american picnik.

picnik has some pretty fun 4th of July features!

My favorite is the flag you can super impose over a picture, however, along with the cool faded flag they foolishly put a bright, cheesy American flag sticker in right hand corner.  So I used that feature and then cropped the corner with the sticker off and then merged the picture back together, make sense?

Me & my Canadian hubby

Star Bokeh! you really have to play with the settings on this one

4th of July Picnic!

this Saturday I am hosting a 4th of July picnic at the beach!!
I'm so excited and have been looking for food and decor ideas!

I know I say it all the time, but it's so annoying to not have access to supplies!
No festive scrapbook paper & strawberries and blueberries are astronomical in the store if they have them at all.
Here are a few things that I think I can do without breaking the bank! 

Cranberry juice, blue gatorade, and diet sprite!
directions here.

paper fireworks from Martha.

Source: emilyhensoninteriors.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

use bananas & grapes instead of strawberries and blueberries maybe??

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I would make this, but I had a friend volunteer to make red velvet cake, yum!

free printable here

and please check out http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ Lorie has had the BEST ideas for the 4th of July over the past couple weeks!!
What are you doing for the 4th of July? or Canada Day? I forgot to mention that it's a combined party & I will also be making maple leaf sugar cookies ;) keeping hubby happy.

tp roll photo trick

you're probably seen it online already, but I tried it out for myself today & wanted to share!

you take a toilet paper roll & shape it into a heart & put it over your camera lens! ta da!
I actually had to cut my tp roll in half b/c it wasn't turning out properly, but its all trial and error.
I think these turned out pretty darn cute.

beige is beautiful

the phrase "beige is boring" annoys me.
I absolutely love color, but it really isn't for everyone.
I know people who try so hard to avoid beige that they paint every room in their house some obnoxious color & it just doesn't go with the house, or just isn't them.
they think, I must have a red wall in order to be interesting.
not true.

beige can be absolutely beautiful if used with great furniture and accessories

Source: everythingfab.com via Veronica on Pinterest

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here

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here

here

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home is where the heart is

I have these super awkward glass cupboards that divide my kitchen and living room. I am always trying to cover them because I have no choice but to actually use the cupboards so they can't just be filled with decorative goodness :/
As per usual my options are limited mostly to hanging paper... and while I don't love the way this looks as a room divider, I am really happy with the way my little spur of the moment art work turned out!

I originally planned to cover it with maps.  I printed out a bunch of random maps, but it just wasn't meshing well. (I can't find a big world map here to buy)
I decided to paint something and ended up with this! and I love it!
Its just water colors and honestly took about 30 minutes total. my fastest... anything yet.

then added a little banner in the spirit of the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. 
It is a cut up cereal box, painted, and drawn on with chalk.






Ontario - Leo's Home


Ohio - my home & an extra heart over Mount Vernon, where Lee and I met at college 


Grenada - our temporary home :) & that symbol is supposed to be a nutmeg. haha!

broccoli again.

I'm trying harder to eat more vegetables.
Up until the age of 18 I only ate cooked carrots, peas, corn only on the cob, and potatoes if they count.
that's it.
then I met my husband and he opened my world to salad. only caesar for about a year... and then more.
then spinach in a salad, then onions and peppers, cucumbers and lettuce on sandwiches.

and now our journey has brought us to broccoli.
I hate broccoli. it's gross. it tastes like eating a tree.
but it's good for us and so I bought it.

I made the most amazing pasta (if I do say so myself) the other night with broccoli in it.  In a pasta you can eat things you wouldn't normally you know, you can garlic & parmesan cheese it up so it doesn't taste too much like a tree.... but tonight I'm looking for more ideas for broccoli that don't involve smothering it in cheese.

Source: annies-eats.net via Allyson on Pinterest

Source: 101cookbooks.com via Nikie on Pinterest

Broccoli and Quinoa

Source: find.myrecipes.com via Taylor on Pinterest

Pasta like I made. so good!

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& then there is this one... haha! I can't think of anything more disgusting!

Source: None via Emily on Pinterest

this week's favorite pins

I've decided that even when I'm not feeling overly inspired I am still going to at least post some of my favorite pins from the week.
so there.

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Source: tumblr.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Source: None via Kelsey on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

:)

Pottery Barn

I can remember the highlight of my day being when I would receive my Pottery Barn catalog.
and not just Pottery Barn Home - PB Teen, PB Bed & Bath, and PB Kids.
I love them all.

I actually really like catalogs in general. they're like free magazines.
I used to get a million every month.
who remembers: Delia's, Moxie Girl, Alloy, Olive & Bette...
I would call every single number in the back of my Seventeen Magazine and request catalogs.

I upgraded to Restoration Hardware, IKEA, Crate and Barrel, and PB in college... but no one delivers to Grenada.

Anyway. Pottery Barn.
Overpriced, creative, wonderful, stuff.  I like stuff. and they put stuff everywhere.

 vintage wallpaper, hats, rescue ring...

don't like the bedding... but that shelf over the bed is amazing. 

 books, bottles, light house, mirrors, sea finds galore!

here are a few of the more ridiculous things they have to offer.

 Every good Grenadian girl should have a cricket bat..... but $149? no thanks.

$129 for a shoe ladder. really? this wouldn't hold all of my red shoes.

$39 for 4 "vintage" books with their covers torn off & a string tied around it.
I don't know about you... but my library sells books for .10cents.

Couponing

you know the current craze over coupons??
yea, this is EXACTLY  the kind of thing I would do.  Coupons would be my jam... but I'm in Grenada. where there are no coupons.
When we first got married Lee and I would scour Kroger for the best deals, because it was fun and new and we had time for that.

I have this fear that by the time I get back to America the stores and manufactures are going to think that people got too good at couponing and stop making them.
unfounded fear?? hm

Source: etsy.com via Kelley on Pinterest

Color Duo: Black and White

is there anything greater than black and white?
the perfect combination.
seriously.
I like it best in a pattern.

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