Fourth of July Foods

Independence Day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It's a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks, and a reason to fly the American flag. More information on this holiday can be found HERE. In honor of this, I found some celebratory food ideas that are too cute!  I personally love the red, white and blue chips, and if I were going to a house party, that is totally the dish I would bring!  I hope you get some inspiration from the pics below! Happy Thursday! xoxo, Julie


Red, White and Blue Chips!

















Red, White and Blue Sno Cone!


















Red White and Blue Layered Cake!


















Red, White and Blue Cake!













Upside down Ice Cream Cone!






















Red White and Blue Chocolate Dipped Strawberries!













Stars & Stripes Cheesecake Shots! How-to HERE.















Red, White and Blue Smoothie!

Sparkler Message Photos

Since the Fourth of July is approaching and you are bound to come face to face with some sparklers at some point this weekend, why not take advantage and take some cute photos with them?  Sparkler messages are popular in wedding photos, but don't have to be limited to that one event!  Instructions on taking sparkler photos are HERE. I can't wait to try this! Happy Thursday! xoxo, Julie






Birthday Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

It's my birthday week! YAY! To celebrate I am going to make these cute cupcakes I found on Martha Stewart and bring to work!  And to be even more popular amongst my peers I'm going to substitute splenda for sugar. Adorable, right? Happy Tuesday! xoxo, Julie






















Makes 12






Ingredients
• For Cupcakes

  • 12 sugar cones
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk

• For Decorating

  • Swiss Meringue Buttercream, plus 1/2 recipe chocolate variation
  • Gel-paste food color, optional
  • Melted chocolate
  • Chopped roasted salted peanuts
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Assorted candy sprinkles
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove center of a 12-inch tube pan and cover pan with a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Use a skewer or paring knife to poke 12 small holes in the foil, 2 1/2 inches apart. Gently place a cone in each hole, pushing it down until only about 1 inch of cone is showing.
2. Make cupcakes: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each. Fill each cone with 2 to 3 tablespoons batter. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Decorate cupcakes: Tint some of the buttercream pink with gel-paste food color, if desired. Use an ice cream scoop to place buttercream (untinted or pink) on top of cupcake, then top with sprinkles. For "soft-serve" cones, use a pastry bag fitted with only a coupler (or a large plain tip) to pipe buttercream in a swirl over cone, then top with multicolored sprinkles; or, for "sundae" cones, drizzle melted chocolate over buttercream, then sprinkle with peanuts and top with a cherry. For soft-serve "twist" cones, fill a pastry bag fitted with an open-star tip (Ateco No. 828) with untinted and chocolate buttercreams, placing them side by side in bag; pipe two-tone swirls. Serve immediately.

Personalize US Postage Stamps

This is the coolest thing ever! Did you know you can add your own photo to U.S. postage stamps? It's a little pricey, but will not break the bank! How cute to send out holiday cards with a picture of the family dog on the stamp? Or to send out wedding Save-The-Date cards with a picture of the couple on the stamp? The possibilities are endless, and you can customize your stamps here! Happy Tuesday! xoxo, Julie











http://photo.stamps.com/Store/?source=si10985886

Mrs. Lilien's Proper (Printable) Placemat

I absolutely love Mrs. Lilien's blog, and thought this Proper Placemat was super duper cute! I'm always forgetting which utensil goes where, and which way the blade of the knife if directed, etc. so this placemat makes the cutest cheat sheet! (as well as cute gifts : ) Happy Monday! xoxo, Julie





















http://blog.mrslilien.com/mrs-lilien-styling-house-blog/2011/6/17/mrs-liliens-proper-printable-placemat.html

Miami (Pre-Trip)

 I'm headed to Miami soon, and I am super excited! I've only been there one other time and it was on a business trip, so I am really excited to experience it as a vacationer! I'm using this week to research things to see and do, as well as plan a Miami summer weekend wardrobe! I'm also going to download a play list of Miami themed songs, and watch as many Miami movies as possible! Happy Monday! xoxo, Julie














A few things to see and do...

Hitting the Beach at South Beach











Cuban Food in Little Havana















Coral Castle











Miami Aquarium















Ocean Drive





















Pool time at the Ritz Carlton!















