Summer Treats- Ice Cream in a Bag

Today it was about 90 degrees and it was the perfect day for a nice, cold treat. Here's a easy recipe to make ice-cream.

Ice Cream in a Bag

{photo: unknown source}

   Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
• 6 tbsp rock salt
• 1/2 cup milk 
• Ice cubes
• 1 pint size plastic food storage bag
• 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag

Steps:

1. Fill a large bag full of ice and add rock salt. Then, seal the bag tightly.

2. Put milk, sugar, and vanilla into a small bag and seal tightly.

3. Place the small bag inside the large one and seal it (again) carefully.

4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream-y texture. This should "churn" the ice cream and takes about 5 minutes.

5. Wipe off the top of the small bag and open it carefully. Enjoy!

Summer Treats- Mango Pops

It was so hot today and I was craving a popsicle, so I made one. Here's a great recipe for popsicles that taste great on a hot day!

{photo: source unknown}

Ingredients:

• 2 Mangoes
• 4 cups of Plain Yogurt
• About 1 cup of Raspberries

Steps:

 1. Peel the skin off the mango and dice the mango into squares. 

 2. Put the diced mango pieces and yogurt into a blender and blend until it's well blended and smoothie-like.

 3. Pour the mixture into molds. ( a cup or ice tray would work,  "molds" is just a fancy way of saying that.) Make sure to put the raspberries at the very bottom first and then pour it in.

 4. Place the molds in the freezer for 4-6 hours. 

 5. Before serving, let thaw for 10 minutes and then take it out of the molds. Enjoy!

Tip: If the popsicles don't come out of the molds after 15 minutes, then run the molds under warm water and press on the bottom of them. They should come loose. 

A Book Lover's Giveaway

I am blogging about an awesome giveaway today! The Little Fox is giving away The Book Club tote and The Book Lover's postcard set. I am a huge bookworm, so this giveaway is perfect for me!

And to enter, you can follow her blog and comment on this post

Or for a few extra entries, you can tweet, blog about it, or post a link on you Facebook page. The winner will be selected at the end of June. 

Stylish Blogger Award

Thank you CraveCute for awarding me with the Stylish Blogger Award. What an honor! So now I'll list 7 seven things about (but not limited to) me.

1. Cucumbers and too much vinegar don't mix.

2.  When you go out into the sun just for a little while always wear sunscreen- or you'll end up looking like a lobster.

3. When baking a cake for someone else, stick to a recipe you're familiar with or you might be surprised.
(not in a good way either)

4. Send cards for birthdays, anniversaries, well wishes.... not emails.

5. I love cute things, the simpler the better.

6. I own an Etsy shop. Modern Buttercup

7. Blogging is one of the best things in the world and should be for fun, not a chore.


But enough about me. Now I'm going to pass the award to 7 bloggers, so please visit each blog and comment. Congrats!
                                                    little lovelies
                                                   little dear tracks
                                                    Ladybird Ln
                                                     Brittney Lee
                                                     Wild Olive
                                                    Strawberry Chic
                                                       Hooked Up

Terrarium

Terrariums are my latest crafting craze- I read about them, make them almost daily, and tend to blog about them quite a bit. (It's always like this; I find a hobby, become obsessed with it, buy junk I usually don't need and then forget about it. ) So here are a few pretty pictures of terrariums:

                                                           www.katyelliot.com/blog        

                                                          www.paulahayes.com/terrarium

                                                                ritzybee.typepad.com


I couldn't resist adding this one:

                                               http://www.etsy.com/shop/thepoppytree?ref=pr_shop


You can find a great terrarium DIY here:
http://www.designsponge.com/2009/08/made-with-love-found-terrariums.html 

Or you can check out my terrarium DIY in the May archives of my blog.                                         

7th Day of Inspiration: Mason Jars

We are on the last day of our photo extravaganza, so it'll end with a big finale....

                  
                                                          

                                                                    via: etsy.com 

                                                           via: funkybear.wordpress.com  

                                                            via: blog.designsquish.com 

                                                                 disdressed.blogspot.com

6th Day of Inspiration: Mason Jars

Jars make such cute vases.... so simple and country-like.

                                                                  via: pinmarklet.com

5th Day of Inspiration: Mason Jars

I  never thought you could serve drinks in jars, but I guess you can! :)

                   via: pinmarklet

4th Day of Inspiration: Mason Jars

More hanging lights.....

          via: etsy.com

3rd Day of Inspiration: Mason Jars

Doesn't this picture have a whimsical touch to it?

                                                        via: weheartit.com

2nd day of inspiration: Mason Jars

This was a pretty picture and I couldn't resist posting it!

                                        via: desiretoinspire.net

1st Day of Inspiration: Mason Jars

I found this enchanting picture on Pinterest and thought it would fit the theme perfectly!

                              via: suziebeezie.tumblr.com

7 Days of Inspiration: Mason Jars

 I happen to love Mason Jars and will be posting pictures of some for 7 days. So be ready for fun posts and beautiful pictures!

Note: Feel free to comment or leave links that do with the theme. Maybe I'll include them! (with credit to you of course...)

Creative Approaches to Art

I found this on a blog and thought it was a great "rule" list and could be used as a guide for an artist; beginner or intermediate. Take a look:

{source: unknown}

Try to follow these rules and see if they apply to you! :)

New Succulent

Today I was in a gardening mood (it was a beautiful day) so I decided to plant a succulent in a terrarium. I carefully trimmed it off from one of my big succulent plant "bushes" and then created a small, modern terrarium....

Doesn't it look cool? I put it in a narrow vase, so it was kind of hard to place. Now it's sitting on my desk and it looks great.