Category Archives: etc.

Friday’s Fabulous 5 – Fall Florals

October 17, 2014

How about we stay clear of orange and yellow mums this year and try something fresh and modern with our Fall Florals? I’ve got some great inspiration for you this Friday.

Halloween Floral Centerpiece // Feather Boutonniere

Fall Succulent Arrangement

Copper Mug Arrangement // Pink Flowers for Fall

Is there one in this bunch that is just calling your name? I love the idea of pink for Fall. It’s unexpected and just plain pretty.

I hope you have a great weekend. I’m hoping to be super productive and get on top of my to-do list. Oh, and don’t forget to enter the Sven Clog giveaway. There’s still a couple days left to enter.

etc.

Fun Flavored Milk

Today I’m partnering with the California Milk Processor Board (Got Milk?) to bring you are couple unique naturally flavored milk recipes. In an effort to give my kids a treat option that is not sugary soda or juice, I played around with some fun and funky milk flavors. These are made with all natural ingredients, sweetened with a little honey and no dyes. Blackberry Lavender and Cardamom Clove are far from the usuals flavors like strawberry and chocolate. Both of these drinks are delicious served icy cold or hot, like a steamer. And while my kids thought they were fun, they really are grown up, sophisticated flavors that adults would like.

Blackberry Lavender Milk

4 cups of milk

about 12 large blackberries

1/4 tsp. dried lavender

4 tbsp. honey

With the back of a spoon smash the blackberries. Then place all the ingredients in a pitcher or large glass measuring cup. Whisk together, it will take a minute for the honey to dissolve in the cold milk. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. This will give time for the flavors to be infused into the milk. When you are ready to serve, strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer. Serve cold or heat the milk to a steamy temperature (without boiling it).

I’m pretty obsessed with cardamom, if you can have a favorite spice, it’s mine. I love this Cardamom Clove flavored milk serve hot and steamy. It’s perfect for an evening caffeine free treat.

Cardamom Clove Milk

4 cups of milk

1/2 tsp. of freshly ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. of whole cloves

4 tbsp. honey

Place all the ingredients in a pitcher or large glass measuring cup. Whisk together, it will take a minute for the honey to dissolve in the cold milk. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. This will give time for the flavors to be infused into the milk. When you are ready to serve, strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer. Serve cold or heat the milk to a steamy temperature (without boiling it).

Last week I shared 3 tips to help your kids have a successful school year. Let me remind you of how great milk is and why it should be apart of your families daily diet.

Here’s the facts folks:

Milk is a source of protein: There are 8 grams of protein in every 8 oz glass.
Milk has 9 essential nutrients:
Calcium
Protein
Potassium
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Vitamin A
Riboflavin
Niacin

And milk can help grow healthy hair, strong nails, strong bones and it prevents risks of cavities, promoting strong teeth.

This post is sponsored by The California Milk Processor Board (Got Milk?). All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

DIY / etc.

Best Homemade Play Dough Ever!

October 15, 2014

If you’ve been an O+P reader for a while, you may have seen that I’ve made some improvements along the way. But, if you’re new, here’s a look at some of my older posts (back in the day, beginning blogger stuff). My mom’s recipe for The Best Play Dough Ever is going crazy on Pinterest right now. And I’m kind of embarrassed of the pictures. While the pictures I take now are far from perfect, I’m definitely proud of what I’ve learned and how far I’ve come on this blogging journey.

So, I thought I should re-post this recipe and show it packaged all cute like and photographed a lot better. Understand that I’m still using the same camera as I did when I started blogging, I’ve just learned so much more about how and where to use it.

This year, Olivia is going to give her friends cute little packages of homemade play dough wrapped as pumpkins and ghosts. I simply rolled the dough into a ball, placed it in a clear bag, and tied green ribbon around the orange balls of play dough and a little piece of torn gauze around the white ones. Then I added little triangle and oval eyes that I cut out of black electrical tape.

Play Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup warm water
food coloring
2 tbsp. veg. oil

Combine the dry ingredients in a pot. Combine the wet ingredients in the bowl.

Pour the wet ingredients into the pot with the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk. Try to get out as many of the lumps as possible. Put the pot on the stove on Med-high heat and continue stirring.

Stir with whisk until the dough begins to thicken, then change to a spoon. The dough will become very thick. Cook and stir until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from the pan and it is done! Allow the dough to cool for a few minutes. (PS the pan looks like you’ll never get it clean, but just let it sit in some water for a minute or so and it comes clean immediately).

This dough is soft and pliable and it lasts a really long time. My kids prefer it over the store bought kind. Oh, and because it has so much salt, it tastes really bad and kids don’t want to eat it (and if they do, there is nothing in it that will hurt them). I’m going to try to make it with rice flour this week for a gluten/grain free option for friends with allergies.

You can refer to the original post for pictures of the cooking process.

