The Style Sisters: May 2012

Just a nice dinner outside tonight

By The Style Sisters - Wednesday, May 30, 2012

I grilled up some fresh tuna and made some pineapple salsa to go on top...oh man it was good!

I microwaved some yams and asparagus and then threw them on the grill just until they had a little charring on the outside.

I found these placemats at Ikea recently ...they look great and are easy to clean up especially after my grandkiddies eat their dinner :)

Don't look too closely at my flowers on the table..they are about done and wimpy looking but they added a little bit of color to the table.

Here is a picture of some of the glorious flowers my husband recently planted in our yard.

I am so grateful for him and all he does to make our yard look so nice.

Here are the little blue voitive candle holders that I talked about the other day...

We hang them from our patio umbrella to add a little sparkle.

More of the gorgeous flowers in the yard.

I love all the mulitple colors of flowers...I can't get enough of them!

Hope you all enjoyed your evening!

I am linking to

Between Naps on the Porch

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Kayacking

Memorial Day

By The Style Sisters - Monday, May 28, 2012

We started our Memorial Day by going on a bike ride around the lake and then we went Kayaking with a few of the neighbor kids and our daughter, her husband and our two little grandkids.

The weather was perfect...warm with a little breeze. The kids loved it!

Afterwards we rode back home and had a BBQ in the backyard.

I made some delicious turkey burgers! I used ground turkey mixed with a little red onion, egg, BBQ sauce, parmesean cheese, bread crumbs and spices. We topped the burgers off with some fresh Mozzarella cheese and turkey bacon...they were so moist and delicious!

My daughter Madeline made this delicious fruit salad! Watermelon cut into triangles that make a star shape. In the middle of the star is all kinds of fruit...canteloupe, grapes, slivered almonds, bananas and cut up watermelon drizzled with a lime honey poppyseed sauce. It is amazing!

Here is one of our little neighbors enjoying a popsicle...is he cute enough or what! Those big brown eyes and curly hair!

The little kiddies all enjoying popsicles....You can see my grandson Calvin standing in the middle with the red shirt on and my granddaughter Ella is on the right in a pink and white striped dress....I love watching all the kiddies having fun together.

It was a wonderful Memorial Day!!

I am so grateful for all those men and women who sacrificed so much for all of us to be able to live in Freedom and peace and comfort everyday...

I wish I could honor them in some amazing way.

Karin

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4th of July decorations

By The Style Sisters - Saturday, May 26, 2012

5 Comments

chalkboard food labels

Chalkboard Food Tags and Menu Boards

By The Style Sisters - Sunday, May 20, 2012

I am in love with all these chalkboard ideas!!

Take a peek at this idea...this gal from Burlap and Blue used embroidery hoops, painted fabric with chalkboard paint and clamped it in the hoops and hung them above the food items! Brilliant idea! Check out her blog and see more of these ideas. http://burlapandblue.com/

Photo and idea from www.burlapandblue.com (click photo to go to her site)

At pocketfullofdreams.com she shows some fabulous ideas using chalkboards for a wedding! I love the fact that they had someone calligraphy some of the chalkboards to make them elegant. Who knew?!!

Photo: Pocketfullofdreams.com (click on photo to see more ideas)

I love these cute little chalkboard food labels from Lauren Bailey Etsy Shop. These are so cute and simple!

photo: Lauren Bailey shop Etsy (click on photo to purchase)

Of course Pottery Barn has a way of making a chalkboard look good on a daily basis!

This is such a cute idea!

photo: Pottery Barn

I found this one on Etsy and loved the idea of adding moss to the edges and then setting the chalkboard on a fancy easel to really make it stand out. Such a fun idea!

Photo: Etsy (click on photo)

This is from Martha Stewart Wedding and this particular menu items came from a carnival themed wedding but I love the pink frame and the fancy lettering.

Photo: Martha Stewart Wedding (click on photo to see more of this wedding)

Hope you enjoyed all these fun ideas!

Karin :)

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dining outdoors

Outdoor dining ideas

By The Style Sisters - Friday, May 18, 2012

Dining Outdoors...I love to dine outside as much as I can with family and friends. It just makes eating together so much more fun!

Take a look at these hanging lanterns hanging from the branches of trees over the table.

I wish I had some trees in my backyard to hang lights from! I hope to build a pergola soon so I can have "hanging ability" on my patio.

I love how they used a simple white tablecloth with what looks like a denim runner down the center. The pillows on the benches...just adds a little softness to the outdoor experience.

I found all these pictures on At Home With Kim Vallee Look at these great water dispensers all in a row! Probably filled with lime water, orange water, tea and lemonade. Great idea!

I love the idea of creating a grill by using a little bucket with a grill on top for hot dogs at the beach! Brilliant!

Movie night in the backyard!! Hang a sheet get a projector and show your favorite movie! Don't forget the treats! Look at all the yummy food ideas. Bowls of different flavored popcorn...serving in paper sacks perfect!

I love the basket filled with little blankets for when the sun goes down. I also see mason jars filled with candy sticks.

What a fun idea to use big glas jars for licorice, gummy candies and what looks like chocolate covered raisins maybe?

Using the old fashioned soda bottles just adds to the fun evening!

Make sure you stop over at www.athomewithkimvallee.com for more ideas.

Enjoy your outdoor dining experiences and let me know if you tried any of these ideas and how they worked for you!

Karin

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al Fresco dining

Blue and White Tablescape Centerpiece Wednesday

By The Style Sisters - Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Have you ever heard of Carolyne Roehm I had never heard of her before but came across her site today and fell in love with all her ideas! I decided to highlight her ideas for Centerpiece Wednesday. You can go to her site and see more eyecandy for all different seasons.

Just look at all the blue in this table! I love the striped tablecloth and all the blue glass..it just makes me say ahhh!

Here again is the same blue and white tablecloth with clear glasses and gorgeous hydrangeas!!

Hello does it get any better than this?!

Here is a full shot of the entire table....this just makes me swoon...does this cause any of you to do the same thing or is it just me?

Here are some of the food items she is serving...Look at the cute metal bowls with the bamboo tops...hey...I am getting an idea...what if you used regular metal bowls and bought those round bamboo purse handles to glue on top of the bowls to re-create this? Whaddya think....could that work? Let me know if any of you try this and how it works.

Please link up to Centerpiece Wednesday and share your ideas with us and hop over to Carolyne Rohme and check out her fun ideas.

I am linking to

Costal Charm

Betweennapsonthporch

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DIY fix for leaking water dispenser

Fix a leaking glass water dispenser!

By The Style Sisters - Saturday, May 12, 2012

Has anybody else had trouble with their glass water dispensers leaking? Drip Drip Drip!

I love these water dispensers...they really add that special something to any party but they leak!!

Until now!

I looked all over the internet to find a cure and someone suggested using the rubber seals that you use on a garden hose. TA DA!! It totally works!! I don't have to throw this glass dispenser out and go buy a really expensive one.

I have moved this DIY over to my new blog here

https://karinskottage.com/2012/05/fix-leaking-glass-water-dispenser.html

Fix a leaking glass water dispenser, Leaking glass drink dispenser, DIY fix for leaking water dispenser

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Cro

Votive Candles

By The Style Sisters - Saturday, May 12, 2012

Votive candle holders that do much more than just hold a candle!

Below are some ideas of what you can do with these votive candle holders

Serve jam or sauce in them! You could give each person their own little jam older or put several votive jame holders filled with different jams or sauces.

Of course use them with a candle in it but try hanging the votive candle holders with different colored ribbon from a tree branch or pergola in your backyard to add the little glow.

Even hang some from your umbrella on your patio above your table to add some drama!

another fun idea is to use them as your centerpiece. Cluster a grouping of them down the center of your table and fill them with colorful flowers in your yard for a simple but elegant look!

These would be perfect for a wedding reception or shower as gifts or decor!

You could use them as tiny vases for one bloom at each pacesetting to make your guests feel special!

Place long toothpicks in them and place them on your buffet!

I really love using these anytime I can to add the extra touch to my dinner table and back yard patio.

Purchase some today and add a little sparkle to your next dinner party!

Set of 4 only 6.50!

Silver Votive Candle Holders

Set of 4 $6.50

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Garden Boxes

My Mother's Day gifts

By The Style Sisters - Friday, May 11, 2012

I have the most amazing family! They have been working on projects for me for a couple of weeks now and I just had to share them with all of you! My husband loves to tinker on projects around the house and most especially out in the yard.

While at one of the many many trips to Lowe's I spotted this adorable little chandy on the clearance aisle for only $29.00! Yes that's right good old Lowe's had this old fashioned sparkly little chandelier.

I snatched it up and my cute hubby installed in over my sink in the kitchen. So so cute!

Sorry my photos are so dark and not very clear...I used my IPAD and the lighting was just not great. :(

Here is the before picture...no chandy to be found.

Here is the other thing my husband made for me...a potting bench. He made it out of a wooden pallet! My daughter Madeline found the idea on Pinterest and my other daughter helped by pulling the pallet all apart!

This is my hubby working on the potting bench.

He not only built the potting bench but he and my daughter Madeline..built these amazing garden beds!!

They had to lay down some decorative cinder block to level the ground...our backyard slopes a bit.

Here it is all complete. He even built me a little ledge to sit on so I won't tweek my back by bending over so much!

I think Madeline was more excited than me to get the plants put in! We planted lots of herbs, tomatoes, green beans, White beans, peas, carrots, strawberries, red and green peppers and more! It is going to be amazing when everything starts growing!