How to Make Fabric Flowers

I've been having fun making these beautiful little fabric flowers. I got the idea from Martha Stewart and tweaked it with a little sparkle. We all need a little sparkle, right? These little darlings would be great to decorate just about anything- headbands, hairpins, picture frames, boxes or even to make a bouquet out of. Anything you can think of! And the flower possibilites are equally endless. Use your favorite fabric or ribbon to coordinate with your latest project and pair it with any combination of beads, buttons or other decorative doodad to achieve the right look. Layering flowers of increasing sizes would be a great way to give...

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Tangelo-Blueberry Scones: Happy First Anniversary William and Kate!

Where were you April 29th, 2011 in the wee hours of the morning? If you were like me, you had set your alarm for 4 o'clock in the morning so as not to miss any of the Royal Wedding festivities and were enjoying your homemade scones, especially prepared for the occasion. Source: Hello Magazine There is something about royalty that is fascinating. All of the tradition, history and grandeur. Perhaps is was the fairytales as a child? My mother's generation had Princess Grace and Prince Rainier and now we have Duchess Kate and Prince William. Source: TIME And what a couple they are. They have a genuine and beautiful romance and who doesn't love...

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Breakfast at Ted's Bulletin

I am so happy to be marrying a man who knows the importance of researching and planning out meals before traveling to a new city. Or heck, even on a weekend. You never know what you could be missing if you just grab a bite at the closest joint. So when D was planning our day trip to Washington, DC, he had one thing set in stone- the meals. After a series of Google searches, he found the perfect place: Ted's Bulletin. With its old-timey feel and fresh, fun menu- this was the perfect place! The first thing you'll notice when you walk in the door is trays of homemade toaster pastries complete with sprinkles. That's right, you heard me....

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How to Take Fabulous Photos: What I've Learned

I am constantly in awe of the amazing photos people put on their blogs. They've got an interesting composition, great picture clarity and perfect lighting. How do they do it? I'm sure a lot of it has to do with a great camera but there has to be more to it. In my search, I found some great tips and tricks that I can use, even with my point-and-shoot Canon Power Shot. The most useful (and affordable!) trick I found was a great blog posting teaching you how to make your own fold up, tabletop photo studio with white foam board. No more contorting my body to get the the back of the chair or an outlet out of my shot- this fold up studio gives you...

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Giveaway on the Horizon!

Starting May 6th, Blogapalloosa begins! Hosted by Randee at Randee's Organized Chaos, there will be 14 straight days of giveaways from bloggers all over. A great opportunity to find some great reads and get some awesome stuff! On May 18th, I will be hosting my own giveaway! You could win a gift certificate to my new favorite Etsy store- UUPP. UUPP is full of fresh, uplifting and quirky prints that would brighten your home. Check out the shop now and then make sure to mark your calendar! "The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken" -Julia Child Here's a custom print from UUPP that...

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Turn Your Waffle Iron into a Panini Press

I had a hankering for a panini the other day. I'm not talking about a grilled sandwich but a pressed sandwich with golden-brown ripples of crunchy texture. Sweet or savory, a panini press takes an ordinary sandwich and turns it into a melty masterpiece. The problem was, I didn't have a panini maker. And then a lightbulb went off. What if I could use my waffle maker to toast up my ordinary sandwich? I powered up my waffle maker on the highest setting (an engagement gift from a lovely Belgian woman- get it?) and put my sandwich together. No butter required on a panini (another plus!), the non-stick surface doesn't need it. I gave the sandwich...

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My First Feature!

I just started joining link up parties this past week- where bloggers can share all the great things they've made and done throughout the week. This week my Kale and Mascarpone Ravioli was featured on Momnivore's Dilemma! Thanks so much to Nicolette! Be sure to stop by and check out her great, witty blog! ...

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A Visit to the Washington, D.C. Zoo

This weekend, D and I celebrated our two year dating anniversary (and our negative one year wedding anniversary!) and he surprised me with a day trip to D.C. In about an hour and a half we can be in the middle of Washington- one of the big perks to moving here! We visited D.C last year during the Cherry Blossom Festival (see it here) so we bypassed the monuments and headed straight to the zoo. I've been longing to go to the National Zoo and it was even better than I expected. First off, it's HUGE! We were exhausted after looping through the whole park- and we didn't even see everything. The paths are very well done, there are plants and trees...

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