Beach Gypsies.......Our Little Corner of the Store

Well hello there.......

It's another day, another chance to get it right.......

We can only hope:)

Awhile back, I mentioned that we (my girls and I) have been busy

creating goodies to sell at Vintage Charm of Naples.

Well, we finally got enough together to have our very own corner of the store.

our style is shabby, beach cottage, girly and FUN.

it looks a bit cluttered in the pics but in person,

it's very pretty and whimsical.

i think:)

here are some photos.......

we turned it into a beachy winter wonderland!

 everything from sweet seahorses, to wreaths, to painted mason jars.

 ornaments, jewelry and even a mirror!

 can't forget the tutus...and notice the pink snowflakes?

a dollar store find, spray painted pink and glittered:)

 ruffled rompers and white Christmas trees!

we really got lucky with the paint color inside the store...

shabby-beachy aqua!

PERFECT for the BEACH GYPSIES!

if you're ever down south in Naples. stop by Vintage Charm.

you can't miss the beach gypsies little corner of the world:)

xoxo

Suzanne

Hurricane Isaac, Random Stuff.....and FOOD:)

Hurricane Isaac is on it's way.
but before i write any more,

i am so sorry to hear about the people killed in Haiti
and the Dominican Republic.
i can't imagine living in a tent during this!
all we can do is pray, right?

so, living in south florida,

we are kinda used to this.

and it looks as if we will "only" get a few 

REALLY rainy/windy days.
no worries......
all we need is some of this stuff and this attitude.......

Hurrican Isaac by shabbychicks featuring pink boots

OKAY.......

it's cool going to the beach in the days leading up to it.

we went to the Naples Pier Friday night and

all was calm.......HOT and sunny:)

Yesterday we went for a walk on the beach.....

calm but now cloudy.

and today, we should feel a breeze when we go.

oh my gosh, i wish i could bottle that  breeze.

it really has been a LONG HOT SUMMER!

here are some pics from the weekend.......
i have to ask,
what do you think of my hair?
besides the fact that is SHORT?:)
it's okay if you have nothing nice to say.....
i took a razor to it Friday afternoon:)

yesterday we found colorful little shells.
and SEAGLASS!
 always a special treat!
i noticed Taylor picking up broken shells that were very colorful.
she has always collected shells.....
we all do.
but Taylor used to (still does)
collect broken ones, too.
i finally asked her why.
she said "look at the outside of a broken shell and then the inside.
sometimes the inside is much prettier."
WHOA.......
talk about a lightbulb moment!

maybe, just MAYBE, it's a great reminder
to see what's on the inside rather than the
 outside of people.
yep, that's what it is alright:)

i love this.........

it's no accident......by the way:)

food.
did i mention food in the title?
OF COURSE I DID!
what else do i talk about.....
or think about?:)
well..........
i found the MOST amazing cookie recipe
from culinary concepts by peabody on pinterest.

culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody

these are so soft and YUMMY!

White Chocolate Topped Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups flour

2 tsp. Ginger, Ground

1 tsp. Cinnamon, Ground

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, Ground (I used fresh)

1/4 tap salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl.

Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add molasses, egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press about 5-6 white chocolate chips into center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.

Adapted from McCormick and Company Inc.

and one of my favorite,

SUPER easy appetizers is to throw a brick of light cream cheese on a plate,

dump some pepper jelly on top and serve with crackers.

(throw.....dump......gee! really makes it sound appetizing. hahaha)

ANYWAY, look at this cute idea using just those ingredients......

How clever! Just cut a cream cheese block in half on the diagonal to make a tree shape. 

Add some bell pepper decorations and some pepper jelly (and crackers), 

and you have an awesomely cute appetizer! (Betty Crocker)

lastly, i leave you with a cloud photo

my 15 year old daughter, Jordan, snapped with her phone the other day.

can you see anything in the clouds?

let me give you a clue.......

we just finished watching Shark Week on TV.

for some weird reason, we like Shark week:)

it's a SHARK cloud!

see his pointy nose, eyes, TEETH.........

i think it's super cool.

i want it to go viral.........

she caught a great photo and deserves it:)

okay my friends,

be BLESSED on this Sunday morning!

XOXOXOXOX

Suzanne

Birthdays and more.....

you know how you do special things for your kids as they grow up,

creating traditions,making memories

never expecting it to come back to you......

but incredibly happy when it does?

that's how it's been with me lately.

you see, birthdays are a BIG deal around here.

HUGE!

always a theme, decorating, favorite foods, fun stuff to do.....

and last week,  my AMAZING girls gave me an

INCREDIBLE birthday!

it all started with the decorations for

an ocean themed party.

(cause we love going to the beach:)

 they gathered shells and other beachy stuff around the house,

bought some cool stuff at the party store,

including these awesome blue glasses.

i wish i had better photos to share because it was 

soooooo BEAUTIFUL!

we always put pics of the birthday girl or boy around as part

of the decorations......

and they did that for me:)

rather than wrapping a black gift box,

Jordan wrote a quote about beach life on the box with a paint pen.

yep, yep, yep.....i have some creative girls

and Taylor gets such JOY out of decorating everything possible.

we went to the beach to look for shells, watched a few movies,

munched on caramel corn, had chili pasta for dinner (YUM)

and even took a whack at Herman, the Turtle Pinata:)

(Taylor busted him open:)

FUN times!!!!!

for the cake, i knew i was in for a treat.

they worked on it alot, so i knew it would be delicious!

and that it would include my FAVORITE Orange Cake.

well.......take a look at my cake.

 no wonder they worked so hard!!!!!

they used my orange cake and then vanilla to use for the 

red, blue and purple layers.

my Rainbow cake.

pretty AMAZING, don't ya think?

and since my iphone is old (an original)

and has about had it,

my husband gave me a gift card to get the new iphone 5 when it comes out.

and oh my gosh,

my girls gave me the most amazing gifts!

