Permission to Intermission

I'm taking a hiatus from blogging! The below may or may not be the reasons for my lack of posts:

 

• Writer’s block
• Time*
• I’m washing my hair
• Lack of inspiration
• Laziness*
• I’m busy thinking of ways to save the world
• I have stage fright (à la Meg White)
• I have moved to the country and I’m eating a lot of peaches

I’ll be back one day!

Flirty 3-0 Tea Party

Here are a few pictures of the Tea Party I helped throw for our lovely friend Lauren who turns the big 3-0 this week! I thought everything came together very well! Great job Dana, Karen, and Courtney! Also a big Thanks to Mai for her great photos!

I'll be posting more pictures with recipes and tips soon!

 Invites by my Karen

Hand beaded and embellished flutes by Dana

Happy Birthday Lauren!  

Out of commision

Greetings! I finally get a break but I'm also getting my wisdom teeth taken out. Don't fret, I've stockpiled a few things for nourishment.

Muse

This is a two for one post.

I've been really inspired lately by other people's blogs (I'm down with OPB?). I think it's so great that there is a medium in which we can share our creativity with everyone. Here is the latest craft I made using a tutorial posted at OnceWed. It's an adorable way to add color to any space. I'm planning to hang it up in my office/craft room!

Tip: To cut the circles I opted to go a bit high tech, I purchased the Olfa Circle Cutter (at Joann's Fabrics with a 50% off coupon). It works fabulously and saves time! Check out the demo video below to see how it works!
  
On another note, I saw the band Muse last night! We had great seats and the show was AWESOME.

Ocean View

As the weather (very slowly) gets a bit warmer I start longing for pool lounging. I know it's more romantic to dream of the beach, but realistically there are no warm beaches in the area. So pool it is! Below are some images (from Anthropologie) that don't involve water, sun, or sand; but still make me want reach for the sunblock.

I love blue!

 

Baking tools under $5

The following tools are not necessary but are all under five dollars and worth every penny!

Parchment Paper: Will always get you out of a sticky situation. I myself have jumped on the silpat bandwagon, but I do enough baking to justify the price tag. Parchment paper is tied and true and easier to clean too! 

Egg separator: Separate egg yolk from whites in a jiffy! No tricky handling or waste and can hang on the rim of a bowl.

Non stick cooking spray: Aka Pam. Yes there are times you'll need both parchment paper and non stick cooking spray. Plus its always good to have in the kitchen even if you're not a baker.

I fried a burger, and I liked it

Yes people ground meat (get the 80/20), salt, and pepper on a cast iron pan. Served with caramelized onion, smoked Gouda (Rob's niece from Amsterdam would say "yawda") on a buttery brioche bun!