I have a terrible cold at the moment and in doing a little Halloween recognizance tonight I saw these on the Martha Stewart website and they made me smile. Nothing like some cheery Jack ‘O Lanterns to cheer you up!
Click here to found out how to make your own
I know, I have written about this before on my blog, but in the States, it is a big thing to have “Christmas in July” sales and events. This is not the case in England, where people look at you, as if you are half mad to even mention such a thing. As school is shortly coming to a close for us (tomorrow is our last day, Yipee!), I thought this would be a good time to use a bit of the Summer break to begin working on a few Christmas/winter-y projects.
One, being my crocheted granny blanket, which I have yet to have the chance to begin, with all the craziness of school going on around us. But, also to possibly start a few Christmas projects early. Here were a few things I came across and I might just try to make some of these, or at the very least be inspired by them, especially the sock monkey coffee cup wrap, he has personality!
Do you begin your Christmas making projects early, or are you a last minute kinda gal (or guy)? Enjoy!
Now is a good time to start collecting vintage cookie cutters at thrift stores and yard sales. These “frames” would be gorgeous to have up all year round!
These mice would make perfect teacher’s presents or classroom gifts. If you changed the colors they would even be cute for an Alice in Wonderland Themed Birthday Tea Party.
Want to make your own granny square blanket to stay cozy with when the weather turns frosty, go to Meet me at Mike’s for a granny square tutorial.
This sock monkey coffee cup wrap is too cute. Perfect for your coffee lovers, any time of year.
(All images copyright their respective blogs)
Freedom is never Free. – Author Unknown
I wish all of you a safe and happy Fourth of July and I hope we all take a moment to remember all those who have stood before, who stand now and who will stand in the future for us to continue to have the freedom we are blessed with.
Jennifer ♥
There is something magical about the Fourth of July, it is as if it truly heralds in the Summer in all of her glory, of hot days, lemonade, splashing in a pool, riding your bikes, the feel of a hammock on your back, the tickle of a cooling fan over your skin and evenings that are still filled with heat, but surrounded by starry skies, eating dripping ice cream cones off the back porch and stolen kisses.
I know that many families will be celebrating today vs. tomorrow, but I thought I would do a little Fourth of July Round-Up, for all those late minute party ideas and recipes.
This bike would easily win any Fourth of July Parade contest, decorated in all the glory of Red, White & Blue:
What could be better than a take home treat for your guest, or as a sweet to munch on under the stars as you watch the fireworks. To make them, start by partially filling a 2-by-10-inch cellophane bag with blue candies to stand in for stars. Then add red and white candy sticks to mimic stripes. Tie the bag with red waxed twine (Martha Stewart Living):
A spin on the traditional peach pie, adding creme fraiche to this dessert gives it a French twist:
No Fourth of July celebration would be complete without coleslaw, there is nothing better than creamy slaw piled high on a grilled dog, oozing with mustard!:
To go alongside those dogs covered in slaw, you need a good old-fashioned cheeseburger:
I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July!
(All images copyright Martha Stewart)
Tomorrow is one of my favourite little holidays to celebrate: Cinco de Mayo. A wonderful excuse to just have a good time! I thought I would share with you a few ideas I have found to create a wonderful fiesta! So grab your biggest sombrero and your best fake moustaches and lets have some fun!
1)No fiesta would be complete without guacamole. This is one of my favourite recipes from The Pioneer Woman and I promise you, after you make this, you will never want to eat store bought guacamole ever ever again!
2)All soirées need a little blush of colour and these tissue paper flowers from 100 Layer Cake are the perfect adornment to any setting, outside or in!
3)It wouldn’t be fitting to have a Cinco de Mayo party if you didn’t have a piñata. Since you might not have room for a big rainbow coloured tissue paper clad miniature burros at your house, these piñatas from One Charming Party are the perfect size for everyone! Perfect for your guest as take home treat!
(All images belong to their respective blogs; Cinco de Mayo banner created by J. Michie)
Wishing you all a very Happy and Blessed Easter!
Jennifer ♥
Never saw you look quite so pretty before
Never saw you dressed quite so lovely what’s more
I could hardly wait to keep our date this lovely
Easter Morning…
And my heart beat fast as I came through the door.
For in your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it
You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.
When my Mom was a little girl, my Nana made all of her and her sister’s Easter outfits herself. They all had a new dress, new coat, new white gloves and a new little Easter bonnet for Easter Sunday.
When my sister and I were growing up, my Mom did the same for us. We always had a new outfit for Easter. I love that some things never change. Your Easter hat says so much about you. I couldn’t wait to get to church Easter Morning to see what hat Mrs. S. had on. She was in my Nana’s altar society and her hats were straight out of a Hollywood movie of the 1950’s.
In perusing Flickr, I came across a few Easter Bonnet clad ladies of yore and I thought I would share them with you. What is it about that brand new Easter outfit and hat? Enjoy!
(Flower embellishment: Pugly Pixel Freebie. All images found on Flickr)
A small Easter Round-Up, as we move closer and closer to the Easter Bunny coming. Here are 3 “eggstraordinary” ideas from 3 places I like to visit! Enjoy!
1) Abby Try Again, has created a carton of confetti filled eggs to brighten up any Easter party:
2)The gang at PoppyTalk have constructed painted eggs with a hidden message inside:
3)Molly at The Purl Bee has designed 3 different Spring time coloured bags, to hold all the eggs and surprises you find at the Easter Egg Hunt:
(All images are copyrighted to their respective Blog, Easter banner created by J. Michie)
I come from a long line of inventive and artistic women. My Mom was always designing little things for us; drawing pictures on our lunch bags or on our love notes, especially if there was a holiday around the corner!
It is something that I have inherited from her. I love to doodle, to draw, to make things beautiful! I decorate for every holiday, just like she does! So, it was no surprise to me, as I was looking for my St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun to put out that an idea popped into my head. I decided I would create a little something to put on my table.
I went through my collection of images, looking for one file in particular and when I spotted it, I knew just what I wanted to do with it. I would create place cards for my festively green St. Patty’s Day table.
I was so happy with how they turned out, I thought I would do something I’ve never done before: I would create a PDF file so that you can make them too!
I hope you enjoy making and using them as much as I have? If all goes well, a few more freebies might be springing up here and there.
To download your St. Patrick’s Day Freebie click here.
