Design Me a Banner Contest!

Hey all you talented peeps out there! It's time to strut your stuff and design a banner for your favorite blog (yes, that's this one!). I will be setting up a flickr group for you to upload your banner ideas to and then all the readers get to vote on the best one. What's in it for you? You mean beside the prestige that you get to design a kick ass banner and get my undying love? You get prizes! A 20.00 gift card to a store or etsy shop of your choice and this cool book

 Now here's the details!
What: Design me a banner contest
Dimisions: Must be 692 pixels wide
When: Feb 17-March 3rd
Voting: March 4th-11th
How: Design a banner and upload it to this flickr group
Prizes: 20.00 gift card of your choice and a super cool book

Good Luck!

Let the Good Times Roll!

Yahoo! Mardi Gras is here! Before we prepare for Lent, it's time to dawn plastic beads (please don't tell what you did to get them-WINK),pull out that accordion and strike up a snappy Zydeco tune. How do you get the party started? By mixing a few cocktails of course!

The drink that made New Orleans famous, and the one you must have when you go there, is the Hurricane. Think of a spiked fruit punch. A really, really extreme, burn your eyebrows off, spiked fruit punch.

The Hurricane
2 oz light rum
2 oz dark rum
2 oz passion fruit juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 tbsp simple syrup
1 tbsp grenadine
Garnish: orange slice and cherry
Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

And what better way to celebrate Bourbon street than with a Bourbon Slush.

Bourbon Slush
2 tea bags
1 c. boiling water
1 c. sugar
3 1/2 c. water
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice (thawed)
3/4 c. bourbon
1/2 can frozen lemonade (thawed)
Steep tea bags in 1 cup boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove bags and stir in sugar until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Place in container in freezer until slush. Spoon into glasses and mix with 7-UP.

The last cocktail on our party route is the Ramos Gin Fizz also known as the New Orleans Fizz. Harold Ramos invented this drink in 1888 and it was kept under lock and key until the 1920's during prohibition.

Ramos Gin Fizz
2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp confectioners sugar
2 oz cream (or half and half)
2 drops orange flower water
Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a Collins glass.

Now that you've had your fill of yummy "gras" grog (or at least planned what you're going to get sloshed on), it is time to give thought to what you're going to give up for Lent. One thing I know, it sure isn't going to be a tasty beverage. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Feel Good Friday!

 Thank you Tad Capenter

Pat yourself on the back! We did it! We made it through another week with style, sass, and giggles.This Feel Good Friday is devoted to Love. Awww yeah....I know you're feeling it. You're picking up what I'm throwing down. Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into-shall we?
 

So, you're thinking what to get that sweetie of yours. You don't want to  go out to the local 7-11 and pickup some hack roses, do you?  How about going old school and making a mix tape. This time honored tradition will not fail you. Ladies love the mix tape-just saying guys. It's like 80's dance parties to us-we can not resist.

Nothing says loving like a stealth ninja coming at you. These cute little guys definitely won me over. Soraia_bejinhos rocks. 

The Rikrak Studio is such an awesome blog! It is so inspiring, uplifting and just pretty! Dont' forget to check out the handmade olympics!

Say you need a little good luck charm to get your mojo going again. This necklace from JMankin Design will defintiely help!

Are you feeling the love? Well, if this doesn't push you over the edge, nothing will! A little note to my sweetie

Mark-

I promise to be your wife, your best buddy, and the Bonnie to your Clyde, the Abbott to your Costello and the Elsa Lanchester to your Boris Karloff, for as long as I'm trapped on this physical plane. You are my life, my soul. The English Language has not yet come up with the words that describe how happy you make me happy. I love you.

Alright, alright...I know-I'm a big softy!-but if you're not crying over that, then something is wrong with you! Now go on you little strips of bacon, get out there and get your sizzle on!

Awwww....A Little Kitty Love

Now before you guys get all excited thinking I'm gonna start smooching, settle down! I found these cute little kitten patterns and couldn't resist sharing them with you for Valentine's Day.

 

  

  

I love that she is wagging her tail at him. Naughty! Aren't those the cutest little valentines? Now if you are really lucky, you still might get a little kiss from yours truly-just cause you're so cute! 

Isn't It Lovely?

I'm not sure if you know it-but there are some new ladies in town and man are they saucy! Maureen and Katie of Sew Lovely Embroidery make fabulous patterns with amazing detail. Did I mention that they are the sweetest? Check them out!

Tell me about Sew Lovely Embroidery?
Sew Lovely Embroidery began on a whim one summer day in 2009. After embroidering for months with other iron on patterns, we wanted to embroider something more detailed! After one crazy night of brainstorming and epiphanies, Sew Lovely began. We wrote down hundreds of ideas for patterns and possible business names and began the next day researching and sketching designs. Once we saw our first pattern in print (Pin-ups) we knew that this was what we wanted to do! We currently juggle our day jobs and Sew Lovely during the day and into the wee hours of the night. Maureen spends hours sketching and inking the designs and I spend my time researching and brainstorming new ideas and of course embroidering! Someday we hope to do this full time, and create a few patterns a month. We are so happy to be doing what we love, and hope you love what we are doing!

