Delightful Work Event

Look at how pretty my "work events" are!  I am so very lucky to have met my new friend, Julia.  She was introduced to my blog and books through a friend of hers that is a Presbyterian minister.  Julia liked what I was doing to bring the world delight and wrote to me to see if I would like to speak a tea party.

What fun! She arranged the whole thing and invited a variety of friends to spend a "delightful" afternoon having tea and hearing my thoughts on finding delight in everyday moments.  We enjoyed this table full of beautiful tea party fare and relished a little "girl time" in the midst of a hectic Spring.

Lily of the Valley

My best friend has a large backyard that is beautifully landscaped with sun and shade areas.  The shady sections are almost completely covered with Lily of the Valley - my estimate is at least 5,000 pips!  Her family loves it and for a week for two in May, the air is heady with muguet du bois.

And right around this time of year when I get an 8 am text - "are you awake?"  She stops at my house on the way to work bearing 2 giant bouquets of Lily of the Valley that she picked that morning.  One bouquet is for me; one is for my mom.  In the language of flowers, this gesture most surely means: love.

Thank you, Kim, from the bottom of my flower-lovin' heart.

My Own Little Muppet Baby

I don't think I'll ever take another photo of a baby robin that I will like better than this one.  This is Gayle, with her beak wide open and her hair all askew.  She is my own little Muppet Baby.  Tiny, cartoon-like with a big personality.

I was so very happy when a mother robin came back to nest in the crook of the gutter on my house again this year.  Remember last year when she had 3 baby boy robins named Reggie, Brice and Steve?  This year I decided that they were girls and named the three little darlings, Charlotte, Stella and Gayle.

One of them is far more insistent for food, eager to try squawking and most often found hanging her head out of the nest looking for someone to talk to.  I've named her Gayle.

You can see Gayle (above) in the nest craning her neck past Stella in hopes of being fed.  I love this photo because both Mother and Father Robin really look like parents.  They are sitting next to each other on the nest, looking at the kids and considering what is best for them.  I can see the nest from my family room window.  The photo isn't as clear because I'm shooting through glass, but it is nice because they can't see me (due to glare) and be bothered in any way.

When it was lunchtime (above), the Mother Robin didn't mind me standing in the yard and photographing them at all.  I used my zoom and stayed still.  I think she is used to me puttering around the patio tending the roses and watering the herbs.  It was just another day with triplets for her.  Notice the winged bug in the tip of her beak going right into Gayle's mouth. A worm is farther up her beak to be fed to Charlotte or Stella. 

If I get any more great shots, I promise to show you.  Happy Spring!

Spatterware Violas

Do you know what I mean when I say "Spatterware Violas?"  I'm posting a link to a website that sells new enamelware in the Spatterware style, so that you can see what I mean.  I have a vintage enamelware gravy boat in a light blue Spatterware pattern and it looks so much like these violas!  In truth, this speckled variety is called "Viola Columbine."  

I made a little bouquet of violas (and pink and white stock) and put them in a vintage blue glass bottle.  Love love love.  Doesn't it look charming with my collection of Chelsea china?  I love having fresh flowers on this bakers rack in the entryway and these violas will tide me over until my deep blue clematis blooms.  Spring is here and I can finally have bouquets in the house!

School Birthday Cupcakes

I'm sure it wasn't an accident that the "Garden Club Girls" moved in next door to me all those years ago.  They have brought me an incredible number of delightful moments just by being themselves and allowing me to share with them the things I know about baking, sewing crafting etc.

I helped Anna put a plastic spider onto a necklace for Halloween (She was a vampire).  I was able to help Cate with her shoe box-size "dream bedroom" project by contributing scraps of pretty fabrics to make the bed.  And, of course, our specialty is baking a Trick or Pie when we can in October.

