bliss bloom {blog}

[Oh Martha Monday] Shiny Happy Yellow

2012-02-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

My kids are tan, the songbirds have returned, last week I was running around in flip flops... Sorry winter, I didn't really have a chance to delve into my sweaters and scarves this year... So I'm moving on to Spring. No hard feelings, kay? This Spring, bright pastels are all the rage and shiny happy yellow leads the pack. Here are some fun yellow ideas from Martha Stewart.

painted wood cake stand

Twins?

2012-02-26T09:12:00.001-08:00

While making breakfast, I cracked open an egg and got two yolks-- Twins!

The twin chicklets that could've been... instead we ate them for breakfast. I cringed a bit. Do you ever think about where your food comes from when you're preparing it? I always have those moments when deboning a chicken or removing that giblet package from a turkey. Then I get over it. num num num... :)

[Weekly Inspiration] 2.24.2012

2012-02-24T19:35:00.001-08:00

these crystal decanter lights at the conquine bar in london-- a diy-able upgrade from mason jars perhaps?

as seen on designalogue :: purchase from lee broom

this bird feeder toddler craft via [dandee]

this tour of amanda wright's home. it's the perfect mix of mid-century modern, rustic and whimsy. she's the talent behind wit & whistle and, coincidentally, i just purchased a couple of her prints for my home.

via design sponge

this colorful garden pot via one eyed dog on etsy

these cute clock plates via mineheart :: as seen on decor8

this beautiful paper cut light via hannah nunn :: as seen on all things paper

Any plans for this weekend? My plan, if I can convince The Mister to help, is to finally hang some artwork up on our walls. I've finally figured out the "look" that I'm going for in our kitchen and have slowing been purchasing pieces to hang in our kitchen nook. I also REALLY want to hang up the artwork above our bed and the curtains in our master... It's been ready to go for over a year and it's gotten to the point that I hardly notice all that stuff piled in the corner of our room. Terrible... I know!

So that's the plan. If the stars align, maybe it'll happen! :)

Have a fantastic weekend!

[Make] Dixie Cup Garland

2012-02-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

I originally intended for these dixie cup lights to be a Christmas project. I first blogged about them last August and I've had them in the back of my mind ever since. I was just going to wait until December rolled around again... But then the other day, when I was rummaging around my craft room, I saw the string lights and dixie cups and decided to break them out-- Why wait? String lights aren't just for the holidays anymore, right?

[Wordless Wednesday] Confetti Balloon

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

source

Pssst... have a creative day!

[Make] Marbleized Paper

2012-02-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Oh Martha Monday] Sea Foam Green

2012-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Colors are abound this Spring and sea foam green will be a popular choice. For me, that soft and ethereal color evokes memories of the beach, a frothy mint drink, my junior high eyeshadow (eek) and Prom 1988 (ew). So some good and some cringe-worthy memories-- Perhaps a color I'd rather look at than wear. Here are some Sea Foam Green inspirations from Martha Stewart--

vera wang bridal dress - vera wang spring 2012 bridal collection

[Make] Paintable Yarn Bottles

2012-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

After having so much fun making a huge mess with the glue & cornstarch mixture that I used for the yarn hearts and yarn words, I decided I needed MORE! The texture of the hardened yarn is paintable, so I decided to create some yarn vases that I could pretty-up with a little paint.

A nice mix of texture and color.

[Wordless Wednesday] Cold Hands Cure...

2012-02-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

via daily teacup

pssst... thanks for stopping by!

Hearts & Blooms

2012-02-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

I made a special Valentine's lunch for the boys.

Before you start thinking I'm super (crazy) mom, these are all ideas that I've seen elsewhere but, unfortunately, I didn't bookmark the source. Yeah, so it was another super (crazy) mom or dad that came up with the carved banana and heart sprinkles sandwich. Since my boys were so excited for Valentine's Day that they kept calling it Halloween, I decided they needed a fun (but not too girly!) lunch.

