green really does love yellow

Since my blog is titled "Green Loves Yellow" (and those are my two favorite colors... no deep symbolism involved, just two lovely colors that look lovely together), when I found this "Simply Color" post on Design Sponge, I had to repost it!

For paint colors and item information, click here for the original post!

I  ♥ green and yellow!

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New Amelie Rose Items {Bobby Sets}

I love love love these sweet little bobby pin sets. I can't wait to list even more colors in the store!

Ivory, Sky Blue, and Chocolate

Pink, Blue, and Turquoise

Orange, Yellow, and Red

All the sets are $6, and just $1.25 for the shipping. (And don't forget, if you and I know each other, and you want to purchase an item in the store, and you live in the area, convo me before you make the purchase so I can remove the shipping charges and hand-deliver it to you!)

More color combos coming soon!


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Succulents in Weddings

What do you think of succulents? Are they over-rated?

My answer: NO! I love them. I think they are beautiful. Which possibly explains why I am somewhat partial to the thought of including succulents in wedding decor.

Before you speak otherwise, just see what you think of these images.

Convinced? Yes, no, or maybe?


(all images from Once Wed)
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Pretend Shopping {dresses}

It feels like spring here in L.A., but I know (due to my nerdy habit of adding weather forecasts of random towns and cities all over the world to my phone, and then checking them frequently throughout the day) that most of the rest of the country is still buried in sub-zero temperatures. (Not to mention the town of Barrow, Alaska, which had a record low temperature of negative 48 degrees the other night, and with the wind chill, it was negative 69. Thanks phone!)

So it feels like spring in southern California, and it will soon be spring in the rest of the world, so let's go pretend dress shopping.

Sunflower Dress from Shuga Rose



Eve Dress from Three Little Ducks




Floral Blossom Dress in blue, from My Lola Fashion



Katharina Dress in Venice Blue, from Lirola

Dress from Anaya... it's a custom listing, but oh so pretty!



Love Me Knot Dress, from MQuin



Floral Wing Sleeves Dress, from Very Purple Person

Not to mention I love those green tights! Sadly mine got a run in them, and I can't find the same color anywhere.




Vintage 1950's Peachy Eyelet Lace Dress, from Coldfish

 Etsy seller Coldfish has one of the best collections of vintage women's clothing that I have yet seen on Etsy. Vintage shop owners have a challenge to maintain a carefully curated selection, while at the same time provide enough of a selection to draw shoppers in. Coldfish does this well.



I'm saving my favorite dress for last.

I love this one. I like the mix between structured and ruffly-flowy, and I think the print of the fabric is wonderful. Besides that, the dress comes with the pretty yellow sash. (It bothers me when clothing sellers display their items with sashes and such that do not come with the original purchase. I mean, I know that they're trying to create a look, but it's a bummer when you find out that in order to achieve that look, you have to spend extra money). And, this dress is custom made to your measurements. Someday, my shopping will not be pretend!



Custom Purple Floral Spring to Fall Dress, from Elisha Sewell

 What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? Are spring dresses even an option right now? As for me, I'd still be happy if winter came back to L.A.!

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SwapBot

Maybe I'm late to the party, but I just discovered something new.

What is it?

Here's the website's own description:

Do you like sending and receiving snail mail? Do you like writing letters, making crafts, or putting together fun packages? You should try swapping! Swap-bot is a online service that organizes group swaps and a community of creative individuals. Swap-bot takes the hassle out of participating in group swaps by organizing all of the participant information and doing all of the partner assignments. On Swap-bot, you can host swaps, join swaps, and chat with other swappers from all over the world. Give it a try!

Basically, you join the website, look for a fun swap, and trade with other like-mindedly creative people!

I spent about thirty minutes poking around on the site this morning, and found at least five swaps that I want to join. Lots of the swaps are penpal-esque, as in, postcard swaps, letter swaps, etc., but I found an earring swap that I want to join, and several others! The best part is that it's free, except for the tiny cost of shipping an item to someone else. Swap-Bot is also not confined to the U.S.! I like the idea that I could participate in an earring swap with someone from Europe, or trade recipes with someone in Australia. I also like that you can participate as much or as little as you would like.


Months ago, I discovered a similar site hosted on blogspot called We-Swap. I thought it was cool, and (if you check it out) you'll see that it is, but Swap-Bot's community far surpasses We-Swap. On Swap-Bot, you can participate in group swaps (like the earring swap) or in individual swaps via the forum boards. No matter how you swap, it's almost always a surprise, and it's a way to connect with creative people whom you would never have known!

For example, I signed up for a blogspot swap. Tomorrow the swap closes, and the moderator will join everyone in the swap up with ten other bloggers. The participants' jobs are to read the blogs of those with whom they're been paired and comment on their blogs. I'm excited to read new blogs, probably in categories I wouldn't normally seek out.

Look around on Swap-Bot! I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Does it sound exciting to you? Are you interested in joining any swaps? Will you join any? If you do, tell me which one you joined, and what the results are. I'm so curious to know!


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Lime and Honey Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini

This is my favorite way to cook salmon, for sure. Even if you're not a fish person, I don't know... you might change your mind on this one. And if you do like fish, your taste buds will thank you for putting this on your plate.

It's super easy too: Saute, add rice, bring to a boil, bake in the oven, pour on some sauce, bake a little longer... done. One more bonus is that everything is cooked in one pot. So after dinner, you're not scrubbing all kinds of various pots and pans- just one!

