Jolies Poches!

I have been busy working on a new product. I would love to know what you think! I am calling them Jolies Poches, that's french for "Pretty Pockets". I will be creating these in all different designs including Birthday greetings, holiday greetings and personalized too. They will be embellished with dupioni silk ribbons, crystals and paper blossoms. There will also be a line of Mini Jolies Poches. I love making these! They will be listed in my boutique under One of a Kind.

What I Love About My Home!

I love Karla's idea about showing what we love about our homes. How much fun is it to get a look inside of other's homes and the different ways we all decorate! Well first I have to mention that I love my entry hall table at Christmas because it was just featured in Romantic Country's Winter 2007 issue. I am mentioned on pg. 71. A small pic but a big deal to me since it is my first! I am so excited, I think I will frame it! You can even see our family pic in the photo. My kids thought that was so cool!

I love this sign because it is so true!

This chandelier in my kitchen is another thing I love - it's a $10 church sale find! The bulbs cost more. And of course I added the shades, berry rings and crystals.

A couple of more favorites - my girls' rooms!

I have many more to share. I will try to add more later today!

Cooking School

This weekend I went to the most amazing cooking class with my mom. The class was held in an open barn on a beautiful vineyard in Southold,NY which is on the North Fork of LI. It's a beautiful part of LI known for it's wineries and very popular farmstands. The host and hostess were great! They make Rose' wine (which is sampled during the class) and their property is just gorgeous. The owner, Paula Croteau has a schedule of classes some on the weekend and some during the week. Each class has a different theme. This weekend's was Totally Tomato. Paula is very relaxing to listen to and has so many great cooking tips! We got to help prepare many new recipes and of course sample everything we made. My mom really enjoyed the day! I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for something different. I think gift certificates to her school make great gifts even for couples. What a great bridal shower gift! The contact info for the school is: Farmhouse Cooking and Baking School email: Paula@FarmhouseKitchen.US
Look at this beautiful display of tomatoes!

Mom enjoying the cooking!

New Florals and Vintage Jewels!

I just finished some new florals that I will be listing this weekend. A couple of new wreaths for your front door and a wall cone all dressed up with some dupioni silk ribbon from Midori and a pink sparkly vintage earring. I love adding vintage jewelry pieces to my florals. It's also a really nice way to display a special piece from a relative. I think many of us have an old pin or other jewelry in a box somewhere. Why not put it on display so it can be enjoyed everyday!

Tea Party Time!

Yay! The Make Mine Pink Tea Pary has begun. I can't wait to check out all of the great tea parties going on around the world. I was so excited about this. The first thing I did was run out and buy this beautiful teapot. I didn't own one and decided that I NEEDED to have one!

I had so much fun with my kids preparing for this tea party. They wanted to be a part of it so we did it on Saturday and I decided to just make lunch out of it. My oldest daughter made the scones from scratch by herself and they were so good. She told me today she wants to open a tea cafe when she gets older.

We made cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad with cranberries and celery on mini croissants, and quick and easy linzer tart cookies ( using store bought flower shaped sugar cookies and sandwiching them with raspberry preserves in the middle). I also served store bought mini bluberry muffins, shortbread cookies and chocolate dipped wafers. We had blueberry green tea with our lunch ( kid's pick). And it was so delicious. Of course we served everything on the dessert stands that I sell in my shop, but don't they make the table pretty?

I loved how my kids came downstairs all dressed up for tea! It was really fun for everyone. I might have to make this a regular thing in our house. BTW, my husband was also part of the event, but came to the table in work clothes ( he was doing yard work ), so I chose not to photograph him!

Please visit http://www.makeminepink.blogspot.com/ for more virtual tea parties this week!

Tropical Party

Over the weekend, we had a tropical theme barbeque at our house. I love to have a theme when we entertain. This one was a lot of fun! We served drinks and appetizers outside and set up the dinner buffet inside. I love to create tablescapes. It makes the buffet table more interesting with different levels and props. I use hatboxes under the tablecloths to add some height to my platters. I layer different fabrics and add flowers and for this party theme, I added seashells and clear flat marbles. We also hung colorful paper lanterns and lots of light outside unter the umbrellas.

I tried to stick to the theme with the menu as well without getting too exotic or spicy as most of the caribbean foods are. We made some Key Lime Pie martinis to start and they were sooo good! For appetizers, I made Pig on a Stick (pork tenderloin strips) with orange marmalade sauce, Margarita Shrimp Cocktail, Bacon wrapped Pineapple, and my mom made Chicken Morsels with Mustard dip, I also put out some banana chips and tropical dried fruit and nuts. For dinner we had Flank Steak marinated in a tropical teriyaki and Jamaican Jerk Chicken. I also served Jasmine Rice with Pineapple and Fresh Ginger, Sweet Potato Fries, a Fresh Bean salad and a tossed salad with cranberries and sunflower seeds. For dessert I made Baked Bananas and served fresh Mango slices. It was a little bit of sweet and a little bit of spicy. I got all of my recipes from a few different cookbooks and magazines and would be happy to send any out if you are interested. Just let me know! It's also fun to make little signs for the different dishes. This way everyone knows what they are!

And for one last touch that is really nice - we made party favor music cds for everyone to take home. Lots of fun reggae and other caribbean songs that we had played during the night.