anatomy of | A Thoughtful Bridal Shower Gift (Using The Registry!)

A few weekends ago, my sister and I headed over to Crate and Barrel to buy a Bridal Shower gift for Tessa. I like to think that I have a talent for gift-giving {exhibit A} but this was a challenge. Giving your best friend a spatula just seems kind of impersonal.  How do you shop for a bridal shower gift that's both thoughtful and uses the registry? Here's what I learned...

step 1. pick a theme

For Tessa, I went with "breakfast." Andy, her fiance, cooks this special mash-up of sausage and eggs titled "scramby" which has been known to help cure her migraines (and our occasional hang-overs). The picture below is of when they visited me in Boston and Andy found us a local breakfast joint where a coffee and an egg sandwich was less than five dollars!

step 2. pick out some stuff

When you get to the store, print off the registry and look for the small ticket items that relate to your theme or relate to one another. If you didn't come prepared with a theme, look to see if they registered for cookbooks and start there! Think: Italian Cookbook + Pepper Grinder + Garlic Press or Cupcake Cookbook + Baking Sheets + Measuring Cups.  (and don't be afraid to toss in a cute low-commitment extra that's not on the registry to really jazz it up. In the cupcake example, add sprinkles. People act like registries are so multiple guests don't buy the same gift but it's really because new couples don't want to end up with a ton of stuff that isn't their style. Sprinkles are edible - you can't go wrong.) 

dishtowels $9.90 for 2 (the ones in the picture are fancier and by marimekko $36.00) | quiche pan $15.95 | balloon whisk $7.95 | omelet and pancake spatula $6.95 | egg timer $4.95

for a total of: $45.70

or ... you could buy one frying pan for $49.95

Gifts like this not only seem more thoughtful but they're more "bang for your buck" if you're like me and on a budget for the bridal-bachelorette-baby-housewarming parties that seem to happen every weekend in the summer. So, leave the crystal wine carafe to Great Aunt Susan and head straight for the utensil section!

show + tell | Latter Lattice

using an old step-ladder as a trellis for peas in the garden. Genius, right? 

(photos) on film with Leica CL | Tessa's garden (p.s.) remembering 9/11 today. 

make | Forth of July Confetti Favors

Here's a celebratory project for you fire-phobes who think that a seven year old with something called "Pro Pyro Blaster" is your personal nightmare! The execution of this project is pretty straightforward. Confetti + Bag + Label = Good Time. The "cute" factor is just based on the materials.

MATERIALS :

• checkered wax bags : from Sur La Table
• Avery 2 1/2 inch circular labels (template # 5294) : these were a total cinch thanks to the downloadable template. I printed two variations with lines from "You're a Grand Ole Flag" : the land I love and every heart beats true for the red, white and blue.
• geometric confetti : isn't this a fresh and fun variation on confetti? The navy triangles are actually salvaged from the end cuts of tissue-paper poms. The gold strings are made of cut packaging tinsel.

 I just can't believe it's already almost Forth of July weekend! 

(photos and original project design by Samantha Shorey)

make | Earth Day Paper-White Project

One of the things people don't realize about being green is that the most sustainable thing you can do is not buying at all.  New products, even ones that are earth concious, require materials and processes that could otherwise be saved if you just use what you already own (or buy something vintage). 

This is a project made with things I already had around my apartment - except, of course, the paperwhite bulbs. Earth Day is actually a hoarders favorite holiday!

materials

• jars : the two clear jars once contained home-made fleur de sel carmel and strawberry preserves. the blue one I found in a thrift store at the coast
• rocks
• ribbon : the canvas ribbon was saved from a christmas present Amanda gave me two years ago, and the fern embroidered ribbon is vintage from the Sally Shim tag sale.
• ziva paperwhite bulbs

1. the paperwhite bulbs pictured have roots and a little sprout because I had already "started" them for a work project. Though they aren't very pretty, starting with just a bare bulb is ideal. Luckily, they start growing about 48 hours after they're placed over water
2. tie old ribbon around the old jars.
3. fill the jar with at least 2 inches of rocks. The bulbs don't require any nutrients from them, just a place to anchor their roots
4. fill the jar with water, stopping about a 1/4 inch from the rocks surface. If the bulb sits in water it could rot. 
5. allow the bulb to root in a cool dark place. Once leaves start to push through the husk, put it in filtered sunlight and get ready for paperwhite blooms. they'll look something like this. 

(photos and project design) by Samantha Shorey

make | Vegas Bachelorette Thank-You Card

Not only did I survive Las Vegas, I even stayed up past my usual 9:30 pm bedtime! Champagne can make a girl do crazy things. 

