DIY "Antique" Tray

The crackle nail polish trend that blew up last year was a fun nail art trend, but until we found a bottle of Martha Steward crackle paint at a craft store, we had no idea that you could create the same effect on furniture. We like the paint because it makes our accessories look aged and antique-y minus the oh 20-90 years of aging required! :) We chose to give a wooden tray we found at a local craft store the crackle makeover, but you can give the same finish to any object that works with acrylic paint. Tutorial below!

Supplies

• Crackle finish paint (we really like Martha's brand)
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrushes (both big and small according to your object)
• Object to paint. We used a wooden tray found at a local craft store.

Directions

1.) Although your instructions on your crackle paint may vary, our first step was to paint a primer coat of acrylic paint.

2.) After drying, we applied the crackle paint.

3.) Lastly, to get the crackle effect, you add one more layer of acrylic paint. As it dries, you will see the crackle effect.

Enjoy!

Emily + Erick

Summer Table Setting

As the temperature rises, so does the amount of times that Lulibee (our pitbull)  gets to go to the beach. We absolutely cherish these walks and use this time to disconnect, relax, and just enjoy the view. Recently on one of these walks we couldn't help but notice this beautiful piece of driftwood and we had to take it home with us and put it to good use for a table setting project that we have been working on. Below are the results of our work featuring our driftwood centerpiece and some helpful tips and instructions .

Materials:

• Driftwood
• Succulents
• Summer flower of choice
• Apothecary Bottle
• Utensils (we got ours from West Elm)
• Simple plate and napkin

When looking for a piece of driftwood, look for one with a lot of "pockets" that you can easily plant your succulents into.

Use utensils that bring out the theme of the tablescape, something with some elements of nature really add a nice touch.

These found woodsy orbs really complimented the main centerpiece.

You can never go wrong with adding some of your favorite fresh flowers.

If possible try to find a few blooming succulents for a nice pop of color.

Try this out for your first BBQ of the season, and let us know how it works out!

Emily + Erick

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica Citrus Salad

We're not sure whether the end of The Office on Thursday has us nostalgic for Dwight and his beet farm or maybe it's our beet craving flaring up again...Okay just kidding, it's definitely the former. To pay homage to our favorite show and our beloved Dwight, we wanted to create a dish inspired by the show for the finale. We're going to be honest though...we don't like beets usually. Like straight up plain 'ole beets? Yuck--we'll pass. BUT fear not! We have found a way to make beets delicious! Through some trial and error in the kitchen, we whipped up a yummy citrus salad that's tangy, sweet, and perfect for summer entertaining. Beets included!

Ingredients

• 1 Orange (peeled)
  
• 1 Ruby Red Grapefruit (peeled)
  
• 1/4 of a Shallot (chopped into thin slivers)
  
• 4-5 whole skinned baby beets diced into little cubes (Beet tip: we used packaged honey & ginger flavored beets from Love Beets--so cute! We got ours from Whole Foods)
  
• 1/4 cup of red raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Makes 1-2 servings :)

Directions

Step 1.) In a medium bowl, combine thinly chopped shallots, your peeled orange + grapefruit, your diced beets, and your raspberry vinaigrette.

Step 2.) Stir and cover. Put in refrigerator for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld together.

Step 3.) Serve and enjoy while sobbing to the last episode of The Office..wait that's just us.

We're in love with this Dwight embroidery by Totally Severe! Check out her work--insane!

Are you an Office fan? We can't be the only fanatics right??

Emily + Erick

In Search of The Great Gatsby

Hi all, happy Friday! In honor of The Great Gatsby's debut in theaters today, we thought we'd do a Gatsby-themed post to mark the occasion. Since Erick hails from Long Island and we visit often,  we thought we'd do a little sleuthing and explore the town in which the novel is set to put us in the opulent 1920's mind frame. Just for a little background, in the book Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby live in the fictional town of "West Egg"--where the new money live; conversely, Daisy and Tom live in "East Egg" (where the old money families reside.) In real life, West Egg is modeled after the area of Great Neck, specifically the village of Kings Point. After doing a little research on the homes that inspired the novel, we packed up the car and made our way out there hoping to see what Fitzgerald saw when he wrote the novel while living in Great Neck in the 1920s. 

Photo of Beacon Towers we found online. The long-demoloished mansion that is thought to have inspired Jay Gatsby's home.

"A factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin bead of raw ivy, and marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of land." —F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

According to Gary Lawrence's blog, this is the mansion that inspired Daisy and Tom's estate in the novel.

Pembroke, the mansion where Fitzgerald attended lavish parties that inspired Gatsby's. Photo + information from GaryLawrence.com

An interior from Gary Lawrence's blog of a 1920's mansion that we imagine Gatsby would have lived in.

When we explored Great Neck, there were a lot of winding, private roads that made photographing the mansions difficult. We can imagine Gatsby gripping the curves of these back roads on his Roadster.