(i am so blessed!!!)

it was kinda a Junk Gypsy birthday.

(love everything they sell/show:)

love my new JG bag and crochet shrug.

(sorry the photo is not so clear:)

trust me, it's really pretty.

my girls can SHOP!

now, since i feel kinda silly that this whole blog post has been all about me,

here are a few things for YOU!

what a super cool, easy idea.

tie cinnamoon sticks around a candle.

the scent as the candle warms the cinnamon sticks is SOOOOO wonderful!

and i thought this was cute.....

kinda like a reminder that there are simple, amazing things in the world,

even on our darkest days.

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

Happiness is.......The Long Hot Summer Edition

because while it's only mid July.....

it's been a loooooong HOT summer!

so hot, i think maybe i've been even LAZIER than normal!

which is why i haven't been on my blog much.

too hot + lazy = no blog posts.

seriously, this is what happens when i sit at the computer to write.....

awwwww....so cute:)

i mean, this heat is draining.

  all i wanna do is lay around like these cool guys..... 

but before you think i haven't been enjoying summer,

here are a few things that spell summer happiness to me.....

and we all need to think about the HAPPY in our life, 

past and present, right?

Happiness is.........

~having FUN is what summer is all about.

remember water balloons?

SOOOO much fun in the summer!

well, now some creative mommies have discovered how to have a water fight with sponges!

photo credit: Sponge Balls

super easy to make.....

just cut up 3 sponges into strips.  

gather them together and tie with dental floss.

fluff out your water sponge and you're ready for a water sponge fight!

COOL, huh?

now that's some serious summer fun, sure to make everyone

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY:)

~Happiness is also.......

the beach!

going to the beach with a book and a CUTE hat are even better.....

(love this book, and what do ya think of our new hat?)

next best thing to going to the beach is EATING the beach.

haha......one of our favorite desserts is sand on the beach.

kind of like dirt cake except with vanilla pudding, cream and crushed vanilla wafers.

OR

you could experiment with happy beach cupcakes.

okay, enough about the beach, our happy place:)

~Happiness is an ICE cold treat.

if you don't like em, they make a CUTE gift!

credit: eighteen25.blogspot.com:

Happiness is........

hanging out and just talking with my girls.

well, one of them.  the other is still at Boston Ballet but coming home soon.

happiness is ALSO that she is HAPPY, having FUN and made some wonderful, life-long friends!

but speaking of talking with your kids this summer, 

here is a list of great ideas from iMom re: talking with the kiddos.

Happiness is.........eating simple.

as in simple dinners!

like the good ol' 

B

L

T

Yum!

Happiness is.........

 lemonade stands.

my girls used to do this ALL the time.

so much fun and still makes me happy.

do yourself a favor.......

if you see a lemonade stand, stop.

you may be the only one (besides the mom) who does.......

and you will make some children VERY happy:)

Happiness is.......

cuddling and playing with my dogs.

they just make me happy, no matter the season.

this time i bring you my big boy,

Maui the Goldendoodle.....who doesn't know he is big at all:)

YIKES! hahaha

and last but not least,
Happiness is.........
staying inside on a hot summer day,
doing crafts with my girl(s)
like these SUPER CUTE headphone wraps!

we saw the idea on pinterest and in one night, Jordie was done with hers.
(mine took longer but only cause i was doing 10 other things at the same time:)
aren't they cute though?

okay, okay.....enough catching up!
time to get out and enjoy the day before it gets TOO hot and steamy:)
most important, remember this.......

XOXOXOXOX
Suzanne

Beach Life.....

confession time.......

i don't really have anything major to talk about.

WAIT...i never have anything major to talk about.

but today, there is even less.

yet i miss my blog and want to post something.

and since we're headed to the beach, 

how about some beach related STUFF.

in a nutshell.....

all you need for a day at the beach.

while doing whatever you have planned on a hot saturday,

something to think about...

(photo of the Naples Pier:)

okay, you know that after the trip to Hawaii,

surfing is in the blood around here. 

even i feel it.

the trip and the surfing experience was so cool.

(hey, i took one lesson anyway and would do it again:)

the lifestyle is so beachy and relaxed.

anyway, there aren't waves in south florida like they have in Hawaii.....

but every now and then mother nature kicks up a few.

and Jordan saved enough money to buy a surfboard from a friend:)

Happy Day!

did I ever post this next surfboard pic?  

I must have posted it somewhere because we've gotten

 some inquiries about it.

someone is even considering it for an ad. 

pretty cool:)

lastly, because the beach is calling my name,

my all time favorite summer appetizer.

i first had it at a pampered chef party YEARS ago.

it's still a favorite.....

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips!

recipes are all over the internet,

but you can tweak it how you like.

Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients:

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 apples - peeled, cored and diced

8 ounces raspberries

1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced

or basically any fruit you like!

2 tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)

1 tablespoon brown sugar (more or less to taste)

3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor (I prefer apple jelly))

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas

melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon sugar:

1 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

3.Coat one side of each flour tortilla with melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle tortillas with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spray again with cooking spray (not necessary if using melted butter). 

4.Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. This salsa can also be serve with cinnamon graham grackers or cinnamon pita chips. Best when made and eaten the same day otherwise the fruit gives off so too much juice and it gets runny.

that's it from here!

enjoy your weekend!!!

Suzanne