Happy Birthday!

I love this idea for a birthday cake. How great are those candles? So unexpected!

For more of these french birthday images by Elizabeth Messina, go here!

Lemon Tartlettes

My interns, Heather and Lauren, came over last weekend to shoot and style the desserts for our Mother’s Day Picnic, which you can see here, today on Grey Likes Weddings. They did an incredible job styling and photographing our details. The tartlettes were adapted from this Lemon Chess Pie recipe. Obviously we didn’t make the blackberry compote, per it’s inability to travel well. And I cheated on the crust…I totally bought store made pie dough. BUT, the filling was legit, so I totally recommend whipping some up this weekend. They were actually super easy to make!

Everyday Pretty

Lately I’ve been working on incorporating some of these beautiful and inspiring ideas I see all over the blogosphere into my actual life. Sometimes it’s easy to just get my fill of pretty things in the virtual world, rather than pursuing infusing my own life with beauty on a daily basis. It’s sort of a practice what you preach kind of thing.

Anyhow, this inspiration board has a few ideas that I really love, each which represent something fairly easy that you could do to touch up your space. First up, I love the ice tea display from Sweet Paul. What I love most is the mint, all bunched up together. Mint is so refreshing and a nice addition to your iced tea. It takes only an extra dollar or two to buy a bunch, and with all the leftover leaves, bundle them together with a piece of twine for an instant centerpiece on your summer table.

The next image from 100 Layer Cake is a table with a plank running down the center. What a creative idea, if you’ve got something like that laying around your backyard or your garage! Also, note the branches in the vase at the bottom left from Apartment Therapy. An eye catching centerpiece is usually as easy as running out to your front yard with a pair of clippers and an eye for a few small tree branches! The last picture from Green Wedding Shoes is a little more high maintenance, but I do adore old letterpress blocks. Whenever I’m at the flea market, I’m on the hunt for more. What a fun sweet little addition to your home!

Crafty-Little-Show-Off

Don’t lie. You know who you are: you crafty gals who know you’re good and don’t mind showing it off (just a bit). And what better time than when giving a gift, right? I’ll be honest. When I have an extra 20 minutes, a creative spurt and a present in hand, I like to get down-and-dirty with the wrapping situation. Dress to impress, right? See how Martha does it up?

Anyhoo…I’m always on the look out for unique trappings, and these ribbons fit the bill just right.

Gift Giving

Got a special someone who deserves a little special something? Be a good gift giver and wrap it in this bag from Jane Says: