Cool coloring from best kid's magazine ever!

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Do you know about Anorak Magazine?  It is from the UK and it is awesome.  I stumbled across it at a Barnes and Noble a few years ago and pick it up whenever I see it, which isn't often.  The stories are clever and funny (and quirky thanks to English slang and terms that we aren't aware of) and the graphics are out of this world.  Its cool, kid appropriate and a great learning tool for teaching kids about other parts of the world.  

I came across this coloring page they did for H&M and thought it was rad.  The download is 3 pages of awesomeness and I'm sure that your kids will love it.  You can download it here.

And for sure check out their newer mag for younger kids, Ploc.  The graphics are vintage-inspired and totally drool worthy. 

Check out more fun stuff on their blog.

Subscribe to the magazine here.

Follow them on Twitter.

"Like" them on Facebook.  

Sharon

images via Anorak

Lowe's Creative Ideas...and me

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Some of you may have seen this on my Facebook page already but Lowe's recently posted this video they did at Blogher 11 where they had some bloggers talk about creativity. 

SEE THE VIDEO HERE (I couldn't figure out how to shrink the movie file size to work on blogger so you can check it out on the Lowe's Facebook page)  Did you remember to "like" them? 

I wish they would have passed out some ritalin or xanax or something because I am quite twitchy.  But this was a super fun opportunity.  Did you catch my roommate (Blogher roomie, that is) Amy, at the top of the video?! 

They've got a lot of fun holiday projects coming up so stay tuned!!! And be sure to visit the Lowe's Creative Ideas website for more fun tips and ideas! 

If you haven't yet signed up for the free Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine do it {here}.

Sharon

Video and still taken from video courtesy of Lowe's Creative Ideas

Glitzy and Girly, a Real Simple New Year's Eve Celebration

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Wow.  This is cutting it close.  Posting our New Year's Eve project on New Year's Eve... But Lauren and I think it is pretty special and we are so excited to finally be sharing it with you.  Here is how the project came to be...

I read my Real Simple Magazine cover to cover as soon as it arrives each month (to be honest, I skip over anything plant or garden related due to my black thumb).  I tear out the items I want to keep (mainly recipes) and then walk to my recycle bin.  And each month I think there must be something better I can do with this magazine.  Do I do this with all magazines?  Nope.  Us Weekly...wham, bam, thank you ma'am.  Food and Wine...Sayonara.  But there is something about the ink colors used to print the Real Simple pages.  It is so vivid and rich and the texture of the paper is so delightful.  And then it hit me.  I would create a full party from the pages.  But since my two small boys keep me quite busy and I am still have my craft training wheels on, I pushed the thought aside.  Then one day I read an interview with Lauren.  Everything she said told me that she was my Real Simple party soul mate.  I contacted her and without hesitating she became my partner in crime.  That was mid November.  And now we are pleased to finally be sharing this very special project with you all.  Happy New Year!  

What started out as a styled shoot ended up becoming a small party.  And it was a blast.  Although Lauren and I met a month and a half ago, we are on the same page with everything we do without even talking about it.  We knew that we wanted to create a New Year's themed party but as we don't like to be too "themey" with our celebrations, there are only a few nod's to traditional New Year's icons.  Since I have two little boys (who don't let me decorate their birthday parties in pink) and Lauren is a girly girl we were drawn to add girl's night elements as well.  And if you know me at all, you know I like dessert.  Like, a lot.  The idea of a dessert and champagne party was a no brainer.  But we wanted to break away from the structured, symmetrical, military-like precise dessert tables we've been seeing all over the place.  Dessert anarchy!   

Next week we will go in to detail on all the really cool elements of this party and show you all the ways we used Real Simple magazine to put together this gorgeous party! 

Quick side note:  Lauren lent me this fab fur vest and I totally felt like Rachel Zoe.  I die.

I can't leave well enough alone when it comes to parties and entertaining.  This project is proof!   The whole reason I started blogging was for the creative outlet and I have come to learn, over the last few years, that I have too much creativity for my own good.  I really crave sharing it with you and I aim to do just that in the new year.  Maybe Lauren and I will work together again (foreshadow) because we make a great team.  Lauren is crazy creative, a master crafter, super cool, totally sweet and ambitious.  I am so glad that this project brought us together.    

We could not have done this party without a few amazingly talented vendors.  I am so grateful to be part of such a creative community of truly generous artists willing to collaborate for the sake of creating something special.  These amazing photographs were taken by Ed of Up Imagery and Desi Mendoza and I am blown away with what they did.  It was a low light situation and they rocked it.  I love their shooting style and I can't wait to work with them again.  My baking angel, Kristin of Meringue Bake Shop, provided tons of baked treats (full food and drink details next week) that aren't only visually perfect but taste absolutely amazing!  She is amazingly talented!!! Big thank you to Glue Dots for supplying all the adhesive for this project.  From the minute I spoke to them about our idea, they were totally supportive and willing to help us out with our paper crafting.  They sent both Lauren and I pretty much all of their products to use and they really held this party together (pun intended).  Thank you to Lucid Absinthe, Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut and Segura Viudas Brut Reserva for sending product for this party which in turn lead to lots of giggles.  And of course Real Simple for having such beautiful pages! 

GUESS WHAT?!  Lauren has even more photos from the party on her blog today too.  Go see!!!!!

So be sure to come back next week to see even more from this party!  We sure hope you like this as much as we do!   

Sharon

Cheap and Chic with Daily Candy and Martha Stewart

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I know I said it would be a light posting week but I have to share this great tip for an easy yet sophisticated holiday table.  Daily Candy and Martha Stewart teamed up to share the step by step instructions on how to recreate this look in your own home.  Made up of mainly paper, this design is inexpensive and speedy.  And guess what!?!  There is also a giveaway for a few Martha Stewart craft products!  I've already entered (even though I have it on good authority that I am getting one of the items for Christmas - can you really ever have too much Martha?).  Read the full story and see more gorgeous photos over at Daily Candy.

For the giveaway, simply email giveaway@dailycandy.com, mention the giveaway in the subject line and be sure to include your name and address.  Enter until December 17th.  10 winners will be randomly chosen on Decemeber 20th.

And don't miss the AMAZING gift guides on Daily Candy.

Happy Holidays!
Sharon

photo via Daily Candy (by Emily Kate Roemer for Martha Stewart Omnimedia)

Rustic without the splinters

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As some of you may know, I have been working on a project (check back early Friday morning for details!!!). This project had several "rustic" elements to it. When I hear rustic, I usually think things like rough, uncomfortable, dirty, and not very chic. But as I sat relaxing this weekend, reading my Food and Wine Magazine, this party stopped me in my tracks. Put on by Silkstone, an event company based in NY, this party is the epitome of rustic chic. Those plexi cubes! What a brilliant idea! Look how unsplintery that old wood crate looks in there. And the empty wine bottles. So cool.
Next stop...tabletop. This quick, handmade table is so simple but stunningly beautiful at the same time. Nary a cocktail napkin or other decorative serving piece on the table, the herbs steal the show.
Every element shown, and by George I wish there had been more!, was perfect. And you know I love a do it yourself cocktail bar.
The party was a take on a crush party from the world of wine. Here, instead of having guests get their feet all mucked up, you were invited to use your hands. I hadn't heard of Silkstone before but this makes me want to see what else they have been up to. And the cool thing about reading the article in Food and Wine online is they have purchase suggestions in case you want to "borrow" the look at home. While the plexi glass cubes they recommend were rather pricey, I'm sure some of the diy-ers out there can come up with a much more economical option.

Sharon

All photos from Food and Wine Magazine by Michael Turek

******My photo shoot will be up Friday AM. Check back here for the link!

A craft even I can do

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*BEST OF...This post was originally from July 15, 2008 and while summer is over for some and slowly winding down for others, we've still got a few months of sunshine left (at least on the west coast). In fact, I'm thinking of making these for a movie watching party...