Sometimes however, we were lucky enough to grab a peek of these gorgeous houses through the highly-manicured landscaping. 

Erick in search of the green light.

The beach at Great Neck, NY.

Have you ever been to Great Neck, Long Island?

Emily + Erick

Strawberry Mint Lemonade

If there's anything you can be certain of when warm weather hits New York City, it is that New Yorker's will flock to the nearest park to picnic--and they will picnic hard. As soon as the first trees bloom and the thermostat hovers around 70 degrees, the City awakens and the masses collectively come down with a bad case of spring fever. Black clothes are shed, maxi dresses are donned, and the city's precious green spaces become a patchwork of picnic blankets. In honor of this celebrated ritual, we whipped up some of like the best damn lemonade...ever and headed to Central Park to enjoy a day in the sun. With lemonade this good, you'll find any excuse to head outside. 

Ingredients 

• Pitcher (we used a large mason jar-esque pitcher with a lid for portability! Found it at the dollar store whoo!)
• 1 cup lemon juice (it will take 6-8 lemons to produce this much juice plus 1 or 2 extra if you want to infuse the fruit in your pitcher)
• 3/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
• 4-5 cups of cold water
• 1 pint of strawberries
• 1 bunch of mint
• Ice cube tray 

Directions

Step 1.) After washing your mint, pull of mint leaves and place them in an empty ice cube tray--about a few leaves in each compartment. Carefully fill with water and put in freezer to freeze. 

Step 2.) After washing your strawberries, cut them up and place them in the bottom of your pitcher. 

Step 3.) Squeeze your lemons until you have 1 cup's worth of juice and pour into the pitcher. Note: If you want some lemon slices in your pitcher, slice these up in this step and place on top of your strawberries.

Step 4.) In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of water and 3/4 cup of sugar. Stir until all of your sugar is dissolved. (Note: This will create a simple syrup that blends perfectly in the lemonade and doesn't leave those sugar granules at the bottom of the pitcher.)

Step 5.) Pour your sugar syrup into the pitcher over your strawberries, lemon juice, and sliced lemons.

Step 6.) Put this mixture into refrigerator while waiting for your ice cubes to freeze. The flavors will meld together as you wait!

Step 7.) Once frozen, put ice cubes into pitcher and fill the remainder of the pitcher with cold water.

Find a relaxing space to zen out and enjoy!

Emily + Erick

Last Minute Mother's Day Surprise

Everyone loves getting special mail, especially mom! That's why for this last minute Mother's Day surprise idea, we came up with this cute oversized envelope with something even sweeter inside. Upon opening the giant envelope, mom will be be treated to a sweet note spelled out in bunting. Our bunting gets a girly makeover with floral print letters in a message that's sure to make mom smile! 

Read below for the tutorial.

Supplies

• Scissors
• Pencil
• Floral print paper (We bought ours at Paper Presentation)
• String
• Craft stickers (optional) 
• 20x30 inch white paper (medium thickness) (We bought ours at Paper Presentation)

Directions

Step 1.) Fold your white paper according to this WikiHow tutorial. 

Step 2.) Write cute messages on the front. We chose to hand draw the words "Special Delivery" but you can customize your message however you like :)

Step 3.) Using your pencil, draw the outline of the letters of your message onto  your floral print paper. (Tip: we made our letters 5 inches tall and used a ruler to draw straight lines!) 

Step 4.) Cut out your letters

Step 5.) Punch two holes next to each other in the top of each letter

Step 6.) Using your string, thread through each of your letters to spell your message. 

Step 7.) Neatly package your bunting in the envelope and seal with a sticker

Step 8.) Send to mom and watch her smile!

Enjoy!

Emily + Erick

Fig Prosciutto and Honey Mascarpone Pizza

While in Italy, we came across the delicious flavor combination of fig, prosciutto, mascarpone, and honey. From mascarpone gelato, fig jam, and proscuitto & honey crostini, Italians love these flavors and luckily for us, they taste even better melded together. These yummy flavors had since been ruminating on our minds and we had been thinking of a dish that would do them justice. We bounced around a bunch of ideas but in the end we figured a multi-grain pizza would be the perfect canvas for all of these flavors. Even though this may seem a little intimidating (it did to us, too--first time buying figs!), it's actually quite simple and well worth it we promise!

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (you can make your own but we got ours at Whole Foods :)
• 1/2 Cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 4 Figs, quartered
• 1/4 Cup of caramelized onions
• 1/4 Proscuitto

*Note this will make one medium pizza, that can be shared between two people or just one really hungry person :)

Directions

Step 1.) Caramelize your onions and set aside.

Step 2.) Roll out pizza dough, according to the directions in your recipe (or dough bag!) Don't forget to pinch the edges to make a crust!

Step 3.) Mix in your 2 Tbsp honey into your mascarpone cheese and spread on your dough. 

Step 4.) Add your quartered figs, prosciutto, caramelized onions. 

