Mane Message

I come to you today with a very girly subject: hair ties. I wear my hair in a ponytail about 80% of the time, but I'd never given much thought to these basic accessories. Then I spotted some beautiful handmade ones on Pinterest, and suddenly re-thought the lowly hair tie. Let's face it, scrunchies gave it their best shot but ended up looking kinda silly. Why not infuse little aspects of our life with beauty? So I clicked over to Mane Message, and dove into a sea of prettiness. See for yourself...

Fabulousness abounds! So not only are these accessories lovely, they are luxurious too... made of silky soft elastic. But the best part is, these hair ties are incredibly comfortable. They grip your hair securely without pulling or leaving harsh dents. Seriously, I didn't even realize how uncomfortable my old hair ties were until I tried these. Now I can never go back... plus I need one in every color! Good thing the prices are reasonable. ;-D

From Olivia Hayward, the creator of Mane Message:
Mane Message's hair ties transcend run-of-the-mill drug store hair elastics. They reinvent what it means to wear your hair up, thus making your overall look special, creative and noteworthy. Mane Message specializes in tie dye hair ties, tie dye headbands, solid hair ties, solid headbands and other bohemian-chic elastic hair accessories that double as bracelets. Mane Message hair accessories are handmade out of soft stretchy elastic that doesn't leave dents in your hair.

Check out the Etsy shop here!

I'll get off my soapbox now. This isn't a sponsored post, I just really love these hair ties and had to share.

Handmade Nation

It's starting to be that time of year... Indie Craft Parade time!

We are very excited to announce a special screening of the independent documentary, Handmade Nation!

Handmade Nation documents the new wave of art, craft and design that is capturing the attention of the nation. It is the feature film debut of director, author, artist and curator Faythe Levine. Levine traveled to 15 cities and covered more than 19,000 miles to interview artists, crafters, makers, curators and community members.

Director Faythe Levine captured the tightly knit community that exists through websites, blogs, and online stores that connect to the greater public through independent boutiques, galleries and craft fairs. Interviews were conducted on-location in artist studios, homes, boutiques, offices and craft fairs, giving the public an exclusive and rarely seen look into the lives of these creative individuals.

This screening is hosted by Indie Craft Parade in collaboration with Greenville Forward and The Warehouse Theater. Join us on Tuesday, May 31 at 6:30 pm; admission is $10 and space is limited! Reserve your tickets online here, or by calling 864-233-8443.

Birthday Glimpse

Technically, my birthday was the middle of last week,
but the partying went on for days, so I'll use this as my weekend post.

Cory made sure I had a marvelous birthday... he let me sleep in extra late, took me out to lunch, got me blush pink roses and my favorite FiggyWhigs cupcakes, and showered me with presents. Powdered food coloring! A whole stack of washi paper tape! A food scale! (He considered these things very silly, but it's what I wanted.) And I didn't take any photos, so just imagine it for me. It was all quite lovely.

Heather hosted a perfect little party with the girls, and she and Annie made these most scrumptious treats: Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes topped with whipped ganache and fresh blackberries.

 Heather made a marvelous dinner and had a very pretty table.

And then more lovely presents, including my new favorite scarf. But best of all was just hanging out with the girls... we have so much fun together, and I just love them all to pieces. We laugh so much, it should be illegal.

Other weekend festivities, not pictured:

- helping friends move, yay for new houses!

- porch-sitting

- music volume up and windows down

- bunny-watching

- planning

- glamorous ICP work (data-entry, woohoo.)

- laundry

Happy Weekend!

I hope you have a lovely weekend planned! 

Now that Blogger is fixed, I can relax and enjoy mine. ;-D

Source: 79ideas.org via Erin on Pinterest

Fancy Fashion Wishlist

I seem to be gravitating towards a a cleaner look in fashion... or at least in my fashion wishlist. These items are mostly beyond the reach of my pocketbook, but a girl can dream!

Tiered Ruffleback Jacket by Banana Republic, $175

Shiny Leather Mathilda Bag by Orla Kiely, $635

Jade Link Necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane, $80

Diamond Shaker Necklace by Abejas, $3,000

Scarf (source and price unknown, but it's probably expensive)

Chalkboard Typography

Beautiful type makes my heart go pitter-pat,

and when it's on a chalkboard... I swoon.

Source: 100layercake.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: danatanamachi.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: neithersnow.squarespace.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: designworklife.com via Erin on Pinterest

Food Photography

One of my goals for this year is to improve my food photography skills. I love my camera, but I mostly sit back and let it do the work without any clue what is going on or how to make things better.

This is where Hélène Dujardin's new book, Plate to Pixel, comes in. One look at her marvelous food blog, Tartlette, and it's clear she is a master of food photography. Besides creating scrumptious recipes, she styles and shoots them perfectly. I haven't had a chance to start reading the book yet, but if it helps me to gain even a smidge of her talent, I will be delighted.

Check out this lovely video about Plate to Pixel...


Plate to Pixel Promo Video from Taylor Mathis on Vimeo.

Also! PW announced a FREE online food photography class for this weekend by the fabulous Penny De Los Santos. Penny is a very experienced photojournalist for Nation Geographic. Here's a couple shots from her extensive portfolio...

The class will air this May 13 – 15, 2011 from 1:00 - 8:00 pm EST each day. It's free to watch live, just register here. (If you can't watch live but still want to see the class, you can order a DVD for a fee.) I'm so excited about this, I'm going to try and catch as much of the workshop as I can.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite burger... this baby is about to make your summer a whole lot more exciting. Moist and flavorful with a little kick of spice, just right for the summer heat.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
2 T. green onion, chopped
2 T. Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Basting Sauce:
3 T. Louisiana-style hot sauce
2 T. ketchup
1 T. butter, melted

In a bowl, combine all ingredients for burgers, mix well. Shape into 4 patties. Place on wax paper squares and refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for basting sauce, mix well. Set aside.