For my son, O's first birthday, I had a grand vision of custom cushions to match the custom easy up covers that would create this fantasy, country club oasis. I found the perfect fabric in downtown Los Angeles, and although covering the canopies sounded like an easy idea at the time, it proved to be a daunting task (the simple math for figuring out how much fabric we would need nearly left T and I disfigured). But surely cushions would be a piece of cake, right? Wrong-O. Luckily my close family friend, Jenny, came to my rescue (as she did with my wedding too! Thanks Jenny!) and helped me sew them all the weekend before the party. So when I was perusing my new copy of Family Fun magazine and saw these no sew outdoor pillows, I became very excited and felt there were others out there whose ideas are often bigger then their craft capabilities. With only 4 items needed, I am pretty sure that I could do this. And I have a feeling you can too. Check out the directions and modify them as you would like. I'll tell you what, I'm so ready for my next outdoor party. There are going to be a whole heck of a lot of pillows in coordinating colors and patterns. I can't wait!

s-

Now you're cooking

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I have always wanted to set up a cooking club with my friends. I love the idea of trying out some new recipes, pairing the wine and generally entertaining them. And what is even better with a cooking club is you get to have amazing food and conversation monthly, but only have to clean when it is your turn to host! So then I went and moved an hour away. Although I get to see my friends quite often, the idea of a scrumptious dinner and drinks followed by an hour drive home is not appealing. So for now, I will have to live vicariously through the other groups of friends who do this on a regular basis. But, if I ever move back closer to my friends, or make friends here, I'll be prepared. Bon Appetit magazine has a section in the magazine each month called, are you ready for it? Cooking Club. They take recipes from that issue and work it in to a theme, from pre-dinner cocktails and appetizers to dessert. Since menu planning is one of my favorite parts of entertaining, it delights me to see what they come up with each month. Past themes were A Modern Comfort Menu, A Vegetarian Feast, and Cozy Winter Supper. And what is better, their online site provides even more information. Of course they provide links to all the recipes, but they have also prepared a PDF of a game plan with helpful hints to help you execute the meal. And some day I'll be able to use their PDF on setting up a cooking club. Okay, off to plan a girl's weekend with my friends. I miss them.

S-

(all photos are from BonAppetit.com)

Saddle up for the Kentucky Derby

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I have found, from doing this blog, that I am holiday averse.  A- posted on St. Patrick's day but I had no intention.  Similarly, I had no interest in blogging about Mardi Gras.  I have never been and all I know about it is that there is some cake with a creepy plastic baby in it and cheap, tarty girls show their naked boobs for really cheap plastic beads that they could buy from their local party store for about a dollar with their dignity in tact.  It might be because I am lazy or that my 3 year old really doesn't understand what each holiday is yet, but I don't decorate my home for them or really do anything extra special.  Maybe as the kids get older this will change and I will be more open to blogging about them.  But here is something I find interesting.  I can't wait to do this post about the Kentucky Derby.  Why? You ask.  The hats.  I love fashion, especially if it is over the top and the hats worn to the Kentucky Derby are crazy big.  J'adore. (I do kind of feel like I have been there to through watching episodes of that JSimp and Nick Lachey Newlyweds show).  So as usual, I was reading a magazine.  In the newest issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay shows us his fridge.  And in his interview he mentions a website that he contributes to called Kentucky Derby Party.  It is a website dedicated to entertaining and parties around the Derby.  It includes invitations you can send, food, fashion, Derby Trivia, a shop to buy merchandise and of course lots of Bourbon based drinks.  There will be no further posts by me about the Kentucky Derby which is in the beginning of May.  This website has it all.  The weather here is perfect today and I'm thinking I might try to whip up a mint julep for myself...have a great day.

S-

I can't wait!