But time marches on and the girls have grown up into lovely young ladies (14 and 16!) with far more time spent on school and sports and far fewer hours to horse around with their neighbor.  Until last week, that is, when Cate requested my help in frosting her birthday cupcakes.  Yea!  She had seen Cookie Monster cupcakes (where the Cookie Monster was eating a cookie) and was sure that we could re-create it.  

We made 24 bright blue monster cupcakes and the fact that we frosted them together made them the most delightful cupcakes in the world. Happy Birthday, Cate!

Candy Pearls for Sweets and Treats

I know I'm kind of girly, so I can only feel proud that my friend saw these beautiful French sugar pearls and thought of me.  My friend, Alison surprised me at euchre with these beautiful edible decorations.  She said that I "had to have them."  Isn't that the nicest!  

I love to bake - these will be so pretty on my cakes and cookies. 
I love these colors - they look so pretty in my aqua kitchen that I've left them out on display, and my friends have been commenting on how beautiful they are. 
The company that makes them is based in Paris - my favorite place!

I guess these are the picture perfect thing for me.  Alison, you know me well, thank you - thank you.

I had never seen any products from Eric Bur in stores, but when I went to his website online, I could see item after item that I would love to try.  The standout?  Candied lilacs!  I found them for sale online here.  

I love using candied violets on sweets and treats, but I had never heard of candied lilacs, have you?  My own lilacs are just beginning to bloom, so I am in a lilac-loving mood.  I took this photo this morning and tomorrow I plan on making some lovely arrangements for the house.  Are your lilacs blooming?

Decaf Ice Cream

I know! You've never heard of decaf ice cream before.  I thought I would make my point about the perils of enjoying certain late night desserts, while sharing
my wonderful coffee ice cream recipe.

I love love love coffee-flavored desserts, especially Tiramisu (which contains espresso) or a simple bowl of coffee ice cream.  The problem is, I am very sensitive to caffeine and one great coffee-flavored dessert means that I will still be awake at 2 o'clock in the morning.

Why restaurants don't make decaffeinated desserts, I'll never know.  So I decided to promote this rather simple concept by posting my recipe for: 

Decaf Coffee Ice Cream 

Mix 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed 2% milk, 1 (5 oz) can of evaporated milk, 2 cups of whole milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 4 Tablespoons of instant decaffeinated coffee crystals (or 2 1/2 - 3 T. of decaffeinated espresso crystals) together and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill. Once the mixture is cold, pour it into the freezer container of an electric ice cream maker and follow the ice cream maker instructions.  If the consistency of the ice cream isn't firm enough, place the container in the freezer to set. I sprinkled my decaf coffee ice cream with a few mini chocolate chips. 

Serve and enjoy during Saturday Night Live with no worries.  Good Night!

Burpee Healing Hands Salad Mix

I know a good thing when I see it.  This pot (shown on top) is my new "Salad Garden."  When I was at the garden center, I noticed pots of Burpee's "Healing Hands Lettuce Mix" already growing and ready to harvest (the link is for the seeds only; check your garden center to see if they sell the lettuce already growing!).  I can cut lettuce as I need it and watch it grow and replenish itself all Summer.

I found the pots of lettuce at my local garden center (Meijers).  I bought two containers and planted them next to each other in a pot of soil.  Each mix has several types of lettuce plants growing together.  The label claims that this "Boost" lettuce collection has 30% more beta carotene and 20% more lutein than other salad blends.  Sounds good to me.

I love it! It looks fresh and pretty when I look out the kitchen window and see it   on display next to a pot of herbs (thyme, rosemary, flat leaf parsley and a Hungarian pepper plant) on my deck.  I amuse myself when I'm rattling off "what's for dinner" by pointing to the deck and saying "salad."  I've clipped 2 small salads from my container so far and it is still healthy and full.

Isn't this a wonderful idea?  It is unlikely that I would grow lettuce from seed, but I will definitely harvest a salad from a pot on my deck.  Viva la garden!

