Flower Arranging Class

[I see this in my future. Image: Martha Stewart]

I opened my University of Georgia alumni email yesterday to find out that the alumni association is offering a flower arranging class this month over lunch at the Atlanta Alumni Center. Not only that, but said flower arranging class is in my building. I have wanted to take a class on this for a long time-- how perfect!

Any fellow alums or local Atlantans want to take the class with me? [Think of all you can do. Spring is right around the corner!] Here are the details:

Flower Arranging Made Simple

Event Title:	Flower Arranging Made Simple Hosted by Ginger Bradshaw, '74
Date:	Mar 31, 2010
Time:	11:30AM - 1:00PM ET
Location:	UGA Atlanta Alumni Center 3475 Lenox Rd N.E. Atlanta, GA 30326
Description:	Join us for a fun flower arranging how to lunch group. Ginger Bradshaw '74, started her own floral business, Ginger Lily Events and Florals after her daughter's wedding several years ago. She will teach us how to create simple but beautiful arrangements using treasures from your yard or home. How to make your flowers last and the tools you need to make arranging easy. Lunch will be provided by RA Sushi.

Sushi & flower arranging for $15-- sign me up!

Ashley

My First Adventure in Estate Sale-ing

Saturday morning I joined my mom on a buying excursion. We visited several estate sales going on in Atlanta this weekend. This was my very first time estate sale-ing-- and I am ADDICTED. We had a great time and met a lot of interesting people. Some sales were incredible and others were just...interesting. Regardless, we walked away with lots of great stuff. I found that the hardest part was talking myself out of keeping everything for my own home!

Check out what we found:

We picked up a few seasonal items to add a hint of Easter to the booth.


We found some great serving pieces. Add a touch of polish and they are as good as new. A simple cut glass vase in the front. In the back left, a unique silver ice bucket. I absolutely love the metal bowl with the goose neck handles. See close ups below.


Wouldn't this ice bucket be FABULOUS on a bar?

The goose detailing is so unique.


We stumbled across a few decorative accents that would look great in bookshelves or on a mantel. The cross stitch piece is of Savannah. We plan to make a custom pillow with the cross stitch as the focal point.


This banana leaf basket made for bottles might need to stay at my house. I fell in love with this at the second house. We also came across a lot of traditional delft pottery. Being that my family is Dutch, delft holds a special place in our hearts. We found that 1950s gin bottle on the right selling online for $70! We were able to bring it home for a fraction of that price.


Crazy quilting was popularized in America in the 1880s and caused quite the stir at that time. We found this beautiful, large framed antique crazy quilt at sales #3.

Finally, one of my favorite finds of the day. Doesn't this remind you of something straight out of Anthropologie? The red bamboo frame accents the embroidery perfectly. I wish I had a home for this artwork. I am sure it will not last long at the booth.


...and that is what we found. I would say it was a success! What do you think?

Ashley

Giveaway at Simplified Bee

One of my favorite bloggers, Cristin, over at Simplified Bee is having a fabulous giveaway this week! Simplified Bee covers a range of topics from design to home organization. She has all sorts of great finds and great ideas for the home. I definitely recommend that you take a peek.

Back to the giveaway...She is giving away a Lady Jayne Office-To-Go tote to one lucky reader. Here's a sneak preview of the bags:
Now, get on over there and try to win!

Good luck!

Ashley

Friday Recipe: Seafood Salsa

In light of yesterday's posting about the excitement surrounding the approach of Spring. I decided to post one of my ALL-TIME favorite Spring/Summer recipes: Seafood Salad. My mom has made this forever, and I have no idea where the recipe originated. I don't care. It's just good.

A few tips:
1- If you have a vegetable chop, like this one from Williams-Sonoma, this recipe is a breeze! I love mine (a gift from my mother-in-law), and I would highly recommend it!


2- I like the salsa best after it's been refrigerated overnight. It's fine to eat it right away, but I think that the flavors meld together better with a little time.

3- This recipe makes a ton!

