DIY Stationary Clothesline

For the past couple months, I've been working on building our iba paper goods home studio. As of this week, my husband and I choose the "perfect desk",

fingers crossed

. We will hopefully pick it up in a few weeks.

Aside from finding the right desk, I've also been on the hunt for a practical office chair, comfy rug and closet storage solution. My goal is to accomplish all of these tasks before summer comes to an end.

Do you have any office items you'd recommend?

One of my favorite things about the studio is its simplicity. If you were to walk into my studio before this clothesline was created, you would have probably found stationary, samples, liners and envelopes scattered everywhere. A few storage boxes, thumbtacks and twine later,  we now have a much more organized system.

The most difficult task with this project, however, was figuring out which wall would work best. I didn't want to add thumbtacks to the wall (

which I suppose you could

). I wanted to use the window/door moldings so they would be less visible.

If you aren't interested in hanging stationary, you could always use this idea to hang photos, inspirational quote, important dates etc.

Supplies:

-thick twine

-clear thumbtacks

-hammer

-scissors

-clothespins

1. Measure wall height and determine how many hanging ropes you want.

2. Divide the wall evenly and sketch where the thumbtacks should go.

3. Hammer thumbtacks to the molding/wall.

4. Measure twine and tie to thumbtacks. Remember the cards will pull the twine down - leave extra room.

5. Grab your clothespins and begin stringing your inspiration!

Every Summer Needs A List

With summer break quickly approaching, I created a bucket-list print as a space for everything I want to accomplish over the next couple of months. There is something about having goals written on paper that makes tackling them more fulfilling!

A few of mine include... 

-Paint the house

-Read 5 books

-Create a portfolio website for our invitation business

-Practice calligraphy

-Help Gabriel build a desk for my studio

-Visit my big sister

-Spend time with family at the beach

Do you have a summer bucket list? What are some things on your list?

Click

here

to download the bucket list print for yourself and make sure to hashtag #summerbucketlist so we can keep up with each other!

Dutch Braid Video Tutorial

This week, my little sister is staying with us in town. Our week has consisted of movies, food, fashion and plenty of back to school shopping (she is a sophomore in high school).


Remember the braid my sister did in my hair for my bridal shower in October? She loves braiding hair - so yesterday, I made sure to snag some time to make a short tutorial for you on a very simple and quick dutch braid.



So what do you think? Would you attempt this braid for school or work? For more on my sister's summer style in the video, check back tomorrow for a wardrobe review.


How To Host A Grown Up Tea Party

Today I am going to share with you how to throw a successful & stress free tea party.

A few months ago when my little (sorority lingo)/best friend announced her engagement, I knew I had to plan the perfect shower for her! So for the past month, I put together a small, quaint tea party that I knew she would enjoy. The shower was this past Saturday and only consisted of 7 guests -the smaller the guest list, the more intimate your setting will be.


 Menu:
Assorted Fruit
Chilled Water 
Caesar Salad
Vanilla Cupcake with Butter Cream Frosting

Once you have your table setting, you will want to create a buffet table filled with sweets, tea, sandwiches and salad. I chose to stick with a simple menu so that conversation could be enjoyed over fuss.  Once the guests sat down, we passed around fruit, hot water and an assortment of tea bags. Next came the salad and the choice of chicken salad tea sandwiches or an egg salad tea sandwiches (which I can thank my loving husband for helping me assemble right before the guests arrived).


I placed an advice for the bride card on each plate so that the guests could fill them out while waiting to be served. The bride to be read the cards aloud just before she opened her gifts.




Tea Station: 
honey, sugar, spoon, cinnamon, cinnamon sticks, tea cookies 

Make sure to prepare your sandwiches right before your guests start to arrive and cover with serran wrap so that they remain fresh. I made the spreads the night before and left them in the refrigerator to chill. Once the morning came, I cut the crust off of the wheat bread and assembled the triangle cut sandwiches. 

As for the salad, cut the lettuce, grate the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle your cranberries in the morning and cover/chill. I then added the croutons and dressing just before serving. The tea began at 11am and lunch was served around noon.



how to make strawberry jam


With Mother's Day around the corner, I'm sure you've been thinking about what you want to give. This past weekend, we went to Tampa and got to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom and this weekend we will be celebrating it with my mom in law. My mom and grandmothers loved the jam! I can't wait for their taste review.

Last year for Mother's Day I made a homemade sugar scrub, so to stick with the personal gift tradition this year I decided on homemade strawberry vanilla jam. This was my very first attempt with both making jam and canning. Both were a little intimidating at first, but once I got started, it went pretty smoothly.

Homemade Strawberry Vanilla Jam:
-square piece of fabric
-mason jar 
-bakers twine
- jar tag on cardstock 
.......
- 2 lb strawberries
- 1 tsp honey
-1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 c sugar 
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 box pectin (found at whole foods)

1. Wash jars and lids. Let dry. (always use new lids for your jars - old ones are unlikely to seal)

2. Wash and chop strawberries. I used a food processor to blend down leaving a few chunks. 
3. In a sauce pan, heat crushed strawberries and lemon juice. Stir in pectin and bring to a full boil. Stir constantly. 
4. Add sugar, honey and vanilla until dissolved.  Let boil - continue to stir. 
5. Remove from heat and skim off foam from top. 
6. Ladle jam into jars.   
7. Once jam is placed inside jar after cooking, place in large pot of boiling water with lid on. Let sit for 12 mins. Carefully take out and let sit on counter for up to 24 hours. During this time, the jar should create a seal. Now the jam can be left on the counter unopened for around 2 months. Once opened though, place in refrigerator. 
 
 Pretty simple right?! Have fun!




*jar tag printable can be found here.