Plus Shopping, Dinner and clubbing!


Wardrobe pack list...
White Beach Sarong










Plus: Gold Flip Flops, Gold Heels, Gold Hoops, Short Dresses, Beach Bag & Sunglasses!



Ipod play list...











Miami-Will Smith
Rhythm is Gonna Get You-Gloria Estefan
Miami Vice Theme-Jan Hammer
Margaritaville-Jimmy Buffett
Over The Rainbow-Iz Kamakawiwo
La Isla Bonita-Madonna
The Beach Soundtrack

Movie agenda...














There's Something About Mary
Miami Vice
Wild Things
Meet the Fockers

Katherine Squier - Catching everyday life moments with camera

Hello! Finally, summer is arrived! J
The first summer interview is with the young photographer, Katherine Squier, born in Austin, Texas, in 1988.I like her photos, I think she is able to catch intimate life moment in a very spontaneous way. Enjoy the interview and good summer to all of you!










 -     Can you tell us something about yourself?
I am a twin, I often make silly faces and I've been taking photos for about three years. I graduated last year with a degree in psychology and I am currently trying to figure out what I want to do with my life!


-       What is a good shot for you?
Hmmm...it's hard to define this, but I guess I would say the shots I love the most are ones that just feel (visually) naturally beautiful and that elicit some type of feeling or emotional response that the viewer can relate to.


-       What camera do you use?
For a long time I have used a Yashica t4 and I still do, but recently I got a Contax T3 so I will be using that more too.


-       What are your favourite artists?
This is hard, always. There are a lot of photo contacts on flickr whose work I really, really enjoy, and really there are too many to list. As far as classics, my all-time favorite photographer is William Eggleston, and if we're talking artists in general, I would say Michelangelo Buonarroti. I'm currently reading a book about him and was fortunate enough to visit Italy in the past year and see some of his work. 


-       What is your next project about?
I'm wondering the same thing! We will see... :)


All the images posted here are Katherine Squier’s works.
For further information see also http://katherinesquier.com/.  

Wedding Tree

How cute is this wedding tree I saw on Gingham & Pearls! Instead of a sign-in book, have guests thumbprint a tree and sign their name next to it! It could also work well with any ol party! Happy Friday! xoxo, Julie




Shopping Bag Frames

I saw this idea on my college friend Annie's blog All Things Annie, and I love it! I'm saving my favorite bags and doing this ASAP in my closet! Happy Friday! xoxo, Julie






Shellac Nails

Shellac Nails are my new obsession! I saw my friend Berry's nails a few weeks ago, and had to know everything about them. She let me know she had gotten them "shellac'd" and the color was Romantique. I immediately went out and got my own shellac manicure. They truly do not chip! More info on the shellacing process can be found here! Happy Friday! xoxo, Julie

Colorful Baby Shower

My friend Kathryn is helping to host a baby shower soon, and the color scheme is green with a lot of colored polka-dots, but no pastels. This ribbon will be used:
 










I love it! She is giving baby bottles filled with bubble bath as favors tied with the ribbon, and I just love that idea!  Since she is considering more ideas for the shower, I started brainstorming! See below! Happy Thursday! xoxo, Julie

Table: A mix of colored roses, hats, drinking glasses.















Cake: Building Blocks













Or rattle cupcakes or even cakeballs at each place setting.














Cake Centerpiece with ribbon fondant and huge paper flowers on chandelier.















Ribbon fondant on cake:















Foods: Serve all "Mini-Foods" (see my mini-food post)















Ducky Sugar Cookies!















Ducky Punch!


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/baby-blue-punch/detail.aspx



Background Movie: Baby Mama


















Decor: Make a baby face out of each guest who is invited!














Framed letters to spell out a name or 'Baby.'

















Games: Every guest decorates a onsie.









Pen, Paper and Vase tied with ribbon to guess the baby's due date, suggest names, or write notes for the mommy to open while in delivery.








UPDATE: Here are pics from the shower! I think they did a great job! Kathryn tied the bows on to the bottles (filled with bubble bath as gifts) and I am going to have to figure out how she tied them! They looked adorable!