its picnic time


June 18 is International Picnic Day. Save the date. Find a date. Or be your own date. And pack a snack.

1. Take the time to think about the space and ambiance…pick a pretty blanket, make it comfortable with pillows, find a beautiful spot, think about lighting with summer lanterns, candles or tiki torches, bring flowers in a basket, and pack an ipod player to really set the mood.

2. Use acrylic or melamine plates – there are bold and bright plates available now at Pottery Barn like these. Invest in Vino2Go’s for everyone, because they are fabulous and you will use all the time {you can buy at Fleur de Lis at 303.996.6885}. I am obsessed with this Mason Jar Cocktail Shaker from Terrain {$48} for other cocktails.

3. Don’t forget to pack a wine opener, utensils, knife, garbage bag for easy clean up, napkins and a knife. We love this idea of making Clip-On Picnic Utensils by Oh Happy Day – utensils attached to a paper bag.

4. Food should be easy to transport and eat – pack sandwiches, fruit salads, kabobs, salad, pasta salad, etc.
 Spring Orzo Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Artichokes, Food for My Family
Cheesecake in a Jar, I am Baker
my all-time favorite because it brings me back to my days in Italy Brie, Baguette, Grapes and Salami
Sliced watermelon

Our Picnic Necessities
LL Bean Horseshoe Set {$69}
Kate Space Picnic Blanket, Kate Spade
Picnic Basket Tote, Swoozies {$28.95}
Mason Jars for food, candles, flowers and drinks {found at Amazon}

{images via Everything Fab, We Heart It, RoveristaFood for My Family, I am Baker, Kate Spade, Oh Happy Day, Catch my Party, Swoozies and LL Bean}

beer birthday cake


My hubby turned 30 recently…and I must say, he’s hotter and more amazing than ever. He seems to get better with age…good for me! He had a wonderful dinner celebration with friends and family at his favorite steakhouse, received most of the things on his list and the ultimate gift for us to enjoy is a trip together {maybe Nashville or Cali wine country} without the kiddos to celebrate our 30th birthdays. {Now I just have to get over my fear of flying…working on it but it’s not going so well as the flight is not yet booked}.

Being a DIYer, I wanted to create something fun for him from the kiddos and me that included some of his favorite things and the number 30. The end result was a beer, sparkling water and ice cream cake, topped off with cigar candles.

Ingredients
12 Stella Cans of Beer
4 Guinness Cans of Beer
7 glasses of Pellegrino Sparkling Water
1 Dreyers Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
2 spotify gift cards
1 pair of designer glasses
3 cigars
= 30 gifts

And, to make it more special, the kids and I listed all the reasons why we love daddy/Tommy, and the kids wrote special notes too.

How To
Enlist adorable and priceless help from your kiddos

Write love notes/reasons why we love you notes on small pieces of paper, punch a hole in the corner of each one and use twine to attach to each beer/gift on your ‘cake’


Find the spot where you want to display your cake because once you make/layer it’s really hard to move {i did have to hide it for a little bit in a big box, so if you need to do that, just make sure each layer is on a separate base}.
Place the beer, or bottom layer of your cake in the shape you want – I created a circle with each beer next to each other.
Find a cake pan or strong base for your second/middle layer. I used a small metal cake pan base {the kind where the side can be removed}.
Add your second layer, which in my case was bottled water. Because my hubby likes the bottles, I used 2 cans of the Pellegrino Sparkling Water on the inside of the circle so top layer {half-gallon of ice cream} would fit snugly in between the bottles.


I used a hot glue gun to securely place the bottles exactly where I wanted them to be, with the base of each bottle ‘hanging’ of the edge of the cake pan {the hot glue was easily removed from the cake pan post celebration}.
Empty the ice cream half-gallon in another frozen-friendly container or buy 2 and eat one before you make the ‘cake’ so the ice cream doesn’t melt.
Use a knife to slit 3 x’s on the lid of the gallon ice cream container to tightly fit the cigars.
Add the cigars.

Wrap each cake layer with thick burlap or rope

Place other gifts, such as gift cards, glasses, etc around the cake
Get your vocal cords ready to sing ‘happy birthday’ to your loved one

{images via Tutto Bella}

its a beautiful day in the neighborhood

When you were young, did you watch Mr. Rodgers? I did, so I can just hear these lyrics over and over in my head...it’s a beautiful day in a neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor.

