april showers: the games

i'm not a big shower gamer. i basically failed the "how well do you know wade" trivia game during my own shower. in front of all my aunts and female cousins and family friends, my worst fear was confirmed ... i didn't even know the man i was about to commit my entire life to! i mean - it's extremely important to know his shoe size and favorite super hero, right!?!

so when i was asked as part of my "to do list" for the shower last weekend to come up w/ activities ... i was anti putting angela on the spot in front of my brother's family and friends. 

game 1 // i found a great "he says she says" game through pinterest. (see the original here on made sweet.) i interviewed ross and angela ahead of time w/ simple questions like "what did you think of him/her when you first met" and "what's your favorite thing to do together". and then i quized the shower guests instead! to add a personalized touch - i created silhouettes of the bride and groom in illustrator. (serious blackmail possibilities in the future w/ the cellphone profile pictures i created these from!)

 

game 2 // as initiation into the "old wives club" i decided to quiz angela and the rest of the shower attendees on their "old wives tales" knowledge. there are so many funny old wives tales out there ... and it was even more fun to hear what the guests came up w/ even if their answers weren't exactly correct. for example: gain a child lose a ______.  no not "social life" ... and thankfully not "sex life!" either. the tale is actually "gain a child lose a tooth!" and apparently this one has some truth to it - see here. 

 

download a copy of the "old wives tales" game HERE!

and of course, what fun is a party game w/o a prize! we found these adorable mini galvanized watering cans (in the dollar bins) at target. add a pair of bright green gardening gloves and a dahlia - and you have the perfect spring shower prize!!!

is it too late for an easter post?

well you're getting one either way!

i always feel a bit lame at holidays. i'm not a huge decorator and we usually skip the christmas stockings and easter baskets, etc. i'm sure things will change when we get around to having kids. but for now ... we keep it pretty simple. i did decide (at very last minute) that i wanted to try this little tutorial on poppytalk.

i used a tiny drill bit to drill a hole in the top and bottom of my egg (and only had 2 out of 5 casualties). i also used a needle to carefully pick away at loose shell. try to find a grey spot - this is a sign of weakness in the shell.

then using a syringe, i blew out the inside of the eggs. i soaked them in hot water to clean out the yokes and ran water through them until it ran clear. i finished preparing the eggs by baking them at 350 F for 10 minutes to dry them out.

the painting process took several coats! and in a teeny tiny apartment - i had to be incredibly sneaky.

 

finally, i typed up cheesy little easter themed notes. i rolled them and carefully pushed one inside each egg. "u r eggsra special!" warning: this part was super frustrating. my notes had to keep getting teenier and teenier. i don't usually type in text-speak.

at last ... a little easter egg hunt for mr. munday:

 

i "hop" you had a great easter too!

adventures in container gardening ...

you say tomato, i say tomaters:

i've got spring fever

don't you just love spring?!? it has been so beautiful in nashville. 75 and sunny! perfect ride your bike weather. perfect work in the yard weather. perfect loooong run weather. (we're doing a lot of the latter these days. in fact, wade ran 19 miles - almost 3 hrs on saturday morning.)

i've got a major case of spring fever. i'm itching to get the windows open and the house deep cleaned. and wade's really really itching to create some sort of garden oasis. this could prove to be quite the challenge. we have 500 dimly sunlit square feet and a shared front porch. time to get a bit creative. of course ... first a little research:

   

row 1: the edible balcony - growing fresh produce in small spaces by alex mitchell available on amazon. let's face it this is a must-buy book! //  row 2: boskke ceramic self-water planters. swoon! and perfectly placed above the cutting board. double swoon! sadly just missed these on sale @ fab. what was i thinking!?! // row 3: super helpful small garden tips via the one the only martha stewart. garden pots and window boxes. dwarf veggies + different varieties of lettuce for color.

game on!

gfree baking: lemon drop cookies

my boss and i have a tradition of skipping lunch and opting for ice cream instead. shame on us. luckily it doesn't happen too too often. and luckily he has a remarkable amount of self-control bc by now you all have probably realized ... i have none.

