bliss bloom {blog}

[Weekly Inspiration] 5.26.2012

2012-05-26T16:28:00.003-07:00

these popsicle cocktails via Hostess with the Mostess

these lettered stone magnets via Happy Emotions on Etsy

this pretty tablescape via 79 Ideas

this geometric wood necklace via Blue Bird Lab on Etsy

and this subtle boy's room via finnian's moon Interiors :: as seen on small shop

Have a wonderful weekend! And if you're in the U.S., enjoy the Memorial Day holiday.

[Make] Press N Seal Stenciled Pillow

2012-05-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

An alternative to the Freezer Paper Stencil!

Which for the life of me... I CANNOT find. Several months ago, when I decided that a freezer paper stencil project was in my future, I stocked up on what I "thought" was freezer paper. I bought Press'n Seal Freezer instead. It said "freezer" so I just went with it.

Skip forward to today... I was all ready to go when I discovered that I bought the wrong thing. But when I read on the box that it "seals to plastic, paper, metal, wood and many other surfaces", I decided to see if it'd work on fabric too. And, amazingly, it worked! It also has a few perks over freezer paper-- The Press'n Seal Freezer stencil can be reused, the plastic is sturdy and easy to cut, AND there is no ironing involved.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Cinemagr.am

2012-05-23T12:12:00.003-07:00

I should be cleaning my house, but instead I'm playing with cinemagr.am...

If you're like me and love GIFs (aka animated photos), then this is the App for you! This is my first try, so don't judge... I think if I shot this in natural light, it would've turned out much better. But I love the amazed, dumbfounded look on Happy Vee's face. And, as you can see by the state of my family room, I really need to get back to cleaning!

Many more creative GIFs here.

Happy Wednesday!

[Party] Space... The Final Frontier

2012-05-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated Smarty Pant's 6th Birthday with a SPACE Party! The party was held at the boys' favorite gymnastics center-- one full hour of climbing, jumping and bouncing children. Yep, all the parents were high-fiving each other and I think I saw a couple of fist pumps-- Yes! :) The birthday boy had a BLAST and I think all of the kids were thoroughly entertained during the party and thoroughly exhausted by the end of the party. All good!

Click "Read more" for the SPACE party details

[Summer 2012] Floral Pants

2012-05-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

[Inspired by] Fish Scale Pattern

2012-05-16T13:17:00.002-07:00

I adore a good Fish Scale Pattern-- it's uniform, eye catching and, with its curves, softens up a plain angular space. Besides, it reminds me of summer... which is right around the corner. Here are some fish scale patterns to inspire...

[Oh Martha Monday] A Little Geometry

2012-05-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Trends may come and go, but geometric patterns always capture my attention. Here are some ways to add a little geometry to your own life. All photos and links from Martha Stewart.

geometric designed door

geometric magnetic paint mural

polymer-clay jewelry

color block display

geometric suede pillow

decoupage bandanna frame

tailored throw pillows

fringed pyramid favor box

wall papered doors

Have a great week!

Happy Mother's Day!

2012-05-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

peony... in love

via bhg

Have a lovely Sunday!

[Round-Up] Unique Mother's Day Ideas

2012-05-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun Mother's Day ideas from around the blogosphere-

[Party] Decorative Paper Cups

2012-05-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in full-blown party mode and am having fun with the little details. I created glitter cups last week, and this week I'm working on some decorative paper cups. Since we're not having a lunch, I thought these small cups would be a fun way to serve snacks. Namely yogurt star cookies, space-themed goldfish crackers, fruit salad and astronaut ice cream.

And if you're wondering... These guys won't be at the SPACE party, but they sure photograph nicer than black paper!

click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Wordless Wednesday] Tea + Sprinkles = No No

2012-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

via eat drink chic

pssst... have a terrific day!

[Weekender] The One with Fast Cars, Frog Legs & Jackalopes

2012-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah, not our typical weekend. Although we did have our standard lazy Saturday morning and Smarty Pant's afternoon baseball game, Sunday was way off the beaten path. The Mister heard about an event in the Mohave desert where folks run their cars down a runway as fast as they can go... as in 200+ MPH. Whoa. Not my cup of tea. But it was cool to stand on the runway (far, far away from the fast cars & planes) and watch. The boys had fun playing on the tarmac. I mean, how many times do you get to play at an airfield?

I haven't been toting around my camera these days, but here are some pics from my phone.

While were were out there, we decided to stop at the very interesting, very kitschy Charlie Brown Farms. I'm not sure where to begin, but it's a mishmash of everything you'd find at a Country Fair tucked into a little building miles away from a main highway. So there were fried twinkies, snickers, basically fried anything that isn't good for you; plus dried fruits and nuts; plus smoked meats- I enjoyed my pulled pork sandwich; Plus exotic game- kangaroo, alligator, frog legs; And of course a crap load of candy, tchotchkes and cheap toys that ensure that you have to drag your kids out of there kicking and screaming. Literally.

Oh, and a jackalope too!

