DIY Teacher Necklaces

School is almost out & it's time to thank those special teachers for all their hard work & dedication over the last year! Head over to The Creative Crate & get the details to make these adorable necklaces. Super easy, inexpensive & from the heart!

DIY Flower Pillows

I'm such a sucker for big flowers, I blame it on my inner Carrie Bradshaw! Now you can make your own fabulous flower pillows with these incredible tutorials. Hello Gorgeous!

Stunning! Get the tutorial from Cluck. Cluck. Sew at V and Co.

Get the details to make this beauty at Love Stitched

DIY Lace Flower HairPin

The lace & metal combo gives this flower a gorgeous vintage vibe. Get the details to make your own at Aly & Ash

Milk & Cookies Printable

Sooo cute! Can you imagine getting one of these milk cartons filled with sweets? What a fun & original party favor idea! Head over to The Sweetest Occasion to download the free templates.

Berrylicious!

Just look at this red, ripe, juicy goodness! We bought these ginormous strawberries at our farmers market yesterday. Can't wait to try some new recipes!

Strawberry-Honey Bruschetta

1 loaf (8 oz) baguette-style French bread
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® fat-free Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16 fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut bread into 1/2-inch slices; arrange on a baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until golden. Turn oven setting to broil.

2. Meanwhile, stir together yogurt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread yogurt mixture on one side of each toasted baguette slice.

3. Broil bread slices 4 inches from heat about 1 minute or until mixture is hot. Arrange strawberry slices on the yogurt mixture. Lightly drizzle each bread slice with honey. Serve immediately.

Strawberry-Chicken Salad

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 recipe Strawberry Citrus Dressing (below)
6 cups fresh watercress
2 cups halved strawberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. Sprinkle the chicken breast halves with pepper and salt. In a large skillet, bring chicken broth to boiling. Add chicken; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning once halfway through cooking time. Meanwhile, prepare Strawberry Citrus Dressing.

2. Remove chicken from skillet and discard broth. Thinly slice cooked chicken. In a large bowl, toss together watercress, strawberries, and chicken. To serve, drizzle warm dressing over salad and sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Citrus Dressing:
In a blender or food processor, combine 1/2 cup strawberries; 1/3 cup orange juice; 2 tablespoons canola oil; 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional); 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover; blend or process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan. Bring just to boiling. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep warm until needed. Makes 3/4 cup.

Photo & recipe credits: Eat Better America

Fight Night Birthday Bash!

I’m always looking for any excuse to throw a party. It just so happens this year the Mayweather vs. Mosley fight was scheduled around the time of my birthday.

Boxing, friends, food - I couldn’t ask for a better evening!

The invite I created for the party. Printed on heavy cardstock, guests were mailed "tickets" to the event.

For appetizers we had chicken tacquitos, chips & salsa bar, bruschetta, strawberries with vanilla dipping sauce, sun dried tomato, pesto & cream cheese dip with crackers and a cheese & black pepper salami platter.

My inspiration for the night was a roll of brown, pink & green polka dot wrapping paper. The actual paper was incorporated throughout the party from the pennant banners to the water bottle labels to wrapped candy bars.

For the water bottles, I wrapped each one with the wrapping paper, then hole punched scalloped circles and butterflies with cardstock. I also bent the wings to give them some dimension.

With the help of my cute little assistant, we made several party pennants to display around the house and incorporated dozens of pink & green paper lanterns.

Instead of a birthday cake, I opted to do a dessert & candy bar. Trying to stay true to the pink & green color theme, we had rainbow lollipops, pixy stiks, pop rocks, appleheads, strawberry wafer straws, cherry ring pops chocolate bars, cupcakes & the most delicious crème brulee served in chocolate cups. To ease some of the sugar rush, there were individual boxes of white cheddar popcorn for guests to munch on.

I created labels and using the same hole punches from the water bottle labels, decorated take-out boxes for the candy bar.

Can you guess what this is? We recently converted our daughters crib, the side railing made for a perfect display for the take-out boxes. As guests left, they just untied one and filled it with their treats!

Now to start planning our next party...

Savory Greens, Tomatoes & Goat Cheese Tarts

Doesn't this look scrumptious?
Our local farmers market has recently had the tastiest tomatoes, so now is the perfect time to make these savory tarts. Get the recipe from Tartelette