Peridot Skies: DIY

Stock Photo Workshop

December 22, 2015

Can you believe we are in the final countdown to 2016? This year has gone by so fast. So many great and exciting things happened this year. I shared how to use the color wheel here, and the perfect pattern mixing guide here, and the biggest thing to happen this year; the launch of The Blog Guild. You can read about our launch party here and learn more about who we are and what we do here. You will see we added our first affiliate city already too. St. Louis has now launched their own The Blog Guild St. Louis and if you are local to that area you should contact them and join. I know they have something planned for early next year too. Speaking of plans.... we have our first workshop of 2016 already planned and we couldn't be more excited. You don't have to be a member, or even a blogger to benefit from this workshop; you just have to want to make pretty images. Tickets are already selling fast and we want to make sure you get yours. Add this to your Christmas list or tuck it in your stocking for yourself. You won't want to miss this I promise!

It's been in the works for awhile now, and now we're so excited to share our very first workshop as The Blog Guild with you. Shoot + Style: Stock Photography Workshop is the title, and we're partnering with some amazing peeps including, The Bloom Academy, and River Market Event Place just to name a few.

This will be an in depth event with tips on curating, styling, and shooting your own original stock photo flat lays, as well as hands on work time to create your own images. You'll be leaving with some great knowledge, and actual photos you can start using right away for your blog or social media. We hope you guys will join us for what will be the first of many amazing workshops with The Blog Guild! Find out more and get tickets here: http://www.theblogguild.com/#!workshops/c1cv8

December 22, 2015
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How to make Burlap Leaves

September 18, 2015

Art

I decided to end the week with a quick fall DIY. I shared these leaves in my Metallic Pumpkins giveaway post earlier this week.... If you haven't entered yet no worries there is still time; click here and enter to win a trio of pumpkins of your choice! These leaves were super easy and can be completed in one afternoon.

Supplies

Burlap - I picked mine up at Target with the gold flecks
Mod Podge - Watered down glue would work too
Shapes of leaves
Scissors
Paint
Fine tip sharpie

I gathered leaves from the park, but you could also google leaf shapes and find a few samples.

Next I traced the shapes on my burlap as close as possible to minimize waste. In order to keep the edges from fraying I lightly coated the edge of the shapes with mod podge.

Once dry, I cut out all my leaves.

Now for the interesting step. I wanted to add color but didn't want to cover my gold flecks. I mixed several colors together or reds, oranges, yellows, and browns to color the tips of the leaves. Then I went back over the edges of the leaves with my finger and tipped them in gold for a little shimmer. Once they were dry and I was pleased with the mottled colors I lined the leaves with veins.

Enjoy!

September 18, 2015
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You sold your house... So now what?

August 11, 2015

Colors

The real estate market is on its game again. With people buying and selling new homes this time of year, or any time for that matter, helping out the new homeowner is a bonus. Have you ever bought a new home and wondered what your wall color was? What about samples of your wallpaper, or carpet? I know that when and if I sell my home I will be gifting the new owners with some helpful information. Actually.... it's golden information! I have done a lot of updating recently to my home, painting, new carpet, wallpaper and some updated pillows. When I am going shopping for something for the house I like to take my book with me to have all the color swatches available to make sure the new item will work in my home. I shared my master house book and you can read what goes in it here.

Here is a list of helpful information you should leave for your new home owner. If the owners are new to the area they will be most grateful for this information.

Master color book. As I mentioned above, you can read all about what goes into mine here.

Swatches. These should be a part of your master house book, but if not, you will want to leave a sample of any fabrics that are staying with the house.

Service men you used. This is a must. Any service company you have used will most likely have a history of your service as well as you trust them to be reliable and honest.

Neighbors list. This is tricky because what you really want to do is warn them about the crazy neighbors you have but that would be passing judgment and for all you know the new owners may love the crazy neighbors! You want to leave a list of the most relevant neighbors; next door on both sides, across the street, and behind you.

Closest stores. Create a list of the closest drug store, Target, grocery store, gas station, 24 hour pharmacy and post office.

Driving Shortcut secrets. Know a few secrets? Share with the new owners a few short cuts thru perhaps the neighborhood or to the school or store!

