Happiness Is Two Kinds of Ice Cream

June 6, 2013 By 1 Comment

Nothing says summer like a dish of homemade ice cream. (Bonus points if the dish itself is homemade, too!) Here are a few of our staff’s favorite flavors:

Ann (Art Director): OK, I’m really boring; I like vanilla with caramel topping. (editor’s note: we like to call it “classic.” J)
Kathleen (Associate Editor): Around the holidays, my go-to’s are peppermint or Blue Bell’s Pumpkin Spiced Pecan. But any other time, it’s all about chocolate. (My favorite is peanut butter-chocolate or Brusters’ s’mores.) My topping of choice is usually dark chocolate syrup.
Becky (Editorial Coordinator): As soon as school is out, ice-cream-making season begins at our house. My son loves to make mint chocolate chip, but my favorite is honey ice cream. It takes me back to my favorite ice-cream parlor on the lake where I grew up; it was the place to go after a long hot day! For toppings, I love hot fudge and strawberries—sometimes I skip the ice cream and just eat the hot fudge and strawberries!
Nancy (Copy Editor): I, of course, don’t make any of this myself, but I love fresh (homemade) peach ice cream with pizzelles.
Tracey Runnion: I love chocolate chip mint with hot fudge. Yum!
Faith (Assistant Editor): I try to have a diet filled with greens, so I eat mint chocolate chip ice cream. (Chocolate comes from beans too, right?) And they say you’re supposed to eat colorful meals, so I put sprinkles on my ice cream.
Haley (Editorial Assistant): Easy! Swiss chocolate ice cream with toffee bits and sliced almonds.

We’ve got the scoop on a few of our favorite fun ice-cream-themed products that are sure to put the cherry on top of your summer celebration.

1. “You’re so sweet!” Thank-You Card Set: Ruche, 2. Malt Time Favorite Top: Mod Cloth, 3. Andy Warhol Ice-Cream Poster: All Posters
4. Purple Ice-Cream-Cone Pincushion: Etsy, 5. “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream.” Illustrated Card: Etsy, 6. Ice Cream Mirror Stud Earrings: Yes Style
7. Popsicle Coin Purse: Kate Spade, 8. Soft-Serve Temporary Tattoo: Tattly, 9. Champion Ice-Cream Shoes: Keds
10. Ice-Cream Stiletto: Far Fetch, 11. Cool-Pop Spatula: Sur la Table, 12. Popsicles Temporary Tattoo: Tattly
13. Ceramic Ice-Cream Cone: Anthropologie, 14. Ice-Cream Cones Throw-Pillow Cover: Society 6, 15. My Ice-Cream and Your Ice-Cream Spoons: Etsy

 

Filed Under: Just for Fun, Product Pick, Product Roundup Tagged With: , ,

Mother’s Day App Assistance

May 9, 2013 By 4 Comments

Running a little behind on your Mother’s Day gift plans? Editorial Assistant Haley Bridges has just the answer!

Though there are a million projects I bookmark and plan throughout the year, I always second-guess myself when it comes to Mother’s Day gifts.  A woman who needs nothing and appreciates everything—how do you begin to show her how special she is?

This year, I got  lucky when I stumbled upon the ArtStudio app. Created for use as an artist’s on-the-go Photoshop, I found that I could turn one of my mom’s favorite pictures of us into a sentimental piece of artwork. Access photos saved on your camera roll, and use the tools to turn them into paintings. I boast no talent when it comes to painting, but the app is very intuitive and lets you embrace your blunders with the helpful blending tool. After you’re finished, it even gives you the option to print your art so it can be matted and framed! Here is my finished piece:

This got me thinking: with all of us whose mothers might not be as near as we’d like, apps are a great way to fill the hole. We did some research and came up with a list of our favorites for our favorite women.

One of the sweetest ways to show your mom how much you appreciate her is with a simple card. With the Felt app, you can customize every detail of your handwritten note, and after you’re finished, it will then snail mail the printed version of the card straight to Mom!

 

 

 

 

 

Too far away to garden together? The Flower Garden app allows you to plant, nurse, and pick your own flowers to send a digital bouquet all your own. The app has a dozen of different flowers to choose from, and for those of us who have trouble keeping the real thing alive, these flowers are foolproof.

 

 

 

 

Take all those photos sitting in shoeboxes, and create an original digital scrapbook for Mother’s Day. ScrapPad takes any uploaded photos and allows you to doodle, border, and detail every special memory.

 

 

 

 

 

Instagram photos become a keepsake with this easy app. Keepsy will take any number of your Instagram photos and bind them into a printed photo album for sharing.

 

 

 

 

 

If you just need some inspiration with what to get Mom this year, El Gifto is the answer. Fill out a small survey about your mom’s interests and your budget, and this app will give you numerous gift ideas perfect for her. Bonus! This app can also be used for birthdays, holidays, and “just because” presents.

Filed Under: Holidays, Product Pick Tagged With: , ,

In Celebration of Pride and Prejudice

February 1, 2013 By 4 Comments

This week we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of one of the best-loved books on our bookshelf—Pride and Prejudice! We’re not going to weigh in on the Colin Firth versus Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy discussion (though we do have our favorite), but we are going to take a look at some of our staff’s favorite quotables from this excessively witty work of literature (and a couple other Austen classics for good measure).

Editor, Ande Fanning: “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than a book!—When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”
Associate Editor, Kathleen Whaley: “I have not the pleasure of understanding you.”
Assistant Editor, Faith Morgan: “There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.”
Copy Editor, Nancy Ogburn: “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”
Editorial Coordinator, Becky Goff: “It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”

Check out these fun, artistic interpretations of some of Jane Austen’s other bon mots, and see if you are not quite diverted.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, DIY Projects, Just for Fun, Product Pick, What We're Reading Now Tagged With: , , ,

Shelf Life

January 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Maybe you received a pile of books for Christmas (lucky!) or you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to read more. Either way, these helpful accessories that we adore will keep your bookshelf stylish and organized.

Row One (left to right)
-These mystifying magnetic arrow bookends will keep guests guessing.
-The end is always near with this simple statement bookend.
-Flat metal bookends lend a helping hand on your bookshelf.

Row Two (left to right)
-James the bookend is always ready to step in and push back on your growing collection of volumes.
-There’s no more classic or iconic symbol of the New York library than the elegant lion sculptures flanking the steps. Lend a little of that gravitas to your own library with marble bookend replicas.
-“C” may be for cookie, but “B” is for book, and that’s good enough for me.

Row Three (left to right)
-Need a little more organization for your voluminous collection? Try these index-tabbed bookends for the ultimate in efficiency.
-All of the leather animals from this bookend collection are super cute, but we would especially love this brown bull bracing against a stack of books on our shelves.
-Stack a few of your favorite DIY volumes between these vice-grip bookends for an industrial look.

Filed Under: Home Decor, Product Pick Tagged With: , , , ,

Product Pick: Tempaper

October 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Renters, take heart! There’s a solution for your boring beige walls, and it doesn’t involve a can of paint and a lost deposit. Tempaper, a self adhesive temporary wallpaper, is a boon to color lovers everywhere. Conceived by film and TV set designers, Tempaper was launched in 2008. They specialize in graphic patterns, compatible with current design trends. Here are a couple of our favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more ideas, be sure to check out the Creative Ways with Wallpaper story from our premier issue.

Filed Under: Home Decor, Product Pick Tagged With: , , ,
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