another great martha idea

love this! here's the how-to.

keeping our heads on straight...three minute cleanup

 

one of the things that never fails to make me pleased with myself rather quickly is the three minute cleanup. i just made that name up, but that pretty much says it in a nutshell. take this morning for example. as i stood in the bathroom getting ready for the day, i found myself annoyed by how cluttered the sink area was. where did all this come from? long-ago-finished magazines, clothing that - though once probably fine to be put away - now needs to be washed from makeup residue falling on it day after day...wrappers and packages everywhere - how does this happen??

if i were being as perfect as martha, this wouldn't ever happen, but luckily it doesn't take very long to gather up all the mess and put each thing in its rightful place. a quick swipe of the counter with a nice smelling wipe and it's over. done. the dawn of a new day, with even a place to put my coffee. such a nicer way to start the day.

game night

games are always fun to play with a group, aren't they? some of our favorites are taboo, mad gab and good old scattergories, but this one looks like fun of a different kind...perfect for a film buff who's hosting you for the weekend ... reminds me of playing scene it with mitchell and our friends and mitchell knew every answer before the question was even completed and the rest of us sat there drooling and feeling dumb. okay, so maybe this game wouldn't be good in MY house, but it would probably be great in someone else's and would make an awfully fun addition to a beach weekend, don't you think? 

i say wrap this up and give it with a tin of gourmet popcorn, a theater popcorn popper, or a big popcorn bowl like this one.

for a different snacky idea, how great is this martha thought of packing peanuts...literally! what a fun way to give ... really anything, especially something food or game themed. do it this weekend and let the games begin!

fun for the fourth

 are you entertaining this holiday weekend? or maybe just looking for a fun idea for you and your nearest and dearest while lounging outside...i'm obsessed with the notion of sangria pops...how fun! check out this website for a recipe for sangria pops and also bailey's pudding pops and mango lassi pops. 

i think using these examples, you could actually figure out how to make any number of cocktails in pop form. just remember what you're licking and don't get in the car! 

and can you believe this cake? unbelievable! glory from glorious treats does an incredible tutorial here that actually makes me think i could do this. i don't actually think i could do it, but you get the idea...

i'm also loving the idea of a lobster or clam-bake themed dinner. there's something so comforting about the idea of a down home summer party like that...everything can blend together in various states of match and mismatch and it all just signals a good time. i love martha's instructions for lobster place cards and these sweet boat bowls from wisteria would be perfect for the trappings of a fabulous summer meal.

ps...i also love one of these bowls on a key table for change or in a bathroom for summery soaps.

i'm not sure what could be more fun thank eating your delectables off these ikat melamine plates, also from wisteria, and i love the way they'd unexpectedly mix with the nautical theme, especially for a coastal evening. in either colorway, the look could be roughed up with these seagrass tumblers, perfect for wicking away condensation...the cardinal sin of an otherwise good time.

for drink ideas, how about a cucumber and lime gin fizz...how fun and summery does that sound? i gag at the thought of gin and even i think it sounds good. 

then again, i like any drink that involves the word fizz...do you remember my peach fizz from a couple summers ago? here are some other fun drink ideas. and more still, with a roundup of great glasses to boot.

 and for a hearty summer meal (or even a light one), no paper napkins will do. i love cloth ones and i usually find the cheaper the better. my personal favorite is the tekla dish towel from ikea that can be washed and washed and washed again, but i also love these options from crate and barrel and anthropologie.

and if you don't feel like bothering with dishes or glasses at all, the best option is a rustic, delicious display like this lovely image from frolic today and some bubbly in a can.

perfect.

time out(side)

 

i've always felt like a special place outside is so important to my mental health. it's huge to me to be able to sit somewhere quiet and enjoy a breeze, a cool drink and watch the trees sway. it's a bonus if there are birds and flowers and a windchime.

over the years, mitchell and i have lived in places with abundant outdoor space and places with less, but i've learned that even when you don't have a lot, it's what you do with it that counts. i'm totally inspired by these pictures which show different ideas with all kinds of spaces...some large, some small, some with everything perfectly matching and coordinated and others that look like they came together at a moment's notice, from the necessity of having somewhere lovely to be.

do you have a place to be outside? if you don't, could you throw one together this weekend? i bet you could do it without spending a dime...

images from here, here and here

holy tulips!

all weekend i was blown away by the huge, gorgeous tulips i was seeing everywhere. i tried to take some pictures to share, but i was going to be risking the lives of other motorists, so i had to lay off the camera. i did get this one and i just adore the vibrant, intense color combo of red and purple. another favorite combination i saw was red, yellow and orange. i'm going to do my best to take a picture of that display so i can post it here. so many color stories to love...

on the subject of tulips, martha's tip of the day is a particularly clever one. she puts the tulips stems in a narrow vase and places that vase inside a larger one. a turducken of tulips. obsessed.

family recipes

isn't this the sweetest idea? it's a recipe scrapbook with old, handwritten recipe cards and notes and family photos to correspond. i've long had the idea of putting together something like this with the help of my grandmother, mother and sister and i think this image just put me over the edge.


while martha's version involves the original cards, the creation of slots and probably more DIY skill than i have, my idea is to create multiples of the book i make using great images of the originals. by doing it this way, we'll still get the original handwriting and the color of the weathered paper and ink, but we can make several books and give one to each home in the family. of course, the originals will be kept safely where time won't hurt them.

i don't know if there could be something more special in the kitchen of any home than a carefully bound curation of the recipes and meals that have traced the history of a family, in handwriting generations old, on paper that has seen other centuries.

take me to lisbon

i'm a little fixated on martha stewart's lisbon collection at macy's. i love the chaos/control situation of the staid stripes and the splashier floral. i first fell in love with the blue set in the macy's window because i'm having such a blue moment.



but then i saw the black and white option and it took on a whole new cast - such a classic, traditional combo but so fresh.


and then, i think my most favorite is the taupey gray set... so calming and soothing, even in the floral.



it's really hard to decide which i prefer in this collection - the stripes or the florals. i don't know. i love both. i'm always a fan of mix and match, in pretty much every arena and it totally works here,but what i especially admire about these dishes is how different they each look alone. the stripe is so one style and look, and the floral is so another, and then together, well, they're another. so it's three distinct looks. i fear if i were registering for dishes right now, i'd have to register for both. full sets of both.






the stripe is really calling my name. it evokes something in me...a feeling of order and propriety underplayed. especially the gray makes me feel like all is okay and under control - granted it's just coffee or cereal but isn't that why we buy things? because they speak to us in a way that feels good?

do you love?