Senior pictures for Clara...
Band meetings/camp/practice for Ema and Clara...
Sales flyers in the mail about Tax Free Shopping Days approaching...
Pre-school registration for Ella...

These are all indications Summer is quickly unraveling before my eyes.
These things are also reminders each of my children are growing up...
(without my permission by the way)
and the realization there's nothing I can do about any of it is sinking in...again.

I find myself in this position every year...
suddenly frantic over Summer coming to an end.
I inventory the Summer...
thinking about things I WISH we had done...
and reminding myself of the fun things we were able to do.

And THEN...
most importantly...
figuring out the exact number of days...weekends...
I have left to squeeze in some more memories!!

With all of this on my mind...
I realized the other day I haven't enjoyed one glass of lemonade yet this Summer.
How could I possibly let the Summer go by without sipping on some fresh lemonade?
It's high time I make the time to make a fresh pitcher for myself and my family!
Here are some fun variations I found to inspire me to do it...

Strawberry Basil Lemonade 

by Running to the Kitchen

Sour Cherry Lemonade 

by Martha Stewart

Sugar-Free Rosemary Lemonade

by Ari's Menu

Blueberry Lemonade

by Eat. Drink. Love.

Honey Lemonade

by Pop Sugar

 Watermelon Lemonade

by Curry and Comfort

Rosemary Lemonade Rhubarb Spritzer

by Valley & Co via Style Me Pretty

Strawberry Lemonade Spritzer

by photoappetite

Lemonade with Cinnamon

by Monsabor

Lavender Lemonade

by Eat Yourself Skinny

Lavender Lemonade

by The Talking Kitchen

I hope you'll join me and whip up a pitcher of Lemonade (or even just a glass)
before Summer is officially over.

Pin your favorite for the next celebration you have coming up!
Or how about creating a "Lemonade Bar" - allowing guests to infuse their own lemonade
with whatever they choose.

I'm not sure how potent the results would be without the opportunity to chill/meld for a bit first?
It's a cute, creative idea though?

KEEPiNG iT REAL
An awful cold kicked my butt last week.
I battled a high fever for days in a row with flu-like symptoms.
I've still got some congestion and a cough I'm dealing with
but at least the fog has lifted.
I'm so grateful.

Something dawned on me today...
this is my very last Summer with Clara before she graduates High School.
I cannot believe I'm even saying that.
When I realized that this morning, I was in tears.
Why didn't this sink in until now?
Am I in denial?
I've got a pit in my stomach over it.

RECiPE RADAR | Infused Water

Spa Water...

Herbal Water...

Citrus Water...

Fruit Water...

Botanical Water...

Whatever you choose to call it...

I've been toying with the idea for some time now...
to get out one of my pretty drink dispensers...
fill it up with some water...
and infuse the water with some citrus, herbs and/or fruit.

With Summer approaching...
the idea sounds more and more appealing everyday.

Not only will it look pretty on my countertop...
it'll be a great way to encourage myself and my family to drink more water!

I decided to do a little search on Pinterest to see what I could find...
and I thought you might be inspired to create your own in your favorite flavor combos.
There really are no rules!

Here are a few of my favorites...

Lemon Mint Cucumber Water

by Sweet Designs

STYLiNG | Tissue Paper Water Bottle Wraps

I love trying new things...
Especially when they relate to dessert table styling and entertaining...
and if the results are cute.

Well hello cute...

• Decorative Tissue Paper-Wrapped Bottle Wraps •

THE CONCEPT IS SIMPLE

Select a patterned tissue paper of choice to coordinate with your celebration

 and create your own personalized water bottle wraps

REMOVE PRE-PRINTED LABEL FROM WATER BOTTLES

UNFOLD AND TRIM

Using scissors, cut the unfolded piece of tissue paper right down the middle, length-wise.

TAPE IT

Run strips of clear packing tape across the top of the tissue paper.

The 2" width of the packing tape is a perfect size for creating custom labels to fit Zephyrhills water bottles,

IMPORTANT: Leave a 1" overhang of tape to both the beginning and end of each strip you create.

Also, leave room between each strip of tape to allow for margin of error when taping and cutting.

LiFT & TRiM

Lift CAREFULLY up on your large taped piece of tissue...

 allowing a single strip to dangle off the edge of your work surface as you cut each of the labels to size.

You can see the tape easier this way and makes cutting easier too.

TIP: Hang your cut strips from the edge of the countertop until you are ready to apply them.

WRAP IT

Using the "built-in" pieces of tape on the ends of your strips, 

start on one side of your water bottle and wrap it completely around.
Don't worry about the overlapping - unless it's completely obvious - at which point you can trim to size.

DONE!

Using packing tape to create custom water bottle labels is a cinch...

and it also make the labels a bit more "water-resistant" when serving them cold/on ice.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

• Imperfection. 

• STATIC CLING.  As you go to apply the tape strips, the tissue paper will rise up to meet the tape.

