southernness_and_sassafrass: March 2011

Sunday, March 27

MiA : Missing Because I'm in Action!

Well well, the weekend has arrived and it's probably been 2 shameful weeks since I've blogged.
In all honesty, I've thought about blogging a lot recently & just haven't had the moment to sit, meditate, and show off anything creative that I've done lately.
But I did complete 2 projects last week while the Love of My Life was out of town, and I created an inspiration board ( and since have been working on creating those inspirations for the real-deal) ... I've just been waiting to give a big blog post on how awesomely creative I've been ;) ...kidding. But really, I had to wait til I had something worthy to post about!!

I mentioned in my last post that I had some upcoming events that I was working on, adding to the portfolio that will one day be part of my own business ... 2 weeks from now is my friend Cara's shower and how stinking excited am I that she's having a girl!?! She'll be the most precious thing ever :) And her shower will be pretty darn precious too! Here's the inspiration board I created for it:

We'll have to call it "Babies In Bloom" - springtime, babies being born, lots of cute baby animals to incorporate, as well as the Mommy's favorite springtime flower - the tulip! I'm working up a sweet bunting banner from burlap and a few dozen cookies cut into baby chicks and flowers. Sadly I won't be there for the event, but I'll certainly be doing set-up! :) Can't wait to see photos from the shower!

Next up, a score (ie: cheap) project at JoAnn's:

clay pots for kitchen herbs @ 99 cent clay pots
I bought 5 of them, each with a 40% off coupon

(Thank You "coupon extravaganza")

$6 can of "Prairie Grass" spray paint (40% off + got double use out of spraying the KitchenAid mixer and now my pots)

$2 worth of Burpee seeds

$6 worth of potting soil
$8 for vinyl chalkboard stickers at Etsy courtesy of TLG Crafts {link up}

So, that's about $20 for my cute little window-sill of light green pots; growing lavendar, cilantro, oregano, and basil. Going to have to find some other kitchen herbs to grow in the last one! My little ones are finally sprouting & I can't wait to try them in our dinners.

And then it was time to bring some spring to my doorstep ~ a quick stop at a local garden store found my shopping buggy with 5 petunia's, some coleus, and some tiny blossoming pink bush. Anywho, tossed it all in a container for a bit of color at my front door :) And they remind me everytime I am coming or going, that they might need watering :) ((I am no green thumb))

Well I hope ya'll have enjoyed your weekend ... we spent a great Saturday with 4 fabulous friends, kayaking through some marshland and islands just north of here. The breeze is still divinely cool and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. If I may say so, I think Mr. Ryan was rather impressed with my paddling skills :) and I didn't complain a bit!! *miracle*


{Oversized Pink Hat: Yours Truly+Beau}

It's been really busy today, after church, I spent hours in my Cath Kidston apron, jamming in the kitchen while baking + frosting baby shower cookies! Can't wait to show a sneak peak!

Love+Sweetness,

Wednesday, March 16

Inspiration Boards

These are a few of my favorite boards that I've created in the past ... trying to create some more as I have 2 upcoming events to add to my portfolio in the next couple months.
Just wanted to share a quick inspiration-board treat for your eyes!

Wednesday, March 9

Antique-Inspired Lovelies

Hey Y'all!

Well, let me start off by saying - "Thank You" designer of Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and Ballard Designs furniture. You have the most gorgeous furniture, inspired by antique reproductions and for those of us ((like myself)) who crave genuine antique pieces, drool over your catalogs monthly. You're in for a visual treat here tonight & I can't wait to start this "BIG" project. Literally.

Now -maybe I'm the only one in my position ((I'd like to think not)) that is young'er and cannot yet furnish a home full of antiques or repro's for that matter - but you give me endless inspiration for DIY projects galore!

