Pretty Art, Prints, Cards and Stationery
January 30, 2009 by Emily · 10 Comments
I simply couldn’t wait to share these beautiful shoppes with you - their art, prints, cards and stationery made me smile, such pretty work.
“Aa is for Airplane” is part of an Alphabet Print Series by ModernPop - where you can find even more beautiful illustrations with letters and numbers (you may want to have your favorite web bookmarker ready to go here).
What is it about little chicks, they are just so cute! Find this one on stationery at Ink Obsession Designs - (I heart this shoppe - the designs are so sweet and simple - it’s totally my style).
This pretty card, found at Expressions by Devin, is handmade, handstamped and embossed by Devin herself. She takes custom orders too! I think pink and green look so good together - especially in this design. 
Print * Pattern * Paper is the home for this lovely “Shop Talk” print. This shoppe has beautiful art, prints and bags - all inspired by daily life. Love it all!
Valentine’s Recipes
January 30, 2009 by Lauren · 9 Comments
Whether you share your Valentine’s Day dinner with friends, family, or one special someone, these recipes are sure to send a message of love!
Red Berry Spinach Salad
We’ll start with a simple Spinach Salad, adorned with red raspberries, cranberries or strawberries (that little hint of pink is romantic, don’t you think?). For an added touch, sprinkle slivered almonds on top and drizzle your loved one’s favorite dressing in the shape of a heart!
{Photo by mellowfood}
For sides, put a fun Valentine’s spin on a couple of classics:
Pink Mashed Potatoes
Add a couple of diced beets into a pot with 4 diced potatoes, boil til soft, drain, smoosh, throw in 1 tbsp of butter, a dash of milk and you’ve got Valentine’s Mashed Potatoes! (If you don’t like beets, just put in several drops of red food dye).
{Photo by Olga}
Heart-Shaped Rolls
Buy ready-made crescent rolls dough from the store, stretch them out a bit to fit a heart-shaped cookie cutter, spread them with butter and sprinkle on a pinch of Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder. Bake as directed and serve up Heart-Shaped Herb Rolls.
{Photo by: ©iStockphoto.com/Maria Zhuravleva, Recipe by TasteofHome}
Incredibly Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf
And as a main course, gourmet meatloaf, Valentine’s Style! This recipe is simple, impressive, and oh-so delish. (Found on AllRecipes.com - I actually halved the recipe so that it would fit in my pan.)
{Photo by: ©iStockphoto.com/Darren Fisher}
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3/4 pound colby cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup ketchup (optional)
In a bowl, mix the turkey, milk, bread crumbs, ketchup and eggs by hand (my two-year-old loved getting in on this action!). Season with salt and pepper. Fold the cheese cubes into the mixture. Transfer to a loaf pan (or, in this case, a heart-shaped cake pan). Bake 1 hour in 400 degree oven.
My husband actually said “Wow.” when I served this up. And for some reason, my kiddos were willing to eat the heart-shaped meatloaf they had turned down a couple weeks ago when it was rectangular!
Raspberry Linzer Heart Cookies
Then, after you have dined and Valentined the evening away, you present your loved ones with a plate of these:
(Sigh) Aren’t they beautiful?
I got this recipe from Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook, have made them several times over the last few years and they never, ever fail to stun their recipients! Be warned - they are delicate little things, so you’ll want to proceed carefully in this recipe because we all know beauty takes time!
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus a little extra for dusting
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup seedless raspberry jam
Finely grind together walnuts and almonds in a food processor. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Gradually add in the flour and cornstarch, just until incorporated. Blend in ground nuts.
Divide dough into 4 pieces, shape each into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refridgerate for 4 hours.
On a floured surface, roll out dough one piece at a time until 1/4 inch thick. Cut out as many hearts as you can with the dough provided and transfer them to a greased cookie sheet. On half of those, punch out a smaller heart in the center and remove carefully with a knife. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let cool completely. Dust cut-out hearts with confectioners’ sugar. Spread a rounded tsp. of jam onto plain heart cookie bottoms, and cover with the cutout heart tops.
No matter who you sit down to the table with this coming Valentine’s Day (be it your 8 darling children or a mysterious Latin lover), show them how much you love them with these foods from the heart!
Written by Lauren of Supermom Central
DIY Gift Ideas For Your Valentine
January 29, 2009 by Cassie · 21 Comments
Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to celebrate the ones we love and I just dig the pink colors too! Here are a few gift ideas that are so easy you could whip them up in an hour or so.