• Wrinkles. They are bound to happen but really shouldn't alter the finished look of the wraps 

   especially if your desired results coincide with a "rustic", "worn" or "aged" vibe 

   or as long as your selected print pattern is conducive to "hiding" small imperfections

HELPFUL TiPS:

• You MUST work on a surface that will allow you to easily remove the taped tissue strips, like a counter top.

• Use extreme caution when lifting the large, taped piece of tissue paper from your work surface, in preparation for cutting. 

Just in case you didn't know, tissue paper tears easily. *wink*

• Select a pattern WiTHOUT stripes or distinct horizontal or vertical patterns to avoid driving yourself nuts while applying the tape strips.

WHERE DiD I GET MY TiSSUE PAPER?

This a fabulous vintage-inspired paper from 7Gypsies - one of my favorite paper crafting companies.

I got it from The Shoppe at Somerset. my favorite crafting supply store and magazine publisher.

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Yes...I sell custom/coordinating Water Bottle Wraps in my Esty shoppe...

so why on Earth would I be sharing an idea like this?

Because frankly...

sometimes I just don't like "matchy-match" celebrations.

Sometimes I like to throw in an unexpected dimension...

using things I already have on hand.

And to be honest...

I LOVE tissue paper and will use every opportunity to get creative with it. *wink*

FOUND | Cuppow

I love mason jars...
I love decorating with them...
I love filling them with dried lentils and adding a candle...
And I especially love drinking from them.

My "drinking glasses" in my cupboard ARE mason jars...
So...
When I stumbled upon this ingenius idea last week....
(thank you Daily Grommet)
I just had to share...

Introducing..."Cuppow"

The brilliant lid... 

for turning your wide-mouth mason jars into travel mugs...

(all images courtesy of the Cuppow website)


Brilliant...right?

Here are just a few MORE reasons why I LOVE this idea/product:
• It's made right here in the good ole USA
• it's durable
• it's recyclable
• it's BPA free
• it's affordable

Be sure to check out their website for more information.
And DEFiNiTELY let me know if you snatch up a few for yourself!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

If you haven't entered the giveaway I announced on Friday - you will kick yourself!!

Seriously!! (TomKat Studio + Amy Atlas + The Pastry Pedestal™ = Ultimate Party Pack)!!

Go NOW!!

Getting more and more excited about the launch of the new Pastry Pedestal Platform - will be announcing 

the pre-sale date in just a couple of weeks! PROMiSE!!

In my ongoing  "periods of reevaluation"...

new approaches/ideas have me excited for changing things up a bit around here.

It's been a long time coming...*wink*

FOUND | Mini Aluminum Coke and Sprite Bottles

During our recent visit to Savannah to attend a wedding...

I made a discovery...

A discovery I just knew I had to share with you.

Mini Aluminum bottles of Coke and Sprite

Sooooo unbelievably cute...right?!
I picked these up at Savannah's Candy Kitchen!

Perhaps you're lucky enough to have spotted them already in your area?

To my knowledge...
They haven't made it here to Florida yet...

So I brought a couple home with me as souvenirs. *wink*

Those Coke bottles would make FANTASTIC additions to your 4th of July festivities...

Don't you agree?

Today, I wanted to also share with you another recent discovery.
(again...this may be old to you - but it's new to me)...

If you love Instagram like I do...
You'll love pixlr-o-matic...
a SUPER EASY, FREE online photo editing program ANYONE can use
for the photos you take with your regular camera.

Using the three photos above...
I transformed them using different films, effects and frames...
making them a bit more "interesting" and "artistic"...
all within a matter of seconds!

Check them out:

(Bubble Effect with Tretton Frame)


(Anne Film, Metal Effect and no frame)


(Old effect and....I forgot to write down the frame name...oops!)

You should SO go try it out...
1. Upload your favorite picture
2. Add the effects you want...
3. Save them to your computer for sharing!

Pixlr-o-matic is also available as a download, a Facebook App, as a Chrome Web App and for iOS or Android devices)

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend...
Here's to a great week!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Feeling a bit more caught up in the studio...

Although there are a million things on my list to get done!

REALLY trying to utitize my Google Calendar to keep me focused and on track this week!!

recipes | Posey Punch

I wanted to share with you a favorite recipe of mine.
I've had it for years and use it often.

In fact, I recently used it at Ella's "Pocket Full of Posies" birthday party
and fittingly renamed it "Posey Punch"...

I guarantee rave reviews from your guests...
as well as years of serving up this delicious party punch...

It's super easy to make and the best part is...
You can freeze it weeks ahead of time - making party planning nice and smooth.
Simply pull it out a couple of hours prior to your event and add 7-Up!

Slushy "Posey Punch"

CLICK HERE to download the 4x6 .pdf version of the recipe

KEEPiNG iT REAL

We had a FABULOUS time at the wedding in Savannah!

Everything about the ceremony as well as the events leading up to it

were SO completely reflective of the bride and groom.

Congratulations Mike and Nicole!!

We were thrilled to be there and share your special day.

Now...
back to the grindstone.

• Catching up on orders...

• Working out details with the manufacturer on releasing a Pre-Sale date for the brand-new Pastry Pedestal Platform!!

• Trying to figure out how to manage to share everything I want to share with you...(not enough hours in the day).