Marine Vinyl Clutch

This is my latest favorite purse design - a simple to construct marine vinyl clutch with clip on hardware.

What do I love about it?

1. It is light-weight and durable.  Wipes off easily.
2. This is a minimal sewing project (1 tab, 2 side seams, one reinforcement panel)
3. The clip on tab lets me hook my valuables to my belt loop when shopping at a Farmer's Market or Tag Sale
4. I happened to find this metal "bolt" embellishment (in the same shade of blue!) in the jewelry section of Michael's Craft.  The metal charm is too weird to be a necklace, but looks wonderful on a clutch
5. The whole purse cost less than $12-15 dollars to make

I don't have time to write up a tutorial right now, but if you look at this project it is very straightforward. Keep these things in mind:

• You only sew 4 sections with straight lines (sew the tab into thirds for strength, sew the left side of clutch, sew the right side of clutch - with dog leash threaded on tab, trap tab in seam, and sew a triangle of vinyl to reinforce flap and hide magnetic closure)
• Put the top half (it's flat with a little nub) of the magnetic closure into the point of the triangle of extra vinyl; bend sides to secure.  Then sew that flap to the underside of the clutch flap.  This hides the prongs of the closure on the inside of the flap and reinforces the strength of the flap.
• Magnet the other half of the closure to itself and close the flap on the clutch. Make a dent in the vinyl where the closure touches.  That is how you know the perfect place to attach the other half of the closure.
• Peel sticker backing off of a piece of adhesive Pres On board and stick it to the inside of the clutch to add stability and cover the prongs of the magnetic closure. 

You can buy a piece of marine vinyl (sold by the yard at Joann Fabrics) in many different solid colors. I have used blue, pink and orange.  Such a great material!

You will need:  

• A sewing machine
• A "jeans" sewing machine needle (stronger than a regular needle)
• One piece of marine vinyl that is 10.5 inches by 15 inches (clutch body)
• One triangle shape piece of marine vinyl that fits just inside the flap
• One piece of marine vinyl that is 3 inches by 2 inches (the tab)
• One Pres On mounting board - cut to size of 10 inches by 4 inches 
• A dog leash clasp
• A magnetic purse clasp
• A charm or adornment of some kind to sew to point of flap
• All purpose thread in the color of the vinyl

Look how much my marine vinyl clutch will hold!  A narrow wallet (I made mine from a map of Scotland from a pattern featured on Martha Stewart show), a phone (that's a Cath Kidston iPhone cover) and a lipstick.  When I'm out and about, I attach the keys (the ribbon key chain can be purchased at my Etsy store) to the clip on the purse!

Collecting Vintage Ornaments

Oh Santa!  I know, I know, I have more than enough vintage Christmas decorations already.  Remember when I strung them on my fireplace mantel?
But look at the detail in these vintage ornaments I found at a church rummage sale.  How could I resist?

There were 3 with an inset of a Winter scene - a pink ornament with a reindeer on snowy branches, a snowman (out of view on the gold ornament, top) and a blue ornament featuring a deer in the woods.  Also, notice the 2 light blue ornaments that have a wire crochet detail. I've never seen anything like it!  I bought all of the ornaments shown above for 25 cents.  Total.  A paper bag filled with ornaments for one quarter.  

I had to bring them home and give them forty more years of holiday spirit.  

6 Year Anniversary for "Moments of Delight"

Can you believe that I have been blogging for 6 years?  Today is my blog-iversary.  Since May 7, 2007, I have written 1,758 posts (paired with one of my photographs) at www.MomentsOfDelight.com

Why do I blog?  

It makes me feel good to put beautiful photos and inspiring ideas out into the world.  I like that my readers can rely on me to post ideas on flower arranging, baking, friendship, collecting.  

Etsy is exciting if you want to buy handmade designs. Pinterest is fun if you want to see photos; I blog because it is important to me to provide inspiring text as well.  Remember, thinking is good for you.