I recently found a catalog "NapaStyle" that uses antique pieces and transforms them into some quite amazing pieces... lampshades made from vintage door plates, chandeliers from wine glasses and telegraph insulators. I am so inspired by the mere flipping of pages in 5 minutes' time that I come home, show my findings to my Love and find myself so very amused by the gorgeous home decor made from "junk" at antique stores all over the country. Meanwhile, he is probably anticipating more antique shop stops, more tools required for projects that I dream up ... and secretly, I know he loves to DIY. He told me so ;)

Pottery Barn

Our first contender was inspired by the Pottery Barn Fall 2010 catalog where they released an "antique reproduction Factory Cart coffee table". Love at first sight? I think so! $600, I think not!

Restoration Hardware

Then, I run into one at Restoration Hardware "Factory Cart" for a mere $1,000 at the time of release.
Somewhere, probably in the midwest, people are digging up these amazing treasures, which ranged in use from hauling cotton bales to factory use for transporting fabrics through factories. Hence their name "Factory Cart". Many originals date back to the 1900s, and were made of sturdy materials that will allow them to be around for another hundred years.

Finds like these on Etsy

Before I fell in love with this project, I hadn't ever paid attention to wheels and casters. And lumber. And stains. On top of all that, I am a nut about having chemicals in my house ((call me granola, I don't mind!)) and I am searching for a Low VOC, non-toxic interior wood stain to cover the **untreated** pine boards we're using for this project. So far, the brands I'm looking into are SoyGuard, Livos, and BioShield. Since products like paint and stains off-gas for years ((hello, in my house and the environment, no thank you!)) it's important for me to be conscientious in my choosing!

Apartment Therapy

My Love & I have started researching the tutorials for how-to on DIY'ing this factory cart and it's looking promising. I'm so thankful for others who have taken on this adventure before me, and that it proves, I'm not alone in my coveting PB, BD, and RH in their products!
Prince Ryan is heading out of town next week for his spring break and I'll be here with the Pup... which I'm thankful for her company. She's a professional snuggler and loves to wake me up with a lick on the nose!

We'll start gathering materials and I've got to order casters in the next week, then I'm not sure HOW long it will take us to complete, but you'll get pictures of our progress!

That's all for now, glad tomorrow is Thursday! Weekend, you're almost here!!

XOXO

Sunday, March 6

All My Love, New Orleans

It's Sunday, Y'all!

Today's blog is devoted to New Orleans. The city I first visited just 6 months post- Katrina. The only city where I could eat my way around and never have enough. The city where live jazz music floats through the air. Where the soul of its residents never fails. And every day is reason for a party.

My very first trip to NOLA as we lovingly call it, was for the city's annual Jazz & Blues Festival. Forget that Hurricane Katrina attempted to devastate the city, and that more than half its residents no longer would come back, the people of New Orleans carried on. And so it went, Jazz Fest 2005. I ate foods I've never had before, such as "craw-dads", crawfish etouffe, andouille sausage, authentic po'boys, Abita, Zapps, and the list goes on and on. I could write a book on the foods in the Crescent City ((but, plenty of others have and are more equipped to do so!))

My girls and I explored Uptown, Midtown, the French Market, Magazine Street and the Garden District to name a few.

Undoubtedly, I would return.
Come 2006, my very first Mardi Gras in NOLA. Such a fabulous time, and was so thrilled to see that there are places ((plenty)) in NOLA to enjoy a wholesome Mardi Gras parade. Where children sit atop ladders in wooden boxes to catch beads from local krewes and their floats. Where you campout, as if a tailgate, for a day or so to get a good spot, near a good restaurant, and where you have access to a bathroom! :)

If you had told me, 5 years ago that I would have been to that city more than a dozen times, and on the most recent trip, met the Love of My Life, I'd have believed it. The Joie de vivre ((zest for life)) is truly contagious. New Orleans ((and its blessed humidity)) sticks to you.

Naturally, every year, after the Ephiphany and before Ash Wednesday, Carnival is celebrated around the world. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is so lovingly known as "Fat Tuesday", and of course, this is when this little Bean gets to cookin' her favorite food. Bring out the cast iron skillet, the stockpot, ingredients ranging from Andouille Smoked Sausage to the "Holy Trinity" of Cajun cooking ((onions, green peppers + celery)). Its time to make gumbo, dirty rice 'n beans, and invite over friends to wear authentic Mardi Gras parade-caught beads and share the love for NOLA.

