting down the days!  It seemed wrong to let the week go by without some sort of Olympic tribute, so I rounded up a few summer games inspired items.  Wait, what's that?  They won't be using Pantone yellow bikes, Chanel tennis rackets and five pound weights?  Interesting choice, Olympic committee.  Nonetheless, I can't wait to cheer on Team U-S-A!  

1. Bear Bow Youth Set, Amazon $31.49  2. Tennis Racket, Chanel $255  3. Lunarglide Running Shoes, Nike $140.21  4. Violet Lake Ryder Bikini, Net-A-Porter $85 Top, $85 Bottom  5. Neoprene Hand Weights, Pro Therapy Supplies $23.49  6. Pantone Bike, ABICI Italia

Get It Together: How Bizarre

1. Escheveria, Jayson Home $85  2. Sun Map, Marie Jager  3. Blue Pillow, Target  4. Hexagon Ceramic Brass Lamp,  1st Dibs  5. Gold Leaf and Leather Chair, Fendi $7,200  6. Sakana Pillow, CB2 $39.95  7. Gold Pig Bookends, CB2 $29.95

Design Musings

Working For The Weekend

I've had the oddest week inspiration-wise.  Usually it just sort of flows from everywhere but it's been a tricky little bugger to catch lately!  Hopefully this weekend holds a few lightbulb moments...I'm keeping my eyes peeled for sure.  I hope you find whatever inspiration you're looking for this weekend too.  Have a great one, enjoy the links and I'll see you Monday!

Pretty!

Who wants to Ocean's 11 this w/ me?

Read the explanation.  It's sweet as pie.

This is gonna come in handy soon!

I want so many of these things...

Oh!  So fun.

Genius.

What a great gift idea...

So, this is kind of a big deal!

Mmmm.

The Foodie Files

I have a pretty gracious family, but we're not above teasing each other a little bit.  One of the main things my brother likes to call me out on is my tendency to call any and everything "the best ever".  Talk to me about whatever book I'm reading and if I like it in any capacity I'll probably call it "the best book ever" without even realizing I said it.  If I'm drinking coffee, chances are it's the "best coffee ever"...if I get a new dress, it's usually the "best dress ever", and so on and so forth.  I'm pretty sure it's a sickness but what can ya do?  All that to say, I realize "the best ever" makes frequent appearances in my vernacular but you need to know that these are actually the best scones ever.  For real.  My Mom has used this recipe as part of our Saturday morning tea for what seems like a million years and they never disappoint (Saturday morning tea, by the way, was one of our fun family traditions growing up.  It's like I always say...best family ever).

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 TBS baking power
3 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 TBS cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
For topping:
1 TBS heavy cream
1 TBS sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and move baking rack to the middle position.  Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and use a pastry blender or food processor to mix.  If you want the entire recipe to include chocolate chips, add them now.

The mixed texture should resembles course meal.  Stir in heavy cream until dough begins to form then transfer to a countertop.  Knead the dough until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball.  Arrange dough into a long oval shape and cut scones into wedges.

Since we only wanted chocolate chips in half our batch, we added them directly to selected wedges.  Brush the top of your scones with heavy cream and sprinkle wish sugar, then place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12-15 minutes, and serve warm.

Mirror, Mirror

I'm in the midst of a big time "I just want to dress up" mood...though now that I think about it, some might say my life is one big "I want to dress up" mood.  It's just my favorite thing.  This necklace is incredible because it could dress up the loveliest of gowns or look just as amazing with a great pair of jeans and a white button down.  There's just nothing quite like a good statement piece!

1. Dannijo Omala Statement Necklace, Shopbop $520  2. Draped Crepe Jersey Dress, Gucci $1,290  3.  Gold Clutch, Fab  4. Leather Pumps, Jimmy Choo $695  5. Talullah Tu Jewel Cocktail Ring, ASOS $26.51

Kraft Paper Calm

Guys.  This weekend was awesome.  Not just a little awesome...a lot awesome.  I'm psyched to post pictures from our celebration soon, but right now I just want to look at something plain and simple and totally minimalist...the complete opposite of the party we just had.  Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled with how everything came together.  In fact, I was shooting for an over the top vibe for the celebration itself, but I'm just so relieved to not be looking at color texture or frill of any kind.  There's something nice about that, too.

1. Don't Forget Notes, $10  2. Strung Tags, $10  3. Pencil Pack, $10  4. Note Pad, $10

Design Musings

Working For The Weekend

I think it's safe to say things are about to get crazy around here.  In fact, chances are I'm wrestling with a table, chair or piece of decor at this very moment in preparation for my Mom's big party tomorrow.  I'm so psyched to see how everything comes together!  Say a prayer for no rain on Saturday (and a nice breeze, if it's not too much to ask) if you think of it.  Hope your weekend is swell!  Enjoy the links...

