Get ready for the 4th

 The Fourth of July is on its way and there is something so fun about this classic American Holiday. I thought I would share a couple of fun Ideas to brighten up your celebration.

How cute is this DIY 4th of July party set from Twig and Thistle. I love to label anything I can when throwing a party. This fun little set will hopefully spark up your 4th

Matchbook and Straw Tags Template

and

Sparkler Card Template

Check these out!

How cute!

The whole process is super simple, just make rice crispy treats (directions on the box), cut into 1″ x 1″ x 3″ rectangles, add a candy stick, dip in melted chocolate and enjoy! You could easily add sprinkles and wrap them in cellophane for portability too.

Thanks Twig and Thistle !!

Other things to look at

Sweet Details as been doing some pretty fun 4th of July posts this last month

and How sweet it is, has a fabulous blueberry salsa recipe that looks fantastic

Happy Fourth of July!

Xoxo CC

Kitchen Design Inspiration

Over the course of the last couple years while building our house, I can’t tell you how many fabulous kitchen pictures I have gone through for ideas. I have saved so many; I thought I would share some of them with you. Here are some of the pictures I drew much of my inspiration from

So you can tell I love white cabinets!

So here is my kitchen. Bare with me, I am not a photographer.

It wasn't hard for me to pick out the interiors for the kitchen. I knew the look I wanted to go for.

It just became tricky when it came to the minor details and staying within the budget. That definitely helped sum up some of those decisions for me.

        

 For the sink, I went with the was the Shaw original. I love the farmhouse appeal it has

My favorite piece is my La Canche oven! I love the French cook top cooking and the warming cupboard.

.

 I also went with polished nickel pulls and latches from Restoration Hardware for my cabinetry.
(Inspired by Christopher peacock)!

I picked a Sub Zero fridge that was a floor model and saved money there.

My first pick for my island lights were the Yoke Pendants from Circa Lighting, Oh the hours I spent on that website. I actually love there lighting. I purchased most of my lighting for the house from there, but that's another post.

I ended up with lights from Restoration Hardware that I

found on eBay, (another budget saver).

 I Knew I wanted Calcutta gold marble for the counter tops. Picking out the actual slabs and finding the right one was the hard part. I loved the idea of a wood island, so I chose a cherry top and had a dark stain put on it. I made sure that it would coordinate with the floors and the end portion of the island. Our island is a fair size so I wanted to break it up a bit, I decided to add this marble top piece at the end. I love to use it for baking and setting out food when I am entertaining.

 And here is our nook. Eventually, I am going to put in a bench against the window and get a new table and chairs for the nook and chairs for my island.

All things come in time.

Hope you enjoyed

Thanks for touring my kitchen!

Xoxo CC!

Weekend Special, Lemon Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes with Strawberries

Hey there, I had such a busy week. I thought I would leave you this weekend with the yummiest pancake recipe ever! These are truly delicious. My whole family enjoyed them.  I like the fact that they are healthy and boasting of whole grains, and have a nice dose of protein as well

Lemon Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes with Strawberries

2 cups uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
(optional) soak overnight in 4 cups of warm water, and 2 tablespoons of buttermilk, lemon juice, or kefir
4 whole organic egg
4 egg white
2 cups greek yogurt
4 tsp lemon zest
4 tsp quality vanilla extract
4 tsp
3 tsp baking powder
sliced strawberries
pure grade B maple syrup

Directions
Preheat skillet to medium.
In the blender, add all of the ingredients except the berries. Blend until smooth.
Pour the batter by 1/4 cup onto preheated skillet. Cook until the top begins to bubble and the bottom is golden. Flip once to brown the bottom.
Transfer to plate and top with sliced strawberries.
.
Serves 4


(Did you know)

Oats are low in gluten, which make them easier to digest than some whole grains; however, they are high in phytic acid. This organic acid is found in the outer layer, or bran. In days gone by, and today in traditional cultures, grains were treated before cooking and eating. If untreated, as most are today, phytic acid can block the body’s absorption of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc. A long-term diet of untreated (soaked or fermented) grains will lead to mineral deficiencies and disease.