The Mister did good. I woke up this morning with that "if I lean over too far my head feels like a sandbag is on top of it" feeling. You know that feeling? But when I came home to this bright and happy bouquet, I found that I just need to gaze at those awesomely green chrysanthemums for a quick pick-me-up. Sandbag be gone! He also wrote me the best card ever... but I won't be sharing that. :) I'm a lucky girl!

Smooch!

2012-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

[Oh Martha Monday] Stripes

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

I bet you knew this was coming.

A couple of weeks ago it was polka dots, so of course now

are in order.

I always gravitate towards stripes... as my closet can attest. They can be orderly and uniform, but with a change of color and width, they can also be nautical and playful. Here are a great collection of stripes from Martha Stewart--

layered coconut pound cake

[Weekly Inspiration] 2.10.2012

2012-02-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

this cool living room via house to home

these beauties by monique lhuillier :: as seen on a diary of lovely

this pink and glitter party... perfect for your inner girly-girl via cake.

this white chocolate confetti popcorn. my boys would be all over this!
via the glitter guide

these fun blocks via zenblocks on etsy

We have a busy weekend ahead of us-- baseball practice, basketball practice, travel 50 miles to our friend's birthday party in the evening. Then travel 50 miles back home again for a baseball team meeting, basketball game and end-of-season party. I don't think I'll have a moment to even have a creative thought! But don't worry, I'll try to sneak it in... Thank goodness for Etsy and Pinterest iphone apps! :)

Have a creative weekend!

[Inspired by] Hearts

2012-02-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

[Make] Personalized Super Hero Pops

2012-02-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Last year when I saw an awesome super hero Valentine's lollipop from zakka life, I bookmarked the free download that she graciously offered.

via zakka life

Since then, these "super" pops have been everywhere! I've seen them on a ton of blogs and if you read FamilyFun magazine you've probably seen them there too.

BTW, if you foresee a Super Hero birthday party in your future, she also offers up a free Non-Valentine's version.

So I made a few super hero pops using the cute mask, and also made some "personalized" ones for Happy Vee's preschool class. With a little photoshop magic, it was an easy project.

Click "Read more" for the details

[Oh Martha Monday] Valentine's Day Projects

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that Valentine's Day is next week? To get in the mood for the Day of L♥ve, here are several heart-shaped projects from Martha Stewart.

pom pom heart

[Make] Ninja-Pop Valentines

2012-02-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was busy making the boys' classroom valentines. Smarty Pants requested ninjas, so with a little help from a purchased clip art set, I created these fun cards--

I also created a non-photoshop version...

They're Here! TOMS Ballet Flats

2012-02-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting for these pretty little ballet flats to arrive-- and finally they're here! Now that I spend most days on the run, I'm always on the lookout for comfortable, pretty and unique shoes. And with TOMS charitable One for One Movement, these ones really fit the bill. My old comfy Born flats were retired last summer, so I ordered the colorful Lina flats and can't wait to see them in person.

When I purchase online, I always look for Free Shipping and additional savings. I found a few savings options for the TOMS Ballet Flats--

The TOMS ballet flats are available at Nordstroms (ships Feb 18th) with free shipping.

an additional 6% back with mr. rebates

or 5% back with Ebates

They're also available at TOMS

code: ShareToms or NewBalletFlats for $5 off

and an additional 5% back with Ebates

or 6% off with mr. rebates

Have you joined Mr. Rebates or Ebates? They're a great source of savings if you shop online-- And yes, you really get the money back. And if you sign-up friends, your friends and you get an additional referral fee (Ebates) or a 20% cut of their earned rebates (Mr. Rebates). I linked my referral code, but if you don't want to use it you can head directly to their site and sign-up.

Since my boys are allergic to shopping, I do most of my purchasing online-- with coupon codes and free shipping, sometimes it's a better deal than going to a brick & mortar. Anyhow, this is NOT an advertisement, just thought I'd share a few ways to save!

