jessica

08/08

DIY Piano Table Runner and Wall Decor

Jenna loves her music, and so does her family. For her son’s first birthday, she and her hubby hosted a music themed party. And, there was no better runner than a DIY piano in the middle of the table. Jenna re-purposed the keys for decor in Dante’s room. He dreams with notes of the piano keys running through his beautiful mind.

You can too.

You’ll Need:
white paint
black paint
45-50 paint stir sticks from Home Depot {the kind you stir paint with…that are FREE}
wood glue

How To:
Cut or saw the curved ends off of each stick.
Cut or saw 10 of the sticks in half for the ‘black keys’.
Paint the keys white and black. Refer to a real piano keyboard for the correct order.
Glue the sticks together to create your piano.

The party was so long ago, and our photographs are not good but you get the idea.

08/05

How to Create Frozen Heart Popsicles

frozen hearts popsicle_jsorelle

If your little princess {or prince} is still into Frozen, or at least knows about the movie Frozen {and reference to a frozen heart}…or knows every word to every song like my kids, this is the perfect summer time treat for them. Frozen Heart Popsicles.

Frozen Heart Popsicles
6-8 servings

You’ll Need
Wilton Petite Silicone Cavity Heart Pan
Muffin pan
cupcake liners
wooden popsicle sticks
grape juice
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1.5 cup greek yogurt
5 strawberries
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana

How To
Pour grape juice into the heart mold and freeze for several hours.
Once the hearts are frozen, make the popsicle mix. Add the ingredients {banana, strawberry, honey, vanilla, blueberry and yogurt} in a blender and mix well. If you have a favorite shake or other shake recipe with healthy ingredients, anything will work.
Place cupcake liners inside the muffin pan.
Place a frozen heart in the middle of each lined muffin cavity, and then pour popsicle mix over it. Fill it 3/4 to full.
Place the muffin pan in the freezer. After 1 hour, or until popsicles are semi-frozen, place a wooden popsicle stick inside each cavity {not all the way to the bottom, but 3/4 down}.
Wait until the popsicles are completely frozen, then remove the muffin pan from the freezer. After a couple of minutes, you can remove the popsicles. You may need a knife to help you ‘pop’ them out of the tray. Then, remove the liner.
Enjoy!

{images via j. sorelle}

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Filed Under: lifestyle, recipe Tagged: frozen, frozen heart popsicles, popsicle, recipe, summer

08/02

Breastfeeding Support and Gift for New Moms {free printable and giveaway}

boob aid kit_jsorelle

We are talking boobs today ladies and gents. Yes, you heard us right…boobs! Get excited. And for all you soon to be mama’s and new mama’s, you have an opportunity to win some great goodies. Make sure to read below.

If you follow us, you know we have almost 7 children between us. What you may or may not know is that all 3 of us chose to breastfeed our babies, experiencing the gamut of emotions – from joy to pain. We wrote a humorous poem about our breastfeeding experience, which you can see here. Here’s what we know to be true about breastfeeding…Some love it, others don’t, and some can’t do it {and its all ok}. It’s a personal decision and a really hot topic! It’s a lot of work {and can be quite painful}. It’s an amazing bonding time only you and your baby can share. And, it’s an unbelievable power that women possess.

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, and mothers everywhere, we created the perfect gift to give to a new mom – to save her, and her boobies as they adjust to breastfeeding. Welcome, Boob-Aid. A ‘kit’ that includes all the necessities – soothies gel, nipple butter, nursing pads, a water bottle and our funny poem. You can buy the label and get the poem as a FREE bonus here.

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, Nesting Days Newborn carriers are hosting an incredible giveaway with top brands and bloggers. One lucky winner will take it all! The prize is valued at over $300! Enter for yourself or for a friend and share the giveaway with all of the amazing mamas in your life!

Giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on August 10th at 12am.

One winner will receive :
(1) Nesting Days carrier in her choice of size and color
(1) Undercover Mama shirt in her choice of color
(1) Multi pack of Bamboobies nursing pads
(1) Teething Necklace from GumiGem
(1) Infinity Nursing Scarf from Abbie Grace Designs
(1) Bottle of Nipple Cream from MotherLove
(1) Hands Free Pumping/Nursing Bra from The Dairy Fairy (1) Sleep Nursing Bra from The Dairy Fairy

Estimated retail value : $330

Enter the giveaway below and then click through to read stories, see photos, and enjoy other fun goodies from all of our partnering bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

{Boob Aid images via j. sorelle}

posted by jessica 2 Comments
Filed Under: gifts, lifestyle, printables Tagged: baby shower, breastfeeding, diy, free printable, Gift, mom, new mom

08/01

The Best Bloody Mary Recipe

bloody mary recipe_jsorelle

There’s something about a Bloody Mary. So, so good. It’s a tradition that we cheers with a Bloody Mary in hand at my grandma and grandpa’s Easter celebration. My incredibly cool aunt Marti is our volunteer bartender {it’s on her resume from her college days}, and she is good y’all! I asked her to share her delish Bloody Mary recipe with us because I was craving one and honestly hers in the best, and she kindly obliged. So, either start the FAC early with one of these this evening…or start the day off good with one tomorrow. She sent a bonus recipe for another cocktail too, so we’ll share soon.

Bloody Mary Recipe
recipe by cool aunt Marti
servings: good for one Bloody Mary

You’ll Need
1 shot vodka (if you want it stronger, 2 is ok and good quality vodka Kettle One or Absolut is recommended)
5 dashes of worcestershire sauce
3-4 shakes pepper
3 shakes celery salt
1/4 cup pickle juice
ice
Tabasco to taste {5 dashes tasted good}
Fill the glass with tomato juice {ends up being about 1 cup} and mix!

Note: You can always add more tabasco or picked juice. And, aunt Marti recommends preparing it in a shake glass so you can shake and mix well. Garnish with salt around the rim and of course, add a pickle, pepperocini or celery.

{images via j. sorelle}

posted by jessica Leave a Comment
Filed Under: lifestyle, recipe Tagged: bloody mary, cocktail, easter, recipe

07/30

summer garden party essentials

Where is the summer going? Although the booties at Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale were so pretty and my feet were drawn to them, I held onto my flip-flops tight. I can’t even think about a colder season right now – we are loving summer too much.

Before the summer is over, we really need to embrace all the bright colors, smells, outside play and parties and bare feet. So, we challenge you to either…

1. Complete numbers 1-10 on our Fun in Summer Essentials list below, inspired by photos from the fantastic Alt Summit garden party.
or
2. If there’s a fab hostess inside of you, throw a summer garden party like Alt Summit did {see photos below for inspiration}.

Alt Summit knows how to throw a fabulous party, so there is no greater inspiration for you. I was fortunate enough to witness it first hand this year. Not only was every detail well thought-out and executed beautifully, but their parties were really fun!

BIG THANKS to Justin Hackworth and Brooke Dennis for Alt Summit photos