Jeanne Winters made this Valentine Sparkle for her daughter while keeping the theme “You Are Loved” in mind. Each ribbon represents someone in her life that loves her. Isn’t this a great way to cherish Valentine’s Day?! You can see the directions on her blog here.
Just-A-Girl has a great tutorial for these outstanding decorated soap dispensers. An exceptional gift for teachers and perfect for combatting those Winter germs.
Tanya - another creative blogger - came up with this Valentine’s Day craft called Kiss Jars. She and her children took old jars, decorated them and filled them with Hershey’s hugs and kisses to give to family and friends. This gift idea makes a great Valentine’s Day activity to do with your kids too.
If you end up making one of these gift ideas, let us know so we can check it out. Happy Gifting!
Written by Cassie of Madison Envy
Make Keepsakes From Your Old Baby Board Books
January 28, 2009 by Emily · 12 Comments
Hey guys! Wouldn’t you know, we woke up with a little sick bug this morning…. So, I’m going to take a tiny posting break and instead present Katie of Katie’s Nesting Spot as our fabulous guest today. Her crafty ideas are fun and original, just take a look at her DIY awesomeness:
As your kids grow up, it’s inevitable that they’ll outgrow their collection of books and toys, but before donating your old board books, save a few for some crafty fun. Turn them into little mini-scrapbooks.
You will need: children’s board book, mod podge, foam craft brush, scrapbook papers, photos and embellishments.
A note on embellishments: Chose flat ones such as stickers and die-cuts if you want your finished book to close and be somewhat flat. 3-D embellishments will add to the bulk of your book and prohibit it from closing.
The Pages
Begin by choosing a board book that has its binding intact, sand all the surfaces, and wipe clean. Now that’s you’ve prepped your book, cover each page, one at a time, with a thin layer of mod podge. Cut your scrapbook paper just slightly larger than the board page. Attach the paper to the book and smooth out any wrinkles with your fingers. Continue until pages are all covered.
Let the glue (mod podge) dry, then cut around the edge of each page with an x-acto knife. Sand away any excess paper so the page edges are smooth. Add pictures and embellish the pages.
The Cover
Decorate the cover of the book last; cover the front and back using the same method as the inside pages (scrapbook paper, mod podge and sand the edges). Then, measure the spine of the book’s height and width. Add an inch to the width measurement, so that the binding will overlap onto the front and back. Cut the binding cover (out of scrapbook paper) and hold it up to your book to check that you like how it “fits” and make adjustments as necessary.
Attach your binding cover to the spine of the book. Start with the front first and then fold it around the spine to the back (glue it along the way with mod podge). To cover the seams, use ribbon on the front and back. Finally, add a title and decorate it; when you’re finished, apply a thin layer of mod podge to the covers to protect it from fingerprints and smudges
Extras
Once you have the basic technique down, it’s fun to add a few extras to your book (plan for these when you first design your book before adding paper to the pages). You will also need strong double-sided adhesive to attach pages to each other.
- Shortened pages: A fun twist is to cut off part of a page so that the following page can be seen, kind of like giving a peek at what’s coming up next.
- Window Page: Cut a basic shape out of one page and add a picture or paper and embellishments to the page behind it where the opening is. (It will look like a picture frame) Then cover the back of the framed page with pretty paper.
- Flap Page: This is like making a little door on your page; make it the same way as a window page, but leave one side of the shape attached. Score that side so that it will bend.
Win a Pair of Havaianas Sandals
January 28, 2009 by Emily · 607 Comments
Contest Update:
*We have a winner!! The randomly chosen winner for this contest is: #219 Willo - Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated - please stop by again as we have a new contest each week.*
Spring is coming a little early for Window Shoppers! Perfectly paired with flirty skirts, tailored shirts and jeans, Havaianas Sandals are soft, bouncy, flexible and they have blissfully cushioned the feet of many happy fashionistas over 40 years.
Recently, Havaianas combined their signature marshmallow-y comfort and alluring designs, to create new sandal styles for 2009! From glamorous to cute, you are bound to find a pair that you love.
Win It:
Because I simply can’t wait for Spring…one Window Shoppe reader will win a pair of Havaianas new 2009 sandals!