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Sorry for the light posts last week.  Turns out A has pneumonia AND tonsillitis.  What?  And I had a friend in from out of town (well, I didn't have her here but she was in my old town which is an hour away so I drove up there a few times, which, let me tell you, takes a ton of packing up when you are carting your two kids with you) and time just got away from me.  But I couldn't wait to be back and tell you about something I came across.  Of course it came from a magazine, that's how I roll.  Gourmet Magazine has something that they are going to be rolling out soon called Gourmet Guest List - "where social networking meets home entertaining"...Awesome.  Check it out.  They are taking sign ups and will let you know when the site is ready.  I hope it is soon.  I bet we are all going to love it.  I have to go eat my weight in Girl Scout Cookies now.  Yum,

S-

Is it possible?

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Does anyone out there remember Doorknock Dinners on the Food Network?  It was hosted by Gordon Elliot and he would knock on random people's doors, bringing with him a chef, some entertainment and a camera crew.  The premise was that they had to use only what was found already in the home's fridge and pantry and they would create a magnificent meal for the family that evening.  I always hoped that he would ring our doorbell one day.  Well, not too long ago, my sister, K, had something similar happen to her.  She had made friends with chef and restaurant owner, Nancy, who also writes a column for Nevada Home Magazine where she goes to your house and makes dinner with items that you already have.  Here is the kicker.  She only allows herself an hour to do all the cooking!!! Yikes!  So my sister was lucky enough to have them over one recent weeknight to prepare a dinner for the Thanksgiving issue.  So this Thanksgiving inspired dinner, which sounds better to me then the usual whole shebang, is what they came up with.  They couldn't have picked a better house to do this at as my sister has EVERYTHING imaginable in her pantry and also the most full fridge and freezer anyone has ever seen.  The great thing about this article is that they provide all the recipes for you.  Hello Maple Cinnamon Apples, I'm coming for you.  Link over to the magazine site for the recipes and see if you might be able to use these at your next get together.  Nancy also has recipes in this issue for a Hanukkah meal as well.  My sister raves about her food so I think I will check her articles every month from now on.  Not only does Nancy run a cafe and catering company and write these articles for the local magazine, she also has time to write a food blog.  The blog has a ton more recipes, like for a Classic Banana Layer Cake, a Tart Cherry Crisp with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and Brioche French Toast.  Yes, there are recipes on there for savory dishes too, but I'm pregnant and these sweet treats are really appealing to me right now.  I think I will go dip a banana in some cream cheese and cinnamon and sugar and pretend it is Nancy's Banana Layer Cake...

And if you are in Reno, check out Nancy at Dish Cafe and Catering.  It is my first stop on my next trip out there.  

s-

Ode to wine

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To my dearest, long lost friend...wine,

Oh, how I have missed you. The way you can turn hamburger night in to an elegant affair. The way you make learning fun. The way you can make a long lunch feel so decadent. These have been 7 long months so far. I look forward to when we can meet again. And while you will be an integral part of the upcoming holiday season for so many others, I will have to be content with just smelling your sweet aroma. I know that most people say that I can drink you in moderation and my baby won't come out with three arms. And while "low birth weight" has never sounded like such a bad idea to me (can I get an amen, T), you just don't taste that great to me right now. My palette is much more tuned in to the fine nuances of the Kit Kat and Ben & Jerry's. But I was very happy to see the folks at Food & Wine Magazine have put out 5 Tips for Holiday Wine Buying. Their tips are smart, simple and the guide is very easy to use. They give several specific wine options, in varying price ranges, to go along with each tip. I love this. And I plan on systematically going through and trying each and every bottle listed as soon as possible. This guide would be perfect for planning your holiday dinners and even planning parties through the rest of the year. Of course, the rest of the website is a wonderful entertaining resource. They have a search engine to find the perfect wine. You simply just put in some key information and they guide you to something specifically suited to your tastes. Now if you'll excuse me, my current amore Kit Kat is beckoning from the other room...

s-

FREE DOWNLOADS!!!!!

