May Favorites

May is almost over and to tell you the truth, I'm pretty excited. Summer is my favorite season. Before jumping into June though, I thought I'd take a little look back at some of my favorite posts from May...

Mother's Day was a lot of fun this year. I did a little baking for my mom, including these cupcakes. Cake recipe found here, buttercream frosting recipe via Martha Stewart.

The day before Mother's Day, my mom and I went to Unique LA. I met a lot of great people. Check out all of the photos here.

I made hush puppies for the first time... and it definitely won't be the last.

Martha Stewart inspired me to make plant markers for my mini herb garden using twigs.

These drink umbrellas are the perfect simple DIY for warm weather like this.

Speaking of drinks, I tried a new smoothie recipe this month... using nothing but blueberries and green tea.

This month was a new beginning for Snag That Style posts! I can't believe I haven't done one since Christmas.

My mini Vegas vacation included a trip to the Neon Museum! Check out all the photos here.

 I had two great thrifting weekends this month. I found some Pyrex and an awesome needlepoint at the beginning of the month.

My favorite find from my second thrifty weekend is definitely that PBR trashcan!

Well that pretty much wraps up the month. I can't wait to see what June has in store!

Strawberry Serrano Pepper Preserves

I found this recipe via Honest Fare and I'm so happy I did. If you're a fan of homemade jam, I highly recommend this recipe. It's the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. 

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. strawberries
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 and 1/2 serrano peppers
• cornstarch (optional)

Wash the strawberries and cut them into little pieces. Wash the peppers, remove almost all of the seeds (about 80% of them) and dice them.

Cook the strawberries and the lemon juice for about 30 minutes in a shallow saucepan over low heat. As you can see, I realized my strawberries were still too big and cut them into smaller pieces before beginning to cook them.

Add the sugar and increase the heat. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. Optional: Add 2 teaspoons cornstarch to equal parts warm water in a separate bowl and then add it to the strawberries for additional thickening. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Add the peppers and cook for another 2 minutes.

Let cool completely and remove any foam from the top before storing in jars. Like Gabrielle mentioned in her post, this stuff goes perfectly with cheese. I used fontina and could NOT stop eating it!

Las Vegas Neon Museum

Hey, guys! I'm back from my Vegas vacation aaaand I'm exhausted. The drive home, which normally takes about 4 hours, took 7 with all of the holiday traffic. That wasn't fun at all but the rest of the trip sure was and I wanted to share some of it with you today.  One of the coolest places I visited while in Vegas was the Neon Museum. We took a tour of the Neon Boneyard, which consists of over 150 vintage Las Vegas signs that date back as far as the 1930s. I highly recommend taking this tour if you're ever in the area. I took a ton of photos. Here are a few of my favorites...

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hi, friends. It's 4:30AM and we're getting ready to pack up the car and head out for the weekend! I'm beyond excited about this. I could not need this little Vegas vacation more. I'll be back on Tuesday. Until then, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite discoveries from the past week...

This artichoke soup from Sunday Suppers looks absolutely delicious. I'll have to remember to show this to my mom. We were just discussing recipes involving artichokes last night.

I can't get over how cool this Ron Swanson cake is. It looks almost too good to eat... almost.

This 'what my walls are wearing' post from Scathingly Brilliant is really, really cute. Kate has definitely inspired me to do something similar... well, once I manage to hang a few more things.

Last but not least, since I plan on drinking my fair share of these this weekend, this bloody mary recipe definitely caught my eye. Bacon and pickled asparagus?! Yes, please.

Have a great weekend, everyone! I'll be back on Tuesday with lots of photos!

Vegas photo found here.

DIY: Drink Umbrellas

I found this simple DIY via Martha Stewart and thought it was just perfect for this warm weather! Here's how to make your own summery drink umbrellas...

What you'll need...

• some pretty paper
• a can of soup (to measure the circle)
• bamboo skewers (these work best because I found that the lollipop sticks slowly start to unravel)
• hot glue
• tape
• scissors

Use the can to trace a circle on your paper. Cut out the circle and then cut a pie-slice shape from it. 

Form the circle into a cone, slightly overlapping the straight sides. Secure the cone with tape. Drop a dab of hot glue inside of the cone and place the stick inside. Now serve up some summery drinks with these perfect little accessories!

May Sponsor Spotlight

It's time for the group sponsor spotlight! I'd like to introduce you to the new May sponsors!

BLOG | SHOP | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Use code CIERADESIGN15 to receive 15% off everything in Ciera's shop!

BLOG | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM: @sherryturley

BLOG | SHOP | TWITTER

Interested in becoming a sponsor next month? Check out the sponsor info page!

Green Tea Blueberry Smoothies

This might be one of the simplest recipes I've ever posted. Found via Martha Stewart, these smoothies are actually more like slushies but you could definitely add some yogurt or a banana. They're perfect for a hot summer day!

Ingredients:

• green tea
• blueberries
• agave nectar (optional)

Prepare 2 cups of green tea and bring it to room temperature. Divide 1/2 cup blueberries into an ice cube tray. Fill the tray with green tea and freeze. Puree the ice cubes with a blender. Add a little sweetener if you like. Enjoy!