Did I miss anything? What would you want the owners to leave on your list?

August 11, 2015
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White Chairs

June 25, 2015

Decor

I shared my master bedroom recently and though I should share a few of the other updates I have been doing around the house. We added these white chairs and this rug to open up the room a bit more. Not that a 16 ft ceiling isn't open but the white brightened up the room. In case you missed my bedroom reveal you can see it here, and my office here. I thought I would share a few of the other updating that has been taking place in other areas of my home. This past weekend I hung new wallpaper in the master bath, now I'm searching for the right area rug and a few pieces of art to finish that room makeover as well. I'm a busy girl these days around the house it seems!

White Chairs ~ Heart Coasters ~ Pillows (All made by me) Fur hide ~ Rug ~ Mirror side table ~ Silver Initials (similar) ~ Tray (very similar) ~

June 25, 2015
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Removing Candle Wax

April 14, 2015

Decor

I enjoy having fresh flowers around my home weekly. I pick up a couple of bunches from Sams generally and divide them up usually between two or three vases. I have had great luck with them lasting two weeks before I change them out. There are a few places a large vase or jar is just too big. I also love candles in my home and the Capri Blue candles from Anthropologie not only smell good... the jars are so pretty. I decided to clean one of the jars out of the hardened wax to repurpose the jars. Flowers + repurposed pretty jars = Perfect!!! I am going to share with you the easiest way I found to clean the hardened wax out of the jars so you have a clean container. Its only a few easy steps and a couple of pointers of what NOT to do.

Boil enough water to fill your container. Using hot pads, pour the boiling water carefully into your jar in a safe location on your counter. Allow the jar to sit for a few hours, even better... overnight. When you come back the wax will have cooled and solidified at the top of the water. The water allows the wax to soften and as the temperature cools the wax begins to harden and float. If you have a larger piece of remaining wax in your jar, simply cut it in two with a butter knife and remove the pieces. I recommend not removing the wax from the water before it has completely cooled for risk of burning your hands. After you remove the wax do not pour the water down your drain. Here is why... There may be remaining wax in the water and you won't want that clinging in your sink or down your drain. Dispose of the water in your yard. As far as the wick glued to the bottom of the jar, I have been successful in prying it up, but it may take a little bit of force. If you have a colored jar like my red one below, to remove the label do not scratch the glass with anything sharp or the color will scratch off.

Add flowers, makeup brushes, candy, sea shell.... whatever you like and enjoy.

April 14, 2015
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Perfect Cut out Cookies

March 31, 2015

Baking

If you know me then you know I have a weakness for sugar cookies. My favorite being a soft with frosting. Now most sugar cookie recipes are pretty standard. Nothing fancy to them really. But what I like about my cookies is the touch of pure almond extract I add to them. Not the artificial flavoring either. During the Christmas season I always make a few batches of spritz cookies... you know, the cookies you use a press with. It is a simple almond dough but designed to be used in a press. My family loves them. So it only made sense to add just a hint to my sugar cookies!

I know what you're thinking about now.... "sounds great but rolling dough is a mess". Right? Well I agree. My Mother, being a fabulous woman in the kitchen taught me years ago that any dough you chill will do so faster if it's flattened. This is what makes all the difference in your cookies. After your dough is prepared and ready to be chilled, lay out parchment paper on your counter and place your dough on it. Then cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and begin rolling it out. If you don't have parchment paper wax paper should work just fine. Now I like thicker cookies so I try to keep my dough around 1/3 to 1/2 inches thick. The other great benefit to rolling out on parchment paper is no additional flour has been added to your dough. This step cuts your chill time from an hour down to approximately 30 minutes. Just enough time to clean your mess and prepare to cut out your cookies.

So are you ready to make the best cut-out cookies ever? Here we go!

Serves: Depends on the size of your cut-outs but you should get at least 3 dozen good size cookies.

What you need:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

3 cups of flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Decorations or frosting ( I prefer the frosting)
Royal Icing (recipe below)

So lets get to mixing:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. I do not pre-sift my flour, however my Mom says it actually makes a slight difference in the measurement. Do whatever you're comfortable with. Set this mixture aside until you're ready to add it to the wet mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, The time varies depending on your mixer. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined. Now I know your asking about if you add the extra extract will you need to decrease the vanilla? Nope! What's a good sugar cookie without Vanilla? Then it would only be an almond cookie!