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I love holidays too. And actually, my love of holidays is what has inspired today's post. When I was younger, I always had visions in my head of these huge family holiday dinners where my kids and their cousins would be sitting at the table like little adults with their perfectly ironed outifts and their perfectly just-so hair with their freshly washed hands and faces. Clearly, this vision came way before the actual kids did. If you've ever tried to actually entertain with children, you know what a joke this is. I still consider myself pretty new to this whole parenting thing, but one thing I HAVE learned is that when I need my kids to sit still, I better have a few tricks up my sleeve. Which is one of the reasons I love the folks over at Family Fun. Did you realize they have a whole "downloads and printables" section on their website? If you are even thinking about entertaining with kids this holiday (or any other) you need to check it out. For Thanksgiving, they've got printable coloring pages, games and activities all totally cute and all with a "Thanksgiving" theme. Put these out on your kids table this year and you might be giving thanks for five more minutes of adult-conversation. And it doesn't stop there! There's even some downloads for you too! They've got recipe cards, shopping lists and party planning helps to download too. And its all free! By the way, don't just file this one under Thanksgiving, they've got printables for EVERYTHING! (If you are still searching for Halloween party ideas, their printables are super cute). No matter what the occassion, you can always count on them to have something to entertain the troops and make you look like you've got it all together! I won't tell if you won't!

a-

Food Network delivered to your door!

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You know my love of magazines is rivaled only by that of Starbucks, aka The Bizzle.  Let me briefly call your attention to the most amazing hot chocolate I have ever had, which just happens to come from The Bizzle.  The Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate is so superb that even though the weather has been wavering between 50 and 100 (I know, bizarre, right?), I want this hot chocolate every day.  But enough about The Bizzle.  On our trip to Costco this morning, O and I came across the magazine section.  "What is that!"  I nearly shouted as I began to dance a jig similar to Ashley Simpson's on Saturday Night Live when she was caught red haired lip syncing.  What caused that commotion you ask?  The Food Network Magazine.  Yes, you read that correctly.  How long have I been in the dark?  Why have I not heard about this!!! It said premier issue on the cover, so I let out a huge sigh of relief that I didn't have to order like 20 back issues.  And I think I have not heard about it  because I have been watching more Noggin than Food Network lately.  But I want to make sure all of you know about it.  While the magazine is certainly geared towards, duh, cooking, there are several things that relate to entertaining besides just menu planning.  They have all kinds of cool gadgets and of course drink recipes.  There was a cute tablescape in the magazine that had some inexpensive touches that I think I may steal, er, I mean borrow.  You have to check it out.  The Food Network website is already a huge resource for me, but I love to have things at my fingertips to peruse through as I am planning a party or just my weekly dinners.  A subscription is for sure on my Christmas list.  I can't wait to see the next issue!!!!!!  It seems as though my research has uncovered that they are currently testing the magazine.  You have to buy it!!! Don't let another good magazine go away (Sassy, Child...RIP!).

s-

One Big Cupcake

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I am so sorry this post is up so late today. But better late than never right? I don't even want to get started on what my morning has been like. Nothing has gone the way it was supposed to. But I guess that's no excuse. Especially since I am not preggo or moving like my friends S & T. I really feel like a slacker having such a hard time posting when S somehow managed to post all week even WITH moving. But enough about me. You want to know what I've got for you today, right? I should probably start by saying that I am OBVIOUSLY not the most organized person out there. I need to put that out there for you. I read about a million blogs every day and subscribe to a multitude of online newsletters and magazines so I really mean it when I say that I have no idea where I first saw this. But I think its great regardless. I have spoken before about my love of cupcakes and what could be sweeter than a GIANT cupcake? Its a cute alternative to a regular plain-old birthday cake. I am totally seeing this cake as the centerpiece for a "sweet" themed birthday party. Or now that I think about it, this would be the perfect cake to bake to accompany Rachael Ray's "BIG" kids party (one of my favorite party themes she's had in her mag). Either way, I think its a great idea. You can find these GIANT cupcake-cake pans at Williams-Sonoma, or find the slightly cheaper Wilton version at many large chain stores like Target or at their own online store. Its a bit of an investment (about $30) but think about the money you would spend on a regular boring bakery-made cake and its a bargain. Plus, you can reuse it again and again in different ways! Like this princess-castle cake featured on the Wilton site, or like the carousel cake on the Williams-Sonoma site (pictured above). Plus, you cupcakes are all so creative I'm sure you could find a million other cute ways to use this cake pan!

