Taking a Break.

...to enjoy this time with family. We'll all be back after the holiday, pinky promise!

Lavender

It is my all-time favorite scent...

I found this article on making lavender sachets, and knew I was all over the idea. With 7 giant lavender plants in our yard, I went snipping...

Here in Ohio, I've had success with Hidcote and Munstead varieties. What do I do to them to make them flourish? I leave them alone. I amended the soil when I planted them, and haven't touched them since. My kinda plant...

I'll keep you posted on the status of my sachets! Anyone else ever make these?

Enjoy your day!

How about a (n)ice, cold, refreshing treat?

I saw this at The Idea Room when I was blog hopping:

The recipe comes from the Women's Day website.

I so want to make this! I'm thinking 4th of July!

Speaking of summery, refreshing drinks, here's a recipe for a diet "mojito" I found on the South Beach Diet site, and I've made it a gazillion times, and it's immensely delicious--even prompted me to buy a mint plant. I'll give you directions for how I make it, but you can find the South Beach recipe here.

Add the following to the Magic Bullet and turn it on until the ice is crushed:

■Fresh mint
■1 lime
■1 package sugar substitute
■Crushed ice
■1 bottle of sugar-free lemon-lime soda

Easy-peasy and so, so yummy!

Summer. (So far.)

So far this Summer, I've listened to these two argue more than I can bear. Ugh. Don't let the fake smiles fool you...
I sat in on a dress rehearsal and recital for our daughter's dance team, and have taken her to practice over a dozen times. One month to go before Nationals. That smile on her face makes it worth while...

I've watched our youngest try to master the new hose nosel. This picture busts me up....

I received the most beautiful bunch of peonies from my friend a week after mine died off. I was so glad to see their faces again...(also my POTD that day...)

I took our youngest to Safetyville, where he got to ride a in a police car, fire truck, ambulance and bus...

I've fed and walked (yes, walked) our turtle Dennis twice a day. He is so spoiled, it isn't funny.

I visited my friend Jen and coveted her new iPhone case. She's an art teacher. Isn't it perfect?

And I discovered the most AWESOME Summer treat--a Rolo McFlurry from McDonald's. Sinful, honestly.

I sure hope your summer is off to a jump-start, too...

Enjoy your day!

inspired by the fourth.

Happy first day of Summer, friends! Which means July 4 is just under two weeks away. And for some reason I am really excited for the celebration and already inspired and creating to make it all the holiday it can be. Around here it is the biggest holiday as the whole neighborhood comes out and brings food and fireworks, and gather's around our drive for a fun evening that includes a bonfire to boot.

This year I am adding a few new items to my celebration and I want to share them with you.

Flag Planter Display. This first idea is an easy one to start with. It only requires a planter on the front porch, or several lined up together, and add as many or few store bought flags as you wish. I think it is so very festive and welcoming. 
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Fourth of July mantle. I have a mantle. But I am not a very big fan of it. So I tend to ignore it. But that needs to stop. Liz shows step by step how to put this focal point together. I am going to use what I have and go with the inspiration of banner, stars and stripes to give my mantle some meaning.

 Star Garland. I love making these garlands. Now this is a kid friendly project, for sure, but I want to do it myself. Why am I like that? O.K...I will make my own, and the girlies can make theirs. Anyhow, these will be fun to have all over.

Patriotic Strawberries.  My daughter is all over this one. We have seen this idea in several places now. It will make for a fun and easy kid project on July4. I'll let you know how they taste.

Decorate the doorway.  I already have the supplies for the wreath, and am very eager to get started on it. The display of fanned patterned paper really got my attention on this project. It has so much texture and dimension.

Tissue Fan Fireworks. Martha has struck again. These will hang over the table in the kitchen. Because more than likely our festivities will be rained out at some point, so one needs to prepare for the party to come inside. I usually do the tissue pom-poms for parties, so this will be a fun change up.

Vintage Star Wands. These are sold in a shop at etsy, but I am thinking one could make them on their own. My idea is to have sand filled Ball jars with a display of these vintage goodies making up a table center piece. But what I can make, I just can't buy.

Hoping this gives YOU some ideas to make your Fourth of July extra festive.

Thanks, Jamie.

This post from Jamie Pate got me to thinking. I need to be a little more thoughtful in the gifting process sometimes...
So this weekend, we attended 3 graduation parties. This is what I brought to one of them. Brownie bites, baked in the cutest little cupcake liners (from Michael's). I used orange as a theme, because of the graduate's school colors. Every other liner, I simply turned down the edges, making them look like flowers.

I used my punches and punched out "2011" on two scallops and layered them on a mini popsicle stick (as found in the June Main WIP Kit).

I also wanted to personalize the gift a bit. The recipient is a close family friend, and I took her senior pictures. So I had those on file, and I went to work. A 4" wooden block was painted, sanded, and covered in photos of her from her photo shoot.

And this was the package. Nothing really fancy--just an orange paper bag that I embellished. I used two kabob skewers, and created fancy little paper flags that were covered in what I had nearby. The colors and the embellishments were tied to the food embellishments, and also to the card (that isn't photographed.)

Fancy and expensive? No. Just a little effort and thought. Thank you for the inspiration, Jamie!! I, for one, am so happy for the push!! :)

Mini Polaroid Albums

I have a stack of instax pictures laying around in a bin & just a small handful that are displayed around my home. I needed a new way to store them without being damaged & collecting dust. So, I searched the world wide web on how to store all of my instax pictures. I came across a bunch of websites that offer some super cute storage solutions.

Fuji Instax Mini 7s

Above is an old photo of my family from back in April 2010 & the first picture I made with the instax. My very first instax camera my family gifted me for my birthday. It was the sweetest & best gift. I think I used up the first package of Polaroids in like two days. I couldn't help myself. I love the classic look of photos being documented this way; the smaller format is so much fun.

Check out these fun & cool mini Polaroid albums...

SHINZI KATHO Mini Polaroid Album

Mochithings: 4 Color Polaroid Albums

Koloist Handmade Polaroid Accordion Album



Cats Socrates Polaroid Mini Album

Fuji Mini Instax Polaroid Album

Mochithings: Boom Polaroid Album

Travel Polaroid Mini Album: Souvenirs de Paris

After going through all of these, I can not decide on which one I want. Decisions, Decisions!

Cheers :)

Zoo Pics

Sometimes, I leave the DSLR at home. Don't faint.

Camera phones have become so good these days, I opted to only use mine on a recent outing.

My favorite qualities include: portability, editing options (all these were done before they went into the computer to save), and variety of camera options (Camera + is my recent fav).

I have to admit, traveling lighter without my big lens is a big perk.

Enjoy your day!!