A few questions answered before we go to the recipe:
1. Do I have to use basmati rice? Technically, no. Any white rice will do. However, basmati soaks up the broth and sauce so nicely that I strongly recommend it.
2. Where do I get broccolini? I get mine from Trader Joe's. One package in the refrigerated produce section (next to the lettuce and baby carrots) is perfect for this recipe. I've seen it at regular grocery stores too, but it's more expensive. TJ's is your best bet.
3. Do I have to buy shallots or can I just use the onion in my fridge? You can use onion, but slice it super thin. However, if you are going to the grocery store, buy the shallots. They're just right for this recipe.

Now on to the recipe!

Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. fresh lime juice
• Zest of 2 limes
• 3 tb. chopped cilantro (plus more for sprinkling)
• 5 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tb. honey
• 1 tb. olive oil
• 3/4 c. thinly sliced shallots (about 3 large)
• 1 1/2 c. basmati rice
• 3 1/4 c. chicken broth (have a bit more on hand in case the rice gets dry while baking)
• 4 small skinless salmon fillets (or 2 large ones)
• 1 bunch broccolini, bottom inch trimmed off

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Saute shallots in oil in a Dutch oven (or other ovenproof skillet/pan) until shallots begin to soften and brown slightly, 4-5 minutes. Stir in rice, then stir in 3 1/4 cups chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover skillet securely with a lid, place in oven, and bake 10 minutes. (The rice will be just about cooked, and most of the broth will be absorbed. If it looks dry, pour 1/4 cup more broth over).
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the lime juice, lime zest, honey, cilantro, and soy sauce. Set aside. (Tip: I like to make a little extra sauce because it is soo good!)
4. Remove the pot from the oven. Sprinkle the rice lightly with salt. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper and place on top of rice, pressing in slightly. Arrange the broccolini around the salmon on top of the rice, pressing in lightly. Spoon about half of the honey-lime sauce over the salmon and the broccolini. Cover the pot firmly and return it to the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Broccolini should be done too by this time (crisp-tender). Remove from the oven and drizzle the rest of the honey-lime sauce over the contents of the pot. Sprinkle additional cilantro, and serve everything from the pot. 

 If I have extra rice left over, it's pretty good in tacos or burritos the next day. Something about the lime and the cilantro is so yummy mixed with other taco/burrito-type ingredients!


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Felt Flower Tutorial

I love making things out of felt! It's so easy to work with because it practically holds itself together as you go, and there are so many pretty colors that the possibilities are nearly endless!

Today I thought I'd offer you a felt flower tutorial for these little beauties:

What can you do with them? I think they would make a darling headband for a little girl-- in any color or combination of colors-- or perhaps one or two would make a nice brooch for a cardigan or a wool coat. Another idea is a yearn wreath. I have seen these wreaths becoming more and more popular, and I think I'm going to try my hand at creating a spring wreath... perhaps something like one of these:

I think they're so pretty, and just perfect for spring! Those wreaths are from an Etsy seller called Anna Hailey.

Moral of the story, there's lots you can do with a felt flower!

So on to the tutorial!

Materials:

• Hot glue gun
• Green felt
• Yellow felt
• Any other color that you like for the flower petals
• Scissors

 

 

Aren't they cute! I can't wait to experiment with making a felt wreath... possibly using this style of flowers. If you make one (or more!) of these, tell me what you did with it, and how your project turned out!


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Paper Noodle

Little Red Riding Hood

Today's post features the art work of Cheong-ah Hwang of Paper Noodle. She was raised in Korea by parents who owned a printing business, so she was surrounded by all kinds of paper at an early age. Cheong-ah Hwang began creating paper sculptures midway through art school in the early 2000's.

Many of the items in her online shop are photos taken of her paper sculptures, so they are quite affordable. The original sculptures, however, are quite expensive, but for a good reason. I can't imagine the amount of time that goes into each sculpture! In fact, on her Flickr site, she has posted a "making of" series that gives a bit of insight as to the intricate detail of each part of a sculpture. Here's one of the images she posted:

Can you imagine!

And here's the final product of the above series:

Alice Meets Caterpillar

Here's an original sculpture. The detail in the feathers is amazing!

Rooster

Check out her Etsy shop, her personal site, or her Flickr stream for more images of this amazing art form!


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Sticky Notes

I've been feeling somewhat uninspired this week when it comes to blog posts, so I'll let my students be the inspiration.

Fourth grade is pretty much the first year when sticky notes become a legitimate school supply, and during the first half of the year, I find various sticky notes around the classroom on which students have written themselves notes, written each other notes, or just entertained themselves.

We use sticky notes frequently-- to take notes in textbooks, to jot down vocabulary words, or other scholastic purposes. Some students write notes to themselves like this:

"Tell Mom about feild trip so she can go get perrmission slip in Friday write neat"

Aside from the grammar and spelling issues, this is a legitimate use of a sticky note.

But now to the main point of this post. The weird and funny sticky notes. Take this one:

"My mom will watch you. Got MILK?"

I have no idea what that one means.


How about a riddle?

"You will find me where the little kids play, all day! I'm big and tall with leaves. good Luck"

This next one might be my favorite. If you wanted to find a diamond, which strategy would you use?

"find diamond at volcano or dig hard or go to South Africa find diamond"

And last but not least, this one isn't a sticky note, but students often draw pictures of their teachers, and my students are no exception. We'll round this post off with a portrait of Mrs. Hildebrand, drawn by one of my boys.

How about those pigtails?

Ha!

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I like this

I like this print.

 

It is sweet, simple, calm, and cheerful. It makes me think of a birthday or a celebration with best friends, but not many more. A very nice kind of celebration, if you ask me!

Do you like quiet parties or loud parties? Lots of energy or low-key? 

Happy New Year!

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