Lightly oil grill. Preheat grill to High, then turn down to Medium heat. Use the wax paper squares to flip the burgers onto the grill, then peel off the wax paper. Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping once. Brush the basting sauce onto each side while burgers are cooking. Serve hot on hamburger buns with a blue cheese or ranch dressing. Yield: 4 burgers.

Notes:
- Ground chicken is a lot more fragile than beef. The breadcrumbs and egg help it to hold together, as does the refrigeration. The wax paper makes sure they don't fall apart as you place them on the grill.

- Make sure you use medium heat, a high heat will cause them to dry out.

- The burgers should not be pink inside. Safe internal temperature is 165 °F.

- Ground chicken is a little difficult to find (I get mine at Publix). Most grocery stores should have a small section of it, you just have to look hard. I promise it's worth the hunt! Though if you can't find it, I'm sure ground turkey would be fine. 

- I shape my patties using a 4 inch round cookie cutter as a mold... perfect size every time!

- These would be great topped with bacon or cheese!

- Parmesan Garlic Rolls pair perfectly as the buns.

Weekend Glimpse

Sorry for the lack of posting, it's been a little crazy around here lately. I have lots of lovely posts lined up for this week to make up for my slacking last week!

The past weekend was a baby shower for a dear friend. She wanted it to be relaxed, and a family affair, so we held it at the beautiful Legacy Park here in Greenville, which was the perfect setting. Her family handled the barbeque and dessert, and a few friends and I did the rest of the food. All the guests came with spouses and children, and we played lawn games and chatted in the perfect spring weather. I did simple tissue poufs for decoration, along with some garland, and covered the tables with brown paper and provided crayons for spontaneous drawing. Since they're not finding out the gender of the baby, we went with a rainbow theme for the decor. It was such an enjoyable gathering, I had a great time and I think the parents-to-be did as well.

 I did pink lemonade with slices of grapefruit, lemon, and oranges, and ice water with lemon and lime.

 The guests starting to arrive...
Isn't the cabana lovely? You can reserve it here.

 One of the five tables... greens, blues, red/pink, purples, yellow/orange.

 Time to eat! Concrete counters built into the cabana came in handy.

 I did a fruit tray along with my favorite fruit dip...
It seemed to be a hit!

The grill-masters working on chicken kebobs and turkey burgers.

My version of a caprese salad... so yummy and pretty too!
It's very simple to prepare, I'll share the recipe soon.

Delicious cake!

The father-to-be's mother took great photos, and she's kindly allowed me to share some here...

 The gorgeous mommy-to-be!

Opening presents, and modeling the lovely quilt made by her mom.

 Cory wrote out a phrase from the classic kid's book, Love You Forever.

Not pictured:

- my little sis graduates from college!

- little sis moves out after living with us for 3.5 years! This is a very good thing. ;-D  I was glad to have her, but it's great that she's moving on to the next stage.

- mother's day! I love my mom and my mom-in-law dearly, and it was wonderful to spend time with each of them.

- lots of good food

- sinuses

- sleeping in

- kitty cuddle time

- eating the first of the sugar snap peas! SO. GOOD.

- grandparent time! We were able to see Cory's wonderful out-of-town grandparents, as well as visit with his lovely great-grandmother and grandmother

The Gilded Bee

The Gilded Bee is marvelous. The Gilded Bee is addicting. The Gilded Bee is "paperie haberdashery. Things you'll find here: millinery flowers and leaves, lovely paper goods and scrapbook embellishments, jewelry and craft supplies, twine and ribbons and trims and tinsel, beads and cabochons, butterflies and miniatures, delicious gift wrap and kits, wedding pretties and all things small and curious."

Take a look! (all photos by The Gilded Bee)

Yes, The Gilded Bee is fabulous, and I want it all.

From top:

Aqua Blue Wired Pom Pom Garland, $3.49

 Pewter Vintage Paper Lace, $7.65

Sweet Peach Satin Ribbon, $4.89

Spring is the Thing Butterfly Wrap Kit, $2.99

Mint Green Ruffled Crepe Garland, $4.99

Bubblegum Pink Sequin Trim, $2.99

Cream Millinery Flower Bouquet, $3.89

Weekend Glimpse

This past weekend I had the pleasure of directing a friend's wedding. It made for a very busy day or two, but was really enjoyable... and everything turned out perfectly for a lovely bride and groom. As I was mostly dashing about gluing people's nails back on and telling someone where to stand, I didn't get a chance to take a lot of photos, but I did snap some (quickly, before the light faded) of the flowers Annie and I had done. The wedding colors were green and brown, with an earthy-modern feel.

Bride's bouquet

Bridesmaid's bouquets

 Groomsman's boutonniere

Throw bouquet

 Decor... glass hurricanes filled with coffee beans and candles

Some of the swags hung on the doors

Table centerpieces... hydrangeas and limes

The food was done by Ribault Catering. They were extremely great to work with, and the food was AMAZING. Carrot soufflé, anyone? I would highly recommend them to anyone in the SC/NC area. Here's a little sample of what they can do (photos courtesy of Ribault Catering)...

And a certain other, slightly more famous wedding also captured my attention...

What a perfect princess! I just loved the whole affair... her dress, the hats, the formality, the obvious love between the couple... the entire thing was simply wonderful.

Not pictured:

- getting up so very early to groggily fashion leaves and grass into boutonnieres

- sore feet

- sparklers

- celebrations

- mac n' cheese

- fresh cut grass

- a clean home thanks to my wonderful hubs

- restful Sunday