So it was an interesting weekend... to say the least. Every now and then it's good to have a little adventure. ;)

[Oh Martha] Citrus Inspiration

2012-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

gem-shaped lucite escort cards

these just caught my eye. they would also make a neat dessert table backdrop.

citrus zest lollipops

orange paper-lined bookcase

triple citrus cupcakes

read the comments if you decide to make them

citrus sorbet

how cute are these?

diy orange ombre paper lantern

i've posted this before, but who can resist a big ombre orange?

lemonade, limeade & pink lemonade

robertson/pasanella bedroom in their manhattan loft

love the use of plastic holders to display family photos

Have a creative week!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2012-05-05T10:55:00.002-07:00

via she knows

Piñata cookies? Yes please! Or perhaps a plate of enchiladas and a slushy, salty margarita? Yum.

[Party] DIY Glitter Party Cups

2012-05-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's seems that with every party I plan, I get a little obsessed about something. This time... it's nut cups. Yep. Good ol' nut cups that I won't be serving nuts in. So I did my usual research on Etsy and found several options, but with shipping and handling, they're pretty pricey for what they are. So I decided to DIY it.

I found a package of small cups at a discount party store for $4 and I already had the glue and glitter... So I really couldn't justify spending $14 for almost the same thing. Besides, lets face it, 6 year old boys could care less what the cups look like. :)

This was an easy project and gave me a chance to play with glitter. Not often that you get to pull out the glitter for a boy's party, so I took full advantage!

Misty May

2012-05-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Southern California is known for sun and surf, but in May and June, the coast is usually hit with overcast and gray. I actually don't mind the change, but after two weeks of mist, I'm starting to feel a little sun deprivation-- yawn! So you'll have to excuse me for my lack of posts lately. I'm just sleepy... blame it on the May Gray! Here's what's been keeping me going...

[Make] Star Paillette Garland

2012-05-01T12:30:00.002-07:00

How about a simple and economical way to add a little pizzazz to your party?

Gotta love paillette sequins...

And the mini glitter stars are fun too.

bling! bling! bling!

Click "Read more" for the details

[Oh Martha Monday] Mother's Day

2012-04-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is just around the corner, so I thought I'd do a little idea "research" over at Martha Stewart. Here are some finds for your mama and your mama's mama. :)

balloon bouquet

stamped book bindings

[Weekly Inspiration] 4.28.2012

2012-04-28T09:48:00.001-07:00

these pretty coffee filter flowers via two shades of pink

this neon party via lorajean's magazine

these paint swirl vases via centsational girl

these stenciled glasses via urban comfort

this cute dotted gift box via ambrosia girl

Oh yawn, stretch, sigh. The past couple of weeks have been exhausting. Lots of late nights because of back-to-back baseball games and school obligations... Which results in misbehaving kids and grumpy parents. Grrrrrr... Which also means I haven't done anything for Smarty Pant's birthday party... a little worrisome since it's just a 3 weekends away. Must.Do.Something.This.Weekend. Ah well, sometimes a little pressure is good. :)

Have a good one!

[Party] Space... The Invitation

2012-04-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! How did that happen so fast?? My big little guy is turning 6 next month (sigh). His fifth year was full of big milestones-- learning how to read & write, playing sports, increased maturity, lots of deep questions about the world around him... Five was an incredible year and I'm looking forward to year six!

This year, Smarty Pant's decided he wanted a Space Party. Cool! I'm so glad he didn't say Star Wars or some other theme that involves a lot of little people running around shooting and slashing at each other. I don't like to intentionally give myself a headache, ya know?

Anyhow, here's how the invitation turned out--

I took the astronaut photo years ago at the Museum of Flight in Seattle and, with a little photo shop magic, added a current picture of Smarty Pants.

If you're interested in using the astronaut for your own Space Party, I created a downloadable file. Just click the File tab and select Download to save it on your computer.

Also, here are the free fonts that I used for the invitation-- red rocket, rocket script, astronaut

So invitations are out... Let the party planning begin!

[Wordless Wednesday] Black & White Beauty

2012-04-25T05:00:00.001-07:00

via

pssst... aaaahhhh spring!

[Eat] Old Fashioned Lemon Bars

2012-04-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

There are a ton of lemon bar recipes out there, but this one... this one... is the best! Really. The lemon is great with a sweet tang and a slightly caramelized top, but for me, the simple crust really makes it memorable.

[Oh Martha Monday] Upcycle Ideas

2012-04-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

In honor of Earth Day (I'm a little late... it was yesterday), here are some creative upcycle projects from Martha Stewart.

I'm having a slow Monday morning... yawn. Have a great day!

[Weekly Inspiration] 4.21.2012

2012-04-21T11:24:00.003-07:00

this diy terrarium via making it lovely

this origami bow from magazines via how about orange

this herringbone wall how-to via the gold jellybean

this parmesan crusted egg on arugula via house of earnest

this stamped votive via carolyn at homework

this stenciled watercolors tutorial via grow creative

How is it already the weekend? We're having a Spring heatwave (94 degrees yesterday... aargh!). I'm not a heat person, so trust me, I'm not bragging. I spent yesterday putting away all the winter clothes. Hopefully I'm not being premature, but it feels like winter is officially over. Bring on the shorts and sandals!

So with my heat allergy and all, wish me luck as I sit for a couple of hours at Smarty Pant's baseball game this afternoon-- I'm melting! :) I hoping to work on some of the SPACE birthday party details too. This month is just flying by!

Have a wonderful weekend!

[Wordless Wednesday] Colors!

2012-04-18T08:20:00.003-07:00

via color me katie on flickr

Pssst... have a bright & cheery day!