BTW, I ordered them from Nordstroms since I wasn't sure on the size (they supposedly run a 1/2 size big) and, if necessary, I can return it at the store or free via mail.

I'm a bad influence. Sorry. :)

[Home] LOVE. Valentine's Mantel

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

That's LOVE (period).

Fun and to the point.

Click "Read more" for the details

[Wordless Wednesday] London on the Move

2012-02-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

source

pssst... happy wednesday!

[Weekender] The One With... Sewing Lessons, Michael Jackson, Banana Bread, Falcons & Homework

2012-01-31T10:23:00.000-08:00

What an odd compilation of activities!

It doesn't happen often, but every now and then I'll have a jam-packed weekend. And, thanks to my parents who came over to watch the boys, The Mister and I were able to go on not one, but two dates! Here's what I was up to this past weekend--

[1] SEWING - I took a sewing class... Can you believe it?

Now, that I know how to thread a machine... I'm armed and dangerous!

[2] MICHAEL JACKSON - We had a date night-- Yippee!

First we ate yummy Persian food at our favorite kabab place in the Valley...

Koobideh, roasted tomatoes & peppers, and saffron rice. So good!

Then enjoyed Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson experience...

It was a wonderful mix of all things Cirque du Soleil (acrobats, gymnasts, contortionists) and awesome dancers and, of course, great, great music. I thought it was a nice homage to a great performer. I had to laugh at the reviews that complained about the acrobats, gymnasts & contortionists... It's Cirque du Soleil people, what were you expecting??!!

[3] BANANA BREAD - I made yummy Banana Sour Cream muffins for Smarty Pant's basketball team and bread for us.

light and moist with a cinnamon-sugar crunch. Yum! here's the recipe

[4] FALCONS - We took a drive to the Terranea resort in Palos Verdes and enjoyed beautiful scenery, good food, great company and balmy 75 degree weather. Aaah!

I used to live in the area and had no idea that it is now a vacation destination... crazy!

We saw a falconry show too!

According to the handler, they can fly up to 250 MPH... I believe it!

Hanging out with a hood.

Eating some yummy pigeon treats.

They are used to keep seagulls from over-populating the area... And sure enough, when he was in the air, all of the birds disappeared. Except the pelicans.

[5] HOMEWORK - I wrapped-up the weekend by "helping" Smarty Pants with his "Star of the Week" board and display. And I naively thought that I was done with homework years ago! Silly me.

So it was a busy, busy weekend, and although I was thoroughly exhausted and am now buried in laundry and dirty dishes... It was worth it!

[Oh Martha Monday] Polka Dots

2012-01-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

I just love polka dots. They're happy and cheerful, but can also be retro and elegant too. Here are some polka-dotted ideas from Martha Stewart--

polka dot pea soup

[Make] Yarn Hearts

2012-01-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

[Inspired by] Bright Colors

2012-01-26T12:47:00.000-08:00

Comments Gone Wild!

2012-01-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

source

Okay, not really wild... Just not working.

I switched to Intense Debate (ID) a few months back and while there were some perks-- I could respond directly back to the commenter and they could also link to their own blog posts, which is a cool way to connect. But the not so good-- lost comments, comments that I could see via email, but not on the actual post, plus I could never really figure out how to manage my un-user-friendly-ID account, then it started eating the comments from my pre-ID posts (or so it seems), ... Or perhaps it's Google Blogger trying to twist my arm into joining Google+? (They just dismantled the awesome Picnik photo-editing site so right now I'm blaming everything on darn Google).

So anyhow, I disabled ID and switched back to the ~~lame~~, but functional Blogger comments-- Hey, Blogger recently updated to threaded comments. Yay, I'm back on board. This means that the last few months of comments on ID are now gone. I'll try to rebuild, but I'm not sure if the strain on my non-technical brain is worth the effort (??) But I'm bummed. I hate it when technology bites me in the butt.

Alright, I'll pull my teeth back in and go back to playing with yarn and glue. :)