To Enter:
Simply leave a quick comment letting us know your favorite new style. This giveaway ends on Thursday, February 5th at midnight PST. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced at this post Friday, February 6th. Good luck, everyone!! (Please feel free to read our contest rules for additional details)
(Optional) For extra entries:
- Are you a Subscriber? Just let us know you’re subscribed to Little Window Shoppe in an additional comment.
- And/Or Add this contest to Twitter. Simply let us know about it with your Twitter name in an additional comment.
One Cool Football Lantern
January 27, 2009 by Emily · 9 Comments
OK, how cool is this football lantern? I first discovered it while browsing Thoughtfully Simple ~ a cute new party planning site with ideas and inspiration for your everyday.
Superbowl Party Dips
January 27, 2009 by Vanessa · 10 Comments
I make the two same dips for every big party we throw because they are always a huge hit!
Shrimp & Cheese Dip
This fantastic dip takes only 4 ingredients:
- 1 small 16oz bottle of mayonnaise
- 1 block of Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp cheese
- 1 minced onion
- 1/2 lb of shrimp
- Begin by mincing the onion and the shelled shrimp. Cook the onion and shrimp for a few minutes with a little salt and pepper, but be sure not to use too much oil in the pan or it will make your dip very oily.
- Cut up the block of Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp cheese.
- Mix everything together in a small casserole dish.
- Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, you will need to stir it once while it is cooking.
- Serve with your favorite sliced bread and Enjoy!
The next dip is my favorite to serve with veggies or sliced bread, it makes everyone want to eat their veggies. Yes, even at a Super Bowl Party!
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
{Image and recipe courtesy of Food Network}
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (8 tomatoes)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
- 10 dashes, hot red pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature.
Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up
Vintage Modern with Amy Butler
January 26, 2009 by Emily · 12 Comments
After gazing at Amy Butler’s bright and beautiful patterns, Spring feels like it is just around the corner. Amy Butler is a fabric, fashion, home and print designer known for her fresh and modern vintage style. With bright colors and gorgeous prints, her designs are splashed throughout the fabric industry in handbags, bedding, sewing & craft patterns (free pattern downloads too!), stationery, gift wrap, project books and home design . I love her style and her commitment to give back.
She has a shoppe too! Not only is this gift wrap an eye-catching display of green and pink elegance, it is made with 100% recycled/biodegradable tissue paper, 100% post-consumer waste paper, soy based ink, and all of it can be recycled after use. Isn’t that impressive? It makes gift wrapping pretty irresistible.
Dream Big With Todays Mama
January 26, 2009 by Emily · 9 Comments
I’ve been featured in the Dream Big section at Today’s Mama! {So excited!} This amazing site has great daily tips, motivating articles and the very popular Mama’s Handbook for Today’s Mama.
The Dream Big section spotlights mamas who have dreams and want share the joy of their accomplishments with others. Remember when I blogged about my first marathon? My Dream Big profile is about running a marathon with my husband and how I stayed motivated to accomplish my goal.
I was so lucky to meet the incredible women behind Todays Mama a few weeks ago (they are really as awesome as I imagined) and was invited at that time to submit my story.
You can be featured too! The first step to making a dream come true is to tell someone about it. So why not tell every mama around and submit your own dream? (Your friends can submit your name too). What’s your big dream? What is something amazing that you have accomplished?
Dress The Part This Valentine’s Day
January 23, 2009 by Lauren · 10 Comments
To do Valentine’s Day up right, you’ve got to Dress the part! It’s the one day of the year where even the toughest chick can get a little girly with all the fun, flirty fashions.
For your littlest sweeties, the Queen of Hearts stripey bellbottoms by Damestarbaby are guaranteed charmers. (Confession – I’ve had my eye on these pants for almost a year!)
Grown-up gals can send the right Valentine’s message with a “Single” or “Taken” heart hair clip from the Details Shop.
Pair this pretty Peggy Sue handbag with any outfit for a touch of romance (not to mention super-cool style!). Found at Handsfull Creations.
Plus, I’ve got great news for all you preggo mamas – Shabby Apple just came out with a line of maternity dresses to die for! Their Virgin Strawberry Daquiri or Better Than Sweets would be perfect for a romantic Valentine’s night, whether you’re going out or staying in!
And speaking of staying in, next Friday I’ll be taking you course by course through a Valentine’s Day dinner sure to please your entire family (or just that special someone!). Until then, enjoy this loving time of year!
Written by Lauren of Supermom Central
Featured Shoppes