It's Mondays like these when an eraser will come in handy. That feeling - and the proverb what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas (hmmm ... that's a proverb right?) - inspired the thank you cards I made for the Maids of Honor. At seven dollars per dozen, Pink Pearls Erasers are a cheap and cheeky nod to an unforgettable weekend.  

They're made with the same simple process as the confetti bag favors. 

You can read the full DIY in a guest-post I did for Heather, at Joy of All Crafts!

(photos and original project design) by Samantha Shorey

make | A (Sweet) Bachelorette Gift

One of the activities that the Maids of Honor planned for Laura's bachelorette party was a lingerie guessing game. All of the attendees brought a gift for her, and she guessed who each piece is from. 

I can be such a square when it comes to sexy things, so I decided to put together a box that was on the sweeter side. It was inspired by lines from the movie Sweet Home Alabama :

"what do you want to be married to me for anyhow?
"so I can kiss you anytime I want"

I repurposed a box from Anthropologie with a strip of washi tape and the first line. The second line was printed on cardstock and it was cut to fit inside the box. So, opening it is like a question and answer!

Inside is a tube of NARS lipstick in heatwave (the orangey-red poppy color from last year's J. Crew catalog) and a pair of lacy Hanky Pankys in the exact same color. 

she's such a color nerd, I can't wait for her to open it tonight. until then ... shhhhh! 

(photos and original project design) by Samantha Shorey

make | Confetti Filled Bachelorette Favors

I'm writing this from the Portland Airport on my way to Las Vegas for my best friend, Laura's, bachelorette party! The weather report is predicting rain this weekend. Seriously, WTF Vegas? You're a desert.

Forecast aside, I'm fully prepared for the weekend. I even got a spray tan (judge me.) When eleven girls are involved you never know when the inspiration for celebration will strike! So, it's best to have confetti on hand, at. all. times.

Here's a how-to for the confetti-filled bachelorette favors I made for the occasion:

Materials:

• Hole Punch Confetti - apparently you can buy massive amounts of this from party stores for a few dollars. I didn't know that, so I've been emptying out every hole puncher in the office for the last year.
• Glassine Envelopes - ordered from ClearBags.Com (talk about a useful website, the internet rocks!)
• Washi Tape
• Copier

1. write your message. I printed "in the event of spontaneous celebration" on these waxy bags by taping them onto a piece of paper and putting them through a xerox machine. I'm sure there's a more technological way to do it.
2. fill with confetti
3. tape closed with washi (patterned masking) tape

and done! They're ready for you to tear open in the moment of spontaneous celebration.

(photos and project design) by Samantha Shorey

make | How to Cook Egg in a Hole

In honor of the holy day of eggs, I thought I'd share with you my favorite easy egg recipe. I learned to cook this when I was traveling in South America, and when I got home I was so excited to make it. I even made a huge production out of it : inviting friends, going to the grocery store by myself (which required carrying the eggs in my bike basket) and secretively preparing it in the kitchen. As soon as the plate hit the table, Andy said "Oh, Egg-in-a-Hole! Like the masked guy cooks for Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta".  So, it turns out this recipe is neither secret nor South American. But it is easy to make and fun to eat. 

materials :
Dave's Killer 21 Grain Bread
Butter
Eggs

1. Dave's Killer Bread is half the success of this recipe. When it's cooked in butter the bread tastes vaguely sweet and the seeds get crunchy. 
2. tear the center out of the bread by pushing your thumb through the center, and pulling from there.
3. melt a tablespoon of butter in a nonstick pan. I've tried plenty of times to do this with a fancy (regular) frying pan, and every time I break the yolk. 
4. this is the trick: turn the heat down as low, low, low! Place the bread in the pan and gently crack an egg into the empty hole. 
5. let it sit until you can see that the white is cooking in the center, about 3 minutes. 
6. side a spatula under the piece of bread and flip it over.
7. let this side cook for 2 more minutes.
8. plate up, break open, dip and eat. 

(photos) the first five are on film with pentax k1000. The last two are with instagram, since I was careless counting my film frames and I finished the roll too soon.

make | A Lily-Pad Leap Year Party Hat

Aren't you always saying you need an extra day in the week? Well, guess what. Wish granted. This Wednesday - February 29th - is Leap Year Day!  I've been saving up every ounce of celebration for the last four years. So let's celebrate with a little extra flair by making lily pad inspired party hats (you know,  lily-pad ... leap frog ... leap year ... get it?)

