DIY Summer Beach Bag by Shabby Chicks

Hey y'all.......

 I have a super cute project to show you!

Yesterday, I made an adorable beach bag and I am in LOVE with it!

(hope you like it too:)

I first saw a bag like this somewhere online for $78.00.

I wish I knew where I saw it:(

Anyway, the other day I visited one of my favorite blogs,

toriejayne.com, and she had a blog post with instructions for making one of 

these cute bags.

Shazam!!!

I ordered a straw french market bag from Amazon and went to work.

It was so simple!

All you need is an oversized straw bag, white primer paint, 

a sponge brush and regular paint brushes, a star stencil, Martha Stewart

acrylic paint and you're good to go!

Step 1........using a sponge brush, paint the bag with white primer paint.

Step 2.......Using a stencil, outline the star with pencil and brush paint

around the shape.  

I used Martha Stewart paint in Beach Glass.

After the bag was painted, I tried to soften it a bit by 

lightly brushing a glaze over it.

(I used soft blue pearl paint from Martha S.)

Let it all dry and that's it!

I'm so in love with this bag, I want one in every color:)

Try it for yourself.......you'll be so happy you did!

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

Lazy Days, Luscious Lemon Blossoms and Lots More:)

L

E

M

O

N

S

what summer would be FUN without lemons?

that sour fruit has been the source of some real

summer fun

for generations.

so today is all about those lemons.

i'm talking lemon bars, lemonade stands, lemon cookies, lemon cake

 and more........

good stuff like that.

first up, lemonade stands.

nothing says summer like kids sitting by their lemonade stands.

my girls and their friends did this for hours every summer and

it was always a big hit. 

 of course the boys came and tried to steal the lemonade.....

but that's part of the fun, right?

simply make a pitcher of lemonade,

set up a card table or a picnic table.

if you have a lemonade stand, great! 

personally, i love the rustic lemonade stand.....

you could have a PINK lemonade stand.

and maybe even have the proceeds go to a favorite charity.

that REALLY gets people to buy the lemonade and is a good

teaching moments for kids.

and don't forget the yummy treats.

now, you don't have to do this......

but it will be a big hit if you do.

that is, IF the kiddos don't eat them all, 

which has happened to me:)

but if you do feel like baking, check these out from Itty Bitty Bakery......

Lemon Melting Moments,

and they will melt in your mouth! 

 now, some of these ideas may be too much for a lemonade stand,

 but there are

so many great ideas out there, i had to share:)

like this recipe from Paula Deen for

Lemon Blossoms

bring them to a family picnic and they'll be gone in no time! 

Lemon Blossoms

Ingredients

• 18½-ounce package yellow cake mix
• 3½-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. (Filling more than half will have batter spilling above the top of the cups, which tend to break apart when turned out from the pans. ) Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a clean dish towel.To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set 

thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

let's see..what else...

lemon bars are ALWAYS good.....

but Lemon Cheesecake Bars by Leigh Anne are

Lemony Luscious!

i haven't been able to track this next baker down but maybe the 

picture will inspire some of you:)

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

okay.

is your mouth watering yet?

the last cool idea i want to share, and you have probably seen this but

here we go anyway,

is a lemonade stand in a pail.

how cute is this idea from giggles galore?

great for having your own lemonade stand or a really cute gift to take to a friends house

as a thank you for a playdate or maybe even a thank you for dinner.

i swear, there are some crazy talented people out there!

so go visit:)

well, i guess that's it my friends.

hope this gets you inspired for some lemony 

SUMMER FUN!

xoxoxox

Suzanne

Sprinkles, Prayer, Happy Pills and Flowers.......Being HAPPY on a Monday Morning!

Huh!

Being happy on a Monday morning isn't as

easy as it sounds.

Monday means work, school (some parts of the year),

 the end of vacation.........and who knows what else.

So how can we have a better Monday morning?

~Pray~

Saying a prayer and asking for a lil help would be a start:)

~Coffee~

Monday means coffee..........and lots of it! hahaha

~Happy Pills~

No silly, not THOSE kind of happy pills.

THESE kind of happy pills.

Make yourself a little set of happy pills for the office:)

~Flowers~

Stop by and grab a few on the way to work, or bring some from your yard.

Nothing fancy...just something to brighten the day!

If you're lucky enough to have lilacs like these from my

mama's yard, definitely bring them:)

~Compliment Someone~

Sincerely, genuinely honestly find something to compliment someone for.

Big, little.........make their day! (nothing better than a good cereal maker;)

~Be Positive~

Don't think of all you HAVE to do, 

or didn't get done last week.

This ia a NEW week.

 Don't look back, look forward.

~Wander~

That's right, take a few minutes to let you mind wander.

Think about an upcoming vacation,

about a special dinner you have planned,

think about sneaking off for an ice cream cone.........with sprinkles!:)

anything to make YOU smile!

And on this Monday morning........

know that you are loved!

xoxoxoxox

Suzanne

Lessons in Life From Whales, Dolphins, The Sun and Mermaids:)

WOW!!!

That's a title for a blog post if there ever was one! hahaha

What can we learn from them?

hmmmm...apparently quite a bit;)

So sit back, relax and check these out.

I bet you'll find at least one piece of advice you like!

and if you want to save these, just click the pin button on the photo:)

 Yes lovely mermaid...we should make our own beautiful path!

 Be playful like a Dolphin:)

 SHINE!!!!!!!

So there you have it.

The last line from the whale is 

"be abundantly happy and live thankfully".  

Pretty much sums it up, right?

XOXOXOX

Suzanne

Summer + Lilly Pulitzer.....some things just go together.

Ever since we lived near Palm Beach,

the land of Lilly Pulitzer,

I've been a fan.

Every year for Easter, I bought matching dresses 

for me and my 2 girls.

And now that one of my daughters hopes to work at Lilly this Fall,

we are once again in full Lilly mode:)

It's just HAPPY...and we like happy stuff! 

Lilly Pulitzer passed away last year,

but she left quite a "colorful" legacy with her beautiful designs.

And she was a fun lady, if the books are accurate, 

and I believe they were.

Speaking of books, if you like Lilly,

you simply must add these two books to your home. 

 Full of stories, fashion, family photos, anecdotes and recipes.......

they're awesome!

Here is an example of a few recipes.......

CHIPOTLE SLIDERS

This smokey mayo looks divine, but we can’t help wanting to add a little slice of avocado. You know how we are about pink and green!

1 cup mayonnaise

2 chipotles in adobe

1 tbsp adobe sauce

1/2 lime, juiced

salt and ground pepper

Sliders: 

1/2 to 1 pound ground chuck, 80/20

salt and ground pepper

cheese slices

mini burger buns

Grill and assemble sliders, serve with chipotle mayo, pickles and red onion slices.

_________________________________________________________

PINK LEMONADE

2 cups white sugar

9 cups water

2 cups fresh lemon juice

1 cup cranberry juice

In a large pitcher combine all. Stir to dissolve sugar.

See?????  Buy the Books! :)

Then there are her amazing fashions.

Fun, fresh, colorful, feminine, cool.......they're perfect for summer.

Or if you live in the south like I do, they're great year round.

 You just can't be grumpy when you wear cute, happy clothes like these:)

Yep, summer and Lilly just go together.
And as Lilly herself said,
"Wear PINK and make the BOYS Wink" :)
xoxo
Suzanne