Beautiful screen printed cotton candy print by Jennifer Ramos at Made By Girl.
$15 on sale (frame not included.)
A great Mother's Day gift especially for maybe a Mom to Be that is having a girl and planning a pink nursery.
BTW... don't forget your pregnant friends on Mother's Day!
They are already mothers and they appreciate the sentiment during such an emotional time!
Other ideas: a pink wedding shower celebrating love! Or put it in your file for next year's Valentine's Day.
Coach soap, anyone?
Even has the classic C imprinted ON the soap.
For those that have everything... and still want MORE.
Makes a great hostess gift, stocking stuffer, etc.
Or perfect for your admin!
Happy Administrative Professionals Day!
Soap here on the Coach website.
This month's issue of InStyle magazine featured these little beauties!
With strawberries starting to make their debut, it's perfect timing.
Simply take a paring knife and slice a bit off the tip. Then core the strawberry.
Use a pastry bag to fill each strawberry with cream! Prettier touches can be made with pastry bag tips like the star.
Garnish the top with sprinkles!
These really add color to the table. They'd look great in individual white egg cups.
While I'm WAY behind the 8 ball in finding out how fun cake/cookie decorating can be, I think I'm right there with all the peeps that find the traditional icing bag annoying. Are you with me?
LOVE the concept of these squeezable icing bottles!
These small bottles give you more control than a bag and it seems it would be easier to work on smaller, fine designs.
Kit includes two tall decorating bottles, three short decorating bottles, five steel decorating tips (round, ribbon, leaf, star and basketweave) and a frosting spatula.
And get this... it's only $20!
Thank you, Sur La Table!
Perfect gift. Mother's Day is coming up!
And what about getting a couple sets and having all these bottles and tips on hand for a cookie or cake decorating party!
I'm adding this to my Wishpot list right.this.very.second.
One easy way to add texture, dimension and additional colors and scent to an arrangement is to add fresh fruit!
This is a pretty timely arrangement as it's one I made a couple years ago for one of my administrative assistants for the ever popular Administrative Professional's Day (which this year is on April 22.) Make sure it's on your calendar! Go ahead - doublecheck now... I'll wait. :) It's important.
This arrangement featured a colorful fresh bouquet arranged in a tall galvinized planter which has endless possibilities for re-use.
I spray painted craft dowel rods green to match the stems, snapped them into various lengths and stuck the lemons on the jagged dowel ends. Instant unique filler!
Another fruit that would have added a different shape and interest - the star fruit!
Tie a pretty bow around the front and it rivals any floral shop delivery!
And flowers are always a great gift for many occasions!
photo credit: marthastewart.com
Have you noticed that organization is "in" now?
Having your home not only organized, but beautifully presented is in... somewhat thanks to Martha Stewart.
And here she goes again with an easy tutorial on how to etch glass like the jars above.
All you need is etching cream, vinyl letters, painter's tape and a paintbrush.
Here's how you do it:
1. Clean and dry the glass. Using painter's tape, mark off the area you want to etch. Attach vinyl stick-on letters and decorative tape; press hard to ensure they are attached firmly.
2. Cover work surfaces (be sure to work in a well-ventilated area). Put on protective gloves and an old shirt with long sleeves. Paint an even layer of etching cream onto glass. Let stand for amount of time indicated by manufacturer's instructions.
3. Rinse with warm water in a stainless steel sink. (Avoid porcelain sinks; the cream damages glazed surfaces.) Remove letters and tape.
A set of jars would be a great housewarming or wedding gift! The same instructions can be used to make a pretty monogram on a glass platter or wine glasses, etc. for a personalized gift!
Have you created a Blurb book yet? You should! You may have happened upon a photographer's blog or a wedding blog which featured one of those super cool coffee table books that are available now.
You can do those yourself now! With your own photos, layouts, etc.
Let me back up.
I'm a two blog kinda girl. I have this blog and then I also have a blog that features photos of my son. Every day. Well, almost every day. Above is a shot of the coffee table book I made on Blurb for the first year of his life. Basically over 300 pages of his daily life - in color.
Blurb lets you create your own book with downloadable software they provide for free.
It's super easy and if you have a blog, it will even "slurp" your photos and text and drop it into layouts automatically, if you'd like.
My son's book (above) is 8.5 X 11 horizontal. Hard bound. It came with a beautiful color jacket that I designed. There is also a soft cover option as well as many options on sizes.
When I was creating this book, several people asked me about the quality of the inside pages and I was nervous about that as well. But I was thrilled with the outcome. Here are a few photos of the inside:
As you can tell, the pages are photo quality.
They are exactly like any high end coffee table you'd find in a bookstore.
This book made a great combined Mother's/Father's day present for my parents (Keaton's grandparents). They follow his blog religiously, especially since they are out of state and while they knew I was producing the book, it was a surprise to them to receive a finished copy as a gift.
If you haven't checked out Blurb, I encourage you too. Your book doesn't have to be 300 pages. It can be 10 and just celebrate one special occasion, etc. It can document a baby shower or a wedding or your child's first birthday. I had a blog while pregnant that included thoughts on the journey as well as several ultrasound photos that I hope to turn into a Blurb book someday. (One of the many things on the looonnng to do list.)
Blurb has a bookstore where you can check out the first few pages of other people's books. It's a great inspiration on what can be done with your book.
Make a book that can be passed down! Can you imagine how special this book will be to Keaton? To show HIS children?
photo credit: Better Homes and Gardens
A a boost of color to a plain cake plate! Cut a 3 inch strip of of card stock and attach it to the rim of the plate with double sided tape or rubber cement. (Rubber cement tends to be easier to work with because it comes right off when you need it to.)
Finish it off with a coordinating ribbon belt.
Done!
Can be done for any occasion/holiday and so easy to do now that there's a plethora of fun scrapbook paper available. The possibilities are endless!
Easy way to add some spunk to your cupcakes!
Place them in a bowl (sans paper) and use a mellon baller to add a sweet drop of ice cream!
Also adds another element to celebrations! Use some confetti ice cream for a children's birthday, peppermint for Christmas, etc.
Photo credit: Better Homes and Gardens
Like those?
Have friends that do?
Have friends that are far away and you'd like to send out for a few?
Give Real is a website that allows you to send drinks virtually. Not just images... REAL DRINKS!
Log onto Give Real, and purchase your friends drinks that they can enjoy at any restaurant or bar across the country. Here's how it works:
1. Choose a friend and select a drink credit. You can give $1 up to $99!
2. Style your gift by making a drink selection or including a personal message.
3. Pay with a credit card. Your friend will immediately receive a gift notification and instructions on how to redeem their real drink.
And they don't JUST do alcoholic beverages! Send someone a milkshake or a coke to brighten up their day.
Pay for a round of birthday drinks for a friend! A great wedding gift! Send the couple some drinks that they can enjoy on their honeymoon! Or send drinks to friends going on vacation! Celebrate a promotion, cheer up someone's bad day, etc. Makes a good Christmas present or game watching party gift... or... it's just good to put a smile on someone's face!
Gift giving just gets easier and easier, right?