Add the dry mixture slowly to the butter mixture. Mix until it is completely combined.

This step is what really makes the difference in your preparation. Roll out your dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Wax paper will work too, just be careful not to tear it. Lay your rolled out dough onto a baking sheet and place it in your fridge. This not only makes it easier to use, it also shortens your chill time to approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from the fridge and only remove the top sheet of parchment paper. Cut your shapes out directly on the dough still with one sheet of paper underneath. Carefully remove the waste (the dough left between cutouts) and your first sheet of cookies is ready to bake. If you are only adding colored sugar to your cookies now is when you sprinkle it on. I bake them for 8-11 minutes however, this time will vary depending on your oven. You want to keep an eye on them baking to regulate your baking time. You want to remove them just shy of brown edges. Allow them cool on your baking sheet for 3 minutes then remove to a cooling rack. They continue to bake on the sheet so transfer them as soon as you are able to move them without breaking the cookies. Don't be alarmed that they are not done when you remove them. They firm up after they cool.
Frost your cookies once they are completely cool so your frosting does not slip off. Royal icing isn't a frosting with a sweet taste, or for that matter not really a taste at all so the cookie is the real show stopper here. If you are a wiz at royal icing (I am jealous) I bet you can go to town decorating yours. I stress over the whole keep your frosting covered from air with saran wrap. I did better this time than in the past. The key really is keeping the saran wrap pressed directly on top of the frosting rather than just over the bowl. Practice really does make perfect when your working with royal icing! See my bowls below with the wrap touch the icing.

For your Royal Icing Click here for the recipe I use. It is the best I have found and she has a whole section of FAQ.

Enjoy!

March 31, 2015
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Ice Cream Party

February 24, 2015

Birthdays

Whether you are hosting an ice cream party, or need a fun gift, this basket is full of everything you could possibly need for an Ice Cream social. Start by picking up a basket at your local Home goods, or of course Target! Maybe you even have one laying around. You don't necessarily even need to use a basket. A colorful plastic tub, or wire basket will work too. Most everything in the basket can be picked up at Super Target too.

Shopping list:

A single box sleeve of Oreos
Sugar Cones
Waffle Bowls
Caramel Sauce
Chocolate/Fudge sauce
Maraschino Cherries
Sprinkles
Chocolate Chips
Peanuts
Ice Cream Scoop
Ice cream cups

Candies:

Reeses Peanut butter cups
Malted Milk balls (Whoppers)
M&M's
Gummy Bears

Fill the bottom of the basket with scrunched up tissue to add a little padding and height to the smaller items. Start at the back of the basket with the larger boxes and your ice cream cups and work your way forward. Once you have the larger items in place add the jars of caramel, fudge sauce, sprinkles and cherries. In cellophane gift bags, place a good amount of candy to be used for the toppings in them and tie them up with a colorful ribbon. Do the same with your peanuts and chocolate chips. Start tucking the bags of candies and toppings in the basket around the larger items and jars. Split the cups into two stacks and place one in each front corner. Tuck the scoop in you're done.

This makes a great gift for a pool party, slumber party or how about your block party or holiday Bar-B-Que. Where ever you decide to take it... rest assured it will be a big hit! just don't forget the Ice Cream!!

Scoop yourself up some fun and Enjoy!

February 24, 2015
0 Comments

Fresh Flowers

February 18, 2015

Colors

Last weekend in Kansas City we had phenomenal weather, and I was fortunate enough to spent my afternoon enjoying it down in the River Market. The River Market event space with its wide open garage doors lend itself for the perfect venue for an afternoon with friends and flowers.

Emily, a fellow KC Blogger Meetup board member is also a talented floral designer amongst other things. The Bloom Academy - an online floral course - is her latest venture. She offers in addition to her online portion local workshops throughout the year. Gosh I am glad I am local! Take a peek at the afternoon of friends and flowers.