This is a great non-candy Halloween treat. And it’s really inexpensive to make, each batch made 6 cute portions to be wrapped and gifted.

etc. / Style

Colorful Chairs Family Pictures

October 13, 2014

I recently painted 10 chairs for a friend and talented photographer, Natalie of NY Fotography. If you remember, she took the gorgeous pics of the home office I put together. She asked me to paint these thrifted chairs for a fun shoot idea she had. It was a huge job, but these chairs look amazing together now. I was thrilled when offered to take pictures of our family with them. I have to share some of my favorite shots with you. This is the most fun we’ve ever had with family pictures. These shots are so playful and unique.

So much fun, right? I think we’ll have some colorful Christmas cards this year.

etc.

Friday’s Fabulous 5 – Happy Halloween Ideas

October 10, 2014

I’ll send you off into the weekend with some cute and happy Halloween ideas from some of my favorite bloggers. I don’t like to take my Halloween decor too scary, so these festive diy’s are right up my alley. I hope you have a great weekend. We’ve got lots of things to do and places to be (which isn’t always my favorite), but I’m looking forward to a few extra moments with my family.

Spiked Apple Cider // Halloween Copper Mugs

Ghouls Guts Ice Cream Cake Shots

Squash Ghost Family // Bat Balloons

etc.

3 Tips (from a teacher) to Help Your Kids Have a Successful School Year

I’m taking a break from my usual diy/design posts to share something that is close to my heart – my kiddos and their education. I know everyone is Back-to-School now and in the full swing of it. I’ve shared before, but I was a Elementary School teacher and I have a BA in Elementary Education. And, so sad for my kids, but my husband is also a teacher. He’s the nerdy High School Biology teacher. We’re pretty passionate about our kid’s education and their success in school. We were and are public school teachers and our kids go to their local public schools. Schools, districts and teachers can be far from perfect, but no matter where your kids attend school, parents can help facilitate success for them. So, today I’m partnering with the California Milk Processor Board (Got Milk?) to bring you 3 tips that we use to help ensure our kids get the most out of their school experience.

1. Fuel the mind and body!

This probably seems pretty obvious but, good nutrition and strong, healthy bodies is where it starts. My kid’s definitely eat junk from time to time but, I really try to make sure they eat a balanced diet daily. Breakfast is important. Parents have to make sure that their kids are arriving at school fueled for the day. For us, a big glass of Milk is #1 in the morning. From time to time, Denali (who is almost 13) will skip breakfast or chose something sugary. She will admit that she crashes before lunch can come when she makes those decisions. I try to keep a few healthy options on hand, so they feel like they can have a choice. And I cook a homemade meal and we eat dinner as a family most days.

To encourage my kids to drink more milk, sometimes fun paper straws and cute milk bottles do the trick. Making it feel more like a treat is important.

2. School – it’s your kid’s job!

Kid’s need to know that they have responsibility in life and SCHOOL is their JOB! It’s not our job as parents, it’s theirs. We are their to support and encourage them, but the buck stops with them. Since our kids were in kindergarten, we’ve (mostly my husband) have talked to them about future careers and college. They know that they will be going to college (a good college) and choices they make now, WILL affect their future. Denali and Dylan, my older 2, already have colleges picked out and degrees they want to pursue. Will their choices change, have they changed many times? YES, but college is not an option. Just like adults, kids need to have a purpose and goals.

3. Be the teacher’s pet!

No, I really mean it. A little butterying up goes a long way. I’m telling you this from a teacher’s perspective. Your child’s classroom experience can be a whole lot better if you support and even give your child’s teacher treats. Teachers are under paid and face a lot of struggles these days. A coffee gift card or movie tickets for their day off will show you care. And if you have time to take it a step further, be the mom or dad that volunteers. Any little effort will be noticed and as a result, your child will be noticed! In my opinion a happy teacher is going to be a better teacher. This may sound like bribery, but really I’m just suggesting practical ways to support your child’s teacher. It really doesn’t have to be much.

I hope you find my tips helpful. Do you have some great ideas or advice for helping assist success in school? I’d love to know what works for you. I hope your kids are having a fantastic school year. Be sure to check out Got Milk? for more about the health benefits of Milk. The site has some GREAT recipes for kiddos and grown ups (like Lavender London Fog Lattes and Cinnamon Rose Lattes).

If you aren’t a Milk believer yet, here’s the facts folks:

Milk is a source of protein: There are 8 grams of protein in every 8 oz glass.
Milk has 9 essential nutrients:
Calcium
Protein
Potassium
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Vitamin A
Riboflavin
Niacin

And milk can help grow healthy hair, strong nails, strong bones and it prevents risks of cavities, promoting strong teeth.

Got Milk?

This post is sponsored by The California Milk Processor Board (Got Milk?). All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

etc.

Decorating for Halloween

Well, we’ve got all our Halloween fun out. My kids love it when we make our home a little spooky. I’ve got plans for a couple more Halloween projects in the next week or so. But, right now, while my camera is being serviced, I thought I’d share a few shots from my instagram.