Enjoy!
½ lb small cooked shrimp (often called salad shrimp, very tiny)

½ lb. crab meat (I used canned but they do sell fresh containers in the seafood department)

2 Large tomatoes, chopped

1 Large yellow or green pepper (Yellow is prettier if they are not too expensive)

2 T. chopped onion

1 (7 oz.) can diced green chilies

½ c. fresh lemon juice

⅓ c. chopped cilantro

View full recipe

Mix & chill. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Spring Is Coming: Decorating the Deck

Atlanta felt a hint of Spring this past weekend and it put the entire city in high spirits! Temperatures have since dropped off, but that taste of warm weather was all we needed to start preparing for the sunny season!

We love to entertain and really enjoy grilling out in particular. We added on a large deck last Fall with the help of our amazing friends. However, we never quite added the finishing touches we had planned due to the onslaught of rain we experienced. As Spring approaches, we are antsy to finish the space.

The main items left on our list:

1- Paint the railings to match the trim on the house
2- Find/Build a buffet piece which will be used both for serving and to house the cable box for the outdoor television
3- Build custom cabinets for the Big Green Egg
4- Add decorative pillows to brighten the existing brown/bronze furniture
5- Purchase outdoor lamps to make the deck feel more like an outdoor living space

The good news? Pottery Barn just released a buffet in their Chesapeake line that matches our patio table. This is a much easier and inexpensive option than the built in. We already put one on order. I LOVE it! Check it out below:

(I only WISH that we had a pool too!)

Plenty of space for the cable box, servingware, glasses, etc.


I hope mine looks stocked like this all the time.


I will post pictures when the buffet comes in and continue to update on the progress of the other items.

Best,

Ashley

Birthday Weekend

I had a wonderful birthday weekend. The presence of my family and friends was enough to make the weekend great-- but I want to mention a few of the gifts I received that I thought would be interesting to my readers.

First, my husband bought me a tripod for camera. I hope that this results in better photography for the blog. You can be the judge of that!

My parents gave me a great book on gardening in the Southeast. (I am going to do a future post on this topic-- stay tuned.) They also gave me the gourd lamps for my bedroom project. Yay! The lamps are not in yet, but I will post photos of the bedroom transformation as soon as they arrive.


Finally, my sister-in-law Paige made me an AMAZING clutch on her new sewing machine. Please note, we have the same sewing machine. I got mine for Christmas. She got hers for her birthday in mid-January. Mine came out of the box this weekend. She has already taken classes and produced creations. Not just any creations-- but fabulous, wearable items. I am a little behind to say the least.

How great is this clutch? Notice the yellow lining peeking out...


The clutch closes with this button. Isn't the tapestry fabric beautiful?


Here it is opened up...


Up close shot of the lining. I LOVE this fabric!


She said that she got the idea from this book by Amy Karol, who writes the blog Angry Chicken. I flipped through the book over the weekend and I just might have to add this to my collection. Maybe I will actually start sewing?


Thanks for a great birthday weekend!

Ashley

Friday Recipe: Birthday Cake!

In honor of the day of birth of yours truly (which just so happens to be today), I have decided to make the Friday recipe of the day BIRTHDAY CAKE! More specifically, one of my favorite family recipes: CARROT CAKE.

The secret to a really moist carrot cake is using Gerber baby food in the recipe. Please note that I might be just the tiniest bit partial. My grandfather (who was just simply amazing and loved by all) had a long, very successful career with Gerber Baby Food. As a result, my family loves all things Gerber. Baby food is a great secret ingredient in a lot of recipes!

[Note: Check out the picture below of the antique Gerber peas can and Gerber train. My mom collects Gerber memorabilia. That's her as a baby in the swing. My grandpa took that picture when babysitting her. I just love it. Love my family.]

Anyway, back to the recipe...

Gerber Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 jars junior Gerber carrots (Gerber doesn't use jars anymore. 2 plastic containers=1 jar)

1¼ cup oil

Frosting:

½ box confectioner’s sugar

3 ounces cream cheese

¼ cup butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients first. Mix dry ingredients together and then add to wet ingredients. Pour into greased sheet pan; bake 45 minutes at 350. Cool.

View full recipe

Frosting: Beat together all ingredients.

Frost cake once cooled.

My mouth is watering just thinking about cake! Happy Birthday to me!

Have a great Friday--

Ashley