Crafting with Kids

I have been slacking on blogging for a while now and my sister is quite unhappy with me because of it, so I promised her I would post all this week. The problem is that my summer internship is kind of stressful and sometimes leaves me very uncreative. So, I hope that having to post all this week will motivate me to get crafty again, but I'm sorry if my posts seem a little uninspired.

So, now to the fun part...

My internship is at as homeless shelter, which I love. I get to work with kid most of the time and sometimes I get to do crafts with them. I am hoping to start crafting with them more often, so I've been looking for some kid's crafting books. I recently found one by Catherine Woram called Crafting with Kids.

Ok, so the title doesn't seem very inspiring but if you can get past that, you will find some great kid's crafts, like paper windmills, potato printing, finger puppets, and hanging mobiles.

Let me know if you have any good craft books for kids that you like to use.

-Ana

Give and Take

A few weeks ago, my sister posted a new favorite t-shirt site of hers, and now I'm here to post one of mine. It's a recent find I made, and I couldn't be more excited about it. This site sells great clothes for a great cause, and it's called Give and Take.







These shirts are great for two reasons. Not only do they promote awareness for some awesome causes, but portions of the proceeds from each sale go so support said causes. I highly recommend that you shop the site, grab a sweet tee, and give to a sweet cause!

-alison

[photos: give and take tees]

Book of the Week

First I should tell you two things about this book...1) Its extremely sad, which you'll probably gather from the description 2) Its a teen book and typically I'm not into teen books, but this one is an exception.

Clay Jensen receives a shoebox with his name on it at his doorstep. Inside he finds 7 cassette tapes with sides labeled 1-13 in blue fingernail polish. He plays the first tape only to find the voice of Hannah Baker, a girl who recently committed suicide. These tapes have been passed through a list of people, and on the tapes, Hannah explains why she killed herself and what part each person played in her decision.

Yeah, like I said, extremely sad, but also very good. I just started reading it a few hours ago and I'm almost finished. I've hardly been able to put this book down or stop thinking about it when I manage to put it down. I highly recommend that if you can make yourself enter the teen section of your book store or library, that you pick this one up.

-Ana

Inspiration Friday!

It's everyone's favorite day-FRIDAY- a day for fun and inspiration. So, here's a roundup of what's been inspiring me lately.

1. Military(ish) Jackets



I recently purchased one of these cute little numbers, and I have to say, it's kinda my new favorite. It just works with everything.

2. Bollywood



I love Bollywood style dancing. The exquisite hand movements and the energy of the dancers is so enthralling. But it's not just the dancing I love. It's the costumes, the color, everything!

3. Emiliana Torrini



She's probably my new favorite musical artists, and cute as a button to boot. Some might compare her to the likes of Lykke Li, and while they are a bit similiar, Miss Torrini has my vote. Her words are clever, and her melodies catchy. I could listen to her song "Jungle Drum," 8 million times in a row, and never get tired of it!

4. J Crew Videos


So I realize that the sole purpose of these videos is to get you to buy their product, but I've gotta say- it totally works on me. They are just so fanciful and inspiring. Every time I see a new one, I just want to throw on a fabulou outfit and spend the day in some fabulous location...a quaint coffee house, a bright market, roaming cobblestone streets in a vintage car....sigh...

5. Italy



...and speaking of fabulous locations, Italy has always been my favorite place I've never been.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my lovelies!

-alison

[photos: ann taylor loft; polyvore; weheartit; emiliana torrini; youtube]

Ebelskiever

This coming Saturday will the the first one in a long time that my husband and I don't have any official plans, and I'm excited to be able to serve up some yummy homemade breakfast. I'll be making my all time favorite breakfast dish- ebelskiver. Ebel what? Ebelskiver. Ebelskiver is a Dutch version of pancakes that's sort of like a cross between an American pancake and a popover. Like most breakfast foods, the options for toppings and fillings with these are endless. The only catch is that in order to make them, you have to use a special pan. It's a small investment to get one, but I promise- the payoff will make it well worth it!


Ebelskiver Pan available at Williams Sonoma


You can make either regular or chocolate flavored batter. I've never tried the chocolate before, but doesn't it look so delicious?


Like I said, there are a TON of different filling options. I've used chocolate, raspberry jam, cheese & bacon (YUM), and my very favorite- Nutella. You really can't go wrong.