I tell people that my blog is "where sugar rules and stories matter."

I hope that over the years I have: shown you something you had never seen, inspired you to try a recipe or flower arrangement, answered a question or simply gave you delight.  

I am here, still blogging and committed to this delightful life.  All the best, Anne

In honor of May

Why have I got the house looking so pretty?  It's in honor of the month of May, of course.  

The flowering trees are blooming in the neighborhood, my rose bushes have started to leaf out (the beauties on the kitchen table are from the grocery store) and these bright colors make the whole house look happy and welcoming.

The fabric (Patchwork by Vivian Gomez) I used on the table makes it look like I spent hours quilting complimentary pieces of fabric together, but is actually one printed piece! I bought a few yards and serged the edges to make an easy tablecloth.  The periwinkle blue polka dot place mats are plastic and help me to prolong the time that the tablecloth is clean and fresh.

If your kitchen table is a little dull after a long Winter, pull out some bright linens and see what a difference it can make.

Patchwork Sail

"If you're shipwrecked on an island..."  How many of us have heard that conversation starter?  The point of the question is to learn about the person; to see into their heart and find out what is important to them.

When I saw this small boat in a quilting shop in Shipshewana, filled to the brim with fabric, I immediately thought of the "stranded on a desert island" riddle.  Yes, this amount of fabric would just about do it.  I could make a patchwork sail and find my way back to civilization.  Or I could settle in and make a shabby chic beach tent.  

I started thinking about it and I would also need some : candy, music, cook books, lip stick, yarn and needles, my camera, a few Rosamunde Pilcher novels...

White Chocolate Flowers

I am going to make these white chocolate flowers again and again.  They are beautiful, exciting (for me, anyway, I gave a "whoop" when they released perfectly from the mold) and add something special to Spring desserts.

You will need four items to make the beautiful flowers shown here.  Once you have purchased a mixed flowers chocolate mold (online or at a cake decorating supply store), you can head to the cake decorating section of a craft store like Michael's to find the rest.  You'll need white candy melts (or white chocolate chips), edible pearl dust in pastel shades and some food safe paint brushes. 

Assembling the items was the hard part! Now you simply follow the instructions of the candy discs to melt them in the microwave - I put a cup of them in a Ziploc bag and microwave at intervals of 10 seconds, kneading the bag in between.  Once the candy is smooth and pourable, snip a small corner of the bag off and pipe into the molds.  I use a flat plastic scraper to wipe off the excess chocolate and leave a smooth flat back to the candies.  Then holding the mold just above the counter top, gently tap-tap-tap the filled mold on the counter over and over again and watch the bubbles rise and break on the surface of the chocolate.  This removes the bubbles and helps the chocolate to flow into the intricate detail of the mold.  Keeping it flat, place mold in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set the candy.  Then remove, place a cookie sheet  over the mold and flip it over so that the candy falls onto the cookie sheet.  If any of the pieces don't fall out, twist the mold slightly and they should release.

Dip a paint brush into the edible pearl dust and gently brush it over the white chocolate to add a lovely light color.  My favorite above is the lily of the valley - I painted green pearl dust on the leaves and left the white blossoms as pure white chocolate.

This is a whole new type of "edible" flower!  Enjoy!

*The inside of this cake is beautiful too!  Click to read about it here.

Beautiful Tea Leaves

It is just as beautiful as I imagined.  When you sprinkle a few edible gold hearts into loose tea, it can makes your tea service extra special.

Somewhere in my life, I admired a photo of loose tea that was enhanced with edible silver dragees.  The shiny edible decorations added just a touch of formality to dry tea leaves.  I loved it, but I knew that I would like these paper thin gold hearts (or stars) even more.  I have been waiting for the right day to try it and today's the day! 

The edible gold hearts are sold in the candy decorating section of the craft store (or online above) and are traditionally used to decorate cakes.  I love them mixed into the tea (there is no taste or effect) and since one container holds hundreds of hearts, I'll be enhancing my tea for a long time to come.