Weekend Finds #5

Although thrifting this weekend wasn't quite as successful as last time, I did manage to get my hands on a few really cool things. I found that "carry all" bag at an estate sale and I'll probably use it for laundry. While shopping at a few yard sales on Saturday, I told my dad that I was searching for paint by numbers to hang in my bedroom and he said he had a few in the garage! How cool is that? I've officially started my collection! 

My favorite item is definitely that PBR trashcan. It was only a dollar so I couldn't pass it up.

Sponsor Please Note in June!

It's that time again! I'm currently accepting June sponsors. 

I've updated the sponsor info page and 3 month ad packages are now available for a 20% discount!

If you're interested, head on over to the sponsor info page and take a look. 

I'd love to spend June with you!

Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday! I thought I'd share a photo of my favorite little corner of the apartment with you guys today. I found that cuckoo clock an estate sale about a year ago and just couldn't pass it up. I love when the afternoon light shines on it through that window. 

Now, since it's Friday, I'll leave you with a few of my favorites from this past week...

Kate from Longest Acres posted a very interesting recipe recently... dandelion fritters! That's right, fritters made with dandelions!

Speaking of giving new recipes a try, this mexican rice recipe from Rachel of Heart of Light sounds really good. I've been having bad luck with my mexican rice lately... mostly because I've been eyeballing the amounts of rice/water and I do much better with an actual recipe. I'll definitely have to give this a try.

This wrapping paper DIY from Papernstitch is a really cute idea. I love how Brittni added a simple "thank you" stamp to the top of a gift wrapped with plain paper.

Another DIY that I fell in love with this week is this wire bow project from Skunkboy Creatures. What a cute way to add a little something to a bun or ponytail.

Last but definitely not least, I wanted to share this goofy little video with you guys. I've probably watched it about ten times and I laugh harder each time...


Before I go, I have to announce the winner of the Les Fleurs giveaway! The random number generator chose lucky number 1! Congratulations! I'll be emailing you shortly!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Snag That Style: The Andy Griffith Show

I can't believe it's been 5 months since the last time I did a Snag That Style post! I forgot how fun they are! If you're a fan of old TV shows like I am, you're sure to love this little round-up of Andy Griffith goodies...

1. Barney's hat 2. domino set 3. sheriff badge 4. harmonica

5. Aunt Bee's canning jars 6. eagle paperweight 7. Barmey's bow tie

8. courthouse telephone 9. courthouse flag

Photos found here & here.

Sponsor Spotlight: Lauryn Green

It's time for a very special Sponsor Spotlight! Today I'm pleased to introduce you to Laura Caldentey, the extremely talented lady behind the illustration up there in my blog header!

Hi! My name is Laura and I'm behind the Lauryn Green blog. My passions are creating things, drawing, sewing, and taking photos and videos. I live on a small, beautiful island called Mallorca in Spain with my family. On my blog I love to share my daily life, illustrations, and photos. I also have an Etsy shop where I sell some of my custom designs.

Like I said before, Laura is extremely talented! I fell in love with her work the second I saw it. The day she sent me the illustration for my header, I just about died! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Learn more about Laura...

BLOG | FACEBOOK | ETSY

DIY: Plant Markers

I've been so excited about my mini kitchen window herb garden lately! When I planted my herbs, I searched around online for some cute plant marker ideas and found these from Martha Stewart. Not only are they cute, they're so simple to make!

What you'll need:

• twigs
• x-acto knife
• pen or thin sharpie

Cut your twigs to the desired size. Shave a little of the bark off with your x-acto knife to create a flat surface.

Write the plant names with a pen or thin sharpie and you're all set!

Note: I found those little buckets in the dollar section of Target and drilled holes in the bottom for drainage. They work perfectly and look pretty cute on the windowsill too!

Unique LA Spring Show

As you may know, Unique LA was this weekend. I went on Saturday with my mom and we had a lot of fun! I met some really awesome people and took a ton of photos to share with you guys...

I was immediately drawn to Nan Lawson's booth the second I saw this Ron Swanson print. I just had to buy it.

I finally got to meet David of Cheltenham Road! His products are so colorful and eye catching that I spotted his booth right away!

Cardtorial was another favorite. These handmade wooden cards are so detailed and interesting. I've never seen anything quite like them before.

My mom and I were both especially intrigued with these handmade placemats, tea towels, and pillows by Nell & Mary. 

I also met Jonathan of Anon-Y-Mouse! You might recognize the name from my sponsor spots over on the right. The booth looked fantastic!

Stacey Winters' booth definitely caught my eye. Her photography is just beautiful!

My friend Christina was there too! How awesome is her work? This girl is SO talented! Christina introduced me to Jillian of Little Buffalo Designs. You can see some of her jewelry pictured above. Christina's paintings/prints and Jillian's jewelry really complimented each other well.

I was intrigued by two things at the RecLAim booth... those awesome recycled t-shirt pillows and that sleepy pup pictured above. 

I also stopped by the Les Fleurs booth! Do those tops look familiar? It's because you can win one here on the blog! Check out the giveaway here!

A new and pleasant discovery was Wood Thumb. How cool are these wooden ties?

The display at the Kyyote jewelry booth was just beautiful. I love the colors.

I met Julia of The Love Stitch too. Her crocheted work is adorable and just perfect!

Last but not least, I met Caine of Caine's Arcade! He was pretty busy but managed to stop and pose for a photo.

It was definitely an eventful day. I can't wait to go back next year!