Cute.

These clothes.  My gosh.

One, two of my all time favorite sermons (and, incidentally, two of my all time favorite people)

This may just inspire a DIY...

Vietnamese coffee ice cream!  I repeat, Vietnamese coffee ice cream!

Well isn't this smart...

Mmmm.  Tempting.

I can't decide if this is a great idea or really unnecessary.  Yet I still kind of want it.

Come autumn, this will be a must have!

I have no words.

50 Things I Love About My Mom

Today is my Mom's 50th birthday which is kind of a big deal.  And I know I've been getting all sentimental and nostalgic on you lately but you're just gonna have to forgive me because I'm about to do it again.  Big time.  In fact, in celebration of this milestone birthday I jotted down 50 things I love about my Mom...because when you love someone, you should tell them.  So here goes:

1) I love that she's always made everything a learning opportunity.  From every meal I ever watched her make ("Are you watching what I'm doing?  See how I put the water an inch over the rice?")...to driving ("Okay, what's our escape route right now?  If the car in front of us slams on it's brakes, what should we do?") and everything in between.

2) I love that anytime I so much as come close to having a freak out moment, I can hear her voice saying "I choose to remain calm".

3) I love that she signed up to coach my elementary school cheerleading squad despite her lifelong distaste for cheerleaders...then went to workshop after workshop to make sure she was doing a good job...then continued coaching until I graduated high school.

4) I love that she made every single one of my childhood halloween costumes and let me pick out the pattern and fabric.

5) I love that she's tough.

6) I love that she's patient.

7) I love that she's such a talented artist.

8) I love that she's such a hard worker.

9) I love that she made it such a point to let our family know that she was for us.  We always knew she had our back against anyone.

10) I love that she hated when we went back to school after summer break and stressed how much she enjoyed spending time with us.

11) I love that she was a "Room Mom" in every one of my elementary school classes and pretty much put all the other Room Moms to shame.

12) I love that she trusted us enough to give us a few "enough is enough" days growing up, where we could stay home from school for the day, no questions asked.

13) I love that she can move mountains and conquer armies but can't tell a joke to save her life.  "A frayed knot walks into a bar...wait, that's not right..."

14) I love that she's worked hard to create not just a home, but a safe haven for anyone that needs it.

15) I love her deep sense of protectiveness.  Come after her family and she is the destroyer of worlds.

16) I love that, despite the fact that we only had a family of four, she typically made enough dinner for about 10 because you never knew who might drop in.

17) I love that she would orchestrate "Papa appreciation nights" where we'd set time aside to thank my Dad for working so hard for us.  She'd make his favorite foods and help us make signs and cards and little gifts...it was such a great lesson in the importance of showing gratitude.

18) I love that she's made it so I don't have to be afraid of getting older.  She's aged not only beautifully but with grace.

19) I love that, at one point or another, she's called Eminem "Eniem", Britney Spears "Whitney Spears", Mandy Moore "Randy Morgan", Linkin Park "Limpin"and my personal favorite, Keith Urban "Kurt Cobain".

20) I love her pearls of wisdom... ("You can't change people...God can, but you can't..."  "Moisturize your neck, it'll keep you from aging prematurely..."  "Clean as you go when you're cooking, otherwise you'll be so discouraged at the mess after you won't want to do it as much...")

21) I love when she uses an expression then says..."It sounds much better in Spanish"

22) I love that I can call her in any state of mind and she'll bring me back down to earth.

23) I love her singing voice.

24) I love that she's such an amazing cook.

25) I love that she has two breakfasts almost every day.

26) I love that she made growing up so fun.

27) I love that she's an expert "solution finder".

28) I love that she's good at everything she tries.

29) I love that she believes in me.

30) I love that she works so hard to help my brother and I achieve our dreams.

31) I love that she raised Joey and I to protect each other.

32) I love that she's brave.

33) I love that she can get any stain out of anything.

34) I love how kind she is to my Dad.

35) I love that she's such a devoted daughter, daughter-inlaw, sister, aunt, godmother (and the list goes on...)

36) I love that she's purchased formal, black tie appropriate gowns for me on more than one occasion "just in case something comes up"...

37) I love that she goes so far out of her way to do nice things for people without even being asked.

38) I love that we can have conversations about Lady Mary Crawley and Lizzie Bennett like they're our friends...

39) I love that she takes such good care of her employees.

40) I love that she's confident in the company she's built...she knows she does good work and stands by it proudly.

41) I love that you can be in a competition with her and not even know it.

42) I love how she can put on a pair of $20 earrings and make them look like they cost a small fortune.

43) I love that she notices and values things like good posture.

44) I love that she values the arts and made sure our childhood included frequent visits to museums and concerts.