My friend and her family just moved into the neighborhood…I’m thrilled and so our my kids. As we all know, moving is so stressful and the last thing we want to do is cook a meal while surrounded by boxes and overwhelmed with exhaustion. With the help of Jenna at Fleur de Lis, my homemade spaghetti sauce and peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, and a trip to the grocery store, I made a lovely basket to take to my neighbor to welcome her to the neighborhood.

If you have a new neighbor, take the time to welcome them with Fleur de Lis welcome to the neighborhood labels. Yay for you because Jenna is offering them for FREE. Download here.  It doesn’t even have to be gourmet – just a simple meal accompanied with cute printables. A lovely “Martha” touch. 🙂

For my basket, I included:
homemade pasta sauce in large Mason jar
noodles
parmesan cheese
salad {along with an avocado, carrots, etc for salad}
salad dressing
cookies

Be sure to follow Jenna on Facebook to get dibs on more free printables in the future and follow our inspiration boards on Pinterest too.

{images via Tutto Bella}

etsy love: fleur de lis

Our go-to spot for stationery is of course, Fleur de Lis, but sometimes its hard to make it into the store, so we are grateful Fleur de Lis is on etsy. Jenna has designed some beautiful invites, and although not all are up yet {we are working on it}, there are some lovely, fun and creative designs posted. And, if you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for your next party, just send us an email at trejsorelle@gmail.com and for just $20 Jenna can design it. Whatever your pretty little, party planning heart contents.

I promise, I’m her most difficult customer. 🙂 Seriously, I don’t think anyone is more picky and obsessive compulsive when it comes to my invites than me. Would you agree Jenna?? So, she would happily take orders from other people.

Visit our shop today. All the old favorite are there…as well some of the newbies below.

French Bulldog Shower Invite

Ski Lift Ticket Rehearsal Invitation

Sparkle Engagement Invite

will you be my bridesmaid? 

beer and diapers shower invite

nursing party invitation and rx labels


bug invitation for all those summer birthdays coming up

baseball shower invitation and party set
{this is so cute, I can hardly stand it…love your taste Lori. btw, photos of this shower are coming your way soon}
 

Lemonade Invite
{perfect for this summer parties and showers}

carrie bradshaw quotes, 8×10 prints
{gotta love Sex and the City}

{images via Fleur de Lis}

paleo-style burgers {recipe of the week}

So, my husband is into the Paleo-diet these days. We’ve just ‘dipped’ our toes ever so slightly into the new craze, but I believe in the premise and research behind it, and know that whole and healthy food is the key to optimal health and defeating chronic disease. The Paleo-diet has been described as the cave-man diet because the diet consists of meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. I’m all for it…I have a hard time with all the meat {I tend to lean more to the vegetarian-side}, but sign me up for the veggies, fruits, seafood and nuts. If you haven’t heard about the whole Paleo-diet craze, read more about it here.

I visited PaleOMG – it’s a great site and a wonderful resource…plus Juli is a fellow Colorado gal and you gotta love that!! This recipe caught my eye. I made a few changes because I didn’t have some ingredients/changed to my liking…and it was DELISH. The whole family loved it, and wanted round 2. It’s been added to my recipe book. I hope you give it a try. Buon Appetito.

Spinach Turkey Burgers
recipe adapted from PaleOMG
*makes about 5-6 patties

Ingredients
1 pound ground organic turkey
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
avocado, sliced

Garnish/Salad Ingredients
spinach
arugula
baby kale
carrots {any vegetables of your liking}
olive oil/balsamic vinaigrette dressing {I made my own dressing with olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and pressed garlic}

How To
1.  Add all the ingredients for your burgers in a medium size bowl and use your hands to mix well
2. Form balls with your hands
3. Place a non-stick large skillet OR warm a griddle {and add olive oil to prevent sticking patties} on medium heat. Once hot, place the balls onto the skillet/griddle, then press down with a spatula to flatten out
4. Cook on both sides for at least 8-10 minutes until turkey cooked through
5. Once done, add to the top of your salad, top off with avocados and devour!
NOTE: for the kiddos, I made the burgers traditional-style, topped with cheese in between buns…and they {most impressively, my incredibly picky son who turns his nose to everything green} LOVED them.

If you have any other delicious Paleo-diet recipe you want to share, please send them to trejsorelle@gmail.com. We’d love to try more recipes.

{images via Tutto Bella}