This is delight!

Checkerboard Cake

Tah-dah! The cake I have been imagining is finally brought to life.  My mom (a baking enabler) bought me this checkerboard cake pan when I was in my twenties.  While I was enthralled with it back then and made several chocolate and vanilla checkerboard cakes, it has been years since I have used it!

I started thinking about it this Winter and decided to make a pink and white checkerboard cake as soon as I was back home in my house and ready for Spring.  

My dad stopped by when I was assembling the layers and loved the ingenuity of the removable ring batter divider.   

We were still visiting when the layers came out of the oven and we were both so happy to see them release from the pan so easily.  I had sprayed the pans with Bakers Joy (nonstick spray with flour) and cut parchment paper circles to line the bottom of each pan.  They came out perfectly!

This 3-layer cake is made from 2 boxes of Pillsbury Moist Supreme "classic white" cake mix.  Make one box and leave it white.  Make the second box and add drops of liquid red food coloring until it looks as pink as you'd like.

The frosting is one batch of homemade butter cream.  I beat 3 sticks of salted butter until smooth.  Slowly add 3 3/4 cups of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), one cup at a time.  Mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a few drops of liquid red food coloring.  Once the cake has cooled completely, stack the three layers on top of one another without frosting in between, alternating the ring pattern.  Spread frosting on outside of cake.  Voila! 

* I will post about the white chocolate flower decorations on top on Friday, May 3, 2013.

A Good Egg

This silly, but useful, breakfast tool made my morning.  I bought this toast-shaped egg shaper as a stocking stuffer for my husband last Christmas.  He loves putting salsa and cheese on a piece of toast and topping it with a fried egg.  If that's how you like your eggs, what could be better?

I pulled it out of the utensil drawer the other morning and gave it a try.  I think it was designed for one egg (be sure to spray the form with non-stick cooking spray), because some of the uncooked egg spread beyond the toast-shape when I flipped it.  I like my eggs cooked really well, so I gave it more heat and time than the average girl.  I'm sure that with one egg it would cook perfectly.

The unexpected benefit was that the cartoon egg character peering over the edge of the eggs cooking made me smile.  Dumb? Yes.  Made my morning? Kinda.  If you have an egg-lover in your family, you might just want to treat them to one of the silly egg cooking products by Joie de Vivre's Eggy.  

Painting Party

I am a member of the local alumnae chapter of my sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. The group strives to connect members socially, raise money for our philanthropies and keep a strong post-college connection to the group that had such an important part of our college years.

Every once in a while, the group's schedule of fun, member-connecting activities coincide with a quiet night on my calender and I am able to attend.  I was so happy to see that one of our members (a trained art teacher) was donating her time to host an acrylics painting class last Friday night.

I had forgotten how relaxing it is to paint.  I really felt my blood pressure wind down as we layered color upon color to create a realistic country field.  

Although I must admit, I did feel a big grip of fear/hesitation when she told us to load our brush with paint and create the sky - right across the clean, empty canvas.  I felt it again when we launched into building the field with purple paint.  And again when we started to build the trunk of the tree. My instinct was that it wouldn't be right somehow - too big, too bulky, too off center.  Our patient teacher assured us that it was normal to feel hesitant, but to push on and give it a whirl.  It was art, after all and in art, it is hard to do something "wrong."  She was right, of course, and we all managed to make a tree that looked like a tree.

We brushed on clouds, dabbed on flowers, worked in grasses and "found the light" shining on the leaves.  It was really fun.  My mind let go of the lists and commitments that keep me running at a clip and I sat at the table with friends new and old and we all "lived in the moment" for a while.  We were creating something some scratch and it felt great.