I know apples aren't in the height of their season, but I am DYING to try this version Saturday. Doesn't it look soooo yummy?

Tarte-Tatin Filled Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs. water
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady, peeled, cored and each cut into 16 slices, then halved horizontally
1 1/4 cups ebelskiver pancake mix
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
Vanilla ice cream for serving
Directions:
In a fry pan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and water and cook, swirling the pan occasionally to ensure the sugar melts evenly, until the mixture turns light amber, about 6 minutes. Continue to cook until the mixture turns amber, 2 to 4 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat and add the 4 Tbs. butter; the caramel will bubble. Swirl the pan or stir the caramel, then add the apple pieces. Set the pan over medium heat and cook until the apples are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Using the pancake mix, eggs, milk and 2 Tbs. melted butter, prepare the batter according to the package instructions. Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Add 2 pieces of apple and some of the caramel to each well and top with 2 Tbs. batter. Cook until the sides of the pancakes are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Using 2 wooden skewers, carefully turn the pancakes over and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and apple pieces.

Drizzle the pancakes with some of the remaining caramel and serve with vanilla ice cream. Makes about 24.

-alison

[photos & recipe: Williams Sonoma]

Seersucker

Seersucker really is the perfect summer pattern isn't it? It seems like there has been an especially large influx of cute seersucker pieces this year. It's not just an option for lightweight summer suits anymore.


Jacket from Bluefly


Swimsuit from J. Crew


Pants from Alloy


Dress from Metropark (Officially on my wishlist)


Shorts from Saks 5th Avenue

-alison

Essential Summer Tools

There are a lot of essentials when it comes to summer tools- grilling tools, gardening tools, the list goes on and on. There's just one problem- most said tools are utilitarian and ugly. Now there's nothing wrong with function, but here's a round up of pretty essentials that are sure to make any summer job more fun!

For the garden...

Celia Birtwell gardening tool set.



..Or for something not quite so overly girlie- this set is available at Anthropologie.



Gardening hose from Alice Supply Co.



I love the embossing on this watering can.


For your picnic...



Cutest basket ever from Target.



Or this one from Amazon, if you are looking for an all-in-one option.



Find a good vintage thermos from Etsy, to keep your drinks just the way you want them.



Waterproof picnic blanket from One Brown Cow.


Last but not least- possibly the most pointless and over the top "girlified" tool I've ever come across. It's just too ridiculous not to share.



Now dont' go getting your hopes up. This grill was available from Pink Princess, but it's been discontinued. Sad, I know.

-alison

[photos: paper source; anthropologie, alice supply co.; amazon; Target; Etsy; One Brown Cow; Pink Princess]

Party Anthropologie Style

Anthropologie has the cutest feature going on on their website right now- collections of party tools centered around their fabulous aprons. Check out a few of the cute collections they've assembled.




I love how they've even picked a cook book to go with each group. My favorite, and next on my list of necessary party tools? Sophie Dahl's new(ish) cookbook Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights.



The recipes look delightful, the photography is amazing, and let's face it, she's just about the cutest person on the planet!



-alison

[photos: anthropologie; daily candy; hello magazine]

Elephants

My friend Kate loves elephants. So, I told her I'd make her and elephant ring, which I forgot about until I found these cute elephant pendants. Since they were pendants, I cut off the hook part, filed them down a bit and made them into rings.

This guy will soon be a ring too

-Ana

Celebrations

So, May was a bad month for blogging. I think it's safe to say we fell of the bandwagon a little bit. However, I defend this by saying that we were both incredibly, crazy busy last month. While my sister was working hard at finishing up her sophomore year of college, I was throwing parties- lots of them. I promised pictures of my celebrations- so here they are. The first was a Mother's Day brunch I hosted for a few of the lovely ladies in my family (we let my dad and husband in on the fun too!). The second was a banquet our church youth group hosted for the gratuating seniors. The theme and decor for the two events was veeeerrrry different, but I think both turned out great!

I served my absolute favorite spring salad- strawberries, spinach, swiss cheese, and the best poppyseed recipe I've ever tasted!


Coconut cake for dessert- a little lopsided, but delicious nonetheless.


I couldn't find a table runner I was really in love with, so I picked up this piece of fabric fron JoAnn's. It worked like a charm.



Rock candy sucker favors.....


Plus red carnations....


Plus Jones soda bottles...


...equals the cheapest decorating scheme of all time!

-alison