Soaking oats allows enzymes and helpful organisms such as lactobacilli to break down the acid. Soak in warm water overnight so they’re ready to cook in the morning and require much less cooking time. This is a healthy way to have "quick" oats without the nutrient loss of manufacturing. All it takes is a little planning ahead for a significant increase in nutrition.


These pancakes freeze well and can be reheated in the toaster

Happy pancake eating!!

recipe adapted from Maple n Cornbread

Xoxo CC

Fun Find, Tops Malibu party supply

Found. Super cute party supply co. Tops Malibu. Check out these fun little treasure's for gifts or for your next soiree.

I love this pasta time dinner game . Get the conversation started around the table. Each package contains 108 faux pasta noodles featuring a variety of questions. A wonderful hostess gift, this game is also perfect to keep on hand for any gathering. The first to collect spicy, cheesy, meaty and saucy wins!? Get to know each other - For families, friends, or co-workers.

Examples of Questions

Spicy - If someone made a movie about you , What would it be titled? What would the tale be?

Cheesy – How do your pets see you? Describe.

Saucy – If you were on a dessert island, chose one person you’d be with … type of food … type of activity?

Meaty – What would be considered a fantastic opportunity right now?

Pair of 36" sparklers tied with ribbons

So cute!

It's time to blow your horn! For all occasions: hostess gifts, place settings, embellishments, festive decorations and package toppers

Party sparklers wrapped in metallic silver or pink tissue. "Sparks will fly-write your name in the sky!" Great birthday sparklers!

My favorite Calligraphy tags! Add them to any gift or use them as party favor labels

Tops Malibu

Enjoy !

Xoxo

CC

Tory Burch Love

Check out these adorable Tory jelly flip flops.  I love the shiny look to them. You can pair them with some cute shorts or summer dress and you wont feel guilty wearing these to the pool. At only 65 $ I say these are a summer must have.

Tory Burch "Thora" Jelly Thongs

Found at Toryburch.com

Xoxo CC

DIY Superhero Gift

I am back ! I had such a busy week last week. I hope you all had a wonderful Fathers day and enjoyed your weekend! I found this adorable little gift idea on alpha mom that I wanted to share with all of you . It was created by Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day. It may seem like a good superhero is hard to come by these days. Show appreciation for your real-life hero by gathering his favorite treats and put together a box of supplies from your own newly-created Super Hero Supply Company.  I know Fathers day is over but, you could put this together for any superhero in your life. Use it as a birthday gift or just because.

* Various Glassine and Cellophane Bags (found at a craft store)

* Your Super Heroes Favorite Treats -the labels (provided below) are pretty generic so you can rotate in his preferred flavor.

* Downloadable PDFs (provided below)

* Either Adhesive Paper or Glue

* A box for your treats, some ribbon and sizzle paper shreds

Step 1. Buy your Hero's favorite foods. We used Gourmet Rootbeer, Jerky, a King-Sized candy bar, and various munchies that we transferred to baggies

Step 2. Using our Downloadable Templates, print the labels onto adhesive label paper or print it out on regular paper and use Elmer’s Spray Mount.

Step 3. Cut out the label shapes

Step 4. Transfer the treats to the Cellophane and Glassine bags. Adhere labels to each item.

Step 5. Tuck them all in a box of your choice, and put on the address label .

Hero template #1
Hero template# 2

Jorden ferney also came up with these super cute little smores kits for project wedding

This one is on my next (to do list). I love it!

Thanks Alpha Mom

and Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy day!

Xoxo CC

Malene Birger

I first discovered Malene Birger on Net-A-Porter. She has become one of my all time fav designers!! I am completely in love with her new line. This seasons rundown is gorgeous. Super easy to wear, light, feminine, but not to frilly and very clean. One of my favorite blogs (beautiful things to share) posted some of the new line and I thought I would share it with you. Below are a few photos of my favorites.

    Oh yes, I love every ensable.

 Enjoy!

Xoxo CC

(Thanks Beautiful things to share)