We learned about color being lighter in the distance.  That by having a variety of colors among the branches of the tree it created depth, as if the wind was tussling the leaves.  We implied blue bonnets blooming naturally in the field by making small dry brush dashes with a lovely dusty blue shade of paint that we had mixed up ourselves.  

The whole evening was good for our brains and our hearts.  What could be better than that?  Thank you, Melissa, for a lovely and informative evening.

Tea Party Fare

Then suddenly it was time for tea!  Kathleen brought her famous scones, studded with berries and accompanied by luscious homemade vanilla whipped cream.  She also spooned egg salad into mini phyllo cups and sprinkled them with chopped bacon.  Ummm hmmm.  It was divine.  In the distance you can see her mini bread squares that are spread with dilled cream cheese and topped with flower-shaped cucumber slices.  I made us a chicken and asparagus quiche

and this plate of individual strawberry pavlovas. I tried this meringue-shell dessert from a recipe I found in the January/February issue of Tea Time magazine.  Aren't they pretty?

It was a picture-perfect "Tea for Two."  We decided that we loved baking and preparing the food as much as we did eating it.  We are peas in a pod when it comes to tea party fare, so why not enjoy it together.  We made our own moment of delight.

Linens and Dishes Make the Meal, a Moment

It already seemed like a party and all I had done was pull pieces from the china cabinet.  My friend was coming for tea and conversation.  We both love traditional tea fare - scones, tea sandwiches, sugar cubes and every once in a while we throw ourselves a little party. 

For me, a big part of entertaining is using beautiful dishes and linens that can make a meal, a moment.  My deep periwinkle linen tablecloth, designed by Moutet, was woven in France and is covered with a variety of leaves and botanical names. The cloth is a botany lesson in itself.  It was a lucky find at T.J. Maxx at least 5 years ago. As a result, I never miss the chance to go down the linen aisle in T.J. Maxx, just in case!

The dishes are a variety of pieces from The Blue Room collection by Spode.  Sometimes I display the dishes as art (see it in my house) but on this day, they were ours to enjoy as intended, filled with beautiful sweets and treats.  

I filled a low open vase with lavender roses from the grocery store and used some of my "Blue Willow" paper napkins (love them!) to make the tablescape complete.  I found "Blue Italian" cloth napkins online that match these dishes - they are going on my wish list!

I wanted to showcase the table "before" the meal, so you could see the foundation for a very special day.  Tomorrow, I'll show you our tea party.

Training Clematis Vine

This is my salad-plate size clematis blooming, compliments of another year.  Right now (April 24) the plant is barely a foot high.  I am encouraged because it is very bushy and had lots of tendrils anxious to climb, but it is really small.  Over the past few years it has had a tendency to mound on the ground and spill into the lawn.  I want it to climb, like in this photo below.

Yesterday I cut away all of the dead plant material off of the twine and removed the tangle of leaves.  I restrung the twine that the vine will grab onto (in a criss cross pattern) and hopefully, by the end of May, my clematis will be blooming on the wall.  I gently wrapped a few of the tendrils around a piece of string to lead it up to the twine grid.  I will go out daily to keep the tendrils climbing in the right direction.  

When the stars and moon align, you can see the purple blooms that have climbed the twine from inside my family room.  It is so pretty to see the healthy green vine, boasting a lavender bloom, waving in the breeze.  


And then today it started to snowing.  Spring...a girl can only dream.

Restoration Hardware: Decorating Outdoors

I was so impressed with the outdoor furniture at the Restoration Hardware Gallery Store in Houston, that when I started thinking about ways to make our outdoor space more livable, I found myself pouring over the photographs I had taken there last year.  The photo above is one of my favorites.

I love how Restoration Hardware layer neutrals; their sophisticated use of cement; how they showcase the appeal of mirrors in an outdoor setting.  

My patio set is a light khaki Tropitone and I'm trying to think of cushions, planters and elements that I can use to make the area more comfortable and lounge-worthy.  The photo below is my starting point, though it was taken on a beautiful day in June in another year. Today's high was 47. Brrrrr.... 