This year, I'm doing it low-key. Due to recent hectic work schedules I am disappointed to say, I am not hosting my annual Fat Tuesday Dinner party. It will just be Prince Ry and myself. And the d-o-g. In true Southern fashion, we're still going all out in the way of food preparations. Although I did cheat this year and buy my King Cake, which in the past I've made. Next year, we'll do it up big. So be prepared to get your green, gold and purple invites in the mail next February. I won't let you down! :)

xoxo
B

Thursday, March 3

I'm Full Of It Tonight!

Happy Thursday Ya'll!

This is a loaded post ... beware!

I am so tickled that it's nearly the weekend since I've worked nearly 50 hours with Lil'One this week. Boy, am I so not ready for motherhood anytime soon! Phew!! ((Thankfully, not an option at this point either))

Well, earlier this week I stopped in JoAnns' for a quick browse of fabric and spray paint ((you know me, don't love it? spray it!)) and came out with a bit more than I bargained for. Thankfully, I was able to find a great color paint called "Prairie Grass" and some adorable "prairie grass" green & white damask cotton fabric to re-cover the dining room chairs. We're going green, white and some accents of black in the kitchen / dining room down the road, so I am getting started now.

My cute chairs, that were re-covered about a year ago ... from my deal on an end-of-the-bolt fabric from Calico Corners, just didn't "speak" to me anymore. And my chairs need another coat of paint, so before I got attached and screwed the chair seats back into the chairs, I recovered and added 2 layers of polyfill batting to cushion our tushies! Prince Ryan ((as Lil'One lovingly calls him)) likes the damask fabric and my choice of green... thankfully!

The next project was the hand-me-down mixer from my sweet friend MegLegs ... she was so sweet to pass it on when she got a brand spankin' new one for their wedding. It came with a gorgeous tea towel, cute cuppie wrappers and she painted it a fun turquoise! It's now much more subdued to match the rest of the decor / upcoming decor. I must say, I'm proud of my taping skills and I'm loving the color.

Sometime this weekend, the awesome vintage blender from the 70s ((Osterizer, hand me down in avocado green from Mama B)) will be getting a facelift with "Prairie Grass" too! I'm sort of OCD about having appliances out on my countertops, so at least if I make them all match, I might be able to live with it!! :)

Tonight, I said "Farewell" to a sweet vintage French style hutch that I bought when I first moved to the west coast after college. It came from the Racetrack Road Flea Market and only cost me $100 - this was my first "haggle" experience too! I vividly remember calling my Momma & asking her "How do I get him to lower the price??" .. thankfully the sweet older gentleman took me up on my first offer, and took $50 off! Whoo-hoo!
Today I turned around and sold it for $250. Not bad :) I've got my eye on a sweet little white shabby buffet from a cottage shop on the beaches, but I think I'll wait until Prince Ryan, his sweet Ma and mine are in town next weekend and we'll all go check out the little stores. Or maybe I'll be super impatient and drag him there this weekend :)

As far as "Side Work" goes, I am finally getting in some work on a gorgeous wedding event coming up in June. It's a wedding of a good friend that I grew up in church with who has an amazing vintage / ethereal style. She'll be a gorgeous bride, as she's gorgeous everyday! We'll be heading out to check out her venue sometime in the next few weeks. Until then, I'm collecting ideas, sketching layouts, and dreaming up some lovely ways to trade a "cake table" for a "vintage ice cream parlor" themed dessert table.

As promised, here are a few photos of the sweet birdie treats that C & I made for Valentine's Day. Simply mix gelatin, birdseed, and some cornsyrup together, pour (or rather, mold) into Reynold's tinfoil heart pans.
We allowed them to dry for about 6 hours and poked holes in them to string with ribbon or raffia.

"Love is for the Birds" ... birdseed tree ornaments ... now, y'all that know me know for dern'sure I am petrified of birds, so I never hung these outside but they sure are cute! I'll be attaching them to my Mothers Day packages for those lovely momma's in my life!