Since it’s #ThriftingThursday, you should know that I found this pair of copper candle holders at a junk yard and paid $5 for the pair. I picked up some sleek black tapers at World Market for them. This is my favorite Halloween addition this year.

The Southwest Pumpkins are back, I’m so glad I painted these on fake pumpkins. I’m sure they will be around for a few more years.

I love me some owls. I grouped some of my neutral tones ones to make a little Halloween owl family.

This number 5 sign I found at a junk store for $5 a while back. It always sits on my mantel, but I added a little creep to it with some black twigs and a clip on spider.

Yarn Art got a little creepy crawly with some festive colored yarn and some plastic spiders.

We’ve put these cardboard owl silhouettes in our front windows for the last 5 years or more. I saw the idea in a Martha Steward magazine.

I place my Wall of Bats on a different wall this year. I love them going over this arch.

Have you added a little spook to your place yet? Now, I better get working on costumes. We’re just weeks away now.

Design / etc.

Fall Curb Appeal

October 8, 2014

I teamed up with Wayfair to give my front porch a little curb appeal just in time for Fall. Be sure to check out my home and 4 other fabulous front porches on Wayfair today.

With a few new accessories, a diy, some herbs, white mums and white pumpkins, I’m ready for Fall. I’m on a black and white kick. It was grey for so long, and black and white is not a far departure from that colorless palette, but I believe it’s classic and timeless. With this very neutral palette, the plants are in the spotlight and your eye focuses more on the shapes, patterns and textures.

I’ve got a lot of pictures, so I’ll let them do most of the talking. But, I’ll tell you quickly about my two favorite new elements. I added a herb wall to the left of the front door. Using ceramic wall planters hung in a square, the plants created a clean and unique focal point for our porch. The second thing I did was paint a “WELCOME” sign on the first step (found the idea here). I cut a simple stencil out with my Cricut Explore on some vinyl (but, this could be done with an x-acto knife as well) and then spray painted the letters bright white. I love these blocky letters, so just like my YOU + ME poster, I left the centers of the letter out.

I kept my existing chairs and just freshened them up with new pillows, a great side table and a gorgeous outdoor rug.

I added a few white pumpkins and the Southwest Pumpkins I made last year, and I’m ready for Fall. It doesn’t take much, I have to remind myself often that LESS IS MORE!

Here’s the sources:

Wall Planters – Wayfair

Pillows – Wayfair and Wayfair

Rug – Wayfair

White Metal Chair – Wayfair

White Metal Side Table – Wayfair

White and Copper Planters – DIYed, I just spray painted old ugly green ones I had

Bird Feeder – Homegoods about a year ago

Mailbox – DIY

Southwest Pumpkins – DIY

And if you want a look at more of the inspiration for the space, I have a whole Pinterest Board.

Technically it’s still in the 90s here, so it really doesn’t feel like Fall yet, but I was ready for a change. Have you decorated your home for the change in Season? What’s your go-to Fall decor piece – pumpkins, mums, leaves, corn stalks, hay bails?

etc.

Halloween Yarn Art

October 7, 2014

If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw that yesterday I was getting our house decorated for Halloween. We don’t go too crazy, and it’s not super scary, but my kids love it.

Today I’m sharing a simple Halloween version of my yarn art over at The Land of Nod‘s blog, Honest to Nod. Be sure to head over there and check out the full post.

I displayed my yarn piece grouped with an felt EEK banner I made last year after seeing this post, some twigs I painted black, a couple of owls from my collection, I mannequin hand I bought at the flea market and a few more plastic spiders. It’s creepy but not over the top scary. Just the right amount of spook.

etc. / Food & Drink

Cardamom Orange Shortbread

October 6, 2014

I love shortbread cookies, I have a lot of recipes for them here on my blog, but this might be my favorite flavor combination. These tender cookies are bright and just a little spicy with all the cardamom. I can’t get enough of cardamom. Swedish baking uses a lot of cardamom and with Olivia’s Dala Horse themed party last week, I thought this would be an appropriate flavor.

Cardamom Orange Shortbread
1 cup butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
zest of one orange
1 tsp. vanilla
Optional for the tops of the cookies, Parlsocker (pearl sugar or any coarse sugar)

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. (I like to use whole cardamom in the pods. You have to remove the seeds from inside the green casing and then either crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle or a spice mill. This takes a bit of time, but it’s totally worth it.) Add the vanilla, cardamom and orange zest. Add the flour and mix until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 mins.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Roll out the dough to a little less then 1/4″ on a well floured surface. This is a very soft dough, that’s what makes them so tender when they are done. Keep the dough cold and work with flour on your hands and on the surface. Cut out desired shapes and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Chill the cut cookies for at least 20 mins. before baking (this helps the cookies keep their shape and not spread on the cookie sheet). Bake the cookies for about 12 mins. or until the edges are just barely brown. Cool on wire racks.

These cookies freeze well in an air tight container.