Kiteboarding in Florida

And then there are days on the ocean that are very exciting!  A kiteboarder spent most of one afternoon living it up right in front of our condo complex. 

I could see people watching him from their balconies and from the beach.  Kiteboarding is becoming more and more popular in Florida and as a spectator, I can confirm that it is really fun to watch.  "Look at him go!" was the feeling we all had as we watched.

Can you feel the ocean breeze?

Staring at the Ocean

Lost in thought?  It's easy to be mesmerized by the expansiveness of the ocean.  I could show you a beautiful picture of the Atlantic from every day of my trip.  Some days it was bright blue, other days looked like a paint palette of gray and then some days had me running for my camera.

On this promising morning, the water, clouds, sun and sky seemed more like an "inspirational poster" than a view from a real life.  Sometimes "delight" is getting lost in thought.

Figs by Todd English, Palm Beach Gardens

When does lunch "at the mall" look this beautiful?  When you are lucky enough to get a table at Figs by Todd English at The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

We loved the fresh herb and spice crusted bread with olive oil and it tided us over until our salads arrived (which was promptly).  My mom and I both added grilled chicken to our Roasted Pear Salad (baby spinach, roasted pears, goat cheese, toasted almonds) and we marveled at the warm brown butter-sour cherry vinaigrette.  I must learn how to make that salad dressing - it instantly earned a top spot on my "favorite salad dressing" list. Go Todd!

The restaurant atmosphere is very Pottery Barn (re:black tables, stemless wine glasses, dark art), the staff is friendly and the menu is spot on.  Perfect for lunch with clients, perfect for sustenance on a long shopping day, perfect for lunch with you mom.  Bravo.  

West Palm Beach: Green Market Saturday

It looks like I was in Morocco, but lo and behold, this is West Palm Beach!  Just adjacent to the WPB Antique and Flea market on Banyan, was a beautiful open market.

You can shop the West Palm Beach Green Market every Saturday and see beautiful produce, flowers and, yes, spices for sale.  This booth is by Scoche.  A spice and tea blend company with camera-ready displays.  

It was the scented air that drew me over.  The aroma of ground spice and fragrant tea was irresistible.

When I saw these beautiful tea blends (I love being able to see the ingredients), I told the vendor about how I had seen silver dragees (small edible silver balls used in cake decorating) mixed into tea blends to add a holiday sparkle.  It didn't seem like he was going to try it, but I thought I would contribute an idea when I could.  I am going to try this myself in the near future and I'll show you.
(Update: see my beautiful tea here)

If you visit the West Palm Beach Green Market, be sure to seek out Scoche.  Keep walking and breathing until you find yourself in wafts of scented air.  You can't miss it. 

Duck Tape Hair Accessories

Happiness is making your own duct tape hair accessories!  I am very crafty and love making things that girls will love with Duck Tape.  I've made totes, wallets, wristlets and hair bows out of duck tape and they always turn out well.

When I was thinking of the perfect craft to make with my cousins' 3 fourteen-year-old daughters, I knew that I wanted to use Duck Tape.  Remember the duck tape wristlets we made last year?

You see, every year over Easter vacation in Florida, I get to spend an evening crafting with the girls.  They are enthusiastic, eager to learn and highly complimentary. What's not to love?  I wish I could craft with them all the time, but they live on the other side of Michigan.  Luckily we all spend Easter vacation together in Florida and we make the most of our time together.

When I was considering what kind of accessory we should make together, I came across this headband with bow video (produced by the duck tape brand) on YouTube.  The instructions are simple and the results are darling.  My aunt (their grandmother) came along on my field trip to the craft store and bought "denim" Duck Tape (shown above), a roll of "argyle" Duck Tape, adhesive Velcro dots (to make the headband a perfect fit) and my favorite new craft item, non-stick scissors!  They cut through Duck Tape like a breeze and greatly increase the likelihood of happy crafters.  

