July 29, 2011

Happy Weekend

Enjoy the summer days as you wish but our weekend agenda includes : Relaxing by the lake, Visiting a Local Farmers Market, and Fun Summer Cocktails. 









 -Megan and Brooke

July 28, 2011

Disney Inspired Dress-up

I am going to be spending the weekend with my three little cousins at the lake.  They are girlie girls and love Disney Princesses.  I would have three of the biggest fans if I had inspired wardrobes like this tumblr I came across. 














 
-Megan

July 26, 2011

DIY Coasters

 

I have been looking for a new DIY project and found this idea on Pinterest. These coasters are great for any room in your house, but they are also a great gift idea (I gave at set to my friend Stefanie for her birthday last month). 

Supplies:
Hobby Lobby:
Scrapbook paper cut into squares (3.75" x 3.75")
Clear Acrylic Gloss Coating 
Felt Glue
Felt cut into squares (3.75" x 3.75") 
Mod Podge
Sponge Brush
Square tiles from your local hardware store, I got these from Home Depot for only $.16!! (4.25"x4.25")

How to: 
1. Cut scrapbook paper and felt into squares.

2. Brush one coat of Mod Podge onto tile.


3. Place one piece of scrapbook paper on center of tile. Allow to dry.  


4. Brush another coat of Mod Podge over paper. Allow to dry (about 15min), repeat this step 2-3 times.

5. Once Mod Podge is dry, take the coasters outside (in the grass or place newspaper down) and spray each tile with clear acrylic gloss coating. The sealer makes the tiles water-resistant.

6. Allow coaster to dry completely. Once dry, glue the felt pieces to the back center of each coaster.

7. Wrap 4 coasters up in a bow and you have a perfect handcrafted gift! 


-Jane

The Many Faces of Mason Jars

Mason Jars, Ball Jars, Pickling Jars call them what you want to call them but do one thing with them...collect them.  Look at all these fun ways to re-face, re-purpose or decorate with them.  After this you will be looking right and left for a simple glass jar. 


Serve up a Frozen Treat


Great For Storage - DIY


Meal in a Jar


Simply Stick a Straw in one


Display a Photograph (in olive oil) - DIY


Transform into a Hanging Lantern - DIY


Next to the Kitchen Sink - DIY


July 25, 2011

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps


We made these easy and delicious chicken cashew lettuce wraps the other night. The cashews add a great crunch to this flavorful dish. They took only about 20 minutes, we doubled the recipe and it made about 12 wraps. (Below is the doubled recipe, cut in half if you are looking to make less wraps).

Ingredients for the Filling
6 chicken breasts diced
1 head of iceberg lettuce
3 tbsp olive oil (or oil of choice)
1 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp soy sauce
1/3 c cashews, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Stir Fry Sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
*we made an additional half batch of this to pour over the wraps

Organizing with Style

Some people might tell me that I am anally organized...and I think I would have to agree with them. But now I can be organized and stylish! Look at these cute file folders that my mom got me from Hobby Lobby that I use at work and home!



-Jane

Slice of Heaven


I had a slice of Heaven the other day at Grinders on 18th St between Oak and Cherry. This slice was called Goldberg "Phats", and it was amazing! Pesto sauce, cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers, not to mention the crispy thin crust that makes all of Grinders' pizzas to die for. This is a pizza that I definitely need to try at home!

Grinders, featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, serves up specialty New York-style pizzas, Philly cheese steaks, burgers, sandwiches, salads and wings.

-Whitney

Grinders on Urbanspoon

July 20, 2011

Painting Reality


In Rosenthaler Platz, Berlin 500 liters of waterbased environmentally-friendly paint was dropped onto the asphalt by bikers. This paint was the spread by 2,000 cars creating a very interesting and unique piece of art.


Watch the masterpiece unfold in this video, it is almost mesmerizing! 

-Whitney

Underwater Gallery

In 2009 an innovative museum was open in the water surrounding Cancun...that's right water.  An underwater museum was formed by three people, The President of the National Marine Park and The President of the Cancun Nautical Association and an Artist, Jason DeClaires Taylor, who created over 400 life size sculptures. This museum is one of the world largest underwater and permanent exhibitions. 


The Sculptures before Installed




Installing the Exhibit


Permanent Exhibition


Hump Day Help

Here is a video to help you get over that hump, which is Wednesday! It's sure to get a little chuckle out of you, these 2 are hilarious.


Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake- History of Rap, Part 2
(Watch a better quality version at NBC.com)

If you haven't seen their first History of Rap Rendition, watch it here

July 19, 2011

Get it Poppin'

Need some flare for your office or desk?? How fun are these office supplies from Poppin.com! Founded by Chris Burch, ex-husband and co-founder of Tory Burch, Poppin offers "unique office supplies that make work fun". Don't let the Burch name fool you, these supplies are very reasonably priced! A great idea for college or school supplies as well! I wonder if its possible that these could make studying a little more fun as well.

Poppin lets you shop by color, with 16 to choose from. You can buy a single fun supply, or they offer bundles, like this pink one. I  wish I had a home office, or was back in college so I could use these bright and funky supplies!

-Whitney

Pack it Up

Picking out your backpack for the new school year was always my favorite,  and since I am no longer in school I have lost touch with the backpack world.  This summer I am thinking about channeling back to my school days and purchasing a backpack.  I have come across the cutest packs and I think it will come in handy for weekend trips to the lake,  a day at the pool and even a fun accessory to a music fest.


Presenting the packs...

















-Megan

July 17, 2011

Expressive Snail Mail

Snail mail is not dead, it may be on its way out, but it's sure not dead. Who doesn't love receiving nice thank you notes, birthday cards, or even just a card saying "hello" or "thinking about you"? I think cards are also a fun way to express yourself. I have found some really cute and fun stationery sites and etsy shops that I thought I would share.