a-

Let them bake cake!

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Sometimes, we focus so much on all the little party details that we totally blow it on the cake. We either run out of time or ideas and end up serving the standard white sheet cake with some haphazard candles and icing gel you grabbed last minute from the grocery store. Maybe for your next party, start with the cake. Use the cake as the focal point and then plan the rest of the party around it. Family Fun Magazine online has a great cake contest going on right, The Best Cake Face Off. This is the perfect place to get your cake idea. They have the cakes divided into categories and they are pretty amazing. This contest was touted as cakes done by "everyday bakers" which I'm not sure that I buy. I think I would consider myself and everyday baker and I can barely ice a round cake. These people seem borderline professional. If you feel up to the challenge, each cake entered has also provided the recipe for you to recreate at home. Or you can use the contest as a resource like me. I would find the cake that I like, print out the photo and run to my nearest bakery. That's how I roll. Please go have a look. The voting is set up in rounds and is really quick. I'm not sure what the winner wins, if anything other than bragging rights. But you know, that is sometimes enough. Once you are done perusing the cake contest, head over to the permanent resource on the site for cakes. There are more photos, recipes, tips and more. You should never end up with a cake disaster again.

s-

MS Kids Archives

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You know how sometimes when you find that perfect item you want one in every color, size, etc....like when you find the perfect eyeliner or perfectly fitting top or jeans. Well, that's sort of how I feel about Martha. I love her. I aspire to be her (or at least aspire to pretend to be her in my own sort of lazy way that involves no cooking, sewing or cleaning). Anyway, naturally when she started coming out with magazines back in the day, I wanted to subscribe to all of them. My favorite, even back before I had kids of my own was her Martha Stewart Kids magazine. I'm so sad that its not around anymore because I always found the cutest ideas in those magazines. And to round it out, each issue always had a themed kids party. Now don't get me wrong - some of them were just a little over the top. Like the woodland fairy party where they suggested renting white horses to "set the mood"....anyhow, one of my favorite kids parties of all time was her Flower Power Birthday Party. I used the article on this party to throw a birthday party for my nieces and it was as easy and inexpensive to put together as they make it sound. We're talking a few bags of balloons, some colorful fabric and candy favors. What could be easier. And I recently discovered that although the magazine is not published anymore, they still have plenty of their articles archived at http://www.marthastewart.com/. Including my favorite Flower Power theme! The online article comes complete with detailed, photos included instructions on how to make balloon flowers - much easier than you might expect! And I would highly recommend taking the time to make the flower cupcakes. Not too difficult, even for a beginner like me and just so cute when they are all finished. So try this for your little girls next bash or if you like, check out the other archived kids party themes on the site. R.I.P. MS Kids. You are missed!

A-

Backyard Carnival!

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I've got to make this one a short post today cupcakes. I'm up to my eyeballs in grouchy kids and a sick husband. Not a good combination (those of you who can relate are feeling my pain right now). So anyway, I don't know if any of you have seen this month's Parents magazine, but they have the cutest backyard carnival party, complete with lots of photos and how-to's. Best of all, they've got the article online for those of you who don't subscribe. It can be found here. If you're searching for your next kids party theme, this just might be a winner. And as a bonus, you won't have to deal with the carnies or the deep fried oreos, snickers or coke (yes, they deep fry coke now - who knew?).

a-