we weren't always ice cream people. for years, our weakness was the lemon drop cookies at ham n goodys - a family owned deli based out of knoxville, tn. when their nashville location closed, we had to find something else. so ice cream it was.

but believe me - there is still a giant lemon drop cookie shaped hole in both of our hearts. and so i set out to recreate the yummiest cookies ever (gfree of course):

first, let's bake some cookies ...

ingredients:

1c unsalted butter, soft
3/4c sugar plus a bit xtra
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2c all-purpose gfree flour*
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

*my fav all-purpose mix: 4c sweet rice flour + 1 1/3c potato starch + 2/3c tapioca flour

preheat oven to 350ºf. cream butter and 3/4c of sugar. add egg + lemon zest + vanilla + salt and lemon juice. sift together flour + xanthan gum. add slowly to mix until combined. roll tbsp sized balls of dough w/ your hands. then roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. flatten w/ palm of your hand into little discs. bake 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. transfer to baking rack. (gfree cookies get soggy when they cool on a hot pan.)

now, the finishing touch - icing ...

ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter, soft
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2c confectioners sugar
milk

mix butter + lemon juice + sugar. add enough milk to make the icing an easy spreading consistency. ice the cookies once cooled completely.

in other completely random news - i've been doing a lot of baby gift making bc my friends have been doing a whole lot of baby making. ha! 4 baby boys due this month!!! a little hint, hint:

i've jumped on the mini bandwagon

not gonna lie ... i'm completely smitten w/ these mini creations from miniature patisserie on etsy:

every doll house needs itty bitty garden roses & macarons, no? and how about that teeny tiny rainbow cake!?! adorable!

and who should we invite to our teeny tiny tea party? have you seen these miniature knit animals featured on design*sponge?!? amazing!

feels like SPRING!

the truck is in the shop. and wade has the car. in the meantime, i'm doing a lot of walking! the flowers are blooming. the "birds" are back in town. i think it's officially time to call it ... SPRING!

my older sister and i are planning a bridal shower for our soon-to-be sister-in-law and i've been pulling lots of inspiration. :) and just had to share it with you.

april (wedding) showers bring may (wedding) flowers

{clockwise from upper left}

1 // this fresh fruit filled drink display from southern living.
2 // these adorable little umbrella favors from wilton. now to find the perfect miniature treat.
3 // perfect umbrella bouquet from midwest living. (who knew there was a midwest living!)
4 // yummy hydrangea cupcakes from glorious treats. almost too cute to eat. (almost!)
5 // over-sized flowers are all the craze right now. i'm loving this DIY from ruche on design*sponge.

{simple things} mayday + spring clean w/ purpose

happy (belated) mayday, folks!

{new yorker magazine, may 1941 per woof nanny}

they say "april showers bring may flowers". i'm praying this is true this spring. many of you know that april was miserable for much of the south. devastating storms claimed more than 300 lives and destroyed thousands of homes across six states in the southeast. while we were spared, so many were less fortunate.

plan to spring clean? this weekend i plan to give the closet a once over. clothes4souls (a divisions of soles4souls) is currently collecting clothes to distribute to communities devastated by the recent tornadoes. check out their website for details on how you can help and where to send your clothes/donations.

{click here for more info}

and i couldn't blog today w/out a little shout out ... a very happy birthday to my dad. i know my crafty little blog isn't really up your alley ... but if you do happen to catch this know that i'm thinking of you RIGHT THIS SECOND. and i love you very much.

{shop} spring scarves

yesterday i had a wrestling match w/ my straightening iron. leaving me with an awesome neck wound that looks like i engaged in a knife fight over the weekend. (i guess that's better than a burn that looks like a gigantic hickey.) but seriously:

{awesome "photo booth" on my work computer picture!}

so it just feels right to post on the latest spring scarf trends:

{click to shop}

1 // animal print - oasis animal print scarf from asos {28.69} ... i'm not the biggest fan of animal print - and have admitted on here before that the only animal "print" i will have about the house are these little guys. but i love this not so literal version of a print - in blue!