Step 5.) Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Emily + Erick

The Maine Event

A few weeks ago, we went to Maine to celebrate Emily's birthday in a weekend that could only be summed up by the three "L's: Lighthouses, Lobster, and L.L. Bean." While there, we stayed on a goat farm just outside Portland in the tiny town of Hollis Center. After exploring Portland--where we spent most of our trip--we set off for a few excursions along the Maine coast, named one of the Most Scenic Drives in America. Here are some photos from our trip and recommendations if you ever make it to Maine yourself!

The lighthouse at Fort Williams Park.

We made some friends while staying at this farmhouse.

One of our favorite shops in Portland had to be Sea Wall. All the clothing in the shop is produced in the back.Yay local designers!

Given that wild Maine blueberries are "the caviar of Maine," we made a point to try everything blueberry flavored, including this yummy soda from Eli's.

So glad that we skipped the hyped, expensive seafood restaurants in lieu of eating at J's Oyster, a no-frills bar that serves up some of the best lobster and oysters in town.

If you ever go to Portland, you have to stop at East End cupcakes! Not only have they been on cupcake wars, they are some of the best cupcakes we've ever tried--and that's saying a lot of us!

We love this marquee sign in East End Cupcakes. So cute!

Also while on the topic of baked goods, don't get us started on the Standard Baking Co. They're baked goods are insane, we made sure to stock up on breakfast items here before heading out on our drive to the Maine coast.

The incredible sapphire blue water at Popham Beach State Park is best viewed from the tops of the craggy rocks on the beach. This place was so ethereal and beautiful, we can't wait to come back.

After a day in the car driving along the coast, we were happy to  come across Red's Eats, an adorable roadside shack selling the best lobster rolls ever , according to the WSJ, among a million other publications

View of the shipyard at sunset. 

We <3 Maine. Have you ever been?

Emily + Erick

Rustic Polaroid Display

A little while back, we were rummaging around an old drawer when we came across a bag of our old Polaroids that we had taken together. Now, we take a lot of Polaroids so as we flipped through this big pile of cheery summer photos, we thought that it didn't do them justice tucked away in drawer...only to see the light of day in a few months when we remembered them again. That said, we racked our brains for a cute way to display them, but it wasn't until we stumbled upon this frame that we realized it would be perfect. A few nails, wires, and clothespins later, we had our very own rustic Polaroid display case. This easy DIY looks just as cute at a wedding reception as it does in your house and you can customize it to make it meaningful to you. Once your'e bored with the pictures, you can easily swap out the photos for a whole new look, too! Instructions below. 

Supplies

• Old frame, or new frame made to look old ;)
• Polaroids
• Clothespins
• Spooled Silver Floral Wire (About 18-20 gauge) 
• 6, 1/2" Nails
• Hammer

Directions

1.) Nail two nails on both sides of the inside of the frame. Wrap the wire around the nails. Repeat this as many times as necessary.

2. Clip your polaroids to the wire and add some cute bunting if you'd like.

That's all there is to it!

Emily + Erick

Healthy(ish) S'more Popsicles

What's better than America's favorite summer time treats, s'mores and popsicles? Answer: both of them combined. Think of it as a creamy, chocolaty treat that's refreshing and doesn't leave you with sticky 'mallow hands afterwards. Sorry if we just blew your mind but really, these are a must try! And since, popsicles are intended to be light and refreshing, we've made them healthy (ish) so you can indulge without the guilt. These popsicles are great for kids and grown-ups alike as they have less sugar than regular s'mores but are more fun than the average popsicle. 

PS: if you have a Zoku, this is an awesome recipe to try. See recipe below:

Ingredients

• 1 Box of Chocolate Pudding
• 1 Box of Hershey's White Chocolate Pudding Mix (Note: this is your "marshmallow" component--it tastes just like it, TRUST US. If you can't find this at your grocery store perhaps try marshmallow fluff however not sure how well that will freeze?)
• A few graham crackers, crushed. 
• 2-3 Tbsp Milk
• Popsicle mold

Directions

1.) Make both of your puddings according to the directions on the package and set aside.

2.) Crush your graham crackers (we like to put them in a Ziploc bag and hit with the back of a serving spoon--no mess!). 

3.) Now that you're graham crackers are crushed, you need to add a few tablespoons of milk to them so that they pack together a little bit, but not to the point that they get soggy. They should be the consistency of of slightly wet sand.

4.) It's now time to layer your popsicle in your mold. We experimented with a few different layering techniques so that the graham crackers didn't crumble when you take them out of the molds. Here's our layering technique of:

• Chocolate (first layer you put in--when taken out of the mold this the top layer of your popsicle)
• Graham crackers
• White chocolate pudding (last layer you put in the mold--this is the bottom layer when you take it out of the mold)

We found this layering technique of the graham crackers sandwiched between the pudding held the pop together the best.

5.) Freeze your pops a couple hours (or minutes if you're lucky enough to have a Zoku!) and enjoy!

Emily + Erick