Each of the girls made a perfect denim headband with a matching bow.  If only the 1920's could see them now.  They posed for group shots modeling their headbands and my heart swelled to twice its size.  They were so happy with the headbands and were so pleased with themselves.

Once they had mastered making a classic bow, they started making little bows with patterned Duck Tape and taping them onto bobby pins with a narrow strip of duck tape (below).  I can imagine these tween girls on the tennis court/track team/volleyball court wearing Duck Tape hair bows that match their team colors. I love it! 

The fun was just beginning when they realized that they could stack a smaller bow on top of a larger one.  They taped the two bows together and then attached them (with a band of duck tape!) to a pony tail holder.  It made the very popular "messy bun on top of head" hairstyle look a little more pulled together. So cute!  

The girls kept thanking me for teaching them how to make these Duck Tape hair accessories.  It was me who should be thanking them (and Duck Tape brand!), I've never had so much fun.

PGA National Resort, Palm Beach Gardens

PGA National Resort is getting it right.  When guests arrive in Florida anytime between November and April, odds are they are getting away from the reality of a cold winter.

What do I think these guest want?  As many opportunities as possible to be outdoors.  To feel the sun.  To breathe.  No thumping soundtrack.  No digital screens required.       

Look at this beautiful space I found to sit and relax.  It has a large gas fire pit surrounded with handsome outdoor couches and chairs.  I'd love to sit here at night under the stars, with ice cream drink in hand!

I found it to be just as enjoyable during the day.  My dad and I were checking out the pro shop (He gravitated to the Honda Classic apparel.  I was drawn to their great selection of Lilly Pulitzer - some day I'm getting one of those big beautiful scarves!) and afterwards we wandered into this lovely open space.

We sat and talked, watched the golfers on the putting green and felt the sun on our face.  I knew right away that I wanted to bring Dan back for here lunch on another day.  It was so relaxing.

This is the view of the pool area - you can have a casual lunch here too - isn't it pretty?  I have been coming to this resort to lunch and shop for years, and I must say that the renovations have managed to make this resort feel even more special. Well done!

Ring Bling

Look what else I found at the West Palm Beach Antique and Flea Market! Ring bling!  I stared at these gems and cut glass masterpieces sparkling in the sun for so long that the vendor thought I was in the market for a new bauble.  I was just entranced by the collection as a whole.  

This kind of girly grouping is so effective.  Take any of these items away from the rest and they aren't quite as magnificent.  But en masse, they shine.  

Wouldn't this make a terrific puzzle?

Antique Pot de Creme

I am one step closer to checking something off my "never list".  

My never list is a tally of things I'd like to make or try, but haven't had the chance to do yet.  It isn't a bucket list, as in something that is important for me to do before I die, it's more of a mental list of things that I know about and somehow haven't tried yet.  I recently checked off "make a souffle", "char tomatoes" and "have a Slurpee" and "eat morel mushrooms."  

Anyhoo, hovering on my never list has been "make chocolate pot de creme."  It is a rich pudding placed in small containers made specifically for pot de creme and cooked in a water bath.  I have looked for these lidded vessels in popular cooking stores, but I couldn't find any.  I saw these pots de creme online, but I was more in the mood to buy them in person.   

When I was in Florida, I mentioned wanting to make this petite dessert to my Aunt Carol and lo and behold, she found some antique pots de creme!  My mom, aunt and I went to the West Palm Beach Antique and Flea Market on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago.

Would you have spotted these pots de creme?  My aunt saw them and immediately knew that they were what I was looking for.  I bargained with the dealer and bought a set of four for $15.  I love them!

I need to wash them gingerly and cross my fingers that they can take the heat of a water bath.  They are marked "Made in Italy" on the bottom.  When I make this coveted dessert, I'll show you a picture and post the recipe. Wish me luck!