The afternoon was spent with beautiful flowers and beautiful friends. We mingled and enjoyed sweet bites and beverages. Emily then spent the first portion of the class giving instructions, tips, and tricks to beautiful arrangements.

And then..... she let us loose. I thought I was pretty good at floral arranging.... but I learned so much more then I ever expected and am so glad I attended and plan on going to more of her workshops.

You seriously should look into her next class, or sign up to become a member and you receive exclusive details to making your home blossom!

We received individual time with Emily to answer any questions we may have and to offer any pointers to the arrangements we were creating! Here is my arrangement. I'm pretty darn pleased.

I'm excited to make my next arrangement with all my new tips I learned.

February 18, 2015
0 Comments

How to Create a Gallery Wall

February 03, 2015

Art

It seems these days everyone either has a gallery wall or is in the process of creating one. For example here is mine. I have since moved a few things and added my marquee light initial that I shared here with you on instagram.

You may see my entire office and read the full post here.

But gallery walls are not always easy! They take a lot of planning and design. Here are some tips and tricks for creating an amazing gallery wall of your very own:

Have a theme or color scheme before you get started. I knew pink and gold would play a part in my wall so I played off of the color and built if from there with images and quotes that I loved.

Have a solid plan. I began gathering my prints, designs, and frames before I started hanging. If you don't want to wait until you have all your images you may create a growing gallery wall. This is where you add the prints to your wall as you go. A critical point to this method is to have a solid compositional beginning.

Consider your framing options. While there is no steadfast rule to what frames you use, planning carefully using different styles can work. I kept my frames uniform in appearance with smooth or slightly rigged frames but in assorted styles and in white and silver. Prints come in many shapes and sizes sometimes making it difficult to find a frame that fits and works with your other frames. Many times matting prints can easily change the size and even the shape of your print to fit a standard size frame just in a larger size. For example: framing an 5x7 in an 8x10 frame with a mat.

Create a mock wall and play around with your arrangement. The last thing I wanted was a bunch of holes in my wall prior to finally finding the right position. Before you go banging your wall up there are a few options that will save your wall from looking like Swiss cheese. Cut an old grocery brown bag, wax paper, or any other paper you may have to match the shape and size of your frames. You may even use command hooks as long as your frames are not to heavy for them. Place your cutouts on the wall for a dry run. This process also allows you the luxury to move them around for the best placement. Once you are pleased with your placement remove one cutout at a time and hang your frame.

The top example below is currently how my wall is designed. Below is another example of how to play around with shapes and sizes. Have fun with it!

Fee free to pin this guide for a future handy reference.

February 03, 2015
2 Comments

Valentines Fortune Cookies

January 27, 2015

Celebration

I will admit, I can be a hopeless romantic at times. So when I saw these adorable felt fortune cookies last year after valentines day and could not wait to make them this year. Adorable and so easy.

Supplies:

Light to medium weight Felt in colors of your choice (I used pink, red, and cream)
Florist wire or pipe cleaners

Hot Glue Gun
scissors
mug, small dish or round object to make circles

Fortunes or love notes

Directions:

Trace and cut your circles out of the felt. I did 4.5″ diameter circles and used a dough cutter as my stencil. If adding candy or something else besides a message inside your fortunes, 4-4.5″ circles are a perfect size. If you are only placing a message in your cookie I found the 3.5″ size was perfect.
Cut stripes of felt just slightly shorter than the diameter of your circles. You will use these stripes to cover the wire.
Cut your floral wire at 4″ lengths. * Note - If you would rather use pipe cleaner here you can by omitting the floral wire and the strip of felt to cover the wire however, I made two using the pipe cleaner method and did not like the finished results.

Fold your felt circle in half to create a crease mark so you know where the center line is. This helps in finding the center of your cookie a lot easier. Lay your wire on the fold line and run a bead of hot glue along your wire. Place the strip of felt over the wire and press it down making sure to cover the entire wire. Be careful here... you could feel some heat through the felt from the glue. Let the glue cool a few minutes.
Insert your fortune or love note on top of the glued strip and fold the circle in half as shown below.
Then bend the two ends down creating a bend in the center. They made need a slight bit of Shape manipulating. If adding a piece of candy slip it in the ends of your folded cookie. That’s it!