Materials:

• Green Railroad Cardstock: from Blick Art Supply
• Headbands : 2 for $2.50 at Forever 21
• Peach Tissue Paper
• Hole Punch
• Yarn
• Floral Wire
• Sharpie

1. cut out a lily-pad shape from a piece of scrap paper. It looks kind of like a round heart or a lima bean. Trace it onto green railroad cardstock and cut out.
2. punch two holes half way up the side, and two holes directly in the middle (by folding it in half)
3. using your yarn, tie the two outside holes to the headband. Angle the lily pad slightly towards one side, placing the first hole right next to the beginning of the headband. 
4. cut out eight 7 1/2 inch squares of tissue paper. Accordion fold them by alternately folding back to front. 
5. fasten the accordion fold shut with a length of floral wire, leaving the ends long (about 5 inches). Snip the ends of the tissue paper to a point.
6. thread the long inches of the floral wire through the two middle holes in the lily pad, and wrap them around the headband. Thread back up through the opposite hole so nobody gets poked in the head. Twist and cut off extra wire.
7. gently peel apart each of the pieces of paper, making half a pom pom (or in this case, a water lily!)
8. wear with flair.

tune in tomorrow for a very special Leap Day inspired cocktail!

make | A Love Story "Lace" Valentine (for the romantics)

I only have two requirements when it comes to the guys I date : 

1. they like books
2. they can fix things

It's not a lofty list. I'm not asking for a Nietzschean scholar with a passion for welding. Just an interest in learning and the basic skills required to repair a leaky faucet. You'd be surprised at how often these two qualities are mutually exclusive

So - because I couldn't dream up a project involving re-bar or a sprocket wrench - today's valentine is inspired by the greatest love I've ever known : my love of books. 

Materials 

A Love Story : I used a collection that I bought on the side of Highway 99 for 25 cents.

Martha Stewart eyelet punch : Blick Art Supply

Earth Toned Drawing Paper : Blick Art Supply

Rubber Cement

White Paint Pen

1. gently tear pages away from the spine. Old books are the best for this because the glue is weaker. 
2. punch the outside edges of the pages! I'm head-over-heels for the Martha Stewart eyelet lace punch. 
3. make a card using your drawing paper (I always work in squares - this one is 3 inches by 3 inches). The soft edges - featured on all the cards we've made this week - are made by folding the paper, wetting the crease, and tearing. It's the easiest way to get a straight edge ever, and looks so pretty on fine milled paper. 
4. glue down using Rubber Cement. I don't suggest using another type of glue, because it seeps through the eyelet holes. Rubber Cement rocks because you can just roll off any excess once it's dried (by rubbing your finger across it)
5. cut off excess book paper
6. using your white paint pen, write your message! I used two that involve love and books. Yes, it's like intellectual woman's porn. 

from Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being

"Metaphors are not to be trifled with. A single metaphor can give birth to love" 

from Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 

"The only thing that came close was how he felt about his books. Only the combined love of everything he'd read and everything he hoped to write even came close"

tomorrow - for our fifth and final Valentine's Day Project - we'll make a card for the brokenhearted!

make | A Confetti Canvas (for a festive friend)

Where would we be with out our friends? Well, I'd either be on the roof of this office building threatening to jump or at the Olive Garden eating my feelings (I have a lot of feelings. I need there to be unlimited and bottomless in the menu descriptions). 

Frankenstein once said  : "Friend. Good". It's as simple as that. So here's a confetti inspired canvas for a friend that makes every day - even the ones filled with errands - a celebration. 

materials: 

Square Canvas (7 in x 7 in)

Paint Brush and Circle Sponge Dotter

Neon Red Paint :  from Blick Art Supply

Gold Foiled Origami Paper

Scissors 

Tacky Glue and Rubber Cement

Martha Stewart Craft Glitter

Black Paint Pen

1. get out your paint, your canvas, and a paint brush. I also bought a circle-shaped sponger because I can't draw a circle to save my life. 
2. dip the sponger in your neon red paint, and dab once anywhere on the canvas. It will be a weird texture (see photo) so smooth over it with a small paint brush. Repeat two are three more times. Let it dry completely, and apply a second coat with your paintbrush. 
3. between coats, trace and cut circles out of your gold foiled paper. I used two different kind of gold foil to add texture. This step would be a lot easier with a circle punch! 
4. apply Tacky Glue to the circle sponger, just like you did with the paint. Dab twice and cover with Martha Stewart glitter (the tiniest, sparkly-est glitter I've ever used). Let dry and shake off the excess. 
5. apply Rubber Cement to four of your gold foil circles and glue down. You'll want to put a weight on top of them as they dry. The treatment and texture of the canvas means it takes forever for glue to adhere.
6. add a message. 
7. hooray! give to your best friend! feel free to throw confetti to add to the presentation. 

tune in tomorrow and we'll make a card for those in a storybook romance!