45) I love that when I watched the movie Hancock my legitimate first thought was "Hmm...doesn't age...super strength...I wonder if my Mom is an actual super hero?"

46) I love that she's 100% serious when she says things like "Tim Tebow is single, isn't he?  So why don't you just date him?!"

47) I love that she's unpacked, re-decorated, re-packed and cleaned nearly every place I've ever lived (and that's not exactly a short list)

48) I love that she raised us to love the Lord and to trust Him even when things don't work out like we planned.

49) I love that I can't read Proverbs 31 without thinking of her:

"A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.  She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.  She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.  She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.  She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.  She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.  In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.  She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.  When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.  She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.  Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.  She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.  She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." Proverbs 31:10-31

50) I love how easy it was to come up with 50 things I love about her and I love that I could write 50 more without an ounce of trouble.

So there you have it...it's an incomplete list, but an honest one to be sure.  There's just no one like her in the world and I'm so proud to be her daughter.  Don't forget to wish her a happy birthday today!

Mirror, Mirror

Timeless, classic nautical style...what's left to say about it that hasn't already been said?  You just really can't go wrong. 

1. Signature Printed Silk Shirt, Net A Porter $280  2. Retro Lobster Tote Bag, Etsy $17.95  3. Sylvie Tassel Red Suede Loafer, Charles Philip $175  4. Dapper Striped Linen Shorts, J. Crew $65  5. Classic Pave Link Bracelet, J. Crew $118  6. Round Frame Acetate Sunglasses, Stella McCartney $225  7. Gold Mirror Lucite Earrings, Max & Chloe $60

Impractically Perfect

I spent the majority of yesterday in New York City helping a dear friend plan her wedding and as a fun treat, her Mom made reservations at Bergdorf Goodman for lunch.  Now, I don't know if you've ever been to Bergdorf Goodman for lunch (I, of course, hadn't) but in my now expert opinion, you should go.  You should go right away.  But let this be a warning to you if you do go right away!  Should you dare to browse around after lunch like we did, chances are high that you will loose your ever loving mind.  It's just way too many beautiful, wonderful, extravagant things under one roof...things you most certainly can not have displayed in such a way that tricks you into thinking maybe you might need them.  There's some kind of dark magic at work there for sure.  After spending part of the afternoon discovering so many incredible pieces, I got to thinking about the kinds of over the top things I would buy if I was the kind of over the top person that shopped there.  These were the first items that came to mind...

1. Coloring Book, Hermes $140  2. Mini Luggage Tote, Celine $2,400  3. Windows at Bergdorf Goodman, Assouline $695  4. Creme de la Mer, La Mer $1,800  5. Crystal Embellished Sandals, Alexander McQueen $1,710

GaBEE's Lip Balm!

Have you seen this awesome lip balm in stores?  Uh oh, hope you didn't answer yes cause that was a trick question!  It's actually our lip balm...created by my Dad using his beeswax as a main ingredient and named after (drumroll please) me!  Is he sweet or what?  I thought you might enjoy a behind the scenes look into exactly how this delightful little treat came to be...sounds like fun, right?  Good, let's do this.

I know I've mentioned my Dad's mind blowingly cool hobbies on several occasions, but in case you didn't know, one of them is beekeeping.  We used beeswax from his hives as the base of the lip balm by melting it in a pyrex measuring cup mostly submerged in boiling water.  

When the beeswax melted, we let the water continue to boil and added coconut oil, pure cocoa butter, and olive oil to the mix.  We then gave things a stir, carefully removed the cup from the heat and added vitamin E.  We lined our tubes up and poured the lip balm in immediately so as to not give the liquid time to solidify in the pyrex cup.  Side note regarding the pouring process: there was a learning curve, but somewhere around the 40th tube we got the hang of mess-free filling.  Side note regarding my blood pressure during this portion of the afternoon...I pretty much held my breath until all the tubes were full.  The potential for a murderous domino effect was high but we rose to the challenge.

Once the tubes were filled we gave them a little time to solidify.  When they did, we capped and cleaned them with a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol to remove any residue.

After that, all that was left to do was put on the labels and admire our work.  I mean seriously, is that just the neatest thing or what?!