2 // tied silk - cube art scarf from anthropologie {19.95} ... i am learning to NEVER throw anything away. i had a bundle of silk scarves about 5 years ago - which i garage saled before moving into my latest apartment. :( boo. i'm pretty smitten w/ this scarf (and of course all things anthropologie) ... and since it's on sale it's actually in my budget. a simple way to dress up any outfit.

3 // floral print - leaving home floral garden scarf by ruche {16.99} ... i can't get over the flowering trees this time of the year in nashville. here's the perfect excuse to bring those lovely blossoms inside (esp if your office - like mine - is sans windows). feel fresh and spring-y with a beautiful floral scarf.

4 // fringe - feather print triangle scarf from forever21 {8.80} ... loving all things 70s this summer. i just could get into the 80s trend entirely. i think this is my favorite of all the scarves and it's the cheapest! love the retro influence. love the colors. love love the feathers & fringe!

5 // tie dye - tie dye crush scarf by tolani {73.00} ... again love the 70s influence! what a fun pop of color just in time for spring. tie dying party, anyone? :)

6 // square bandana - joolay tori b square scarf by cejon {48.00} ... i loooove a good square scarf (and admittedly have a few too many already.) so i'm happy that this trend continues! :) i especially love the belted square scarf this spring:

{source: the daybook}

of course - now that you have the latest trends ... here's the perfect little video from free people on how to style your scarves.

... and this is why free people is my absolutely favorite.

did i miss anything?

update: i'd like to think that a case of the mundays is the reason that adorable fringe scarf from forever21 sold out since i posted about it TODAY. (i kid.) ... sorry to get your hopes up! :( maybe they'll restock soon!

{simple things} a sunny weekend!

wade and i were in boston a few weeks ago when it was in the 80sº in nashville. completely worth the trip and 40º weather - but it made us even more ready for the sunshine this weekend! :) and it was BEAUTIFUL!

i spent most of the day on saturday out on the front porch prepping our desk and file cabinet to be stained. we walked 2 miles to church and then home on sunday morning (and got a little color!). then we stained the desk. unfortunately i wasn't sold on the color i picked out for the file cabinet. dang. i have a few more projects for the "office" before i make the big reveal. exciting though.

i'm pretty smitten over all the flowers in bloom. wade and i might have taken advantage of a lilac bush on the corner of our street one night last week for a little bouquet. lilacs are my favorite!!! don't worry - we picked the ones that were dragging on the ground. {not gonna lie to you - there's a pink tree in bloom across the street from my office that i'd like to attack as well!}

today it's STORMY. real stormy - so the file cabinet will have to wait ... again.
in the meantime, a few pretty bouquets of spring branches:

{source: tumblr, apartment therapy, unstitched, piewacket, buckets of burlap}

1 & 3 // lilac
2 // cherry tree
4 // dogwood - wade's favorite!
5 // redbud

{look for less} anthropologie

loving the pastoral collection available through anthropologie right now. so here's my little take on their "winter cherry" look for a whopping $410.41 less:

the button-up:

l: anthropologie's cissus button-up {88.00}
r: lands' end's cotton lawn campshirt {20.99}

the pullover:

l: anthropologie's buttonside pullover {78.00}
r: pac sun's sound & matter dolman sleeve stripe top {24.50}

not an exact match - but the button back won me over!

button back - button side
tomato - tomAHto

the skirt:

l: anthropologie's eureka cargo skirt {118.00}
r: urban outfitter's bdg button-up skirt {49.00}

the earrings:

l: anthropologie's sandstorm earrings {48.00}
r: downeast baubles on etsy's dreams of africa earrings {8.00}

the bracelet:

l: anthropologie's bead-bond bracelet {38.00}
r: aldo's medalion bracelet {11.98}

the shoes:

l: anthropologie's sceaborg picnic clogs {168.00}
r: american eagle's strappy chunky heel sandal {37.12}

the hat:

l: anthropologie's day's end boater {48.00}
r: urban outfitter's straw boater hat {24.00}

TOTAL:
free people {586.00}
my look {175.59}