What inspires you?
Over the summer we went camping almost every weekend, being out in nature and away from everything inspired us to make this all happen. The ideas just kept pouring out of us! Sitting by the pool and river, stitching up all afternoon without a care in the world are the fondest memories of the beginning of sew lovely. We get inspiration from all things vintage! We get so much motivation from the flickr embroidery pool and the craft community in general. Seeing so many great projects and tutorials every day, makes us want to create more and more! It’s so exciting to see everyone in the craft community constantly creating new and different things, and the best part is everyone is SO nice and supportive (especially you and Jacquie from Mafiosagrrl, we love ya) ! Everyday we wake up and think, what’s next?

 

 

What does the future hold?
More patterns! Hopefully a stitching book! We are figuring out the best way to do custom patterns, we want people to be able to stitch anything that their heart desires!  We dream of opening up a stitching store someday in our favorite neighborhood in San Francisco, filled with walls and walls of thread and hoops and stitching everywhere! Here are a few custom examples that we did, this was for granny, she loves Frank and Ella and so do we!

Any words of wisdom for the fans out there?

Don’t ever think a project is too hard for you! Just go for it! The possibilities are endless with thread. Stitching is so fun and you can learn how to do anything. Also, if you find something you love to do, never give it up! If you keep trying you can make it happen.

Do you have a blog or website?
Yes, our etsy is SewLovelyEmbroidery.etsy.com and we just started to blog on sewlovelyembroidery.blogspot.com!

 

 

Bonus Question?
Favorite pin up?
Maureen~I love Candy! Who doesn’t!!!
Katy~ Daphne! The lines are so simple yet elegant. She looks so dreamy!


EEEP! Pin ups! Are they not the cutest ever? Maureen and Katy are so inspiring! I wish them the best of luck and next time I'm in San Francisco-we are so going out for cocktails! 

Love is in the Air.....

 

Awww yeah...it's that time of year again. Time for a little lovin'. You want to make your special friend a little dinner, bring on a little romance and dazzle them with a sexy, saucy cocktail. Well never fear you little love bunnies. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that will have them eating out of your hand and begging for more.

This drink will make your date giggle like a school girl (which might be a little creepy if your a husky male.) I can't resist the name or champagne.

Pink Flirtini
1 oz.  Raspberry Vodka
2 oz. Champagne
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
Combine vodka, Champagne, and pineapple juice in a highball or collins glass filled with ice.

Say you're having trouble even GETTING a date. Well, mix this one up at your next party and you are guaranteed a little smooching under the moonlight.

Love Potion #9
1 oz strawberry, vanilla or clear vodka
1/2 oz white crème de cacao
1/2 cup ice
scoop of vanilla ice cream
Pour the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. If the mix is too thick, add berries or milk; too thin, add ice or ice cream.

So, you've won them over and wedding bells are ringing. What a better way to celebrate than with a little cake.  (For the record-this sounds a little vile to me, but  I'm sure someone out there will love it-they say it taste like wedding cake-I'll take their word for it.)

Wedding Cake Cocktail

3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz Amaretto
1/4 oz orange juice
1/4 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz cream

Blend ingredients with ice, and serve in a highball glass. 

 Now, aren't you feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside? That's not love my friends, that the alcohol talking to you. So, get your liquid courage, tell that special someone how much you love them and enjoy cupid's arrow hitting ya in the tocks!  Bottoms up~

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.

AH... Valentine's Day! A day that you either want to give everyone some smooches or throw them off a 10 story building. Whether you love or hate the day-I found a few movies that will put you in the mood and a smile on your face.

Now let's get one thing straight. I am NOT a fan of the romance movie. Especially the romantic comedy. They pain me to no end and every time a new one comes out, my soul dies a little. That being said. There is one that touched my heart and made me want to find my own Lloyd Dobler. Say Anything is a romance comedy that will have you begging for more. John Cusack plays a quirky high school graduate who falls for the smart chick. The soundtrack is AMAZING. What girl did not want to have their favorite guy stand outside their window playing Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes. Melt-absolutely melt!

Another one of my all time favorites, that is now considered a classic piece of comedy, is Bull Durham. I'm not just saying this because it was filmed in my hometown, or because the story has a strong, smart & sexy leading lady in Susan Saradon, but due to the comedic young Tim Robbins and his singing about women getting wooly. If that doesn't make you laugh then you may want to check your pulse. This movie will make you have a new appreciation for baseball as well as the romantic comedy.

The last movie on my list is not a comedy but is definitely romantic. Breakfast at Tiffany's is an absolutely beautiful film. The sets, the costumes, the music- it all swirls around the magnificent Aundrey Hepburn playing the delightful Holly Golightly. The story involves two lost souls who find each other in the midst of finding themselves. And the young George Peppard is really easy on the eyes also.

Now, aren't you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside? Don't you feel loved? Do you have a cavity yet from all the sweetness? If the answers to all three questions are yes-then my job is done here.