Get It Together

1. Worth Avenue Bargello Pillow, Jonathan Adler $175  2. Mirrored Frame, West Elm $19  3. Sultan Canisters, Z Gallerie $29.95  4. Currey & Co Bellamour Chandelier, Zinc Door $1,830  5. Le Corbustier Velvet Chairs, One Kings Lane  6. Tesoro Rug, Inigo Elizalde

Design Musings

Family Feud

If you know me in any capacity, you know that one of the things I adore about life is the fact that I'm so close with my cousins.  We had more fun growing up than I could possibly articulate (and continue to have fun together as adults, I might add).  While normal kids were playing house, we played "court", complete with lawyers, evidence, and many a reference to Robert's Rules of Order.  We put on plays with choreographed dances and costumes, we wore matching hand knit animal sweaters and t-shirts with our faces puffy painted on them, and loved Winnie the Pooh for much longer than we should have.  One time we even unionized and went on "strike" (I can't remember what we were raging against, but I do remember staging a formal march and chanting "strike!" over and over while our parents shook their heads and chuckled).  It was a great childhood...the kind I hope my kids have someday.  But of all the fun we had, perhaps my favorite thing we ever created was the great family feud (not to be confused with the episode of Family Feud we staged and taped as a home video...the Do-Good family vs. the Be-Bad family.  True story).  When we were really young we decided to break up into teams and stage a series of competitions.  We named said teams the Blue Elephants and Pink Panthers after our respective mascots (and by mascots I of course mean two stuffed animals we found in our toy chest at Nonnie's house) and battled in every area from badminton to gingerbread house decorating.  It was serious stuff but shockingly enough (considering how young we were at the time) always really good natured. 

I took the liberty of adding some flair to one of our old family photos to illustrate the great Blue Elephant/Pink Panther divide.  Please note 1) The fact that we all have nearly the same haircut 2) just how outnumbered my brother is and 3) the hilariously mischievous face he's making...there's absolutely no telling what he did and/or said moments after this picture was snapped.

While we haven't competed in any official challenges against each other for years, we have comforted each other through unspeakable tragedies, stood proudly in weddings, spoiled each other's kids and marched through life with our arms linked.  You may not get to choose your family, but you do get to pick your friends and I'm thankful we all picked each other (and more thankful still that God picked us for each other as family).  That being said, Pink Panthers rule, Blue Elephants drool.  It's just a fact of life.

1. Cyrus Blue Elephant Necklace, Go Jewellery £28  2. Cushion Elephant, Svenskt Tenn $99  3. Thank You Stationary, John Robshaw $18  4. Tiger Pinky Ring, Pinky Panthers $225  5. Nars Schiap Nail Polish, Barney's New York $18  6. Pink Panther Party Prop, Etsy $11.95

Working For The Weekend

Happy Friday, friends!  That whole mid-week holiday thing kind of threw me off in the "what day is it" department, but I think this weekend is gonna be a nice time to regroup.  And it'll be the perfect opportunity to soak up all the calm before the storm moments I can since we're throwing the party of the year (my Mom's 50th birthday) next week.  You guys are gonna freak when you see these pictures...it's gonna be epic.  Hope your weekend is magical and sunburn free.  Enjoy the links!

Have you ever seen anything like this before?  I, for one, have not.

The Geometric Bib necklaces are my fave but the whole shop is pretty neat.

Is it weird that I want these?  Probably, right?

I'm gonna have to make this at some point...it's just too cool!

Cover all your bases.

Great tips on a very important topic.

I get tons of compliments on my necklace like this, so I thought I'd share!

One of the greatest ideas ever.

Weird but amazing.

Simple but pretty.

I'm The Map, I'm The Map, I'm The Map: Part 2

As promised, here's part two in my who-knows-how-long-this'll-go series on crafting with vintage maps.  I know I let the cat out of the bag yesterday in regards to what the project actually is, but here's the breakdown on how to create a cute little cake banner of your very own.

Here's what you'll need:
-Ruler
-Scissors
-Pencil
-Needle or pin
-At least one sheet of alphabet stickers (depending on what message you're writing)
-A small section of vintage map...a 5x8 piece should be more than enough
-A small piece of card stock
-Two 12" wooden shish kabob sticks
-Red and white baker's twine

Create an inverted stencil by measuring and drawing an Isosceles triangle onto your piece of card stock (and you thought you'd never use math again after high school...for the record, my measurements were 1" x 1.25" x 1.25"...also for the record, I didn't think I'd ever use math again after high school, either).  Cut out, place on your map section and trace.

Minimize the amount of cutting you'll have to do by tracing your triangles in the pattern below...see how you can use the triangles facing up and the ones facing down?

Cut out your tracings and erase any pencil marks left behind.

Add stickers to write out your message, then take your pin and pierce the top corners of each pennant.  

Cut a 16" length of bakers twine for the top portion of your text and an 18" length for the bottom.  String the pennants from left to right, starting with the first letter of your message.  Depending on the thickness of your pin, you may need to increase the size of your piercing with a shish kabob stick so the bakers twine feeds through easily.

Center your text and tie bakers twine onto the top of the shish kabob sticks, leaving an inch or two on either side.

Secure sticks in cake and serve.  And if you missed our killer cake recipe from yesterday, make sure you check it out (strawberry cake from scratch, yum)!